Adjustable Support Piece for Swimming Pool Cover Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

The challenge in constructing overflow swimming pools lies in achieving uniform alignment and level adjustment of cover elements over chutes, which are often made using masonry techniques, resulting in 'false levels' and complicating the installation process due to variations in height and spacing along the pool's edge.

Innovation Solution

A retaining piece with adjustable supports and extensions is designed to be inserted into the chute, allowing for independent height adjustments of front and rear supports to align cover elements with the pool's edge and rear slabs, ensuring a flat and even surface, and featuring threaded rods and breakable sections for precise positioning.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If masonry techniques are used to construct the gutter and pool edge, then the construction process is simplified and can be extended over long distances, but the alignment and level uniformity deteriorates resulting in false levels and uneven surfaces

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconstruction processVSAvoidalignment and level uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The support piece incorporates adjustable supports with threaded rods that allow dynamic modification of height and position after installation. This enables the rigid masonry structure to be compensated and adjusted to achieve perfect alignment and level uniformity, resolving the contradiction between ease of construction and manufacturing precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the parameters of the support piece (height, position, orientation) through adjustable supports and threaded rods. This allows the same masonry construction to achieve different alignment levels and compensate for variations in the rough masonry work, thereby maintaining both construction simplicity and final precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Manufacturing precision

If cover elements are installed to compensate for unevenness in the pool edge and gutter, then the surface alignment improves, but the installation time and complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesurface alignmentVSAvoidinstallation time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The support piece is pre-assembled with adjustable supports and threaded rods before installation. This preliminary preparation allows for quick adjustment and alignment during installation, reducing the time required compared to traditional methods that require time-consuming level adjustments of each cover element individually.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The adjustable support piece acts as an intermediary between the uneven masonry structure and the cover elements. It absorbs the complexity of compensation through its adjustable mechanism, thereby simplifying the overall installation process and reducing installation time while achieving perfect surface alignment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Adaptability or versatility

If adjustable support mechanisms are added to accommodate unevenness, then the adaptability improves, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccommodation of variationsVSAvoidsupport structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The support piece is segmented into distinct functional components: base element, adjustable supports, and threaded rods. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, making the complex adjustment mechanism more manageable and easier to install while maintaining high adaptability to various unevenness conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3567187B1Part for holding a covering element of a chute for an overflow swimming pool
Publication Date: 2020.10.21 ABP AQUILINA BOUVIER POOL
  • EP3567187B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3567187B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP3567187B1 patent drawingFigure 2C~2D

AI summary

Support piece (1), intended to be placed on a gutter (3), extending along a swimming pool, the gutter being intended for collecting an overflow of water overflowing from the swimming pool, the support piece being configured to support at least one cover element, covering the gutter, the support piece having a base (8) which has height-adjustable supports, so as to be able to adjust a position of one cover element (41c) or of two cover elements (41, 42) adjacent to each other.