Pool Droid

DESCRIPTION:

Swimming pools have a long history, and possibly one of the first known pools on record existed in the 3rd millennium BC in Mohenjo-Daro in Pakistan. Mohenjo-Daro is the earliest example of a pool that was dug intentionally as an artificial enclosure for water. The artifacts at the site suggest that the pool was built expressly for swimming or bathing for recreation. The ancient Greeks and Romans were fond of constructing artificial pools for athletic training, bathing, and recreation. Many examples still exist, and some like the pools in Bath in the United Kingdom are preserved and restored to functionality.

The modern swimming pool became popular in the mid 19th century in Britain. Early as 1837 six indoor pools with diving boards existed in London England. Learning to swim became an important skill because of many drownings in area rivers and the fact that the rescuers would also drown due to being unable to swim. Olympic games started in the late 19 century featured swimming races in pools, and the popularity of swimming pools began to spread.

The popularity of swimming pools continues into the 21st century, and a point that seems to be omitted in the history of swimming pools is the job of cleaning them and keeping the water free of contaminants. The level of bacteria and viruses in swimming pool water must be managed at an acceptable level to prevent the spread of diseases and other health issues. The growth of algae, bacteria, and insect larvae can enter a poorly maintained pool. Circulation pumps, filters, and other pool equipment must also be maintained and sanitized regularly. Pool maintenance is usually carried out by either professional or by the home and pool owner.

Maintaining a swimming pool requires the storage and transportation of chemicals and equipment on a regular basis. The chemicals and tools necessary for pool maintenance can be bulky and difficult to handle properly. The chemicals must be stored out of the sunlight and weather to prevent damage. The tools can be a source of clutter and require a lot of work to keep organized. The professional will usually keep all of the equipment and chemicals in a truck and will have to be transferred continuously back and forth from the vehicle to the pool sites during a work day. The homeowner is required to have a safe and secure location to store chemical and equipment such as a shed or in a protected place indoors.

The Pool Droid is an innovative and unique solution for enclosed storage and transport of pool cleaning supplies and equipment for both professional and homeowners. The Pool Droid is ideal for safely securing supplies inside a locking weather proof container and transporting to and from the pool site. The container will hitch to the back of an automobile or truck for professionals eliminating the contamination of the truck bed from harsh chemicals used in pool maintenance. The homeowner uses the Pool Droid to store and transport the materials while keeping the materials secure and locked up and out of the sun and weather.

The top of the Pool Droid features a locking lift up lid that exposes a storage area
that is ideal for storing hoses, brushes, nets, vacuum heads, and testing kits. The lid is locking when in the down position and is weather proof when secure. The lower section of the Pool Droid contains shelving that is used to store chemical containers. The bottom section is accessed by the front door that will swing out of the way to expose the entire front section shelving. The front door of the lower section will also lock securely. Located on each side of the Pool Droid are cylindrical sleeves for storing telescoping poles. The poles are secure in the sleeves and will not accidentally come out during transport. Two large and sturdy wheels are located at the base of the Pool Droid to make the movement of the Pool Droid effortless. Handles located on the Pool Droid are convenient and are also used to secure the Pool Droid to the back of an automobile or pick-up truck. The carrying system assures that no damage will occur to the vehicle during transport or storage. The Pool Droid provides safe and easy transport of all materials needed for pool cleaning eliminating the need for a truck for professionals and a safe and secure transportable storage for the homeowner.

SPECIFIC, UNIQUE FUNCTIONS OF INVENTION:

• Provides safe and secure storage of pool chemicals and tools
• Upper and lower section for storage
• Top and bottom sections lock
• Shelves in lower section for storing chemicals and additional equipment
• Side storage of telescoping poles
• Wheels at base provide easy movement over terrain
• Hitches safely to any car or truck
• Handles for easy movement
• Handles serve as attachment point for carrying system
• Carrying system similar to bicycle transporting systems
• Use for both professionals and homeowners
• Weather proof and sun proof

PRODUCT COMPONENT CLARIFICATION:

The “Pool Droid” is an innovative swimming pool maintenance product that has been designed to store and transport pool cleaning materials/chemicals to the pool that is to be cleaned. The molded plastic container has fixed shelves within plus a latching door and a weather resistant lid. The upper shelf can be accessed from the front or top when lid is rotated back out of the way. The lower 3 compartments are accessed through the front door and the lowest compartment is large enough to store 5 gallon buckets upright. The handles on the back allow easy control of the container in conjunction with the large all terrain wheels. The product can be filled with common pool cleaning supplies and left near the pool for the homeowners use or can be transported to the pool site for use by pool maintenance tradesmen. The product can even be suspended on a bicycle style carrier on the back of the pickup or car, and moved from site to site.

Currently, the pool maintenance tradesman typically carries the pool chemicals, tools, and supplies in the pickup bed, in the back of the van, or in the trunk of a vehicle as they go from pool to pool. When they arrive at the maintenance site, the tools and chemicals needed are carried to the pool or pool house for use. This may take a few trips, which have to be repeated when the tools and chemicals are returned to the vehicle. The harsh chemicals can harm the vehicle bed or car trunk if an inadvertent spill occurs. If the spill occurs in an enclosed van or in the car trunk, inhaled fumes can cause various health problems as the vehicle is being driven between locations.

The home owner has a similar problem with the tools and chemicals typically located in an area near the pool. The pile of tools, buckets, hoses, and chemicals can be very unsightly unless they can be stored in a pool house or lawn cabinet. The harsh chemicals can also be a health hazard if they are stored haphazardly.

The “Pool Droid” resolves almost all those problems by having the tools and chemicals compactly stored in a lockable and weather safe enclosure. The wheeled container can be conveniently moved to the pool area being maintained and now the tools and chemicals are all at hand. After the pool maintenance is completed, all the tools and chemicals are placed within the “Pool Droid”, the product wheeled to the home storage point or wheeled out the tradesman vehicle. Then it can be loaded onto the vehicle carrier, or rolled up the ramp into the pickup bed, for transport to the next pool on the route.

The container: The “Pool Droid” container is blow molded from high density polyethylene plastic. This plastic is very durable, is highly resistant to household and pool chemicals, is resistant to ultraviolet degradation, is easy to rinse clean, and is typically used in this type of application. The container can be supplied in almost any vibrant color, so a distinctive color, or colors, may be chosen to enhance the product recognition factor, which can dramatically improve the market adoption of the product. The product is molded in 3 major sections, which are as follows.

• The central container with shelves: The main body of the product is blow molded with 3 horizontal shelves molded into the cavity. The body also has the holes for the tube supports and handle supports molded into the wall of the body. The leading edge of the shelves is raised to prevent chemical containers and buckets from sliding out as the contents are moved about. The upper storage compartment has an open front as well as an open top so items stored within can be accessed from the front or top when the lid is rotated open. The lower section of the leading edge is a foot upon which the product stands and the back edge has cavities that protect the 8” diameter by 3” wide rubber all terrain wheels.
  • The 8” diameter wheels are mounted on a 1⁄2” stainless steel axle and are capable of supporting a working load of 300 pounds with a significant safety margin. They are vulcanized using non-marking, non-slip rubber materials. The all terrain feature allows easy movement over rough ground, cobblestone landscaping features, and rough pool decks without difficulty.
  • The handles are mounted using commercially available tubing holders and 1.5” diameter, thick wall aluminum tubing, which has been clear anodized for durability. The handles are capable of supporting 150 pounds each without degradation and are easily used to mover the product around.
  • The outer side surfaces of the container have 3” plastic extruded tubes slanting backward that hold the collapsible tube handles from the pool tools. They are mounted using commercially available tube holders and are secured using stainless steel fasteners. The lower end of the tubes are blocked with perforated plastic caps that allow any collected moisture to drain out and lets air circulate to the keep the tools dry.
• The lid: This lid is shaped to prevent weather or sunlight from getting inside the top, even when the container is being transported between pool sites in the rain. The lid curves down over the front and has a locking latch on the center front. The latch can be released by depressing it and lifting the lid, which has two pin style hinges at the rear. The lid is typically supplied in a different color than the body and door of the container. The raised “Pool Droid” logo is molded into the lid.
• The front door: This door is molded with a mating continuous hinge and a stainless steel rod is pressed through it after it is aligned with the mating hinge on the container. The stainless steel, spring loaded latch is installed and the door assembly is complete. The latch will remain closed even when the product is being transported down the road on the back of the vehicle.
• As an option: The product can be supplied with a universal strap on carrier that fits sedans and SUVs, or one that fits various sized pickups, or one that fits a standard 2” trailer hitch receiver. Any one of the three types are capable of easy loading, transporting, and unloading the “Pool Droid” with up to 300 pounds of total combined weight.

The Pool Droid is designed to be aesthetic and effective in the application. The relative ease of manufacture and the moderately inexpensive components provide good marketability for the manufacturer. The user benefits from improved organization, easy access to tools and chemicals, and improved safety, which should provide considerable market interest in the product.

The invention is illustrated in the following drawings of the essential points as explained to us in the documentation.

Drawing 1, Block 1: Pool Droid – Front And Side Views

(1) The thick wall pool cleaning supplies container is blow molded in 3 sections, i.e., lid, cabinet, and front door and is very durable in the application.

(2) The plastic side tubes are sized to securely hold telescoping poles even during transportation.

(3) The tube mounts are mounted through holes molded in the side of the cabinet and use stainless steel fasteners to secure them to the outside of the cabinet.

(4) The splashproof lid is held down using the lockable latch and protects the tools material stored within.

(5) When the lid is raised, the interior upper shelf is accessible from the front and the top.

(6) The lid is logoized during the molding process and identifies the product uniquely.

(7) The shelves are molded as an integral part of the cabinet and have a small raised lip on the front edge to prevent items from sliding off when the lid or door is opened.

(8) The lid covers all the open edges and provides a drip lip to prevent elements from entering during storage and transportation.

(9) The lifting handles are fabricated from aluminum tubing for strength and will support an internal load of up to 150 pounds each without bending or deformation.

(10) The handle supports are secured through holes molded in the side of the cabinet and use 4 stainless steel fasteners per mount to retain them on the outside of the cabinet.

(11) The 8” diameter rubber wheels roll smoothly over all sorts of terrain and will not mark or slip on pool decks.

(12) The stainless steel latch pivots outward using the finger grip to release it and is spring loaded to remain latched even when flexed during being transported to or hung upon the vehicle tailgate or trunk support.

Although a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the above detailed description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment developed herein, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, substitutions of parts and elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

This document has been prepared for the manufacturer’s elucidation. The manufacturer’s decision makers should consider this product for licensing (providing intellectual property protection for their sales of the product in return for a royalty payment for a period of years) or an outright purchase of the patent for a negotiated fee. The inventor and his team are standing by to consider offers for licensing or outright purchase of the patent.