Multi-piece vertical support for swimming pools

Claim 1

An above-ground swimming pool comprising a vertically oriented metallic side wall, an impervious liner folded over the upper edge of the side wall and extending interiorly thereof, a plurality of channel shaped bottom rails engaging said side walls, a plurality of vertical generally channel shaped supported each including a generally rectangular substantially flat base plate having an upturned flange integral with one edge thereof, vertically oriented guide elements struck upwardly from the base plate and being spaced inwardly from said flange, and being spaced inwardly from and within the confines of the remaining peripheral edges of said plate, each bottom rail extending between a guide element and said flange whereby each base plate is detachably connected with a pair of said bottom rails, a locking element on each base plate releasably engaging the bottom rails to releasably lock the same to a base plate, said base plate engaging said side wall and projecting laterally and exteriorly thereof, each base plate having a plurality of spaced apart upwardly projecting attachment tabs affixed thereto and spaced inwardly from the periphery of the base plate, and spaced from said guide elements, each support including a pair of substantially similar vertically oriented side elements positioned upon a base plate and extending upwardly therefrom, each side element engaging one of said attachment tabs and positioned exteriorly thereof and interiorly of the outer periphery of said base plate means securing each side element to one of said tabs, each side element having a vertical dimension corresponding to the vertical dimension of said side wall, each side element having a vertical locking element thereon extending substantially throughout the vertical dimension of each side element, each side element having a vertically oriented outturned flange throughout the vertical dimension thereof positioned against said side wall, an elongate substantially flat plate having locking elements on the vertical edges thereof releasably engaging the locking elements on said side element to releasably lock the side elements and flat plate together, said flat plate defining the web portion of each channel shaped support and being spaced inwardly from the periphery of said base plate.