Other

Caretaker Systems, Inc.

Water Circulation Patents, Inc.

Water Circ.patents, Inc.

Caretaker System, Inc.

Lester R Mathews

Steven R Barnes

M Shaun Farrier

Thomas E Berk

Jay M Galvin

John A Work

A recirculating pump system is connected to either skimmers, or a catch basin for a vanishing edge of a swimming pool, to supply water to the suction inlet of the pump system. A water distribution valve operated by an electric control system distributes water from the outlet side of the recirculating pump system to pool cleaning heads normally in accordance with a preprogrammed timed sequence. As part of each programmed cycle of operation of the water distribution valve, water is supplied to one or more pool return jets located on a side opposite the skimmer or catch basin. The return jets create moving surface currents on the water to sweep debris floating on or near the water surface to the skimmer or catch basin. An electric wind speed detector located in the vicinity of the pool and coupled to the electric control system causes the control system to override the programmed sequence in response to wind exceeding a pre-established threshold to operate the pump system to supply water to the pool return jets.

Cleaning system for swimming pools and the like

A perimeter monitoring system is arranged to detect passage across a perimeter of an area. The system primarily includes an emitter, a retroreflector, a detector and an alarm. The emitter provides a modulated visible laser beam. The retroreflector is arranged to direct the beam along a segment of the perimeter and return the beam along the segment. The detector includes a device that blocks reception of light outside an angle of less than 5 degrees. One or more local or remote alarms are activated in response to the signal. For example, a remote alarm is located on the inside of a residence window where it is activated by another visible laser beam. Alignment of the peripheral monitoring system is less costly and false alarms are less likely than with known systems.

Perimeter monitoring system

A fitting, in the form of a mounting collar for installation of a water input nozzle, such as a cleaning head in the floor and walls of a swimming pool, is designed to permit the fitting to be rocked from side to side a limited amount relative to the central axis of a water supply pipe in which the fitting is inserted during initial installation. This is done to allow for installation discrepancies where the water supply pipe is not perpendicular to the surface of the pool where the pipe opens into the pool. By allowing this amount of movement in the installation of the mounting collar, the orientation of a pop-up cleaning head, for example, with respect to the pool floor or wall, is ensured to be perpendicular; so that optimum cleaning of the pool surface during subsequent use of the system occurs.

Adjustable mounting collar for a retractable cleaning head

A swimming pool aerator is designed with a base member secured to the end of a water return pipe above the water surface in the side of a pool or water feature basin. The base member carries a retractable spray nozzle, which normally is biased to retract into the wall of the pool through the base member. When water is applied to the supply line under pressure, an aerator nozzle is moved from a rest position to an extended position against the action of a biasing spring to spray water into the pool. When the pressure or supply is turned off, the aerator nozzle is retracted back into the base portion by the biasing spring to a position safely out of the way of swimmers or users of the pool.

Retractable aerator

An improved filtration system for swimming pools and the like is disclosed, in which none of the water passing through the filter passes through the recirculating pump for the swimming pool. This is accomplished by connecting the water inlet of the filter directly with the floor drain and surface skimmer. The outlet from the filter is interconnected with an entrainment nozzle supplied with water under pressure from the recirculating pump for the pool. The pump withdraws water directly from the pool, and supplies that water under pressure to the entrainment nozzle, which then draws water through the filter from the outlet to mix such filtered water with the water supplied by the pump to the entrainment nozzle for return to a return outlet in the pool. As a consequence, water flowing through the filter is drawn through it by means of suction, rather than by supplying the water under pressure. This permits a smaller, lighter-weight filter housing to be used, since no pressurized water is supplied to the filter during normal operation.

Venturi-powered filtration system for pools

A retaining ring of an eyeball return fitting of the type used in swimming pools and spas is provided with a releasable or breakaway cover cap. The cap closes the end of the return fitting during construction. This permits the finish work for the cement and plaster stages of the pool construction to be effected without the danger of cement or plaster getting into the fitting during construction. After construction has been completed, the cap is released and drops away, carrying with it any cement or plaster which may have hardened on it during construction.

Return fitting with releasable cap

A retaining ring of an eyeball return fitting of the type used in swimming pools and spas is provided with a releaseable or breakaway cover cap. The cap closes the end of the return fitting during construction. This permits the finish work for the cement and plaster stages of the pool construction to be effected without the danger of cement or plaster getting into the fitting during construction. After construction has been completed, the cap is released and drops away, carrying with it any cement or plaster which may have hardened on it during construction.

A filtration system is provided for a dry well in the form of a buffer tank made of concrete to remove sediment and pollutants from water supplied from a header to an inlet pipe in the tank, so that the water exiting from an outlet pipe is free of particulate matter and pollutants. This is accomplished by providing a sediment pit and a baffle at the inlet side of the tank and then passing the water through a multiple stage set of filters having different aperture sizes. These filters remove particles and pollutants from the water as it passes through the buffer tank on its way to a dry well drain pipe attached to the outlet of the buffer tank.

Dry well filtration system

A fitting and faceplate cap assembly, for use in swimming pools, and the like, with vinyl liners, comprises a fitting member which extends through an opening in the wall of the pool with a flange overlying the opening on the inner surface of the pool. The fitting is hollow to adapt it for connection to water return lines or drain lines commonly used in such swimming pools. The flange on the fitting has a circular groove formed in it with a pair of enlarged recesses extending from the groove on opposite sides of the opening through the fitting. The faceplate cap includes a circular ridge with a pair of spaced projections for matingly engaging the groove and recesses in the faceplate of the fitting. A gasket is attached to the inner surface of the faceplate cap. This gasket has a tacky adhesive on the exposed surface which faces the flange so that when the cap is pressed into place over a vinyl liner (installed in a conventional manner) to engage the groove in the flange, the tacky adhesive on the gasket engages and holds the vinyl liner in place. The cap and fitting are subsequently pressed tightly together by means of a threaded insert in the common opening of the fitting and cap.

Fitting assembly for vinyl lined pools

A replaceable rotatable therapy head is disclosed wherein the operating mechanism including an impeller and a gear train between the impeller and a ring gear on the housing is supported by a ring which is integral with the emitting nozzle and the supporting ring is held to the body of the structure by means of the flange ring also bonded to the body of the therapy head. The gear train is at the downstream end of the housing and the impeller blades are at the upstream end of the housing spaced from the gear train. A water diversion means is disposed between the gear train and the impeller blades. A friction reducing ring or the like is disposed between the support ring and the housing. The system utilizing the heads, which may be at a selected acute angle, includes aerators in the supply lines for mixing the water with air.

Rotatable hydrotherapy nozzle

In swimming pools the pop-up cleaning nozzles threaded into walls in the pool bottom are removable by a rotatable tool that has a body with axially extending lugs which project into corresponding openings in the nozzle head. A vacuum cup centrally of and recessed into the body attaches to the nozzle head for removing or replacing it.

Pool nozzle head removing and replacing tool

A rotational indexing nozzle arrangement has been devised wherein positive and consistent indexing action takes place under the influence of the application of fluid pressure and its relief by the action of an indexing or biased spring which becomes relaxed during the first stage (outward) movement of the indexing of the rotational nozzle head and which bites in and holds thereby causing the nozzle head to rotate during the second stage (inward) movement of the discharge head. The extent of the incremental indexing is determined by the length and angle of the biasing spring, or member. For improved operation a bearing of the ball or roller type may be disposed at the inward end of the nozzle arrangement whereby the resistance of the closing spring to rotation of the nozzle head is lessened.

Rotational indexing nozzle arrangement

A pop-up cleaner for a swimming pool. The gear housing of the cleaner is removably positioned in a fitting in a circular opening in the floor of the pool. A jet block is mounted on a linear movable hollow tube that rotates with a rotor mounted in the gear housing, which rotor is connected through a reduction gear train mounted in the gear housing to an impeller mounted in a turbine casing on the gear housing. The fitting is adapted to be connected by a conduit to a water pump. When water under pressure is present in the conduit, the jet block projects out the fitting and a stream of water under pressure is directed substantially parallel to the surface of the pool in the vicinity of the cleaner. Water flowing through the cleaner rotates an impeller which through the reduction gear rotates the jet block at a substantially constant angular velocity. When the pump is turned off, the jet block returns into the fitting.

Swimming pool cleaner

Apparatus for intermittent delivery of a fluid under pressure wherein a plunger having a conduit is disposed in a housing for reciprocal, rotary motion and responsive to fluid pressure at the intake end, by means provided in the plunger pops out of the housing and rotates a pre-selected number of degrees. Means are provided to stop both rotary and axial movement simultaneously.

Apparatus for intermittent delivery of fluid under pressure

A pop-up swimming pool cleaner comprising a cleaner for a swimming pool having a floor formed with an opening therein, said cleaner comprising a nipple that is positioned within the opening and clamped to the bottom wall. This nipple is internally threaded and screwed thereinto is the top wall of a gear housing. This top wall is formed with a central opening in which is journaled a tube which opens at its upper end into a vertical arm of an L-shaped passage and the lower end of which is splined. The gear housing includes an outer cylindrical wall and a bottom wall. It also includes an inner cylindrical wall extending between the top and bottom walls, and an annular wall spaced from the top wall defines a chamber for a rotor having a central tubular member extending into the inner cylindrical wall of the gear housing. This member has interior splines at its lower end and the tube which extends through the top wall also extends into this tubular member and is formed with external splines, with the rotor and tube being formed with abutment means for limiting axial movement of the splined tube. The rotor includes an internally toothed ring gear and meshing therewith is a pinion above the annular wall. This ring gear constitutes the upper end of a reduction gear train.

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Phoenix, AZ, United States of America

Lester R Mathews