Patent ID: 9650798
Date: 2017-05-16
CPC Classifications: E04H

Claim:
1. A self-propelled cleaning apparatus for cleaning a submerged surface of a swimming pool comprising: a generally closed housing defining an interior, the housing having a top portion, a front portion, an opposing rear portion and adjoining opposing side portions, a longitudinal axis extending through the front and rear portions, and a bottom portion with at least one inlet opening configured to admit water into the interior of the housing; non-driven rotationally-mounted supports including a first non-driven rotationally-mounted support mounted to the housing proximate one of said side portions and a second non-driven rotationally-mounted support mounted to the housing proximate the opposing side portion, the first and second non-driven rotationally-mounted supports being axially aligned and positioned axially transverse to the longitudinal axis proximate the rear portion of the housing to guide the cleaning apparatus during movement; a filter positioned in the interior of the housing; an electric-powered water pump mounted in the interior of said housing, said water pump configured to draw water and debris from the pool through the at least one inlet opening in the bottom portion of the housing for filtering by said filter; and a stationary directional discharge conduit arranged in fluid communication with the water pump and extending at a predetermined angle that is acute with respect to the surface directly under and on which the apparatus is positioned, the discharge conduit having a discharge opening through which a pressurized stream of filtered water is directionally discharged from the apparatus and which provides a water jet propulsion stream as a significant force to advance the apparatus in a direction generally defined by said longitudinal axis and said non-driven rotationally-mounted supports, wherein the water jet propulsion stream discharged from the apparatus and suctional forces occurring at the at least one inlet provide sufficient traction as between the non-driven rotationally-mounted supports and the submerged surface of the pool to propel the cleaner on said submerged surface during a cleaning operation.