Patent Publication Number: US-10787334-B2

Title: Above-ground pool assembly apparatus

Description:
This application claims benefit to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/633,792, filed Feb. 22, 2018, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Generally speaking, above ground pools have certain advantages over below ground pools. They are relatively cheaper and easier to assemble and dissemble. There remains, however, one vexing inconvenience associated with above ground pool installation, three (3) or more people are required. Above ground pools feature a wall, typically made of galvanized steel, from 30 inches to 54 inches tall. It is typically delivered to the construction site in a tightly wound roll. The wall is typically inserted into a bottom rail (also called a wall channel or bottom track). To install the wall, one person holds the roll in place, another inserts the unreeled portion of the wall into the bottom rail and, as the wall is further unreeled, others hold the unreeled portions of wall in place in the base. 
     This disclosed apparatus allows a single person to perform all of the above actions and thus singly handedly assemble an above ground pool. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  is a view of the apparatus in use. 
         FIG. 2  is an axiomatic view of the apparatus, 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the apparatus 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of the apparatus 
         FIG. 5  is a right side view of the apparatus 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates the apparatus, with a pool wall roll  280  mounted and in the middle of a pool wall installation process. In order to allow the single-handed installation of an above ground pool wall the apparatus contains several features. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 5 , a turntable  210 , is provided that is configures to hold the pool wall roll, as it is typically provided from the manufacturer. Optionally a dowel  215  can be provided at the central axis of the turntable to keep the pool wall roll  280  in place in the center of the turntable. The turn table  210  has a diameter large enough to hold the rolled up pool wall, preferable about 18 inches. 
     A plurality of retainer or support posts  220  are present just outside the perimeter of the turntable which are configured to both (1) keep the pool wall roll  280  from falling out of its upright position on the turntable and (2) allow the pool wall roll  280  to rotate as the end portion of the wall is unreeled from the roll. 
     The retainer posts will preferable have a low friction or friction free inner surface that contacts the roll outer surface but allows the roll to rotate on the turntable. (Note, for the purposes of this invention “low friction” or “friction free” surfaces are interchangeable and provide the same function.) While any low friction device or surface will function, typically, the support posts will have rollers  225  mounted and facing inward to contact the roll outer surface. In a preferred embodiment the apparatus has two retainer posts with rollers facing inward. In another preferred embodiment the two retainer posts are positioned as illustrated in  FIG. 3  around the perimeter of the turntable at about 10 o&#39;clock  220  and 12 o&#39;clock  220 . 
     In addition to retainer posts, the apparatus has a plurality of guide posts  230  are deployed on the apparatus to guide the portion of the wall that is unreeling from the roll. These posts also have low friction surfaces  235  but, in contrast to the retainer posts, the guide post low friction surfaces face outward where they contact the inner surface of the unreeled portion of the pool wall. These posts also help keep the pool wall roll  280  from falling, not only because of their support but also the low friction surface allows the installer to pull on the unreeled portion of the wall, and further unreel the wall from the roll, without excessive force. The low friction surfaces of the guide posts are preferably rollers  235 , as was the case with the retainer posts  220 . 
     In a preferred embodiment, a first guide post  235  is positioned more or less on the opposite side of the turntable from the first  220  of two retainer posts. Note in  FIG. 3 , again, the first retainer post  220  at 10 o&#39;clock and the first guide post  235  at about 4 o&#39;clock. The first guide post  235  is spaced further away from the perimeter of the turntable than the retainer posts  220 . A second guide post  235  is positioned at about 7 or 8 o&#39;clock and is spaced still further from the perimeter of the turntable. This tracks the natural path of the wall as it is further unreeled from the roll. 
     Also, because this portion of the wall naturally curls around the perimeter of the roll there are, in still another preferred embodiment, a guide post with two low friction surfaces  235  facing outward, and spaced ninety degrees apart, so that the wall will not encounter friction no matter which portion of this guide post the wall contacts. Again, the preferred low friction surfaces are rollers  235 . 
     In still another embodiment, the apparatus can feature additional low friction surfaces between which the wall is unreeled. Again, a preferred solution is to install rollers so that they contact both inner and outer sides of the unreeled portion of the wall and keep it in a vertical orientation during installation. A specific further embodiment is to add another inward facing exit post  240  to contact the portion of the wall unreeled from the roll and opposite an outward facing guide post  230 . This additional post will help direct the unreeled portion of the wall toward the proper position as it is inserted into the bottom rail  290 . 
     In still another preferred embodiment, the apparatus features a horizontally orientated low friction surface  310  were the bottom edge of an unreeled portion of the wall exits the apparatus on its way to installation in the bottom rail  290 . This additional surface will insure that the wall can be installed without the bottom edge scraping against a surface of the apparatus. A preferred low friction surface is a roller. 
     The apparatus functions as follows. First, the rolled up pool wall is placed vertically on a turntable  210  located on the upper surface of an apparatus  200 . The turntable will turn around a central axis. Typically, the central axis will be mounted in the frame of the apparatus and rise up about 8.75 inches above the frame. The turntable will be located at about the midpoint of the axis. 
     Two retainer post rollers contact the outer perimeter of the wall roll while the leading edge of the wall exits the turntable in between the second roller and a third roller on the first guide post. As the leading edge of the wall exits the turntable, the third roller contacts the inner surface of the unreeled portion of the wall. Thus, the three rollers acting together guide the unreeling of the wall while at all times holding the rolled up wall in a vertical position. 
     In some embodiments, the unreeled portion of the wall is threaded in between the guide post  230  and an additional post  240 . 
     As the unreeled portion of the wall exits the apparatus it contacts a horizontally orientated roller  310  so that the bottom edge of the wall does not scrape against the frame of the apparatus. 
     Importantly, at all times during the unreeling of the pool wall roll  280 , the installer can release his hold of the apparatus and the pool wall roll  280  and the pool wall roll will remain in place, that is, the roll will not fall over. This allows the installer to shift his position as need be, to insert the bottom edge of the wall into the bottom rail  290  or to move the apparatus further along the bottom rail  290  as installation progresses along the length of the bottom rail  290 . This enables a single person to do the work that previously required three (3) or more people. 
     During installation, the leading edge of the wall is inserted into the bottom track of the pool. Typically, some sort of retention spike is used to hold the edge of the wall in place in the track. For example, a long rigid bar can be pounded vertically into the ground alongside of the leading edge of the wall and attached to the wall to keep the wall in place. The attachment can be as simple as a bend at the top of the retention spike that causes the top of the spike to bend over the top of the wall to hold the wall top in place and thus keep the wall from falling over. Also, at this point, a section of the pool top ledge can be installed on the top edge of the wall. 
     In certain embodiments an additional low friction surface is present on the upper edge of the apparatus base, just below the wall lower edge, at the point where the wall leaves the apparatus turntable. This will ease installation by eliminating friction (or scraping) between the wall lower edge and the apparatus frame. Again, any low friction surface will function, however, a preferred surface is another roller underneath the bottom edge of the wall, located at the point in which the wall leaves the apparatus frame. 
     The apparatus can have wheels  250 ,  260  and a handle that allow the cart to be pulled around the circumference of the pool as the wall is unrolled from the apparatus. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus has two back wheels  260  and a single front wheel  250 . Typically, the back wheels will be spaced apart approximately 19 inches and the distance from the front wheel axle to the back wheel axle will be about 36 inches. 
     The handle, in a preferred embodiment, will be attached to the front wheel axle and raise up to a height of about 24 to 25 inches above the ground, preferably 24.27 inches. 
     The process is repeated as the apparatus is moved around the path of the bottom track of the pool.