Patent Description:
The present invention relates to the technical field of above-ground pools. In particular, apparatuses consistent with exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to an above-ground pool and a support assembly therefore, and more specifically to an assembled above-ground pool.

An assembled above-ground pool, as a common form of above-ground pool, has advantages such as easy installation and storage and a long service life. An assembled above-ground pool may further be provided with a rigid surrounding wall. Such a rigid surrounding wall can aid in the prevention of punctures to the water storage space formed by PVC or PU rubberized fabric.

Chinese Patent Publication No. <CIT> describes an above-ground swimming pool with a rigid surrounding wall. The annular surrounding wall is bendable in the horizontal direction and is rigid in the vertical direction. A waterproof liner is placed on an inner side of the annular surrounding wall, and an upper edge of the waterproof liner is folded and supported by an upper edge of the annular surrounding wall. The above-ground swimming pool further comprises a horizontal support member and a vertical post that are located on an outer side of the annular surrounding wall and are connected to each other. As shown in <FIG>, a horizontal support member <NUM> and a vertical post <NUM> are connected by an upper fixing member <NUM>, and the vertical post <NUM> is supported, in the vertical direction, by a lower fixing member <NUM>. All fixing members are bolt fastenings. The upper fixing member <NUM> comprises a vertical post top cover <NUM>, a first protective cover <NUM>, and a second protective cover <NUM>. The vertical post top cover <NUM> is used for connecting adjacent horizontal support members <NUM> and connecting the vertical post <NUM> and the horizontal support members <NUM>. These connections use a relatively large quantity of bolt fasteners. The first protective cover <NUM> and the second protective cover <NUM> fixedly clamp and cover a joint between ends of two adjacent horizontal support members <NUM>. The second protective cover <NUM> is separately connected to the vertical post <NUM> and the vertical post top cover <NUM> by bolt fasteners. Accordingly, the quantity of required mounting parts is increased, and the vertical post top cover <NUM> and the second protective cover <NUM> need to be separately installed, requiring causing complex installation and disassembly of the pool. Some prior art solutions are known from documents <CIT> and <CIT>.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the defects of the prior art, and to in particular to provide a support assembly according to claim <NUM> and an above ground-pool according to claim <NUM> that optimizes a connecting member structure of a support assembly thereof, implements prepositioning of the support assembly, and has the advantage of fast installation.

According to an aspect of an example embodiment, the present invention provide an above-ground pool comprising: a base; a surrounding wall comprising: a lower edge joined to the base, and an upper edge; a pool liner, detachably connected to an inner side of the surrounding wall, the pool liner defining a water storage space therewithin; and a support assembly comprising a horizontal support member, a vertical support member, a first connecting member and a second connecting member.

The horizontal support member is connected to the vertical support member by the first connecting members and is configured to cover the upper edge of the surrounding wall, and the vertical support member being connected to the base by the second connecting member.

The first connecting member is provided with a first insertion slot, the second connecting member is provided with a second insertion slot, and the first insertion slot and the second insertion slot respectively adapt to a contour of the vertical support member and are arranged opposite each other, for respectively inserting two ends of the vertical support member.

The support assembly comprises a plurality of horizontal support members, a plurality of vertical support members, a plurality of first connecting members, each connecting an upper end of one of the plurality of vertical support members to two of the plurality of horizontal support members, and a plurality of second connecting members, each connecting a lower end of one of the plurality of vertical support members to the base.

Each of the plurality of first connecting members comprises a first insertion slot having a shape corresponding to a contour of the one of the plurality of vertical support members.

Each of the plurality of second connecting members comprises a second insertion slot having a shape corresponding to the contour of the one of the plurality of vertical support members.

According to the invention, each first connecting member comprises: a connecting member body comprising the first insertion slot and a positioning post disposed opposite the first insertion slot, the positioning post configured to connect to end portions of the two of the plurality of horizontal support members, and a protective cover.

Each horizontal support member may comprise a through hole, formed through an end thereof and configured to hold the positioning post.

The protective cover may limit a separation of the two of the plurality of horizontal support members from the positioning post, and the protective cover may be configured to be fixed to the connecting member body by at least one of clamping and threaded fastening.

The protective cover may comprise a convex tooth disposed on an inner side of the protective cover, and each horizontal support member may comprise a groove, disposed in a surface thereof and having a shape corresponding to a shape of the convex tooth.

The connecting member body may further comprise a first receiving groove configured to accommodate therein the upper edge of the surrounding wall, and each second connecting member may comprise a second receiving groove configured to accommodate therein the lower edge of the surrounding wall.

The connecting member body may further comprise a first connecting hole; each second connecting member may further comprise a second connecting hole, and each of the lower end and the upper end of each vertical support member may comprise a mounting hole configured to be connected to one of the first connecting hole and the second connecting hole by a threaded fastener.

The connecting member body may consist of a single integral member.

Each first connecting member and second connecting member may be plastic.

The surrounding wall may be rigid in a first direction and is rollable in a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction.

According to the invention described in claim <NUM>, a support assembly of an above-ground pool comprises: a plurality of horizontal support members; a plurality of vertical support members; a plurality of first connecting members, each connecting an upper end of one of the plurality of vertical support members to two of the plurality of horizontal support members; and a plurality of second connecting members, each connecting a lower end of one of the plurality of vertical support members to a base of the above-ground pool.

Each of the plurality of first connection members comprises a first insertion slot having a shape corresponding to a contour of the one of the plurality of vertical support members.

Each of the plurality of first connecting members of the support assembly comprises a connecting member body and a protective cover.

The connecting member body comprises the first insertion slot and a positioning post disposed opposite the first insertion slot.

The positioning post is configured to connect to end portions of the two of the plurality of horizontal support members.

Preferably, each of the plurality of horizontal support members comprises a through hole, formed through an end thereof and configured to hold the positioning post.

Preferably, the protective cover comprises a convex tooth disposed on an inner side of the protective cover.

Preferably, each of the plurality of horizontal support members comprises a groove, disposed in a surface thereof and having a shape corresponding to a shape of the convex tooth.

Preferably, the connecting member body further comprises a first connecting hole and each of the plurality of second connecting members further comprises a second connecting hole.

Preferably, each of the lower end and the upper end of each of the plurality of vertical support members comprises a mounting hole configured to be connected to one of the first connecting hole and the second connecting hole by a threaded fastener.

Advantageously, compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:.

A total quantity of parts of the above-ground pool is reduced, and installation and disassembly are simplified.

A connecting member structure of a support assembly can implement prepositioning of a horizontal support member and a vertical support member in the support assembly.

Compared with installation using a large quantity of threaded fasteners, it is not necessary to confirm whether hole positions in the connecting member structure are aligned with hole positions in the support member.

Through simple insertion or a combination of insertion and a small quantity of threaded fasteners, stable connection can be implemented.

The above and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of example embodiments of the present invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:.

Reference will now be made in detail to example embodiments of the present invention which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. In this regard, the example embodiments may have different forms and may not be construed as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein.

It will be understood that the terms "include," "including", "comprise, and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

It will be further understood that, although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections may not be limited by these terms.

Matters of these example embodiments that are obvious to those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which these exemplary embodiments pertain may not be described here in detail.

<FIG> illustrates an above-ground pool <NUM>, according to an example embodiment of the present invention. The pool <NUM> includes an annular base <NUM>, an annular surrounding wall <NUM>, a pool liner <NUM>, and a support assembly <NUM>. Specifically, the support assembly <NUM> is located on an outer side of the annular surrounding wall <NUM>. The pool liner <NUM> can be fixed on an inner side of the annular surrounding wall <NUM> and forms a water storage space. The pool liner <NUM> usually covers the inner side of the overall annular surrounding wall <NUM> and a bottom surface of the annular surrounding wall <NUM>. An upper edge of the pool liner <NUM> may be folded and supported by an upper edge of the annular surrounding wall <NUM>. At the position where the upper edge of the pool liner <NUM> is folded and propped, a clamping member, including a downward-facing groove, fixedly clamps the upper edge of the pool liner <NUM> and the upper edge of the annular surrounding wall <NUM>. The pool liner <NUM> may be a waterproof, flexible material. After the upper edge of the pool liner is folded, supported by the upper edge of the annular surrounding wall <NUM>, and fixedly clamped, the shape and size of the bottom of the pool liner <NUM> may substantially match the shape and size enclosed by the annular surrounding wall <NUM>. A structure of the clamping member may be analogous to the slot-type clamping strip described in Chinese Patent Publication No. <CIT> and/or to the clamping strip in Chinese Patent Publication No. <CIT>. The entire disclosures of these foregoing patent publications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. The inner side of the annular surrounding wall <NUM> may be provided with a plurality of hooks or with a substantially continuous hook-and-loop fastener. The upper edge of the pool liner <NUM> may be detachably fixed to the inner side of the annular surrounding wall <NUM> in a hanging or bonding manner.

The annular surrounding wall <NUM> defines the shape of the water storage space. The annular surrounding wall <NUM> is rigid in a support direction of the annular surrounding wall and is rollable in a non-support direction. The orientation of the elements, as illustrated in <FIG> is used as an example. As shown in <FIG>, the vertical direction corresponds to the support direction, and the horizontal direction corresponds to a non-support direction. The annular surrounding wall <NUM> is rigid in the support direction to maintain keep the shape of the water storage space, but is rollable in the non-support direction to facilitate storage. During assembly, a lower edge of the annular surrounding wall <NUM> is joined to the annular base <NUM>. The annular base <NUM> may be provided with an upward-facing groove (not shown). The lower edge of the annular surrounding wall <NUM> is inserted into the upward groove, to enable the shape of the annular surrounding wall to adapt to the shape of the annular base. As the water storage space is filled, pressure is generated on the inner side of the annular surrounding wall <NUM>, to cause a deformation of the annular surrounding wall <NUM>. To mitigate or eliminate this deformation, the support assembly <NUM> may be disposed on the outer side of the annular surrounding wall <NUM>.

Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, the support assembly <NUM> comprises a horizontal support member <NUM>, a vertical support member <NUM>, a first connecting member <NUM>, and a second connecting member <NUM>. The horizontal support member <NUM> covers the upper edge of the annular surrounding wall <NUM>, and is connected to the vertical support member <NUM> by the first connecting member <NUM>. The vertical support member <NUM> is connected to the annular base <NUM> by the second connecting member <NUM>. More specifically, with reference to <FIG>, the first connecting member <NUM> comprises a connecting member body <NUM> and a protective cover <NUM>. A first insertion slot <NUM> and a positioning post <NUM> are respectively provided on two opposite sides of the connecting member body <NUM>. The vertical support member <NUM> fits within the first insertion slot <NUM>, and is thereby connected to the connecting member body <NUM> from below the connecting member body <NUM>. The horizontal support member <NUM> is attached to the positioning post <NUM>, and is thereby connected to the connecting member body <NUM> from above the connecting member body <NUM>. As discussed above, the horizontal support member <NUM> covers the upper edge of the annular surrounding wall <NUM>. Similarly, the connecting member body <NUM> covers the upper edge of the annular surrounding wall <NUM>. According to an example aspect, a clamping member may be is disposed at the upper edge of the annular surrounding wall <NUM>, and may comprise a downward groove that clamps the pool liner <NUM> at the annular surrounding wall <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the connecting member body <NUM> comprises a first receiving groove <NUM>. The first receiving groove <NUM> and the first insertion slot <NUM> are located on the same side of the connecting member body <NUM>. The first receiving groove <NUM> is used for accommodating the upper edge of the annular surrounding wall <NUM>, and may also accommodate a clamping member that is disposed at the upper edge of the annular surrounding wall <NUM> and is provided with a downward groove.

As can be seen, a top end of the vertical support member <NUM> is attached to the annular surrounding wall <NUM> by the connecting member body <NUM>. The top end of the vertical support member <NUM> is inserted in the first insertion slot <NUM> of the connecting member body <NUM>, and the connecting member body <NUM> is thereby attached to the upper edge of the annular surrounding wall <NUM>.

Further, a bottom end of the vertical support member <NUM> is attached to the annular surrounding wall <NUM> by the second connecting member <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the second connecting member <NUM> has a second insertion slot <NUM> and a second receiving groove <NUM> located on the same side as the second insertion slot <NUM>. The vertical support member is connected to the second insertion slot <NUM> from above the second connecting member <NUM>. The second receiving groove <NUM> accommodates the lower edge of the annular surrounding wall <NUM>. With reference to <FIG>, the second receiving groove <NUM> accommodates the annular base <NUM> and thereby holds the lower edge of the annular surrounding wall <NUM>.

After the installation of the vertical support member <NUM> is completed, the first insertion slot <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM> and the second insertion slot <NUM> of the second connecting member <NUM> are arranged opposite each other and are used for respectively inserting the top end and lower end of the vertical support member <NUM>. The shapes of the first insertion slot <NUM> and the second insertion slot <NUM> may be adapted to a contour of the vertical support member <NUM>. The vertical support member <NUM> may have a three-dimensional contour. For example, a cross section of the vertical support member <NUM> may approximate an arc with a plurality of bends, to enhance the structural strength of the vertical support member <NUM> in a support direction (vertical direction) of the vertical support member. Correspondingly, the first insertion slot <NUM> and the second insertion slot <NUM> may be disposed as nonlinear through slots with a plurality of bends.

As discussed above, a prepositioning structure of the vertical support member <NUM> is described. The prepositioning structure of the horizontal support member <NUM> is described below in detail.

As shown in <FIG>, the connecting member body <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM> includes the positioning post <NUM> protruding from an upper side of the connecting member body <NUM>. The positioning post <NUM> is used for prepositioning end portions of two adjacent horizontal support members <NUM>. Further, referring to <FIG>, a plurality of horizontal support members <NUM> are connected head to tail by a plurality of the first connecting members <NUM>, forming a handrail edge of the above-ground pool <NUM>. The horizontal support member <NUM> may have a width configured to support an object placed thereon. In an example aspect shown in <FIG>, four positioning posts <NUM> are symmetrical two by two and are disposed at an angle with respect to each other, to thereby conform to an included angle between two adjacent horizontal support members <NUM>. Correspondingly, an end portion of the horizontal support member <NUM> includes a through hole <NUM> configured to hold the positioning post <NUM> therewithin. Each end portion of each horizontal support member <NUM> may include two through holes <NUM>, and at least one of the two through holes <NUM> may be a slotted hole, to thereby enable adjustment of a joint position of the positioning post <NUM> in the through hole <NUM>, to eventually implement that the plurality of horizontal support members <NUM> are connected head to tail. According to another example embodiment, the shapes of the positioning post <NUM> and the through hole <NUM> may adapt to each other, and for example, may each have a shape of a triangle, a square, or another polygon, to implement accurate prepositioning and stable connection. The quantities and positions of the positioning posts <NUM> are not limited by the examples shown in the drawings.

The horizontal support member <NUM> is sleeved over the positioning post <NUM> through the through hole <NUM> of the horizontal support member to thereby implement prepositioning. Every two adjacent connecting member bodies <NUM> support one horizontal support member <NUM>. In addition, as shown in <FIG>, the first connecting member <NUM> includes the protective cover <NUM> which may limit the separation between the horizontal support member <NUM> and the positioning post <NUM>. The protective cover <NUM> and the connecting member body <NUM> coordinate to clamp the horizontal support member <NUM> therebetween. Optionally, a convex tooth <NUM> may be provided on an inner side (a side facing the connecting member body <NUM>) of the protective cover <NUM>, and the convex tooth <NUM> may be adapted to some or all of grooves <NUM> (as shown in <FIG>, the surface of the horizontal support member <NUM> is provided with a plurality of grooves <NUM>) in the surface of the horizontal support member <NUM>, to thereby limit a displacement of the horizontal support member <NUM>.

According to an example embodiment, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the connecting member body <NUM> may include a clamping tongue <NUM>. The protective cover <NUM> is provided with a clamping hook <NUM>. The clamping hook <NUM> is joined to the clamping tongue <NUM>, such that, at one end the protective cover <NUM> is connected to the connecting member body <NUM>, and at the other end, the protective cover <NUM> is connected to the connecting member body <NUM> by a threaded fastener, as shown in <FIG>. Alternatively, the protective cover <NUM> may be connected to the connecting member body <NUM> in a completely clamping manner.

According to an example embodiment, after the vertical support member <NUM> is inserted into the first connecting member <NUM> and the second connecting member <NUM>, the vertical support member <NUM>, and the first connecting member <NUM> and the second connecting member <NUM> can be further locked by threaded fasteners. Specifically, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the connecting member body <NUM> may include a first connecting hole <NUM>. The top end of the vertical support member <NUM> may include a first mounting hole <NUM>. When the vertical support member <NUM> is inserted into the bottom of the first insertion slot <NUM>, the first connecting hole <NUM> and the first mounting hole <NUM> are aligned, and may then be connected by a threaded fastener. Similarly, as shown in <FIG>, the second connecting member <NUM> may include a second connecting hole <NUM>. The bottom end of the vertical support member <NUM> may include a second mounting hole <NUM>. When the vertical support member <NUM> is inserted into the bottom of the second insertion slot <NUM>, the second connecting hole <NUM> and the second mounting hole <NUM> are aligned, and may then be connected by a threaded fastener. However, when the first insertion slot <NUM> and the second insertion slot <NUM> have sufficient depths, locking can be implemented without threaded fasteners.

The connecting member body <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM> may be a single integral member which can enable prepositioning between the connecting member body <NUM> and the vertical support member <NUM> and the horizontal support member <NUM>. Compared with the use of a plurality of bolt fasteners shown in <FIG>, installation steps may be greatly simplified. Materials of the first connecting member <NUM> and/or the second connecting member <NUM> may be plastic. The connecting member body <NUM> and the protective cover <NUM> of the first connecting member <NUM> and/or the second connecting member <NUM> may be respectively formed in an injection molding manner, to achieve advantages of simple manufacturing and corrosion resistance.

Compared with an existing design, the first connecting member <NUM> and the second connecting member <NUM> according to one or more example embodiments may enable completion of the installation of the support assembly <NUM> in an efficient and economical manner.

It may be understood that the exemplary embodiments described herein may be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each exemplary embodiment may be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other exemplary embodiments.

Claim 1:
A support assembly (<NUM>) of an above-ground pool, the support assembly (<NUM>) comprising:
a plurality of horizontal support members (<NUM>);
a plurality of vertical support members (<NUM>);
a plurality of first connecting members (<NUM>), each connecting an upper end of one of the plurality of vertical support members (<NUM>) to two of the plurality of horizontal support members (<NUM>); and
a plurality of second connecting members (<NUM>), each connecting a lower end of one of the plurality of vertical support members (<NUM>) to a base (<NUM>) of an above-ground pool;
wherein each of the plurality of first connection members (<NUM>) comprises a first insertion slot (<NUM>) having a shape corresponding to a contour of the one of the plurality of vertical support members (<NUM>) and a first receiving groove (<NUM>) configured to accommodate therein an upper edge of a surrounding wall (<NUM>) of the above-ground pool,
and
wherein each of the plurality of second connecting members (<NUM>) comprises a second insertion slot (<NUM>) having a shape corresponding to the contour of the one of the plurality of vertical support members (<NUM>) and a second receiving groove (<NUM>) configured to accommodate therein a lower edge of said surrounding wall (<NUM>),
wherein each first connecting member (<NUM>) comprises:
a connecting member body (<NUM>) comprising the first insertion slot (<NUM>), said first receiving groove (<NUM>) and a clamping tongue (<NUM>), with the first receiving groove (<NUM>) and the first insertion slot (<NUM>) located on the same side of the connecting member body (<NUM>),
a protective cover (<NUM>) configured to be fixed to the connecting member body (<NUM>) by clamping and comprising a clamping hook (<NUM>) joined to the clamping tongue (<NUM>).