SUBMERSIBLE SWIMMING POOL COVER

COUVRE-PISCINE SUBMERSIBLE

English Abstract

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TITLE
SUBMERSIBLE SWIMMING POOL COVER
INVENTOR
Gordon Charles STEAD
ABSTRACT
A submersible floating swimming pool cover is provided
consisting of a multiplicity of long narrow planks or panels
of synthetic plastics material, assembled in side-by-side
parallel relationship, to form a flat deck, by means of
connectors that permit limited relative angular movement. The
panels are many times longer than they are wide and are
adapted to extend widthwise across a pool so that the cover
has articulations or hinge joints spaced along the length of
the pool but none across the width. Each panel is a substan-
tially rigid shell of hollow box section with internal bracing
and has negative buoyancy, the cover being caused to rise and
to float by the inflation of air sacs disposed in the panel
shells.

Claims

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The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive
property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A floating cover for a pool that is arranged for sinking
to the bottom of the pool when not in use, said cover comp-
rising a multiplicity of substantially rigid elongated plank-
like panels, each many times longer than it is wide, assembled
in parallel side-by-side relationship with their longer dimen-
sions adapted to be extended widthwise of the pool, all panels
having substantially identical transverse cross-sections, each
panel further having negative buoyancy, inflatable means in-
corporated in a sufficient number of said panels thereby to
cause the cover to float when said inflatable means are infla-
ted, and connecting means between the adjacent sides of the
panels to join them one to another in said assembled relation-
ship with limited freedom of relative angular movement.
2. A cover according to claim 1, wherein said inflatable
means comprises inflatable air sac means within the panels
interconnected at the ends of the panels for inflation by a
common air line,
3. A cover according to claim 1, wherein each panel is in
the form of a substantially rigid shell having top, bottom and
side walls, and said inflatable means comprise flexible air
sacs extending within the interiors of said shells.
4. A cover according to claim 3, wherein each panel shell
is of synthetic plastics material.
5. A cover according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein each
panel shell is internally braced.
6. A swimming pool cover comprising a multiplicity of
narrow elongated substantially rigid equal width plank-like
flat-topped panels each many times longer than it is wide

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assembled in side-by-side parallel relationship in succession
along the pool, each panel being of a length extending sub-
stantially the whole distance across the pool,
connecton means connecting said panels in said side-by-
side relationship with limited freedom for relative angular
movement,
and floatation means operable selectively to float the
assembly of panels at the pool water surface or sink said
assembly to the floor of the pool.
7. A floating cover for a swimming pool that is arranged
for sinking to the bottom of the pool when not in use, said
cover comprising
a multiplicity of generally rectangular equal width
elongated plank-like panels all having substantially identi-
cal transverse cross-sections,
each panel being in the form of a substantially rigid
beam of hollow shell form many times longer than it is wide
with substantially parallel upper and lower surfaces and
having negative buoyancy,
connecting means at the sides of the panels to join them
one to another in side-by-side parallel relationship along the
pool so as to provide a substantially continuous flat deck,
said connecting means providing limited freedom of relative
angular movement,
and inflatable air sac means disposed within at least
some of said panels,
said inflatable air sac means upon inflation causing the
cover to float and providing sufficient buoyancy to support at
least one person on any portion of the flat deck.

Description

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This invention relates to covers for swimming pools
and like bodies of water.
At the present time there are a number of swimming pool
covers used to help retain heat, keep the water clean and
provide protection ~gains-t drowning. These, however,
generally have the disadvantage of having to be removed
from the pool and stored when the pool is in use. An
object of -the present invention is to enable a non-removable
- pool cover to be employed that does not interfere in any
way with swimming and has other important advantages.
According to the presen-t invention, a floating cover
is employed that is arranged for sinking to the bo-ttom o~
the pool when not in use. Advantageously, such a cover
can not only provide a high degree of thermal insulation
to prevent heat loss but also it can be readily adapted to
provide heating of the pool water by solar energy.
Arrangements according to the invention will now be
described in more detail, by way of example, with reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figures la and lb are, respectively, a plan and side
elevation of a panel of a swimming pool cover according to
the invention,
Figure lc is a view in sec-tion on -the line 3-3 of
Figure 1,
~igure 2 is 'a longitundinal view of a swimming pool

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showing the cover in use, and
Eigure 3 is a diagram showing an adaption of the pool
cover to give solar heating of the pool water.
In the drawings, a floating ocver is manufactured
either in one piece or in panels 1~ (Figure 1) preferably
rectangular in shape and measuring 12ft x 2f-t x lft in
depth. The panels are of composite hollow construction with
framing as necessary -to maintain rigidity and each has a
- buoyant and heat-insulating core 12, preferably of expanded
polystyrene foam and chambers 13 filled wi-th sand or other
ballast to give the panel as a whole marginally negative
buoyancy. The skin 14 of each panel may consist of glass-
fibre-reinforced synthetic resin material and may, in
addition, be surfaced at the top, as at 15, for special
decorative effec-t or wearing qualities.
The panels 11 are joined together to form either a
flexible or rigid cover depending on requirements. Thus,
flexible connections may, for example, be incorporated
between certain panels in order that -the cover can follow
the contours of the pool floor when resting on the bottom.
Each panel has around its periphery, either at its exterior
or just inside the panel, an inflatable collar or air sac 16
which is interconnected with the air sacs of other panels
and can be inflated by an airline connection from an air
pump via a controi valve.

When a set of panels have been connected together on
the pool floor to cover the whole area of the pool, the
pool is filled with water and the cover will remain on the
floor because of the overall negative buoyancy of the
cover assembly, as at 17 in Figure~2. Now if the air pump
is operated the col-lars or air sacs of the panels are
inflated thus making the cover assembly buoyant and
-causing it to rise to the surface of the water as at 18 in
Figure 2. Once a predetermined pressure is achieved, as
determined by -the control valve, a physical seal may be
created between adjacent panels by the inflated collars.
The pool water is thus very effectively insulated from the
ambient air. People and animals can be prevented from falling
into the water if suificient buoyancy is built into the
cover. A further benefit is that any debris which would
normally fall into the water can be removed from the cover
prior to it being submerged.
When the pool is required for use a changeover valve
in the air line is operated so that -the air pump can ac-t
as an exhauster to extract air frorn the cover which then
will sink slowly until it rests on the bottom. It is
therefore unnecessary for the floor of the pool to have
a decorative or wearing surface.
To achieve the heating of the pool water by solar
energy, the cover is suitably coloured or surfaced with metal

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and is left floating on or just below the surface of the
water, as at 19 in Figure 3. Cooler water from the bottom
of the pool is pumped or drawn up tubes by air lifts, as
at 20, toIhe top of the cover wher~ it is distributed over
.
the cover surface. The water thus-distributed in a more or
less thin film over.the cover is warmed by the cover surface,
which is continually gaining heat from the sun, and then
trickles back into the main body of pool water below. Heat
- sensors controlling the pump or pumps are positioned to allow
the process to continue for so long as the water in
circulation is gaining heat above the cover. The heat
gain in the water below is sustained by the insulating
effect of the cover.
Another possibility is the incorporation of solar
panels into the surface of the cover, i.e. by the provision
of circulating pipes under translucent sheeting.
Instead of each panel being filled with foam material
and having a surrounding air collar, it can simply be
left with an empty interior and either filled with air to
cause it to float or flooded with water to cause it to
sink. In -this case, since the external skin or shell of
the panel has no internal foam suppor-t, it may be necessary
for it to be made thicker or braced internally if it is to
maintain a hollow beam configuration.