Water inlet fitting

March 8, 1966

A. W. LINDBERG, JR

WATER INLET FITTING

Filed Sept. 11, 1963

3.239,149

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INVENTOR.

ALBERT W. LINDBERG JR.

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HIS ATTORNEY.

3,239,149

Patented Mar. 8, 1966

United States Patent Office

3,239,149

WATER INLET FITTING

Albert W. Lindberg, Jr., 126 W. 6th St., Bayonne, NJ. Filed Sept. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 308,155

Claims. (CI. 239—203)

This invention relates to a water inlet for swimming pools and relates more particularly to a novel water inlet fitting which may be installed in the bottom wall of the pool, or in the side wall thereof, and which provides directional flow for the water in self-cleaning pool systems.

An important object of the invention is to provide a water inlet fitting for swimming pools which has a hollow screw cap mounted in a body section, the cap being provided with a side wall slot through which the water passes and by rotating the cap to an adjusted position, definite water patterns can be set up on the pool floor, moving all the dirt and other solids on the floor into one area where they can be picked up by a pool vacuum cleaner. The upper wall of the body section has a contoured surface which is curved slightly upwardly forming a baffle to deflect the water from the slot upwardly. When the screw cap is raised to a point where the side wall slot is above the contoured surface, the jet stream of water moves out laterally in a horizontal direction generally parallel with the pool floor. As the cap is screwed further inwardly to a point where the slot in the cap is below the rim of the annular baffle surface, the jet stream strikes this surface and is deflected upwardly, thus causing the solids to leave the floor of the pool and move upwardly in suspension to be removed by a manual or automatic surface skimmer.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for effecting a water seal between the cap and the body section.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a central vertical section taken through the fluid inlet of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the cap.

The water inlet of the present invention comprises a cap 10 which is received in a body section 11, vertical adjustment of the cap being effected by screw means. The cap may comprise a one-piece casting and has a cylindrical shank 12 and an annular flange or lip 14 of greater diameter than the shank. At the upper end of the latter where it joins the cap, there is an arcuate slot 16 through which the water passes.

On its outer periphery, the shank has an annular recess 18 which receives an O ring 19 which projects outwardly from such outer periphery to form a seal between the cap and the body section. The body section is also a one-piece casting having a central through bore 20, at the upper end of which is an upwardly and outwardly extending annular face 21 which is concavely curved in cross section and which forms a baffle to direct the water upwardly from slot 16 when the cap has been screwed inwardly a sufficient distance to position the slot below the upper rim 22 of this annular face.

At its lower end, the central bore 20 is threaded at 24 to be received on a threaded pipe (not shown) and between the upper and lower sections there is an enlarged section 26 which receives in fixed relation a cross bar 28 having a threaded hole 29 to receive a threaded pin 30 carried in an unthreaded hole 31 in the center of cap 10. This hole is countersunk to receive the head 32 of the threaded pin. The pin is secured against removal from the cap by a cotter key 34 which engages a washer 36. The cap is thus freely rotatable relative to the pin.

The cross bar is sufficiently narrow as not to impair the efficiency of the water way. This cross bar may, if desired, be cast integrally with the body section. Midway between the ends of the body section, there is a wrench receiving section 38. It will also be noted that 5 the diameter of the annular face 21 is greater than the outer diameter of this body section. The diameter of the cylindrical shank or collar 12 is only slightly less than the diameter of bore 20 and when the cap is screwed in sufficiently far to cause the O ring to enter bore 20 the O ring forms an effective seal between the cap and the body section. By preventing any leakage between the body section and the collar of the cap the full jet action of the water issuing from the opening will be assured.

The length of slot 16 is a matter of choice and in some instances it may be formed in two or more sections and extend around substantially the full periphery of the cap. For most purposes, however, it should extend over an arc of about 130°. The cross sectional area of the opening will always be less than the area of the water way so as to assure a jet action of the water and hence the effective cleaning action earlier referred to.

Broken lines in FIG. 1 indicate the floor level of the pool and rim 22 is flush with this floor so that nothing projects above the floor except the cap. While the inlet fitting of the present invention is designed primarily for installation in the floor of a pool, it may nevertheless be installed in a side wall thereof and it may have other uses as well where a controlled pattern of fluid discharge is desired.

While there have been described herein what are at present considered preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the essence of the invention. It is therefore to be understood that the exemplary embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims, and that all modifications that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be included therein.