GB2153209A - Accessory for swimming pool cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

An accessory for a swimming pool cleaner 1-5 consists of a rim 7 mounted on pipe 4 adjacent hose 6, the arrangement being such that the new contacts the wall of the pool before the cleaner is able to reach a position where forces acting on it prevent it from moving. In a modified form, the rim forms part of a cage around pipe 4. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in swimming pool cleaners THIS INVENTION relates to a swimming pool cleaner accessory and more particularly to such an accessory to be used with the type of pool cleaner operated by the suction generated by the pump of the pool filter assembly.

pool cleaners which utilise a flexible disc engaging the surface to be cleaned and an operating head inclined to the disc often experience difficulty in pools having floors and side walls which meet at substantially right angles or where there is only a small radius of curvature between the floor and side walls.

This difficulty is that the pool cleaner can approach a side wall across the floor of a pool and arrive in a situation where the disc cannot move through the junction between floor and side wall and the forces acting cause the cleaner to remain stationary against the side wall.

The object of the invention is to provide an accessory which will avoid, at least to a considerable extent, the difficulty set forth above.

According to this invention there is provided an accessory for a swimming pool cleaner having an operating head inclined to a flexible disc around an inlet to the head comprising a circular rim with means for connecting it concentrically to the cleaner adjacent the coupling for a flexible hose, the rim having a diameter large enough to cause the rim to contact the wall of a pool before the cleaner can reach a position where the forces acting on it prevent further movement of the cleaner.

The invention also provides for the rim to be held in spaced relation to the coupling for the flexible hose by radially arranged spokes extending between a hub engaging around a rigid pipe extending between the operating head and the flexible hose and for the hub to be rotatable about the rigid pipe.

A further feature of this invention provides for the rim to have extending therefrom a truncated conical formation terminating in a second hub rotatable about the rigid pipe and for the conical formation to be a shell or an arrangement of rods between the rim and the second hub.

Yet further features of this invention provide a swimming pool cleaner fitted with an accessory as above defined.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 illustrates the rim fitted to a swimming pool cleaner of the type described and Fig. 2 is an oblique view of the rim and conical formation assembly.

As illustrated in Fig. 1 the swimming pool cleaner is a well known type of cleaner sold commercially under the name "BARACUDA".

It consists of an operating head 1 having an inlet through the base 2 thereof. Around the inlet is located a flexible disc 3 which assists in holding the machine against the surface to be cleaned and also provides a certain scouring action of the surface during cleaning.

The head 1 is inclined at an angle of about 45 to the disc 3 and a rigid pipe 4 projects from the upper end of the head 1. This pipe 4 is connected to the head at 5 in a manner which, while enabling suction to be applied through the head 1 and pipe 4 without substantial leakage, forms a swivel connection between the head 1 and the rigid pipe 4. The usual flexible hose 6 is fitted to the free end of pipe 4 to connect the cleaner to the inlet to the swimming pool filter assembly.

Around the pipe 4 closely adjacent the connection to the flexible hose 6 is fitted a concentrically located circular rim 7. This rim has a diameter of about 25cms which has been found adequate for its purpose with the type of cleaner referred to above. The rim 7 has a rounded outer surface and is held in spaced relationship to the pipe 4 by a series of symmetrically arranged spokes 8 (see Fig.

2). The spokes 8 have their inner ends secured to a hub 9 which is retained in position on the rigid pipe 4. The mounting of the hub 9 to the pipe will preferably be such that the hub 9 and rim 7 can rotate about the pipe 4.

The accessory finds its most useful application when the pool cleaner is used in pools where the junction between the floor and walls of the pool and the surface texture are such that the cleaner cannot negotiate the junction to cling to the wall and remains on the floor.

Fig. 1 illustrates a situation where the rim 7 acts to deflect the cleaner out of a position where the forces acting could hold the cleaner stationary on the floor and up against the wall 13.

The effect of the rim 7 is to enable the flexible hose to deflect away from the position illustrated and cause the machine to move parallel to the wall for at least a short distance before the hose is again located in a position to result in random movement of the machine across the floor.

The cleaner with the accessory is suitable for efficiently cleaning the floors of the pools which have a polyvinyl lining. These pools do not usually require the walls to be cleaned as dirt and algae do not adhere to vertical surfaces of this texture. The rim 7 acts to ensure that the cleaner remains on the floor and moves in random fashion thereover.

Fig. 2 illustrates a modification to the rim assembly described above which may assist the cleaner in negotiating obstacles in the pool to be cleaned. The most common of these obstacles are metal steps depending against the wall of the pool to enable bathers to climb in and out of the pool. These steps and other obstacles sometimes used to ornament pools, including those where the walls and floor intersect at a fairly large radius easily negotiated by the cleaner, often cause difficulties for the cleaner to operate effici entity. The cleaner may become jammed against the obstacle and may remain for considerable periods of time without its usual random movement over the floor.

To assist in overcoming this difficulty the rim 7 of Fig. 1 is modified to that illustrated in Fig. 2. In this form the rim 7 has extending therefrom a truncated conical formation 10 terminating at the smaller diameter of the truncated cone in a second hub 11 which may be fitted around the rigid pipe 4.

Generally with this arrangement the conical surface will be a series of flat surfaces 1 2 extending between ribs 1 3 to form a shell between the hub 9 and second hub 11.

Alternatively, the conical formation can be simply a series of rods located where the ribs 1 3 are indicated in Fig. 2.

The conical formation 10 forms a cage around the pipe 4 and it will be appreciated that it can be arranged with the rim 7 lowermost or uppermost to suit particular application of the cleaner in individual pools. In use, as the cleaner encounters an obstacle, the cage enables the head 1 of the cleaner to move relative thereto while the cage is in contact with the obstacle. This orientates the direction of the force applied to the cleaner in a different direction relative to the obstacle and so enables the cleaner to move away therefrom.

The cage thus assists in the cleaner negotiating obstacles in a pool during its normal random movement over the walls and floor to keep the pool surfaces clean.

Claims (8)

1. An accessory for a swimming pool cleaner having an operating head inclined to a flexible disc around an inlet to the head comprising a circular rim with means for connecting it concentrically to the cleaner adjacent the coupling for a flexible hose, the rim having a diameter large enough to cause the rim to contact the wall of a pool before the cleaner can reach a position where the forces acting on it prevent further movement of the cleaner.

2. An accessory as claimed in claim 1 in which the rim is held in radially spaced relation to the coupling by radially arranged spokes extending between the rim and a centrally located hub.

3. An accessory as claimed in claim 2 in which the hub is freely rotatable about a rigid pipe which extends from the operating head.

4. An accessory as claimed in claim 3 in which the rim has extending therefrom a truncated conical formation terminating in a second hub rotatable about the rigid pipe.

5. An accessory as claimed in claim 4 in which the conical formation is a shell.

6. An accessory as claimed in claim 4 in which the conical formation consists of a series of rods extending between the hubs.

7. An accessory substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Fig. 1 or in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.

8. An swimming pool cleaner including an accessory as claimed in any preceding claim.