Pool cleaner component

• US 4,949,419 A
• Filed: 03/02/1989
• Issued: 08/21/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zodiac Pool Systems Incorporated (Fluidra, S.A.)
• Original Assignee: BPH Patent Holding AG
• Inventors: Kallenbach, Dieter H. F.
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBERTS JR, EDWARD
• Application Number:
  US07/317,963
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 15/1.7, 15/246, 15/257 R, 15/257 A, 15/338, 15/375, 15/397, 15/415 R, 15/417-422
• US Class Current: 15/246
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1663 the propulsion resulting from an intermittent interruption of the waterflow through the cleaner

Abstract

This invention is concerned with flexible plastics material discs which are shaped to engage around the inlets to automatically operating swimming pool cleaners which are caused to move by an interruption of the flow induced through the cleaner by the pump of the pool filtration plant. The discs act to hold the cleaner against the surface to be cleaned and the invention provides guides on the upper surface of the disc preferably in the form of radially extending ribs decreasing in height towards the periphery of the disc. The guides direct dirt over the disc into the inlet of the pool cleaner.

Claims

1. A plastics material flexible disc shaped to engage around the inlet of a swimming pool cleaner which in use is caused to move by an interruption of flow induced through the cleaner in which the disc has guides on the upper surface thereof which extend radially from a central opening through the disc outwardly at least halfway to the periphery of the disc.

2. A flexible disc as claimed in claim 1 in which the guides are a pair of spaced apart ribs increasing in height inwardly towards the center.

3. A flexible disc as claimed in claim 2 in which there are eight ribs equally spaced apart.

4. A flexible disc as claimed in claim 3 in which the guides extend to the periphery of the disc.

5. A flexible disc as claimed in claim 3 in which the ribs are notched at at least one position intermediate their ends.

6. A flexible disc as claimed in claim 1 in which the disc has a plurality of slits extending radially inwardly from the periphery of the disc partway towards the center.

7. A flexible disc as claimed in claim 6 in which the slits extend inwardly from the periphery of the disc to the ends of the ribs with the ribs extending only partway across the disc.

8. A flexible disc as claimed in claim 1 in which the thickness of the disc increases from the periphery toward the center.