Pool Cover Hinged Sliding Assembly

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 18/415,911, filed Jan. 18, 2024, entitled “Pool Cover Hinged Sliding Assembly,” now allowed, which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/566,592, filed Dec. 30, 2021, entitled “Pool Cover Hinged Sliding Assembly,” and issued on Feb. 27, 2024 as U.S. Pat. No. 11,913,248, which claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/133,676, filed Jan. 4, 2021, entitled “Pool Cover Hinged Sliding Assembly,” the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

This application relates generally to pool cover assemblies, and more particularly, although not necessarily exclusively, to pool cover assemblies that include hinged sliding assemblies used to assist in moving a pool cover along a track.

Pool cover assemblies, including automated pool cover assemblies, can be installed on various types of pools, including fiberglass pools, gunite or concrete pools, and vinyl liner pools. An automated pool cover assembly may use a motor to cause the pool cover to extend and retract over the pool to cover and uncover the pool. The pool cover assembly may include a track that runs the full length of the pool on both sides along which the pool cover extends and retracts. The pool cover assembly may also include a sliding assembly that attaches to the pool cover and is retained in the track. The sliding assembly may assist in moving the pool cover along the track as the pool cover is extended and retracted. Conventionally, the sliding assembly may permit movement of the pool cover or between components of the sliding assembly itself. This movement may cause excessive wear on the pool cover and/or the sliding assembly.

The terms “invention,” “the invention,” “this invention” and “the present invention” used in this patent are intended to refer broadly to all of the subject matter of this patent and the patent claims below. Statements containing these terms should be understood not to limit the subject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of the patent claims below. Embodiments of the invention covered by this patent are defined by the claims below, not this summary. This summary is a high-level overview of various aspects of the invention and introduces some of the concepts that are further described in the Detailed Description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent, any or all drawings and each claim.

Certain embodiments and features of the present disclosure relate to pool cover assemblies, including pool cover assemblies that may provide for less wear and potential for damage to the various elements of the pool cover assemblies as the pool cover extends and retracts, which may in some cases negatively affect the functionality of the pool cover system. In some embodiments, the pool cover assembly includes a track, a pool cover that includes a rope extending along at least one edge of the pool cover, and a hinged sliding assembly that includes a slider member and a hinged rope lock member coupled to the slider member.

The subject matter of embodiments of the present invention is described here with specificity to meet statutory requirements, but this description is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the claims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, may include different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction with other existing or future technologies. This description should not be interpreted as implying any particular order or arrangement among or between various steps or elements except when the order of individual steps or arrangement of elements is explicitly described. Directional references such as “up,” “upper,” “lower,” “down,” “top,” “left,” “right,” “bottom,” among others, are not intended to be limiting and are instead intended to refer to the orientation as illustrated and described in the figure (or figures) to which the components and directions are referencing.

Certain embodiments and features of the present disclosure relate to pool cover assemblies, including pool cover assemblies that may provide for less wear and potential for damage to the various elements of the pool cover assemblies as the pool cover extends and retracts. In some embodiments, the pool cover assembly includes a track, a pool cover that includes a rope extending along at least one edge of the pool cover, and a hinged sliding assembly that includes a slider member and a hinged rope lock member coupled to the slider member.

The hinged rope lock member and the slider member may be coupled to one another by snap-fitting the hinged rope lock member to a rod member that extends across an opening in the slider member. Thus an entire longitudinal length of the hinged rope lock member may be secured relative to the slider member. The hinged rope lock member may slide along and rotate around the rod as necessary, but is constrained to reduce pivoting or twisting in an undesirable manner. The rope may extend through a rope opening of the hinged rope lock member and may be coupled to the hinged rope lock member using any suitable fasteners, e.g., screws. The pool cover may be coupled to the slider member. Due to the coupling of the rope to the hinged sliding assembly and the coupling of the hinged sliding assembly to the pool cover, pulling on the rope causes the pool cover to extend along the track.

As previously mentioned, the coupling of the hinged rope lock member to the slider member reduces undesirable pivoting and twisting of the hinged rope lock member while still allowing for some rotation and movement of the hinged rope lock member around and along the rod member. Undesirable pivoting and twisting of the hinged rope lock member could occur if the hinged rope lock member were not coupled to the slider member due to the forces acting on the hinged rope lock member as the pool cover is being extended and retracted. For example, a free floating hinged rope lock member relative to the slider member may pivot and twist along the horizontal plane extending through the slider member. This can result in unnecessary and excessive wear and damage to the slider member, the hinged rope lock member, and/or the track. Hingedly coupling the hinged rope lock member to the slider member reduces this undesirable pivoting and twisting while still allowing for some movement of the hinged rope lock member. Additionally, by coupling the hinged rope lock member to the slider member using a snap-fit connection, the hinged rope lock member and/or the slider member may be individually replaced or removed for repair if needed.

According to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in, a poolmay include a plurality of wall panels, a plurality of corner panels, and a pool cover assembly. The pool cover assemblymay include at least one trackthat runs substantially along an edge of the pooland may include a pool cover. Though the poolis shown having four wall panelsand four corner panels, more or fewer wall panelsand corner panelsmay define the pool, in some aspects the poolmay be a vinyl liner pool, a fiberglass pool, a concrete pool, or a gunite pool and may be formed in-ground or above-ground.

The various elements of the pooldescribed below may be formed of materials including but not limited to aluminum, steel, stainless steel, concrete, stone, plastic, ceramic, fiberglass, aramid fibers, polymer, polycarbonate, polypropylene, other metallic materials, composite materials, or other similar materials. Additionally, each element of the poolmay be formed of the same materials or of different materials.

The plurality of wall panelsmay be joined together along with the plurality of corner panelsto form the outer structure and sides of the pool. The poolis formed up at an upper edge of the plurality of wall panelsand the plurality of corner panelsto allow for concrete or a deck to be formed around the pool. A plurality of encapsulation members may be coupled to the upper edge of the plurality of wall panelsand the plurality of corner panelsto form up the pool.

In some embodiments, the pool cover assemblymay be automated and is at least partially housed in a housingat a first endof the pool. The housing may also include a roller tube, which the pool coveris rolled up on and rolled off of inside the housing. The pool covermay be in a stored position when the pool coveris rolled up on the roller tubeand may be in a deployed position when the pool coverhas been at least partially rolled off the roller tubeat least to partially cover the pool.

In some embodiments, the trackextends around two or more edges of the pool. For example, in some embodiments, the trackmay extend around three sides of the poolexcluding the first end. In some embodiments, only a third edgeand a fourth edgeeach include a trackthat extends the full length of the pool. Thus, the pool covermay travel within the trackas the pool coveris extended and retracted. In some embodiments, the pool covermay include a rope, a bead, or other suitable feature extending along the length of the pool coverthat may engage with the trackto retain the pool coverwithin the trackand above the water of the pool. The rope may have any suitable cross-section, e.g., circular, square, triangular, rectangular, hexagonal, etc., and may be formed from any suitable material where the length of the material is substantially larger than the diameter, e.g., fibers twisted together, a single extruded material, metal material, etc.

When the pool cover assemblyis automated, a motor (not shown) may be used to extend the pool coveralong the at least one trackacross the pool. For example, the at least one trackmay receive at least a portion of the pool cover, and the motor may cause the pool coverto move from the first endof the poolproximate to the housingto extend in a direction towards a second endof the pooland may cause the pool cover to at least partially roll off the roller tube. The second endof the poolis positioned at an opposite end of the poolfrom the first end. When the pool coverextends to the second end, the poolis covered or enclosed by the pool cover. However, for clarity purposes, this is not shown in. The motor may also be used to retract the pool coverwhen the pool cover is in a deployed position by causing the pool coverto move from the second endto the first endand at least partially roll up on the roller tube. In other embodiments, the pool covermay be moved manually from the first endof the pooltowards the second endof the pool.

In some embodiments, the roller tubemay act as a winch and rolls the rope onto the roller tube. The rope may extend through a set of pulleys positioned at the second end. Thus the rope may be moved by the motor through the set of pulleys to cause the pool coverat least to partially roll on or off of the roller tube. The rope may be a Dyneema® or an ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) rope or any other suitable type of rope or other suitable material.

In some embodiments, the pool cover assemblyalso includes a hinged sliding assembly(as shown in) that may include a hinged rope lock memberas shown inand a slider member(shown in). The hinged rope lock membermay have a bodyhaving a longitudinal length. The bodymay define a grooveand an attachment openingeach extending at least partially along the longitudinal lengthof the body. The bodymay have any suitable shape, e.g., rectangular, circular, triangular, trapezoidal, polygonal, etc.

Additionally, the hinged rope lock membermay include a sleeveintegrally formed with or coupled to the body. The sleevemay define a rope openingextending along the longitudinal lengthof the bodyand at least one fastener opening, which may extend substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal lengthof the body. In some embodiments, as may be seen in, the sleevemay completely encircle the rope openingexcept for the at least one fastener opening. In further embodiments, as may be seen in, the hinged rope lock membermay instead include a sleevethat may not be fully closed so as to define a snap-fit openingthat provides access to the rope opening. The remaining features of the hinged rope lock membermay be the same as those shown in.

The attachment openingmay be positioned proximate to a first end regionof the bodyand the sleevemay be positioned proximate to, extend from, or be coupled to a second end regionof the body. It is understood that the first end regionand the second end regionare not meant to be limiting and may be switched so that the attachment openingmay be positioned proximate to the second end regionand the sleevemay be positioned proximate to, extend from, or be coupled to the first end region. Further, the bodymay have a leading edgeand a trailing edge.

The hinged rope lock membermay be coupled to the slider memberto form the hinged sliding assembly, as shown in. As shown in, the slider memberdefines an openingthat may be sized and shaped to receive the hinged rope lock member. The slider memberhas a longitudinal length. The groovemay extend at least partially along the longitudinal length of the slider member. The slider membermay have any suitable shape, e.g., rectangular, circular, triangular, trapezoidal, polygonal, etc. In some embodiments, the slider membermay define a plurality of openings extending through the slider member. The plurality of openings may assist with or permit the coupling of the pool coverto the slider member.

The slider membermay include a rod memberthat may extend at least partially along the longitudinal lengthof the slider member. In some embodiments, the rod memberextends along the entire longitudinal lengthof the slider member. The rod memberextends through the slider membersuch that at least a portion of the rod memberextends across the opening.

In certain embodiments, the openingis sized and shaped to receive at least a portion of the hinged rope lock member. The hinged rope lock membermay be positioned within the openingand may be hingedly coupleable to the slider member. For example, the hinged rope lock membermay be snap-fit to the rod membervia the attachment opening. Additionally, the hinged rope lock membermay be coupled to the rod memberof the slider memberalong the entire longitudinal lengthof the hinged rope lock member.

The snap-fit engagement between the hinged rope lock memberan the rod memberpermits lateral movement of the hinged rope lock memberalong the rod memberas well as rotational movement of the hinged rope lock memberabout the rod member. As the hinged rope lock memberslides along the rod member, the leading edgeof the hinged rope lock membermay contact or abut a leading edgeof the openingof the slider member. Furthermore, as the hinged rope lock memberslides along the rod member, the trailing edgeof the hinged rope lock membermay contact or abut a trailing edgeof the openingof the slider member.

The coupling of the hinged rope lock memberto the slider memberreduces undesirable pivoting and twisting of the hinged rope lock member while still allowing for some rotation and movement of the hinged rope lock memberaround and along the rod member. Undesirable pivoting and twisting of the hinged rope lock membermay occur if the hinged rope lock memberis not coupled to the slider memberdue to the forces acting on the hinged rope lock memberas the pool cover is being extended and retracted. For example, a free floating hinged rope lock member relative to the slider membermay pivot and twist along the horizontal plane extending through the slider member. This can result in unnecessary and excessive wear and damage to the slider member, the hinged rope lock member, and/or the track.

depicts the hinged sliding assemblywith the hinged rope lock membercoupled to the slider member, the pool cover, and the trackof the pool cover assembly. The hinged sliding assemblymay be coupled to the pool cover, which may include the rope, and may be at least partially arranged within the trackof the pool cover assembly, as shown in. The pool cover, rope, and trackmay be the same or include the same or similar elements as the pool cover, the rope, and the track, respectively, discussed in relation to.

shows a front view of the hinged sliding assemblycoupled with the pool coverand partially retained within the trackof, andshows a cross-sectional view along line CC of the hinged sliding assemblycoupled with the pool coverand partially retained within the trackof.

In some embodiments, the pool covermay be coupled to the hinged sliding assemblyvia the slider member. For example, one or more screws or any other suitable fastener (e.g., screws, nuts and bolts, snap-fit buttons, adhesive, etc.) may extend through the pool coverand the plurality of openings in the slider memberto couple the pool coverto the slider member. However, any other suitable form of attachment may be used to couple the pool coverto the slider member. Additionally, the pool covermay be coupled to the hinged sliding assemblyvia the hinged rope lock memberby having the ropepositioned within the rope openingof the sleeve(or sleeveas shown and discussed below in relation to). The ropemay be further secured to the sleeve(or sleeve), for example via one or more fasteners (e.g., screws, nuts and bolts, snap-fit buttons, adhesive, etc.) which in some embodiments may pass through the at least one fastener openingin the sleeve(or).

In some embodiments, the pool covermay define an opening. The openingmay substantially align with the hinged rope lock memberwhen the pool coveris coupled to the hinged sliding assemblyso that the pool coverdoes not cover the hinged rope lock member. Thus, the pool coverdoes not obstruct any movement of the hinged rope lock memberrelative to the slider member. Additionally, the openingmay extend along a length of the pool coverso that the hinged rope lock memberand at least a portion of the slider memberis not covered by the pool cover.

For example, at a front end of the hinged sliding assembly, the pool covermay extend substantially continuously from the ropeacross the slider memberas is shown in. After the opening, the pool covermay extend only partially across the slider memberas is shown in.

As shown inthe pool cover assemblymay be assembled such that the hinged sliding assemblyis positioned such that at least a portion of the hinged rope lock memberand at least a portion of the slider memberare positioned within at least one channelof the track. For example, the sleeveof the hinged rope lock memberand the ropemay be positioned within the channeland at least a portion of the body, e.g., the second end regionof the body, may be positioned within the channel. In some embodiments, the grooveof the hinged rope lock memberand the grooveof the slider membermay engage with a lipof the trackwhen the portions of the hinged rope lock memberand the slider memberare positioned within the at least one channelof the track.

shows a bottom view of the hinged sliding assemblycoupled with the pool coverand partially retained within the trackof.

show the pool cover assemblywhere the hinged rope lock memberof the hinged sliding assemblyincludes the sleevethat may not be fully closed.

In some embodiments, the longitudinal lengthof the hinged rope lock memberand the longitudinal lengthof the slider membermay be substantially parallel to the trackwhen the hinged sliding assemblyis arranged within the at least one channelof the track. When a tension force is applied to the ropeon either side of the hinged rope lock member, the tension force will cause the hinged sliding assemblyto move along the at least one channelof the track.

For example, as the hinged rope lock memberslides along the rod memberdue to the tension force applied to a leading side of the rope, the leading edgeof the hinged rope lock membermay contact or abut a leading edgeof the openingof the slider member. This contact will cause the slider memberand the attached pool coverto move along with the hinged rope lock memberand thus extend the pool coverover the pool. Furthermore, as the hinged rope lock memberslides along the rod memberdue to the tension force applied to a trailing side of the rope, which is an opposite direction to the tension force applied to the leading side of the rope, the trailing edgeof the hinged rope lock membermay contact or abut a trailing edgeof the openingof the slider member. This contact will cause the slider memberand the attached pool coverto move along with the hinged rope lock memberand thus retract the pool coverover the pool.

Different arrangements of the components depicted in the drawings or described above, as well as components and steps not shown or described are possible. Similarly, some features and sub-combinations are useful and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. Examples of the invention have been described for illustrative and not restrictive purposes, and alternative examples will become apparent to readers of this patent. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the examples described above or depicted in the drawings, and various examples and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims.

It should be noted that the systems and devices discussed above are intended merely to be examples. It must be stressed that various embodiments may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. Also, features described with respect to certain embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Different aspects and elements of the embodiments may be combined in a similar manner. Also, it should be emphasized that technology evolves and, thus, many of the elements are examples and should not be interpreted to limit the scope of the invention.

As used below, any reference to a series of examples is to be understood as a reference to each of those examples disjunctively (e.g., “Examples 1-4” is to be understood as “Examples 1, 2, 3, or 4”). In the following, further examples are described to facilitate the understanding of the invention:

Example 1 is a hinged sliding assembly (which may incorporate features of any of the subsequent examples) for a pool cover assembly comprising: a slider member comprising a rod member and defining an opening, wherein the slider member is coupleable to a pool cover; and a hinged rope lock member coupled to the rod member and positioned at least partially within the opening, wherein the hinged rope lock member is coupleable to a rope of the pool cover.

Example 2 is the hinged sliding assembly of example(s) 1 or any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the rod member extends at least partially across the opening.

Example 3 is the hinged sliding assembly of example(s) 1 or any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the rod member extends substantially along a longitudinal length of the slider member.

Example 4 is the hinged sliding assembly of example(s) 1 or any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the hinged rope lock member is coupled to the rod member along an entire longitudinal length of the hinged rope lock member.

Example 5 is the hinged sliding assembly of example(s) 1 or any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the hinged rope lock member is slidable along and rotatable about the rod member.

Example 6 is the hinged sliding assembly of example(s) 1 or any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein a leading edge and a trailing edge of the hinged rope lock member contact a leading edge and a trailing edge of the opening as the hinged rope lock member slides along the rod member.

Example 7 is the hinged sliding assembly of example(s) 1 or any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the hinged rope lock member is coupled to the rod member via a snap-fit engagement.

Example 8 is a pool cover assembly (which may incorporate features of any of the preceding or subsequent examples) comprising: a track; a pool cover comprising a rope extending along at least one edge of the pool cover; and a hinged sliding assembly moveable along the track, the hinged sliding assembly comprising: a slider member comprising a rod member and defining an opening, wherein the slider member is coupled to the pool cover; and a hinged rope lock member coupled to the rod member proximate a first end of the hinged rope lock member, coupled to the rope proximate a second end of the hinged rope lock member, and positioned at least partially within the opening.

Example 9 is the pool cover assembly of example(s) 8 or any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the slider member and the hinged rope lock member are arranged at least partially within a channel of the track.

Example 10 is the pool cover assembly of example(s) 8 or any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the rod member extends at least partially across the opening.

Example 11 is the pool cover assembly of example(s) 8 or any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the rod member extends substantially along a longitudinal length of the slider member.

Example 12 is the pool cover assembly of example(s) 8 or any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the hinged rope lock member is coupled to the rod member along an entire longitudinal length of the hinged rope lock member.

Example 13 is the pool cover assembly of example(s) 8 or any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the hinged rope lock member is slidable along and rotatable about the rod member.