Patent Publication Number: US-2021164251-A1

Title: Inflatable Pool Cover for an Aboveground Swimming Pool

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Reference is made to and priority claimed from U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/742,535, filed on Oct. 8, 2018, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     NA 
     NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     NA 
     INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE EFS WEB SYSTEM 
     NA 
     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR 
     NA 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to swimming pool covers for aboveground swimming pools. More specifically, the present invention is an inflatable swimming pool cover designed to safely cover an aboveground swimming pool during winter and prevent ice formation on the water surface that could damage the pool itself. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Swimming pools in many parts of the United States are used only during the warmest months of the year, and then are covered and “winterized” to protect the pool and water during the colder months. The cover keeps the water clean by sealing out leaves and dirt, and also by preventing algae growth in the spring when the water is too cold for swimming, but warm enough for algae to grow. The volume of water in the pool is also maintained by preventing snow and precipitation from entering the pool and reducing surface evaporation. 
     Management of ice formation in the pool is another significant winter challenge for pool owners. For an inground pool, the pool cover is tightly stretched across the pool surface and affixed to hooks along the pool&#39;s edge, such that the cover is held above the surface of the water of the pool. For an aboveground pool, the pool cover is draped across the top surface of the pool and water, and then secured around the edges or walls of the pool. The cover sits directly on top of and in contact with the water surface. When temperatures stay below freezing, ice forming in the pool outwardly exerts force on the walls of the pool and against the cover, potentially damaging both. To allow for ice expansion, it is important to create an air space between the cover and the water surface of an aboveground pool. Pool pillows, inflated air pillows that float on the top surface of the pool, are used to create this air space and are ideally positioned in a centralized location in the pool prior to installation of the pool cover. The pool pillows are positioned in the pool by weights tied to pool pillows that then hang down, somewhat like a ship&#39;s anchor. As the pool water freezes, the ice expands inwards towards the pillow&#39;s space instead of against the pool walls, and damage to the pool walls and to the cover is thus avoided. 
     A known problem with the floating pool pillow is that it must be inflated prior to installation of the cover, positioned in the center of the pool, and the position maintained by anchors attached to the pool pillow as the pool cover is pulled over the pillow and secured. The anchors, however, fail to maintain the pool pillow&#39;s ideal position in the center of the pool when the cover is installed. Pool covers are large and bulky and installing the cover over the floating pillow invariably repositions the pool pillow away from the ideal central location. The puffy pillow also makes cover installation and removal difficult, because the large, bulky cover must be pulled over a large, floating hump in the pool, rather than be allowed to slide or unfold over a flat surface. There is also no way to position an uninflated pool pillow in the pool and then inflate it after cover installation, and no way to similarly deflate the pool pillow prior to cover removal. Rather, a pool owner pre-inflates the pool pillow, positions it in the pool, and then struggles during cover installation to not tug the cover so much that it repositions the pool pillow too far from the optimal position. Pool owners may use one pool pillow or multiple pillows, and some pool pillow manufacturers recommend using multiple pillows, despite that more pillows often means more difficulty maintaining pillow position and further complicates pulling the large cover over more floating obstacles. 
     What is needed is a pool cover with a single integrated inflatable pillow that speeds up cover installation and removal while ensuring optimal pillow placement on the pool, and in a form that is durable, easy to use, and easy to inflate and deflate. 
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
     A pool cover for an aboveground swimming pool comprising a cover body having a top side with a centrally located inflatable and deflatable integral pocket for holding a quantity of air, the quantity of air entering and exiting the integral pocket through an adjustable air valve formed in the pocket. The pool cover and the integral pocket are sized and shaped to correspond with standardized sizes and shapes of aboveground swimming pools. A perimeter shape of the integral pocket is typically square or rectangular, with the integral pocket heat welded to the top surface of the pool cover body. The cover body is typically made of vinyl PVC knife-coated material, and the integral pocket may be made of a same or different material. 
     The adjustable air valve is typically formed so as to be compatible with a coupler of a motorized air pump so as to allow quick inflating and deflating of the integrated pocket. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the subsequent detailed description presented in connection with accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a top view of an inflatable pool cover according to the invention, shown uninflated. 
         FIG. 2  is perspective view of the inflatable pool cover in  FIG. 1 , shown inflated and partially pulled onto an aboveground swimming pool. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the inflatable pool cover shown installed on the aboveground swimming pool. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the inflatable pool cover, showing the inflated pillow. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an air valve according to the invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the air valve in Fig. 5 , shown in an open position. 
         FIG. 7  is a bottom perspective view of the air value in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a pair of spaced apart grommets according to the invention. 
     
    
    
     DRAWINGS LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
     The following is a list of reference labels used in the drawings to label components of different embodiments of the invention, and the names of the indicated components.
       10  inflatable pool cover     14  bottom surface     16  top surface     18  air valve     18   a  air valve lid or cap     18   b  air valve bottom     20  pocket     22  grommet     24  welded seam     30  aboveground swimming pool     32  cord   

     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An inflatable pool cover according to the invention  10  is shown in the Figures as a waterproof material, typically vinyl PVC knife-coated material, having a top side  16  and a bottom side  14 , and formed with an integral inflatable balloon or inflatable pocket or pocket  20  measuring between about 6 to (10) feet across a largest diameter for use with a pool cover for a circular pool, where the circular pool sizes range from 18 to 33 feet. The cover  10  has a cover body with a top side  16  and a bottom side  14 , with the pocket  20  secured to the top side  16  only by way of a heat welded seam  24 . For an 18-22 foot pool, the pocket  20  for a corresponding appropriately sized cover  10  is approximately 6 (foot by 6 foot square), for a 24 foot pool, the pocket  20  is about 8 foot by 8 foot square, and so on, up to a 10 foot square pocket for a 33 foot pool cover. Oval pools have similarly sized pockets that are correspondingly shaped and sized to fit those pool shapes, and the pocket would typically be more rectangular-shaped. The pocket  20  replaces a prior art weighted pillow, where the pillow has a weight or anchor affixed thereto, or plurality of prior art pillows that are currently used. The pocket  20 , when inflated, performs a same function as the prior art pillow or plurality of pillows by raising a centermost portion of the cover  10  off of a water surface and thereby creating an air space between the centermost portion of the cover  10  and the surface of the water. The pocket  20 , despite being welded to the top side  16  of the cover only, when inflated extends both outwards from the top side  16  and the bottom side  14 , lifting the cover  10  off the surface of the water generally around the welded seam of the pocket and particularly around corners of the pocket  20 . The pocket  20  in shown in the Figures as a square, and when inflated, angles between approximately 8 to 10 inches are formed around the welded seam  24  of the pocket  20 . In  FIG. 4 , the pocket  20  is inflated, and while the pocket extends both outwardly from the top side  16  and the bottom side  14 , the pocket comparatively projects outwardly more from the top side  16  than from the bottom side  14 . As mentioned, the pocket  20  is centered on the cover body  24  during manufacturing by heat welding, but other suitable durable affixing methods can be used. Typically, a material used for the pocket  20  is a same material as for the cover body. The embodiment shown in the Figures shows a square shaped pocket  20 , however other shapes can be used, and additionally, the pocket can be configured so as to extend equally outwards from top and bottom sides if desired. 
     The pocket  20  is further formed with an air valve  18  having a cap or lid  18   a  and a base  18   b,  the base  18   b  secured around an opening formed into the pocket  20 , the base  18   b  having an air intake hole or other structure that allows air to be pumped into the pocket  20  and secured with the lid  18   a,  and then by opening the lid  18   a,  allowing the air to escape the pocket  20  via the base  18   b  intake hole. Ideally, the base  18   b  is designed so as to be compatible with a prior art air pump fitting to allow a manual or electric pump to be secured to the base  18   b  to conveniently inflate the pocket  20 . The air valve  18  is formed on the top side  16  so as to allow easier access to the air valve  18  and to prevent ice damage to the air valve  18  as is potentially the case if installed on the bottom side  14 . 
     To install the cover  10 , the cover  10  is typically unfolded and laid flat on a ground surface adjacent the pool  30 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . The pocket  20  is inflated either before the cover  10  is pulled over the surface of the water, or when the cover is pulled about half way onto the pool as shown in  FIG. 2 . The inflated pocket is then centered in the pool  30 , as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , and secured to the pool  30 . The inventor notes that the method of inflating/deflating the pocket  20  when the cover is partially installed on the pool is most convenient particularly since the pocket  20  resting on the circumferential wall of the pool  30  is at an ergonomic height for the installer and does not require the installer to walk onto the pool cover at any point, or struggle with complicated folding or rolling of the cover  10  when it is flat on the ground, as shown in  FIG. 1 , in order to access the air valve  18  without walking on the cover  10 . 
     The cover  10  is shown installed on an aboveground pool  30 , shown in  FIG. 3  as a circular pool. The cover  10  is secured using a rope or cord  32  inserted into a series of spaced apart grommets  22  formed along a circumference of the cover  10 . The grommets  22  are shown most clearly in  FIG. 8 . The grommet-cord structure and method of securing the cover  10  to the aboveground pool is a same method currently used by the prior art. Other methods of securing the cover  10  to the pool  30 , such as straps, hook and loop closures, etc. are also possible, and the inventor stresses that his cover  10  can be secured to the pool  30  in a number of useful ways not specifically shown in the Figures. Integration of the pocket  20  ensures the pocket placement position is always ideal, and the ability to adjust the pocket  20  while it is partially installed is ergonomic and convenient as it eliminates bending, crawling, and other activities that can be hard on the installer&#39;s back and knees if the pocket  20  air inflation or deflation can only be adjusted when the cover  10  is on the ground surface. Having a deflatable pocket  20  also makes storage convenient as the deflated pocket results in a flat cover that can be easily folded, rolled, transported and stowed. The pocket  20 , reliably positioned in the center of the pool  30 , also discourages snow and ice buildup on the top side  16  of the cover  10  by the crowning effect in the centermost portion of the pool, encouraging snow and precipitation to roll off the cover  10 . Ensuring ice and snow do not buildup on the top surface  16  helps to maintain the air gap around the welded seam  24  of the pocket  20 , and thus protects the pool&#39;s circumferential wall from ice damage due to ice expansion. 
     As previously mentioned, the inventor believes that vinyl PVC knife-coated material is suitable for his cover  10 , as it is strong, waterproof, and capable of withstanding weathering. Typically, both the pocket and the cover body are made of a same material, although it is possible that the materials could differ. While vinyl PVC knife-coated material is best for this application, other suitable materials do exist and can be used so long as they are durable, waterproof, and capable of withstanding the elements. . The inventor believes a permanently affixed pocket is more convenient than using the individual pillows of the prior art, and his invention provides a reliable and convenient way for a single cover with a single integrated pillow to winterize and protect an aboveground pool, eliminating the struggle and cost of separate covers and pillows, and eliminating the need for multiple pillows. The inventor&#39;s cover  10 , being perfectly flat because it is deflatable, is easy and fast to install, remove, and store. 
     It is to be understood that the above-described invention and embodiments are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.