Patents Assigned to Zodiac Pool Care Europe
  • Patent number: 7723934
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for controlling an automatic device for cleaning a surface immersed in liquid which comprises electric motors for driving a chassis along a cleanable surface. The inventive method consists in periodically measuring at least one electrical quantity which makes it possible to obtain the representative value of the resisting torque of at least one driving electric motor (7), in comparing each obtained value with the predetermined threshold representative value of a maximum acceptable value and, when said value is greater than said threshold value for the driving electric motor (7), a procedure known as a protection procedure is started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe S.A.S.U.
    Inventors: Pascal Adam, Phillippe Pichon
  • Patent number: 7618019
    Abstract: Devices for cleaning vessels, especially swimming pools, are discussed. The devices may include a non-linear flow path in a gap surrounding an in-line valve. This non-linearity permits lengths of concentric pipes forming the gap to be decreased without sacrificing operational performance of the devices. Valves forming parts of the cleaning devices may be diaphragms but shaped, sized, reinforced, or configured differently than existing valves and may have collapsible segments whose interior shape resembles an ellipse in transverse cross-section. Co-molding of diaphragms and pipes may occur, and inner and outer cups may be used to fix relative positions of various components of the devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe, SAS
    Inventors: Hendrikus Johannes van der Meijden, Michael Edward Moore, Peter Hugh Harrison, Alexis Adrian Felipe Wadman, Mark J. Bauckman
  • Patent number: 7337803
    Abstract: Devices for cleaning vessels, especially swimming pools, are discussed. The devices may include a non-linear flow path in a gap surrounding an in-line valve. This non-linearity permits lengths of concentric pipes forming the gap to be decreased without sacrificing operational performance of the devices. Valves forming parts of the cleaning devices may be diaphragms but shaped, sized, reinforced, or configured differently than existing valves and may have collapsible segments whose interior shape resembles an ellipse in transverse cross-section. Co-molding of diaphragms and pipes may occur, and inner and outer cups may be used to fix relative positions of various components of the devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe
    Inventors: Hendrikus Johannes van der Meijden, Michael Edward Moore, Peter Hugh Harrison, Alexis Adrian Felipe Wadman, Mark J. Bauckman
  • Patent number: 7117554
    Abstract: A lateral transmission casing (6) for a self-propelled running swimming pool cleaner, comprises a housing, an input shaft provided with elements for removable coupling with a clutch shaft (2) of the apparatus, at least an output shaft provided with elements for removable coupling with a running member (13, 14) of the apparatus, elements for transmitting the powering rotary movement between the input shaft and each output shaft, the housing bearing and guiding the shafts and the transmission elements. Detachable mounting elements enable the casing to be rigidly and removably fixed (6) into a single-piece assembly on the side of the apparatus. The invention also concerns an apparatus equipped with such a casing (6), and its maintenance method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2006
    Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe
    Inventor: Philippe Pichon
  • Patent number: 6954960
    Abstract: A self-propelled running apparatus for cleaning a surface immersed in a liquid, includes a tranverse running member having two ends through which it is mounted rotatable on a frame about a tranverse axis of rotation, a device for driving in rotation the member and a frame-mounted guide borne by the frame. The guide is adapted to enable, without dismantling relative to the frame the frame-mounted guide and without dismantling the frame itself, at least the displacement of the running member between a working position and a maintenance position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2005
    Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe
    Inventor: Philippe Pichon
  • Patent number: 6886205
    Abstract: The invention concerns a self-propelled running apparatus for cleaning an immersed surface, comprising in combination a rigid transverse motor housing (1), two lateral flanges (6) rigidly fixed on either side of the motor housing (1) so as to form a rigid H-shaped frame (72), a front transverse wall (9) removably fixed to said frame (72), a rear transverse wall (10), a base (11) provided with water inlets (66) and a top hood (5) fixed to the frame (72) provided with a top orifice (4) for water evacuation, a unidirectional hydraulic circuit being provided from the inlets (66) between the transverse walls (9, 10), the motor housing (1) and the flanges (6), up to the top orifice (4) of the hood (5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe
    Inventor: Philippe Pichon
  • Patent number: D526101
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe SAS
    Inventor: Philippe Blanc-Tailleur
  • Patent number: D529669
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe SAS
    Inventor: Phillipe Blanc-Tailleur
  • Patent number: D597169
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe
    Inventors: Raymond A. Hin, Craig Andrews
  • Patent number: D597170
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe
    Inventors: Raymond A. Hin, Craig Andrews
  • Patent number: D597171
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe
    Inventors: Raymond A. Hin, Craig Andrews
  • Patent number: D597172
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe
    Inventors: Raymond A. Hin, Craig Andrews
  • Patent number: D599967
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe
    Inventor: Philippe Blanc-Tailleur
  • Patent number: D605273
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe
    Inventor: Florence Mallet-Roulon
  • Patent number: D627041
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Zodiac Pool Care Europe
    Inventor: Frederic Fournier