Flow-through pool cover

A flow-through pool cover that efficiently drains built up water from the top of the pool cover while simultaneously preventing leaves and twigs from entering the pool and or clogging up the draining device. The flow-through pool cover includes a pool cover, a plurality of drain-receiving holes, and a plurality of drains. The drain-receiving holes traverse through the pool cover and are distributed about the pool cover. Each of the drains includes a base plate, a plurality of drain holes, a tubular body, and a fastening mechanism. The drain holes are distributed about the base plate and traverse through the base plate to create a mesh. The base plate and the tubular body are concentrically positioned with a corresponding drain-receiving hole. The base plate is attached to the tubular body by the fastening mechanism through the pool cover.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to pool accessories. More specifically, the present invention is a pool cover with an integrated drainage system which does not require constant maintenance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A swimming pool is a container filled with water that allows people to engage in water-related activities such as swimming. Swimming pools date back to 2500 B.C. in cultures such as Greece, Rome, and Egypt. There is a wide variety of pool types including indoor pools, outdoor pools, hot tubs, and spa pools. Each one of these require proper care and specific maintenance to ensure product longevity and safe swimming conditions for the user. One of the main safety requirements for the majority of swimming pools is the constant internal water pressure. This means that the pool cannot be drained. This is especially important for in-ground pools as removing the water can, and most likely will, cause structural failure as the sidewalls of the pool were not designed to withstand the pressures applied by the exterior soil. As a result of this requirement, owners of swimming pools will leave water in the pool at all times of the year, even during the offseason, i.e. winter. In order to do this, a pool cover is used to prevent rain water, dirt, leaves, and other debris from contaminating the water inside the pool. Traditional pool cover provide adequate protection to the swimming pool but fall short in the removal of rain water and snow that accumulates on the cover, causing the pool cover to sag, tear, and eventually fail. There are systems available on the market which drain excess water from the top of the pool cover, but each one requires some type of maintenance as leaves clog up the piping.

The present invention protects the water inside the swimming pool from debris and excessive sunlight while simultaneously preventing the pool cover from sagging due to rain water and snow. This is achieved through a drainage system which drains only part of the water on the pool cover, leaving debris such as leaves on the cover which could potentially clog up the drainage system. Additionally, the present invention keeps a few inches of water on the pool cover in order to prevent the pool cover from flapping in the wind.

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to pool accessories. More specifically, the present invention is a cover for a swimming pool which includes a plurality of draining devices integrated throughout. The present invention effectively drains water from the top of the cover, thus relieving pressure being applied to cover by excess water built up over time and preventing tearing. The present invention does this while simultaneously keeping out leaves, dirt, and other similar debris from clogging up the draining devices and ending up in the pool. This is achieved by raising the inlet of the draining device above the cover, which lowers the chances that leaves and other similar debris may flow into the drain device. By preventing the debris from clogging up the draining devices, the present invention requires very little maintenance, which in turn means the user may leave the premise and the pool for long periods of time. Furthermore, the present invention ensures a small amount of residual water remains on top surface of the cover to prevent flapping in the presence of strong winds.

Referring toFIG. 1andFIG. 2, the present invention comprises a pool cover1, a plurality of drains8, and a plurality of drain-receiving holes5. The pool cover1is a physical barrier that is perimetrically attached to a pool in order to prevent leaves and debris from contaminating the water inside the pool. Additionally, and more importantly, the pool cover1provides a safety barrier for animals and children to prevent them from falling into the pool and possibly drowning. The pool cover1comprises a top surface2and a bottom surface3. The top surface2faces the external environment while the bottom surface3faces the interior of the pool as seen inFIG. 6. The present invention may be integrated into a variety of different pool cover1designs. Pool cover1designs includes, but is not limited to, different shapes, material compositions, and sizes. The plurality of drains8collects excess water from the top surface2and redirects it into the pool. The plurality of drain-receiving holes5facilitates the placement of the plurality of drains8within the pool cover1. The plurality of drain-receiving holes5, and therefore the plurality of drains8, is distributed across the pool cover1as seen inFIG. 4with each of the plurality of drain-receiving holes5traversing through the pool cover1from the top surface2to the bottom surface3. The number of drains8and drain-receiving holes5directly depend on the size of the pool cover1and in turn the size of the pool. A larger pool cover1may require multiple drains8and drain-receiving holes5to adequately and efficiently accommodate the greater surface area and vice versa. It is preferred that the plurality of drain-receiving holes5is radially distributed about a center4of the pool cover1to ensure adequate draining for all regions of the top surface2.

Referring toFIG. 2, each of the plurality of drains8comprises a base plate9, a plurality of drain holes10, a tubular body11, and a fastening mechanism16. The base plate9in conjunction with the plurality of drain holes10create a physical filter which allows only water to flow through each drain8and into the pool. In particular, the base plate9and the plurality of drain holes10are used to prevent leaves and large debris from contaminating the pool water. The base plate9is shaped and sized to that of an outlet rim12of the tubular body11. The plurality of drain holes10is distributed across the base plate9with each of the plurality of drain holes10traversing through base plate9as seen inFIG. 2. The size and shape of each of drain holes10as well as the number of the drain holes10may vary to increase or decrease the flow rate of each drain8. The base plate9is preferably composed of rust-resistant material. The tubular body11prevents leaves and debris from entering each drain8and consequently into the pool. The tubular body11of each of the plurality of drains8is concentrically positioned with a corresponding hole from the plurality of drain-receiving holes5. Additionally, the tubular body11is positioned adjacent to the top surface2with an inlet rim14of the tubular body11being offset from the top surface2as seen inFIG. 5. The base plate9is concentrically positioned with the tubular body11, adjacent to the outlet rim12. More specifically, the base plate9is adjacently and perimetrically positioned to the bottom surface3, around the corresponding hole as seen inFIG. 2, thus fully covering the corresponding hole. It is preferred that a diameter13of the outlet rim12for each of the plurality of drains8is greater than a diameter7of the corresponding hole as seen inFIG. 7. The base plate9is attached to the tubular body11by the fastening mechanism16through the pool cover1, compressing and trapping the pool cover1in between the base plate9and the tubular body11. A variety of mechanisms and devices may be used for the fastening mechanism16. This configuration attaches each of the plurality of drains8to the pool cover1and ensures that no rips or tears develop around each of the plurality of drain-receiving holes5over an extended period of time.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the fastening mechanism16comprises a plurality of screws17. Each of the plurality of screws17traverses through the base plate9and into the tubular body11in order to attach the base plate9to the tubular body11. The plurality of screws17allows a user to easily assembly and disassemble the present invention. The number of screws within the plurality of screws17is preferably two. Each of the plurality of screws17is tightened until a waterproof seal is created at the junction in between the pool cover1, base plate9, and the tubular body11. Alternative means that may be used for the fastening mechanism16include, but are not limited to, bolts, adhesives, and interlocking mechanisms.

Referring toFIG. 3, in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, each of the plurality of drains8further comprises a grommet18. The grommet18further prevents tearing and abrasion of the pool cover1around the corresponding hole. The grommet18of each of the plurality of drains8is concentrically positioned with the corresponding hole. More specifically, the grommet18is sealingly engaged to the pool cover1around the corresponding hole. This may be achieved through the use of various types of adhesives, manufacturing processes, and other similar methods. The outer dimensions of the grommet18are preferably sized to the dimensions of the outlet rim12and the base plate9as seen inFIG. 3. The diameter of an internal groove of the grommet18is equal to the diameter7of the corresponding hole. In this embodiment, the grommet18is compressed in between the base plate9and the tubular body11by the fastening mechanism16, thus attaching each drain8to the pool cover1.

Referring toFIG. 1, the pool cover1is attached to the pool through the use of a plurality of pool fasteners21. The plurality of pool fasteners21is perimetrically distributed about the pool cover1in an even manner to ensure that the tension in all portions of the pool cover1is equal. Each of plurality of pool fasteners21is attached to the pool cover1on one end and anchoring structure on the opposing end. A variety of different devices may be used for the plurality of pool fasteners21including, but not limited to, tension cords, nets, and cover clips. When a surrounding area19of the top surface2for each of the plurality of drains8is in a taught configuration, the surrounding area19and an outer lateral surface15of the tubular body11form a water retention region20around each of the plurality of drains8as seen inFIG. 5. The water retention region20holds a small volume of accumulated water in order to prevent the pool cover1from flapping up and down in the wind. Additionally, the water retention region20allows leaves and twigs to settle on the top surface2and only allow water to pass through the inlet rim14and therefore each drain8. Any water that is passed through the plurality of drains8goes through the skimmer, thus keeping the water level inside the pool constant. This results in a maintenance free apparatus which the user may leave for extended periods of time.

The present invention may be implemented in two main forms, an integrated embodiment and a retrofit embodiment. In the integrated embodiment, the system of the present invention is integrated into the pool cover1during the design and manufacturing processes. In the retrofit embodiment, the system of the present invention is a retrofit kit that is installed into the pool cover1by either the user or a professional. For the retrofit embodiment, the present invention includes the plurality of drains8and set of instructions for installing thereof. The instructions dictates to first identifying the placement for the plurality of drain-receiving holes5. Next, the user cuts portion of the pool cover1to create each of the plurality of drain-receiving holes5. Either a slit, a circular hole, or an X will work for this particular step. Once each of the plurality of drain-receiving holes is made, each of the plurality of drains8is placed in and secured to the corresponding hole as described above.