Coping and gutter for rim flow swimming pools

• US 4,007,566 A
• Filed: 06/25/1973
• Issued: 02/15/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Carolyn Molitor
• Original Assignee: Stainless Equipment Company
• Inventors: Molitor, Victor D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ridgill, Jr., James L.
• Application Number:
  US05/373,143
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: 151/38, 210/169, 210/164, 210/165, 4/172.17, 4/172.18, 4/172.19, 4/172.21, 52/302, 52/12-16, 52/169, 52/198, 52/364, 52/365, 52/306
• US Class Current: 52/169.7
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1227 Circumferential gutters

Abstract

The coping is mounted atop the gutter and each is formed of stainless steel, with the top surfaces being sandblasted to prevent slipperiness, particularly when wet. The gutter, which carries water overflowing and draining through slots in the coping, is also used as a form for pouring the concrete walls of the pool. The gutter provides not only check points for transit leveling, but also an upper rear flange for use in leveling the top of the concrete when poured.

The rear of the coping is supported by the gutter, while the depending front wall of the coping is supported by an upwardly extending front wall of the gutter, at an outward offset of each, through a series of special, fine adjustment connecting devices. The upstanding front nose of the coping determines the level at which water will overflow, while the various sections of the coping may be adjusted through the fine adjustment devices, to correspond with the water level, thereby providing a highly accurate level setting for the rim. The sections of the gutter are abutted and attached together to provide greater solidity, but the sections of the coping are spaced apart to provide slots through which a small amount of water may flow continuously, so that the gutter will never run dry and require repriming of the pumps. Both the coping and the gutter are reinforced by transverse braces on the underside of the coping and within the gutter, as well as on the underside of the gutter. In addition, a series of hooks are attached to the underside of the gutter, for embedment in the concrete. A drain pipe, at one or more positions and with a surge preventing baffle above its opening, as well as an overflow pipe which extends upwardly to a point at or above the top of the upper transverse brace of the gutter, are connected to piping which leads to the return flow pump and a drain, respectively, before the concrete is poured.

Claims

1. A rim flow swimming pool coping assembly having a nose over which water will flow to maintain a desired depth of water in the pool, comprising:

a. a longitudinally extended, corrosion resistant sheet having an upstanding nose at its front edge and a front wall depending from said nose, said sheet having a top wall extending rearwardly from said nose for a predetermined distance and having slots therein for drainage of water to a drain beneath said top wall;

b. support means for said sheet including a front support extending at a front position upwardly to said front wall which is disposed in overlapping relation to said support;

c. said support means having a rear support for said sheet;

d. means connecting said sheet to said rear support; and

e. means at longitudinally spaced positions along said front wall connecting said front wall and front support, said connecting means being adjustable to permit adjustment of said front nose upwardly and downwardly.

2. A coping assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said support is adapted to be embedded in concrete and is in a fixed position after the setting of said concrete;

said support has a planar surface adjacent said rear support for leveling said support prior to pouring of concrete; and

said connecting means is adjustable not only prior to but also after the pouring and setting of said concrete.

3. A coping assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein each said connecting means comprises:

a hole in said front support and an upright slot in said front wall adapted to register with said hole;

a nut attached to the inside of said support and surrounding said hole;

a bolt extensible through said slot and hole into threaded engagement with said nut; and

a spring element for retaining said bolt in an adjusted position and for protecting users of the pool from engagement with the head of said bolt, said spring element having a flange whose diameter is greater than twice the length of said slot and a central section offset at said flange from said front wall and having a central recess for the head of said bolt.

4. A coping assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein:

at least the upper exposed surfaces of said assembly are provided with microscopic protuberances and indentations of a type producible by sandblasting.

5. A coping assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a. said front wall is provided with an outward offset and a flange depending from said outward offset; and

b. said connecting means engage said depending flange.

6. A coping assembly as defined in claim 5, wherein:

a. a front flange depends from said nose to said outward offset;

b. a generally vertical rear flange depends from the rear edge of said top wall and is provided with spaced holes therein;

c. a generally horizontal rear flange extends rearwardly from the base of said vertical rear flange; and

d. a series of longitudinally spaced brace bars extend laterally from said front flange to said rear vertical flange and are attached thereto to abut the underside of said top wall.

7. A coping assembly as defined in claim 5, wherein:

the rear of said depending flange is provided with lateral, equidistant indentations and ridges at the position of each said adjustment means for interfitting with corresponding lateral, equidistant indentations and ridges of an upstanding flange of a support for said front wall of said coping section, for repeated adjustment of the elevation of said nose.

8. A coping assembly as defined in claim 7, including:

a. an upright slot in said coping flange at the position of each adjustment means, said indentations and ridges being disposed both above and below and at each side of said slot;

b. said supporting flange is provided with a forward offset on the front of which said corresponding indentations and ridges are located, with a hole through said offset adapted to be placed in alignment with said slot and a nut attached to the rear of said forward offset in alignment with said hole;

c. a headed screw insertable through each said slot and hole for engagement with said nut for clamping said coping flange and supporting flange together with selected ridges and indentations interfitting; and

d. a rosette having a diameter greater than twice the length of said slot, a central hole for said screw and a front recess surrounding said hole for receiving the head of said screw.

9. A rim flow swimming pool comprising:

a series of connected coping assemblies as defined in claim 1;

a series of connected gutter assemblies on which said coping assemblies are mounted, including;

a corrosion resistant sheet having a bottom wall, a front wall and a rear wall having at its upper edge a rearwardly extending flange;

said gutter assemblies being constructed and arranged to be connected to a series of similar gutter assemblies, with said upper rear flanges thereof providing not only transit leveling position, but also a striking surface for a concrete deck portion of said pool;

said front wall of said gutter assemblies being provided with an outward offset and an upstanding flange extending from the rear edge of said offset, said flange being adapted to support the front wall of a copig assembly; and

said rear wall being provided with a ledge for supporting the rear edge of said coping assembly.

10. A rim flow swimming pool as defined in claim 9, wherein:

a series of braces extend between said rear wall and said upstanding flange of said gutter assembly and between said bottom wall and said outward offset of said front wall, said braces being disposed at spaced positions along said gutter assemblies, including the ends thereof, so that abutting braces of abutting gutter assemblies may be connected together at such ends;

said front walls of said coping assemblies having outward offsets and flanges depending from said outward offsets;

said front depending flanges and upstanding flanges of said coping and gutter assemblies have, at corresponding spaced points, a series of lateral, equidistant ridges and indentations with selected ridges and indentations in interfitting relation;

releasable clamping means extend through said spaced points for maintaining said selected interfitting ridges and indentations in engagement; and

said coping assemblies have lateral brace bars extending between and attached to said front depending flange and the rear of said coping to abut the underside of said coping top wall.