Patent ID: 6871362

Claim:
In combination, a swimming pool cover and apparatus for storing said swimming pool cover thereon, comprising: a) an elongated rotating tube assembly, said tube assembly having a pair of ends, said tube assembly being substantially horizontally disposed for having a swimming pool cover wound thereon, said pool cover having a plurality of straps thereon and a plurality of springs thereon, wherein said straps and springs are for attachment to a plurality of anchors spaced about a deck of a swimming pool so that the pool cover can be secured to the swimming pool; b) a pair of supporting end heads, each end head for receiving one end of said tube assembly to permit the tube assembly to be supported by the pair of end heads, wherein each end head has a horizontally disposed sleeve therein, wherein each end head is further defined by a top and a bottom; c) a pair of end caps, wherein each said end cap has a first end and a second end, said first end of said end cap being disposed on each end of said tube assembly, wherein each of said second ends of said end caps passes through said sleeve of said end head and protrudes outwardly through each of said end heads; d) a pair of hand wheels, each of said hand wheels being disposed on each of said second ends of said end caps, wherein said hand wheel has an inwardly extending centrally disposed recess for receiving each of said end caps; e) a hand crank disposed on each of said hand wheels to permit a user to turn said tube assembly; and, f) means for rotationally securing said tube assembly, said end caps, and said hand wheels to each other so that the tube assembly rotates with the hand wheels, wherein said tube assembly comprises a center tube and a pair of end tubes disposed on each end of said center tube, wherein said center tube is larger in diameter than said pair of end tubes so as to operate telescopically to permit the length of the tube assembly to be varied to accommodate varying sizes of swimming pool covers and said means for rotationally securing said tube assembly comprises: a) mating longitudinally disposed extrusions disposed in said center tube and said pair of end tubes; b) mating longitudinally disposed extrusions disposed on said first end of said end cap and said ends of said pair of end tubes; and, c) mating longitudinally disposed extrusion disposed on said second end of said end caps and said recess of said hand wheel.