Abstract:
Method, apparatus and product providing a cantilevered coping about prefabricated stairs of an in-ground liner type swimming pool. Disclosed is a polystyrene form board of desired profile face to effect a complementary fit onto a top of the stairs, fastener means including a saddle bracket for securing the form board onto the stairs and a release structure to enable removing the form board after the poured aggregate coping has cured.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The field of art to which the invention relates comprises method and apparatus for forming cantilevered coping about the top step of an in-ground liner type swimming pool and the product thereof. 
     BACK OF THE INVENTION 
     In-ground swimming pools are typically constructed of either concrete walls or ground walls with a replaceable liner for containment of the water. The liner of the latter is supported by a track secured to a panel above contemplated water level and draped inward of the cavity or bowl in which the water is to be contained. The stair steps of an in-ground liner pool are typically of molded fibreglass and of a design commonly marketed commercially by various manufacturers. Some of the stair walls are typically sloped and include both pre-formed offsets near their upper edges and a radius along their top edge. 
     Cantilevered poured aggregate coping is commonly provided above a pool interior whether of concrete or the liner type. It has long been an industry desire with the liner type pool to be able to form poured aggregate cantilevered coping about the top of the stair consistent with other sections of the pool. Poured coping is considerably less expensive than precast coping that can be commercially purchased but requires use of a pre-configured form board to receive and shape the concrete when poured. However, wall slopes, offsets, etc. normally contained in prefabricated fibreglass stairs render it difficult, if not impossible, to provide and suitably support a form board in proper orientation. As a result, existing form boards for this purpose have, for example, produced an uneven and distracting reveal where the concrete adjoins the lower edge of the radius. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Cantilevered coping of poured aggregate is commonly provided for in-ground liner type swimming pools everywhere but about the stairs. However, all polystyrene forms currently available for that purpose are required to be side mounted using double face tape to attach them to the surface of the adjacent wall panel. Such wall panels are characterized as having sharp 90 degree corners at their upper edge and are also set plumb. A polystyrene form board for that purpose is disclosed, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,424. 
     Consequently, forming cantilevered coping of poured aggregate over prefabricated fiberglass stairs of a liner type pool has encounted extreme difficultly in its formation of the cantilevered coping because of surface irregularities in the stair configuration. This has rendered use of the conventional polystyrene form board extremely difficult in that the board cannot be properly set and secured at the desired orientation and yet be able to withstand the force of the aggregate when poured. 
     As a result of the foregoing, it has become common to use an erect vertical profile on the coping face in these circumstances and forego a cantilevered formation over the stairs. This then produces a coping format at the stair area that differs in construction and appearance from other sections of the pool. 
     Despite recognition of the foregoing, a ready solution therefor had not heretofore been known. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the invention to provide novel method and apparatus for effecting poured aggregate coping over prefabricated stairs of an in-ground liner type swimming pool. 
     It is further object of the invention to effect the previous object in a reliable and economical manner. 
     It is still further object of the invention to construct poured aggregate coping over the stairs as in the previous objects aesthetically similar to the poured coping contained elsewhere about the pool. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to forming poured aggregate coping over prefabricated stair steps of an in-ground liner type swimming pool. More specifically, the invention relates to method and apparatus able to accommodate the poured aggregate in forming the cantilevered coping over the stair steps and the coping formed thereby. 
     For achieving the foregoing, there is provided a polystyrene form board configured in a first profile to receive and shape the received aggregate and in a second profile below the first profile to complement the stair configuration thereat. The form board is secured in place by a plurality of spaced apart L-shaped saddle brackets extending through grooves in the underside of the form board and attached thereto via double faced tape or cement. The bracket in the vicinity of its distal end is slotted to receive a self tapping screw that secures the bracket to the top of the step. In addition, a frangible wire extends through the form board from a free end at the back to an anchor at the front edge of the step. The bracket, in combination with the wire, afford board retention in response to an applied thrust force of the aggregate when poured. 
     For release of the bracket and wire after the aggregate has cured, nylon string is supported on each bracket to enable the bracket to be saw cut from the board and the bracket stripped from under the self tapping screw. With the rear of the connecting wire broken away, and the bracket removed, the form board is released and can be readily removed without disturbing the finished concrete. 
     As a result of the foregoing, cantilevered coping can be readily formed over the stair steps having an appearance corresponding to the cantilevered coping located elsewhere about the pool. 
    
    
     The above noted features and advantages of the invention as well as other superior aspects thereof will be further appreciated by those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description which follows in conjunction with the drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of prior art decking poured about the stairs steps of an in-ground liner type swimming pool; 
     FIG. 1 A is a sectional view as seen substantially along the lines  1 A— 1 A of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional view of another prior art embodiment; 
     FIG. 3 is an isometric side view of the cantilevered coping formed in accordance with the invention hereof, 
     FIG. 4 is an isometric front view of a form board for forming the poured coping of FIG. 3; 
     FIG.  4 (A) is an inverted isometric view of the form board of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional elevation as seen substantially along the lines  5 — 5  of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the saddle bracket utilized with the form board of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the form board with support to form the aggregate coping of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 8 is a sectional view illustrating the first step of releasing the form board from the poured aggregate coping; 
     FIG. 9 is a sectional view illustrating the second step in releasing the form board from the poured aggregate coping; 
     FIG. 10 is a sectional view illustrating the third step in releasing the form board from the poured aggregate coping; 
     FIG. 11 is a sectional view illustrating removal of the form board from the cured aggregate; 
     FIG. 12 is a sectional view illustrating the fourth step of removing the saddle bracket from the form board; and 
     FIG. 13 is a sectional view illustrating the completed cantilevered coping of FIG.  3 ; 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In the description which follows, like parts are marked throughout the specification and drawings with the same reference numerals respectively. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale and in a certain views, proportions may have been exaggerated for purposes of clarity. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1,  1 (A) and  2 , of the drawings there is illustrated prior art constructions of poured aggregate decking about prefabricated stairs for an in-ground liner type swimming pool. As seen in FIGS.  1  and  1 (A), decking  10  extends to radial face  12  just beyond stairs  14  having steps  16 . In the prior art of FIG. 2, there is shown a stair  14  having a downwardly sloping wall  18  merging with offset recess  20  that via radius  22  join top surface  24  that terminates at a distal inwardly curved end  26 . Because of the stair profile, aggregate  10  has been placed within and behind the underside of stair  14 . 
     Referring to FIG. 3, there is illustrated a poured coping  28  formed on the previous stair  14  of FIG. 2 in which the coping is supported over rather than under the top surface  24  of the stairs to cantilevered edge  30 . For effecting the coping formation of FIG. 3, there is shown in FIGS.  4  and  4 (A) the elongated polystyrene form board  32  having a longitudinal extending frontal vertical recess  34  of profile corresponding to the configuration of edge  30 . The bottom of the recess  34  terminates at edge  36  below which there is provided a longitudinal concave recess  38  that essentially complements the configured shape of stair radius  22  (FIG.  2 ). For mounting and securing form board  32  in place there is formed in the underside  40  of the form board at predetermined spacings of about 10-12 inches rectangular grooves  42  (FIG.  4 (A)) in which to receive and secure saddle brackets  44 . 
     The saddle brackets can be best seen in FIGS. 5,  6 , and  7 , and are of a more or less L-shape configuration of plastic composition. Each bracket includes a rear or upright wall  46  integrally joined to bottom wall  48  at which there is provided a break away cut  50  forming a joint for reasons as will be understood. The bottom wall  48  is joined with horizontal front wall  52  via radius  54  conforming with radius  38  of the form board. Beyond the radius  54 , front wall  52  extends to a distal end  55  containing an elongated open end slot  56 . 
     Each bracket is received and secured in groove  42  with double faced tape or adhesive cement  60  applied to the top surface of bottom wall  48 . Self tapping screw  58  inserted through slot  56  is adapted to secure the front wall  52  to the top surface  24  of the stairs. For reasons as will be understood, screw  58  includes a metal washer  64  supported at its underside by a smooth rubber washer  66 . Also for reasons as will be understood, bracket  44  includes not only the break away  50  but supports a thin Nylon string  62  at the intersection of wall  48  and radius  54 . 
     Also securing the provided form board in place is an elongated thin gauge but strong wire  68  that extends from a knot  70  behind angle bracket  72  to through the form board  32  to distal end  74  hooked to the edge  26  of stair  14 . Characterizing the wire  68  is frangible joint  76  enabling the wire to fracture in response to an applied twisting motion and be partially withdrawn as will be understood. 
     Form board  32  is secured in the manner illustrated in FIG. 7 for the decking  10  to be poured in a conventional manner against profile face  34  so as to result in a cantilevered edge  30  overhanging the top portion of the stairs  14 . After the aggregate of decking  10  (in phantom) is completely cured, the form board is removed by first fracturing wire  68  at joint  76  by twisting the exposed portion of wire  68  at knot  70 . This end behind angle bracket  72  can then be removed. Back wall  46  of saddle bracket  44  is then manually bent downwardly about hinge connection  50  from the position shown in FIG. 8, to the position shown in FIG.  9 . Thereafter string  62  is sawed while being rearwardly withdrawn until displaced back and forth from the position of FIG. 9 to the relation of FIG.  10 . In doing so, the form board is cut above the adhesive  60  (or double sided tape) so as to separate the form board from the saddle bracket  44  enabling form board  32  to be withdrawn as shown in FIG.  11 . With the board removed, bracket  44  can be readily withdrawn from beneath the rubber gasket of screw  58  in the manner shown in FIG.  12 . What remains thereat is a finished cantilevered coping as shown in FIG.  13 . Screw  58  and the buried portion of wire  68  remain in the finished coping and remaining slots  78  can conveniently be patched by a workman on site. 
     By the above description there has been disclosed novel method and apparatus along with a cantilevered coping about the irregular surface of a prefabricated stair of an in-ground liner type swimming pool. The foregoing enables the cantilevered coping to extend in a uniform formation about the entire pool without interruption in and about the stairs. Yet the method and apparatus for achieving these results are relatively simple with a concept for readily resolving a long felt need in the industry and without any excessive cost changes being encountered. 
     Since many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the drawings and specification shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.