Abstract:
The water leveling system of the invention includes a dual hose Y connector with a shut off valve for each outlet—one of which is usable with a hose for regular gardening, and the other of which remains open as a continuous water source to fill a swimming pool when an included float tilts downwardly in opening a gate valve to allow water to flow through a float housing enclosure in filling the pool to its desired water height.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    NONE  
         STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
         [0002]    Research and development of this invention and Application have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program.  
         REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX  
         [0003]    NOT APPLICABLE  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0005]    This invention relates to automatic water leveling systems, in general, and to an easily mountable re-positionable and removable leveling system for in-ground and above-ground swimming pools, in particular.  
           [0006]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0007]    The benefits of automatic water leveling systems for swimming pool use are well known: if under-filled, the filter(s) for the pool can burn out; if over-filled, the filter(s) can smother, thereby impairing performance.  
           [0008]    Several solutions have been proposed in the prior art:  
           [0009]    1. U.S. Pat. No. 649,428 describes a 2-way faucet whereby water may be obtained for household purposes, as well as being deliverable through a hose.  
           [0010]    2. U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,206 illustrates an automatic water leveler for swimming pools, which is said to be especially useful in above-ground pools. A tank of water including a float is adjustable in height to meet the desired level of swimming pool water, with a pipe connecting the tank and pool together.  
           [0011]    3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,238 includes various electronics for remotely determining when swimming pool water levels vary, to allow for a remote controlling of a valve to provide such water as to maintain the height constant.  
           [0012]    4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,986 provides level control without the use of electronics and includes a weighted float in a configuration to allow a swimmer to get a drink of water from the hose which eventually maintains the pool level constant.  
           [0013]    5. U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,205 also includes a tank coupled to the pool by a pipe, with the tank being raisable in maintaining through float control a constant water level in the pool. A pressure sensitive switch is employed in determining the pressure heads in regulating water flow into the pool.  
           [0014]    6. U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,038 connects a faucet to a float by means of a hose, and is said to be applicable for pools having different edge coping configurations. Adjustments are described in varying the float level as a gauge in measuring rises or falls in the water level positioning.  
           [0015]    7. U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,022 shows a construction in which the automatic pool leveler is connected separately from the garden hose. Clamps and ballast containers are described in keeping everything in proper positioning for operation to follow.  
           [0016]    8. U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,605 illustrates a pool leveler using electronics in the nature of transmitter/receivers, photodetectors and microcircuitry in maintaining the desired pool level.  
           [0017]    Without these automatic water leveling systems, a garden hose is typically employed as the water source for the pool. However, simply placing the hose when flowing into an under-filled pool is not a plausible solution, as the hose is often forgotten, leading to the underwater submersion of the filter(s) at best, or an overflowing of the pool onto its surrounding deck and walkways, and into the yard at worst. Even where the cost of the wasted water could be sustained, in this respect, the improper functioning of the filter(s) continues as it becomes sluggish, and the water in the pool turns cloudy as its added chemicals are unable to filter through the system properly.  
           [0018]    As is well known and understood, those leveling systems proposed or developed previously fall into two general categories—permanently mounted leveling systems and portable leveling systems. As will be appreciated, those that are permanently mounted are more suitable in new pool constructions, while those that are portable in nature are intended for those pools that have previously been installed. However, the operations of both types share a commonality in using a garden hose as the water conduit in a manner where the hose is frequently uncoupled to be used in deck and walkway maintenance, on the one hand, or for garden sprinkling, on the other hand. Such frequent coupling and uncoupling will be seen as not only being a nuisance, but can result in the threads of the hose becoming caked with dirt, or damaged through normal usage—leading to leaking of water. Recognizing that water conservation is a necessity and that ease of installation and maintenance is a requirement, the realization follows that some type of swimming pool water leveling be developed and installable both by a professional swimming pool company and by a homeowner as well. Typically, what is required is an automatic water leveling system that can be put in place and made operable with almost no effort or required skill.  
         OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
         [0019]    It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a new and improved automatic water leveling system which is exceedingly simply to install in either in-ground or above-ground swimming pools.  
           [0020]    It is an object of the invention, also, to provide such an automatic system which requires a minimum, if any, servicing once installed.  
           [0021]    It is another object of the invention to provide such a system which is easily repositioned and/or removed in accordance with the dictates of the swimming pool owner.  
           [0022]    It is yet a further object of the invention to provide an automatic water leveling system of this type which, once installed, is out-of-the-way of possible damage brought about by rambunctious play by occupants of the pool accidentally bumping into it during the course of pool activities.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0023]    As will become clear from the following description, the present invention attaches to the inside of a swimming pool to detect its water level. A double-hinged faucet (at a side of a house for example) has one tap which is used in a normal manner in gardening, etc., and has a second tap connected by a hose to the housing of the invention to continually flow water. A gate valve is included along with a float in the housing, through the bottom of which the water in the pool rises. Were the level in the pool to fall too low, the float opens the gate valve and allows water flowing through the hose to continue in a direction to fill the pool. Were the water level in the pool to rise (after a heavy rain, for instance), the float rises to then shut off the valve.  
           [0024]    As will be understood, with the housing attached to the side of the pool at the desired correct water height, the float remains in the closed position to prevent any additional water from being released and/or added to the pool from the tap. As the water evaporates or lowers, the float opens to allow water to enter through the housing into the pool to readjust to the correct water height.  
           [0025]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a dual hose Y-connector is employed with a shut off valve for each outlet. A regular garden hose is attached to one of the Y outlets, remaining in its open position once it is connected to the water-leveling housing unit; a continuous water source then is available.  
           [0026]    In this preferred embodiment, the housing is in the nature of a plastic box that is attached to the inside of the pool by a pair of suction cups on the box itself. Recommended placement of the box is by the side of a pool ladder—preferably at the deep end of the pool where less activity takes place. Further securement can be by way of plastic, or similar, straps which hook onto the side of the ladder from the box housing itself in allowing not only proper height adjustment of the leveler, but in a manner to protect the box from damage through rambunctious behavior, and a pool user from injury.  
           [0027]    As will be readily appreciated, the fastening—either by the suction cups alone, or together with the plastic straps—allows the water leveling system to be installed just about any place on the inside of the pool, allows it to be repositioned at will, and allows its easy removal when the pool is drained or repaired—or even stored away, as with the case of above-ground pools. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0028]    These and other features of the invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the automatic water leveling system of the invention as employed in an in-ground swimming pool;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 2 is a front view of the water level box housing of the invention with its front cover open, illustrating the connection of its components parts to the water source;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 3 is a rear view of the water level box housing of FIG. 2 with its cover closed; and  
         [0032]    [0032]FIGS. 4A, 4B and  4 C are top, bottom and left side views of the water level box housing of the invention, the right side view being a mirror image of the left side view except for the hose and coupling illustrated. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0033]    Referring to the Drawings, the automatic water leveling system of the invention  10  includes a box housing  12  (preferably of plastic), having one or more apertures  14  in its bottom surface  16  to allow water flow into and out of the housing  12 , and one or more apertures  18  in its top surface  20  to permit the passage of air. One or more suction cups  22  extend outwardly from the rear surface  24  of the housing  12  in securing the housing  12  to an inside wall  26  of the swimming pool  28 —which, although illustrated as being of an in-ground variety, may be above-ground, as well. Whereas the suction cup(s) fixedly secures the box housing  12  to the inside wall  26 , and may be located at any position along its periphery, analysis has shown that a preferred location for the housing unit  12  is at the swimming pool ladder usually found at the deeper end of the pool. To provide further securement at this location, the automatic water leveling system  10  additionally includes a pair of hook fasteners  30  about the shaft  32  of the suction cups to couple with a rung of the ladder in aligning the box unit  12  horizontally for optimum operation. At such height adjustment, a float  40  within the housing  12  rises with the water filling the housing through the apertures  14  to a substantially horizontal position. Reference numeral  35  identifies a pair of fasteners which secure to the rear surface  24  of the housing  12 , as shown with its cover  44  rotated to its “open” position.  
         [0034]    As also shown in the drawings, a threaded coupler  46  joins a float assembly  48  including the float  40  with a 90° elbow  50  passing through a further aperture  52  in a side surface  54  of the box housing  12 . A further threaded coupler  56  screws into the upward facing end  58  of the elbow  50 , with its opposite end configured to receive the water filling hose  60 .  
         [0035]    A water source for the hose  60  is shown at  62 , in the nature of a double-hinged faucet employing a dual hose Y-connector of a type available from Irrigation Products Inc. of North Salt Lake, Utah. As illustrated, the hose  60  joins by a further coupler  64  to one of the Y outlets,  66 , the other outlet of which  68  is available for coupling with a regular garden hose to wash down any surrounding deck of the swimming pool, any walkway thereto, or any plant area, for example. With the dual hose Y-connector coupled to a typical water spigot  70 , gate valves in each of the outlets  66 ,  68  control the water flow to the water filling hose  60 , on the one hand, and to a garden hose  72 , on the other hand. As will be appreciated from the following description, operation of the automatic water leveling system of the invention follows with the gate valve  76  to the water filling hose  60  turned to its “open” position, and with the gate valve  74  to the garden hose  72  turned to its “closed” position.  
         [0036]    Water from the spigot  70  thus passes the valve  76 , the hose  60 , the couplers  56  and  64  and the elbow  50  into the box housing unit  12  with its cover  44  closed. With the water level of the pool down, such water from the spigot  70  then flows through the bottom aperture(s)  14  to fill the pool—the float  40  then having a downward tilt. As the water level in the pool rises, the float  40  rises towards its horizontal position, closing off the float assembly  48 . Even with the gate valve  76  “open”, the flow through the hose  60  ceases, although ready to start once again should the float  40  tilt downwardly were the water level in the pool to fall. This situation will be appreciated to continue even were one to open the second gate valve  74  to use the connected garden hose  72 —i.e., the water flow continues to fill the hose  60  for inputting the box housing unit  12  when the float  60  falls.  
         [0037]    As will be appreciated, the box housing unit  12  may be easily moved from place to place along the inside wall of the swimming pool structure. In such manner, the automatic water leveling system  10  can be moved to an area of the pool where there is less physical activity going on, so as to prevent it from being accidentally dislodged or damaged through inadvertent contact. To provide even further securement where the box housing unit  12  is to be coupled with a ladder, a pair of additional straps can be employed as a “wrap-around” from the hook fasteners  30 . Removal of the water leveling system is easily reversible by freeing the suction cups  22 , the hook fasteners  30 , and the plastic straps (as the case may be) when it is desired to drain the pool or when the pool is not being used. Additionally, the water filling hose  60  can—in the instance where the water source spigot  70  is at a remote location from the pool—be connected instead by the coupler  64  to the homeowners own garden hose. This can be for extensions of 50 feet, 75 feet or 100 feet in length as the case may be, with the opposite end of the hose  66  then being coupled to the Y outlet  68 .  
         [0038]    While there have been described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein. For at least such reason, therefore, resort should be had to the claims appended hereto for a true understanding of the scope of the invention.