Patent ID: 7178179

Claim:
A drain apparatus useable in a swimming pool, a spa or a whirlpool bath for preventing entanglement of hair and body parts, said drain apparatus comprising in combination: a) a bulkhead fitting for penetrable engagement with a surface of the pool, spa or bath, said bulkhead fitting including a central outlet adapted for fluid communication with a suction pump for drawing water from the pool, spa or bath through said drain apparatus; b) a plate secured to said bulkhead fitting for lodgement adjacent a surface of the pool, spa or bath; c) a cover secured to said plate, said cover including: 1) a central impervious member; 2) a plurality of first orifices extending radially from said member; 3) a plurality of walls extending downwardly to said plate for defining a plurality of generally radially oriented passageways coincident with said first orifices; 4) an outlet orifice generally coincident with the radially interior end of each of said passageways and in fluid communication with said central outlet; 5) a plurality of second orifices located radially outwardly of said first orifices; 6) a peripheral wall segregating said first orifices from said second orifices and defining a common peripheral passageway in fluid communication with each of said second orifices, said peripheral wall being spaced from said plate to provide fluid communication between said peripheral passageway and said radially oriented passageways; and d) attachment means for securing said bulkhead fitting with a surface of the pool, spa or bath.