Abstract:
A portable vacuuming device for underwater removal of leaves or the like from pool bottoms and other structural surfaces, the device employing a water pump to feed a water jet within a suction cavity wherein the water inlet for the pump is exterior to the cavity.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]     1. Field  
         [0002]     This invention relates to devices for cleaning submerged structural surfaces of water bodies such as the bottoms of swimming pools, spas and the like, and particularly concerns unique structure of a water jet operative vacuum type cleaner for removing and filtering out leaves and other such debris from said structural surfaces.  
         [0003]     2. Prior Art  
         [0004]     A device of this general type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,269B1 the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. A major problem with the cleaner of this patent is that the water-debris intake of the cleaner is in direct fluid communication with intake of the jet pump. In situations where the pool debris contains organic material such as leaves or small pieces of sticks or the like, the pump intake filer will rapidly clog and render the cleaner inoperative.  
         [0005]     Principal objects therefore of the invention are: to provide a water jet vacuum type, pool cleaning device which is easy to use and maintain and which preferably utilizes a battery operated water jet pump which, in normal use, virtually cannot be clogged with pool debris; and to provide such device in a structurally simple design and at an economical cost.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     A water jet vacuum cleaning device for vacuuming debris from underwater structural surfaces, said device comprising a suction cavity having a debris-water inlet adapted to be moved with said device along said surfaces in proximity thereto, and further having a debris-water outlet surrounded by a filter bag exterior to said cavity for entrapping debris, a water ejector tube mounted in said cavity in line with said outlet and adapted for connection exteriorly of said cavity to a source of high pressure water, said tube further having a water discharge end located within said cavity and spaced from said outlet to provide a debris entry gap communicating with said outlet, and wherein the flow area of said outlet is at least about twice the flow area of said tube, whereby when water is ejected from said discharge end across said gap and thru said outlet the pressure within said cavity will be reduced sufficiently to suck water-debris from said surfaces and thru said outlet and into said bag. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]     The invention and its objects will become further apparent from the drawings herein wherein the various figures are not drawn to scale or proportion and are intended to facilitate understanding of the invention, and wherein:  
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a side view of the present device in operating position adjacent a pool bottom surface with portions of the housing broken away for clarity;  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the present device without the filter bag and taken along line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1  with portions of the housing broken away for clarity;  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  3 - 3  in  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 3  and showing flow area as double cross hatched;  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 3  and showing flow area as double cross hatched 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]     Referring to the drawings and with particular reference to the claims herein, the present water jet cleaning device  10  for underwater vacuuming of debris  11  from structural surfaces such as bottom  12  of swimming pools or other water bodies comprises a substantially closed housing  14  formed by wall means generally designated  16  preferably of structural plastics such as PVC, cellulosics, butyrates, polyamides, polyolefin or the like, or metal or ceramic, and providing a suction cavity  18 . This cavity can be of any operator convenient volumetric capacity and configuration, however the configuration shown in the drawings is preferred with a capacity of from about 800 to about 1,800 ml., most preferably from about 1,000 to about 1,500 ml.  
         [0014]     A debris-water suction inlet  20  extends thru said wall means into said cavity. This inlet is of a typical elongated generally rectangular configuration of, for example, a flow area of about 10 in 2  to about 16 in 2  for a cavity capacity of from about 1,000 to about 1,500 ml. The height of the inlet rim  22  from the surface  12  should be from about ¼ to about ½ inch for best results and is maintained, e.g., by a pair of wheels  24  mounted on the housing sides adjacent the inlet.  
         [0015]     A debris-water discharge conduit  26  formed by said wall means has an exit end  28  surrounded by a filter bag  30  exterior to said housing and of any desired capacity for entrapping said debris. The filter bag inlet end is affixed in groove  31  encircling an enlarged filter bag attachment collet  33  into which a removable retaining snap ring or band  35  is secured. This collet is threaded into rim  37  provided by wall means  16 . Conduit  26  has an entry end portion  32  opening into said cavity, and further has a flow axis  34 . End portion  32  is depicted in  FIG. 3  as a dotted line  36  marking the terminus of the funnel shaped portions  38  of wall  16 . In this regard it also marks the outlet end of suction cavity  18 .  
         [0016]     A fluid ejector tube  40  is mounted in cavity  18  and extends thru wall means  16  and has a flow axis  42 , a fluid inlet  44  on a distal end portion thereof which is adapted for connection exteriorly of said cavity to a source  46  of high pressure fluid. This tube further has a fluid ejector end or nozzle  48  located within said cavity and spaced from said entry end  32  of said conduit and thus provides a debris entry gap  50  communicating with said entry end. The tube flow axis and the conduit flow axis are in substantial alignment for maximizing the suction and transport effect of stream  52  indicated as dotted arrow lines.  
         [0017]     The flow area  54  of the exit end  28  of said conduit is at least about twice the flow area  55  of the ejector end  48  of said tube, whereby when fluid stream  52  is ejected from said ejector end and across said gap  50  and thru said discharge conduit  26  and into said filter bag  30  the pressure within said cavity  18  will be reduced sufficiently to suck water-debris from said surfaces up to and into said stream for transport into said filter bag container without the inlet  45  of said high pressure source  46  or the inlet  44  of said tube being exposed to said debris. It is noted that the present construction affords a practically obstructionless passageway from inlet  20  to exit  28  for the debris.  
         [0018]     The various parts or portions such as wall means  16 , tube  40 , conduit  26 , the housing  56  of electric battery operated water pump  46 , the attachment collet  33  for the fine mesh filter bag  30 , and the operators handle section  62  may be formed as a monolithic structure by plastic injection molding or the like, or may be individually provided and plastic welded or adhesively assembled together to form the device.  
         [0019]     Handle  62  shown in  FIG. 1  preferably carries the electrical leads  64  which extends upwardly thru handle extension  66  to a battery in the manner shown for example by the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,269 B1, particularly items  12  and  13  described in column  5  thereof  
         [0020]     The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications will be effected with the spirit and scope of the invention.