Floating skimmer

Details Floating skimmer Floating skimmer

1999-11-01

2001-02-13

Upton, Christopher (Department: 1724)

Liquid purification or separation

Flow, fluid pressure or material level, responsive

Float

C210S123000, C210S167150, C210S242100, C015S001700, C004S490000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06187181

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to pool cleaning systems of the type including a so-called automatic pool cleaning device adapted for travel over submerged surfaces of a swimming pool or the like to pick up and collect accumulated debris such as leaves, twigs, sand and silt. More particularly, this invention relates to a floating skimmer for use in combination with a pool cleaner of the so-called suction or vacuum powered type, wherein the floating skimmer is designed for capturing large or sizable debris picked up by the pool cleaner while additionally collecting debris such as leaves and twigs and the like floating on the surface of the pool water.
Pool cleaner systems and related devices are generally well known in the art for use in maintaining residential and commercial swimming pools in a clean and attractive condition. In this regard, swimming pools conventionally include a water filtration system equipped with a pump for drawing or suctioning water from the pool for circulation through a filter canister having filter media therein to remove and collect water-entrained debris such as leaves and twigs as well as fine particulate including sand and silt. In a typical arrangement, at least a portion of the pool water is vacuum-drawn over a weir mounted within a so-called skimmer well positioned substantially at the water surface to draw and collect floating debris to the filter equipment. The filter canister captures and retains water-entrained debris, and the water is recirculated to the pool via one or more return lines. Such filtration equipment is normally operated for several hours on a daily basis and serves, in combination with traditional chemical treatments such as chlorination or the like, to maintain the pool water in a clean and clear sanitary state. However, the water filtration system is ineffective to filter out debris which settles onto submerged floor and side wall surfaces of the swimming pool. In the past, settled debris has typically been removed by coupling a vacuum hose to the suction side of the pool water filtration system, such as by connecting the vacuum hose to the skimmer well located near the water surface at one side of the pool, and then manually moving a vacuum head coupled to the hose over the submerged pool surfaces to vacuum settled debris directly to the filter canister where it is collected and separated from the pool water. However, manual vacuuming of a swimming pool is a time consuming and labor intensive task and is thus not typically performed by the pool owner or pool cleaning service personnel on a daily basis.
So-called automatic pool cleaner devices have been developed over the years for cleaning submerged pool surfaces, thereby substantially eliminating the need for labor intensive manual vacuuming. Such automatic pool cleaners typically comprise a relatively compact cleaner housing or head coupled to the pool water filtration system by a hose and including water-powered means for causing the cleaner to travel about within a swimming pool to dislodge and collect settled debris. In one form, the pool cleaner is connected to the return or pressure side of the filtration system for receiving positive pressure water which powers a turbine for rotatably driving cleaner wheels, and also functions by venturi action to draw settled debris into a filter bag. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,882,574; 4,558,479; 4,589,986; and 4,734,954. In another form, the pool cleaner is coupled by a vacuum hose to the suction side of the filtration system, whereby water is drawn under negative pressure through the pool cleaner to operate a drive mechanism for transporting the cleaner within the pool while vacuuming settled debris to the filter canister of the pool filtration system. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,803,658; 4,023,227; 4,133,068; 4,208,752; 4,643,217; 4,679,867; 4,729,406; 4,761,848; 5,105,496; 5,265,297; and 5,634,229. See also copending U.S. Ser. No. 09/090,894, filed Jun. 4, 1998.
While both positive pressure and suction side pool cleaners have proven to be generally effective in cleaning settled debris and the like from submerged pool surfaces, various customer preferences and installation considerations have been instrumental in causing an individual customer to choose one cleaner type over the other. In this regard, positive pressure cleaners often require modifications to the filtration system in an existing pool, such as a booster pump and/or an additional water return line. By comparison, suction side cleaners are often installed without requiring any modifications to the existing pool filtration equipment by coupling the vacuum hose directly into the existing pool skimmer well. For this reason, suction side cleaners are preferred by some customers. However, connection of the vacuum hose into the pool skimmer well effectively disables the skimming function, such that floating debris is not cleaned from the pool surface.
The present invention relates to a floating skimmer designed for in-line connection along the vacuum hose coupled between a suction-powered pool cleaner and the suction side of the pool filtration system, such as by connection to the skimmer well, wherein the floating skimmer effectively skims and collects floating debris from the surface of the pool water while additionally trapping and collecting large debris picked up by the pool cleaner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, a floating skimmer is provided for use with a pool cleaner of the type powered by a suction or vacuum source, wherein the floating skimmer functions to collect debris picked up by the pool cleaner as well as floating debris such as leaves and the like on the pool water surface. The floating skimmer comprises a buoyant housing having a perforated collection basket therein defining a primary debris collection chamber adapted for in-line connection along the length of a vacuum hose coupled between the suction-powered pool cleaner and the suction side of a pool filtration system, so that water drawn from the pool cleaner to the filtration system flows through the primary collection chamber for capture of water-entrained debris therein. The collection basket additionally defines a secondary debris collection chamber in flow communication with at least one weir for spillover flow of water and floating debris from the pool surface into and resultant capture of floating debris within the secondary collection chamber. A flow control valve assembly regulates the weir surface flow to insure that a sufficient flow is drawn through the pool cleaner for proper pool cleaner operation. A water level regulator float responds to the water level within the skimmer housing to variably open and close submerged auxiliary intake ports in the buoyant housing to maintain the water level therein generally between predetermined maximum and minimum limits. The collection basket is quickly and easily removable as needed to dispose of collected debris.
In the preferred form, the buoyant housing defines a water inlet port and a water outlet port generally at opposite sides thereof for in-line connection with the vacuum hose. The perforated collection basket is nestably received into the housing, and includes an inlet aperture aligned with the housing inlet port whereby water with entrained debris drawn from the pool cleaner passes through the inlet port into the primary debris collection chamber of the collection basket. The collection basket is configured to define the primary collection chamber with at least one perforate side wall disposed in spaced relation to the housing outlet port. With this construction, water can be drawn from the primary collection chamber through the perforate side wall and further through the outlet port to the pool filtration system, while entrapping and retaining sizable water-entrained debris within the primary collection chamber.
An internal and imperforate divider wall subdivides the debris collection basket into the primary and secondary debris collection chambers. An upper end

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