Apparatus and method for cleaning swimming pools

Claim 2

A JET-PROPELLED MEANDERING SWIMMING POOL SKIMMER COMPRISING: BUOYANT MEANS INCLUDING A PERFORATED DEBRIS COLLECTING RECEPTACLE HAVING A FORWARDLY FACING WIDE SHALLOW WATER AND DEBRIS INLET HAVING ITS LOWER EDGE SUBMERGED WHEN SAID SKIMMER IS BOUYANTLY SUPPORTED IN A SWIMMING POOL, AND MEANS, INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE FLEXIBLE WATER WHIP, CARRIED BY SAID SKIMMER AND ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED VIA FLEXIBLE HOSE TO A STATIONARY SOURCE OF PRESSURIZED WATER FOR JETTING A PLURAL ITY OF STREAMS OF PRESSURIZED WATER REARWARDLY AND EFFECTIVE TO PROPEL SAID SKIMMER FORWARDLY IN A GENERALLY MEANDERING PATH OVER THE SURFACE OF A POOL OF WATER WITH SAID WATER AND DERBIS INLET FACING FORWARDLY IN THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL TO COLLECT FLOATING DEBRIS ENTERING SAID COLLECTING RECEPTACLE THROUGH SAID WATER AND DEBRIS INLET.

Claim 3

A meandering pool skimmer as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said means for jetting a plurality of streams of water are effective at times to advance said skimmer along the sidewall of the pool, and the drag forces imposed on said skimmer by said flexible hose as the skimmer advances sufficiently to drag a longer length of said flexible hose being temporarily effective to divert said skimmer into a looping path of travel away from the pool sidewall and over surface areas spaced inwardly from said sidewall.

Claim 4

A meandering pool skimmer as defined in claim 2 characterized in that said flexible water whip is sufficiently long that the free end thereof rests on and whips crosswise of a pool bottom and is thereby effective to impart variable and changing drag forces on said skimmer.

Claim 5

A meandering pool skimmer as defined in claim 3 characterized in that said flexible water-powered whip thereon effective to direct a water jet against submerged surfaces of a pool to displace foreign matter lying thereagainst.

Claim 6

A meandering pool skimmer as defined in claim 2 characterized in that said flexible whip is effective to sweep settled debris on the pool bottom toward a drain outlet in the deepest area of the pool.

Claim 7

A meandering pool skimmer as defined in claim 2 characterized in the provision of a second flexible water-powered whip means trailing behind said skimmer and effective to whip vigorously as the skimmer advances thereby to flush away debris settled oN submerged steps adjacent a perimeter area of a pool.

Claim 8

A meandering pool skimmer as defined in claim 1 characterized in the provision of a plurality of flexible water-powdered whip means trailing behind said skimmer including a relatively long sluggish whip having its free end adapted to rest in part on the bottom of a swimming pool being skimmed and a relatively short lively whip which has a zone of activity both below and above the water surface of the pool whereby said whip means is effective to flush the pool side walls and the submerged steps when present in a pool undergoing skimming.

Claim 9

A skimmer as defined in claim 1 characterized in the provision of closure means crosswise of said water inlet operable to permit flow into said skimmer through said water inlet and for substantially preventing all flow outwardly therethrough thereby to trap collected debris within said skimmer.

Claim 10

A skimmer as defined in claim 1 characterized in the provision of closure means for closing said water inlet comprising a weir extending crosswise of said inlet and pivotable about a horizontal axis through the lower edge portion thereof and provided with buoyancy means along the upper edge thereof effective to hold said closure means closed unless said skimmer is being propelled forwardly.

Claim 11

A skimmer as defined in claim 1 characterized in that one of said water jet means includes adjustable means cooperating with water discharging therethrough for varying the path of travel of said skimmer.

Claim 12

A skimmer as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said water jet means includes means for securing said water jet means to said skimmer selectively in first and second positions whereby said water jet means is effective to propel said skimmer optionally and selectively in a clockwise and in a counterclockwise direction about a pool.

Claim 13

A skimmer as defined in claim 11 characterized in that said water jet means includes means for securing the same to said skimmer selectively in different positions lengthwise of the skimmer thereby to vary the path of travel thereof.

Claim 14

A skimmer as defined in claim 1 characterized in the provision of normally inactive water jet means on said skimmer operable when activated to divert said skimmer laterally, and sensor means at the forward end of said skimmer operable to activate said last mentioned water jet means briefly upon contacting an obstacle in the path of travel of said skimmer.

Claim 15

A skimmer as defined in claim 1 characterized in the provision thereon of means for diverting said skimmer laterally of its path of travel upon contact with an obstacle in the path of travel thereof.

Claim 16

A skimmer as defined in claim 14 characterized in that said diverting means includes spring pressed means held normally extended in position to engage an obstacle in the path of travel and operable in response to said contact to operate means for imparting a thrust to one end of said skimmer thereby to change the path of travel.

Claim 17

A skimmer as defined in claim 1 characterized in the provision of curved bumper means on the forward end thereof effective to cam said skimmer laterally thereby to travel past obstacles.

Claim 18

A skimmer as defined in claim 1 characterized in the provision of barrier means effective to cause water entering said water and debris inlet to escape from said skimmer in a submerged path whereby any floating debris escaping from said skimmer is assured of being wet on all surfaces and sinks to the bottom of the pool.

Claim 19

A skimmer as defined in claim 1 characterized in the provision of readily adjusted means on said supply hose means and shiftable therealong to change the path of travel taken by the skimmer.

Claim 20

A skimmer as defined in claim 18 characterized in that said adjustable means is attached to said supply hose means adjacent the end thereof in communication with a source of pressurized water.

Claim 21

A skimmer as defined in claim 18 characterized in that said adjustable mEans comprises a weight mounted on said hose means and adjustable lengthwise along said hose means.

Claim 22

A skimmer as defined in claim 1 characterized in the provision of means for adjusting the position of said water jet means relative to the center of gravity of said skimmer thereby to vary the effective lever arm of said water jet means tending to rotate said skimmer about a vertical axis through said center of gravity.

Claim 23

A skimmer as defined in claim 8 characterized in that the lower leading edge of said closure means is hinged to the bottom of said water inlet below the water surface with its trailing upper edge inclined rearwardly into said collector whereby the entrance of water into said collector during the propulsion of said skimmer is effective to hinge said closure means rearwardly and downwardly and to hold the same depressed so long as said skimmer is being propelled.

Claim 24

A skimmer as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said debris collecting receptacle is readily detachable from said buoyant means and includes a multiplicity of perforations in the bottom and sidewalls thereof.

Claim 25

A skimmer as defined in claim 23 characterized in that said buoyant means is formed of plastic material and provides a support frame for said debris collecting receptacle.

Claim 26

A swimming pool skimmer comprising an elongated plastic main body designed to float and having forward and rearward transverse ends, floating flexible hose means for supplying pressurized water to said skimmer, a perforated debris collector supported on said main body having a wide shallow water inlet across said forward end of said main body, water whip means connected to and trailing behind said skimmer, water jet means on said main body cooperable with said water whipe means to propel said skimmer in a meandering path over the pool surface with said water inlet foremost and including means for connecting said jet means and said water whip means to said floating flexible hose means.

Claim 27

A swimming pool skimmer comprising an elongated plastic main body designed to float and having forward and rearward transverse ends, floating flexible hose means for supplying pressurized water to said skimmer, a perforated debris collector supported on said main body having a wide shallow water inlet across said forward end of said main body, water whip means connected to and trailing behind said skimmer, water jet means on said main body cooperable with said water whipe means to propel said skimmer in a meandering path over the pool surface with said water inlet foremost and including means for connecting said jet means and said water whip means to said floating flexible hose means.

Claim 28

A skimmer as defined in claim 25 characterized in that said main body has a large area opening underlying the bottom of said debris collector through which water leaving said collector escapes.

Claim 29

A skimmer as defined in claim 26 characterized in the provision of adjustable means operatively associated with said water jet means for changing the path of travel of said skimmer.

Claim 30

A self-propelled buoyant swimming pool skimmer having debris collector means having a wide shallow water inlet facing forwardly, means on said skimmer for propelling the same forwardly in a meandering path over the surface of a pool including a floating flexible pressurized water supply hose cooperating with a relatively long sluggish whip having its outlet end resting against a pool bottom and effective to flush settled debris toward the pool drain and a relatively short lively whip effective to flush debris from the pool sidewalls and submerged steps, seats and the like surfaces customarily present in a swimming pool, buoyant flexible water supply hose means having one end connected to a source of pressurized water and its other end connected to said propelling means and to said water whip means, and the longer one of said whips being positioned to periodically pass over and impose a drag force on said water supply hose means while being dragged thereacross whereby said skimmer is diverted into a different path of travel and generally toward areas of the pool spaced near the perimeter thereof.

Claim 31

A self-propelled buoyant swimming pool skimmer having debris collector means having a wide shallow water inlet facing forwardly, means on said skimmer for propelling the same forwardly in a meandering path over the surface of a pool including a floating flexible pressurized water supply hose cooperating with a relatively long sluggish whip having its outlet end resting against a pool bottom and effective to flush settled debris toward the pool drain and a relatively short lively whip effective to flush debris from the pool sidewalls and submerged steps, seats and the like surfaces customarily present in a swimming pool, buoyant flexible water supply hose means having one end connected to a source of pressurized water and its other end connected to said propelling means and to said water whip means, and the longer one of said whips being positioned to periodically pass over and impose a drag force on said water supply hose means while being dragged thereacross whereby said skimmer is diverted into a different path of travel and generally toward areas of the pool spaced near the perimeter thereof.

Claim 32

A skimmer as defined in claim 28 characterized in that said skimmer includes water jet means in communication with said supply of pressurized water and disposed to propel said skimmer over the surface of the pool and along a path of travel which at times crosses said supply hose means.

Claim 33

A skimmer as defined in claim 29 characterized in that said water jet means is disposed to urge said skimmer to travel closely along the perimeter of a pool when said longer whip is imposing a drag force on said skimmer In a direction tending to divert the same toward the perimeter of the pool.

Claim 34

A skimmer as defined in claim 28 characterized in the provision of bumper means across the forward end thereof effective to aid in camming said skimmer around corners and about obstacles.

Claim 35

That method of cleaning a swimming pool which comprises recirculating water from a pool through a filter and returning clean pressurized water to the pool at least in part via water jet propulsion means mounted on buoyant debris collector and debris storage means attached to said propulsion means utilizing said water jet means to propel said collector means over the pool surface to entrap floating debris therein, and utilizing other portions of said pressurized water to operate water whip means trailing behind said debris collector means and effective to flush submerged surfaces free of settled debris and into the pool drain.

Claim 36

That method of cleaning a swimming pool which comprises recirculating water from a pool through a filter and returning clean pressurized water to the pool at least in part via water jet propulsion means mounted on buoyant debris collector and debris storage means attached to said propulsion means utilizing said water jet means to propel said collector means over the pool surface to entrap floating debris therein, and utilizing other portions of said pressurized water to operate water whip means trailing behind said debris collector means and effective to flush submerged surfaces free of settled debris and into the pool drain.

Claim 37

That method defined in claim 32 characterized in the step of withdrawing water from the bottom of the pool along with settled debris dislodged by said whip means and filtering out the debris carried thereby.

Claim 38

That method defined in claim 32 characterized in utilizing said water whip means and means returning pressurized water to water jet propulsion means to maneuver said buoyant collector means in loops over the central portion of the pool to expedite the skimming and removal of debris from the pool.

Claim 39

That method defined in claim 32 characterized in the steps of propelling said buoyant collector means along the periphery of the pool at times followed by other periods in which said collector means is propelled in loops centrally of the pool by the cooperating drag effect of the said water whip means and of flexible hose means supplying pressurized water to said collector means.

Claim 40

That method defined in claim 32 characterized in the steps of utilizing at least one long relatively sluggish water whip means to flush settled debris from the bottom of the pool and at least one relatively short lively water whip means operating near the pool surface and effective to flush debris from the pool wall and submerged steps and the like surfaces.

Claim 41

That method defined in claim 35 characterized in the step of dragging said water whip means at times over a floating water supply line for said collector means thereby to apply an off-center drag force on said collector means causing it to travel toward the pool walls.

Claim 42

A skimmer as defined in claim 32 characterized in the steps of supplying water to said buoyant debris collector means at a pressure in the range of 45 to 60 psi and at a rate of 10 to 15 gpm.