Universal shift apparatus and method for swimming pool cover assembly
AssigneeCoverstar, Inc.
InventorLanny R. Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A universal shift apparatus and method for a swimming pool cover motor has a rotatable drive shaft and a rope attached to the end of the swimming pool cover. A reel element collects the rope, and a roll-up element collects the swimming pool cover. A gear drive assembly on the rotatable drive shaft drives the reel element in a first rotational direction as the shaft rotates in a first direction and drives the roll-up element in a second rotational direction as the shaft rotates in a second direction. A shift assembly is associated with the gear drive assembly to selectively reverse the first rotational direction of the wind-up reel element and to selectively reverse the second rotational direction of the roll-up element.
Claims37
A universal shift apparatus for a swimming pool cover motor having a rotatable drive shaft and a rope attached to the end of the swimming pool cover, comprising:
- (a) a reel unit mounted to freely rotate about the rotatable drive shaft;
- (b) a drive cone unit mounted to freely rotate about the rotatable drive shaft;
- (c) a gear mechanism driven by the rotatable drive shaft, and adapted for driving the reel unit in a first rotational direction as the drive shaft rotates in a first direction, and adapted for driving the drive cone unit in a second rotational direction as the drive shaft rotates in a second direction;
- and
- (d) a shift member associated with the gear mechanism to selectively reverse the first rotational direction of the reel unit and to selectively reverse the second rotational direction of the drive cone unit, wherein the shift member is adapted to pivot in one direction to engage the reel unit when the rotatable drive shaft is rotated in the first direction and is adapted to pivot in a second direction to engage the drive cone unit when the rotatable drive shaft is rotated in the second direction.
A universal shift apparatus, comprising:
- (a) a rotatable drive shaft;
- (b) a reel unit mounted to freely rotate about the rotatable drive shaft;
- (c) a drive cone unit mounted to freely rotate about the rotatable drive shaft;
- and
- (d) a gear mechanism mounted to be driven by the rotatable drive shaft, the gear mechanism including a shift member configured to pivot to a first position to engage and drive the reel unit as the rotatable drive shaft moves in a first rotational direction and to pivot to a second position to engage and drive the drive cone unit as the rotatable drive shaft moves in a second rotational direction.
A method for adapting a reel apparatus for a swimming pool cover motor having a rotatable drive shaft and a rope attached to the end of the swimming pool cover, comprising:
- (a) collecting the rope on a reel unit, the reel unit being mounted to freely rotate about the rotatable drive shaft;
- (b) collecting the swimming pool cover on a roll-up tube being driven by a drive cone unit, the drive cone unit being mounted to freely rotate about the rotatable drive shaft;
- (c) driving the reel unit in a first rotational direction as the rotatable drive shaft rotates in a first direction, and driving the drive cone unit in a second rotational direction as the rotatable drive shaft rotates in a second direction;
- (d) pivoting a shift member in a first pivoting direction to engage the reel unit as the rotatable drive shaft rotates in the first direction;
- (e) pivoting the shift member in a second pivoting direction to engage the drive cone unit as the rotatable drive shaft rotates in the second direction;
- and
- (f) selectively reversing the first rotational direction of the reel unit and the second rotational direction of the drive cone unit.
A shift apparatus for a swimming pool cover motor having a rotatable drive shaft and a rope attached to the end of the swimming pool cover, comprising:
- (a) a reel unit mounted to freely rotate about the rotatable drive shaft;
- (b) a drive cone unit mounted to freely rotate about the rotatable drive shaft;
- (c) a gear mechanism driven by the rotatable drive shaft, the gear mechanism including a shift member configured to pivot to a first position to engage and drive the reel unit in a first rotational direction as the rotatable drive shaft rotates in a first direction and to pivot to a second position to engage and drive the drive cone unit in a second rotational direction as the rotatable drive shaft rotates in a second direction;
- and
- (d) a torque limiter mounted on the rotatable drive shaft and connected to the gear mechanism to drive the gear mechanism in response to rotation of the rotatable drive shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.