Illumination – With filament control means responsive to fracture of light... – Fluid or pressure responsive
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-24
2001-11-13
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
With filament control means responsive to fracture of light...
Fluid or pressure responsive
C362S101000, C362S276000, C362S802000, C362S318000, C362S477000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06315424
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to an underwater safety lighting devices for lighting water beneath the surface of water in a swimming pool, and more particularly to such devices which illuminate the water in a swimming pool without causing undue and distracting water surface glare and reflections of that illumination.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Underwater lighting devices used in swimming pools for safety and convenience reasons must be so protected from contact with the water in the pool that the chances of an electrical short in the pool are minimized to the greatest extent possible. In connection with in-ground pools, electrical lighting devices are normally mounted in the walls of the pool and are sealed in the wall by elaborate and costly encasements (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,216,411; 5,607,224; 5,045,978; 5,051,875; and 4,574,337). Such electrical lighting devices are intended to be installed, maintained and serviced only by professional, qualified technicians. In regard to above-ground pools, these are much less expensive pools than in-ground pools and are often installed and maintained by the homeowner. Since the walls of an above-ground pool are made of thin flexible materials, e.g. plastics or light metal panels and the like, underwater electrical lighting devices cannot be easily mounted through the walls of the above-ground pool, as they are with in-ground pools (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,489) and should be mounted on pool wall structures, e.g. metal or plastic support ledges and the like. Since such underwater electrical lighting devices would, most often, be installed and maintained by the homeowner of the above-ground pool, such lighting devices must be easily installed (without any substantial chance of harmful error), easily maintained (again without any substantial chance of harmful error), and relatively inexpensive.
Heretofore, the lighting of above-ground swimming pools has been achieved, mainly, by lighting devices that mount, at least in part, above the surface of the water in the pool and are attached to some upper structure of the pool (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,053,758). This allows an inexpensive lighting device which can be easily maintained by the homeowner and is simple to install. However, such lighting devices mainly illuminate the surface of the pool, and much of the light is reflected from that surface as glare and does not enter into the depths of the water in the above-ground pool. As a result of the glare and lack of lighting of the depths, during the evening hours, it is difficult to see what objects may be in the above-ground pool. It is, of course, a safety concern if the above-ground pool lighting devices do not illuminate substantially all of the depths of the water in the pool, and one cannot accurately see if a child, for example, a pet or hazardous object may be in the depths of the pool.
Some attempts have been made to provide underwater lighting devices for above-ground pools, but these devices suffer from a number of disadvantages. Firstly, and mainly, they are simply waterproofed adaptations of lighting devices designed for use in environments other than under water. Some use self-contained batteries (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,716). Others use sealed beam lamps (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,945) or sealed lamps (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,304). The illumination, therefore, is spread over a large conical angle, symmetric to the reflector conjugate axis and much of that light travels to the surface of the pool water where it is reflected. The use of a reflector helps to direct light to the front. However, conventional reflector designs limit the light beam angle to well below 180°. In addition, these adaptations require very special waterproofing and cannot be maintained by the usual homeowner. Indeed, many of these devices should not be installed by the average homeowner.
It would, therefore, be of a decided advantage to the art to provide an underwater safety lighting device for swimming pools, and especially above-ground swimming pools. It would be a further advantage to provide such a device which can be simply and easily installed by the homeowner, easily and safely maintained by the homeowner, and one which does not cause glare or transmit substantial light to the surface of the water where it is lost to the atmosphere but transmits most of the light into and to the depths of the pool, such that objects in the pool can be easily observed during the dark hours.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is based on an underwater safety lighting device being separated into two parts, i.e. a watertight light housing which is disposable beneath the surface of the water and a control housing disposable out the pool water. These two parts of the device are electrically connected, e.g. by electrical wires. Since the control housing is out of the water and only the light housing is submerged under the water, there is an opportunity for designing the light housing with special removable lens and light reflector such that the light emanating from the light housing is directed, mainly, laterally sidewise and downwardly into the water, so as to avoid glare and substantial light being reflected from the surface of the water and, thus, not fully illuminating the pool. This arrangement with the control housing being disposed out of the water of the pool and only the light housing being suspended in the water allows a very lightweight light housing. This provides an opportunity for the light housing to be supported without fear of breaking from the pool by wave action or buoyancy in the pool. It also provides the opportunity for substantial safety features to be included in the light housing/control combination. The present device may be used with in-ground or above-ground pools, but it is especially useful for above-ground pools.
Thus, briefly stated, the present invention provides an underwater safety lighting device for lighting water beneath a surface of water in a swimming pool. The device comprises a water-tight light housing disposable beneath the surface of the water. The light housing comprises an at least partially transparent lens removably attached to a front side of the light housing in a water-tight manner. A light-emitting source is secured within the light housing. A concaved light reflector is secured within the light housing such that the light-emitting source is above the conjugate axis of the concaved light reflector. There is an aperture disposed entirely in an upper one-half of the light reflector for receiving therethrough the light-emitting source. The light housing also has a light housing connection portion.
A control housing is disposable out of the water in the pool and comprises a power source and a control device.
An elongated connector has a lower connector end for connecting to the light housing connection portion. An upper connector end is provided for connecting to an upper portion of the pool, and a passageway in the elongated connector passes electrical wires from the control housing to the light housing.
Most preferably, there is also provided a low water sensor which interrupts power to the light housing by action of the control device when the light housing is not beneath the surface of the water. Also, most preferably, there is a leak water sensor which interrupts power to the light housing by action of the control device when water leaks into the light housing.
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pat
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Hobden David V.
O'Shea Sandra
Smartpool Incorporated
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