Swimming pool cleaning device

Claim 1

A swimming pool cleaning apparatus for washing the bottom and side walls of a swimming pool, said apparatus including a bouyant cleaning head movable about the surface of water within the pool, said head comprising a bouyant float and a hollow water manifold rotatably mounted on and below said float for rotation about a generally vertical axis with respect to the float; a water supply hose operatively connected at one end to said manifold and being adapted at its opposite end to be connected to a source of water under pressure; said supply hose including a flexible hose section connected to said manifold, in offset lateral relation to said axis, to permit relative movement between the manifold and the remainder of the hose; said manifold including a first water jet opening therein located in parallel axial alignment with said flexible hose section and a second water jet opening located in laterally spaced relation to the first jet opening with said axis being positioned therebetween; said second water jet opening being located at an acute angle to the first water jet opening in a predetermined position selected such that when water under pressure is supplied through said supply hose to said manifold said first and second water jets produce a resultant force which passes generally perpendicularly through said axis at an acute angle to the axis of said flexible hose section thereby to propel said head in a direction opposite and at an angle to the direction of water discharged from said first jet whereby said head will engage a side wall of the pool and move therealong and, when said float hits an obstacle or wall of the pool blocking forward movement of the head, drag on the head from the hose is reduced causing said resultant force to shift closer to said first jet away from said axis to rotate said manifold and reposition the resultant force to drive the head in another direction.