Cleaning and liquid contact with solids – Processes – Including use of vacuum – suction – or inert atmosphere
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-24
2001-10-09
Ludlow, Jan (Department: 1743)
Cleaning and liquid contact with solids
Processes
Including use of vacuum, suction, or inert atmosphere
C004S490000, C015S001700, C134S05600D, C134S111000, C210S167150, C210S416200, C210S242100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06299700
ABSTRACT:
THIS INVENTION relates to method of operating a pool cleaner and to a device for use in operating a pool cleaner.
Pool cleaners, such as pool cleaners widely in use to clean swimming pools, for example currently available in South Africa under the trade names or trademarks KREEPY KRAULY and BARACUDA, pass water from a head in a pool cleaner body via a hose into and through a pump system of the pool. The flow stream of water is cyclically interrupted in the pool cleaner body which causes a corresponding, cyclic stop-start motion in the body and in turn causes a cyclic water hammer action and a cyclic to and fro motion in the hose. The hose is at least slightly resilient in a longitudinal direction such that its end, remote from the pool cleaner body, can be fixed to a rigid connecting member of a pump system. Said stop-start motion causes a pool cleaner body to move generally along the line of the hose portion proximate the body. Various ways and means are provided to cause the pool cleaner body to follow a random path and not a pattern such that the whole of the emerged pool surface is covered.
However, the applicant has identified two problems in the kind of pool cleaner described. First, the movement of the body is not in practice entirely random, but does follow a pattern, which may be caused by a specific pool layout, such that some portions of the submerged surface are covered excessively, while other portions are neglected or nor covered at all. Secondly it does happen that a steady state condition comes about, especially when the body is in a corner of the pool, and the body gets stuck in one position. It is an object of this invention to alleviate those problems.
In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of operating a pool cleaner of the general kind described including, mechanically, continually or continuously moving the hose at a position remote from a body of the pool cleaner.
By “mechanically” is meant that the method step is effected “non-manually”.
Moving the hose may include changing at least one of an attitude and a location of a portion of the hose.
The method step may include preferably changing both the attitude and the location of the hose portion.
The applicant believes that the effect of those changes is equivalent to changing the position of the weir in relation to the layout of the pool.
The method may include cyclically oscillating a specific point of said hose portion. The movement may be along an arc. It may be in a horizontal plane, conveniently generally along the surface of the water.
Advantageously, energy associated with pumping of the water through the hose may be used to move the hose. In a preferred method, reciprocation or to and fro movement of the hose may be transmitted to a mechanical device adapted to transduce the reciprocating motion into the motion to which said specific point on the hose portion is subjected. The method may thus include transmitting reciprocating motion of the hose via a lever, pawl-fashion, to a wheel to rotate the wheel, and transducing rotation of the wheel to arcuate wiping motion transmitted to the hose. Rotation of the wheel may be reduced in one or more reduction gear steps forming part of a gear train. Rotation of a gear wheel at a downstream end of the gear train may be transmitted by means of a crank mechanism to an arm to impart cyclic arcuate wiping or swinging motion to the arm, the hose being connected to the arm to be moved in concert with the arm.
The invention extends in respect of a second aspect to a guiding device suitable for use in operating a pool cleaner of the general kind described by mechanically, continually or continuously, moving the hose at a position remote from a body of the pool cleaner, the device including a driven member arranged to be driven, a transducer connected to the driven member and adapted to transduce motion of the drive member to motion to be imparted to the hose; and a transmission member arranged to transmit motion from the transducer to the hose.
The driven member may be in the form of a lever having a fulcrum, a force point connected to the hose, and a load point connected to a wheel. The load point may be releasably connected to the wheel by means of a connection device adapted to connect the load point to the wheel when motion of the lever is in a first direction, and to disconnect the lever from the wheel when motion of the lever is in a second direction opposed to the first direction. Thus, the wheel will be turned in one direction only. If desired, a releasable check device may be provided to allow turning of the wheel in said one direction only i.e to check the wheel against rotation in a direction opposite to said one direction.
The device may include a speed reduction mechanism drivingly connected to said wheel. It may include cogs on said wheel to render said wheel a gear wheel, and one or more gear wheels forming a speed reducing gear train.
Said speed reducing gear train may have a final wheel and a pivot on said wheel parallel to and spaced from an axis of said final wheel. The transmission member may be in the form of a lever pivoted at a fulcrum thereof, a load point of the lever being connected by means of a connecting link to said pivot of said final wheel. The arrangement is adapted to impart arcuate wiping motion to the hose.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4086933 (1978-05-01), Pansini
patent: 4550463 (1985-11-01), Raubenheimer
patent: 4675921 (1987-06-01), Jean-Jacques
Grobler Johannes Stephanus
Ludlow Jan
Quarles & Brady LLP
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