Pool Skimmer Opening Cover Assembly

Abstract

A skimmer opening cover assembly having an outer plate, an inner support brace, and a threaded connecting rod. The plate and brace are attached to the threaded rod, with a tightening member used to adjust the distance between the two components on the threaded rod. Preferably, the outer plate includes a sealing material about a periphery on one surface. In use, this sealing material abuts the pool sidewall to form a tight seal. The seal is made most effective when the plate is sufficiently biased in place by the tightening of a threaded member on either the front face of the plate or at the brace.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION

The present disclosure claims the filing priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/796,200, titled “Pool Skimmer Cover” and filed on Jan. 24, 2019. The '200 application is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to covers for a pool vacuum skimmer, including in-ground and above-ground pools. More specifically, the invention relates to skimmer covers for winterizing pools.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most swimming pools, including above-ground and in-ground, have a water capacity of between 7,000 to 50,000 gallons. In present winterizing procedures, about a quarter of the water is drained each year to protect against water getting into the skimmer and filter. The water needs to be replaced the following year requiring the addition of about 1,750 to 13,000 gallons of water annually. Obviously, this annual drain-and-fill ritual has a significant associated time and monetary cost, as well as a significant negative environmental impact.

There is also a time element to consider. Draining and refilling 3,500 to 25,000 gallons of water every year takes considerable time and monitoring. For a pool maintenance service, this limits the number of pools that can be attended to in a regular work day.

Current devices and methods are complicated, unreliable and inadequate for many skimmer openings. For example, one type of cover requires removal of screws from an existing skimmer to use in securing a foam-insulated skimmer cover plate over the skimmer opening. Another type of cover uses a resilient foam extension to friction fit into the opening and retain the cover in place. However, skimmer openings are not universal and differ greatly in size and shape based on the manufacturer. Accordingly, both of the prior art covers must be manufactured in several sizes to accommodate the various skimmer sizes.

Until the invention of the present application, these and other problems in the prior art went either unnoticed or unsolved by those skilled in the art. The present invention provides a universal skimmer cover which performs multiple functions without sacrificing effectiveness, safety, time or affordability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is disclosed herein a pool skimmer cover which avoids the disadvantages of prior devices while affording additional structural and operating advantages.

Generally speaking, the disclosed skimmer opening cover assembly is comprised of an outer plate, an inner support brace, and a connecting rod. The plate and brace are attached to the rod, with a tightening member used to adjust the distance between the two components on the rod. The pool skimmer opening cover assembly is used to prevent water ingress into a pool skimmer through the skimmer opening.

In a specific embodiment, the assembly comprises a cover plate having a front surface, a back surface, and a sealing gasket positioned on the back surface and configured to create a seal around a pool skimmer opening located in an interior sidewall of a swimming pool when the cover plate is positioned over the opening and against the sidewall, and a biasing assembly for securing the cover plate to the sidewall by maintaining a constant force against the pool sidewall.

In an embodiment, the biasing assembly comprises a rod connected by a first end to the cover plate and a support brace adjustably connected to a second end of the rod and configured to engage a surface within the pool skimmer. Preferably the rod extends into a pool skimmer when the outer plate is positioned to cover the pool skimmer opening, and the support brace secures the outer plate in position by engaging a surface within the skimmer.

In other specific embodiments, the pool skimmer opening cover assembly comprises an adjustment mechanism which allows tightening and loosening of the cover plate against the interior sidewall of the swimming pool.

These and other aspects of the invention may be understood more readily from the following description and the appended drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected, there are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

FIG. 1 is perspective view of a typical skimmer device having an opening to allow water into the skimmer cavity;

FIG. 2 is schematic illustrating a typical skimmer device as installed in a swimming pool;

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosed skimmer opening cover assembly;

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the assembly shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the assembly shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the assembly components of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the disclosed skimmer opening cover;

FIG. 8 is a bottom perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 10 is a schematic illustrating the installation of an embodiment of the disclosed skimmer opening cover assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail at least one preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to any of the specific embodiments illustrated.

Referring to FIGS. 1-10, there is illustrated at least one embodiment of the disclosed pool skimmer cover assembly, generally designated by the numeral 10. The particular illustrated skimmer cover assembly 10 is for both in-ground and above ground pools. That is, it should be understood that the principles of the invention can be broadly applied to any pool having an open skimmer basket as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Generally speaking, the skimmer basket (or just “skimmer”) 100 includes an opening 102 defined by a face plate 103 on an interior wall 104 of the pool (not shown) leading to a cavity 106. A weir or flap 108 is typically positioned within the cavity 106 to prevent backflow of water into the pool. The cavity 106 is defined by a throat 110 which feeds into a filter basket 112. A suction pump (not shown) creates a vacuum within the skimmer cavity 106 pulling water through the filter basket 112 to remove material such as leaves, bugs, and the like. There is at least one skimmer 100 on most pools, with larger pools having several skimmers spaced about the interior wall 104. When a pool is winterized, these skimmers must be covered to prevent water from entering the cavity where freezing temperatures can cause water to damage the skimmer 100.

As shown in FIG. 3, a preferred embodiment of the disclosed skimmer cover assembly 10 is comprised of an outer cover plate 12, an inner support brace 14, and a threaded connecting rod 16. The cover plate 12 is preferably comprised of a suitable plastic material which can withstand sustained freezing temperatures without cracking or deforming. The outer cover plate 12 is preferably large enough to fit over any size and shape skimmer opening 102 in a pool sidewall 104. This allows the present assembly 10 to be used universally on most skimmers, as opposed to requiring multiple sizes and shapes for different skimmer manufacturers.

As shown in FIG. 4, the outer cover plate 12 includes a sealing gasket 20 and structural ribs 22 on one side of the plate 12. The gasket 20, which is preferably a foam or rubber material, extends from the back surface and is designed to encircle the skimmer opening 102. This is used to form a seal against the interior wall 104 of the pool to prevent water leaking into the skimmer 100. A biasing assembly is used to create a continuous force to maintain a seal between the gasket 20 and the pool wall 104. The ribs 22 are used to improve the structural integrity of the plate 12. The current rib configuration uses a center ring with radial ribs extending to the gasket 20. Alternate rib configurations may be more useful for different applications. Additionally, support brackets 24 (FIG. 5) may be attached to a surface of the plate 12, the front surface is shown, to improve structural integrity of the plate 12 as well.

Referring to FIGS. 3-4, the preferred biasing assembly comprises rod 16 and brace 14. As shown, the rod 16 attaches to the plate 12—via a first threaded end 30 of the rod 16 and a threaded sleeve or bolt 32 at the center area of the plate 12—and extends into the skimmer cavity 106. The rod 16 should be long enough to extend through the throat 110 of the skimmer cavity 106 to permit attachment of the brace 14. Preferably, the rod 16 is made from stainless steel, carbon fiber or any other strong, corrosion-resistant, rust-resistant material known and used by those skilled in the art.

An alternate embodiment of the skimmer cover assembly 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 7-9. As shown, the brace 14 of this embodiment is significantly larger that the bar used for the embodiment of FIGS. 3-6. The larger brace 14 provides greater surface area in which engagement with an interior surface of the skimmer can be made. This embodiment may be useful where the skimmer cavity 106 is sufficiently large enough to accommodate the larger brace 14.

Referring now to FIG. 10, the brace 14 is configured to be positioned within the cavity 106 on the side of the throat 110 opposite the skimmer opening 102. The brace 14 is connected to a second end of the rod 16 which extends through the throat 110 and is opposite to a first end connected to the plate 12 outside the cavity 106. Preferably, the brace 16 is a metal bar having a length sufficient to engage a surface within the cavity 106, as shown. Several positioning holes 34 (FIG. 4) in the brace 14 are used to allow lateral adjustment of the rod attachment, as necessary. For example, the positioning holes 34 may be at a center point, and equidistant right and left of center. This would allow the brace to be used in alternate (e.g., non-symmetrical) skimmer cavities.

An adjustment mechanism is used to tighten the seal of the gasket 20 on the plate 12 over the skimmer opening 102 and against the interior pool sidewall 104, as the brace 14 is held in place within the cavity 106. As shown, the adjustment mechanism is the combination of the threaded second end of the rod 16 and a threaded nut 26, which holds the brace 14 on the rod 16. By turning the nut 26, the brace 14 is biased against the surface within the cavity 106, which in turn tightens the plate 12 and gasket 20 against the interior wall 104 of the pool. While the threaded rod 16 and nut 26 configuration provides for incremental adjustment, as well as easy placement and removal of the assembly 10, other mechanisms may be used. For example, a ratchet and pawl mechanism (not shown), or multiple holes and a pin (not shown), or even a friction mount (not shown) to hold the brace 14 in place, are well-known to those skilled in the art.

The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants' contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.

Claims

1. A pool skimmer opening cover assembly for preventing water ingress into a pool skimmer through the skimmer opening, the assembly comprising:

an outer cover plate having a front surface and a back surface, and configured to sealingly cover a pool skimmer opening in an interior sidewall of a swimming pool;

a rod connected by a first end to a central area of the back surface of the outer cover plate; and

a support brace adjustably connected to a second end of the rod and configured to engage a surface within the pool skimmer;

wherein the rod extends into a pool skimmer when the outer plate is positioned to cover the pool skimmer opening, and the support brace secures the outer plate in position by engaging a surface within the skimmer.

2. The pool skimmer opening cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the rod is threaded on at least one end.

3. The pool skimmer opening cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the outer cover plate comprises a sealing gasket on the back surface.

4. The pool skimmer opening cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the support brace is adjustable along a length of the rod to bias the outer cover plate against the interior sidewall of the swimming pool.

5. The pool skimmer opening cover assembly of claim 4, wherein the support brace comprises a plurality of orifices for alternate attachment to the rod.

6. The pool skimmer opening cover assembly of claim 1, further comprising an adjustment mechanism which allows tightening and loosening of the outer cover plate against the interior sidewall of the swimming pool.

7. The pool skimmer opening cover assembly of claim 6, wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a threaded second end of the rod and an attached nut.

8. The pool skimmer opening cover assembly of claim 6, wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a locking collet attached to the second end of the rod.

9. The pool skimmer opening cover assembly of claim 6, wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a locking pin and a plurality of apertures in the second end of the rod.

10. A pool skimmer opening cover assembly for preventing water ingress into a pool skimmer through the skimmer opening, the assembly comprising:

a cover plate having a front surface, a back surface, and a sealing gasket positioned on the back surface and configured to create a seal around a pool skimmer opening located in an interior sidewall of a swimming pool when the cover plate is positioned over the opening and against the sidewall, and

a biasing assembly for securing the cover plate to the sidewall by maintaining a constant force against the pool sidewall.

11. The pool skimmer opening cover assembly of claim 10, wherein the biasing assembly comprises a rod connected by a first end to the cover plate and a support brace adjustably connected to a second end of the rod and configured to engage a surface within the pool skimmer.

12. The pool skimmer opening cover assembly of claim 11, wherein the rod extends into a pool skimmer when the outer plate is positioned to cover the pool skimmer opening, and the support brace secures the outer plate in position by engaging a surface within the skimmer.

13. The pool skimmer opening cover assembly of claim 10, further comprising an adjustment mechanism which allows tightening and loosening of the cover plate against the interior sidewall of the swimming pool.

14. The pool skimmer opening cover assembly of claim 13, wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a threaded second end of the rod and an attached nut.

15. The pool skimmer opening cover assembly of claim 13, wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a locking collet attached to the second end of the rod.

16. The pool skimmer opening cover assembly of claim 13, wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a locking pin and a plurality of apertures in the second end of the rod.