Patent ID: 9593502
Date: 2017-03-14
CPC Classifications: E04H,Y10T

Claim:
1. A swimming pool cleaner movable along an underwater pool surface to clean debris therefrom, the pool cleaner comprising: a body having a debris inlet and a debris outlet; a segmented skirt including a plurality of flap members each of which extends from a proximal end hinged to the body to a distal end which is configured for extending along the pool surface such that the skirt forms with the pool surface a plenum from which water and debris are drawn into the inlet; and an elongate slotted cavity defined by the body and a removable nozzle, the slotted cavity extending between two ends, the slotted cavity pivotably holding the proximal ends of the flap members therewithin and having an openable inlet-adjacent middle region permitting strain-free insertion of the flap-member proximal ends into the cavity; wherein the nozzle is inserted into the debris inlet to control debris-laden water flow drawn into the debris inlet, the nozzle being positioned over the middle region of the slotted cavity thereby retaining the flap-member proximal ends in the cavity; wherein the slotted cavity is formed by first and second wall portions separated by a slot, a first wall-portion configuration being continuous between the closed side ends, a second wall-portion configuration being interrupted along the inlet-adjacent middle region; wherein the first and second wall-portion configurations each include a plurality of spaced tabs holding the flap-member proximal ends, the second configuration lacking the tabs along the inlet-adjacent middle region thereby opening access for sliding the flap-member proximal ends in or out of the cavity for strain-free assembly of the segmented skirt; wherein the cleaner body includes a frame structure extending laterally from the debris inlet along the slotted cavity, the tabs of the second wall-portion configuration protruding from the frame structure thereby being reinforced against breakage; wherein the nozzle has two opposite lateral sides and a cavity-adjacent side therebetween, the cavity-adjacent side including at least one tab extending therefrom over the cavity thereby closing the inlet-adjacent middle region and retaining the flap-member proximal ends within the cavity by providing continuity for the second wall-portion configuration; wherein the nozzle is removable from the debris inlet and is configured for engagement with the frame structure which holds the nozzle within the debris inlet; and wherein the pool cleaner has a tool-free nozzle mounting including a pair of lateral protrusions each extending from one of the lateral sides of the nozzle and a pair of frame-structure side portions extending laterally from the inlet and each engaging the corresponding lateral protrusion of the nozzle thereby retaining the nozzle within the debris inlet.