THIS INVENTION relates to the cleaning of swimming pools. In particular, the invention relates to a swimming pool installation, and to a swimming pool accessory. The invention extends to a method of facilitating the cleaning of the internal surfaces of a swimming pool by an automated pool cleaning device.

The invention provides a swimming pool installation which comprises: a swimming pool; a pumping system for delivering water under pressure to the swimming pool; and an inlet arrangement which is in water flow communication with the pumping system for delivering pressurised water into the interior of the swimming pool, the inlet arrangement being adjustable to permit adjustment of the condition of an inlet stream into the swimming pool, adjustability of the condition of said inlet stream being sufficient to alter water movement patterns in the swimming pool.

By adjustability of the condition of the inlet stream being sufficient to alter water movement patterns in the swimming pool is meant that the position of the inlet stream is changed, and/or that the direction of the inlet stream is changed by 30° or more. In one example, the inlet arrangement may include more than one inlet nozzles into the swimming pool, the inlet nozzles being spaced from one another and/or being arranged for producing inlet streams or jets in different directions. The inlet arrangement will in such case include an adjustment mechanism which permits selective switching of the inlet jet from one nozzle to another, so that the position and/or the direction of the inlet stream can be changed.

The Applicant has observed that pool cleaning devices which are connected to a pump by way of a flexible suction hose tend to lapse into repeating patterns which exclude some areas of the floor and sidewalls of the pool, or tend to not to reach some areas. These areas obviously vary from pool to pool. The Applicant believes that these patterns are caused by streams, currents, or eddies in water in the pool, or by impingement of an inlet jet or inlet stream on the flexible hose of the cleaning device. It is believed that the effectiveness of such pool cleaning devices can be improved by changing of the currents or streams in the pool, which, in turn, can be effected by changing the direction and/or power of the inlet jet. Adjustability of the inlet arrangement allows a user to alter the currents in the swimming pool.

The condition of the inlet arrangement method may thus, in use, be varied until a position is found in which the pool cleaning device follows a cleaning pattern which results in satisfactory cleaning of the swimming pool. Instead, the inlet jet or inlet arrangement may be varied from time to time, so that the pool cleaning device follows more than one cleaning pattern, depending on the condition of the inlet jet. The inlet arrangement may include an inlet nozzle for producing the inlet stream into the interior of the swimming pool, the inlet arrangement further including an adjustment mechanism for permitting adjustment of the direction of the inlet stream by more than 30°.

The adjustment mechanism may be constructed to permit adjustment of the direction of the inlet stream by 60° or more. Instead, the adjustment mechanism may be constructed to permit adjustment of the direction of the inlet stream by about 90°.

The inlet arrangement may comprise two differently directed outlet ports, the adjustment mechanism being in the form of a valve arrangement for selectively switching water flow from one of the outlet ports to the other, thus permitting change in the direction of the inlet stream.

The inlet arrangement may include a removable pool accessory which is connected to a permanent inlet port provided in a side wall of the swimming pool. The pool accessory may be a pool accessory as defined below.

The invention also provides a swimming pool accessory which includes: a housing which defines an inlet port for in-line connection to an inlet of pressurised water into a swimming pool, the housing further defining an outlet port which is in flow communication with the inlet port through a hollow interior of the housing, in use to produce to an inlet stream of water into a swimming pool through the outlet port; and an adjustment means for adjusting the position and/or orientation of the outlet port while the housing is connected to the inlet into the swimming pool, to adjust, in use, the direction of an inlet stream issuing from the outlet port by at least 30°.

In one embodiment of the invention, the housing provides two outlet ports which are in fluid flow connection with the inlet port through the hollow interior of the housing, the outlet ports being configured for directing respective water inlet streams into the swimming pool in different directions, the adjustment means being an adjustment mechanism for selectively adjusting water flow through the respective outlet ports.

The adjustment mechanism may be a valve arrangement mounted on the housing for selectively obstructing water flow through one of the outlet ports, so that pressurised water flows, in use, through the other, unobstructed outlet port.

It will be appreciated that the valve arrangement thus permits a user to select the direction of the inlet stream or jet which issues from the accessory. In other words, the direction of the inlet stream can be switched between the directions associated with the respective outlet ports.

It will also be appreciated that reference to obstruction of an outlet port is meant to include obstruction of an associated water flow path defined by the housing and uniquely associated with the respective outlet port. The valve arrangement may thus be arranged for covering outlet openings of the outlet ports. Instead, the housing may defined branched or separate water flow passages associated with the respective outlet ports, the valve arrangement serving to obstruct flow through the respective passages.

The valve arrangement may be infinitely variable, so that an increase in obstruction of one of the outlet ports coincides with a corresponding decrease in obstruction of the other outlet port.

The outlet ports may be positioned such that the inlet stream directions associated with the respective outlet ports are at an angle of at least 30° to each other. Instead, the outlet ports are positioned such that the inlet stream directions associated with the respective outlet ports are at an angle of at least 60° to each other. In another embodiment of the invention, the outlet ports may be positioned such that the inlet stream directions associated with the respective outlet ports are at an angle of about 90° to each other.

The housing may include an elongated tubular stem having one end which provides the inlet port, an opposite end of the stem providing an axial outlet port for directing an inlet stream axially into the swimming pool, the tubular stem further having a laterally directed opening in a tubular wall of the stem, thus forming a lateral outlet port for directing an outlet stream radially outwardly from the stem.

The valve arrangement may include a tubular sleeve member which is received around the stem and which is pivotally displaceable relative to the stem about the longitudinal axis of the stem, the sleeve member having a valve opening in a tubular wall of the sleeve member, so that he sleeve member is pivotally displaceable between a first position in which the valve opening is out of register with the lateral port, so that the lateral port is closed, and a second position in which the valve opening is in register with the lateral outlet port, so that the lateral outlet port is open.

The accessory may include a closure member for closing the axial outlet port, the closure member being operatively connected to the sleeve member such that pivotal displacement of the sleeve member relative to the stem results in automatic closing or opening of the axial outlet port.

The sleeve member may define an end face which is disposed transversely to the lengthwise direction of the stem, the axial port opening out of the end face, the closure member being in the form of a valve member which lies flat against the end face for sliding displacement between a closed and an open position.

The valve member may be connected to the stem for pivoting about a first pivot axis which is parallel to the lengthwise direction of the stem and is positioned adjacent a periphery of the axial outlet port, the valve member being connected at a spaced position to the sleeve member for sliding relative to the sleeve member simultaneously with pivotal movement about a second pivot axis which is parallel to the first pivot axis, the second pivot axis thus sliding in a radial direction upon pivotal displacement of the sleeve member on the stem.

In another embodiment of the invention, the valve member may be arranged to block the axial outlet port when the valve member is in the closed position, the valve member defining an opening through it which registers with the axial outlet port when the valve member is in the open position. In such case, the valve member may have a mounting arrangement for mounting a pool surface cleaning device to accessory so that the pool surface cleaning device is in flow communication with the opening in the valve member when the valve member is in the open position.

The invention extends to a method of facilitating the cleaning of the internal surfaces of a swimming pool by an automated pool cleaning device, which method includes from time to time adjusting the condition of an inlet stream of water into the swimming pool, the adjustment of the condition of the inlet stream being sufficient to alter water movement patterns in the swimming pool.

The direction of the inlet stream may be adjusted by more than 30°. The inlet stream is adjusted by about 90°.

The method may include switching the inlet stream between, on the one hand, a surface cleaning condition in which the inlet stream is directed more or less horizontally and is positioned adjacent the water surface to cause a surface current, and, on the other hand, a wall cleaning condition in which the inlet stream is directed in a direction transverse to the horizontal.

The method may include positioning a debris collector in the surface current, to collect debris floating on the water surface.

The invention will now be further described and illustrated, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic side elevation of a pool accessory in accordance with the invention, in use, the accessory being in a side wall cleaning condition; Figure 2 is a view corresponding to Figure 1 , the accessory being in a surface cleaning condition; Figure 3 is a schematic three-dimensional view of the accessory of Figure 1 , the accessory being in its side wall cleaning condition; Figure 4 is a view corresponding to Figure 3, the accessory being in its surface cleaning condition; Figure 5 is a schematic front elevation of the accessory of Figure 1 , the accessory being in its wall cleaning condition, and Figure 6 is a schematic three-dimensional view of another embodiment of the accessory, in accordance with the invention.

In the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally indicates a pool accessory in accordance with the invention. The accessory 10 is installed in a swimming pool 12, together to from part of a swimming pool installation in accordance with the invention. The pool accessory 10 facilitates effective cleaning of internal surfaces of the swimming pool 12 by a mobile pool cleaning device (not shown). The swimming pool installation also includes a pumping system (not shown) for delivering water under pressure to the swimming pool 12.

The accessory 10 includes a housing 14 which comprises an elongated tubular pipe or stem 16 for connection to a water inlet 18 forming part of an inlet arrangement for delivering pressurised water into the swimming pool 12. A butt end 20 of the stem 16 thus provides an inlet port for in-line connection to the pool inlet 18. In this example, the pool inlet 18 includes a swivel member 22 which is angularly adjustable ball-and-socket fashion to a limited extent and which is mounted in a side wall 24 of the swimming pool 12 to introduce an inlet jet or inlet stream into the swimming pool 12, just below the water surface 26. The butt end 20 of the stem 16 is thus shaped and dimensioned for reception in the swivel member 22 such that the stem 16 projects cantilever fashion into the interior of the swimming pool 12.

The butt end 20 of the stem 16 has a slot 28 for permitting cables of a cathodic chlorinator (not shown) to emerge from the ball joint item or swivel member 22. It will be appreciated that this slot 28 is optional and is necessary only when the accessory 10 is to be attached to inlet which is provided with a cathodic chlorinator.

The tubular stem 16 has a free end which provides an axial outlet port 32 which is in fluid flow communication with the inlet port 20 provided by the root end of the stem 16. The stem 16 further has an opening or aperture 34 (Figure 3) in its tubular wall, the opening 34 providing a lateral outlet port in fluid flow communication with the inlet port 20.

The accessory 10 also includes an adjustment mechanism or valve arrangement for selectively adjusting the flow of water through the respective outlet ports 32, 34. In this example, the valve arrangement includes a sleeve member 36 which is received on the stem 16 such that the sleeve member 36 is pivotally displaceable on the stem 16 about the longitudinal axis 30 of the stem 16. The sleeve member 36 has a cover portion 38 which is co-axial with the stem 16 and is in rotational sliding abutment with the radially outer surface of the stem 16. The cover portion 38 includes an aperture or window 40 which is positioned to be brought into register with the lateral outlet port 34 provided in the stem 16. The sleeve member 36 is thus pivotally or swivellably displaceable between a side wall cleaning condition (Figures 1 and 3) in which the aperture 40 in the cover portion 38 is in register with the lateral outlet port 34, to permit the flow of water through the lateral outlet port 34 in a direction 42 radially away from the stem 16, and a surface cleaning condition (Figures 2 and 4), in which the cover portion 38 shuts off the lateral outlet port 34 to restrict the flow of water there through.

The sleeve member 36 further includes a circular end plate 44 fast with the cover portion 38 and lying in a plane which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 30 of the stem 16. The end plate 44 is eccentric relative to the stem 16, a free end of the stem 16, which provides the axial outlet port 32, opening out of a flat end face 46 provided by the end plate 44. The free end 32 of the stem 16 has a radially projecting circumferentially extending flange 48 which is received in a complementary socket therefor in the end face 46 of the end plate 44, so that the flange 48 is rotatable in the socket and is flush with the flat end face 46. The flange 48 thus permits pivotal displacement or rotation of the stem 16 relative to the sleeve member 36, but restricts sliding displacement of the sleeve member 36 on the stem 16 away from the root end 20 of the stem 16.

The valve arrangement further includes a closure member or circular valve plate 50 which is connected to both the free end 32 of the stem 16 and the end plate 44 for displacement between a closed position in which the valve plate 50 covers the axial outlet port 32 provided by the free end of the stem 16 (Figures 3 and 5), and an open position in which the axial outlet port 32 is exposed (Figure 4).

To this end, the valve plate 50 is connected to the flange 48 of the stem 16 for pivotal displacement about a first pivot axis 52 which is parallel to the longitudinal axis 30. The valve plate 50 is connected to the end plate 44 by a guide pin 54 or bolt which is slidably displaceable in a guide slot 56 in the end plate 44 which extends radially relative to the stem 16. The valve plate 50 thus pivots about the a second pivot axis 58 provided by the pin 54 in response to pivotal displacement of the sleeve member 36 relative to the stem 16, the second pivot axis 58 automatically sliding radially inwardly or outwardly along the slot 56 in response to such pivotal displacement of the sleeve member 36.

As can best be seen in Figures 3 and 4, the valve plate 50 and the aperture 40 in the cover portion 38 of the sleeve member 36 are arranged such that the lateral outlet port 34 is covered by the cover portion 38 when the axial outlet port 32 is exposed by the valve plate 50, and vice versa.

In use, the pool accessory 10 is connected to the inlet 18 of a water circulation system, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Water which is pressurized by a pump forming part of the circulation system flows from the inlet 18 into the housing 14 of the accessory 10. The accessory 10 permits a user to select the direction of an inlet jet or stream of water into the pool 12. When the sleeve member 36 is in its surface cleaning condition (Figures 2 and 4), the lateral outlet port 34 is closed and the axial outlet port 32 is open, so that the inlet jet flows into the pool 12 in an axial, more or less horizontal direction, indicated by arrow 60. However, when the sleeve member 36 is pivotally displaced from the surface cleaning condition to the wall cleaning condition (Figures 1 and 3), the axial outlet port 32 is closed by the valve plate 50 and the lateral outlet port 34 is exposed, so that water flows into the pool 12 in a vertical direction indicated by arrow 42, radially away from the stem 16.

It will be appreciated that the positions of the sleeve member 36 shown in the drawings are two extreme positions and that any intermediate position can be selected, where both outlet ports 32, 34 are obstructed to adjustable degrees.

As the accessory 10 is connected to the swivel member 22, the orientation of the stem can be adjusted to a limited extent by adjustment of the orientation of the swivel member 22.

The Applicant has observed that movement patterns of a mobile cleaning device (not shown) in the swimming pool 12 are influenced by the direction and/or position of the inlet stream into the swimming pool 12. It is believed that the inlet stream impinges on a flexible suction hose of the cleaning device, thus forcing the cleaning device into a repeating pattern. Instead, it is theorized, the inlet stream causes currents or eddies in the swimming pool 12 which influence movement of the cleaning device.

A user can thus adjust the direction of the inlet stream by operation of the pool accessory 10 in accordance with the invention, to alter the movement patterns of the cleaning device. It will be appreciated that the example of the invention shown in the drawings permits adjustment of the direction of the inlet stream by about 90°.

A user can gradually change the condition of the inlet stream and observe the cleaning patterns of the cleaning device, to establish whether or not there is an optimal position where the cleaning device functions optimally. Instead, the user can periodically or intermittently change the condition of the inlet stream, as it is expected that different areas of the sidewalls and floor of the swimming pool will be missed by the cleaning device for different conditions of the inlet stream.

The accessory 10 described above embodies one of many ways in which the invention can be implemented. For instance, the pool 12 can be provided with an inlet arrangement comprising a plurality of permanently installed inlet ports in the form of respective nozzles through which water is introduced under pressure into the swimming pool from the pumping system. The inlet ports or nozzles, in such case, will be spaced apart along a peripheral wall of the swimming pool in such a way that each inlet port directs its inlet stream in a direction different from that of the other inlet ports.

In such case, the swimming pool installation can include a control system which forms part of an adjustment mechanism for selectively adjusting inlet streams of respective inlet ports. The control system can, for instance, include valves installed in respective water conduits which lead to associated water inlet ports. By changing the particular nozzles through which water enters the pool, a user can thus influence currents in the pool. The control system can also include a user interface for permitting a user to set respective actuation times of the valves at predetermined time intervals for shutting off or opening inlet ports. As mentioned above, closing one inlet port and opening another inlet port adjusts the position inside the swimming pool where an inlet stream is introduced into the swimming pool 12, and accordingly adjusts or alters water movement patterns in the swimming pool.

In Figure 6, another embodiment of a pool accessory in accordance with the invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 110, like reference numerals indicating like parts. The accessory 110 includes a valve member 100 which has two circular parts 104 and 106. The valve member 100 is in the form of a flat generally 8- shaped plate. The one circular part 104 is solid and, in use, blocks the axial outlet port 32 when the valve member 100 is in the closed position. The other circular part 106, defines a circular opening 102 through it which registers with the axial outlet port 32 when the valve member 100 is in the open position (see Figure 6).

The valve member also includes a device mounting arrangement (not shown) for mounting a pool surface cleaning device to the valve member 100 so that the pool surface cleaning device is in flow communication with the opening 102 when the valve member 100 is in the open position. In Figure 6, a flexible plastic hose 108 which forms part of a pool surface cleaning device is mounted onto the valve member. The pool surface cleaning device can include a water permeable sock or sieve through which water is directed from an outlet of the flexible plastic hose 108 to collect debris floating on a surface of the swimming pool. It is an advantage of the invention described with reference to the drawings that it facilitates effective functioning of automatic pool cleaning devices, promoting universal coverage of all the internal surfaces of the swimming pool.