Patent ID: 7971286

Claim:
A modular occupant bench seating unit for use in a swimming pool formed from a plurality of contiguous modular wall panels joined end-to-end to define a pool enclosure having a vertical perimeter wall, said pool having a floor and being adapted to be filled with water to a water line along the vertical perimeter wall, said bench unit comprising a module devised to replace one of said modular wall panels and adapted to be joined with said contiguous wall panels, said bench module comprising: a vertical wall having a top, a bottom and opposite ends, said opposite ends adapted to be joined with contiguous wall panels, said vertical wall being substantially coplanar with the vertical walls of said contiguous wall panels to define said vertical perimeter wall of said pool; and an elongate bench unitary with said vertical wall, said bench having an elongate side protruding from said vertical wall between the top and bottom thereof into said pool substantially beyond the plane formed by the vertical wall of the pool, said bench having an upper side and an under side, said upper side defining an occupant seating area and said underside being spaced from the floor of said pool, said bench providing 360° vertically oriented accessibility to the occupant seating area.