Water intake guard

Abstract

An apparatus for preventing large items of debris from entering the water intake pipes of a recirculation system of a swimming or wading pool and methods for using the apparatus. In one embodiment, the skimmer device comprises a block, a longitudinal member and a spiraled tail. The apparatus can be positioned to divert the blocked debris around the spiral and further downstream.

1 . An apparatus for diverting the flow of objects away from a water intake of a water recirculation system of a pool comprising: 
 a) a base;    b) at least one longitudinal vertical member having a first end and a second end, wherein said member is affixed to said base at the first end, and wherein said member projects vertically downward below a water surface; and    c) a means for deflecting objects away from the water intake, wherein said deflecting means is located at the second end of at least one longtidudinal vertical member, and said means projects downward from the second end of said longitudinal vertical member.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said apparatus comprises a rigid material resistant to rust and corrosion.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein said material is selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, fiberglass, polyester, KEVLAR, nylon, and copolymer polypropylene.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said base comprises a bottom panel, a top panel and a plurality of side panels, wherein said bottom panel is sufficiently level to position said base on a deck of said pool.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , further comprising a plurality of legs adjacent to said bottom panel.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein said base comprises a prismatic block.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein said base comprises a cubic block.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said base comprises an ornamental design in the shape of a figurine.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said figurine is a monkey having a tail, wherein the tail is said longitudinal vertical member.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said figurine is an octopus having a plurality of arms, wherein at least one arm is said longitudinal vertical member.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said base is a rock.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a means to affix said longitudinal vertical member to said base, wherein said longitudinal vertical member is affixed at the first end or substantially close to the first end.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein said means comprises at least one horizontal spacer member.  
   
   
       14 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein said horizontal spacer member is selected from a plurality of interchangeable horizontal members of varying lengths, said plurality of interchangeable horizontal members provided with said apparatus.  
   
   
       15 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein said horizontal spacer member comprises an extendable telescoping member.  
   
   
       16 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said deflector means comprises means for allowing smaller objects to pass through said means while diverting larger objects away from the water intake guard.  
   
   
       17 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said allowing means is selected from the group consisting of spirals, gratings, sieves, a plurality of interconnecting polygons, and a plurality of interconnecting circles.  
   
   
       18 . The apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein said spiral comprises a series of fractions of ellipses, wherein the opening between each ellipse is incrementally smaller from the outer ellipse to the inner ellipse.  
   
   
       19 . The apparatus according to  claim 18 , wherein the openings between the ellipses vary from about 1 cm to about 5 cm.  
   
   
       20 . The apparatus according to  claim 18 , wherein the length of the spiral across the centerline is about 5 cm to about 50 cm.  
   
   
       21 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said deflecting means comprises a solid panel.  
   
   
       22 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said longitudinal vertical member is about 4 cm to about 100 cm from the first end to the second end.  
   
   
       23 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said longitudinal vertical member is about 0.5 cm to about 5 cm in diameter.  
   
   
       24 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said deflector means are integrally molded into said longitudinal vertical member.  
   
   
       25 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said deflector means are attached to said longitudinal vertical member.