System and Method for Supplying Pressurized Water to a Recreational Splash Tower Apparatus

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of Invention

The various aspects discussed herein relate to systems and methods for supplying pressurized water to recreational splash tower apparatuses.

Description of Related Art

Splash tower apparatuses are commonly used in recreational settings to provide entertainment and relief from heat. Conventional splash towers are typically connected to a standard residential water supply, such as a garden hose spigot. However, the water pressure provided by a residential water supply is often insufficient to achieve optimal spray performance from the splash tower. Additionally, existing solutions lack the ability to simultaneously supply water to separate devices, such as a foam machine, from the same residential water source.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved system and method for supplying pressurized water to splash tower apparatuses. The present disclosure addresses this need by providing a system that utilizes an electric pump and water storage reservoir to boost the water pressure supplied to the splash tower, enhancing spray performance. The system also includes a splitter to enable simultaneous connection of a foam machine to the same residential water supply. By addressing the pressure deficiencies of conventional solutions and providing expanded functionality, the system and method of the present disclosure represent a significant advancement in the field.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in a simplified format, that are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the invention nor is it intended for determining the scope of the invention.

The present invention relates to a system and method for supplying pressurized water to enhance the performance of a recreational water apparatus such as a splash tower. In one aspect, the invention provides a system comprising a water storage reservoir for containing a volume of water, an electric pump disposed within the reservoir for pressurizing the water, a splitter for dividing a residential water supply into separate flow paths leading to the reservoir and to a foam machine, a first conduit for conveying the pressurized water from the pump to the splash tower at a sufficient pressure to achieve desired spray patterns, and a second conduit for separately supplying the residential water to the foam machine.

The electric pump is preferably submersible and fully immersed within the reservoir. This allows the pump to efficiently pressurize the stored water to a greater pressure than the residential supply pressure. The system may further include a control unit for regulating the pump operation and adjusting the water pressure to achieve different spray patterns from the splash tower based on user input.

In another aspect, a method is provided for supplying pressurized water to a splash tower apparatus, comprising filling a storage barrel with water, submerging an electric pump in the barrel, splitting a residential supply into separate flow paths using a splitter, connecting the flow paths to the barrel and a foam machine via hoses, coupling the pump output to the splash tower via a hose, and operating the pump to pressurize the water and supply it to the splash tower at an enhanced pressure, thereby improving the splash tower performance compared to using the residential supply alone.

In some embodiments, the water storage reservoir has a capacity of approximately 100 gallons. The splash tower may comprise a hemispherical base with a fluid inlet coupled to the first conduit, a plurality of limbs extending from the base each having water outlets, a top portion above the base, and additional limbs extending from the top portion also having water outlets. Advantageously, this configuration enables the splash tower to produce enhanced spray patterns and recreational effects.

The present invention solves the problem of inadequate water pressure from a residential supply for achieving optimal spray ranges and patterns from recreational equipment like splash towers. By using a separate pumping system with a reservoir fed by the residential supply, the invention can significantly boost the pressure and produce superior effects. These and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows. These and other features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, which will become more apparent as the description proceeds, are described in the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system for supplying pressurized water to a recreational apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 depicts a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the recreational apparatus of the system.

FIG. 3 illustrates a water storage reservoir according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof and show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be used and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

The following description is provided as an enabling teaching of the present systems, and/or methods in its best, currently known aspect. To this end, those skilled in the relevant art will recognize and appreciate that many changes can be made to the various aspects of the present systems described herein, while still obtaining the beneficial results of the present disclosure. It will also be apparent that some of the desired benefits of the present disclosure can be obtained by selecting some of the features of the present disclosure without utilizing other features.

Accordingly, those who work in the art will recognize that many modifications and adaptations to the present disclosure are possible and can even be desirable in certain circumstances and are a part of the present disclosure. Thus, the following description is provided as illustrative of the principles of the present disclosure and not in limitation thereof.

The terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar references used in the context of describing a particular embodiment of the present invention (especially in the context of certain claims) are construed to cover both the singular and the plural. The recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein.

All systems described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (for example, “such as”) provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the application and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the application otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the application. Thus, for example, reference to “an element” can include two or more such elements unless the context indicates otherwise.

As used herein, the terms “optional” or “optionally” mean that the subsequently described event or circumstance can or cannot occur, and that the description includes instances where said event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not.

The word or as used herein means any one member of a particular list and also includes any combination of members of that list. Further, one should note that conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might”, or “may” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain aspects include, while other aspects do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more particular aspects or that one or more particular aspects necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular aspect.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system 100 for supplying pressurized water to a recreational apparatus according to an embodiment. The system 100 includes a water storage reservoir 110, an electric pump 120, a splitter 130, a first conduit 140, and a second conduit 150.

The water storage reservoir 110 is adapted to contain a volume of water. In some embodiments, the water storage reservoir 110 has a capacity of approximately 100 gallons. The reservoir 110 may be a barrel, tank, or any other suitable container capable of holding water.

The electric pump 120 is disposed within the water storage reservoir 110 and configured to pressurize the water contained therein. The electric pump 120 may be submersible and designed to be fully immersed within the water. The pump 120 has an inlet that draws in water from the reservoir 110 and an outlet that expels pressurized water.

The splitter 130 has an inlet port 132 coupled to a residential water supply spigot 105, such as a garden hose spigot. The splitter 130 further includes a first outlet port 134 and a second outlet port 136. The first outlet port 134 is in fluid communication with the water storage reservoir 110 via a connection 115, enabling filling of the reservoir 110 with water from the residential supply 105.

The first conduit 140 has a proximal end 142 coupled to the outlet of the electric pump 120 and a distal end 144 configured to be coupled to a water-spraying splash tower 160. The electric pump 120 is operable to supply pressurized water from the reservoir 110 to the splash tower 160 via the first conduit 140 at a pressure sufficient to achieve a desired spray performance from the splash tower 160.

The splash tower 160 comprises a hemispherical base 162 having a fluid inlet coupled to the distal end 144 of the first conduit 140. A plurality of limbs 164 extend from the base 162, each limb having at least one water outlet 166 for dispersing water. In some embodiments, the plurality of limbs 164 comprises five limbs. The splash tower 160 may further include a top portion 168 positioned above the base 162 and a plurality of additional limbs 169 extending from the top portion 168, each having water outlets. The additional limbs 169 may comprise three limbs in some implementations.

The second conduit 150 has a proximal end 152 coupled to the second outlet port 136 of the splitter 130 and a distal end 154 configured to be coupled to a foam machine 170. The second conduit 150 separately supplies water from the residential spigot 105 to the foam machine 170. The foam machine 170 is configured to generate foam by mixing air, water from the second conduit 150, and a foam concentrate.

In another embodiment, the foam machine 170 is separately coupled to the distal end 154 of the second conduit 150. The second conduit 150 is configured to supply water from the residential water supply 105 to the foam machine 170 via the splitter 130, thereby isolating the water supplied to the foam machine 170 from the pressurized water supplied to the splash tower 160. In one embodiment, the foam machine 170 includes a foam concentrate reservoir 172 containing a liquid foam concentrate. During operation, the foam machine 170 is configured to intake water from the second conduit 150, intake air via an air inlet port 174, and draw foam concentrate from the reservoir 172. The water, air, and foam concentrate are combined and mixed within the foam machine 170, thereby generating an expanded foam product.

According to an embodiment, the generated foam is expelled and sprayed from a foam outlet port 176 of the foam machine 170. In some embodiments, the foam machine 170 may include a pump or compressor (not shown) configured to facilitate drawing in the water, air, and foam concentrate and expelling the produced foam. Optionally, the foam concentrate reservoir 172 may be refillable, thereby allowing for continued foam generation.

In another embodiment, the system 100 may further include a control unit 180 for regulating operation of the electric pump 120 based on user input. The control unit 180 can be configured to adjust the pressure of water supplied by the pump 120 to the splash tower 160, thereby achieving different spray patterns.

In operation, water from a residential supply 105 is split by splitter 130 into a first path to fill the water storage reservoir 110 and a second path to supply the foam machine 170. The electric pump 120, disposed within the reservoir 110, pressurizes the water and supplies it to the splash tower 160 at a pressure greater than the residential supply pressure. This enhances the spray performance of the splash tower 160, with the pressure controllable by a control unit 180 to vary the spray patterns.

Meanwhile, the foam machine 170 is able to separately generate foam using water from the second conduit 150. The system 100 thus provides a comprehensive apparatus for supplying high-pressure water to a splash tower 160 for recreational purposes while also accommodating a foam machine 170. In some embodiments, the first conduit 140 may comprise a hose or other suitable tubing for transporting pressurized water from the pump 120 to the splash tower 160.

With reference to FIG. 2, a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the recreational apparatus of the system 100 is shown.

In some embodiments, the splash tower 160 includes a hemispherical base 162 having a fluid inlet coupled to the distal end 144 of the first conduit 140. A plurality of limbs 164 extend radially outward from the base 162. In the embodiment depicted, the splash tower 160 includes five limbs 164 extending from the base 162, though it should be appreciated that more or fewer limbs may be provided in other implementations without departing from the scope of the invention. Each limb 164 includes at least one water outlet 166 configured to spray and disperse pressurized water delivered from the electric pump 120 via the first conduit 140. By way of example and not limitation, the water outlets 166 may comprise nozzles, apertures, or any other suitable openings for directing the pressurized water outwards.

According to an embodiment, the splash tower 160 further includes a top portion 168 positioned above and coupled to the hemispherical base 162. A plurality of additional limbs 169 extend from the top portion 168. In the illustrated embodiment, the top portion 168 includes three additional limbs 169, each also having one or more water outlets for dispersing water, though other quantities of additional limbs may be employed in some embodiments. The additional limbs 169 enable the splash tower 160 to provide spray coverage over an expanded area compared to the limbs 164 of the base 162 alone, thereby enhancing the recreational experience.

In one embodiment, the distal end 144 of the first conduit 140 is coupled to the fluid inlet of the splash tower base 162 to supply the pressurized water from the electric pump 120 to the splash tower 160. The electric pump 120 is configured to pressurize the water to a pressure substantially greater than the pressure of the residential water supply 105, enabling the splash tower 160 to generate spray patterns with enhanced velocity and trajectory. In some embodiments, the control unit 180 is operable to regulate the pressure supplied by the pump 120 to the splash tower 160, allowing adjustment and variation of the spray performance.

As shown in FIG. 2, according to an embodiment the splash tower 160 is depicted dispersing pressurized water from the water outlets 166 disposed on the plurality of limbs 164 and additional limbs 169. Simultaneously, the foam machine 170 is illustrated spraying foam from its foam outlet port 176. In this embodiment, the splash tower 160 and foam machine 170 operate concurrently to provide recreational effects, wherein the splash tower 160 directs sprays of water and the foam machine 170 generates and sprays foam, thereby enhancing the entertainment value and visual appeal of the apparatus.

In one embodiment, the recreational apparatus is well-suited for use in outdoor settings, including but not limited to a backyard or lawn area, to provide an engaging and entertaining activity for children and adults alike. The combination of the splash tower 160 spraying water and the foam machine 170 generating foam creates a generally lively and festive atmosphere. In some embodiments, the relatively compact size and modularity of the splash tower 160 and foam machine 170 substantially enhance the portability and adaptability of the apparatus to different locations and setups.

FIG. 3 illustrates water storage reservoir 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The embodiments described herein are given for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the interpretation of the present invention.

The respective elements and their arrangements, materials, conditions, shapes, sizes, or the like of the embodiment are not limited to the illustrated examples but may be appropriately changed.

Further, the constituents described in the embodiment may be partially replaced or combined together.