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US 8,850,773 B2Granted
Pool liner retaining system
AssigneeJo-Co Pools Inc.
InventorJoe Cohen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pool liner retaining system having a pool wall structure that includes a plurality of interlocking panels and methods of constructing a pool wall structure using such interlocking panels are disclosed.
Claims21
A pool wall structure comprising:
- a plurality of interlocking panels forming a continuous closed wall around the perimeter of a pool, wherein each of the plurality of interlocking panels comprises a male flexible portion and a female flexible portion situated on opposite sides of an interlocked edge between an adjacent pair of interlocking panels within the plurality of interlocking panels, wherein the male flexible portion and the female flexible portion deform along an axis parallel to the interlocked edge to form a faceted curve shape within the continuous closed wall, wherein each of the plurality of interlocking panels comprises a flat body having a thickness of material, wherein the male flexible portion comprises a first region of reduced thickness of material extending parallel to the interlocked edge, and wherein the first region of reduced thickness of material is thinner than the thickness of material of a remaining portion of the flat body, wherein the female flexible portion comprises a second region of reduced thickness extending parallel to the interlocked edge and situated on a side of the interlocked edge opposite to a corresponding male flexible portion, and wherein the second region of reduced thickness is thinner than the thickness of material of a remaining portion of the flat body.
A pool wall structure comprising:
- a plurality of interlocking panels forming a continuous closed wall around the perimeter of a pool, wherein each of the plurality of interlocking panels comprises a male flexible portion and a female flexible portion situated on opposite sides of an interlocked edge between an adjacent pair of interlocking panels within the plurality of interlocking panels, wherein the male flexible portion and the female flexible portion deform along an axis parallel to the interlocked edge to form a faceted curve shape within the continuous closed wall, further comprising a concrete support contained within a support membrane attached at each of the interlocked edges.
A pool wall structure comprising:
- a plurality of interlocked panels forming a continuous closed wall around the perimeter of a pool, wherein each of the plurality of interlocking panels comprises a concrete support contained within a support membrane attached to each of the plurality of interlocking panels along an interlocked edge between any adjacent pair of interlocking panels of the plurality of interlocking panels, wherein each of the plurality of interlocking panels further comprises a male flexible portion and a female flexible portion situated on opposite sides of each interlocked edge, wherein the male flexible portion and the female flexible portion deform along an axis parallel to the interlocked edge to form a faceted curve shape within the continuous closed wall.
A pool wall structure comprising:
- a plurality of interlocking panels forming a continuous closed wall around the perimeter of a pool, wherein each of the plurality of interlocking panels comprises a male edge and a female edge formed opposite to the male edge with the male edge of each of the plurality of panels being interlocked with a corresponding female edge of an adjacent one of the plurality of interlocking panels;
- wherein each of the plurality of interlocking panels further comprises a concrete support contained within a support membrane, and wherein the support membrane is attached to each of the plurality of interlocking panels along an interlocked edge comprising an interlocked male edge and female edge, wherein each of the plurality of interlocking panels further comprises a male flexible portion and a female flexible portion situated on opposite sides of each interlocked edge, wherein the male flexible portion and the female flexible portion deform along an axis parallel to the interlocked edge to form a faceted curve shape within the continuous closed wall.
A panel for the construction of a pool wall structure comprising:
- a flat body portion defining a male edge and a female edge;
- a male flexible portion positioned adjacent to the male edge comprising a first deformable region extending along the height of the panel;
- and
- a female flexible portion positioned adjacent to the female edge comprising a second deformable region extending along the height of the panel;
- wherein the male edge extends along a height of the flat body portion and comprises a male side plate and a tongue, and wherein the female edge is positioned opposite to the male edge and comprises a groove and a keeper, and
- wherein:
- the groove is shaped to receive a second tongue of a second panel in an interlocked tongue-and-groove arrangement;
- and
- the keeper comprises a first and a second flange forming a channel shaped to receive a vertical flap of a support membrane and a retaining rod.
6 more elements
A method of constructing a pool wall structure comprising:
- obtaining a plurality of interlocking panels, wherein each interlocking panel of the plurality of interlocking panels includes a male edge comprising a tongue and a female edge comprising a groove and a keeper, wherein the male edge, female edge, and keeper extend along the height of each interlocking panel of the plurality of interlocking panels;
- slideably engaging the male edge of each interlocking panel with the female edge of an adjacent panel in an interlocked arrangement for the plurality of interlocking panels to form a continuous wall around a perimeter of a swimming pool;
- attaching a support membrane at each keeper of the continuous wall, wherein;
- the support membrane comprises a continuous sheet of material extending around the perimeter outside of the plurality of interlocking panels;
- and
- the support membrane forms a plurality of pockets wherein each pocket of the plurality of pockets extends the height of each interlocking panel and wherein each pocket defines an upper end and a lower end, wherein the upper end and the lower end are both open;
- pouring a locking ring comprising a concrete layer extending to the lower end of each panel;
- and
- filling each of the plurality of pockets at each upper end of each panel to form a plurality of concrete supports, wherein each of the plurality of concrete supports extends the height and width of each of the plurality of interlocking panels.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.