WO2000075463A1

WO2000075463A1 - Pool cleaner and pool cleaner skirt

Info

Publication number: WO2000075463A1
Application number: PCT/ZA2000/000102
Authority: WO
Inventors: Carl Frederick Wilhelm Supra
Original assignee: Carl Frederick Wilhelm Supra
Priority date: 1999-06-03
Filing date: 2000-06-02
Publication date: 2000-12-14
Also published as: AU5643500A

Abstract

The invention provides a skirt for a pool cleaner which includes a central disk (10) and an annular section (24) which is engaged with the disk (10). The invention further provides a skirt assembly for a pool cleaner which includes a central disk (10) which is engageable with the pool cleaner, and an annular section (24) which is separately engageable with the pool cleaner.

Description

POOL CLEANER AND POOL CLEANER SKIRT

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a skirt which is suitable for use with a swimming pool cleaner.

A pool cleaner of the suction type normally includes a skirt which is engaged with a surface which is to be cleaned. The skirt, which acts in a manner known in the art, is usually made from a wear resistant material such as polyurethane. The dimensions of the skirt are relatively large and, when the skirt becomes worn, a substantial amount of material must be discarded.

It is also known that the nature of the skirt affects the degree of random movement of the pool cleaner. Ideally the movement of a pool cleaner should be essentially random so that the entire submerged surface of the pool is ultimately traversed and cleaned by the pool cleaner.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a skirt for a pool cleaner which includes a central disk and an annular section which is engaged with the disk.

The disk is preferably substantially annular.

The skirt is thus fabricated at least from two components which are separately formed and which are thereafter secured to one another Consequently if one component should wear, only that component must be replaced and the remaining component can be used until such time as it, too, wears

Preferably the annular section is rotatable relatively to the disk It has been found that this type of relative movement enhances the random action of a pool cleaner with which the skirt is used

The relative rotatable movement may be achieved in any appropriate way and, in a preferred form of the invention, an inner edge of the annular section is located in a complementary peπpheral groove or channel formed in a peripheral outer surface of the disk It is possible though to reverse this arrangement and engage an edge of the disk with a complementary channel or groove formed on a peπpheral inner surface of the annular section

The disk may include a groove which is formed around a central aperture in the disk and the groove may be engageable with a complementary rib which extends radially outwardly from a pool cleaner body Again it is possible to reverse the arrangement and to form a groove in the pool cleaner body and a rib in the disk which is engageable with the groove

Any other appropriate form of interconnecting the disk and the pool cleaner body, and the disk and the annular section, may be employed in place of what has been described.

Preferably the disk is rotatable relatively to the body and, as has been noted, preferably the annular section is rotatable relatively to the disk It has been found that these two degrees of relative rotational movement considerably enhance the random path of movement of a pool cleaner with which the skirt is used

According to a different form of the invention there is provided a skirt assembly for a pool cleaner which includes a central disk which is engageable with the pool cleaner, and an annular section which is separately engageable with the pool cleaner

The disk is preferably rotatable relatively to the pool cleaner

The annular section is preferably rotatable relatively to the pool cleaner and hence to the

The disk may include a plurality of raised wear resistant pads The pads are preferably integrally formed with the remainder of the disk, but it falls within the scope of the invention to form the pads separately and to fix or engage the pads with the remainder of the disk according to requirement This latter approach enables pads which have become worn to be replaced without replacing the remainder of the disk

Flow paths may be formed over portions of the disk situated between adjacent pads

The annular section may have a sinusoidal or scalloped periphery

On its surface which opposes a submerged surface which is to be cleaned the annular section may include a plurality of non-radial formations In a general sense the non-radial formations may be spiral or arcuate At least the annular section may be formed with a plurality of apertures through which water can pass These apertures are used inter alia to determine the degree of suctional force which is exerted via the skirt during use.

The invention also extends to a pool cleaner which includes a body, a disk which is engaged with the body and which is rotatable relatively to the body, and an annular section which is rotatable relatively to the disk

The annular section may be engaged with the body Alternatively the annular section is engaged with the disk

In a variation there is provided a pool cleaner which includes a body, a disk which is engaged with the body and which is rotatable relatively to the body, and an annular section which is non-rotatably engaged with the body

Preferably the disk and the annular section prevent any portion of the body from coming into direct contact with the surface which is to be cleaned. Thus although the disk and the annular section may adhere firmly to a submerged surface which is being cleaned, due to the suction effect which is exerted via the pool cleaner, the body is not in contact with the submerged surface and is able to move relatively, in a rotational sense, thereto This enhances the random movement action of the pool cleaner in use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is further described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of an annular disk which is used in a skirt according to the invention,

Figure 2 is a plan view of an annular skirt which is used together with the disk to make up a skirt according to the invention,

Figure 3 is a side view of the disk of Figure 1 and the annular section of Figure 2 engaged with one another and mounted to a body of a pool cleaner,

Figure 4 is a side view of a disk assembly, according to a variation of the invention, engaged with a pool cleaner body, Figure 5 is a view, similar to the view of Figure 4, of a further variation of the invention, and

Figure 6 is a view of a pool cleaner body.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates a disk 10 for a pool cleaner skirt which is made from a wear resistant material such as polyurethane. The disk includes an annular body 12 with a number of raised wear resistant pads 14, at spaced intervals around the body. Flow channels 16 are defined between adjacent pairs of pads.

As is shown in Figure 3, the body 12 is formed with a radial inwardly facing continuous groove or channel 18 which extends around a central aperture 20 in the disk, and a similar outwardly facing groove or channel 22, on its periphery.

Figure 2 illustrates an annular section 24 which is also moulded from a wear resistant material such as polyurethane. The annular section has a central aperture 26 and a sinusoidal or scalloped outer periphery 28

Figure 2 illustrates a surface 30 of the annular section which, in use, is in contact with a submerged surface which is to be cleaned The surface 30 is formed with a plurality of non-radial or spiral formations 32 which are in the nature of raised relatively shallow ribs

A number of holes 34 are formed at regular intervals through the material of the annular section

Figure 3 illustrates the annular section 24 engaged with the disk 10 An inner periphery 36 of the annular section which surrounds the central aperture 26 is rotatably engaged with the outwardly facing channel 22 in the body 12 of the disk The inwardly facing channel 18 which extends around the central aperture 20 in the body is engaged with an outwardly extending flange 38 of a pool cleaner body (not shown - but see Figure 6)

It is to be understood that the pool cleaner may be of any appropriate type and for example may be of a general kind which is known in the art and which is shown in Figure 6 The cleaner includes a body 80 with at least one water passage 82 which extends through the body The passage has an inlet 84, at one end, which is in communication with the aperture 20, and an outlet 86 at an opposing end to which a suction hose, not shown, is connected A flow interrupting device 88 is located in a chamber 90 and causes random movement of the cleaner in a manner known per se as water flows through the passage to the outlet The actual construction of the cleaner is not important to an understanding of the present invention What is important though is that the pool cleaner body should include a flange, channel or similar or equivalent formation or construction which permits the disk to be mounted to the body in such a way that the disk is rotatable relatively to the body

In use of the pool cleaner and the skirt the disk is capable of rotating relatively to the body and the annular section is capable of rotating relatively to the disk It has been found through experimentation that this type of relative movement considerably enhances the degree of random movement which is achieved by a pool cleaner during use A second advantage of the skirt of the invention is that, when necessary, the disk may be replaced separately from the annular section, and vice versa It is to be borne in mind that the pads 14 may be formed integrally with the remainder of the body 12 or may be formed separately therefrom In the latter case if the pads wear it is possible to replace the pads without replacing the remainder of the skirt

The disk has been shown as having two channels which are respectively engageable with the annular section and a flange on the body Although this is a preferred form of construction it is by no means limiting for the channel/flange type of construction may be reversed Thus, for example, the disk may have ribs and the annular section and the body may have channels with which the ribs are engageable to provide the facility for relative rotational movement

Figure 4 illustrates the use of a skirt assembly 50, together with a pool cleaner body 52, according to a variation of the invention

The skirt assembly 50 includes a disk 54 which is substantially similar to the disk shown in Figure 1 The disk has an inwardly facing groove 18 which extends around a central aperture 20 in the disk and which is rotatably engaged with a flange 38 of the pool cleaner body The outwardly facing flange 22 which is shown in the disk of Figures 1 and 3 is however dispensed with

The skirt assembly includes an annular section 56 which is also substantially similar to the annular section 24 shown in Figure 2 However, at its inner edge, which surrounds a central aperture 58, the annular section has an inwardly facing groove or channel 60 which is engaged with an outwardly extending flange 62 on the pool cleaner body, above the flange 38 The annular section may be mounted so that it is not rotatable relatively to the body but preferably is mounted so that it is rotatable on the flange relatively to the body and hence relatively to the disk

The two-part type construction shown in Figure 4 also offers the advantages of the construction shown in Figures 1 to 3, but it is not necessary to couple the annular section to the disk for the annular section is, instead, coupled directly to the pool cleaner body

In a further variation of the invention, which is shown in Figure 5, the annular section 56 is rotatably mounted below the upper flange 60 and rests on an upper surface of the disk 54 which as before, is rotatably engaged with the lower flange 38 on the pool cleaner body

Claims

1 A skirt for a pool cleaner which includes a central disk and an annular section which is engaged with the disk

2 A skirt according to claim 1 wherein the annular section is rotatable relatively to the

3 A skirt according to claim 1 or 2 wherein an inner edge of the annular section is located in a complementary peripheral groove or channel formed in a peripheral outer surface of the disk

4 A skirt according to claim 1 or 2 wherein an edge of the disk is engaged with a complementary channel or groove formed on a peripheral inner surface of the annular section

5 A skirt according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the disk includes a groove which is formed around a central aperture in the disk and the groove is engageable with a complementary rib which extends radially outwardly from a pool cleaner body

6 A skirt according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the disk includes a rib which is engageable with a groove in a pool cleaner body

7 A skirt assembly for a pool cleaner which includes a central disk which is engageable with the pool cleaner, and an annular section which is separately engageable with the pool cleaner

A skirt assembly according to claim 7 wherein the disk is rotatable relatively to the pool cleaner

A skirt assembly according to any one of claims 7 or 8 wherein the annular section is rotatable relatively to the pool cleaner and to the disk

A skirt assembly according to any one of claims 7 to 9 wherein the disk includes a plurality of raised wear resistant pads and flow paths are formed over portions of the disk situated between adjacent pads.

A skirt assembly according to any one of claims 7 to 10 wherein the annular section includes, on its surface which opposes a submerged surface which is to be cleaned, a plurality of non-radial formations.

A pool cleaner which includes a body, a disk which is engaged with the body and which is rotatable relatively to the body, and an annular section which is rotatable relatively to the disk

A pool cleaner according to claim 12 wherein the annular section is engaged with

A pool cleaner which includes a body, a disk which is engaged with the body and which is rotatable relatively to the body, and an annular section which is non- rotatably engaged with the body.