Patent ID: 7409732
Filing Date: 2008-08-12
Classification: E04H

Abstract:
1. A technique for eliminating bi-directional flexure properties of front ends of floating, longitudinally coupled, buoyant-slat pool covers flexible bi-directionally around axes parallel to the buoyant-slats, and for increasing buoyancy of the front ends of the covers, adapting the covers for deployment from underwater cover drums, comprising the steps of: a) compressing adjacent, longitudinally coupled, buoyant-slats forming a leading section only at the front end of the cover closer together; and b) adhering a sheet of flexible, water compatible material only to underside surfaces of the compressed together, buoyant-slats forming the leading section at the front end of the cover, the longitudinally coupled, buoyant-slats, compressed closer together, tensioning the adhered sheet of flexible, material when underwater, that in turn tensely resists flexure of those compressed closer together, longitudinally coupled, buoyant-slats of the leading section at the front of the cover in a topside direction while permitting flexure in a downside direction as the front end of the pool cover emerges from underwater through a pool surface, and increases the buoyancy per unit length of the leading section of the cover relative to immediately following sections for unwinding the pool cover from around the underwater cover drum; and c) fastening back ends of the pool covers to the underwater cover drums for deployment, unwinding from around the underwater cover drums, and for retraction, winding up around the underwater cover drums.