Pool Cover Fabric Containing Algaecide and/or Bactericide to Reduce Algae/Bacteria Growth

Abstract

A woven fabric pool cover has an antimicrobial agent that reduces / prevents the growth of microbes on the pool cover and in the water of a swimming pool covered by the cover. The fabric cover may be woven from polyolefin extruded monofilaments, and / or fibrillated tape yarns where the yarns have an antimicrobial agent added during the yarn extrusion process or added to fabric formed by the yarns. The fabric may be woven from traditional polyolefin extruded monofilaments, and / or fibrillated tape yarns before the resulting fabric is treated with a antimicrobial agent. Such treatment may involve spraying a solution onto the fabric or also dipping, soaking, or padding the fabric into the treating solution. The antimicrobial agent may form a zone of inhibition around the yarns and may seep out of the fabric to form zones of inhibition in the surrounding environment, like on the cover and / or in swimming pool water.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION FOR WHICH A BENEFIT IS CLAIMED UNDER 35 U.S.C. §119(e)[0001]This patent application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 829,375, entitled “Pool Cover Fabric Containing Algaecide and / or Bactericide to Reduce Algae / Bacteria Growth,” filed Oct. 13, 2006. The complete disclosure of the above-identified priority application is hereby fully incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]Broadly, this invention relates to swimming pool covers. More specifically, the present invention relates to manufacturing a woven pool covering fabric with an additive. The fabric may allow light transmission but the additive can reduce or eliminate microorganism growth, such as bacteria and algae, on the pool covering and in a swimming pool while the pool is covered.BACKGROUND[0003]Swimming pool covers are generally installed over swimming pools to protect the swimming pools from leaves and other debri...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]The present invention relates to a woven fabric pool cover comprising an antimicrobial agent such as an algaecide and / or bactericide. Such a fabric can have reduced weight and may still prevent, or reduce, algae growth and bacteria on the pool cover and in a swimming pool that is covered by the fabric. This may reduce the amount of chemicals that are typically added to the pool before covering, or used to clean the pool after uncovering. The woven structure of the cover may reduce the weight of the cover and also may reduce costs associated with the manufacture, material components, or transportation of the cover. Furthermore, the lighter woven cover may provide increased ease of use thus improving compliance with suggested use patterns further increasing efficacy of the cover.

[0009]The antimicrobial agent provided within the woven fabric pool cover may slowly seep out of the fabric or leach into the swimming pool water or other surrounding environment when the pool cover comes into contact with water, such as rain, snow, or water from other sources. Such seeping or leaching of the antimicrobial agent may expand the effectiveness of the additive algaecide and / or bactericide associated with the woven fabric pool cover and create a zone of microbe growth inhibition.

Problems solved by technology

For example, a swimming pool may be out of use when the climate is too cold for swimming.

While such covers can provide a physical barrier to debris entering the pool, they are generally quite heavy.

Such weight can make the covers difficult to manipulate and store.

Additionally, the solid material may increase the cost of manufacturing and delivering the pool cover.

Unfortunately, light from the sun shining through the pool cover may allow, or encourage, the growth of microbes, such as algae, in the pool water.

Algae removal is generally time consuming and expensive since the pool must be chemically treated and physically cleaned to kill and remove the algae.

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