Removable Pool Staircase With Enclosed Winter Filter Components
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing swimming pool filtering systems require complex winter preparation steps and components are prone to premature wear when left outside during winter due to exposure to harsh weather conditions.
Innovation Solution
A removable staircase for swimming pools that integrates filtering components, featuring a hidden space for tubes and connections, allowing for easy installation and removal, and includes a lightweight design for floating during winter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If filtering system components are located outside the swimming pool, then installation and maintenance are easier, but components are exposed to harsh winter weather causing premature wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the filtering system components (pump, filter, valves) with the staircase structure by integrating them into the hidden space behind the staircase steps and risers. This merging allows components to be protected from winter weather while maintaining accessibility for installation and maintenance through the removable staircase design.
Solution Approach 2:
The filtering system components are nested within the hidden space created by the staircase structure. The pump, filter, and valves are positioned inside the enclosed volume behind the steps and risers, protecting them from external environmental factors while keeping the overall structure compact and accessible.
2Volume of moving object
If filtering system components are located outside the swimming pool, then space inside the pool is available, but complex winter preparation steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the filtering system with the staircase structure, the patent eliminates the need for separate winter preparation procedures for external components. The integrated design allows all filtering components to be easily accessed, disconnected, and stored together with the removable staircase, simplifying winter preparation to a single unified process.
Solution Approach 2:
The staircase is designed to be removable and reconfigurable, allowing it to transition between an installed state during the swimming season and a removed/storage state during winter. This dynamic design enables easy access to filtering components for winter preparation while maintaining pool space availability when the staircase is removed.
3Ease of operation
If staircase is made lightweight for floating during winter, then removal and storage are easier, but structural strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The staircase is constructed using composite materials such as polyethylene or fiberglass, which provide a favorable strength-to-weight ratio. These materials enable the staircase to be lightweight enough to float for easy removal and storage during winter, while simultaneously maintaining sufficient structural strength to support users and withstand pool conditions during the swimming season.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Simplifies winter preparation by allowing components to be stored safely inside the pool, reducing wear and tear, and maintaining pool functionality throughout the season.
Implementation Method 1
the staircase is less dense than water for floating when not mechanically fastened to the swimming pool
Data Source
AI summary
A staircase for a swimming pool, the staircase being distinct and separate from the swimming pool and removably installable therein. The staircase comprises steps and risers defining a hidden space behind it. Inlets and/or outlets of a filtering system are mounted to the risers of the staircase, with the tube connecting the riser-mounted inlets and outlets extending in the hidden space defined by the staircase. The staircase and connecting components of the filtering system hidden in the staircase are easily removable from the swimming pool during the weather season.