Kit and method for preventing a swimming pool cleaner from becoming caught on a main drain cover

Abstract

A kit for preventing a swimming pool cleaner from becoming caught on a main drain cover of a swimming pool including a flexible clip-on protective device with a printed company logo and an installation tool with three cylindrical retainers. The installation tool mounts the clip-on protective device onto the main drain cover to force the swimming pool cleaner to tilt to one side, so that the suction forces of the swimming pool cleaner and the main drain will not interact with each other. The installation tool is made by injection molding with a uniform thickness of 0.165 inch.

Claims

1. A kit for preventing a swimming pool cleaner from becoming caught on a main drain cover being on top of a main drain of a swimming pool comprising: a) a clip-on protective device; and b) an installation tool to mount the clip-on protective device onto two opposite apertures of a circular ring of apertures of the main drain cover at a bottom of a swimming pool to force the swimming pool cleaner to tilt to one side, so that suction forces of the swimming pool cleaner and the main drain will not interact with each other; wherein the clip-on protective device comprises an arch shaped flexible member having two resting portions and two mounting hooks each located on each end thereof to engage with the two opposite apertures of the circular ring of apertures of the main drain cover.

2. The kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the arched shaped flexible member is comprised out of a durable UV resistant plastic material having a specific gravity less than 1.0 so the clip-on protective device floats and therefore can be easily retrieved from the pool.

3. The kit as recited in claim 2, wherein the durable UV resistant plastic material is transparent Polypropylene (PP) material.

4. The kit as recited in claim 2, wherein the durable UV resistant plastic material is available in a variety of colors to match with the interior of the swimming pool.

5. The kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the resting portions flatly engage a top surface of the main drain cover in order to hold the clip-on protective device in a vertical position.

6. The kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the clip-on protective device and the two resting portions have a width of 0.7 inch.

7. The kit as recited in claim 1, wherein each mounting hook has a width smaller than a width of the apertures so each hook can easily snap into the apertures.

8. The kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the installation tool and a shaft of the tool are both made of Polyamide (PA), and Glass fiber Reinforcement.

9. The kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the installation tool further comprises three cylindrical retainers are arranged in a triangular configuration.

10. The kit as recited in claim 9, wherein a distance between apex retainer to each other retainer is about 2.0 inches and a distance between other two retainers is about 3.5 inches.

11. The kit as recited in claim 9, wherein each of the retainers has a height of 0. 85 inch and a radius of 0.15 inch.

12. A kit for preventing a swimming pool cleaner from becoming caught on a main drain cover being on top of a main drain of a swimming pool comprising: a) a clip-on protective device; and b) an installation tool to mount the clip-on protective device onto two opposite apertures of a circular ring of apertures of the main drain cover at a bottom of a swimming pool to force the swimming pool cleaner to tilt to one side, so that suction forces of the swimming pool cleaner and the main drain will not interact with each other; wherein the installation tool further comprises a shaft insertable and maintained within an open end of a telescoping pool utility pole and the shaft has a flat extension piece.

13. The kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the installation tool further comprising a plurality of keyways on a back and each of the keyways having an incremental angle equal or not equal to one or more other incremental angles.

14. The kit as recited in claim 12, wherein the flat extension piece further has hexagonal ridges for a wing nut and a key to mate with one of five keyways on a back of the installation tool.

15. The kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the installation tool is made by injection molding.

16. The kit of claim 12, wherein the installation tool further comprises: a threaded shank mounted transversely to the flat extension piece; a head having a hole at an apex thereof for the threaded shank to extend therethrough; a nut to engage with the threaded shank to pivotally retain the triangular shaped head to the flat extension piece; and three spaced apart cylindrical retainers on head to releasably hold the clip-on protective device thereto, one of the retainers being located away from a line connecting the other two retainers.

17. The kit as recited in claim 1, wherein the circular ring of apertures further comprises fifty apertures each has a width of 0.3 inch.

18. A method for using a protective clip-on device to prevent a swimming pool cleaner from becoming caught on a main drain cover of a swimming pool comprising the steps of: a) attaching an installation tool to a telescoping pool utility pole; b) placing a clip-on protective device onto the installation tool wherein the clip-on protective device is held by three cylindrical retainers in a triangular configuration; c) maneuvering the installation tool with the clip-on protective device in an upstanding position over the main drain cover from one side of the swimming pool; d) inserting a first hook of the clip-on protective device into a first aperture on an outer circumference of the main drain cover; e) stretching the clip-on protective device across the main drain cover; f) snapping a second hook of the clip-on protective device into a second aperture on the outer circumference of the main drain cover so the clip-on protective device can be held firmly in the upstanding position; and g) removing horizontally the installation tool from the clip-on protective device, whereby the clip-on protective device will prevent the swimming pool cleaner from becoming caught on the main drain cover of the swimming pool.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) The figures of the drawings are briefly described as follows:

(2) FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the clip-on protective device;

(4) FIG. 1C is a front-view of the clip-on protective device;

(5) FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the clip-on protective device on the installation tool ready to be installed on the main drain cover;

(6) FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing one end of the clip-on protective device inserted into first aperture of a circular ring of plurality of apertures in the main drain cover;

(7) FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another end of the clip-on protective device inserted into a second aperture of a circular ring of plurality of apertures in the main drain cover;

(8) FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the installation tool removed from the clip-on protective device on the main drain cover;

(9) FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the clip-on protective device preventing the pool cleaner from getting caught on the main drain cover of the swimming pool;

(10) FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the shaft of the installation tool;

(11) FIG. 7B is a top view of the shaft of the installation tool;

(12) FIG. 7C is a front view of the shaft of the installation tool;

(13) FIG. 8A is a front view of the installation tool;

(14) FIG. 8B is a back view of the installation tool;

(15) FIG. 8C is a front view of the installation tool with the shaft;

(16) FIG. 8D is a back view of the installation tool with the shaft; and

(17) FIG. 8E is a perspective view of the installation tool.

REFERENCE NUMERALS UTILIZED IN THE DRAWING

(18) 110 kit 112 swimming pool cleaner 114 main drain cover 116 swimming pool 118 clip-on protective device of kit 110 119 installation tool 120 arch shaped flexible member of device 118 122 mounting hook of member 120 124 apertures of a circular ring of plurality of apertures in main drain cover 114 126 durable UV resistant plastic material of member 120 128 shaft of tool 119 130 pool utility pole 132 flat extension piece of shaft 128 134 threaded shank of tool 119 136 triangular shaped head of tool 119 138 wing nut of tool 119 to tie up with a shaft 128 140 (A,B,C) cylindrical retainers of tool 119 arranged in a triangular configuration 148 hexagonal ridges to hold the nut of the wing nut 138

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(19) As shown in FIG. 1A, the present invention is a kit 110 for preventing a swimming pool cleaner 112 (as shown in FIG. 6) from becoming caught on a main drain cover 114 of a swimming pool 116. The kit 110 includes a clip-on protective device 118 and an installation tool 119. An installation tool 119 mounts the clip-on protective device 118 onto the main drain cover 114 to force the swimming pool cleaner 112 to tilt to one side, so that the suction forces of the swimming pool cleaner 112 and the main drain will not interact with each other. A threaded shank 134 is mounted transversely to the flat extension piece 132. A triangular shaped head 136 has a hole (not shown) at an apex thereof for the threaded shank 134 to extend therethrough. Awing nut 138 engages with the threaded shank 134 to pivotally retain the triangular shaped head 136 to the flat extension piece 132. Three spaced apart cylindrical retainers 140A, 140B, 140C are on the triangular shaped head 136 to releasably hold the clip-on protective device 118 thereto. The three cylindrical retainers 140A, 140B, 140C are arranged in a triangular configuration. The distance between apex retainer 140A to each other retainer 140B or 140C is about 2.0 inches. The distance between two retainers 140A and 140B is about 3.5 inches. Each of the retainers 140A-140C has a height of 0.85 inch and a radius of 0.15 inch.

(20) FIG. 1B, shows a cross-sectional view of the clip-on protective device 118. The clip-on protective device 118 and resting portions have a thickness of 0.7 inch. Each of two mounting hooks (on both sides of the clip-on protective device 118) has a thickness or a width of 0.2 inch and a length of 0.3 inch.

(21) In FIGS. 1A & 1C: the clip-on protective device 118 comprises an arch shaped flexible member 120 having two resting portions and two mounting hooks 122 each located on each end thereof to engage with two opposite apertures 124 of a circular ring of the apertures of the main drain cover 114. The width of the apertures 124 is about 0.3 inch. The circular ring includes about 50 apertures. In FIG. 1C, each of the resting portion formed an angle 30 degrees to the horizontal line. The two resting portions flatly engage a top surface of the main drain cover 114 and help to hold strongly the clip-on protective device 118 in a vertical position. The width of the resting portions is the same as the width 0.7 inch of the arch shaped flexible member 120 and the length is 0.8 inch.

(22) The arch shaped flexible member 120 is comprised out of a durable UV resistant plastic material 126. The durable UV resistant plastic material 126 can be resistant to sunlight's degradation and be transparent or is available in a variety of colors to match with the interior of the swimming pool 116. The UV resistant plastic material 126 has a specific gravity less than 1.0 so the clip-on protective device 118 floats and therefore can be easily retrieved from the pool. A company logo Main Drain Clip-On or a company website www.mandrainclipon.com can be imprinted on the device 118.

(23) In FIG. 1C: the clip-on protective device 118 is approximately (0.5) inch to two (02) inches in height, five inches to seven inches wide, and up to on inch deep. The optimal wide of the arch is 6.15 inches. The height of the device 118 is 0.25 inch. The durable UV resistant plastic material 126 of member 120 is made of Polypropylene (PP). The installation tool 119 and shaft 128 of tool 119 are both made of Polyamide (PA), and Glass fiber Reinforcement 10%.

(24) In FIGS. 2-6: A method for preventing the swimming pool cleaner 112 from becoming caught on the main drain cover 114 of the swimming pool 116 comprises the steps of:

(25) 1. Attach the installation tool 119 to the telescoping pool utility pole 130.

(26) 2. Place the clip-on protective device 118 onto the installation tool 119. Then, the installation tool 119 firmly holds the clip-on protective device 118 in place during the installation process.

(27) 3. Maneuver the installation tool 119 with the clip-on protective device 118 in an upstanding or vertical position over the main drain cover 114 from one side of the swimming pool 116, as shown in FIG. 2.

(28) 4. Insert a first end of the clip-on protective device 118 into a first aperture 124 on an outer circumference of the main drain cover 114, as shown in FIG. 3.

(29) 5. Stretch the clip-on protective device 118 across the main drain cover 114.

(30) 6. Snap a second end of the clip-on protective device 118 into another or second aperture 124 on the outer circumference of the main drain cover 114, as shown in FIG. 4. After the clip-on protective device 118 has been stretched into place across the main drain cover 114, the arch of the clip-on device 118 has a larger radius (4.0 inch) than the arch (with 3.8 inch radius) defined by the three retainers (140A, 140B, 140C) of the installation tool 119.

(31) 7. Remove the installation tool 119 from the clip-on protective device 118, as shown in FIG. 5. After installation, the clip-on device 118 pinches the main drain cover 114. Once installed on the main drain cover 114 the clip-on protective device 118 no longer pushes upward on the center (apex) 140A retainer, nor pinches inward on the lower two 140B-C retainers, thereby releasing the installation tool 119 to be horizontally removed from the clip-on protective device 118 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

(32) In FIG. 6, the clip-on protective device 118 will prevent the swimming pool cleaner 112 from becoming caught on the main drain cover 114 of the swimming pool 116.

(33) When installed, the shape of the clip-on protective device 118 forces the swimming pool cleaner 112 to tilt to one side regardless of direction of approach or speed and does not allow the suction forces of the swimming pool cleaner 112 and the main drain to interact to an extent that would cause the swimming pool cleaner 112 to hang-up over the main drain cover 114. The arch shaped flexible member 120 of the device 118 is made of the durable UV resistant plastic material 126. The plastic UV resistant material 126 can be transparent, or available in a variety of colors to match the interior of the swimming pool 116. The arch shaped flexible member 120 snaps onto the existing main drain cover 114. The installation tool 119 is also part of the present invention. The installation tool 119 is connected to the pool utility pole 130, allowing an individual to attach and remove the clip-on protective device 118 without getting in the water. Simply maneuver the device 118 in order to place amounting hook 122 into an aperture 124 in the main drain cover 114. Gently push on the utility pole 130 and place another mounting hook 122 into another aperture 124 in an opposite side of the main drain cover 114. Because the arch shaped flexible member 120 is stretched during the installation process, the arch shaped flexible member 120 will be held firmly to the main drain cover 114 and can be released from the installation tool 119. The arch shaped flexible member 120 fits onto any standard flat top or curved top main drain cover 114. Due to the shape of the installed clip-on protective device 118, the water flow into the main pool drain and the swimming pool cleaner 112 is not compromised.

(34) First way: the installation tool 119 is attached to shaft 128 of tool 119 using threaded shank 134 of tool 119 and wing nut 138 of tool 119. The flat smooth surfaces of flat extension piece 132 of shaft 128 and 119 installation tool are facing each other. This allows the installer to adjust the swivel resistance between flat extension piece 132 and installation tool 119 by tightening or loosening wing nut 138. Having the ability to vary the swivel resistance is a benefit and makes some installations easier.

(35) Second Way: The installation tool 119 has five (05) keyways 152 on the back or on the flat extension piece 132 of shaft 128. When the shaft 128 and tool 119 are assembled with the key 150 of 132 facing tool 119, the key 150 will fit into one of the available five (05) keyways 152 thus giving the installer the ability to select a fixed angular position of tool 119 with respect to shaft 128. The installer may change the angular relationship in increments of 22.5 degrees. Having the ability to choose different fixed positions is a benefit and makes some installations easier.

(36) In FIGS. 7A-7C: the installation tool 119 comprises a shaft 128 insertable and maintained within an open end of a telescoping pool utility pole 130. The shaft 128 has a flat extension piece 132 thereon. The flat extension piece 132 has a thickness of 0.25 inch, a hole (diameter of 0.26 inch) for wing nut 138 and a key 150. The shaft 128 has a length of 3.625 inches.

(37) FIG. 8A is a front view of the installation tool 119 with dimensions: length 3.7 inch; height 2.875 inches (2 inches+0.875 inch), with a hexagonal ridge 148 (height 0.33 inch) for holding nut of the wing nut.

(38) FIG. 8B shows a back view of the installation tool 119 with five (05) keyways or keyslots 152 in incremental angle 22.5 degrees.

(39) FIG. 8C shows a front view of the installation tool 119 with the shaft 118.

(40) FIG. 8D shows a back view of the installation tool 119 with the shaft 118 in mating between key 150 and one of the keyway 152.

(41) FIG. 8E shows the installation tool 119 that has been optimized to facilitate the injection molding manufacturing process. The installation tool 119 has a uniform thickness of 0.165 inch. Injection molding is the most common method of part manufacturing, and is ideal for producing high volumes of the same object. The installation tool 119, as pictured in FIG. 8E, is optimized to take advantage of injection molding high production rates, repeatable high tolerances, minimal scrap losses, and lowest need to finish parts after molding. The installation tool 119 has been optimized for functionality, cosmetics, cost and the plastic injection molding manufacturing process. The installation tool 119 maintains a uniform wall thickness 0.165 inch throughout the part. Having a uniform wall thickness 0.165 inch throughout is essential to efficiently producing a molding (final part) with minimal warping and consistent dimensional tolerances using the injection molding process.

(42) In FIG. 8E: the cylindrical shape of the retainers in installation tool 119 (pictured in FIGS. 1A, and 2-5) has been changed to specific shape in FIG. 8E.

(43) All the characteristics of the retainers (pictured in FIGS. 1A, and 2-5) are maintained in the installation tool 119 (pictured in FIG. 8E). The only difference between the installation tool 119 (pictured in FIGS. 1A, and 2-5), and that in FIG. 8E is the shape has been optimized to facilitate the injection molding manufacturing process.

(44) Specifically, the retainers 140B and 140C of tool 119 have been optimized to maintain a uniform wall thickness (0.165 inch) throughout the installation tool 119. The height of the retainers is 0.85 inch. The shapes of the retainers 140B and 140C of the installation tool 119 have been changed to resemble an elongated wedge shape with uniform wall thickness (0.165 inch). This wedge shape facilitates maintaining a uniform wall thickness throughout the part and increases the overall strength of the installation tool 119.

(45) The shape of 140A retainer of tool 119 has been changed to resemble a hollow triangle with an extended fence on top (also see FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D and 8E). This unique shape of retainer 140A of the installation tool 119 facilitates maintaining a uniform wall thickness throughout the part and increases the overall strength of the installation tool 119. The exact specifications may vary.

(46) It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

(47) While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodiments of a method for installing a clip-on protective device onto a main drain cover of a swimming pool, accordingly it is not limited to the details shown, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

(48) Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.