Automatic adjusting wave gutter for swimming pools

Claim 1

Apparatus for forming an adjustable wave-dissipating gutter mounted to a planar, solid vertical side wall of a water-containing pool, the apparatus comprising: an elongate wall member having a pair of spaced, longitudinal edges, a planar surface formed to extend between the longitudinal edges, and flotation means for allowing the wall member to be buoyant in water; means attached to one of said longitudinal edge for mounting the wall member to the side wall of the pool and for positioning said longitudinal edges substantially parallel to the pool side wall and to the waterline, a one of said longitudinal edges being positioned relatively outwardly of the other of said longitudinal edges and the pool side wall, the mounting means including means for allowing the wall member to pivot about an axis that is substantially parallel to said longitudinal edges between a first almost vertical position above a horizontal plane containing said axis and a second almost vertical position below said horizontal plane; and a tripping lip attached to the wall member and extending along and in juxtaposed relation with the other said longitudinal edge, the tripping lip extending perpendicularly upwardly from said wall and forming a wall portion that extends perpendicularly away and inwardly from said planar surace of said wall member in a direction toward said pool wall to which said wall member is attached; whereby, waves generated in the water contained by the pool and reaching the pool side wall are trapped and attenuated between the buoyant member and pool side wall.