Pole Baffle Retainer to Prevent Swimming Pool Tool Slippage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tools attached to poles for maintaining vessels like swimming pools often slip into the pool, making retrieval inconvenient, especially when skimmers fall into the bottom of a pool.
Innovation Solution
A device mounted on the pole features a face perpendicular to it and a baffle that extends parallel, allowing the pole to be secured upright at the pool's edge by placing the baffle on the surface, preventing sliding and ensuring the pole remains stationary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a pole is used to access the inside of a vessel for maintenance tools, then the tool can reach inside the vessel to perform maintenance tasks, but the pole tends to fall into the vessel and is inconvenient to retrieve
Solution Approach 1:
A retainer device acts as an intermediary between the pole and the pool edge, providing a mechanical interface that secures the pole in position. The retainer includes a face that contacts the pole and a baffle that extends to the pool edge, creating a stable connection point that prevents the pole from falling into the pool while allowing easy insertion and removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer device is designed to be self-securing through its geometric configuration. When the pole is inserted into the retainer and positioned against the pool edge, the baffle geometry automatically prevents the pole from sliding further into the pool without requiring additional locking mechanisms or user actions.
2Length of moving object
If the pole is made longer to reach the bottom of the pool, then the tool can access deeper areas, but the pole becomes more prone to falling into the pool and harder to retrieve
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer device serves as an intermediary support point that eliminates the need for the entire pole to be retrieved at once. The pole can remain inserted in the retainer at the pool edge while users access tools at the bottom, and retrieval is simplified to removing the pole from the retainer rather than fishing it out from pool depth.
3Reliability
If a secure mounting mechanism is added to prevent the pole from falling in, then the pole stability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer device extracts the security function from the pole itself and places it in a separate, dedicated component. This allows the pole to remain simple while the retainer provides the securing mechanism through its baffle geometry, dividing the system into specialized components that are easier to manufacture and maintain.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer device uses its own geometric structure to provide securing functionality without requiring additional active components, motors, or complex mechanisms. The baffle geometry itself creates the securing action through passive mechanical interference, eliminating the need for powered or electronically controlled locking systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A pole for a swimming pool comprises a tool for swimming pool maintenance located at one end of the pole and a device for preventing the pole from sliding into the swimming pool. The device comprises a face that surrounds the pole generally perpendicular to the pole and a baffle that extends from the outside edge of the face generally parallel to the pole. The device prevents the pole from sliding into the swimming pole by a user placing the baffle on a surface at the edge of the swimming pool.