Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to pool or spa covers, and more particularly to covers configured to accommodate to waterfall chutes. 
     At present, spas or pools are frequently provided with waterfall chutes. Such chutes typically project over the open water containing interior of the pool or spa, from a location spaced above the level of the side wall of the spa or pool, in order to provide for the effect of water falling from a height. This presents the problem of configuring the pool or spa cover so as to easily seat or seal on the top of the side wall, when placed over the spa or pool interior. In an effort to overcome this problem, pads or padding have been attached to the underside of the cover, as near its edge, to provide for seating or sealing; however, such padding is bulky and adds to the difficulty of maneuvering the cover so as to align with, seat on and seal upon pool or spa edges. There is need for improvements to enable ease and assured seating and sealing of pool covers on pool or spa upper edges, particularly where waterfalls are employed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a major object of the invention to provide simple, desirable, and effective improvements in covers adapted to pools or spas incorporating waterfall devices. 
     Basically, and as will be seen, the invention embodies a pool or spa cover adapted for use with a waterfall chute projecting from the top edge of a pool or spa water receptacle, comprising in combination: 
     a) the cover having sections hinge connected to allow one section to pivot downwardly toward the waterfall chute while the other section remains peripherally seated on the receptacle, 
     b) the one section having edge portions adapted to seat on receptacle edge portions at opposite sides of the chute, and at elevated locations, 
     c) the one section locally configured to accommodate the cover to the chute as the cover pivots downwardly to seat on the pool or spa top edges. 
     As will be seen, the cover typically consists of synthetic foam to seal downwardly against the upper edge extent of the receptacle, and in proximity to the chute. In this regard, the chute itself may project from edge extent of the receptacle toward the open interior of the receptacle. That edge extent of the receptacle proximate the chute may be raised so that water delivered by the chute falls as from a waterfall height, providing waterfall effect, and so that sealing of the cover to the receptacle top edge, proximate the chute, is not compromised. 
     A further object is to provide the cover with a locally cut-away portion, as at the underside of a hinged section of the cover, that cut-away registering with the chute, and wherein the one section has a peripheral portion that seats on the receptacle edges proximate the chute. 
     Further, the cut-away typically has a boundary that is convex toward a hinge connecting said sections, whereby the cut-away accommodates to the projecting extent of the chute. 
     In this regard, a portion of the cover overlapping the cut-away may then seal and seat against the pool or spa side wall upper edges, proximate the chute, to provide a smooth, totally covering appearance of the cover. Further, the portion of the pool or spa side wall supporting the chute and adjacent seated covers extent is typically elevated relative to the main extent of the pool or spa. 
     A yet further object is to provide wedge shaped pads loosely suspended and interposed between cover section edges below a hinge connecting the section, to seat against such edges as the one section pivots downwardly toward the chute, to relatively position the cover sections. 
     Further, the cover may have self adjustable alignment padding between transverse cover end portions, to assure alignment of a downwardly closable cover section relative to waterfall structure. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fully understood from the following specification and drawings, in which: 
    
    
     
       DRAWING DESCRIPTION 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of a spa receptacle wall showing waterfall structure; 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged section taken in elevation on lines  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 , with cover section in raised position; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged section taken on lines  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a view like  FIG. 2 , but showing the spa cover in closed position, embracing the waterfall chute; 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view taken on lines  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a section taken in elevation on lines  6 - 6  of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a plan view of a cover section showing cut out configuration extended to opposite ends of the section to receive receptacle raised lateral end portions; 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged section showing a self positioning located pad received between cover sections, at a hinge location; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a spa, with a raised end wall, to accommodate waterfall raised positioning relative to water level in the spa; and 
         FIG. 10  is a top plan view of two self adjustable, flap-hinge connected covers, with pads or padding between transverse end portions thereof, acting to align the downwardly closable section, relative to a waterfall; and 
         FIG. 11  is an elevated taken on lines  11 - 11  of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 12  is a vertical section showing lifting of a cover section away from padding between the sections. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring first to  FIGS. 1 ,  4 ,  5  and  9 , they show a spa unit  10  defining a receptacle  10   a  to receive water, as in a pool  11 . A waterfall chute or conduit  12  is carried at the top of receptacle side wall section  10   b , the chute projecting at  12   a  close to the top of the wall, and inwardly and downwardly at  12   b  over the water pool  11 . 
     A waterfall effect is provided by the width of the chute, see in  FIGS. 1 and 3 . Arrows  13  and  13   a  indicate the path of the water flowing in the chute and into the pool. Side wall section  10   b  typically extends upwardly to an elevation above the level of the major extent of the remainder of the receptacle side wall so that the free drop of the water is extended, for waterfall effect. See raised end wall or section  10   b  in  FIG. 9 , and the relatively lower elevation of the receptacle remaining side wall extent at  10   d.    
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 ,  5  and  6 , a receptacle cover  15  is provided to have two sections  15   a  and  15   b , typically hinge connected at  16  as by a layer  16   a  of flexible plastic material allowing up and down pivoting of section  15   a  relative to section  15   b .  FIG. 2  shows section  15   a  pivoted upwardly relative to section  15   b , as during application of the cover to the receptacle. In  FIG. 4 , section  15   a  is shown seated on the relatively lower elevation upper edge  17  of the receptacle. Cover section  15   a  is to be pivoted or to swing downwardly (see arrow  18  in  FIG. 2 ) to a lowered position, as seen in  FIG. 4 , at which time edge portion  15   c  of  15   a  closes toward the chute to seat on the upper edge or edges  20   a  of the receptacle wall sidewardly, spaced from the chute. See  FIG. 4 . 
     In accordance with an important aspect of the invention, the cover one section  15   a  is locally configured to accommodate to the relatively raised positioning of the waterfall chute, as the cover pivots downwardly to seat on the receptacle elevated upper edges nearest the chute. As shown, the cover section  15   a  is locally cut-away or recessed at  20  at its underside, near the cover end  15   c , to come into vertical registration with the chute, as seen in  FIG. 4 , as the cover section is lowered. The underside  20   a  of the recessed portion then seats on the top edges of raised end wall portion of the receptacle, as at  21 , at laterally opposite sides of the chute, so that water may freely flow in the raised chute, below cover underside  20   a.    
     In this regard, the cover sections  15   a  and  15   b  typically consist of molded synthetic foam, to seal as well as seat on the spa receptacle side wall upper edges  17   b  and at  21 . The configuration of the cover section  15   a , including its underside recessing, is such as to provide a smooth, spa and chute covering top external appearance of the seated and down-pivoted cover, as at  50 . 
       FIG. 7  shows lateral extensions at  26  and  27  of the recess or cut-away, to vertically accommodate the cover to relatively raised lateral extents of the receptacle wall, seen at  10   f  and  10   a  in  FIG. 9 . This configuration minimizes any flexing of cover section  10   a  particularly downwardly at those locations, despite pivoting “lay-down” of the section  10   a  onto the receptacle. Note in  FIGS. 7 and 10  the laterally sequential triple arcuate extents of the end walls  20  onto the receptacle. Note the laterally sequential triple arcuate extents of the end walls  20   a ,  26   a  and  27   a . Lateral or transverse stiffness of the cover section  15   a  is preserved by the arcuately extending recess end walls  28  and  29 , projecting endwise oppositely relative to recessed end walls  20   a ,  26   a  and  27   a , in  FIG. 7 . 
       FIGS. 2 ,  4 ,  8  and  9  show provision of shaped padding  30  positioned between proximate ends or end walls  31  and  32  of the cover sections  15   a  and  15   b , at the hinging location. That padding is loosely supported as by straps  33  and  34  connected to one of the cover sections, as seen in  FIGS. 8 and 10 , whereby the padding dangles freely to self-adjust while compressed between end walls  31  and  32  as they are relatively displaced toward one another during pivoting of cover section  15   a  to downward position, as seen in  FIGS. 4 and 8 . The padding typically has wedge shape, vertically, so as to facilitate squeezing into self-adjusted positions, holding the cover sections in adjusted positions and also permitting some adjusting relative movement, laterally, during cover application to the receptacle, bringing the recess  20  into registration with the waterfall chute. Connection strap  16   a  flexes to cooperate with such cover section self adjusting, the padding  30  variably compressing sufficiently to maintain strap  16   a  smoothly extended at the cover section surfaces. 
     From the foregoing, it will be seen from  FIGS. 8-12  that each of the two pads  30  comprises a wedge shaped, resiliently compressible body  70 , and a thin flexible cover layer or layers  71  fitted closely over the body to firmly contain it as the pad is sidewardly compressed between walls  31  and  32 , as the spa cover section  15   a  is lowered into seated and heat sealing position. See  FIG. 8 . Free suspension of the pads is provided by straps or holders  33  and  34 . This is facilitated by compressible self-adjustment of the pads, and by alignment of the sections  15   a  and  15   b , effected by the cover strap or layer  16   a , smoothly tensioned over the gap  72  between the sections in response to resilient compression of the pads. As a result, section  15   a  accurately seats downwardly on the receptacle upper edge  17 , and relative to the waterfall chute. To this end, each pad preferably tapers downwardly and has opposite sides compressed by and between said section walls or, thereby to position the one section  15   a , aligning it horizontally relative to the chute as the cover is closed downwardly. The hinge  16   a  flexible material (preferably consisting of synthetic resinous material) overlying the gap  72 , acts to block upward escape of heat from spa water, the pads located in said gap. 
     A very effective heat sealing combination is thereby provided, is such a way that horizontally accurate downward seating of section  15   a  on the receptacle edges  17  is assured, the wedge shaped pads tensioning the hinge connection  16  when the section  15   a  is closed downwardly and compressively engages and resiliently compresses the wedge shaped pads. Resilient compression progresses downwardly at the pad sides as the walls  31  and  32  progressively engage and compress the pad downwardly tapering opposite sides, to progressively cushion closing of the cover section  15   a  relative to the edge  17 .

Technology Category: 0