Patents Assigned to Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
  • Patent number: 9855479
    Abstract: A current generator for a swimming system may include multiple entrainment pumps that discharge a flow of water into a pool. The entrainment pumps may each have a nozzle, a venturi and an entrainment inlet. In use, the flow of water from the nozzle into the venturi causes water at the entrainment inlet to flow into the venturi along with water from the nozzle. Each entrainment pump is arranged such that the fluid that flows out of the venturi passage is directed within a main passage, and the flow from multiple venturis may be combined and may be directed at least partially against the force of gravity before that fluid is directed out of the main passage outlet and into the pool. In at least some implementations, the fluid flows for at least one foot between the venturi and the main passage outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Hayden Cameron, James Murdock
  • Patent number: 9782044
    Abstract: Spa side panels are trapezoidally-shaped and mounted in respective grooves defined by adjacent tapered corner pieces and their mounting brackets to accommodate differences in coefficients of expansion of the respective parts and prevent structural damage. Angled force transfer members are configured to mate with swept back side surfaces of a spa base pan to achieve a pedestal appearance, and the bottom surface of the base pan is constructed to reduce heat transfer to the spa support surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Zeljko Dragovic, Sam Shifron
  • Patent number: 9750376
    Abstract: Spa side panels are trapezoidally-shaped and mounted in respective grooves defined by adjacent tapered corner pieces and their mounting brackets to accommodate differences in coefficients of expansion of the respective parts and prevent structural damage. Angled force transfer members are configured to mate with swept back side surfaces of a spa base pan to achieve a pedestal appearance, and the bottom surface of the base pan is constructed to reduce heat transfer to the spa support surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Zeljko Dragovic, Sam Shifron
  • Patent number: 9743808
    Abstract: Spa side panels are trapezoidally-shaped and mounted in respective grooves defined by adjacent tapered corner pieces and their mounting brackets to accommodate differences in coefficients of expansion of the respective parts and prevent structural damage. Angled force transfer members are configured to mate with swept back side surfaces of a spa base pan to achieve a pedestal appearance, and the bottom surface of the base pan is constructed to reduce heat transfer to the spa support surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Zeljko Dragovic, Sam Shifron
  • Patent number: 9658256
    Abstract: Control circuitry for controlling a spa water heater, wherein a microcontroller is configured to detect zero crossings of an A.C. line voltage from a voltage sense signal, to cause closing of a first heater relay and a second heater relay, to detect the time at which heater current is initially sensed by a current sensor after the initial closing of the second heater relay, to measure a time delay between the time that the second heater relay is closed and the time at which heater current is initially sensed, and to adjust the time at which a second closing of the second heater relay occurs such that zero crossings of the heater current occur at the same time as zero crossings of the voltage waveform. The control circuitry further includes a voltage sense circuit comprising a first diode connected in series with a current limiting resistance connected in series with a Zener diode, which is in turn connected in series with an optical coupler LED.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: Larry Nicholson
  • Patent number: 9655810
    Abstract: A spa node comprising a spa controller, a power sense adapter configured to compute power being drawn by selected spa components; a spa network adapter, and a home network adapter, each of the three adapters including a wireless transceiver wherein the spa network adapter is configured to receive power data transmitted over a wireless link by the power sense adapter and to further receive status/performance data from the spa controller. The home network adapter is configured to receive power and status data transmitted by the spa network adapter over a wireless link and to convert that data to a form suitable for transmission to an Internet access point. The home network adapter is further linkable over the Internet to a central server, a dealer computer and a spa owner or user computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: WATKINS MANUFACTURING CORPORATION
    Inventor: Stephen S. Macey
  • Patent number: D780321
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Carl Larsen, Sage Nathan Baker
  • Patent number: D780934
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Carl Larsen, Sage Nathan Baker
  • Patent number: D781431
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Carl Larsen, Sage Nathan Baker
  • Patent number: D781432
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Carl Larsen, Sage Nathan Baker
  • Patent number: D781433
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Carl Larsen, Sage Nathan Baker
  • Patent number: D782056
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Carl Larsen, Sage Nathan Baker
  • Patent number: D782057
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Carl Larsen, Sage Nathan Baker
  • Patent number: D785194
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Carl Larsen, Sage Nathan Baker
  • Patent number: D790719
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Carl Larsen, Sage Nathan Baker
  • Patent number: D790720
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Carl Larsen, Sage Nathan Baker
  • Patent number: D790721
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Carl Larsen, Sage Nathan Baker
  • Patent number: D791959
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Carl Larsen, Sage Nathan Baker
  • Patent number: D799053
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Carl Larsen, Sage Nathan Baker
  • Patent number: D810954
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Carl Larsen, Sage Nathan Baker