Abstract:
A spa for an above-ground pool, the spa comprising a shell adapted to receive water therein and including a perimeter wall, an opening in the perimeter wall, a support structure adapted to support the shell so that the opening corresponds with a pool opening to define a passage providing fluid communication between the pool and the spa, and a removable partition for closing the passage. Also, a spa comprising a shell including an enclosure for receiving water therein, at least one bench defining a seating surface at an adequate height, a top coping defining a top end of the shell, and an outer wall extending downwardly from the top coping and having a bottom end which is lower than the seating surface, such that the shell is stackable onto a similar shell with the bottom end of the outer wall resting on the top coping of the similar shell.

Description:
REFERENCE TO PROVISIONAL APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application is based on and hereby refers to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/695,534, filed Jul. 1, 2005, having the same title as appears above, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by this reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to above-ground swimming pools, particularly to spas attached to such pools.  
         [0004]     2. Background Art  
         [0005]     Exterior spas, or hot tubs, have steadily grown in popularity in recent years. More and more new pool purchasers are choosing to include a spa unit with their swimming pool. While combined swimming pool and spa assemblies are not new, most known prior art describes spas combined with in-ground pools.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,165 issued Dec. 23, 1980 to Kyrias, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,168 issued Jan. 5, 1990 to Ferlise, both disclose a removable partition to be installed in a pool to define a space to be used as a spa. However, the usable pool space is considerably reduced when the spa partition is in place.  
         [0007]     Some patents, like U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,859 issued Dec. 16, 1980 to Badon, teach spill-over type spas without direct access between the spa and the swimming pool. This patent provides for a spa which is adjacent to a swimming pool, with a transition section between the two resting on the upper peripheral edge of the swimming pool and permitting water to spill over from the spa into the pool. The spa remains a completely separate body of water otherwise.  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,264 issued Mar. 17, 1998 to Craig et al., discloses a pre-fabricated in-ground swimming pool with the ability to readily permit the addition of an add-on spa. The spa is devised to be entered from the outside, not from the swimming pool, as there is no passageway between the swimming pool and the added spa.  
         [0009]     In addition, spas are usually fabricated as a single rigid shell, and as such take a considerable amount of storage space which greatly increases transport costs.  
         [0010]     Therefore, there exists a need for a spa designed to be attached to an above-ground swimming pool which can be easily mass transported, and act both as an independent body of water from the pool and as a continuation of the pool when not in function.  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0011]     It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide an improved spa for attachment to an above-ground swimming pool.  
         [0012]     Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a spa for an above-ground swimming pool having a first opening in a wall panel thereof, the spa comprising a shell adapted to receive water therein, the shell including a perimeter wall, a second opening in the perimeter wall, a support structure adapted to support the shell adjacent to the swimming pool so that the first opening corresponds with the second opening, thereby defining a passage providing fluid communication between the swimming pool and the spa, and a removable partition for closing the passage such that the spa becomes an independent body of water from the swimming pool.  
         [0013]     Further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a spa comprising a shell, the shell including an enclosure for receiving water therein, the enclosure defining a floor surface, at least one bench defining a seating surface at an adequate height for receiving a user in a seated position such as to be comfortably immersed when the enclosure is filled with water, a top coping defining a top end of the shell, and an outer wall extending downwardly from the top coping, the outer wall having a bottom end which is lower than the seating surface and higher than the floor surface, such that the shell is stackable onto a similar shell with the bottom end of the outer wall resting on the top coping of the similar shell.  
         [0014]     Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided an enclosure adapted to receive water therein and having a height of H, the enclosure having an outer wall extending downwardly from a top thereof for a height of HW, HW being smaller than H, and the enclosure being stackable on similar enclosures such that a stack height is defined by H+(n-1)*HW, where n is the number of enclosures in the stack. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]     Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration a preferred embodiment thereof and in which:  
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an above-ground swimming pool and spa assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of the spa of the assembly of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 3  is a bottom perspective view of the spa of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 4  is a perspective partial view showing a removable door panel of the assembly of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing the installation of a pool top ledge over an opening of the spa of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a support structure supporting the spa of  FIG. 2  on the ground;  
         [0022]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of exterior spiral steps installed on a spa according to the present invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a pool an spa assembly including a dome-shaped cover on the spa, according to the present invention; and  
         [0024]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a stack of spas similar to the spa of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0025]     FIGS.  10 A-B are views of an alternate version of the spa of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0026]      FIGS. 11-12  are views of another alternate version of the spa of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0027]     FIGS.  13 A-C are views of a ladder assembly useful in connection with the assembly of  FIG. 1  and alternate spas. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0028]     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , an above-ground swimming pool and spa assembly  10  includes a pool  12  and a spa  14 . The pool  12  is preferably circular and can be substantially similar to that disclosed by Dallaire et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,135 or by Shaanan et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,500, which are both incorporated herein by reference. In a preferred embodiment, the pool  12  generally comprises a wall panel  11  retained by a plurality of vertical posts  17  extending between an annular base or rail member  15  and an annular top ledge  19 . The pool  12  has a flat floor surface  20  which is generally leveled with the ground.  
         [0029]     Referring to FIGS.  1  to  3 , the circular spa  14  has a smaller diameter than the pool  12 , and is integrated therewith such that the two circular elements meet at a common point. A common rectangular opening  24  in the wall panel  11  of the pool  12  allows access between the pool and the spa. The spa  14  is formed as a one-piece integrally molded resin shell. A double wall  26  defines a spa perimeter and includes an inner wall  28  and an outer wall  30 . The inner wall  28  is molded such as to include a series of steps  44  for entering the spa as well as circumferential benches  42 . Head rests (not shown) can be provided on a top edge of the inner wall  28  for added comfort. The inner wall  28  flows into a floor surface  31 , which preferably includes a lower step  22 . The inner and outer walls  28 ,  30  are interrupted by the opening  24  which is preferably located opposite of the steps  44 . The inner and outer walls  28 ,  30  are bridged at a top end thereof by a top annular coping  36 , with a space between the walls  28 ,  30  defining an annular cavity  34 . The annular cavity  34  provides space for the necessary spa plumbing, such as a water return pipe, a drain, and a hot water inlet (not shown). A plurality of cup holders  41  are provided in or near the top annular coping  36 .  
         [0030]     As shown in  FIG. 6 , it is also considered to include other user convenience details in the top annular coping  36  such as storage trays  37 , additional cup holders  41 , and a control panel  39  for water temperature and air inlet regulation. A curved towel rack  54  is also provided at the rear of the spa element  14  on the outer wall  30 .  
         [0031]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a removable partition or access door panel  16 , which is slightly wider than and at least as high as the opening  24 , can block the opening  24  such as to provide isolation of the spa  14  from the pool  12 , thereby allowing heating of the spa water without much heat loss to the cooler pool water. When the access door panel  16  is removed, the unheated spa area becomes part of the swimming pool. In a preferred embodiment, the access door panel  16  slides down into vertical grooves  32  located in the spa wall  26  on each side of the opening  24 .  FIG. 5  shows the installation of a pool top ledge  19  over the opening  24 , when the panel  16  is closed. The top ledge  19  thus retains the panel  16  in the closed position.  
         [0032]     As the depth of the spa  14  is less than that of the pool  12 , and the top annular coping  36  of the spa  14  and the top ledge  19  of the pool  12  are level, the spa  14  has to be elevated with respect to the flat floor surface  20  of the pool  12 . Therefore, support is necessary for maintaining the spa  14  leveled at the desired height. Referring to  FIG. 6 , this support is provided by a base support structure  66  combined with a wall reinforcing structure  72 . The base support structure  66  comprises a plurality of vertical tubular support members  68  extending from a bottom of the spa  12  and connected at their lower end to shorter horizontal base support members  70  which rest on the ground. The wall reinforcing structure  72  comprises an horizontal T-shaped base member  76  made of square section tubing which rests on the ground. Vertical steel tubes  74 , also having a square section, extend upwardly from end-points of the base member  76 . A thin, roughly semicircular steel wall section  64  extends downwardly from the outer wall  30  and is supported by the vertical tubes  74 . The wall section  64  is easily removable for access to the enclosed spa piping and support structures.  
         [0033]     Referring to  FIG. 7 , exterior spiral steps  48  with an integrated spiral handrail  52  can be provided for entrance into the spa from ground level. The exterior spiral steps  48  are molded as a single piece resin shell. A space beneath the steps can serve as a convenient location for the pool pump and filtration system. The exterior spiral steps  48  include a top landing  50  which extends to the top annular coping  36  of the spa wall  26 , and which is preferably aligned with the interior spa steps  44 . It is also considered to provide an additional handrail (not shown) inside the spa  14  such as to facilitate getting in and out thereof safely.  
         [0034]     Referring to  FIG. 8 , a retractable dome shaped cover  18  serves to provide protection to the spa occupants from the sun and wind. The cover  18  comprises a plurality of semicircular rib members  56  which rotate about two common hinges  58 . A flexible cover  60  is fixed over the ribs  56 . The flexible cover  60  can be made of any protective material, but is preferably made of a translucent UV-proof material for aesthetic purposes and to preserve visibility. Rib locking means (not shown) are provided such as to permit the spa cover  18  to be fixed in various stages of closure, between fully enclosing the spa and being left fully open. When not in use, the cover  18  can be completely opened by folding it down so that all the rib members  56  are aligned with the top coping  36  of the spa.  
         [0035]     Referring to  FIG. 9 , the integrally molded shell of the spa  14  is such as to be stackable for easy mass transport. When two spas  14  are stacked, a bottom end of the outer wall  30  of the top spa will rest against the top coping  34  of the bottom spa. Thus, the outer wall  30  needs to be generally vertical (i.e. not inclined) so that the bottom end of the outer wall  30  can be vertically aligned with the top coping  34  of a second spa. The shape of the spa  14  is designed so as to be able to insert one spa into another without interference at a depth of HW, which is the height of the outer wall  30 . In particular, the benches  42  are set so that their underside is less than HW from the top landing  50 . In other words, the sum of the distance from the top landing  30  to the seating surface of the benches  50  and the thickness of the wall of this seating surface is less than HW. The opening  24  also needs to be sufficiently large toward a top end thereof so that the step  22  of another spa can be lowered into it at a depth of at least HW without interference.  
         [0036]     According to this design, and as illustrated in  FIG. 9 , a stack of n spas each having a spa height of H will have a total height of H+(n-1)HW. In other words, each spa which is stacked on another will only increase the total height of the stack by HW. The spa is preferably designed such as to have a value of HW which is at most one half (½) of the value of H. Accordingly, a stack of 3 spas can be as short as 7.5 feet in height, which allows for a significant number of spas to be transported in a limited container space.  
         [0037]     Illustrated in FIGS.  10 A-B is alternate spa  100  for use with pool  12  as part of assembly  10 . Spa  100  may generally be similar to spa  14 ; preferably, however, spa  100  includes a tapered common opening  104  (i.e. having cross-section like that of a truncated cone) with pool  12  into which a removable door panel may be fitted. Removable top ledge portion  108  may be used to retain the door panel in place. Alternatively, top ledge portion  108  may be employed even when the door panel is removed so as to maintain upper definition of the spa  100 . Yet alternatively, spa  100  may comprise a water spillway, so that water may spillover from spa  100  into pool  12  whether or not top ledge portion  108  and the door panel are present.  
         [0038]     FIGS.  10 A-B additionally illustrate hand rails  112 , one or more of which optionally may be incorporated into annular coping  116  of spa  100 . Rails  112 , if present, are configured to facilitate entry into spa  100  by persons climbing ladder  180  (see FIGS.  13 A-C). Rails  112  thus are generally aligned with steps  44 , so as to permit persons entering the spa  100  easily to do so via the steps  44 . As shown in FIGS.  10 A-B, rails  112  need not be identical in appearance, but instead may differ as appropriate or desired.  
         [0039]     Depicted in  FIGS. 11-12  are additional optional aspects of assembly  10  with pool  12  and another alternate spa  120 . Illustrated especially in these figures are optional head rests  124  aligned with curved recesses  128  in inner wall  132 , creating a comfortable area for the back and head of an occupant of spa  120 . Head rests  124  may be molded into or otherwise formed as part of top annular coping  136 ; alternatively, they may be attached to coping  136  or inner wall  132  (or both).  
         [0040]     Also optionally connected to copying  136  (or to outer wall  140 ) are one or more support bars  144  to which seats  148  are attached externally of outer wall  140 . Seats  148 , if present, permit persons to sit outside spa  120  yet converse with persons within spa  120 , utilize coping  136  as a platform for food, beverages, or other items, or use cup holders or other features of spa  120 . In the versions illustrated in  FIGS. 11-12 , each seat  148  may comprise base  152  and footrest  156 . Those skilled in the art will, however, recognize that other configurations of seats  148  may be employed instead.  
         [0041]     Detailed particularly in FIGS.  13 A-C is optional ladder assembly  160  of the present invention. Ladder assembly  160  may comprise spaced rails  164 , each of which rails  164  is generally U-shaped and connected to the other rail via bar  166 . One leg  168  of each rail  164  preferably is configured to contact the ground (or whatever base is used for ladder assembly  160 ), while the other leg  172  of each rail may, but need not, contact the ground (as shown in FIGS.  13 A-C). Connector  176  may connect each leg  172  to ladder  180 , whereas connector  184  may connect ladder  180  to each of legs  168  and  172 . Ladder  180 , further, may include one or more rungs  188 .  
         [0042]     Also shown in FIGS.  13 A-C is cover  192 . Cover  192  preferably is fitted into slots  196  in rails  164  so that some frictional interference occurs, but so that cover  192  remains able to slide within the slots  196 .  FIG. 13A  depicts cover  192  in an “open” position, in which rungs  188  are uncovered and available for use. In  FIG. 13B , cover  192  is shown as having been moved so that its leading edge  200  covers (only) top rung  188 A.  FIG. 13C  illustrates cover  192  having been moved so as to cover all rungs  188 , rendering the rungs  188  inaccessible for use. This latter illustration is thus of cover  192  in its “closed” position.  
         [0043]     The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to be exemplary. Those skilled in the art will therefore appreciate that the forgoing description is illustrative only, and that various alternatives and modifications can be devised without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims.