Patent Publication Number: US-11643833-B2

Title: Modified pool skimmer

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     A typical swimming pool is equipped with at least two filtering mechanisms. A first mechanism is the filter mechanism and pump, which strives to filter all the water in the pool, top to bottom. The other mechanism is a skimmer or skimming infrastructure that is more targeted at just the top surface of the water. That is, targeted only at the debris still-floating on the surface of the pool water. The intent of the skimmer mechanism is to more quickly capture this surface debris, right away, preferably before it becomes water-logged and is still somewhat lighter, and before it sinks to the bottom of the pool. 
     In most pools, unwanted debris starts out as mere surface debris, and it&#39;s a lot better to try to remove it from the surface, before it sinks. Once any debris sinks to the bottom of a pool, the debris is much harder to recover, and the typical pump and filter mechanisms may not ever recover it. Instead, it may become necessary to vacuum or scrape or otherwise manually capture the sunken debris. 
     Additionally, when a serious amount of rainfall occurs within an outdoor pool, a key function/feature of a conventional skimming infrastructure is defeated. If the conventional skimming infrastructure is submerged, by e.g. 1 or 2 inches of additional water, its ability to perform surface-skimming is lost. When a conventional skimming infrastructure becomes submerged, debris may come near it but only by accident, and will likely just float away and not be captured. 
     A similar problem occurs if the water-level goes below the level of the conventional skimmer. In such a case, no water is skimmed. Consequently, a mechanism for improving the capture-rate and efficacy of a pool skimming infrastructure is desired. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS.  1 ,  2 ,  3 , and  4    (Prior Art) show a conventional pool skimming infrastructure. 
         FIGS.  5 A and  5 B  show an embodiment of an improved skimmer system comprising a base-basket and a moving section, where the moving section has two or more louvres defined therein. 
         FIG.  6    shows a rim of the moving section and a foreseeable range spanning a significant distance ‘d’. 
         FIG.  7    shows a potential way of operating the improved skimmer system, and its effects. 
         FIG.  8    shows another view of the skimmer system, including a potential implementation of one or more retention bosses, bevels, and shape of the bottom-basket. 
         FIG.  9    shows details of the rim and upward edge within the movable section, and of slots within the base-basket. 
         FIG.  10    shows an example flow-draft of pool water passing through the skimmer system. 
         FIGS.  11 A,  11 B,  11 C, and  11 D  show more views of the skimmer system, fully assembled. 
         FIG.  12 A  shows a flowchart of a method of use of the skimmer system. 
         FIG.  12 B  shows a flowchart of another method of use of the skimmer system. 
         FIG.  13    shows a flowchart of a method of manufacturing of the skimmer system. 
         FIGS.  14 A and  14 B  show some potential implementations of float-rings attached to the movable portion. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A typical pool skimming infrastructure is shown in  FIGS.  1 - 4    (Prior Art). The embodiments herein will work effectively within any pool having a conventional skimming infrastructure. 
     For convenient reference, a Prior Art stationary basket is shown being inserted and removed in  FIGS.  2  and  3    (Prior Art). In a conventional stationary skimming mechanism, pool water (and debris) stream through the Prior Art basket via suction, which directs the pool water into and through the conventional skimmer basket. 
     As stated, a conventional skimmer mechanism is easily defeated by just a bit of rain. Once the water level rises about the water-line, the skimming basket will not catch anything. Its only necessary to raise the water level by an inch or so to make a conventional pool skimmer cease being effective. 
     To address these and other issues,  FIGS.  5 A- 5 B  show an embodiment of an improved skimmer system  500 , comprising a base-basket  504  and a moving section  508 , where the moving section  508  has two or more louvres  506  defined therein. During use, the base-basket  504  will likely remain stationary, but the moving section  508  will float-travel along a vertical axis defined by the louvres  506 . Accordingly, using the skimmer system  500  enables effective skimming regardless of potential changes in level of the pool water, as shown at least within  FIG.  6   . The louvres  506  within the moving section  508  correspond with a plurality of slots  505  within the base-basket  504 . 
     Installation 
     During installation of the system  500 , a user would first position the base-basket  504  within the bottom of any (existing) circular opening (see  FIGS.  1  and  4   ) which normally houses a pool skimmer. To properly install the system  500 , a user must first make sure that the base-basket  504  is properly fitted into its seat, which is not difficult. Then, the user takes the movable section  508  and loads it in on top of the base-basket  504 . In doing so, the user should ensure the louvres  506  match up with the slots  505  in the base-basket  504 . 
     Use 
     During use of the system  500 , when pool water is being pumped, a specific type of enhanced water-flow (vacuum) is created partly by the flow channels  512  and bevels  516  within the moving section  508 .  FIG.  5 A  differs from  FIG.  5 B  in that  FIG.  5 A  has 3 flow channels  512 , while  FIG.  5 B  has 2 flow channels  512  that are both rectangular. This is to illustrate the fact that the system  500  can have a variety of numbers of flow channels  512 , in a variety of shapes, depending on the needs of a specific pool. 
     Specifically, as the moving section  508  goes up and down traveling inside of the slots  505 , the rim  524  of the moving section  508  is always near to or at the same level as the surface of the pool water, within a foreseeable range spanning a significant distance ‘d’ (see  FIG.  6   ). This in turn reinforces the principle that the skimmer system  500  is functional and on-duty a much larger percentage of the time than conventional skimmer systems, which spend a considerable amount of time out of action and non-helpful because they are unable to adjust to changes in water-levels. In other words, conventional skimmers have very minimal distance of travel. 
     Increased water-flow advancement occurs partly by pool water sloshing and flowing behind the upward edge  520 , which then flows through the flow channels  512  and downward through the bottom-basket  504 . Meanwhile, surface debris tends to seep just over the edge of the moving section  508  because of the welcoming invitation by the proprietary bevels  516 . Then, the surface debris is further retained within the moving section  508  partly due to the downward force provided by the pool water flowing through the flow channels  512 , as shown in  FIG.  7   . In any case, once the debris flows into the moving section  508 , like the proverbial roach motel, the surface debris does not flow out. Surface debris flows in, but does not flow out, and instead is captured. 
       FIG.  8    shows another view of the system  500 , including a potential implementation of one or more retention bosses  804 . These retention bosses  804  act as a type of capture mechanism, and prevent the movable portion  508  from entirely escaping (separating from) the bottom-basket  504 . One instance where the movable portion may be subject to a considerable amount of force is during a rogue wave such as a person doing a “cannonball” into the pool. The specific arrangement of the retention bosses  804  shown in  FIG.  8    is for example purposes only, and should not be considered limiting, as this feature can be implemented a variety of ways. 
       FIG.  8    also shows a larger bottom-basket  504  than what is shown in  FIGS.  5 A- 5 B . The bottom-basket  504  can be made in a variety of sizes and configurations. 
     Next,  FIGS.  5 A,  5 B, and  8    all show the bevels  516 , which are designed to accelerate water flow and improve skimming efficiency. The bevels  516  are shown with a specific contour in  FIGS.  5 A,  5 B, and  8   , but this is for illustration only and should not be considered limiting. The contour and curvature of the bevels  516  can vary according to: a) type and size of debris (e.g. types of leaves being captured); b) viscosity of the water in the pool; c) turbulence and shape of the pool, and d) humidity in the ambient air. 
     Methods of Manufacture 
     The molds used for making the various sections within the system  100  will be split top and bottom around the rim  524 , however the bottom will have four sliders that will form the louvres  506 . This in turn avoids the need to draft top to bottom. This technique also allows the retention bosses  804  to be formed at the same time and in the same way as the louvres. 
     All parts within the system  100  can be manufactured from polypropylene, as this material is inexpensive and resistant to chemicals and UV. Further, all parts within the system  100  will require dynamic dies with sliders therein, to facilitate demolding to occur without having any undercut issues. 
       FIG.  9    shows some more details about how the system  100  will be manufactured. In order to accommodate differences between flow rates from one pool to another, the embodiments herein can vary the buoyance of the movable section  508 . This can be accomplished by including several float-rings that can be added as needed as follows:
     a) inside or outside the movable section  508 ; or   b) under the retention bosses  804  within the movable section  508 .   

       FIGS.  14 A and  14 B  show some potential implementations of float-rings  1404  attached to the movable portion  508 . 
     Next, during manufacturing, if the slots  505  are made too narrow, the louvres  506  might stick and inhibit vertical movement. Meanwhile, if the slots  505  are too wide, the louvres  506  could be subject to strong horizontal forces and not freely move vertically, so that the overall system  100  could be impeded from capturing debris effectively. To address these and other concerns, an embodiment exists in which the louvres  506  and the slots  505  have a predetermined amount of draft or taper therein, so that they may remain sufficiently loose to freely travel vertically, but not rotate. Such a fit also ensures the movable section  508  stays parallel with the bottom basket  504  and reduces occurrence of pitch, rotate, or yawl. 
       FIG.  9    also shows the rim  524  and upward edge  520  within the movable section  508 . The system  100  works best when the rim  524  is flat, as skimming occurs with maximum efficiency in this configuration. Meanwhile, the height of the upward edge  520  is designed to fit well within existing pool skimmer enclosures, yet facilitate water intake at its rear, through the proprietary apertures. The height of the upward portion  520  is configured to take maximum advantage of the Bernoulli principle, in which the speed of a moving fluid increases in proportion to the narrowness of the aperture through which it travels. A sufficient height of the upward edge  520  assists in achieving an optimal narrowness of the aperture between the movable portion  508  and the basket  504 . However, excessive height of the upward edge  520  may cause the movable section  508  to not fit within existing pool structures. 
     Finally, other sizes, shapes, and numbers of the flow channels  512  can be other than what is shown in  FIGS.  5  and  9 - 10   . Also, a distance between the flow channels  512  and the rim  520  can vary. 
       FIG.  10    shows an example flow-draft of pool water passing through the system  100 . The design of the system  100  ensures that some portion of the water flowing through it travels downward at a high rate, thereby trapping debris and increasing the “roach motel” effect. Some of this is of course caused by the water-pump which is part of a typical pool arrangement. However, another effect is that a vortex-effect is created, such that the movable portion  504  is not pulled down by the water pump, but instead the vortex causes the movable portion  504  to rise and float more effectively, and stay level, and not be sucked downward by the pump&#39;s effects. 
       FIGS.  11 A,  11 B,  11 C, and  11 D  show more views of the skimmer system  500 , fully assembled. 
       FIG.  12 A  shows a flowchart of a method of use of the skimmer system  500 . 
       FIG.  12 B  shows a flowchart of another method of use of the skimmer system  500 . 
       FIG.  13    shows a flowchart of a method of manufacturing of the skimmer system  500 . 
     Disclaimer 
     While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. It is not intended that the invention be limited by the specific examples provided within the specification. While the invention has been described with reference to the aforementioned specification, the descriptions and illustrations of the embodiments herein are not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. Furthermore, it shall be understood that all aspects of the invention are not limited to the specific depictions, configurations, or relative proportions set forth herein which depend upon a variety of conditions and variables. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention. It is therefore contemplated that the invention shall also cover any such alternatives, modifications, variations, or equivalents. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.