Guiding unit for swimming pool cleaners

A guiding unit for the surface water in a swimming pool, where the water flows toward an outlet in the pool wall. The water is guided toward the outlet by a floating guide bar; and the latter is held against lateral deviation by tie bars whose end portions are removably connected to the guide bar and the pool wall, respectively.

My invention relates to swimming pools installed in the open areas of 
suburban and country homes, and more particularly to means for keeping 
such pools clean. During the open season litter--such as dead leaves, 
twigs and scum--form a layer on the surface of the water. If allowed to 
remain, such litter becomes saturated with water and sinks to the bottom 
of the pool, where it becomes settled and hard to remove. Apparatus has 
been devised to remove the litter while it is still afloat, such apparatus 
employing a cleaning unit imparting a marginal flow to the water in the 
pool. An opening in the side of the latter allows the litter-laden top 
layer, after it is intercepted by a guiding unit, to emerge from the pool 
into the cleaning unit; and the latter is composed of a skimmer, a pump 
and a filter, from which it is returned to the pool to assume the marginal 
flow mentioned. The apparatus referred to has--according to my 
observation--its guiding unit located permanently in a part of the pool, 
and is quite complicated. 
One object of the present invention is to provide a guiding unit which 
occupies a part of the pool only during the cleaning operation, and is 
quickly removable after the same, leaving the entire pool clear for 
bathing or swimming. 
A further object is to design the guiding unit with a guide bar in the form 
of a float which is light and self-supporting on the surface of the pool. 
Another object is to provide a pair of simple tie bars removably connected 
to the rim of the pool and the guide bar in order to keep the latter in a 
stationary position during the cleaning operation. 
A final object is to design the invention as a kit made up of few parts 
which may be compactly stored, assembled or taken apart by any person 
using the swimming pool, and without the need of tools.

Referring to the drawing, the mentioned water outlet of the pool is an 
opening 10a in the wall 10 thereof, the upper half of the opening being 
indicated in FIG. 5. The element creating the marginal flow of water 
entering the pool is a pipe 11; and such flow is indicated by the arcuate 
arrows in FIG. 1. 
The improved guiding unit employs the conventional guide bar 12 for 
deflecting the surface layer of the pool contents toward the outlet 10a. 
The guide bar 12, which is usually several feet long, is of rectangular 
cross-section as seen in the lower part of FIG. 2, and hollow as seen in 
FIG. 3. When made of light metal or plastic substance the guide bar will 
float on the surface of the pool. It is therefore self-supporting and 
light. 
The guide bar is set at a suitable angle for intercepting and guiding the 
polluted water in the top layer of the pool toward the outlet 10a. 
To maintain the bar as set it is connected to the wall of the pool by a 
pair of tie bars 13 and 14. These bars are of identical flat metal or 
plastic construction, but different in length to meet the difference in 
distance to the pool wall. The tie bars make a short connection to the 
latter by being set at right-angles to the guide bar. 
Pool walls are made with a wide rim 15; and the tie bars 13 and 14 are made 
with a hook 16 at their outer ends engaging the rim 15 as seen in FIG. 5. 
As seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, the hooks are turned laterally to an angle 
conforming to the curvature of the pool wall. This fixes the direction of 
the tie bars to the guide bar. 
The inner ends of the tie bars are attached to the guide bar by simple 
means. Thus, FIGS. 2 and 3 show that the guide bar rises with 
longitudinally-directed T-hooks 17 near the ends. The tie bars have 
similarly-directed slots 18 near the ends. When the guide bar is in place 
the tie bars are alined with it to receive the T-hooks through the slots 
18. The tie bars are then swung crosswise of the guide bar as indicated in 
FIG. 1 to become locked at their inner ends to the T-hooks before engaging 
the hooks 17 with the wall of the pool as previously mentioned. 
It is now apparent that the invention comprises but three simple parts--the 
guide bar and the two tie bars--which may be handled with ease and 
compactly stored while the pool is being used over its entire surface, and 
until the pool needs cleaning. Then installing the guiding unit, and 
turning on the pump should accomplish the cleaning of the pool in less 
than thirty minutes. The conventional cleaning apparatus accessory to the 
present guiding unit is indicated in the top part of FIG. 1 as a skimmer 
19 for the polluted material, the pump 20, a filter 21, and a return duct 
22 from the filter into the pipe 11. Such apparatus is available on the 
market, and no novelty is claimed for the same.