SWIMMING POOL STEPS HAVING INTEGRATED SPA

MARCHES DE PISCINE AVEC CUVE THERMALE INTEGREE

English Abstract

A drop in step unit for either an above ground or inground pool, the drop in step unit comprising a lower tread, a middle tread, and an upper tread, and a lower riser, a middle riser and an upper riser, the upper riser having a plurality of jets which are connected to the outlet line of the pool pump, and a pulsating member located on the outlet line to thereby give a massaging effect.

French Abstract

Une unité pour changement de niveau en palier, destinée à une piscine hors terre ou une piscine creusée. Cette unité comprend une marche inférieure, une marche intermédiaire et une marche supérieure, ainsi qu'une contremarche inférieure, une contremarche intermédiaire et une contremarche supérieure. La contremarche supérieure est munie d'une pluralité de gicleurs qui sont connectés à la conduite de sortie de la pompe de piscine. Un élément pulsatoire est situé sur la conduite de sortie pour ainsi procurer un effet de massage.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege
is
claimed are defined as follows:
1.~In a pool having a water circulation system including a pump, a pump inlet
line and
a pump outlet line, the improvement comprising a drop in pool step unit, said
drop in pool
step unit comprising:
first and second sidewalk, at least three steps including a lower tread, a
middle
tread, and an upper tread, and a lower riser, a middle riser and an upper
riser;
a plurality of jets located in said upper riser, said jets being connected to
said pump
outlet line; and
a pulsating unit mounted on said pump outlet line.
2. ~The improvement of Claim 1 wherein said drop in pool step unit is formed
of a
molded plastic material.
3. ~The improvement of Claim 1 further including first and second positioning
members located below said middle tread.
4. ~The improvement of Claim 3 wherein said first and second positioning
members
extend upwardly from said lower tread.
5. ~The improvement of Claim 1 further including an air inlet line extending
to said
jets to provide compressed air thereto.

Description

CA 02505269 2005-04-20
SWIMMING POOL STEPS HAVING INTEGRATED SPA
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to swimming pools, and more particularly,
relates to
an improvement in swimming pool steps.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of swimming pool steps in the form of a molded modular unit which may
be placed in either an above ground or below ground swimming pool is well
known in the
art. These steps may be held in place by means of suitable weights or, in the
case of
below ground swimming pools they may be attached permanently by use of
conventional
mechanical fasteners.
Similarly, the use of hydrotherapy in conjunction with spa like apparatuses is
well
known and widely practiced. Thus, there are available on the market many hot
tubs or
spas which have a number of jets into which water is pumped under pressure to
create a
massage effect on a person seated in the spa or hot tub. Generally, such
devices are
expensive and require a separate plumbing hook up as well as electrical supply
for heating
the water and operating the pump.
SLTIvIMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a unit which can function
both as
a stair unit and also as a hydro massage unit.
According to one aspect of the present invention, in a pool having a water
circulation system including a pump inlet line and a pump outlet line, there
is provided the
improvement of a drop in pool step unit comprising first and second sidewalk,
at least
three steps including a lower tread, a middle tread, and an upper tread, and a
lower riser, a
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CA 02505269 2005-04-20
middle riser and an upper riser, a plurality of jets located in the upper
riser, the jets being
connected to the pump outlet line, and a pulsating unit mounted on the pump
outlet line.
Preferably, the drop in step unit of the present invention is formed of a
molded
plastic material such as is well known in the art.
As mentioned above, the drop in step unit of the present invention may be used
in
either an above ground pool or an inground pool. Generally, such step units
for inground
pools are placed at the shallow end. Accordingly, the number of steps may vary
depending upon the pool depth.
The pulsating means employed on the inlet line may be any conventional as such
pulsating units are well known in the art. Similarly, the use of an air line
is also known in
the field of spas and the air may either be fed to the jet or to other another
areas in the
riser.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Having thus generally described the invention, reference will be made to the
accompanying drawings illustrating an embodiment thereof, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a swimming pool step unit according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a rear perspective view thereof; and
Figure 3 is a side elevational view thereof.
Referring to the drawings in greater detail and by reference characters
thereto,
there is illustrated a pool step unit which is generally designated by
reference numeral 10.
Pool step unit 10 is designed to be placed in either an above ground or
inground
swimming pool to provide access thereto. The unit may have different
configurations
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CA 02505269 2005-04-20
adapted to either a straight sidewall or a curved sidewall or alternatively,
as a corner unit.
Step unit 10 has a first sidewall 12 and a second sidewall 14 between which
there
are formed a plurality of steps. In the illustrated embodiment, there is
provided a lower
tread 16, a middle tread 18, and a top tread 20. In conjunction with the
above, there is
provided a lower riser 22, a middle riser 24, and a top riser 26.
Mounted in top riser 26 are a plurality of jets 28, 30 and 32. As may be seen
from
the rear view of Figure 2, there is provided a pump outlet line 34 which
connects to a
three way diverter valve 36.
As may be seen in Figure 1, the drop in poolstep unit is utilized in
conjunction
with a pump 40 operatively associated with a filter 38. A pump inlet line 42
is normally
connected to the skimmer inlet. On the pump outlet line 34, there is provided
a pulsating
unit 44 which is designed to generate pulses of water in a known manner.
In conjunction with the above, there may be provided a central air inlet line
50
which supplies air lines 52, 54 and 56.
On the lower tread 16 there are provided first and second positioning members
46
and 48 where a person desiring to enjoy the hydrotherapy will position
themselves.
It is understood that the above described embodiments are for purposes of
illustration only and that changes and modifications may be made thereto
without
departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.
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Representative Drawing