Liquid purification or separation – Flow – fluid pressure or material level – responsive – Check valve
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-13
2001-06-19
Smith, Duane (Department: 1724)
Liquid purification or separation
Flow, fluid pressure or material level, responsive
Check valve
C210S167150, C210S238000, C210S416200, C015S001700
Reexamination Certificate
active
06248232
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable debris remover for use in removing debris that is on a bottom surface under the liquid surface of a liquid in a structure configured to contain the liquid, including debris which collects on the bottom surface of spas, hot tubs, swimming pools or the like, by vacuuming the debris from the bottom surface into the remover and retaining the debris in the remover.
2. State of the Art
Devices to vacuum or otherwise remove debris from a pool, spa, hot tub or similar body or volume of water include vacuums, screens, filters, and pumps. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,094,031 (Cellini); 3,820,182 (Vockroth); 4,584,733 (Tietge, et al.); 4,935,980 (Leginus); 5,095,571 (Sargent); 5,135,647 (Childers); 5,311,631 (Smith, Jr.); 5,384,928 (Khoury); and 5,122,285 (Tartal). Such devices typically focus on removing leaves, twigs, large insects, and similar materials, which, all together, can be characterized as large debris. Pools, spas, hot tubs and similar bodies of water or other liquids may collect fine sand, very small pieces of dirt or grit, tiny stones and similar materials which, all together, may be referred to as small debris. Small debris may be introduced in a variety of ways including, for example, on the feet of users, by being blown in by the wind, or by chemical formation with various chemicals in the liquid (e.g., chlorine in pool and spa water).
The small debris may collect on the bottom and may be seen. On occasion it may not be visually apparent or noticed in, for example, pools and spas, until a user is in the pool or similar body or volume of water and can feel it under the user's feet or with the hand. After the user is in the pool, spa, hot tub, or the like, use of known cleaning devices may be inconvenient, impractical or undesirable.
Spas and hot tubs may be made of different kinds of materials, including but not limited to, synthetic or plastic-like materials including fiberglass. Spas and hot tubs, like any other container for a liquid, are typically found with a bottom surface and one or more sitting surfaces. Some swimming pools including shallow pools may be similarly constructed. Some pools and some spas or hot tubs may have or include interior surfaces that may have been tiled. In effect, the surfaces oriented toward the water or the interior are finished in a variety of ways to be smooth, polished or glass like. Such surfaces could in some cases be scratched or etched by sand particles, small stones or the like, e.g., small debris. Although preferable to remove the small debris to avoid etching or scratching the interior surface and certainly to avoid the associated discomfort, removal is not easily effected because the user typically finds the material during use of the pool, spa, hot tub or the like. Existing tools do not easily lend themselves to removal and because hand held tools for cleaning an under water surface by a user in the pool are not known.
Of course to remove small debris from other liquids is typically desired in order to maintain quality or purity for example, oils, fruit juices, gasoline or the like may also be heavily filtered and yet collect small debris that can be seen or in some cases felt.
Devices using a bulb to in effect aspirate or pump to cause movement of water with entrained debris for cleaning are known. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,956,507 (Hutchinson); 2,672,987 (Hutchinson); 3,158,104 (Hutchinson); 3,549,015 (Willinger); 1,480,562 (Mock).
A hand held device to easily remove small debris from bottom surfaces by a user manipulating the device with the user's hand holding the device under water is not known. A hand held device to remove small debris from other liquids like gasoline or the like is also not known.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
A portable debris remover is provided for use under the liquid surface of a volume of water or other liquid (e.g., gasoline, vegetable oil, fruit juice, or any other fluid that could have debris that a user would like to remove) within a structure having at least one surface under the liquid surface. The portable debris remover collects or removes debris from the surface under the liquid surface by entraining the debris into water or other liquid and filtering the water or other liquid. The debris on the surface under the liquid surface is first entrained in the water or other liquid as the water or other liquid is urged toward and into the debris remover. Then the water or other liquid with entrained debris is filtered to remove the debris from the water or other liquid as the water or other liquid is returned to the volume of water or other liquid from which it came. The portable debris remover includes a body for positioning under the surface of the volume of water or other liquid. The body has an inlet for positioning to receive water or other liquid with entrained debris from proximate the liquid surface. The body also has an outlet configured to discharge water or other liquid to the volume of water or other liquid.
The portable debris remover has a bulb for positioning under the surface of the volume of water or other liquid. The bulb has a bulb opening configured to connect to the body with the inlet and the outlet of the body in or proximate to the bulb opening. The bulb is formed of a squeezable material operable by the hand of the user between an at-rest position in which the bulb defines a first volume and a compressed position in which the bulb defines a second volume which is less than the first volume. In effect the bulb is squeezed by the hand to reduce the volume and then released to return to an at-rest condition to effect a pumping action to intermittently create a suction at the inlet.
An inlet check valve is positioned relative to the inlet and operable between an open position and a closed position. In the open position, water or other liquid flows into the bulb through the bulb opening upon movement of the bulb from the compressed position to the at-rest position. The inlet check valve moves to the closed position when water or other liquid flows out of the bulb through the bulb opening upon movement of the bulb from the at-rest position to the compressed position.
An outlet check valve is positioned proximate the outlet and is operable between an open position and a closed position. The outlet check valve moves to the open position when water or other liquid flows out of the bulb through the bulb opening upon movement of the bulb from the at-rest position to the compressed position. The outlet check valve moves to the closed position by water or other liquid flowing into the bulb opening upon movement of the bulb from the compressed position to the at-rest position.
The portable debris remover also includes a screen positioned proximate the outlet to filter the debris from the water or other liquid before the water or other liquid passes through the outlet.
In a preferred embodiment, the portable debris remover includes a nozzle for attachment to the body. The nozzle is formed for contact with and movement over the bottom surface of the structure and to entrain debris in the water or other liquid urged into the inlet upon movement of the bulb from the compressed position to the at-rest position. Desirably, the nozzle has a bottom surface for contact with the bottom surface of the structure with the liquid. Also the nozzle desirably has a front with ports formed to receive and pass the water or other liquid with the debris entrained. The nozzle also desirably has a rear spaced from the front and formed to urge debris toward the front and into a nozzle chamber upon movement of the nozzle along the bottom surface of the structure.
Even more preferably, the body of the debris remover has an axis. The body with the nozzle is formed to be oriented or positioned relative to the bottom surface of the structure to be at an angle between the axis and the bottom surface less than ninety degrees. In a preferred arrangement, the bottom surface is flat. The undersurface or bottom of the nozzle is also fla
Holms Roberts & Owens LLP
Prince Fred
Smith Duane
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