Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Submerged cleaners with ambient flow guides
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-26
2004-08-31
Chin, Randall (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Submerged cleaners with ambient flow guides
Reexamination Certificate
active
06782578
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to swimming pool cleaners and, more particularly, to automatic swimming pool cleaners driven by the flow of water therethrough for purposes of cleaning. Still more particularly, this invention relates to swimming pool pressure cleaners (as opposed to suction-type cleaners) of the type powered by the flow of water pumped by remote pumps into and through the pool cleaners.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Automatic swimming pool cleaners of the type that move about the underwater surfaces of a swimming pool are driven by many different kinds of systems. A variety of different pool cleaner drive devices in one way or another harness the flow of water, as it is drawn or pushed through the pool cleaner by the pumping action of a remote pump for debris collection purposes, to create forward pool cleaner movement. Some of the many kinds of water-driven automatic pool cleaners are those driven in various ways by turbines, which translate water movement into rotational motion. Wheel rotation by linkage to a turbine or other drive mechanism causes propulsion in such prior art devices. Various problems and shortcoming exist in such prior devices.
Among the problems and shortcomings not adequately addressed are failures of certain kinds of cleaners to provide complete cleaning coverage. Obtaining complete coverage is particularly difficult or problematic for swimming pools having certain kinds of surfaces, surface shapes or obstacles. Complete coverage and satisfactory cleaning are difficult to obtain when the pumping pressure generated by the remote pump is weak, such that the driving force of a pool cleaner is seriously diminished. Various automatic pool cleaners of the prior art have insufficient speed and strength of movement, and this creates and acerbates problems of weak cleaning ability.
Some problems, failures or difficulties occur when pool cleaners get hung up or caught at an area where its driving wheels are unable to contact the underwater pool surfaces, or are at least unable to engage such surfaces with sufficient traction to allow movement of the pool cleaner. For some cleaners of the prior art, steering (that is, the motions taken by pool cleaners in order to change directions) can be problematic, particularly on certain kinds of surfaces and when speed is low and the steering and propulsion forces that are generated are low.
Certain of these problems are particularly difficult with respect to so-called “pressure cleaners”—i.e., those pool cleaners the movement of which is motivated by the flow of water pumped to the pool cleaner from a remote pump, as opposed to the more common suction cleaners, through which water is sucked by a remote pump. One problem particularly seen with respect to pressure cleaners is difficulty in obtaining reliable steering for complete coverage of the underwater surfaces of a pool. Steering of certain pressure cleaners of the prior art is typically by external means.
A brief description of certain swimming pool pressure cleaners of the prior art will be helpful. Such pool cleaner includes the pool cleaner unit itself at the end of a water-supply hose and a separate box-like control unit along the hose and spaced from the pool cleaner unit itself by a distance on the order of ten feet or so. The pool cleaner unit itself is a wheeled device which includes a turbine for driving the wheels, but does not have any steering apparatus incorporated with it. The box-like control unit, which has a second turbine and a sequencing device, periodically shuts off the flow of water to the pool cleaner unit itself and at the same time opens up an orifice which shoots a jet of water from the control unit such that the control unit, acting through the hose, in effect drags the pool cleaner unit into a different orientation and/or position, after which the flow to the pool cleaner unit is reestablished and the jet of water from the control unit is stopped.
In such prior pressure cleaning apparatus, water flow to the pool cleaner unit itself, which has already been used to move a turbine in the control unit, is split into two streams—one for driving the turbine in the pool cleaner unit and one to establish a venturi action for drawing water and debris into a flow path leading to a filter bag or the like. Due to the prior usage and flow splitting, sometimes including an additional separate flow for the purpose of placing or keeping dirt near the pool cleaner in suspension, power for pool cleaner movement is lost and, perhaps more importantly, flow for creating the venturi is limited.
As a result, the venturi jet(s) used in such prior systems are made very small—sometimes as low as about 0.100-0.160 inch in diameter—allow development of high linear flow velocities of water from the venturi jet(s), despite the low flow volume. Low flow volumes and very localized venturi effects limit pool cleaning effectiveness in such prior pool cleaners. One specific result of the low flow volumes from the venturi jet(s) is that the opening for inflow of water and debris is more limited in size than is desirable. Thus, the inflow of debris and the size of the debris which can be collected are more limited than is desirable.
Other problems and shortcomings are associated with such apparatus. Control of the pool cleaner at best tends to be rather ineffective, resulting in ineffective coverage of the surfaces of a pool. Furthermore, because of division of water flow from the hose, the water available to operate the principal turbine of the apparatus is reduced, and this in turn reduces the strength of travel of the pool cleaner unit and detracts from its cleaning power.
While various advances have been made in the field of automatic swimming pool cleaners, including pressure cleaners, as of this writing there remains a need for an pressure cleaner for swimming pools which is internally self-steerable. More generally, there is a need for automatic pool cleaners with improved functionality to address the problems referred to above.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved swimming pool cleaner pressure cleaner of the automatic water-driven type which overcomes some of the problems and shortcomings of the prior art.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved water-driven swimming pool pressure cleaner having an internal steering mechanism.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved water-driven swimming pool pressure cleaner giving excellent coverage and cleaning of underwater pool surfaces, including hard-to-reach areas.
Another object is to provide an improved water-driven swimming pool pressure cleaner with highly reliable self-steering.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved water-driven swimming pool pressure cleaner which has excellent traction in a variety of situations.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved water-driven swimming pool pressure cleaner able to utilize a greater portion of flow from the remote pump, and a greater portion of the power of the flow from the remote pump, to create venturi action for picking up debris.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved water-driven swimming pool pressure cleaner with larger inflow openings for water and debris and an increased venturi effect in drawing of unwanted debris into a collector.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved water-driven swimming pool pressure cleaner which can operate effectively at lower pressures than many pressure cleaners of the prior art.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved water-driven swimming pool pressure cleaner which has excellent ability to traverse pool surfaces of different types and hard-to-reach pool areas.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved water-driven swimming pool pressure cleaner which generates good driving power even when used with pool pumping systems generating low pumping pressures.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved w
Rief Dieter J.
Rief Manuela
Chin Randall
Jansson & Shupe & Munger Ltd.
Poolvergnuegen
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