The present invention relates to a storage system for storing a roll-up cover for a tub, particularly a hot tub, a jacuzzi, a swimming pool or other types of tubs.

In particular the invention is intended for storing a roll- up cover as specified in the patent BE 1.023.223, whereby the cover is rolled up on a roller located next to the tub when the tub is not in use and whereby the cover, when the tub is not in use, can be unrolled from the roller across the edges of the tub by holding the cover with its free end and moving the roller across the edges of the tub.

The purpose of the invention is a lift to be able to store the cover when rolled up on a roller in a lidded cabinet or hole provided next to the tub, preferably with the lid on the level of the top edges of the tub, such that the lid can serve as a covering or as part of the flooring around the tub, whereby the cabinet or the hole is covered at the top by the lid, both when the cover is rolled up in the cabinet or hole, and when the cover is unrolled across the tub.

To this end, the invention relates to a storage system for storing a tub cover that can be rolled up on a roller, characterised in that the storage system contains a lift with a support structure and a lift platform for the roller which is height-adjustable between a high position and a low position in the support structure by means of one or more lift rods which extend vertically and which are jointly and synchronously height-adjustable upward and downward between a low position and a high position by means of a drive, whereby the one or more lift rods are provided with laterally protruding cams or the like on which the lift platform can rest freely; a lid which is attached above the lift platform on the one or more lift rods at a certain height above the cams, such that when the lift platform rests on the cams, there is sufficient storage space between the lift platform and the lid for the cover in its rolled up condition; a locking system to lock the lift platform in its high position in downward direction in the support structure and a controller unit for driving the one or more lift rods to move the lift platform and the lid between:

- a first storage position of the lift for storing the cover in rolled up condition in which the one or more lift rods with the lid are located in their low position and the lift platform in its low position rests on the cams of the one or more lift rods;

- an unroll position of the lift from where the cover can be unrolled from the lift platform and in which position the one or more lift rods with the lid are steered up from the storage position to their high position and the lift platform is locked by the locking system in its high position; and,

- a second storage position of the lift in case the cover is unrolled and in which position the one or more lift rods with the lid are lowered from the unroll position into their low position with the lift platform still locked in its high position.

Such storage system is intended to be put in an open crate or hole next to the tub and, upon use of the tub, to store the cover in the first storage position of the lift in the cabinet or hole, hidden under the lid of the lift which in that case covers the cabinet or hole at the top.

An advantage of the invention is therefore that upon use of the tub the cover is safely and neatly stored under the lid and that the lid in that case serves as a covering or as part of the flooring of the tub. Another advantage of the invention is that the lift allows:

- the rolled up cover to be lifted up from its storage position from the cabinet or hole up to the level of the edges of the tub, from where the cover can then be unrolled across the edges of the tub to cover the tub when it is not in use, and,

- subsequently, after the cover is unrolled across the tub, to lower the lid again to hide the lift in the cabinet or hole under the lid, while the lift platform remains suspended on the level of the edges of the tub, such that the cover can lie unhindered in its unrolled position and the cover can be rolled up again on the lift platform for the next use of the tub.

According to a practical embodiment the lift platform and the lid are rectangular and a lift rod with a cam is provided at every corner of the lid for a firm and stable construction.

According to a simple embodiment the lift rods are slideably guided in vertical guides of the support structure, whereby the drive of every lift rod contains a nut which is attached to the lift rod and a threaded rod which is screwed into the nut and which upon rotation in the one or other direction can move the rod in its guide up or down.

Such drive is simple, strong and reliable and offers the advantage that the threaded rods can be driven using one single common rotative motor, for example by means of simple and cheap square transmissions.

Preferably, the locking system is a mechanical system which can automatically snap into place the lift platform in its high position and also release it again automatically by moving the lift rods up and down.

This offers the advantage that no separate controller unit and drive are needed for the locking system. According to a preferred embodiment the lid is placed horizontally. The simultaneous and synchronous movement of the lift rods therefore keeps the lid in its horizontal position during the whole trajectory there and back between said high and low position of the lid. This offers the advantage that things that are lying or standing on the lid can remain there during operation of the lift . The invention also relates to a tub with a storage system according to the invention with a roll-up cover, whereby the lift is set up next to the tub along an edge of the tub and the lift is dimensioned such that the lift platform of the lift in the unroll position of the lift is at the same level as the top edges of the tub and the roller of the cover is provided with means to unroll the cover from its rolled up position on the lift platform across the edges of the tub while said end of the cover remains attached to the lift platform.

With the intention of better showing the characteristics of the invention, a preferred embodiment of a lift according to the invention and a tub equipped with it is described hereinafter, by way of an example without any limiting nature, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: figure 1 schematically shows a perspective view of a hot tub equipped with a storage system according to the invention for storing a roll-up cover for covering the tub;

figures 2 to 4 show the storage system of figure 1 shown with the roll-up cover in different positions of use;

figure 5 shows a frontal view according to the arrow F5 in figure 1; figure 6 shows the part indicated in figure 5 with frame F6 on a larger scale;

figures 7 to 11 show a view as that of figure 6, but for different positions of the storage system, whereby more specifically figure 6 corresponds with the first storage position of figure 1, figure 9 corresponds with the unroll position of figure 2 and figure 13 corresponds with the second storage position of figure

4.

Figure 1 schematically shows a tub 1 in the form of an aboveground jacuzzi which with its top edge 2 is located at a certain level A above ground level .

A storage system 4 according to the invention is installed at one end 3 of the tub 1 for storing a roll-up cover 5 as described in the patent BE 1.023.223.

The storage system 4 is provided with a lift 6 with a lift platform 7 to move the rolled up cover 5 up or down into a support structure 8 in the form of a frame or the like which is mounted next to the tub 1 on the floor along an edge of the tub 1.

The lift 6 is intended to be mounted in the storage space of a storage cabinet which is formed, for example, by plates attached against the sides of the support structure

7.

For the sake of clarity, the cabinet is not shown in the figures . The lift 6 is provided with a lid 9 to cover said cabinet along the top when the cover 5 is stored in the cabinet as shown in figure 1 in a first storage position.

The lid is preferably horizontal such that it can be used as a table top to put things on.

As is known from BE 1.023.223 the cover 5 is composed of parallel slats 5' which are hingeably connected to each other, whereby said cover 5 is attached with one end to the lift platform 9 and with its other end is attached to a roll up shaft 10 which is provided with a motor (not shown) for driving the roll up shaft 10 to be able to unroll the cover 5 across the top edge 2 of the tub 1 from an unroll position as shown in figure 2, whereby the lift platform 7 with the rolled up cover 5 thereon is brought to the level of this top edge 2.

Preferably, the motor is mounted internally in the roll up shaft 10, whereby the rotor of the motor is connected to the roll up shaft 10, while the stator of the motor is connected via a torque arm 11 and a support 12 to a side edge 13 of the cover 5 , whereby the support 13 is, for example, executed as a U-shaped bracket which grips over the side edge 13 and moves along this side edge 13 when the cover is rolled up and unrolled, all this such that when the cover is unrolled the roll up shaft 10 moves across the tub 1 from one end 3 to the opposite end 14 of the tub 1, as shown with arrow B in figure 3. Because the cover 5 is attached with one end to the lift platform 7, the cover 5 is unrolled across the top edge 2 of the tub 1 from its position on the lift platform 7 to wholly or partly cover the tub 1 as shown in figure 3, for example when the tub 1 is not in use.

In the situation of figure 3 the lid 9 can be lowered into the second storage position of figure 4 to cover the storage space of the cabinet, whereby the lift platform 7 then remains suspended on the level of the top edge 2 of the tub 1 and the lid 9 at a small distance above to allow for the thickness of the cover 5.

To store the cover 5 from the second storage position of figure 4 again in the cabinet, the lid 9 is steered up again without moving the lift platform 7 to then, from the situation of figure 3, roll up the cover 5 again on to the lift platform 7 into the position of figure 2, whereby the roll up shaft 10 is driven in reverse direction and when rolling up the cover 5 moves in the opposite direction of arrow B to make the tub 1 accessible for use.

In that case, the rolled up cover can be stored on the lift platform 7 by having the lift platform along with the lid 9 sink into the support structure down to the first storage position of figure 1.

To make these movements possible, the lift 6 is provided with lift rods 15, for example a lift rod 15 at every corner of the lift platform 7, said lift rods 15 each being slideably guided in a vertical guide 16 which is attached to the support structure.

The guides 16 and the lift rods 15 are for example executed as hollow square tubes, whereby the lift rods 15 are slideably and unrotatably enclosed in the guides 16 and whereby the lift rods 15 are provided at the bottom with a nut 17 in which a threaded rod 18 is rotatably mounted. The threaded rods 18 are connected with a motor 19 to simultaneously and synchronously adjust the height of the lift rods 15 in the guides 16 by rotation of the threaded rods 18 in the one or other direction to move the threaded rods 18 up or down respectively between a low position as that of the figures 1 and 4 and a high position as that of the figures 2 and 3.

In the example shown all threaded rods 18 are driven by one single common motor 19 which can transmit its torque to the threaded rods 18 via shafts 20 and suitable square transmissions 21.

The motor 19 is connected with a controller unit 22 to be able to control the motor 19 via a certain programme.

Obviously, it is not excluded that several motors 19 are applied, whereby the controller unit 22 can take care of the synchronous movement of the lift rods 15.

The lid 9 rests on the lift rods 15 in such a way that the lid 9 follows the movements of the lift rods 15 and is therefore lifted or lowered with it. The lid 9 is preferably fixedly attached to the lift rods 15.

At a distance under the lid 9, the lift rods 15 are provided with cams 23 which protrude laterally outward via a groove 24 in the guides 16, whereby the cams 23 are executed such that they can support the lift platform 7 freely and loosely with the up and down movement of the lift rods 15.

Furthermore, the storage system 4 is provided with a locking system to lock the lift platform 7 in its high position of figure 3 in downward direction in the support structure 8 when transitioning from the position 3 to the position of figure 4, whereby the lift rods 15 with the lid 9 thereon are lowered and whereby this locking system is such that it is automatically activated when the lift platform 7 is pushed up from its low position of figure 1 by the cams 23 on the lift rods 15 into or past the unroll position of figure 2 and is automatically locked when lift rods 15 are lowered from this position to lower the lid 9 together with the lift platform 7 with the rolled up cover 5 into the first storage position of figure 1.

In the example shown the locking system 25 is a mechanical system which can automatically snap the lift platform 7 in the support structure 8 and can also automatically release it by moving the lift rods 15.

To this end, the locking system 25 contains a fixed stop 26 which is attached in the corners of the support structure 8 on the level of or near the high position of the lift platform 7 and for every stop 26 contains a co-operating pawl 27 which is rotatably attached around a horizontal shaft 28 along a side edge of the lift platform 7 on the lift platform 7 and which under the influence of a spring 29 is held in a lying resting position as shown in figure

6.

In this position of figure 6 the pawl 27 is located with one end 30 vertically under the stop 26, such that this end 30, as shown in figure 7, comes into contact with the underside of the stop 26 when the lift platform 7 is raised. The stop 26 is therefore such that it is located in the path of said end 30 of the pawl 27 when the lift platform 7 is moved up or down.

The shaft 28 of the pawl 27 is located in a vertical projection seen from a horizontal centre distance E from the stop 26, all this such that when further raising the lift platform 7, the pawl 27 is tilted around its shaft 28 in the direction of arrow C in figure 8 by the contact with the stop 26.

Said end 30 of the pawl 27 is provided with a notch 31 with which the pawl 27 under the influence of the spring 29 grips over the stop 26 when the lift platform 7 is still further steered upward up to or past its high position as shown in figure 9. The notch 31 is delimited in the example by a slanted edge 32 which in said resting position of figure 6 slants down in the direction of the stop 26 at an angle D. In this case the notch 31 has a stepped form and is mounted in a slanted edge 33 of the pawl 27 which runs parallel with said slanted edge 32 of the notch 31.

The end thus has a double stepped form with two steps.

The angle D is for example an angle of 45°.

In the position of figure 9 a downward movement of the lift platform 7 is prevented by the pawl 27 which remains hooked with its notch 31 above the stop 26. The lift platform 7 is then locked in the high position, corresponding with the unroll position of figure 2.

The cover 5 can now be unrolled across the tub 1 as in the situation of figure 3 from where the lift rods 15 can be steered down to lower the lid 9 into the second storage position of figure 4 without the lift platform 7 thereby being lowered as well, as the lift platform 7 remains locked in its high position and the lift platform 7 is loose from the cams 23.

To be certain that the pawl 27 with its notch grips over the stop 26 to lock the lift platform 7 in downward direction in the unroll position, it is preferable that when pushing up the lift platform 7, the lift platform 7, as shown in figure 10, is pushed up slightly higher over a distance F than in the situation of figure 9, said distance being smaller than the length of the slanted edge 32. When the lift rods 15 are than lowered to lower the lid 9, the lift platform 7 will first sink down over the small distance F together with the lid 9 before being locked in its high position.

To return from the second storage position of figure 4 to the first storage position of figure 1, the lift rods are steered up to raise the lid 9 to when the cams 23 of the lift rods 15 come just under or just against the lift platform 7 such that the lift platform 7 still rests on the stops 26 at that time thanks to the locking system 25.

The cover 5 can now be rolled up to the lift platform 7 as shown in figure 2.

The lift rods 15 are now steered up slightly further to when the cams 23 help raise the lift platform 7 together with the pawl 27 to past the stop 26, such that the pawl 27 from its lock position of figure 9 releases from the stop 26 and the pawl 27 under the influence of the spring 29 is turned to its horizontal resting position as shown in figure 11.

The lift platform 7 with the rolled up cover 5 thereon now rests on the cams 23.

Subsequently the lift rods 15 are lowered again to lower the lid 9. The lift platform 7 also moves downward, whereby the pawl 27, when passing the stop 26 can freely rotate upward in the direction of arrow C' as shown in figure 12 without the movement of the lift platform 7 being locked in downward direction.

In this way the lift platform 7 with the rolled up cover 5 and the lid 9 can be lowered again into the first storage position of figure 1.

The controller unit 22 takes care of starting and stopping the motor 19 as a function of the desired position of the storage system, whereby to this end the controller unit is connected, for example, to one or more end switches or more position detectors for the lift rods 15.

Preferably, the lid 9 is horizontal and the lift rods 15 are preferably synchronously driven such that the lid 9 always remains horizontal and such that the things lying on the lid can remain on it when moving the lid 9 up or down.

It is clear that the storage system 4 can also be used for a tub 1 that is built into the ground, whereby the lift 6 can then, for example, be mounted in a hole next to the tub

1.

It is clear that the lift rods 15 can be driven in various other ways, for example each lift rod 15 or a series of lift rods by means of a stepper motor or by means of gear racks or with chains or any other suitable way. The lift rods 15 can also be connected to each other by a construction or can be mounted on this construction such that the height of the lift rods 15 can be adjusted together with the construction by means of one single drive, for example in the form of a scissor lift.

In the downward first storage position the lift platform 7 then rests on this construction, such that the construction fulfils the role of the cams 23 as it were.

It is also clear that four lift rods 15 is preferably but that it is not excluded that more or fewer lift rods 15 are applied with a minimum of one lift rod 15 which then has to be sufficiently heavily constructed to bear the weight of the lift platform 7 and to keep the lid 9 in a horizontal position during the up and down movement .

The locking system 25 can also be realised in different ways, for example by means of one or more locking pegs which are mounted on the support structure 8 and which are horizontally slideable by means of an electronic valve or the like between a locked position whereby the locking pegs stick in a corresponding hole of the lift platform 7 and an unlocked position in which the locking pegs are retracted from their respective holes.

In that case, the controller unit 9 will control the electronic valves and the drive of the lift rods 15 and the coordination between them. The present invention is by no means limited to the embodiments described as an example and shown in the figures, but a lift according to the invention and a tub equipped with it can be realised in all kinds of forms and dimensions without departing from the scope of the invention.