US20060101570A1

US20060101570A1 - Pressure controlled multi-state fountain for spas

Info

Publication number: US20060101570A1
Application number: US10/990,063
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard Kunkel
Original assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corp
Current assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corp
Priority date: 2004-11-16
Filing date: 2004-11-16
Publication date: 2006-05-18
Also published as: EP1812657A4; WO2006055247A2; CA2583183A1; WO2006055247A3; AU2005306881A1; EP1812657A2

Abstract

Apparatus and methods relating to pop-up fountains for spas where the fountain includes a fountain head that has a first set of orifices and a second set of orifices, and at least two operating states. The first orifice set is active, and the second orifice set is inactive, when fountain head is in a first operating state. The second orifice set is active when the head is in a second operating state. The fountain head transitions between the first operating state and the second operating state in response to a change in position and/or a change in fountain head pressure.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to fountains for spas.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A fountain is a structure from which a jet or stream of water issues. A fountain head, as used herein, is a component of a fountain from which the jet or stream of water issues. A spa is sometimes defined as tub for relaxation or invigoration, usually including a device for raising whirlpools in the water. A fountain for a spa is a fountain positioned such that the water from the fountain exits the fountain head, flows through the air, and flows into the spa.
In some fountains, a fountain head extends from the fountain (“pops up”) when a jet or stream of water issues from it, and retracts when it is not in use. An example of a pop-up fountain assembly for installation in a swimming pool can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,816 (the '816 patent). In the '816 patent, a fountain assembly extends upward from the bottom of a swimming pool when water flows through it, and retracts into the bottom of the pool when the fountain is turned off and the pool is to be used for swimming. An example of a spa with a pop-up waterfall apparatus can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,595,435 (the '435 patent). In the '435 patent, a waterfall apparatus pops up when a stream of water issues from it in the form of a waterfall, and retracts into the side of the spa when not in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to apparatus and methods relating to pop-up fountains for spas. In one preferred embodiment a fountain includes a fountain head that has a first set of orifices and a second set of orifices, and at least two operating states. The first orifice set is active, and the second orifice set is inactive, while the fountain assembly is in a first operating state. The second orifice set becomes active when the fountain assembly is in a second operating state. The fountain transitions between the first operating state and the second operating state in response to a change in position of the fountain head and/or a change in fountain head pressure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The exact nature of this invention, as well as the objects and advantages thereof, will become readily apparent from consideration of the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:
FIG. 1 is perspective partial cutaway view of a spa including a fountain for the spa in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is perspective view of the head of the fountain of FIG. 1 retracted into a side of the spa.
FIG. 3 is a top view showing the pattern of water issuing from the fountain of FIG. 1 while the head is retracted.
FIG. 4. is a schematic side view illustrating movement of the head of the fountain of FIG. 1 between a retracted position and an extended position.
FIG. 5 is a perspective side view of the head of the fountain of FIG. 1 extended from a side of the spa.
FIG. 6 is a top view showing the pattern of water issuing from the fountain of FIG. 1 while the head is extended.
FIG. 7 is a schematic view of water flow through the spa and fountain of FIG. 1.
FIG. 8 is a schematic view of water flow through the spa and fountain of FIG. 1 when the fountain is in a first operating state.
FIG. 9 is a schematic view water flow through the spa and fountain of FIG. 1 when the fountain is in a second operating state.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a first alternative fountain head.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a second alternative fountain head.
FIG. 12 is a schematic view of water flow through an alternative fountain head.
FIG. 13 is a top view illustrating an oscillating fountain head.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a third alternative fountain head.
FIG. 15 is a top view illustrating a first water pattern of the head of FIG. 14.
FIG. 16 is a top view illustrating a second water pattern of the head of FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that these embodiments are not intended to limit the invention. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, circuits and/or other items have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the important aspects of the present invention.
When designing a fountain for a spa, it is not necessary to utilize multiple fountain heads to be able to vary the pattern of water flowing from the fountain. Instead, one or more multi-state fountain heads can be used. In a multi-state fountain head, the pattern of water flowing from the fountain head changes as the operating state changes. Such changes may be accomplished in a variety of ways, but in a preferred embodiment described herein, operating state changes are obtained through a change in fountain head position resulting from a change in the pressure of the water flowing into the fountain head.
In FIG. 1, a portable spa 1 includes a water filled cavity 2 that functions as a fountain pool because the spa 1 includes a fountain assembly 11 that issues water into the cavity 2. The fountain assembly 11 is mounted to an upper surface 3 of a body 4 of the spa 1, and is coupled to a circulation system 5 of the spa 1 that includes a cavity outlet 6, conduits 7, components 8, 10, and 12, and a controller 9. The fountain assembly 11 does not contact or protrude from the sides of the water cavity 2. The components 8, 10, 12 may comprise a jet pump, filter, and heater, or may be any other combination of circulation system components.
Water within the cavity 2 enters the circulation system 5 via the cavity outlet 6, passes through the conduits 7 and the components 8, 10, and 12, and exits the circulation system 5 via the fountain assembly 11. The controller 9 is used to control the circulation system 5, and facilitates turning the system on and off and adjusting the pressure at which water is introduced into the fountain 11. Water is introduced into the fountain assembly 11 at at least two pressure levels, a higher level and a lower level. As shown in FIG. 1, water is being introduced into the fountain assembly 11 at the higher level such that a fountain head of the fountain assembly 11 is extended from the surface 3 of the body 4.
In FIG. 2, a head assembly 13 of the fountain 11 is shown retracted into a head assembly receiving cavity 15 that extends into the surface 3 of the body 4 of the spa 1. As can be seen in FIGS. 2-7, the head assembly 13 is moveable relative to the cavity 15 such that the head assembly 13 can be retracted and extended. When retracted as shown in FIG. 2, more of the head assembly 13 is positioned within the cavity 15 than when the head assembly 13 is extended as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Extending the head assembly 13 is sometimes referred to as causing the head assembly 13 to “pop-up”.
As best seen in FIG. 7, the head assembly 13 includes a head 17 and a riser 19. The riser 19 includes at least one fluid inlet 21, and at least one fluid channel 23 extending between the fluid inlet 21 and two orifice sets 25 and 27 of the head 17. As best seen in FIG. 2, the orifice set 25 includes a plurality of nozzles 29 positioned and oriented to cause water flowing through the nozzles 29 to form jets of water projecting upwards from the head 17. The orifice set 27 includes a sheeting manifold 31 positioned and oriented to cause water passing through the manifold to form a waterfall. The flow of water issuing from orifice set 27 is designated as F1, and the flow of water issuing from orifice set 29 is designated as F2. FIG. 3 illustrates the flow F1 from the active orifice set 25 when the head assembly 13 is retracted, and FIG. 6 illustrates the flows F1 and F2 from the active orifice sets 25 and 27 when the head assembly 13 is extended.
The head assembly 13 and the cavity 15 cooperate to inhibit water flow through the orifice set 27 when the head assembly 13 is retracted into the cavity 15, and to allow water to flow through the orifice set 27 when the head assembly 13 is extended from the cavity 15. The head assembly 13 moves between a first, retracted position and a second, extended position in response to changes in water pressure at the fluid inlet 21 and the fluid channel 23. When water at lower pressure passes through the head assembly 13, water exits the head assembly 13 through the orifice set 25 as jets, but not through the orifice set 27 (see FIG. 3) because the orifice(s) of the orifice set 27 is/are within the cavity 15. The sides of the cavity 15 inhibit water flow through the orifice(s) of the orifice set 27. Once the pressure of water entering the head assembly 13 exceeds a threshold value, the head assembly 13 extends from the cavity 15, and water flowing through the head assembly 13 exits the assembly through both the orifice set 25 and the orifice set 27 as flows F1 and F2 (see FIG. 6).
The orifice set 27 is activated by changes in pressure of water entering the head assembly 13 in that water is less inhibited from flowing through the orifice(s) of the orifice set 27 at higher pressures than at lower pressures. Although the method by which orifice sets are activated or deactivated may vary between embodiments, the orifice set 27 is activated by increased pressure and corresponding movement of the head assembly 13.
Although it is preferred that no water flow through inactive orifices, it is contemplated that in some instances there will be leakage such that some water may pass through an orifice set when it is inactive. As such, water flowing through an orifice set is not always a reliable indicator of whether the orifice set is active, although lack of water flow is a good indicator of inactivity. In some embodiments an orifice set can be said to be active or inactive depending on whether the head is positioned to facilitate or inhibit flow through the orifices of the orifice set. In some embodiments a particular orifice set may be determined to be active or inactive because some other mechanism is facilitating or inhibiting water flow through the orifice set. In some embodiments, an orifice set is active if the fountain is in a state where water flow through the orifice set is desirable and inactive if flow through the orifice is not desirable.
In the assembly of FIG. 1, the orifice set 27 is activated as a result of the movement of the head assembly 13 out of the cavity 15. However, it is contemplated that other embodiments may be activated using a different mechanism, in response to something other than a change in pressure, and/or in response to a change in pressure without a change in position or movement of the head assembly 3. As an example, a flow path to the orifice set 27 might include a pressure valve set to open at a pre-selected pressure. In such an instance, if the water entering the head assembly 13 is below the pre-selected pressure, the valve would remain closed and water would issue from the head assembly 13 only through the orifice set 25. However, at pressures above the threshold pressure, the valve would open and water would issue from both the orifice set 25 and the orifice set 27.
In some instances a fountain may be said to comprise multiple operating states with at least one operating state corresponding to each unique combination of active orifice sets. As such, FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate two operating states of the spa 1. In a first operating state as shown in FIG. 8, only the orifice set 25 is active, and in a second operating state as shown in FIG. 9, the two orifice sets 25 and 27 are active. As shown, in FIG. 8, water from the fountain assembly 11 exits the assembly through the orifice set 25 as flow F1, flows into the cavity 2, is circulated by the circulation system 5 and re-enters the fountain assembly 11. The same thing occurs in FIG. 9 except that water flows from the fountain assembly as flows F1 and F2 through orifice sets 25 and 27. I
Although embodiments have been described in relation to two orifice sets, alternative embodiments may comprise additional orifice sets. As such, an embodiment might comprise three orifice sets and seven operating states with each of the at least seven operating states corresponding to a unique combination of the three orifice sets. As with the fountain of FIGS. 1-7, activation and deactivation of orifice sets may be caused by pressure changes, movement of one or more pressure heads, and/or some other mechanism.
The number , type, position, and/or orientation of orifices in each orifice set may vary between embodiments. As an example, some embodiments may only include jets in orifices sets and/or may only include sheeting manifolds, rather than having one set include jets and one set include a sheeting manifold as shown in FIG. 1. It is contemplated that it is advantageous to have the flow from at least one orifice set project upwards and outwards from the center of the fountain head. In the fountain head 13 of FIGS. 1, the flow F1 from the orifice set 25 projects upwards and outwards.
FIGS. 10 and 11 depict flow head assemblies 13′ and 13″ comprising orifice sets 27′ and 27″ from which a flow F3 is issues as shown in FIG. 12. As can be seen in FIG. 12, the flow F3 issues upward and outward from the flow head 13′, as it would with flow head 13″ as well. The head assemblies 13′ and 13″ differ in that the assembly 13′ provides a more laminar flow than the head assembly 13″ as the head assembly 13″ is intended to produce a patterned flow.
In some instances flow head assemblies may move in a manner that changes the direction of the flows issuing from the flow head assemblies, but does not result in any orifice sets being activated or inactivated. As an example, FIG. 13 shows a flow head assembly 13′ oscillating around a center axis to move the flow F3 first towards one side 41 of a spa 43 and then towards another side 45 of the spa 43.
In some embodiments, a head assembly may be manually or automatically configurable such that the size, number, position, and/or orientation of one or more orifices can be adjusted to change the pattern of water issuing from the head assembly. In some instances, a fountain may comprise one or more mechanisms which are not part of the head assembly for manually configuring the pattern of water issuing from the fountain. In FIG. 14, a head assembly 51 comprising an orifice set 53 and a rotatable cover 55 is shown. The cover 55 can be rotated to completely or partially cover the orifice set 53. As such, in some instances the flow F4 from the orifice set 53 is narrow as shown in FIG. 15, while in other instances it is wider as shown in FIG. 16. It is contemplated that such adjustability allows a single embodiment of a flow head assembly to be used in a corner of a spa as well as along a side of a spa.
At least some of the fountains described herein may be said to embody the following method of operating a fountain: (a) causing the fountain to enter a first operating state wherein water flows through a first orifice set but not a second orifice set by causing water to flow into a fountain head at a first pressure; and (b) causing the fountain to enter a second operating state wherein water flows through a second orifice by causing the water to flow into the fountain head at second pressure which differs from the first pressure. In some instances, the fountains embody such a method where: (a) the second pressure is higher than the first pressure, and/or (b) water flows through both the first and second orifice sets when the fountain is in the second operating state.

Claims

1. A fountain comprising:

a fountain head having a first set of orifices and a second set of orifices;

the first set of orifices being active, and the second set of orifice being inactive, when the fountain head is in a first operating state; and

the second set of orifices being active when the fountain head is in a second operating state.

2. The fountain of claim 1 wherein the fountain head transitions between the first operating state and the second operating state in response to a change in position of the fountain head and/or a change in fountain head pressure.

3. The fountain of claim 2 wherein the fountain transitions between the first operating state and the. second operating state in response to a change in fountain head pressure which causes a change in fountain head position.

4. The fountain of claim 3 wherein the second orifice set comprises a sheeting manifold.

5. The fountain of claim 4 wherein the first orifice set is active while the fountain assembly is in the first operating state and while the fountain assembly is in the second operating state.

6. The fountain of claim 5 wherein the first orifice set comprises a plurality of jets positioned and oriented to direct water upwards and away from the fountain head.

7. The fountain of claim 6 wherein the fountain is positioned in or on an upper surface of a portable spa where the upper surface surrounds a cavity sized and dimensioned to receive a person.

8. The fountain of claim 7 wherein the fountain is fluidly coupled to a circulation system of the portable spa.

9. The fountain of claim 8 wherein the circulation system comprises one or more of a heater, a filter, and a jet pump.

10. A fountain for a spa comprising:

a pop-up mechanism including an adjustable width sheeting manifold.

11. The fountain of claim 10 wherein the pop-up mechanism includes a cover that can be rotated to block at least a portion of an outlet of the sheeting manifold where the amount that the cover is rotated affects how much of the sheeting manifold outlet is blocked.

12. A pop-up fountain for a portable spa, comprising:

a fountain head located in the side of the spa, the fountain head including at least one orifice set that directs water issuing from the orifice set upwards and away from the fountain head.

13. The fountain of claim 12 wherein the fountain is coupled to a circulation system of the spa, the circulation system comprising one or more of a heater, a filter, and a jet pump.

14. A method of operating a fountain comprising:

causing the fountain to enter a first operating state wherein water flows through a first orifice set but not a second orifice set by causing water to flow into a fountain head at a first pressure;

causing the fountain to enter a second operating state wherein water flows through the second orifice set by causing the water to flow into the fountain head at a second pressure which differs from the first pressure.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the second pressure is higher than the first pressure.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein water flows through both the first and second orifice sets when the fountain is in the second operating state.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising using a jet pump causing water flow through one or more jets to pump water through the fountain.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

obtaining water from a seating cavity of the spa; and

heating the water after it is obtained from the seating cavity, but before it flows through either the first or the second orifice set.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

obtaining water from a seating cavity of the spa; and

filtering the water as or after it is obtained from the seating cavity, but before it flows through either the first or the second orifice set.