Patent ID: 6807688
Filing Date: 2004-10-26
Classification: E04H

Abstract:
A support for a pool cover comprising:a) a base having a bottom surface adapted to rest on a bottom surface of a swimming pool that is being covered, and a top surface; b) a hollow support standard having a proximal end fixedly secured to the top surface of said base, a distal end, a longitudinal axis extending between the proximal end of said hollow support standard and the distal end of said support standard, and a stop pin-accommodating hole defined in said support standard near the distal end of said support standard; c) a cover support unit releasably and adjustably mounted on said support standard and which includes (1) a support pole having a proximal end, a distal end, a longitudinal axis extending between the proximal end of the support pole and the distal end of the support pole, the support pole being sized relative to said support standard to be telescopingly received in said support standard in a use condition, the longitudinal axis of the support pole being co-linear with the longitudinal axis of said hollow support standard when the support pole is telescopingly received in said support standard, the support pole further including a plurality of stop pin-accommodating holes defined through the support pole, the stop pin-accommodating holes being spaced apart from each other in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the support pole, (2) a stop pin which extends through the stop pin-accommodating hole defined in said support standard and through an associated one of the stop pin-accommodating holes to releasably and adjustably attach the support pole to said support standard, (3) a support element fixedly secured to the distal end of the support pole of said cover support, the support element including (A) a cylindrical side wall having a rim, (B) a central wall connected to the cylindrical side wall and having an inner surface, the distal end of the support pole being fixedly secured to the inner surface of the central wall of said support element with the side wall of the support element extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the support pole, and (C) a plurality of rib-accommodating holes defined through the side wall of the support element, and (D) a plurality of rib units secured to the support element, each rib unit including (i) an arcuate bow having a proximal end fixable to the support element via a rib-accommodating hole, a distal end and a plurality of adjustment holes defined through the bow, (ii) an S-shaped hollow sleeve having a proximal end and a distal end, each sleeve telescopingly receiving an arcuate bow via the proximal end of the sleeve, each sleeve further including an adjustment pin-accommodating hole, (iii) an adjustment pin which extends through the adjustment pin-accommodating hole and an associated adjustment hole in the bow received in the sleeve to attach the sleeve to the bow, and (iv) a flange fixed to the distal end of each sleeve and adapted to fix the sleeve to a side of the pool; and d) a cover attaching element on each sleeve.