Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Open-water barrier
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-29
2001-11-20
Eloshway, Charles R. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Open-water barrier
C004S488000, C052S169100, C052S791100, C405S055000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06317901
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a swimming pool formed in a natural or man-made body of fresh or salt water. More particularly, it is concerned with a flooring material and method for lining the bottom of a natural or man-made body of water which provides a modified bottom that is comfortable to walk on and does not produce cloudy silty water.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Owners and Directors of children's summer camps, inns and resorts typically chose locations on or near the shores of natural bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, oceans etc. For purposes of this application, the term “lake” will be used to describe such natural or man-made bodies of water and shall be construed to encompass all types of natural or man-made bodies of water. Typical lakes are filled with either natural spring or ground water, surface water or salt water, have vegetation and other forms of aquatic life and have a lake bottom consisting of sediment, sand, rocks, etc.
Lakes are typically used at children's camps, inns and resorts as the center for all water and recreational activities, including boating, kayaking, sailing and swimming. It has generally been the practice to build docks in the lake to simultaneously provide a boundary for swimmable areas, a place to put slides, diving boards and other recreational swimming apparatus, and to provide a mooring for boats.
Due to the various life forms in the lake, algae and natural sediment or silt form on the lake bottom, causing it to be soft and mucky. During campers's use of the lake, the algae and sediment move around causing the water to appear cloudy. It has been found that campers, when walking and swimming in the lake, do not like the feel of the soft, mucky bottom or the look of the cloudy silty water. The cloudy water also makes it more difficult for lifeguards to observe and supervise swimmers.
Moreover, in recent years, camp owners and directors have been advised that over 50% of all families insist on sending their children to a camp that has a traditional swimming pool, i.e., a man-made pool of chlorinated and filtered water, because their children are used to them from their day-camps. However, traditional public swimming pools have been linked with health related problems and thus require constant pH monitoring and use of expensive filtering equipment and hazardous chemicals.
The present invention resides in the discovery that existing lakes may be modified to form a healthier and environmentally safe alternative to conventional swimming pools which also overcomes the above-described disadvantages of lakes. In the past, several camp owners and others have attempted to use wood and concrete or cement to create a safe and long-lasting bottom for their shallow lake water swim areas. However, the lakes's algae and other natural growth have made these modified lake bottoms slimy and slippery. Further, the wood bottoms cause splinters and the concrete or cement bottoms tend to crack when exposed to cold temperatures, i.e., in the wintertime.
Accordingly, it is a broad object of the invention to provide a modified lake floor which overcomes the problems associated with lakes and conventional swimming pools, and provides a healthier alternative to conventional swimming pools.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide a flooring material and method for installing a flooring material onto the bottom of a lake to provide a swimming area having a comfortable walking surface which resists the accumulation of algae and other natural growth and sediment on the flooring.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a swimming pool formed in a lake or any other natural or man-made body of water comprises a flooring material for covering at least a portion of the lake bottom which prevents sediment and sand on the lake bottom from coming through the flooring and is resistant to algea, ultraviolet rays and freezing temperatures. The flooring material or certain layers thereof may also be used to form side walls to prevent sediment from drifting into the pool.
In a preferred embodiment, the flooring material comprises a geotextile filter layer for contacting the bottom of the natural or man-made body of water and a non-skid decking material. The geotextile material has a U.S. Sieve factor of 60-200 and a tensile strength of 120-325 pounds. The decking material is non-buoyant, comprises an impervious material such as vinyl or PVC and an ultra-violet inhibitor, and has a perforated pattern that permits water to flow through the material. In another embodiment, the flooring material further comprises a layer of stones placed between the geotextile material and the bottom of the natural or man-made body of water and a second geotextile layer placed between the layer of stones and the bottom of the natural or man-made body of water. The layer of stones preferably comprises stones having a size ranging from ¼ to ¾ inch.
The invention further relates to a pool formed adjacent to the shoreline of and in a natural or man-made body of water, the shoreline defining at least a first side wall of the pool. The pool comprises a dock extending from a point on the shoreline into the body of water and back to another point on the shoreline to define a swimming area in the body of water, and a flooring material covering the bottom of the natural or man-made body of water corresponding to the swimming area. The flooring material comprises a layer of geotextile material and a layer of non-skid decking material. The geotextile material layers are formed from strips of geotextile material either sewn together with double stitching or overlapped.
The invention also relates to a method for converting a portion of a natural or man-made body of water into a swimming pool, which comprises the steps of forming a first layer of geotextile material and applying it to the bottom of the natural or man-made body of water corresponding to the swimming pool, applying a layer of stones on top of the first layer of geotextile material, raking the layer of stones to fill in any voids in the first layer of the geotextile material caused by the contour of the bottom of the natural or man-made body of water, applying a second layer of geotextile material on top of the layer of stones, forming a layer of non-skid decking material and applying it on top of the second layer of geotextile material, and forming a retaining wall along a shoreline of the natural or man-made body of water and securing the layer of decking material thereto.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent when the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention are considered in conjunction with the drawings which should be construed in an illustrative and not limiting sense as follows:
REFERENCES:
patent: 3640073 (1972-02-01), Samsel
patent: 4948296 (1990-08-01), Salter
patent: 4997701 (1991-03-01), Clem
patent: 5106229 (1992-04-01), Blackwell
patent: 5346566 (1994-09-01), White
patent: 5489165 (1996-02-01), Smith
patent: 5495696 (1996-03-01), Repka
patent: 5624204 (1997-04-01), Dorsemaine
patent: 5713696 (1998-02-01), Horvath et al.
patent: 5916104 (1999-06-01), Lucenet et al.
Eloshway Charles R.
Ostrager Chong & Flaherty LLP
LandOfFree
Fresh or salt water pool does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Fresh or salt water pool, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Fresh or salt water pool will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2604799