Pool stair assembly for use by small animals

Abstract

A stair assembly is secured to a pool or spa edge and extends beneath the water line to assist animals in exiting the pool or spa. The assembly is preferably formed of a UV stable, heavy material for durability. The assembly is designed to be fastened to the coping and pool wall and can be configured to be removed from the water if desired. The assembly can be hinged to allow the step portion to be folded up and out of the water. Several versions accommodate different pool designs, including straight walls, and curved walls, and can be made with adjustable steps to accommodate different size pets and different types of edges.

1 . A stair assembly for mounting to a pool edge, comprising: 
 a hanging platform having a mounting plate designed to be supported on a generally horizontal surface of the pool edge and a step support plate extending generally perpendicular to the mounting plate configured to hang from the pool edge;    steps extending outwardly from the step support plate, wherein each step is defined by a riser and a tread with each tread extending outwardly to a position horizontally offset from an adjacent step; and    a connector supported by the mounting plate for connecting the mounting plate to the pool edge.    
   
   
       2 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a stop mechanism supported by the step support plate and configured to abut the pool edge to restrict movement of the step support plate in a horizontal direction.  
   
   
       3 . The stair assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the stop mechanism is a rotatable post supported by a threaded hole in the step support plate.  
   
   
       4 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the stair assembly is an integral unit.  
   
   
       5 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the stair assembly is made of molded plastic.  
   
   
       6 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the stair assembly is made of ABS.  
   
   
       7 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the stair assembly is made of material that is UV stable.  
   
   
       8 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the stair assembly is resistant to chlorine and bromine.  
   
   
       9 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the stair assembly is made of material that has a specific gravity greater than 1.0.  
   
   
       10 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the connector includes adhesive.  
   
   
       11 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the connector includes pressure sensitive adhesive.  
   
   
       12 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the connector includes a hook and loop fastener.  
   
   
       13 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the connector includes a peg and the mounting plate has a hole that receives the peg.  
   
   
       14 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the connector includes a bolt.  
   
   
       15 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the connector includes a lip extending from the mounting plate.  
   
   
       16 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the mounting plate is formed in two pieces including a first piece integral with the step support plate and a second piece connectable to the pool edge, wherein the first piece and second piece interlock.  
   
   
       17 . The stair assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the first piece has a key and the second piece has a groove that accepts the key in an interlocking relationship.  
   
   
       18 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the step support plate is generally flat.  
   
   
       19 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the step support plate is curved.  
   
   
       20 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the mounting plate is formed of two pieces connected by a hinge.  
   
   
       21 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the step support plate is formed of two pieces connected by a hinge.  
   
   
       22 . The stair assembly of  claim 21 , wherein the two pieces of the step support plate include a first piece formed integrally with the mounting plate at a right angle thereto and a second piece that supports the steps.  
   
   
       23 . The stair assembly of  claim 21 , wherein the hinge comprises a strip of flexible material.  
   
   
       24 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the step support plate includes a hinged portion that is foldable over the mounting plate so as to remove the steps from the pool.  
   
   
       25 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the steps are removably mounted to the step support plate so that a height of each step can be selectively adjusted.  
   
   
       26 . The stair assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the step support plate includes slots and the steps are connected to the step support plate via the slots at selected vertical positions.  
   
   
       27 . A stair assembly for connection to an edge of a body of water that allows animals to exit the water, comprising: 
 an angled platform configured to rest on the edge of the body of water and hang over the edge toward the water;    a connector associated with the angled platform to secure the angled platform to the edge of the body of water;    a support wall extending from the angled platform that supports a plurality of steps; and    a stop mechanism associated with the support wall to limit movement of the support wall with respect to the edge of the body of water when the animal climbs onto a step.    
   
   
       28 . The stair assembly of  claim 27 , wherein the support wall is connected to the angled platform by a hinge.  
   
   
       29 . The stair assembly of  claim 27 , wherein the connector includes adhesive.  
   
   
       30 . The stair assembly of  claim 27 , wherein stop mechanism is a rotatable post extending generally horizontally outwardly from the support wall.  
   
   
       31 . The stair assembly of  claim 27 , wherein the steps have a non-skid surface applied thereto.  
   
   
       32 . The stair assembly of  claim 27 , wherein the stair assembly is made of plastic.  
   
   
       33 . The stair assembly of  claim 27 , wherein the stair assembly is made of UV stable, chlorine resistant ABS.  
   
   
       34 . A method of using a stair assembly to provide egress to an animal in a body of water, comprising: 
 providing a stair assembly that includes a mounting section having a ledge that is configured to rest on a pool edge and a step section, wherein the step section includes a side wall with at least one tread extending from the side wall at a level lower than the ledge of the mounting section;    mounting the stair assembly on the edge of the pool by securing the ledge to the side of the pool such that the at least one tread is at or beneath the surface of the body of water; and    training a pet to use the stair assembly to exit the body of water, including enticing the pet toward the tread and encouraging the pet to climb from the water to the pool edge using the stair assembly, and repeating until the pet uses the stair assembly without assistance or encouragement.    
   
   
       35 . The method of using a stair assembly of  claim 34 , wherein mounting the stair assembly includes securing the ledge with a contact type fastener.