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US 9,309,685 B1Granted
Cleaning tool for pool skimmer basket
OwnerDavid Henry Hull, Jacqueline Kay Hullinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cleaning tool for a pool skimmer basket has a handle with a grip and a lever, a tube that extends from the handle to a pivot assembly at its distal end, and a rod within the tube that connects the actuator to the pivot assembly. The pivot assembly is inserted into a basket fitting and is rotated about the longitudinal axis to secure the skimmer basket to the cleaning tool. The skimmer basket is then lifted out of its housing and the lever actuates the rod to force the rotation of the pivot assembly. As the pivot assembly moves from its initially aligned arrangement with the tube's longitudinal axis to a position that is askew from the axis, the skimmer basket is rotated so that the debris in the skimmer basket is dumped out.
Claims20
A cleaning tool for a skimmer basket, comprising:
- a handle comprising a grip and a lever, wherein said lever has a resting position and an actuated position;
- a tube connected to said handle at a proximal end and extending from said proximal end to a distal end along a longitudinal axis;
- a pivot assembly comprising a tube fitting and a mounting joint, wherein said tube fitting is fixedly connected to said distal end of said tube, wherein said mounting joint is rotatably connected to said tube fitting, wherein said mounting joint is comprised of a shoulder section and a distal arm longitudinally extending from said shoulder section away from said tube fitting, wherein said mounting joint has a first orientation aligned with said longitudinal axis and a second orientation rotated askew from said longitudinal axis, and wherein said distal arm has a laterally projecting tab;
- and
- a linear transmission extending within said tube with a first end connected to said lever and a second end connected to said mounting joint, wherein said lever forces said linear transmission to move along said longitudinal axis from a first position corresponding with said resting position of said lever to a second position corresponding with said actuated position of said lever, wherein said mounting joint is in said first orientation when said linear transmission is in said first position and wherein said mounting joint is forced to said second orientation when said linear transmission is moved to said second position.
2 more elements
A cleaning tool for a skimmer basket, comprising:
- a handle comprising a grip and a lever, wherein said lever has a resting position and an actuated position;
- a tube connected to said handle at a proximal end and extending from said proximal end to a distal end along a longitudinal axis;
- a pivot assembly comprising a tube fitting and a mounting joint, wherein said tube fitting is fixedly connected to said distal end of said tube, wherein said mounting joint is rotatably connected to said tube fitting around an axis of rotation, wherein said mounting joint is comprised of a shoulder section and a distal arm longitudinally extending from said shoulder section away from said tube fitting, and wherein said mounting joint has a first orientation aligned with said longitudinal axis and a second orientation rotated askew from said longitudinal axis;
- a linear transmission extending within said tube with a first end connected to said lever and a second end connected to said mounting joint, wherein said lever forces said linear transmission to move along said longitudinal axis from a first position corresponding with said resting position of said lever to a second position corresponding with said actuated position of said lever, wherein said mounting joint is in said first orientation when said linear transmission is in said first position and wherein said mounting joint is forced to said second orientation when said linear transmission is moved to said second position;
- and
- a means for connecting said mounting joint to the basket with a temporary connection, wherein said connecting means is comprised of a tab, wherein said tab laterally projects from said distal arm of said mounting joint into a plane perpendicular to said axis of rotation, and wherein said tab is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said tube when said mounting joint is in said first orientation.
3 more elements
A cleaning tool for a skimmer basket having a grid, a rim and a basket fitting, comprising:
- a handle comprising a grip and a lever, wherein said lever has a resting position and an actuated position;
- a tube connected to said handle at a proximal end and extending from said proximal end to a distal end along a longitudinal axis;
- a pivot assembly comprising a tube fitting and a mounting joint, wherein said tube fitting is fixedly connected to said distal end of said tube, wherein said mounting joint is rotatably connected to said tube fitting and releasably connected to the basket through at least one of the basket fitting, the rim and the grid, wherein mounting joint has a first orientation aligned with said longitudinal axis and a second orientation rotated askew from said longitudinal axis;
- and
- a linear transmission extending within said tube with a first end connected to said lever and a second end connected to said mounting joint, wherein said lever translates said linear transmission within said tube along said longitudinal axis from a first position corresponding with said resting position of said lever to a second position corresponding with said actuated position of said lever, wherein said mounting joint is in said first orientation when said linear transmission is in said first position and wherein said mounting joint is forced to said second orientation when said linear transmission is moved to said second position.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.