Adjustable lifting apparatus for a spa

• US 5,584,081 A
• Filed: 04/12/1995
• Issued: 12/17/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ND1, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Roger J. Ouelette
• Inventors: Ouelette, Roger J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fetsuga, Robert M.
• Application Number:
  US08/421,437
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 4/498, 4/494
• US Class Current: 4/498
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/084 with lifting mechanism

Abstract

A lifting frame for a hinged spa cover having a pair of adjustable lifting arms pivotally mounted adjacent side walls of a spa. A U-shaped foot actuated lever is connected to the lifting arms with the base of the lever extended across one end wall of the spa. The upper part of the arms are equipped with one or more supports that are adjacent to and parallel with the cover hinge whereby the cover is foldable over the support or supports when the lifting arms are in a first position. The foot lever is elevated when the lifting arms are in the first position and depressing the lever cause the arms to be rotated to a second position whereby the folded cover is supported in a vertical position adjacent one end wall of the spa.

Claims

1. A spa cover lifting apparatus for a hinged spa cover that has two half sections cojoined by a hinge whereby the half sections are foldable one over the other, said apparatus including:

a pair of pivot units that are mountable adjacent to opposed side walls of a spa,

a lifting arm rotatably mounted at a lower end in each of said pivot units, each arm including an inner and outer tubular section, that are slidably mounted one inside the other and a locking means for locking the tubular sections together at a desired position whereby the height of the lifting arms are adjustable,

a stub shaft connected to an upper end of each lifting arm, said stub shafts being movable by said lifting arms to a first position adjacent to and parallel with the cover hinge and to a second position clear of an end wall of said spa whereby said cover half sections are foldable over said stub shafts when the lifting arms are in the first position and the arms are rotatable to the second position adjacent to said one end wall of said spa to remove said folded cover from said spa, and

a U-shaped foot actuated lever means having an elongated base that passes adjacent to said one end wall of said spa and a pair of opposed legs, each leg being connected to the lower end of a respective one of said lifting arms to support the base in a elevated position when said arms are in said first position whereby depressing said base will help rotate the lifting arms from said first to said second position, said base further including second inner and outer sections slidably mounted one inside the other and second locking means for locking said second inner and outer sections in a desired position whereby the width of said base can be adjusted.

2. The spa cover lifting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said pivot units are mountable upon said opposed side walls of a spa.

3. The spa cover lifting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said pivot units are mountable upon a support surface adjacent to said opposed side walls.

4. The spa cover lifting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said elongated base of said lever means is arranged to rest upon a support surface adjacent to the one end wall of said spa when the lifting arms are in said second position.

5. The spa cover lifting apparatus of claim 1 wherein each stub shaft is mounted upon a hub and further includes an aligning pin mounted upon said hub that is arranged to pass beneath said hinge of said spa cover.

6. A spa cover lifting apparatus for lifting a hinged spa cover that has two half sections that are cojoined by a lateral hinge, whereby the half sections are foldable one over the other, said apparatus including

a pair of pivot units that are mountable adjacent two side walls of a spa,

a lifting arm rotatably mounted at a lower end in each pivot unit,

a U-shaped member having an elongated base that passes adjacent to an end wall of said spa and a pair of opposed legs, each leg being connected to said lower end of one of said lifting arms,

a stub shaft connected to an upper end of each lifting arm said stub shaft being movable by said lifting arm between a first position adjacent to and parallel with the hinge of a cover mounted upon a spa whereby said cover half sections are foldable over said stub shafts when the lifting arms are in said first position and to a second position clear of said end wall of said spa to remove said folded cover from said spa,

a first adjusting means associated with each lifting arm for adjusting the height of said arm,

a second adjusting means associated with the base of said U-shaped member whereby the length of said elongated base is adjustable, and

an aligning pin mounted upon each lifting arm parallel with the stub shaft mounted thereon, said aligning pin being arranged to pass beneath said hinge whereby said hinge is positioned between the stub shaft and the pin.