Slip-resistant buckle for safety swimming pool cover straps
A 2-piece buckle connects buckle straps within a safety swimming pool cover. The 2-piece buckle is used in place of a strap/buckle system. The interlocking design allows for a quick, secure attachment that remains unaffected over time by weathering. The tension within the pool cover, along with the interlocking design, secures the 2-component attachment. The “half-moon” prong of the buckle is inserted through the open triangle shape of the other buckle half through the bottom, at an approximate 90-degree angle. The prong is then turned 90 degrees, rotated upward, and the two halves are “locked” into place. After the buckles are connected, the cover can be installed and tensioned over the pool. Tensioning prevents the 2 halves of the buckle from being rotated and disengaged. Disengagement can be performed once the pool cover anchoring hardware has been disengaged and the tension in the cover has been relieved.
1 . Apparatus for, and in combination with, a swimming pool cover, comprising:
a swimming pool cover configured to be installed and tensioned over said-a swimming pool;
said cover having slot cutouts to pass around obstructions and maintain total coverage denying access to water below in said swimming pool, the swimming pool cover coupled to a surface surrounding said swimming pool;
webbing straps extending from opposite side edges of said slot cutouts into said slot cutouts oppositely facing each other;
a two piece buckle for joining said webbing straps in each slot cutout, the two piece buckle comprising;
a male member in the form of a crescent half-moon shape, the male member coupled to one of said webbing straps in each slot cutout and
a female member having a triangular shaped opening configured to receive said male member, the female member coupled to the oppositely facing webbing strap in each said slot cutout corresponding to a respective webbing strap including the male member;
the joining of said male member and said female member requiring rotation of said male member by about 90 degrees to enter said triangular shaped opening of said female member; and
whereby tensioning of said swimming pool cover places a pulling force on joined male and female members making it impossible for the two pieces of said buckle to be rotated and disengaged.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 in which said obstructions include handrails or other fixed objects extending above a surface of said pool.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 in which said pointed end of said triangular shaped opening faces said male member.
4 . The apparatus of claim 3 in which said crescent half-moon shape comprises a straight edge attached to a body of said male member and a hemispherical shaped edge opposite of said straight edge.
5 . The apparatus of claim 4 in which disengagement of said buckle requires a 90-degree rotation of said male member.