Breakaway drain cover
First Claim
1. A liquid circulation system coupled to a liquid containing vessel comprising:
- a vessel shell containing a liquid, said vessel shell including outlet and inlet openings;
a circulation pathway for permitting said liquid to flow from said outlet opening and back into said inlet opening;
a pump coupled to said circulation pathway, said pump forcing the liquid through said circulation pathway;
a drain cover having a plurality of openings, removably attached to said inlet opening; and
a switch coupled to said drain cover and also to said pump for deactivating said pump upon the removal of said drain cover, whereby said pump will not operate without said drain cover in place.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A spa system which emp loys a removable drain cover. Removal of the drain cover will cause a proximity switch to turn off the circulation pump in the spa. In a preferred embodiment, the removable drain cover has a magnet attached to it and a magnetically actuable reed switch is attached to the drain body in proximity to the drain cover. Removal of the drain cover with the magnet attached will cause the reed switch to change state which opens a circuit controlling the operation of the spa pump thereby shutting down the spa circulation system. As a result, the spa circulation system cannot be operated without the drain cover in place. This reduces the likelihood of unwanted objects being drawn into the drain. Furthermore, should the spa user'"'"'s hair become entangled in the drain cover or the drain pipe, the spa pump may be turned off by simply removing the drain cover thereby permitting the entangled user to be released.
42 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A liquid circulation system coupled to a liquid containing vessel comprising:
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a vessel shell containing a liquid, said vessel shell including outlet and inlet openings;
a circulation pathway for permitting said liquid to flow from said outlet opening and back into said inlet opening;
a pump coupled to said circulation pathway, said pump forcing the liquid through said circulation pathway;
a drain cover having a plurality of openings, removably attached to said inlet opening; and
a switch coupled to said drain cover and also to said pump for deactivating said pump upon the removal of said drain cover, whereby said pump will not operate without said drain cover in place. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. In a spa having a spa shell containing a liquid, a pump and circulation pathway for pumping said liquid from said spa shell at an outlet opening and back into said spa shell through an inlet opening, the improvement comprising:
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a drain cover removably attached to said outlet opening;
a switch attached to said drain cover and said outlet opening for sensing when said drain cover is removed, said switch being coupled to said pump so as to activate said pump when said drain cover is attached to said outlet opening and deactivate said pump when said drain cover is not attached to said outlet opening. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for disabling a pump driven liquid circulation system in a liquid containing vessel, said method comprising the steps of:
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locating a removable drain cover in said vessel;
locating a switch on said vessel with a portion of said switch on said drain cover;
actuating said switch upon the removal of said drain cover from said vessel; and
disabling the circulation system pump by cutting power to said pump upon said actuation of said switch, whereby said spa circulation system is disabled whenever the drain cover is removed.
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Specification