SHEET 1. OF 2 INVENTOR. SYDNEY M. EISENBERG BY. 2. lefty 27TLRNEY.5

Transcription

1 United States Patent Eisenberg 54 PORTABLE SWIMMING POOL CONSTRUCTION 72 inventor: Sydney M. Eisenberg, 3901 North Lake Drive, Milwaukee, Wis Filed: Oct. 15, Appl. No.: 81,006 (52 U.S.C...4/172.19, 4/ int.c.... E04h 3/16, E04h 3/18 58) Field of Search...4/172,172.19, 1, , ; 52/281, ) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,458,875 8/1969 Michalke et al ,546,720 12/1970 Hochet al / ,551,920 1/1971 Greene ,564,623 2/1971 Schaeffer ,584,319 6/1971 Van Den Brock Primary Examiner-Henry K. Artis Attorney-Polachek & Saulsbury 57 ABSTRACT This swimming pool construction comprises generally two platform floor pieces which are hingedly connected to one side of the pieces so that the pieces can be opened up in book fashion to be extended. The pieces are cut away adjacent a (15 3,648,300 (45) Mar. 14, 1972 hinge connection to provide a swimming pool opening and the fiberglass swimming pool unit may be placed into this opening and supported from the platform by its peripheral flange at the top of the swimming pool unit or tank. Means are provided for stiffening the extended pieces when open and also telescoping jacks are provided at each side of the open pieces to support the same in an elevated position so that the swimming pool tank will be suspended from the platform without engagement with the ground. Removable fence pieces can be secured about the full platform area and to the edges thereof and will extend above and below the platform. Bathhouse assemblies, a step and platform assembly for providing access to the pool is provided at opposite sides of the extended platform. The telescoping jacks are pivotally connected to their mounting structures and can be adjustable between vertical and horizon tal positions. In the horizontal position they can be stored. Wheel and axle assemblies in which the axles thereof are releasably clamped to the wheel mounting structures can be removed once the platform is supported upon its jacks. With the jacks raised the platform can be supported upon the wheels and transported. A hitch device is provided on one of the platform pieces for the purposes of towing or pulling the assembly. The wheel structures are provided, but one of the pieces can effect transportation of the construction upon the platforms being hinged over one another. The fence pieces, bathhouse pieces, step pieces can be placed on the overlying floor pieces and covered by the fiberglass swimming tank when placed thereover and rested upon its top flange, so that the entire assembly with all the various pieces can be sup ported in tact. 10 Drawing Figures

2 PATENTED MAR SHEET 1. OF 2 3,648, 3 OO INVENTOR. SYDNEY M. EISENBERG BY 2. lefty 27TLRNEY.5

3 . PATENTED MAR 14, 1972 SHEET 2 OF 2 3,648, 3OO ZZZZZZXXi484 t ESS. AAAAA a A. a a s : F.G. 6. INVENTOR. SYDNEY M. EISENBERG 2-left 4 y 2TTORNEY5

4 1. PORTABLE SWIMMENGPOOL CONSTRUCTION This invention relates to a portable swimming pool. It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable swimming pool that can be readily set up for use when trans ferred from one location to another and in which the parts can be closed upon one another and carried by the floor pieces. It is another object of the invention to provide a portable swimming pool construction which will be complete with a swimming pool unit, the platform area about the swimming pool and with fencing about the edges of the platform area in cluding bath house means and a step and platform means ex tended from the ground of one side of the assembly to provide access to the swimming pool platform. It is another object of the invention to provide a portable swimming pool construction in which wheel axle assemblies can be removed from the assembled platform and in which the platform floor pieces are provided with retractable telescop ing jacks which can be pivoted between horizontal transport ing positions to vertically extending supporting positions so that with the swimming pool assembled upon ground, the wheel and axle assemblies can be removed and stored separately if the installation is to remain in place over any length of time. It is a further object of the invention to provide a portable swimming pool construction in which the swimming pool unit can be formed of lightweight fiberglass and can be used when lifting the same from the platform and inverted as a cover for the various pieces assuming to make up the swimming pool construction and to keep the same confined at times when the swimming pool assembly is to be transported. Other objects of the invention are to provide a swimming pool construction, having the above objects in mind, which is of simple construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to adapt between use and transport positions, light in weight, complete with stairway access and bath houses, efficient and effective in use. For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connec tion with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the portable swimming pool of the present invention completely installed and ready for use. FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the swimming pool structure as viewed online 2-2 of FIG,. FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the swimming pool structure taken apart and mounted upon the wheel carriage, the fiberglass swimming pool serving as a cover for the various fencing pieces and with portions of the swimming pool unit broken away to show the stored frame pieces thereunder and the floor pieces hinged over with one upon the other to reduce the overall width of the wheel structure. FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the pool struc ture, with the fiberglass pool unit lifted from the supporting floor structure and one of the wheels being removed to illus trate the manner in which the wheel is mounted upon the un derframe structure. FIG. 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of the wheel and supporting jack structure as viewed generally on line 5-S of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of the wheel and its supporting removable axle and as viewed on line 6-6 of FIG.S. FIG. 7 is a fragmentary top plan view of the hinged floor pieces and the channel member serving to raise the pieces when they are spread to their open position. FIG. 8 is a fragmentary enlarged end elevational view of the hinged floor pieces taken through the hinge and further illus tration being shown to further support the hinged pieces in their open positions against sagging, and illustrating the manner in which one floor piece is hinged upon the other at times when the swimming pool structure is to be transported. FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of the pull hitch used when transporting the swimming pool structure on the rod. 3,648,300 O FIG. 10 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the plat form and its supporting structure at the top of the entering steps and as viewed on line of FIG. 1. Referring now particularly to the figures and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 4, the portable swimming pool 10 has a top floor or platform 15 that provides the sides of the pool, and which are formed of two parts 16 and 17 that are hinged together at opposite ends of a cutaway opening 19, at 21 and 22 adjacent the opening 19. In order to provide support at the hinge con nection of the floor parts 16 and 17 when opened, so as to prevent any buckling action in an upward direction, an exten sion 23 is provided upon the platform part 16 that extends under the part 17 and on which the part 17 will rest when it is in the open position. As shown in FIG. 8, when the floor part 17 is folded and closed upon the part 16 it will assume the position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 8, and as shown in FIG. 3 to provide the floor of narrow width for the purpose of being transported upon the highway while supporting the various pieces of the assembly. Within the cut opening 19 when the floor pieces 16 and 17 are open there is tightly fitted a fiberglass swimming pool unit 24 with one end being wide and the other end being narrow but generally elongated to provide sufficiently for swimming from one end of the pool unit to the other. The upper edge of the pool has a top supporting flange 25 that completely surrounds the pool and which has suffi cient height to accommodate a series of pins, extending up wardly from the floor pieces adjacent to the edge of the cut opening 19, as indicated at 26. These pins 26 will serve to hold the pool against displacement or movement within the cut opening 19 of the floor pieces. The fiberglass pool unit has a bottom and is generally of molded construction. in order to enforce the bottom of the tank, two longitu dinally spaced U-shaped braces 27 and 28 are secured to the flange 25 and extend downwardly over the sides of the swimming pool unit and under the bottom thereof. When the swimming pool unit 24 is assembled it is wholely supported from its flange 25 and its bottom will be elevated from the ground as viewed in FIG. 5. However, suitable material, such as sand, could be placed between the pool bottom and the ground. In order to hold the floor pieces 16 and 17 against downward displacement at the hinge connections 21 and 22, there is provided a swing bracket 31 as best shown in FIG. 7 which is connected by a pivot bolt 32 to the floor piece 16 and which is extended over the end edges of the floor pieces 16 and 17 and across the hinge 21 or 22 as secured at its opposite end by a bolt 33. This swing brace 31 being of channel section will fit over the edges of the floor pieces so as to support the floor pieces against hinging movement either up or down. The extension 23 on the floor piece 16 lie inwardly under the floor pieces of the swing braces 31. The swing braces may be removed at times when the floor pieces are hinged upon one another and when the assembly is being contracted for the purpose of being transported. The floor pieces 16 and 17 when extended to provide the platform for the swimming tank 24 and being braced at the op posite ends to provide one rigid platform, are supported on four telescoping, ground engaging jacks 34 and 35 located beneath the floor piece 16 and forward and rearward jacks 36 and 37 located under the floor piece 17 at the opposite side of the platform area. The telescoping jacks 34 and 35 at the right side of the plat form 15 are associated with a carried upon wheel supporting structures 38 and 39 at the respective forward and rearward ends of the floor piece 16. This wheel supporting structure 38 and the telescoping jack 34 pivotally connected thereto at 4 is shown in detail in FIG. 5 and a description will be made in detail to this structure 38 which will equally apply to the rear ward structure 39. Both of these wheel structures 38 and 39 while being longitudinally spaced from one another extend transversely to the same extent so that their respective wheels 42 travel in the same track in their contact with the ground. Secured to the underface of the floor piece 16 and extend ing transversely thereacross and parallel to the forward edge

5 3 of the floor piece 16, is an elongated transversely extending wheel structure mounting piece or hollow tube 43 of square section upon which the wheel structure 38 is butt welded to the underside of the tube 43 and extending vertically is a square tube piece 44 that is joined at its inner face by an I beam member 45 having lightening holes 46, a top flange 47 and a bottom flange 48 which may extend at its outer end under the vertical piece 44 as shown at 48' and at its inner end, its web extends into a longitudinally extending I-beam 51 that extends the full length of the platform or floor piece 16 and connects with a corresponding transversely extending I beam 45' at the rear end of the floor piece and serves as the longitudinal support for the platform piece 16. A longitu dinally extending square hollow tube 52 may run coextensive ly under the platform piece 16 and may be connected to the top flange of the I-beam 51 intermediate the length thereof. Secured to the underside of the flange 48 of the transverse - beam piece 45 is a top stationary axle clamp piece 53 with which a bottom axle clamp piece 54 is connected by fastening screws 55 which will hold in place a demountable axle 56 on which a wheel hub 57 of the wheel assembly 42 is carried by opposing roller bearing assemblies disposed upon a reduced diameter end 56' of the axle 56 and which is retained on against a shoulder S6' thereof by a washer 61 and a cottered retaining ring 62 with cotter pin 63 as best shown in FIG. 6. The wheel hub 57 is flanged at 57" to hold a demountable tire ring 64 by circumferential spaced securing bolt and nut means 65. This ring 64 will preferably have a hard rubber tire 66 car ried on its rim 67. The wheel assemblies with the axle 56 can be removed from the clamp pieces 53 and 54, after the jacks 34 and 35 have been extended to their ground positions. A depending boss projection 68 depends from the 'inner ends of the lower axle clamp plate 54 in order that the jack 34 or 35 can be fixed to the wheel structure 38 by a bolt 69 in one of two opposing boss projections 71 and 72 provided on outer sleeve 73 of the jack 34. An inner sleeve 74 having a bottom foot 75 that engages the ground is slidable and can be held in its downwardly extending position by a transverse retractable pin 76. In order to provide adequate bracing for a pivot connection 41, a mounting plate 77 is secured to the I-beam 51 that will hold the I-beam 51 against deflection under strain and weight of the swimming pool and to the lower end of which there is secured a bifurcated pivot mounting block 78 to which a rounded upper end of the telescoping jack 34 is attached by the pivot pin 41. The telescopingjack 34 or 35 when not in use and when the swimming pool structure is supported upon the wheel 42 upon the ground and ready to be transported, the jack 34 will have been pivoted upwardly to extend transverse ly as shown in dotted line position of FIG. 5 and will be retained in its elevated position by the removal of the pin 69 and placed in the hole of the light projection 72 on the op posite side of the jack sleeve 73 so that the jack 34 can be held in place for the purpose of transporting. It should now be ap parent that the wheel mounting structure 38 and the jack 39 assembled thereto can be readily duplicated and provided at the rear of the platform piece 16 for the wheel mounting struc ture 39. At the opposite side of the platform piece 16 and depending therefrom is a front wheel mounting structure 81 bearing also a wheel 42 that lies at the hinged edge platform piece 16 which, of course, will be elevated when the jacks are in their extended and ground engaging position, the wheel 42 in this mounting structure 81 being removable in the same manner that the wheel 42 for the mounting structure 38 can be removed. A similar wheel mounting structure for the wheel 42 longitudinally spaced rearwardly from the wheel mounting structure 81 and at the rearward end of the platform piece 16 beneath the hinged connection 21 as shown elevated in FIG. 10 with the wheel removed, is a wheel supporting structure 82. These wheel supporting structures 81 and 82 are without telescoping jacks secured to the inner ends of their structures, such jacks as shown at 36 and 37 have to be provided upon a 3,648, separate structure upon the outer side of the platform or floor piece 17. A different and separate mounting is used for the telescopingjacks 36 and 37.. In FIG. 3 the jacks 36 for the front of the swimming pool structure comprises spaced depending support plates 83 secured to the forward and rear faces of a transversely extend ing mounting rim that is secured to the underside of the floor piece 17 as indicated at 84. This transverse rib piece 84 is rigidly secured to the floor piece 17 to depend therefrom and so that the mounting structure 83 for the jack 36 will depend therefrom and be carried however with the floor piece 17 as is hinged between folded and extended positions. The jack 36 is pivotally connected by a pin 85 to the mounting plate struc ture 83 and has opposing projections for the securement of the jack 36 by insertion of a pin through holes 85 upon the jack mounting section 83, FIG. 3, or insertion of a pin in hole 86 when the jack 36 is extended to the downward position after the jack 36 has been pivoted upon its pivot 87 and adapted to support the swimming pool structure as shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 2 the telescoping jack structure 37 is similarly sup ported on depending bracket plates 88 secured to a transverse hollow tube member 89 secured to the outer face of the floor piece 17 at the rear thereof. The jack 37 is pivotally held upon the mounting plates 88 by a pin 91 and in its pivoted position by a pin 92 that can be inserted in through either one of the opposing mounting lugs 93 and 94 upon the jack 37 and in its unused and laterally extending position, jack 37 will be retained on the brackets 88 by the pin 92 being extended through the projection 94 and holes 95 and plates 88. Both mounting jacks 36 and 37 being carried upon the pool floor piece 17 and as the floor piece 17 ishinged over the pool over lying the floor piece 16 as shown in FIG. 3 preparatory to ar ranging the parts for the purpose of being transported the telescoping jacks 36 and 37 will be hinged over with floor piece 17 upon the hinges 21 and 22. When the platform pieces 16 and 17 have been extended as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the jacks extended with the ground engaging positions and the wheel through their axle 56 being removed and with the swimming pool 24 dropped into the opening 19, the edges of the swimming platform 15 can be en closed by fence pieces 95 with one another. These fence pieces are interlocked with one another in a desirable manner and are secured to the edges of the platform 15 as shown in FIG. 5 by pins 96 extendable into holes 98 and pieces 95 made secure by cotter pins 99 extending through the pins 96. Mounted upon one corner of the platform piece 17 are two dressing room structures 101 and 102 to which access can be had through respective doors 103 and 104 over which an awning 105 may hang within the bath house rooms are seats 106 and 107 on which one can sit while changing clothes. These bath house assemblies can be disassembled for the pur pose of being transported with the swimming pool. At the opposite corner of the platform 17 there is provided an entrance to the swimming area as indicated at 108 out wardly from which there extends a platform 109 that is bolted to the platform piece 16 by bolts 110, FIG. 10, and from which there extends a post 111 that is fitted into a tubular fitting 112 secured to the underside of the platform 109. Post 111 is made secure in the fitting 112 by a bolt 113. Post 111 extends to the ground to provide the outer support for the platform 109. A stairway structure 114 extends upwardly from the ground to the platform 109 and is pivotally connected thereto at 115 so that the platform 109 when released from the swimming area platform 15 can be hinged upon the stair assembly 114 as a hand rail that can be grasped while ascending the stairs 114 and around the edge of the platform 109 are upstanding fence pieces 117. It should be apparent that when it is desired to transport the swimming pool, the parts which have been assembled thereu pon, can be assembled onto platform piece 16 from which the wheel mounting structures 38, 39 and 81, 82 depend. The wheels and their axles will be extended into the clamp parts of

6 S the wheel mounting structures. Thereafter the jack structures 34,35, 36 and 37 will be lifted and pivoted to their horizontal extended positions out of the way so that the support can be taken by the wheels 42. Additional free jacks may be needed to have the proper location of the jack 74 and by lifting of the parts the jacks can be made free so that they can be retracted and pivoted to their horizontal positions. The structure may also be sideways balanced on the wheels 42 connected to the frame piece 6 adjacent the hinges 21 and 22 in order to free the jacks with the extended platform 5 being rocked laterally to lift its part first at one side of the extended platform area and then at the other side. Prior to the lowering of the platform 16 onto the wheels 42, the fiberglass swimming tank 24 will have been lifted out of the opening 19 and the fence pieces 95, the bathhouse pieces, and the depth platform 109 will have been removed so that the platform piece 17 can be hinged over upon hinges 21 and 22 onto the platform piece 16. The telescoping jacks 36 and 37 will have been lifted with platform piece 17 to assume the position shown in FIG. 3 then extending upwardly from the underside of the piece 17. The different fence piece 95, bath house pieces, and step platform can be extended over and sup ported loose pieces 118 lay transversely across the underface of the turned over floor piece 17, as shown in FIG. 3, thereafter the lightweight fiberglass tank 24 can be turned up side down and placed upon the assembled wheeled structure to cover the various pieces 95 as well as the other pieces and made secure on the runners for free support pieces 118 which in turn will be lashed or fastened in some manner to the molded floor pieces 16 and 17. In order that the portable swimming pool assembly can be pulled over the ground, a hitch device indicated generally at 121 and as shown at FIG. 9 is made secure to the forward edge of the floor piece 16. Two angle brackets 122 and 123 are op posingly secured to the underface of the frame piece 16 and spaced from one another so that the depending flanges can ac commodate a hitch channel 124 that is pivotally connected on a pin 125 that can be pulled to allow the channel 124 to be pivoted rearwardly from its extended position as shown in FIG. 9 and made secure by extending a pin 126 through holes 127 in the hitch channel 124. In the hitch channel and extend ing forwardly therefrom is a draw bar 128 that is secured to the hitch channel by bolts 129 and which has a rearwardly ex tending draw hook 131 extending upwardly and rearwardly from the draw bar 128. This hitch device 2 can thus be ac commodated to any tractor vehicle or to an ordinary vehicle so that the swimming pool in its assembled and collapsed form can be transported to any desired location in much the same manner as an ordinary trailer is transported by the automo bile. While various changes may be made in the detailed con struction it should be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. What is claimed is: 1. A portable swimming pool construction comprising plat form floor pieces of similar dimension hinged to one another at one side to overlie one another or to be extended to provide a swimming pool platform, said platform pieces being cut 3,648,300 O away on their hinged sides to provide a swimming pool open ing, a swimming pool unit having a top flange conforming in shape to the swimming pool opening of the floor pieces and adapted to be lowered into the opening and suspended from its top flange, support jacks carried on the respective floor pieces for supporting the platform when the floor pieces are extended laterally mobility means associated with said swimming pool platform to enable the platform to be moved from one place to another without having to disassembled said platform and means on the floor pieces adjacent their hinge connections with one another to fix the floor pieces at their hinge connection against buckling and rigidify the connection 60 between 2. A portable the floor swimming pieces thereat. pool construction, as defined in claim 1, and said means for rigidifying the floor pieces at hinge connections with one another comprising channel pieces ex tendable over the edges of the floor pieces and across the hinge connections. 3. A portable swimming pool construction, as defined in claim 1, and fence pieces adapted to be joined into one another and means for connecting the fence pieces to the edge of the laterally extending floor pieces, said fence pieces when in place extending above and below the platform. 4. A portable swimming pool construction, as defined in claim 3, and said fence pieces being formed to provide a bath house assembly at one corner of the platform and having doors for providing access thereto from the platform and a stairway detachably connected to the platform and extending laterally outwardly therefrom, means for supporting said plat form from the ground outwardly of the fenced platform and a stairway connecting to the outwardly extended platform over which one may pass to reach the platform and gain access to the swimming area. 5. A portable swimming pool construction, as defined in claim 1, said mobility means comprising forward and rearward wheel mounting structures depending from the underside of one of the platform floor pieces located on opposite sides therefrom, wheel assemblies extending outwardly from the wheel mounting structures. 6. A portable swimming pool construction, as defined in claim 5, and said wheel assemblies including a laterally ex tending axle and said wheel mounting structure having releasable clamping plates for securing the wheel axle to the depending wheel mounting structure. 7. A portable swimming pool construction, as defined in claim 6, and said vertical supports comprising telescoping jacks, mounting means depending from the respective plat form floor pieces and means pivotally connecting the respec tive jacks to the jack mounting means and pin means for securing the jacks to the jack mounting means in either their vertically extended positions or in laterally horizontally ex tending positions upon the jack mounting means. 8. A portable swimming pool construction, as defined in claim 6, and a hitch device secured to the same platform floor piece that the wheels are connected intermediately thereof and said hitch device having reachable parts to permit adjust ment of the bar pulling position extended forwardly of the floor piece or in a retracted position rearwardly thereof. :