FR3163967A1 - INFLATABLE POOL SET - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an inflatable assembly (1) forming a cover for a body of water (3) in the inflated state, comprising at least one inflatable mattress (2). According to the invention, said at least one inflatable mattress (2) has, on the axially outer part of the external surface (4), which is not intended to come into contact with the water (3), at least one flap (7) attached to said external surface (4), which is not intended to come into contact with the water (3). Figure for the abstract: Fig 1

Description

INFLATABLE POOL SET

The present invention relates to inflatable assemblies forming a cover in the inflated state for bodies of water such as basins or swimming pools.

In the field of inflatable structures, inflatable mattresses are commonly used to cover the surface of bodies of water, such as swimming pools. Thanks to the layer of air inside, these inflated mattresses provide thermal insulation, helping to maintain the water temperature, especially during cooler periods when the pool is not in use. They also help limit water loss through evaporation and can serve as a safety feature, preventing accidents.

These inflatable mattresses can be made from sheets or films of thermoplastic polymer that are heat-sealed together. Heat sealing can be achieved by locally heating the sheet to its melting temperature.

The heat sealing of thermoplastic polymer sheets or films can be carried out in particular by ultrasound, conduction or high frequency.

Preferably, the thermoplastic polymer sheet(s) or film(s) have a thickness of less than 1 mm and preferably even less than 0.5 mm.

This type of material allows, as is well known, the simple production of an element with a sealed cavity that can be pressurized. Thermoplastic polyurethanes and polyvinyl chlorides are particularly suitable materials.

Such inflatable mattresses must be easy to use, quick to set up and maneuverable by a limited number of people, ideally no more than two.

When deflated, such mattresses can be conveniently rolled around a shaft, with rolling and unrolling triggered by rotating the shaft. The mattress is then only inflated when used as a pool cover. Since it is stored deflated, its footprint is reduced. Alternatively, the mattress can be stored on a mobile pallet, folded upon deflating.

Such inflatable mattresses also have the advantage of being lightweight and easy to handle.

Inflating the mattress ensures it takes shape on the pool and covers the water's surface. The inflation pressure is generally between 0.1 and 0.5 bar, and most often between 0.2 and 0.35 bar.

Mattresses made in this way, when inflated, form a three-dimensional product with a length, a width, and a height or thickness.

For the purposes of this invention, the length of an inflatable assembly forming a cover for a body of water when inflated corresponds to its longest dimension. It is most often defined by the direction in which the inflated assembly is rolled up or unrolled during its deployment or storage.

According to the invention, the width of an inflatable assembly forming a cover for a body of water when inflated is measured along a direction perpendicular to the length of the inflatable assembly. The directions of width and length define a plane that substantially coincides with the substantially parallel surfaces of the mattress, including the one intended to come into contact with the surface of the body of water.

In the context of the invention, the height or thickness of an inflatable assembly forming a cover in the inflated state for a body of water is measured along a direction perpendicular to the plane formed by the directions of the length and width of the inflatable assembly.

Such inflatable sets are described, for example, in document DE 3000396 A1. The inflatable pool cover described in this publication is an inflatable mattress that rests on the water's surface when inflated and essentially covers the entire water surface. When not in use, the cover can be rolled up onto a roller located at the edge of the pool.

Document WO 2022/264052 A1 further describes a swimming pool cover consisting of an inflatable mattress in which two sheets of flexible material are joined together by a plurality of threads or bonding fibers. This document describes a construction known as "drop stitch" which provides significant rigidity and perfectly flat mattress surfaces.

This document describes yet another method for deploying the inflatable assembly. Pressurizing the inflatable assemblies is used for this deployment. In fact, the progressive inflation of the inflatable assembly from one end helps to move it across the body of water, for example, by deploying it between two freely rotating rollers positioned according to the width of the water. The inflation of the portion in contact with the water exerts a tensile force on the rollers, which then deploys the remaining uninflated portion of the inflatable assembly.

The inventors highlighted that this method of deploying the inflatable structure on the pool could have drawbacks. Ideally, to avoid heat loss, the inflatable structure should cover the entire surface of the water. However, this deployment method can cause the inflatable structure to rub against the pool walls, leading to its rapid deterioration.

The inventors also highlighted that these inflatable structures used as pool covers could present major drawbacks in certain applications. Particularly in the case of infinity pools, it turned out that such covers, designed to fit very close to the pool's edges, could impede the proper functioning of the water filtration system. Indeed, the filtration system must remain active when the pool cover is in place, and it became apparent that the cover, constructed according to the documents described above, disrupted the proper water circulation, even risking damage to the suction pumps when they pumped air for extended periods.

There are also known retractable pool cover systems. These systems are made with rigid slats to form roller shutters that float on the water when unrolled. These systems provide a barrier to evaporation and a safety feature for people, but offer limited thermal insulation. They are also quite heavy, requiring reinforced roller mechanisms, and are consequently limited in size.

There are still systems of tarpaulins reinforced by spaced bars that cover the water's surface, resting on the beach. They offer the same advantages in terms of safety and evaporation barrier as the previously described shutter solution. However, they also share the same limitations in terms of thermal insulation and size, particularly due to their weight. Furthermore, storing these tarpaulins is complicated due to their bulk, and their installation is not straightforward.

The inventors have therefore set themselves the task of proposing a pool cover that is compact, easy to install regardless of size, whose installation does not risk causing damage to the cover and adaptable to any type of pool regardless of the filtration system.

This purpose is achieved according to the invention by an inflatable assembly forming a cover for a body of water in the inflated state, comprising at least one inflatable mattress having two substantially parallel external surfaces, one being intended to come into contact with the water, said surfaces being formed by films of flexible material connected to each other on their edges by at least one film of flexible material to form a watertight mattress having a length, a width and a thickness, said at least one inflatable mattress having on the axially external part of the external surface, which is not intended to come into contact with the water, at least one flap connected to said external surface, which is not intended to come into contact with the water.

Preferably according to the invention, said at least one inflatable mattress comprises on the axially outer part of the external surface, which is not intended to come into contact with water, two flaps attached to said external surface, which is not intended to come into contact with water.

Preferably, at least one flap extends along the length of the inflatable mattress on the lateral edges of the inflatable mattress.

Advantageously according to the invention, said at least one bib has a length at least equal to that of said inflatable mattress.

The inventors have thus been able to present an inflatable unit that serves as a pool cover, which can be quickly installed by one or two people and can be easily sized for the area of water to be covered.

Like the inflatable structures described earlier, this type of cover is lightweight and easy to set up. In fact, this type of inflatable structure is designed for quick and easy installation. The materials used result in a relatively low weight, and setup is primarily achieved by inflating it with a compressor connected to the inflatable mattress via a valve. Installation can easily be carried out by one or two people.

The inventors have shown that the inflatable assembly according to the invention comprises an inflatable mattress that can be made with a dimension, and more particularly a width, smaller than that of the body of water to be covered. Indeed, the presence of flaps advantageously positioned on the edges of the mattress along its length will extend the surface area of the water to be covered by resting on the edges or coping of the body of water.

Since the inflatable mattress is narrower than the water's surface, it can be deployed without risk of damage from friction against the pool walls. Once the mattress is fully deployed, the splash guards can be extended to rest on the pool's edge, thus completely covering the water.

Because the flaps are attached to the outer surface of the mattress and rest on the coping, when deployed they trap a volume of air above the water. This air volume helps to supplement the thermal insulation provided by the mattress when it is inflated and deployed on the water. Similarly, the flaps help to limit water evaporation.

The inventors have also demonstrated that the inflatable assembly according to the invention is adaptable to any type of body of water or swimming pool, and particularly to infinity pools which require drainage at the water's surface. Indeed, since the inflatable mattress is narrower than the width of the body of water it covers, when inflated and deployed on the water, it does not risk hindering or obstructing the water circulation system. The same applies to the flaps positioned between the outer surface of the mattress and the pool coping.

Preferably according to the invention, the flexible material films forming the mattress are joined together by heat sealing as explained previously.

According to one embodiment of the invention, said at least one film of flexible material, which connects the two surfaces to form the sides of the mattress forming an inflatable mattress according to the invention, is made of at least two films, for example welded together to form the four sides of the mattress. According to another embodiment, each side is made individually from a film, the four films being welded together.

According to another embodiment of the invention, said at least one film of flexible material, which connects the two surfaces by forming the sides of the inflatable mattress according to the invention, is made with a single film so as to limit the number of welds and facilitate the manufacture of an inflatable mattress.

Preferably according to the invention, the flexible material films forming the surfaces of the mattress and said at least one flexible material film forming the sides of the mattress are polymer materials such as polyurethanes or polyvinyl chloride.

Preferably, films made of flexible materials have a thickness between 100 and 500 microns and preferably between 150 and 350 microns.

Preferably also according to the invention, when used on a body of water, the inflation pressure of the inflatable assembly is generally between 0.1 and 0.5 bar, and most often between 0.2 and 0.35 bar.

The flaps are advantageously made with a flexible film material. Said flexible film material is advantageously identical to the material constituting the mattress and is a polymer material such as polyurethane or polyvinyl chloride.

Preferably, the said film constituting the mud flaps has a thickness of between 100 and 500 microns and preferably between 150 and 350 microns.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, at least one flap is permanently attached to the inflatable mattress. This type of attachment can be achieved by welding, sewing, or any other suitable means such as gluing.

According to a second embodiment of the invention, said at least one bib is removably linked to the inflatable mattress by a linking device comprising at least two separable parts.

Preferably, according to this second embodiment of the invention, said at least one connecting device comprising at least two separable parts is of the Velcro® type. One part of this connecting device is then attached to the mattress and the other part is attached to said at least one flap. Each of the parts is fixed by welding, sewing, or any other suitable means.

This connecting device comprising at least two separable parts may also be any other type of fastening system which is advantageously simple to use, such as, for example, fasteners of the detachable zipper type or any type of quick-release buckle system.

Preferably, according to the invention, the height of said at least one inflatable mattress is between 5 cm and 25 cm.

During the deployment of the inflatable assembly according to the invention, pressurizing the mattress can be used for this purpose. Indeed, the progressive inflation of the inflatable assembly from one end can help to advance the assembly across the body of water, for example, by deploying it between two freely rotating rollers positioned according to the width of the water. The inflation of the portion in contact with the water exerts a tensile force on the rollers, which deploys the remaining uninflated portion of the inflatable assembly. This contribution of inflation to the deployment of the inflatable assembly is described, for example, in document WO 2022/264052 A1.

When the inflatable unit is fully deployed on the body of water, the mattress is inflated to its operating pressure and the flaps are deployed to rest on the edges or coping of the pool.

Other advantageous details and features of the invention will become apparent from the description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention with reference to the FIG. 1 which represents a perspective view of a diagram of an inflatable assembly according to the invention,

There FIG. 1 is not shown to scale for ease of understanding.

There FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an inflatable assembly 1, shown in its inflated state, comprising an inflatable mattress 2, placed on a body of water 3. The inflatable assembly 1 thus presents a visible surface 4 and a non-visible surface 5 on the FIG. 1 which comes into contact with water.

The inflatable mattress 2 is made from sheets of woven PVC (woven polyvinyl chloride) with a thickness of approximately 500 microns.

An inflation valve, not shown on the FIG. 1 , is present on one side of mattress 2. The valve can be connected to a compressor to inflate the mattress.

The inflatable mattress 2 consists of two sheets of woven PVC, one forming surface 4, visible when the inflatable mattress is in use, and the other forming surface 5, in contact with the water when the inflatable unit is in use. The two sheets are joined by the sides, which in this example are formed by a length of folded woven PVC sheet welded at its ends. The side sheet is also heat-sealed along its entire length to each of the two sheets forming surfaces 4 and 5.

The inflatable mattress 2 has a length of 12 meters, a width of 7.5 meters and a height of approximately 20 centimeters.

The inflatable assembly 1 also includes two flaps 7 attached to the inflatable mattress 2, forming the lateral edges of the inflatable assembly when deployed. These flaps are made of the same material as the inflatable mattress 2 and are attached to it with Velcro®-type fastening systems, not shown in the figure. FIG. 1 .

The width of each of the 7 flaps is approximately 50 centimeters. The length of the 7 flaps is the same as that of the mattress and is equal to 12 meters.

These flaps 7 are folded over the inflatable mattress 2 during its deployment and inflation to avoid disrupting the deployment by causing friction against the pool edges. After the mattress 2 is fully inflated, the flaps 7 are unfolded to rest on the coping stones surrounding the water.

These flaps help to complete the coverage of this body of water to prevent heat loss.

Handling tests were carried out with an inflatable assembly conforming to the representation of the FIG. 1 The splash guards are attached to the inflatable mattress with Velcro® fasteners, each part being pre-welded to both the splash guards and the mattress. The inflatable unit is folded and placed on a mobile trolley with two rollers between which it can pass. The trolley is moved to one end of an outdoor swimming pool measuring approximately 96 m², 12 meters long, and 8 meters wide, with its edges above the water level on all four sides. The initial inflation causes the mattress to expand, exerting a pulling force on the two rollers between which the inflatable unit passes, unfurling across the water. Once the inflatable unit is fully deployed on the pool, the mattress is inflated to a pressure between 200 and 250 millibars. The two splash guards are then deployed over the pool's edge. To ensure that the splash guards cannot be folded over, for example by the wind, weights can be placed at intervals along the length of the pool. These weights are positioned to hold the splash guards in place on the coping stones.

The setup time for two people was approximately 30 minutes. Folding the whole thing, which requires folding the flaps onto the mattress, deflating it and then folding it, takes 45 minutes.

The example of an inflatable assembly tested with the two bibs confirmed the feasibility of setting it up without friction on the edges of the pool.

Claims (9)

Inflatable assembly (1) forming a cover for a body of water (3), in the inflated state, comprising at least one inflatable mattress (2) having two substantially parallel external surfaces (4, 5), one of which is intended to come into contact with the water (3), said surfaces (4, 5) being formed by films of flexible material connected to each other on their edges by at least one film of flexible material to form a watertight mattress (2) having a length, a width and a thickness, characterized in that said at least one inflatable mattress (2) has on the axially external part of the external surface (4), which is not intended to come into contact with the water (3), at least one flap (7) attached to said external surface (4), which is not intended to come into contact with the water (3). Inflatable assembly (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one inflatable mattress (2) has on the axially outer part of the external surface (4), which is not intended to come into contact with water (3), two flaps (7) linked to said external surface (4), which is not intended to come into contact with water (3). Inflatable assembly (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said at least one flap (7) extends along the length of the inflatable mattress (2) on the lateral edges of the inflatable mattress (2). Inflatable assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said at least one bib (7) has a length at least equal to that of said inflatable mattress (2). Inflatable assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said at least one bib (7) is permanently attached to the inflatable mattress (2). Inflatable assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said at least one bib (7) is removably linked to the inflatable mattress (2) by a linking device comprising at least two separable parts. Inflatable assembly (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that said connecting device comprising at least two separable parts is of the velcro® type. Inflatable assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the films of flexible material forming the surfaces of the mattress (2) and said at least one film of flexible material forming the sides of the mattress (2) are polymer materials such as polyurethanes or polyvinyl chloride. Inflatable assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims,characterized in thatsaid at least one bib (7) is made with a flexible material film andin thatsaid film made of flexible material is a polymer material such as polyurethane or polyvinyl chloride.