Pool Skimmer Basket Assembly with Adapter
A pool skimmer adapter assembly that includes a skimmer vent tower adapter attached to an inner bottom portion of a pool skimmer basket via an attachment mechanism The pool skimmer assembly further including a skimmer vent tower having a mounting feature for engaging with the skimmer vent tower adapter wherein the skimmer vent tower is formed of an elongate vent body having a first vent tower end and a second vent tower end, the vent tower defining within the vent body and between the first vent tower end and the second vent tower end, a vent tower interior hollow, the vent body having a first vent orifice extending through the vent body between the vent tower interior hollow and space exterior to the vent tower, the first vent orifice being positioned, whereby, when the first vent tower end is connected with the skimmer vent tower adapter, the first vent orifice resides at a point lying at a greater linear distance from the basket bottom portion than the basket side portion rim resides from the basket bottom portion when measured in parallel with the longitudinal axis of the vent tower, the first end of the vent tower having an exit orifice which opens to the interior hollow.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 13/860,168, titled “Pool Skimmer Basket Assembly with Adapter” and filed Apr. 10, 2013, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/794,374, titled “Pool Skimmer Basket Assembly with Adapter,” filed Mar. 15, 2013.
TECHNICAL FIELDApplicant's invention relates to filtration devices and more particularly to swimming pool filtration equipment.
BACKGROUNDMost modem swimming pools have circulation and filtration systems, one component of which is known as a “skimmer.” A skimmer is a relatively simple structure which involves a skimmer well positioned adjacent to the pool with the top of the well lying slightly below the normal water level of the pool. A conduit (filter opening) extends between the skimmer well wall and the pool wall, and opens, respectively, at points near the top of the skimmer well and near, but just below, the normal water level in the pool.
At the bottom of the skimmer well is an orifice (filter passage) through which water in the skimmer well is drawn in by a vacuum pump and returned to the pool in an endless cycle. Over time, all the water in the pool will pass through the skimmer, and, under ordinary conditions, items floating on top of the water will eventually flow into the skimmer well.
A highly perforated skimmer basket is sized and shaped to sit within the skimmer well and serves as a strainer to trap leaves or other items which flow into the skimmer. An improved pool skimmer basket having vent means which permit continued circulation of water through the pool skimmer basket, even when all filtration perforations are clogged, is subject to U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,350 to Voss et al, wherein the basket, in its preferred embodiment, exhibits a centrally positioned skimmer “vent tower” which extends from the bottom of the basket to a point at least slightly above the upper rim of the basket. This both reduces the likelihood that debris will obstruct all of the vent tower orifices and allows water to exit the vent tower as the basket is withdrawn from the well to facilitate such withdrawal through the access opening while the vacuum pump is in operation.
A frequent problem encountered by pool owners is the variety in sizes and/or constructions of skimmers and, consequently, different sizes of pool skimmer baskets necessary to fit them. This, in turn, causes pool owners to forgo using the existing design of the skimmer vent tower. For instance, if the swimming pool has a different size skimmer and/or requires a different size skimmer basket (than the one disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,350), the pool owner is prevented from utilizing the skimmer vent tower, which leaves him no option but to resort to currently available skimmer baskets without the skimmer vent tower advantage.
Thus, there is a need to use the existing design of the skimmer vent tower, such as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,350, on any skimmer basket and/or any skimmer well without requiring modification of either part, thus making the existing design universal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is the object of the present invention to provide an improved pool skimmer basket assembly with skimmer vent tower adapter for mounting the skimmer vent tower on a pool skimmer basket which allows for the existing design of a skimmer vent tower to be retrofitted with any pool skimmer basket and/or any pool skimmer design without requiring modifications to either part.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of separating and removing debris entrained in pool water passing from a pool through a filter passage communicating with a filter opening formed in a wall of the pool, said method comprising the steps of: selecting a skimmer pool basket, said basket sized and shaped for nesting reception within a pool skimmer well, said skimmer basket having a basket bottom portion and the basket peripheral wall portion, said basket bottom portion having an inner bottom portion and an outer bottom portion, said basket peripheral portion extending upwardly from the periphery of said basket bottom portion and terminating as a basket side portion rim, said basket bottom portion and said peripheral wall portion of the skimmer basket defining therein a plurality of perforations in the form of a grid; attaching a skimmer vent tower to said basket by utilizing a skimmer vent tower adapter, said adapter reversibly mounted on said inner bottom portion of said basket; locating said pool skimmer basket in a filter passage; and grasping the handle of said basket and removing the basket outwardly from the filter passage through the access opening for emptying the captured debris from the basket.
In satisfaction of these and related objectives, Applicant's present invention provides an improved pool skimmer basket assembly comprising: a pool skimmer basket sized and shaped for nesting reception within a pool skimmer well, said skimmer basket having a basket bottom portion and the basket peripheral wall portion, said basket bottom portion having an inner bottom portion and an outer bottom portion, said basket peripheral portion extending upwardly from the periphery of said basket bottom portion and terminating as a basket side portion rim, said basket bottom portion and said peripheral wall portion of the skimmer basket defining therein a plurality of perforations in the form of a grid; a skimmer vent tower, said skimmer vent tower threadably engaged with an inner surface of a threaded skimmer vent tower adapter, said skimmer vent tower adapter substantially centrally and reversibly attached to an inner bottom portion of a pool skimmer basket by plurality of attachment means, said attachment means secured by plurality of securing means for securing said skimmer vent tower adapter to an inner bottom portion of a pool skimmer basket.
In its preferred embodiment, the skimmer vent adapter comprises a plurality of openings configured to receive a plurality of attachment means for securely attaching said skimmer vent adapter to said inner bottom portion of the pool skimmer basket, said plurality of attachment means further configured to receive a plurality of securing means for securing said skimmer vent adapter to the pool skimmer basket.
Furthermore, Applicant's invention provides in combination a pool skimmer basket and a reversibly attached skimmer vent tower adapter configured to allow a skimmer vent tower to be utilized with said pool skimmer basket of any size and/or design.
Applicant's pool skimmer basket assembly, in its preferred embodiment, exhibits a substantially centrally positioned skimmer vent tower which extends from the adapter to a point at least slightly above the upper rim of the basket. The skimmer vent tower is a hollow structure with small perforations or vent orifices dispersed along its length. At least one such vent orifice must reside slightly above the level of the upper rim of the basket to insure that an orifice lies above the water level in the skimmer well. This both reduces the likelihood that debris will obstruct all of the vent tower orifices and allows water to exit the vent tower as the basket is withdrawn from the well to facilitate such withdrawal.
Further, the Applicant's invention provides a pool skimmer adapter assembly, comprising a skimmer vent tower, said skimmer vent tower threadably engaged with an inner surface of a threaded skimmer vent tower adapter, said skimmer vent tower adapter substantially centrally and reversibly attached to an inner bottom portion of a pool skimmer basket by plurality of attachment means, said attachment means secured by plurality of securing means for securing said skimmer vent tower adapter to an inner bottom portion of a pool skimmer basket.
The skimmer vent tower is reversibly attached to the pool skimmer basket through a skimmer vent tower adapter, whereby an open lower end of the skimmer vent tower (the outer external mounting feature/exterior profile) is threadably engaged with the inner surface of the skimmer vent tower adapter, wherein said inner surface of said skimmer vent tower adapter makes conformal contact all along its inner surface with the exterior profile of the skimmer vent tower, and the bottom part of the skimmer vent tower adapter is in direct contact with but reversibly attached to the inner bottom portion of the basket through the attachment means, thus, allowing the skimmer vent tower to be reversibly attached to any size of the skimmer basket. Because there are multiple sizes of swimming pools skimmers and, consequently, skimmer baskets utilized in pool filtration systems, use of the skimmer vent tower adapter greatly enhances the utility of the skimmer vent tower and the improved pool skimmer basket as substantially described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,350.
Applicant's approach to the problem described above is certainly simple, but it is equally unobvious. Applicant's informal surveys of pool owners reveal a dire need for skimmer vent tower adapters to be used with different pool skimmers so a skimmer vent tower can be utilized with practically any design of skimmer and/or skimmer basket. This, in turn, will alleviate the pervasive problem of broken skimmer baskets (which were broken when straining against the suction of the pool's vacuum pump when the basket was clogged) and the often resulting unpleasant experience of “fishing” the basket out of the skimmer well. Despite this well-known and long-existing problem, and a readily apparent market for a solution, no one has presented a viable, cost-effective solution such as Applicant here provides.
The principals of the invention will be further discussed with reference to the drawing(s) wherein a preferred embodiment is shown. The specifics illustrated in the drawings are intended to exemplify, rather than limit aspects of the invention as defined in the claims.
The following figures are included to illustrate certain aspects of the present invention, and should not be viewed as an exclusive embodiments. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to one having ordinary skill in the art and the benefit of this disclosure.
Referring to
Referring to
Vent tower 20, in the preferred embodiment, is threadingly engaged with skimmer vent tower adapter 30 (
As stated above, vent tower 20 is highly perforated with a number of vent orifices 28. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the top of the second vent tower end 26 may have at least one orifice (not shown). Vent tower 20 should be of a length that it extends above the level of the basket rim 38, and at least some of the skimmer vent tower orifices 28 should be positioned whereby, they will be above the level of the basket rim 38 when engaged with the skimmer basket 10. The basis for this is discussed above in the Summary of the Invention as well as in the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,350.
In the preferred embodiment, the skimmer vent tower 20 is removable from basket 10 for allowing the use of certain skimmer accessories (pool sweeper attachments, most notably) which require a flush mating between a plate member and the basket rim 38 of the basket 10, which mating the vent tower 20 would likely obstruct if left in place.
The over-all substantially cylindrical shape of vent tower 20 as shown in the drawings is merely the preferred embodiment-the result of molding efficiencies. Any structure of any shape which provide fluid communication through a plurality of vent orifices between space interior to basket 10 (other than as are positioned on the side portion 12 or bottom portion 14 of basket 10) and space outside of basket 10 will satisfy the functional requirements of vent tower 20.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
At the bottom of the skimmer well is an orifice (filter passage) 64 through which water in the skimmer well is drawn by vacuum pump, which water is returned to the pool in an endless cycle. Over time, all the water in the pool will pass through the skimmer, and, under ordinary conditions, items floating on top of the water will eventually flow into the skimmer well and the skimmer basket 10.
A highly perforated skimmer basket 10 is sized and shaped to sit within the skimmer well 60 and serves as a strainer to trap leaves or other items which flow into the skimmer. The basket could be emptied by lifting it upwardly through the accesses opening 66.
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limited sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments as well as alternative embodiments of the inventions will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon the reference to the description of the invention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claims will cover such modifications that fall within the scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A pool skimmer adapter assembly, comprising:
- a skimmer vent tower adapter, said skimmer vent tower adapter attached to an inner bottom portion of a pool skimmer basket by attachment means for attaching said skimmer vent tower adapter to said inner bottom portion of said pool skimmer basket; and
- a skimmer vent tower, said skimmer vent tower having a mounting feature for engaging with said skimmer vent tower adapter,
- wherein said skimmer vent tower is formed of an elongate vent body having a first vent tower end and a second vent tower end, said vent tower defining within said vent body and between said first vent tower end and said second vent tower end, a vent tower interior hollow, said vent body having a first vent orifice extending through said vent body between said vent tower interior hollow and space exterior to said vent tower, said first vent orifice being positioned, whereby, when said first vent tower end is connected with said skimmer vent tower adapter, said first vent orifice resides at a point lying at a greater linear distance from said basket bottom portion than said basket side portion rim resides from said basket bottom portion when measured in parallel with the longitudinal axis of said vent tower, said first end of said vent tower having an exit orifice which opens to said interior hollow.
2. The pool skimmer adapter assembly of claim 1, wherein said first vent orifice has an aperture defining an opening that is at least one-twelfth in square measurement units of the surface area, in like said measurement units of the outer surface area of said vent tower that resides beyond any point that is at a greater linear distance from said basket bottom portion than said basket side portion rim resides from said basket bottom portion, when measured in parallel with the longitudinal axis of said vent tower
3. The pool skimmer adapter assembly of claim 1, further comprising a second said vent orifice positioned at a greater linear distance from said basket bottom portion than said basket side portion rim resides from said basket bottom portion when measured in parallel with the longitudinal axis of said vent tower.
4. The pool skimmer adapter assembly of claim 3, wherein said first and second vent orifices together define an opening of a size that is at least one-twelfth in square measurement units of the surface area, in like said measurement units of said vent tower that resides beyond any point that is at a greater linear distance from said basket bottom portion than said basket side portion rim resides from said basket bottom portion, when measured in parallel with the longitudinal axis of said vent tower.
5. The pool skimmer adapter assembly of claim 1, wherein said skimmer vent tower adapter further comprises a plurality of openings for receiving said attachment means.
6. The pool skimmer adapter assembly of claim 1, further comprising securing means for securing said skimmer vent adapter to said skimmer basket, said securing means configured to be coupled to said attachment means and arranged exterior to said skimmer basket.
7. A pool skimmer basket assembly, comprising:
- a pool skimmer basket configured for nesting reception within a pool skimmer well, said skimmer basket having a basket bottom portion and a basket peripheral wall portion, said basket bottom portion having an inner bottom portion and an outer bottom portion, said basket peripheral wall portion extending upwardly from the periphery of said basket bottom portion and terminating as a basket side portion rim, said basket bottom portion and said peripheral wall portion of the skimmer basket defining therein a plurality of perforations;
- a skimmer vent tower adapter attached to said inner bottom portion of said pool skimmer basket by attachment means for attaching said skimmer vent tower adapter to said inner bottom portion of said pool skimmer basket; and
- a skimmer vent tower, said skimmer vent tower having a mounting feature for engaging with said skimmer vent tower adapter,
- wherein said skimmer vent tower is formed of an elongate vent body having a first vent tower end and a second vent tower end, said vent tower defining within said vent body and between said first vent tower end and said second vent tower end, a vent tower interior hollow, said vent body having a first vent orifice extending through said vent body between said vent tower interior hollow and space exterior to said vent tower, said first vent orifice being positioned, whereby, when said first vent tower end is connected with said skimmer vent tower adapter, said first vent orifice resides at a point lying at a greater linear distance from said basket bottom portion than said basket side portion rim resides from said basket bottom portion when measured in parallel with the longitudinal axis of said vent tower, said first end of said vent tower having an exit orifice which opens to said interior hollow.
8. The pool skimmer adapter assembly of claim 7, wherein said first vent orifice has an aperture defining an opening of a size that is at least one-twelfth in square measurement units of the surface area, in like said measurement units of said vent tower that resides beyond any point that is at a greater linear distance from said basket bottom portion than said basket side portion rim resides from said basket bottom portion, when measured in parallel with the longitudinal axis of said vent tower.
9. The pool skimmer basket assembly of claim 7, further comprising a second said vent orifice positioned at a greater linear distance from said basket bottom portion than said basket side portion rim resides from said basket bottom portion when measured in parallel with the longitudinal axis of said vent tower.
10. The pool skimmer adapter assembly of claim 9, wherein said first and second vent orifices together define an opening of a size that is at least one-twelfth in square measurement units of the surface area, in like said measurement units of said vent tower that resides beyond any point that is at a greater linear distance from said basket bottom portion than said basket side portion rim resides from said basket bottom portion, when measured in parallel with the longitudinal axis of said vent tower.
11. The pool skimmer adapter assembly of claim 7, wherein said skimmer vent tower adapter further comprises a plurality of openings for receiving said attachment means.
12. The pool skimmer adapter assembly of claim 7, further comprising securing means for securing said skimmer vent adapter to said skimmer basket, said securing means configured to be coupled to said attachment means and arranged exterior to said skimmer basket.
13. A method of separating and removing debris entrained in pool water passing from a pool through a filter passage communicating with a filter opening formed in a wall of the pool, said method comprising the steps of:
- attaching a pool skimmer vent tower adapter to an inner bottom portion of a pool skimmer basket by attachment means for attaching said skimmer vent tower adapter to said inner bottom portion of said pool skimmer basket;
- engaging a skimmer vent tower to said vent tower adapter via a mounting feature of said vent tower,
- wherein said skimmer vent tower is formed of an elongate vent body having a first vent tower end and a second vent tower end, said vent tower defining within said vent body and between said first vent tower end and said second vent tower end, a vent tower interior hollow, said vent body having a first vent orifice extending through said vent body between said vent tower interior hollow and space exterior to said vent tower, said first vent orifice being positioned, whereby, when said first vent tower end is connected with said skimmer vent tower adapter, said first vent orifice resides at a point lying at a greater linear distance from said basket bottom portion than said basket side portion rim resides from said basket bottom portion when measured in parallel with the longitudinal axis of said vent tower, said first end of said vent tower having an exit orifice which opens to said interior hollow; and
- enabling at least partial relief of a pool pump pressure with said first vent orifice when said skimmer basket has debris trapped therein.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein said first vent orifice has an aperture defining an opening that is at least one-twelfth in square measurement units of the surface area, in like said measurement units of the outer surface area of said vent tower that resides beyond any point that is at a greater linear distance from said basket bottom portion than said basket side portion rim resides from said basket bottom portion, when measured in parallel with the longitudinal axis of said vent tower.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein said pool skimmer adapter further comprises a second said vent orifice positioned at a greater linear distance from said basket bottom portion than said basket side portion rim resides from said basket bottom portion when measured in parallel with the longitudinal axis of said vent tower, thereby enabling further pressure relief to said pool pump.
16. The pool skimmer adapter assembly of claim 15, wherein said first and second vent orifices together define an opening of a size that is at least one-twelfth in square measurement units of the surface area, in like said measurement units of said vent tower that resides beyond any point that is at a greater linear distance from said basket bottom portion than said basket side portion rim resides from said basket bottom portion, when measured in parallel with the longitudinal axis of said vent tower.
17. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving said attachment means with a plurality of openings of said vent tower adapter.
18. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving said attachment means with securing means for securing said skimmer vent adapter to said skimmer basket, said securing means arranged exterior to said skimmer basket.
19. The method of claim 13, further comprising grasping handles of said pool skimmer basket to remove said pool skimmer basket from a pool skimmer well.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 19, 2016
Publication Date: Aug 11, 2016
Inventor: Sara Voss Weyman (San Antonio, TX)
Application Number: 15/133,005