Multi-purpose beading for swimming pool liners

1. In an elongate beading for attaching a pool liner to a pool wall, comprising:

a substantially planar liner attachment portion having an inner surface and an outer surface, the outer surface for attachment to a pool liner;

a hook portion having a pair of opposed first and second legs interconnected by a connector portion, said first and second legs and connector portion having inner and outer surfaces, the inner surfaces of said legs and connector portion defining a channel, said first leg being substantially coplanar with said liner attachment portion;

said hook portion being movable between a first position that enables said beading to be placed over and receive an upper edge of a pool wall within said channel and a second position that enables said beading to be inserted into a bead-receiving track in or on a pool wall;

the improvement comprising:

said connector portion having side walls and said first and second legs intersecting said connector portion for defining with said side walls two downwardly facing shoulders, said shoulders extending between the outer surface of the respective legs and the outer surface of the adjacent side walls of said connector portion, the length of the shoulder and the thickness of the side wall between the second leg and the adjacent side wall being greater than the length of the shoulder and the thickness of the side wall between the first leg and the adjacent side wall of the connector portion;

said second leg including a narrowing intermediate its ends which defines first and second sections of said second leg, said first section being connected to said connector portion and said second section comprising a free end portion which is separable from said first section by tearing or cutting at said narrowing, said free end portion tapering outwardly from the narrowing towards its free end and including a plurality of spaced apart raised ribs on its inner and outer surfaces, said free end terminating in an enlarged protuberance;

said separable second section being movable between a first position attached to said first section of said second leg and a second position separated from said first section and inserted in a bead-receiving track to wedge said beading securely within the track.

2. The elongate beading, as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said channel is a downwardly opening, substantially inverted U-shaped channel.

3. The elongate beading, as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said track is an S-hook or J-hook liner track.

4. In a pool liner-beading assembly for attaching a pool liner to a pool wall, comprising:

a pool liner; and

an elongate beading, comprising:

a substantially planar liner attachment portion having an inner surface and an outer surface, the outer surface of said liner attachment portion attached to said pool liner;

a hook portion having a pair of opposed first and second legs interconnected by a connector portion, said first and second legs and connector portion having inner and outer surfaces, the inner surfaces of said legs and connector portion defining a channel, said first leg being substantially coplanar with said liner attachment portion;

said hook portion being movable between a first position that enables said beading to be placed over and receive an upper edge of a pool wall within said channel and a second position that enables said beading to be inserted into a bead-receiving track in or on a pool wall;

the improvement comprising:

said connector portion having side walls and said first and second legs intersecting said connector portion for defining with said side walls two downwardly facing shoulders, said shoulders extending between the outer surface of the respective legs and the outer surface of the adjacent side walls of said connector portion, the length of the shoulder and the thickness of the side wall between the second leg and the adjacent side wall being greater than the length of the shoulder and the thickness of the side wall between the first leg and the adjacent side wall of the connector portion;

said second leg including a narrowing intermediate its ends which defines first and second sections of said second leg, said first section being connected to said connector portion and said second section comprising a free end portion which is separable from said first section by tearing or cutting at said narrowing, said free end portion tapering outwardly from the narrowing towards its free end and including a plurality of spaced apart raised ribs on its inner and outer surfaces, said free end terminating in an enlarged protuberance;

said separable second section being movable between a first position attached to said first section of said second leg and a second position separated from said first section and inserted in a bead-receiving track to wedge said beading securely within the track.

5. The pool liner-beading assembly, as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said channel is a downwardly opening, substantially inverted U-shaped channel.

6. The pool liner-beading assembly, as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said track is an S-hook or J-hook liner track.

7. The elongate beading, as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said connector portion has a generally trapezoidal shape.

8. The pool liner-beading assembly, as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said connector portion has a generally trapezoidal shape.