Swimming pool cover having reduced friction during slidable movement

Abstract

A swimming pool cover for extension over and retraction from a swimming pool and where the cover may engage a portion of the deck surrounding the swimming pool during movement thereof. The swimming pool cover comprises a flexible fabric sheet of the type capable of being spooled or rolled and capable of being unrolled to extend over a swimming pool. The swimming pool cover is comprised of a sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface with the bottom surface extending over and potentially in contact with the upper surface of the water in the swimming pool. In order to reduce frictional effects between the bottom surface of the swimming pool cover and the upper surface of the deck, the swimming pool cover is provided with a surface configuration which is roughened to substantially reduce surface area contact of the sheet with the deck of the swimming pool. In this way, frictional effects between the cover and the deck are reduced during movement thereof. The bottom surface configuration may adopt any of a variety of forms, including ribs formed on the bottom surface of the sheet, a mesh screen-like substrate secured to the bottom surface of the sheet, or a plurality of projections similar to those of an artificial turf secured to the bottom surface of the sheet, etc.

Having thus described the invention, what we desire to claim and secure by letters patent is:  
     
         1 . A swimming pool cover for extension and retraction over a swimming pool and where the cover may engage a portion of a deck surrounding the swimming pool during movement thereof, said swimming pool cover comprising: 
 a) flexible swimming pool cover sheet formed of a material capable of being rolled and unrolled;    b) said sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface; and    c) a surface configuration on said bottom surface of said sheet which is textured to substantially reduce surface area contact of the cover sheet with the deck of the swimming pool during movement thereof to thereby reduce frictional effects between the cover and the deck.    
     
     
         2 . The swimming pool cover of  claim 1  further characterized in that said surface configuration is formed on the bottom surface of said sheet.  
     
     
         3 . The swimming pool cover of  claim 1  further characterized in that said surface configuration is formed of a separate substrate which is secured to said bottom surface of said sheet.  
     
     
         4 . A swimming pool cover for extension and retraction over a swimming pool and where the cover may engage a portion of a deck surrounding the swimming pool during movement thereof, said swimming pool cover comprising: 
 a) flexible swimming pool cover sheet formed of a material capable of being rolled and unrolled;    b) said sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface; and    c) a lower surface configuration on said bottom surface of said sheet which is comprised of downwardly projecting ribs on said bottom surface, such that substantially the ribs contact the pool deck, as opposed to the bottom surface of said sheet during movement thereof to reduce frictional effects between the pool deck and the sheet.    
     
     
         5 . A swimming pool cover for extension and retraction over a swimming pool and where the cover may engage a portion of a deck surrounding the swimming pool during movement thereof, said swimming pool cover comprising: 
 a) flexible swimming pool cover sheet formed of a material capable of being rolled and unrolled;    b) said sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface; and    c) a mesh screen-like substrate on said bottom surface of said sheet providing a lower surface configuration to reduce surface area contact of the bottom surface of the sheet with the deck during movement thereof to thereby reduce frictional effects between the pool deck and the sheet.    
     
     
         6 . A swimming pool cover for extension and retraction over a swimming pool and where the cover may engage a portion of a deck surrounding the swimming pool during movement thereof, said swimming pool cover comprising: 
 a) flexible swimming pool cover sheet formed of a material capable of being rolled and unrolled;    b) said sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface; and    c) a substrate on said bottom surface of said sheet having a plurality of downwardly extending projections which form a lower surface configuration, such that only the projections engage the deck to reduce area contact of the bottom surface of the sheet with the pool deck during movement thereof to thereby reduce frictional effects between the pool deck and the sheet.    
     
     
         7 . The swimming pool cover of  claim 1  further characterized in that said lower surface configuration is flexible so as to be capable of being rolled with said pool cover sheet.  
     
     
         8 . The swimming pool cover of  claim 1  further characterized in that said top surface of said sheet is generally smooth.  
     
     
         9 . An improvement in a rollable fabric swimming pool cover of the type which extends over and retracts from its extended position over a swimming pool and which may engage a portion of a swimming pool deck during movement thereof, said improvement comprising: 
 a) a textured surface configuration on a bottom of said swimming pool cover to reduce surface area contact of the swimming pool cover with the deck of the swimming pool during movement thereof and to thereby reduce frictional effects between the swimming pool cover and a swimming pool deck.    
     
     
         10 . The improvement in the rollable fabric swimming pool cover of  claim 9  further characterized in that said textured surface configuration is integral with the bottom surface of said swimming pool cover.  
     
     
         11 . The improvement in the rollable fabric swimming pool cover  claim 9  further characterized in that the improvement comprises a separate substrate secured to the underside of rollable fabric swimming pool cover and which contains a textured surface configuration thereon.  
     
     
         12 . The improvement in the rollable fabric swimming pool cover of  claim 9  further characterized in that the improvement comprises downwardly projecting ribs on the bottom surface of said fabric cover, such that the ribs substantially contact the pool deck, as opposed to the bottom surface of the fabric pool cover, during movement thereof.  
     
     
         13 . The improvement in the rollable fabric swimming pool cover of  claim 9  further characterized in that the improvement comprises a mesh-like substrate on the bottom surface of said sheet providing a surface configuration to reduce surface contact of the bottom surface of the pool cover with a pool deck.  
     
     
         14 . The improvement in the rollable fabric swimming pool cover of  claim 9  further characterized in that the improvement comprises a bottom surface configuration on said pool cover with a plurality of outwardly extending projections, such that only that the projections engage the swimming pool deck to reduce area contact therewith.  
     
     
         15 . The improvement in the rollable fabric swimming pool cover of  claim 9  further characterized in that the improvement comprises a lower flexible surface configuration which is flexible as to be capable of being rolled with said pool cover sheet.  
     
     
         16 . A method of reducing frictional effects between a flexible and rollable swimming pool cover and a swimming pool deck when a swimming pool cover is removed across the deck to cover the swimming pool or retracted from a covering position over the swimming pool, said method comprising: 
 a) mounting said swimming pool cover in a pair of tracks which allow movement across said swimming pool; and    b) providing a textured surface configuration on the bottom surface of said swimming pool cover to reduce surface area contact of the swimming pool cover with the deck of the swimming pool during movement thereof to thereby reduce frictional effects between the swimming pool cover and the deck of the swimming pool.