Apparatus for chemical treatment of swimming pools

Claim 2

In combination with a swimming pool having water recirculating means including a first intermittently operable pump for recirculating the water of the pool, a positive displacement pump for dispensing a metered amount of chlorine in response to operation of said first pump comprising a chamber adapted to be filled with chlorine, piston means mounted within the chamber and movable between first and second positions, means responsive to said first pump for driving said piston means to said first position when said first pump is in operation and for driving said piston means to said second position when said first pump is not in operation, means for filling said chamber with chlorine as said piston means moves to said second position, and means for flowing chlorine from said chamber to said swimming pool as said piston means moves to said first position.

Claim 3

The chlorine dispenser of claim 1 wherein said piston means comprises a flexible diaphragm separating said chamber into drive and feed compartments, wherein said means reponsive to said pump comprises a conduit interconnecting a first one of said compartments to a first point of said recirculating means and a second conduit connecting the other of said compartments to a second point of said recirculating means having a lower pressure than said first point.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means for driving said piston means to said second position comprises a weight secured to said flexible diaphragm and operable to move the diaphragm to said second position when said first pump is not operating and the pressure in said drive compartment is decreased.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said drive compartment has communication only with said first point of said recirculating means, whereby water in said drive compartment is returned to said recirculating means when said piston means moves to said second position.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said flexible diaphragm includes a continuous flange depending therefrom into said first compartment and wherein said weight comprises a solid body resiliently retained within said flange, said flange and solid body having inter-engaging locking bead and groove means for retaining the body within the flange.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means for filling said chamber comprises a container confining a body of chlorine, said dispenser being immersed in said body of chlorine and having a fill conduit with an input port immersed in said body of chlorine.

Claim 8

Water treatment apparatus comprising a positive displacement pump for dispensing a metered amount of a treatment chemical in response to operation of a recirculating pump, said positive displacement pump comprising a sealed housing defining a chamber therein, a flexible diaphragm separating the chamber into drive and feed compartments, said diaphragm extending substantially horizontally across said chamber and said chamber having a horizontal dimension considerably greateR than its vertical dimension, whereby said diaphragm may be displaced through a relatively small distance to effect a relatively large change in the volume of said feed compartment, a recirculating water system including a water treatment device having an input line and an output line, said water system including an intermittently operating recirculating pump, a first conduit connecting said drive compartment to the input line of said treatment device, a second conduit connecting said feed compartment to the output line of said treatment device, and a third conduit connecting said feed compartment to a supply of liquid chemical.

Claim 9

Water treatment apparatus comprising a positive displacement pump for dispensing a metered amount of a treatment chemical in response to operation of a recirculating pump, said positive displacement pump comprising a sealed housing defining a chamber therein, a flexible diaphragm separating the chamber into drive and feed compartments, said diaphragm extending substantially horizontally across said chamber and said chamber having a horizontal dimension considerably greateR than its vertical dimension, whereby said diaphragm may be displaced through a relatively small distance to effect a relatively large change in the volume of said feed compartment, a recirculating water system including a water treatment device having an input line and an output line, said water system including an intermittently operating recirculating pump, a first conduit connecting said drive compartment to the input line of said treatment device, a second conduit connecting said feed compartment to the output line of said treatment device, and a third conduit connecting said feed compartment to a supply of liquid chemical.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 7 including a continuous flexible flange secured to and depending from said diaphragm into said drive compartment, and a weight resiliently secured to and within said continuous flange.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 7 including a container, liquid chlorine confined within said container, said housing being immersed within the chlorine in the container and said third conduit connecting said feed compartment to the chlorine in said container.

Claim 12

For use with a swimming pool water recirculation system having a first pump, a positive displacement pump for dispensing a metered amount of chlorine in response to operation of said first pump, said positive displacement pump comprising a relatively flattened housing defining a chamber having a horizontal extent substantially greater than its vertical extent, a flexible diaphragm extending across said chamber and having its periphery continuously fixed and sealed to the chamber and dividing the chamber into drive and feed compartments, adjustable means for limiting displacement of said flexible diaphragm, a common inlet and outlet conduit fitting connected with said drive compartment, an outlet conduit fitting connected with said feed compartment, and having a check valve therein, a supply conduit fitting connected with said feed compartment and having a check valve therein, a container adapted to receive a quantity of liquid chlorine, said housing being positioned within and substantially at the bottom of the container and immersed within chlorine confined within the container, said supply fitting having an input port adjacent the top of said housing whereby a decreased height of chlorine in the container will cover said input port, said diaphragm having a flange secured thereto, a weight secured to said flange, said weight comprising a solid body having a substantially continuous peripheral groove, said flange comprising a closed depending wall formed with an integral bead that mates with and is received within the groove of said solid body to firmly and resiliently secure the solid body to the flexible diaphragm.

Claim 13

For use with a swimming pool water recirculation system having a first pump, a positive displacement pump for dispensing a metered amount of chlorine in response to operation of said first pump, said positive displacement pump comprising a relatively flattened housing defining a chamber having a horizontal extent substantially greater than its vertical extent, a flexible diaphragm extending across said chamber and having its periphery continuously fixed and sealed to the chamber and dividing the chamber into drive and feed compartments, adjustable means for limiting displacement of said flexible diaphragm, a common inlet and outlet conduit fitting connected with said drive compartment, an outlet conduit fitting connected with said feed compartment, and having a check valve therein, a supply conduit fitting connected with said feed compartment and having a check valve therein, a container adapted to receive a quantity of liquid chlorine, said housing being positioned within and substantially at the bottom of the container and immersed within chlorine confined within the container, said supply fitting having an input port adjacent the top of said housing whereby a decreased height of chlorine in the container will cover said input port, said diaphragm having a flange secured thereto, a weight secured to said flange, said weight comprising a solid body having a substantially continuous peripheral groove, said flange comprising a closed depending wall formed with an integral bead that mates with and is received within the groove of said solid body to firmly and resiliently secure the solid body to the flexible diaphragm.

Claim 14

In combination with a swimming pool having a first pump and filter for recirculating and filtering the water thereof and a timer for cyclically turning the pump on and off to cyclically provide recirculating pressure and provide the absence of recirculating pressure, a positive displacement pump responsive to operation of said first pump for feeding a fixed quantity of liquid water treatment chemical to the pool repetitively at the cyclical rate at which the first pump is turned on and off by the timer, said displacement pump comprising a compartment having a wall movable between a first position in which said compartment has a relatively large volume of fixed magnitude and a second position in which said compartment has a relatively small volume, an outlet conduit connecting the compartment to said swimming pool, a supply of liquid treatment chemical connected with said compartment, means for urging said movable wall to said first position, and means responsive to said recirculating pressure for countering said urging means to drive said movable wall to said second position, whereby a fixed quantity of liquid chemical is expelled from said compartment into said pool when the first pump is turned on and whereby the compartment is refilled with the liquid chemical from said supply when the first pump is turned off.

Claim 15

In combination with a swimming pool having a first pump and filter for recirculating and filtering the water thereof and a timer for cyclically turning the pump on and off to cyclically provide recirculating pressure and provide the absence of recirculating pressure, a positive displacement pump responsive to operation of said first pump for feeding a fixed quantity of liquid water treatment chemical to the pool repetitively at the cyclical rate at which the first pump is turned on and off by the timer, said displacement pump comprising a compartment having a wall movable between a first position in which said compartment has a relatively large volume of fixed magnitude and a second position in which said compartment has a relatively small volume, an outlet conduit connecting the compartment to said swimming pool, a supply of liquid treatment chemical connected with said compartment, means for urging said movable wall to said first position, and means responsive to said recirculating pressure for countering said urging means to drive said movable wall to said second position, whereby a fixed quantity of liquid chemical is expelled from said compartment into said pool when the first pump is turned on and whereby the compartment is refilled with the liquid chemical from said supply when the first pump is turned off.

Claim 16

The combination of claim 11 including means for selectively varying one of said positions of said movable wall so as to selectively adjust the difference between said relatively large and small volumes.