CA2515171A1 - Direct current powered hose rewinding apparatus - Google Patents
Direct current powered hose rewinding apparatus Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2515171A1 CA2515171A1 CA 2515171 CA2515171A CA2515171A1 CA 2515171 A1 CA2515171 A1 CA 2515171A1 CA 2515171 CA2515171 CA 2515171 CA 2515171 A CA2515171 A CA 2515171A CA 2515171 A1 CA2515171 A1 CA 2515171A1
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- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- spool
- hose
- direct current
- assembly
- accordance
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H75/00—Storing webs, tapes, or filamentary material, e.g. on reels
- B65H75/02—Cores, formers, supports, or holders for coiled, wound, or folded material, e.g. reels, spindles, bobbins, cop tubes, cans, mandrels or chucks
- B65H75/34—Cores, formers, supports, or holders for coiled, wound, or folded material, e.g. reels, spindles, bobbins, cop tubes, cans, mandrels or chucks specially adapted or mounted for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of material provided for particular purposes, e.g. anchored hoses, power cables
- B65H75/38—Cores, formers, supports, or holders for coiled, wound, or folded material, e.g. reels, spindles, bobbins, cop tubes, cans, mandrels or chucks specially adapted or mounted for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of material provided for particular purposes, e.g. anchored hoses, power cables involving the use of a core or former internal to, and supporting, a stored package of material
- B65H75/40—Cores, formers, supports, or holders for coiled, wound, or folded material, e.g. reels, spindles, bobbins, cop tubes, cans, mandrels or chucks specially adapted or mounted for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of material provided for particular purposes, e.g. anchored hoses, power cables involving the use of a core or former internal to, and supporting, a stored package of material mobile or transportable
- B65H75/403—Carriage with wheels
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H75/00—Storing webs, tapes, or filamentary material, e.g. on reels
- B65H75/02—Cores, formers, supports, or holders for coiled, wound, or folded material, e.g. reels, spindles, bobbins, cop tubes, cans, mandrels or chucks
- B65H75/34—Cores, formers, supports, or holders for coiled, wound, or folded material, e.g. reels, spindles, bobbins, cop tubes, cans, mandrels or chucks specially adapted or mounted for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of material provided for particular purposes, e.g. anchored hoses, power cables
- B65H75/38—Cores, formers, supports, or holders for coiled, wound, or folded material, e.g. reels, spindles, bobbins, cop tubes, cans, mandrels or chucks specially adapted or mounted for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of material provided for particular purposes, e.g. anchored hoses, power cables involving the use of a core or former internal to, and supporting, a stored package of material
- B65H75/44—Constructional details
- B65H75/4457—Arrangements of the frame or housing
- B65H75/4465—Foldable or collapsible
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H75/00—Storing webs, tapes, or filamentary material, e.g. on reels
- B65H75/02—Cores, formers, supports, or holders for coiled, wound, or folded material, e.g. reels, spindles, bobbins, cop tubes, cans, mandrels or chucks
- B65H75/34—Cores, formers, supports, or holders for coiled, wound, or folded material, e.g. reels, spindles, bobbins, cop tubes, cans, mandrels or chucks specially adapted or mounted for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of material provided for particular purposes, e.g. anchored hoses, power cables
- B65H75/38—Cores, formers, supports, or holders for coiled, wound, or folded material, e.g. reels, spindles, bobbins, cop tubes, cans, mandrels or chucks specially adapted or mounted for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of material provided for particular purposes, e.g. anchored hoses, power cables involving the use of a core or former internal to, and supporting, a stored package of material
- B65H75/44—Constructional details
- B65H75/4457—Arrangements of the frame or housing
- B65H75/4471—Housing enclosing the reel
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H75/00—Storing webs, tapes, or filamentary material, e.g. on reels
- B65H75/02—Cores, formers, supports, or holders for coiled, wound, or folded material, e.g. reels, spindles, bobbins, cop tubes, cans, mandrels or chucks
- B65H75/34—Cores, formers, supports, or holders for coiled, wound, or folded material, e.g. reels, spindles, bobbins, cop tubes, cans, mandrels or chucks specially adapted or mounted for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of material provided for particular purposes, e.g. anchored hoses, power cables
- B65H75/38—Cores, formers, supports, or holders for coiled, wound, or folded material, e.g. reels, spindles, bobbins, cop tubes, cans, mandrels or chucks specially adapted or mounted for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of material provided for particular purposes, e.g. anchored hoses, power cables involving the use of a core or former internal to, and supporting, a stored package of material
- B65H75/44—Constructional details
- B65H75/4481—Arrangements or adaptations for driving the reel or the material
- B65H75/4486—Electric motors
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2701/00—Handled material; Storage means
- B65H2701/30—Handled filamentary material
- B65H2701/33—Hollow or hose-like material
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2701/00—Handled material; Storage means
- B65H2701/50—Storage means for webs, tapes, or filamentary material
- B65H2701/53—Adaptations of cores or reels for special purposes
- B65H2701/533—Storage compartments for accessories
Landscapes
- Storing, Repeated Paying-Out, And Re-Storing Of Elongated Articles (AREA)
- Handcart (AREA)
Abstract
The present invention relates to portable hose carts for handling and storage of flexible hoses, such as garden or air hoses. The cart is primarily constructed of plastic components having a centrally rotatable spool for winding of the flexible hose, an enclosure for supporting the spool, wheels at one end of the base of the enclosure, and a handle assembly for tilting the frame onto the wheels to facilitate moving the device. The handle assembly is telescoping mounted and includes a handle mounted near the top of the handle assembly. The spool is rotatable by either a direct current powered motor or a folding manual crank. Power from the electrical motor is transferred to the spool via an infinitely adjustable torque transfer assembly. When the cover is in the open position, the direct current motor is operationally locked out, and when the cover is rotated into the closed position, the direct current motor is operable.
The device may further include a reciprocating guide assembly that operates during rotation of the spool to rewind the hose into a compact configuration.
The device may further include a reciprocating guide assembly that operates during rotation of the spool to rewind the hose into a compact configuration.
Description
3 Field of the Invention 4 This invention is directed to hose rewinding apparatus for flexible hoses. More specifically, the present invention 6 relates to a direct current powered, motor driven hose 7 rewinding apparatus with manual override that is mounted 8 within a protective safety enclosure. The safety enclosure 9 includes a telescoping handle and a pair of wheels for easy transport and storage.
12 Background Information 13 The prior art has proposed a number of different 14 structures for rewinding and storing a hose when it is not in use. These devices generally include stationary hose reel 16 hangers that can be mounted to a surface of a building, such 17 as an outer wall of a house, or portable hose reel carts that 18 permit ready transport of the hose from one location to 19 another.
In the past it was common to retrieve hoses and the like 21 by manually winding them around a suitable structure, such as 22 a wall mounted hanger, or simply bundling them into loose 23 coils. Surface (or wall) mounted hose reels or hangers 24 come in a wide variety of configurations. For example, one I surface mounted hose hanger includes circular a simple, semi-2 metal r plastic support that is mounted to the uilding, o b 3 over ich the hose is looped or hung. Another surface wh 4 mounted device or reel includes a rotatable fitting that is mounted to the building surface to which a manually rotated 6 reel mounted. Unfortunately, when hose is pulled out from is 7 such manually wound devices, it often becomes snarled or 8 tangled and requires appreciable time and effort to correct 9 the situation. Additionally, these surface mounted reels and hangers are often considered unsightly, particularly if they 11 are mounted to the front of the building and are not covered 12 or otherwise obscured by plants or foliage.
13 Portable hose reel carts permit ready transport of the 14 hose from one location to another. Portable hose reel carts typically include an open, manually rotatable reel or spool 16 positioned between a pair of side frames with wheels. The 17 hose is manually wound upon the reel for storage and pulled 18 or dispensed from the reel for use.
19 Although such carts have become wide spread in use because of their portable storage capabilities, they do have 21 drawbacks. First, these devices require manual winding of 22 the hose. Rewinding long hoses requires a considerable 23 effort. Due to the low positional location of the winding 24 mechanism on these devices, many users may be physically 1 unable to complete the rewinding. Additionally, a hose 2 stored on such a reel is exposed to the elements. Often 3 hoses are made of rubber or like materials that can become 4 stiff or brittle and can break when subjected to ultra-violet radiation or low temperature extremes, particularly with 6 advanced age.
7 Portable hose reel carts may also be considered by some 8 to be unsightly. Given that most hose reel carts are 9 designed for use in and around garden and lawn areas, it is expected and natural for these carts to become dirty. As 11 such, some users may be inclined to constantly remove a hose 12 reel cart, particularly from the front of a house, when, for 13 example, the cart becomes dirty, muddy or discolored.
14 In an effort to solve some of these problems, a number of hose retrieval devices have been developed which 16 automatically retrieve and rewind hose on a reel in such a 17 manner so as to avoid tangling the next time the hose is 18 deployed or paid out. Such devices generally include a reel 19 and a level wind mechanism for guiding the hose onto the reel. The level wind mechanism includes a traversing screw, 21 a guide rod, and a follower. The reel is generally directly 22 driven by a motor and/or an intermeshing clutch assembly.
23 Unfortunately, the electric motors of the prior art devices 24 have voltage requirements that reduce portability and 1 increase the risk of electrical shock. Additionally, the 2 clutch mechanisms utilized on these devices are either 3 completely engaged or completely disengaged and lack an 4 infinitely adjustable torque transfer assembly to allow operator controlled speed and/or force of hose retrieval.
6 Unfortunately, many of these motorized devices also lack 7 a suitably safe enclosure to protect the operator and/or 8 small children from being accidentally caught in the device.
9 For example, none of the motorized hose reels known are equipped with safety interlocks to prevent the motor from 11 being engaged if an enclosure cover is opened. To compound 12 the problem, many of these devices do not provide for an 13 emergency stop and require the entire hose to be retracted 14 before the device can be stopped. Retracting the entire hose may take several seconds and exacerbates emergency situations 16 such as when a person or pet has been caught in the machine 17 or in the hose as it is retracted. In addition, none of the 18 devices known provide a disengaging hose winding guide. The 19 level winds of the prior art are capable of causing severe damage to an operator, child or pet that may accidentally get 21 caught in the rewinding device.
22 Accordingly, there exists a need for a rechargeable 23 battery operated motorized hose rewinding and storage device 24 that permits safe motorized take-up and manual dispensing of 1 a hose that is also aesthetically pleasing. Such a hose 2 rewinding and storage device that can be safely used to 3 retract and "hide-away" the hoses stored therein when not in 4 use. The hose rewinding device should also be constructed for easy transport and storagewhile maintaining a overall 6 compact profile.
8 Description of the Prior Art 9 A number of hose rewinding assemblies in the prior art utilize electric motors to drive a reel for retracting an 11 elongate member such as a cord or hose. Examples are 12 disclosed as follows:
13 U.S. Patent No. 4,832,074 discloses an automatic hose 14 rewinding device having an alternating current (AC) motor driven reel. The desired amount of hose is pulled out of the 16 enclosure manually for use. After use a button is pushed 17 once and the hose is completely retracted until a device on 18 the end of the hose strikes a bar to disengage the AC motor.
19 The design of the device does not allow small increments of the hose to be retracted. If the operator wishes to use a 21 smaller amount of hose, the entire hose must be retracted and 22 the desired amount of hose must be manually pulled out again.
23 Additionally, the use of alternating current reduces 1 portability of the device and increases the risk of 2 electrical shock.
3 U.S. Patent No. 4,513,772 discloses an automatic hose 4 winding apparatus having an intermeshing, non-slipping clutch. The desired amount of hose is pulled out of the 6 enclosure manually for use. For retraction, the operator 7 must manually lock the intermeshing clutch mechanism in 8 place. When the hose is completely retracted a device on 9 the end of the hose strikes a lever to disengage the intermeshing clutch. The design of the device allows 11 increments of the hose to be retracted, however, the operator 12 must manually disengage the clutch before any amount of hose 13 can be manually payed out. The apparatus makes no disclosure 14 or suggestion of a protective enclosure or a disengaging hose guide .
16 U.S. Patent No. 5,495,995 discloses a motor driven hose 17 reel assembly. The device interconnects two sensors and a 18 motor to monitor the quantity of hose manually pulled from 19 the reel. By pulling on the hose manually, the hose is rewound in an amount less than that necessary to completely 21 rewind the hose. Because the device is operated in a 22 retraction direction when the hose is pulled, the design 23 requires the operator to overcome the pulling force of the 24 device to extend hose from the machine.
G
1 U.S. Patent No. 4,012,002 discloses a coupling mechanism 2 for use in conjunction with a hose reel to automatically and 3 selectively engage disengage the reel and motorized drive or 4 train. The coupling utilizes a sliding spring pin on the drive train which designed to automatically engage one is of 6 a series of cooperating stop lugs on the reel to transmit the 7 driving power of the motor to the rotatable reel. The spring 8 pin can be manually locked in a disengaged position to allow 9 the hose reel to freewheel. When the spring pin is engaged the device operates in direct drive from the motor.
11 U.S. Patent No. 6,149,096 discloses a retractable reel 12 device especially useful for electrical cables. The device 13 is specifically designed to allow an operator to pull out a 14 desired amount of cable. Once the cable is paid out, the device maintains a predetermined amount of tension on the 16 cable. Thereafter, any slack in the cable is automatically 17 retracted by an AC motor.
18 Thus, what is lacking in the art is a direct current 19 powered hose rewinding device having an infinitely adjustable torque transfer method for modulating hose retrieval. The 21 references are further deficient in teaching the use of a 22 rechargeable battery in combination with a direct current 23 (DC) motor for powering the hose retrieval device. Moreover, 24 the references are deficient in teaching an enclosure with I safety interlocks that prevent the motor from being engaged 2 when a cover is in an open position. The devices are further 3 deficient in teaching a safety hose guide assembly that is 4 capable disengagement in the event that the path of the of device is inadvertently blocked.The prior art devices are 6 still yet deficient in teaching a motorized hose rewinding 7 device with manual override, allowing the hose to be 8 retracted manually as well as by motor. Even further, the 9 prior art devices are deficient in teaching a device which includes a telescoping handle and a pair of rearwardly 11 mounted wheels for easy transport of the device.
13 Brief Description of the Invention 14 The present invention provides an improved direct current powered hose rewinding device having an enclosure 16 including a telescoping handle and a pair of rotatably 17 mounted wheels to provide portability. Additional features 18 include various embodiments of infinitely variable torque 19 transfer assemblies which cooperate with the direct current motor for power-assisted hose retrieval.
21 The apparatus includes a motorized rotatable spool 22 carried and contained within an enclosure. The rotatable 23 spool includes a hub and a pair of flanges at opposing ends 24 of the hub, and is configured for storage, motorized take-up, and manual pay-out of the flexible hose. Power for the 1 motorized spool is supplied through a control assembly that 2 includes a rechargeable battery, a main power switch, and at 3 least one safety interlock. The safety interlocks) are 4 incorporated into the enclosure prevent motorized and S operation of the spool when the enclosure is opened.
6 The enclosure has left and right sidewall panels, front 7 and rear wall panels extending between the left and right 8 wall panels, and a cover. The enclosure is configured for 9 receiving a rotatable spool for storing a length of flexible hose within the enclosure.
11 The cover pivots about a pair of hinges that mount the 12 cover to the enclosure for movement between a closed position 13 and an open position. The hinge arrangement includes hinge 14 pin bosses extending upwardly from a top edge of the rear panel, wherein a hinge pin extends from each of the hinge pin 16 bosses about laterally and in axial alignment with respect to 17 each other. The cover is formed having a depending lip and a 18 pair of pockets that are integrally formed into the rear wall 19 of the depending lip for cooperation with each respective hinge boss and pin. Preferably, the pins are formed as 21 fluted cylindrical elements extending from the bosses, 22 axially aligned to one another to facilitate rotational 23 movement.
1 When the cover is rotated into the open position, a 2 safety interlock switch assembly prevents motorized operation 3 of the hose spool. When the cover is rotated into the closed 4 position, an engagement pin extending from the underside of the cover cooperates with the safety interlock switch to 6 allow motorized operation of the spool.
7 To facilitate take-up and pay-out of the hose with the 8 cover closed, the front wall panel includes a cut-out portion 9 extending downward from the top edge thereof adjacent to the junction with the cover. In this arrangement, when the cover 11 is closed, the cut-out accommodates traversing a portion of 12 the flexible hose therethrough.
13 In one embodiment a reciprocating hose guide assembly is 14 linked to the spool. When the spool is rotated, the IS reciprocating hose guide will move back and forth across the 16 spool to uniformly and smoothly wrap the hose on the spool to 17 provide a compact storage configuration.
18 In a further embodiment, the reciprocating hose guide 19 can be released from its double-helix lead-screw in the event that its path becomes blocked, such as by debris or when a 21 hand or arm is mistakenly placed in the opening.
22 Alternatively, the hose guide may be manually disengaged to 23 facilitate easy hose pay-out, and can thereafter be 24 repositioned before being manually re-engaged.
1 A sliding seal fluid inlet joint permits the hose outlet 2 joint to rotate with the hose spool without disconnecting the 3 hose. This arrangement permits rotating the spool without 4 twisting or torquing internal components, while maintaining sealed fluid communication between the water supply and the 6 hose.
7 For rotational operation the spool is provided with a 8 winding means capable of manual rotational movement of the 9 spool in relation to the enclosure and an electrically energized power assist means for selective and operative I1 engagement of the winding means. The winding means is 12 illustrated as a hand crank extending through the enclosure 13 and connected to the spool at about its axis of rotation.
14 The power assist means is illustrated as a DC powered motor mounted within the enclosure and connected to the hose spool 16 via a torque transfer assembly. In some embodiments the 17 torque transfer assembly utilizes a dynamic clutch assembly 18 to transfer torque from the motor to rotate the torque 19 transfer assembly thereby rotating the spool. In other embodiments the clutch assembly may regulate torque supplied 21 to the spool via a foot pedal operated clutch assembly. In 22 one embodiment the foot operated cantilever forces an idler 23 friction wheel into engagement with a drive friction wheel 24 and a spool friction wheel to selectively couple and decouple 1 the DC motor to and from the spool to modulate the pulling 2 force and rotational speed of the hose spool. When the foot 3 pedal is depressed the main power switch of the control 4 assembly supplies current from the battery to start the DC
motor and the idler friction wheel is forced into engagement 6 to provide the desired speed and/or force required for hose 7 retrieval. Release of the pedal stops the motor and allows 8 hose to be freely pulled from the spool as desired.
9 In an alternative embodiment the foot operated cantilever forces an idler gear into engagement with a drive 11 gear and a spool gear to selectively couple and decouple the 12 DC motor to and from the spool to modulate the pulling force 13 and rotational speed of the hose spool. When the foot pedal 14 is depressed the main power switch of the control assembly supplies current from the battery to start the DC motor and 16 the idler gear is forced into engagement to provide the 17 desired speed and/or force required for hose retrieval.
18 Release of the pedal stops the motor and allows hose to be 19 freely pulled from the spool as desired. The device may also include at least one idler gear to adjust torque and 21 rotational speed of the hose spool with respect to the motor.
22 Because motors often operate at relatively high RPM, the 23 DC motor may include an internal gear train coupled between 24 the armature of the DC motor and the DC motor output shaft .
1 The internal gear train is capable of reducing RPM output and 2 increasing motor torque.
3 Power for the control assembly is provided by a 4 removable, replaceable, and rechargeable battery assembly conveniently stored within its own closed compartment in the 6 enclosure. Connection to the battery is made via a unique 7 clip-on connector that also provides an integrated battery 8 charging jack. The clip-on connector is constructed and 9 arranged to prevent the clip from being incorrectly connected to the battery and the assembly requires directional 11 installation into the enclosure for electrical connection to 12 the control assembly. The integrated charging jack in the 13 clip-on connector allows convenient battery recharging 14 without disconnecting the clip from the battery. In this manner the battery can be safely and easily removed, 16 recharged, and/or reinstalled into the enclosure without 17 danger of incorrect connection.
18 Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention 19 to provide a motorized hose rewinding apparatus wherein the speed and/or force of hose retrieval is modulated by virtue 21 of an infinitely adjustable torque transfer assembly.
22 It is a further objective of the present invention to 23 provide a motorized hose rewinding apparatus that is 24 constructed to utilize a DC power source.
1 It is still a further objective of the present invention 2 to provide a motorized hose rewinding apparatus having a 3 removable and rechargeable power source.
4 Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a battery operated rechargeable motorized hose 6 rewinding apparatus capable of protecting the hose during 7 storage from direct contact with the elements.
8 Still another objective of the present invention is to 9 provide a motorized hose rewinding apparatus that is aesthetically appealing to consumers.
11 Still yet another objective of the present invention is 12 to provide a motorized hose rewinding apparatus that includes 13 an enclosure having safety interlocks to prevent motorized 14 operation when the enclosure is opened.
Still yet another objective of the present invention is 16 to provide a hose rewinding device that provides portability 17 by utilizing wheels and telescoping handle assembly to permit 18 easy transport of the device.
19 Still yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a hose winding guide assembly that includes 21 automatic as well as manual disengagement features.
22 Other objectives and advantages of this invention will 23 become apparent from the following description taken in 24 conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set 1 forth, by way of illustration and example, certain 2 embodiments of this invention. The drawings constitute a 3 part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments 4 of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
1 Description of the Figures 2 Figure 1 is a front perspective view of the motorized 3 hose rewinding apparatus of the instant invention;
4 Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the motorized hose rewinding apparatus illustrated with the telescoping 6 handle in an operative position;
7 Figure 3A is a front partially exploded perspective view 8 of the instant invention illustrating the hand crank and the 9 foot pedal in heir respective open positions;
t Figure 3B is a partial view taken along lines 1-1 of 11 Figure 3;
12 Figure 4 is an partially exploded perspective view of 13 the of the inst ant invention;
14 Figure 5 i s a partially exploded perspective view of the IS enclosure of e instant invention;
th 16 Figure 6A is a partial view of the instant invention 17 illustrated wit h the enclosure omitted for clarity;
18 Figure 6B is a partial view of one embodiment of the 19 variable torque transfer assembly;
Figure 6C is a partial view of one embodiment of the 21 variable torque transfer assembly;
22 Figure 7A is a partially exploded perspective view of 23 one embodiment of the variable torque transfer assembly;
1 Figure 7B is a partial view of one embodiment of the 2 torque transfer assembly;
3 Figure 8 is a perspective view illustrating a 4 centrifugal type clutch assembly;
Figure 9 is a side view illustrating a cone type clutch 6 assembly;
7 Figure 10 is a perspective view illustrating a plate 8 type clutch assembly;
9 Figure 11 is a partial rear view illustrating the recessed anchoring apertures;
11 Figure 12 is a partial exploded view illustrating the 12 battery assembly;
13 Figure 13 is a perspective view of the underside of the 14 clip assembly utilized in the present invention;
Figure 14 is a perspective view of the battery clip 16 assembly;
17 Figure 15 is a pictorial view of the battery and charger 18 assembly.
1 Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments 2 It is to be understood that while a certain form of the 3 invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the 4 specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that 6 various changes may be made without departing from the scope 7 of the invention and the invention is not to be considered 8 limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the 9 specification.
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, generally, there is 11 shown a direct current powered hose rewinding device 100 in 12 accordance with the principles of the present invention. The 13 hose rewinding device 100 includes a motor driven spool 12 14 onto which the hose is mechanically wound or taken up, and from which the hose is manually fed out or paid out.
16 The enclosure 14 includes a front wall panel 30 and a 17 rear wall panel 34, a left side wall panel 32, a right side 18 wall panel 36, and a pivoting cover 38. Optionally, the 19 enclosure 14 can include a bottom panel (not shown) for substantially fully enclosing the spool 12 and protecting the 21 spool 12 and hose from the elements. The optional bottom 22 panel is preferably constructed as a reversible member with 23 an enhanced friction engaging first surface and a relatively 24 smooth second surface. In this manner the bottom panel could 1 be inserted to prevent the apparatus from skidding on hard 2 surfaces where staking is not practical. In addition, the 3 bottom surfaces of the left side wall panel 32 and right side 4 wall panel 36 may be constructed with optionalrubber pads to further engage hard surfaces. As will be apparent from 6 the drawings, the front, rear and side panels 30-36, and the 7 cover 38 enclose the spool 12 such that the spool is 8 substantially not visible from outside of the enclosure 14 9 when the cover 38 is closed.
In a first embodiment the front panel 30 of enclosure 14 11 includes a cut-out portion 52 extending downwardly from the 12 top lip thereof. The cut-out portion 52 can be elongated and 13 is suitably sized to accommodate a standard size garden hose 14so that the hose can be paid-out from or taken-up onto the 15spool 12 without lifting the cover38. That is, the hose can 16freely move through the cut-out opening 52 without opening 17 the cover 38.
18 In a most preferred embodiment the front panel 30 of 19 enclosure 14 includes an elongated cut-out portion 52 extending downwardly from a top lip thereof. The cut-out 21 portion 52 is sized to accommodate a reciprocating hose guide 22 assembly 50 (FIG. 3A) so that the hose can be uniformly and 23 smoothly wrapped on the spool 12 to provide a compact storage 1 configuration or easily paid-out from the spool 12 without 2 lifting the cover 38.
3 The enclosure 14 preferably includes a pair of wheel 4 recesses 40 extending inwardly into the right side panel 36 and left side panel 32 for housing the rotatably mounted 6 wheel assemblies 43. The wheel recesses 40 are generally 7 positioned at a lower rear portion of the side panels and 8 each includes a centrally located wheel assembly hub 212 and 9 aperture 41 (FIG. 4) for accepting the wheel 200 and axle portion of a wheel assembly 43.
11 In a most preferred embodiment, the right side panel 12 wheel recess 40 includes a foot pedal aperture 45. The foot 13 pedal aperture is adapted to allow the second end 92 of the 14 cantilever 110 (FIG. 6A) to extend therethrough. The foot pedal 47 extends outwardly with respect to the side panel 36, 16 as shown in FIG 3A and 3B, when the foot pedal 47 is in an 17 operational position and is recessed with respect to the 18 outermost portion of the side panel 36, as shown in FIG. 1, 19 when the foot pedal 47 is in a storage position. This construction prevents inadvertent operation of the foot pedal 21 47 and permits compact storage of the device.
22 A manual override winding crank 24 is external of the 23 enclosure 14 and extends through a side wall for connection 24 to the spool 12, preferably on an end opposite to that of the 1 in-tube 20 (FIG. 2), to facilitate manual take-up of the 2 hose. The crank 24 includes a folding handle 25 capable of 3 folding into a recess 26 formed in the crank 24. The handle 4 releasable lock 28 (FIG. 3A) in the crank 24 cooperates with detents in the handle 25 to permit the handle 25 to be locked 6 into either a position parallel to the crank or a position 7 perpendicular to the crank. Locking the handle 25 in the 8 parallel position permits the spool to rotate without the 9 danger of the rotating handle hitting or snagging objects or persons within its path and also permits a compact enclosure.
11 Now referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the motorized hose 12 rewinding apparatus 100 is illustrated partially exploded.
13 The battery cover 48 and handle 25 are illustrated in their 14 respective open positions and the foot pedal 47 in its respective operative position.
16 Incorporated into the enclosure 14 is a lockout assembly 17 62 that prevents the direct current motor 98 (FIG. 6A) from 18 operating when the cover 38 is in the open position. The 19 lockout assembly 62 is illustrated as, but not limited to, an engagement pin 64 cooperating with a normally open micro-21 switch 68. Other devices well known in the art suitable for 22 sensing an open cover and locking out electrical devices when 23 the cover is open may be substituted for the pin and switch 24 assembly illustrated herein. Such devices may include but I should not be limited to micro-switches, proximity switches, 2 mercury switches, mechanical switches, optical switches and 3 the like.
4 Also visible is the reciprocating hose guide assembly 50 and the basket member 44. The reciprocating hose guide 6 assembly 50 contains a double helix lead-screw 54, guide rod 7 56, and carriage 58. The reciprocating hose guide assembly 8 50 is linked via gear-train 96 (FIG. 6A) to the hose spool 12 9 so that when the hose spool 12 is rotated, the double helix lead-screw 54 rotates at a desired ratio with respect to the 11 hose spool 12. The lead-screw 54 is journaled for rotation 12 between side members 32 and 36 and is substantially parallel 13 to the central hub portion of spool 12. The lead-screw 54 14 engages the carriage 58 via follower 66, allowing the carriage 58 to move back and forth across the lead-screw 54 16 and the guide rod 56 when engaged during both manual and 17 motorized operation. The follower 66 can be manually 18 disengaged from the lead-screw 54 to permit easy pay-out of 19 hose or repositioning of the carriage 58. Operation of the hose guide assembly 50 permits hose to be uniformly and 21 smoothly wrapped on the spool 12 to provide a compact storage 22 configuration. Optionally the follower 66 may include a 23 disengagement feature that permits the carriage 58 to release 1 from the lead-screw 54 in the event that the carriage 58 is 2 obstructed during motorized or manual hose rewinding.
3 Referring to FIG. 4, the spool 12 is supported by and 4 rotatably mounted within the enclosure 14. The spool 12 includes a central hub 16 constructed of two mating halves 6 16A and 16B and a pair of radially extending flanges 18 that 7 are configured to accommodate a length of the flexible hose 8 wrapped around the hub 16 between the flanges 18. In a 9 typical arrangement, the hose spool 12 can store upward of 150 feet of 5/8 inch garden hose.
11 Those skilled in the art will recognize that the hose 12 spool 12 includes a water inlet port or in-tube 20 and an 13 outlet port or out-tube 22. The in-tube 20 is mounted to the 14 enclosure 14 at about the axis of rotation of the spool 12.
The in-tube 20 is connected to the out-tube 22 by a sliding 16 seal arrangement 23 which will be recognized by those skilled 17 in the art. This arrangement permits the in-tube 20 to 18 remain fixed to the enclosure 14, while the out-tube 22 19 rotates with the spool 12. In this configuration, the in-tube 20 and out-tube 22 remain in fluid communication with 21 one another. This arrangement permits rotating the spool 12 22 without twisting or torquing internal components, while 23 maintaining sealed fluid communication between the water 24 supply and the hose.
I Also visible is one embodiment of the torque transfer 2 assembly 68 having the structural transfer cover 46 removed.
3 The transfer cover 46 cooperates with the right side panel 36 4 to provide structural support to the torque transfer assembly.
6 Still referring to FIG. 4, the wheel assemblies 43 are 7 shown. Each of the wheel assemblies include a wheel 200 and 8 an axle member 202. The axle member 202 includes an axle 9 stub 204. On a first end of the axle stub is a plurality of integrally formed spring clips 206. The spring clips are 11 constructed and arranged to cooperate with the wheel assembly 12 aperture 41 for push in interlocking installation of the 13 wheel assemblies 43. On a second opposite end of the axle 14 stub 204 is an integrally formed thrust plate 208. In operation, the wheel aperture 210 is placed over hub 212 and 16 the axle member 202 is slid into wheel assembly aperture 41.
17 In this manner the axle stub extends through a central 18 portion of said wheel for interlocking engagement with the 19 rear panel and the thrust plate abuts the wheel to rotatably secure the wheel to the enclosure.
21 Referring to FIG. 5, an exploded view of the enclosure 22 is shown 14. The panels 30-38 are preferably molded 23 components formed from high strength polymeric (plastic) 24 material, such as polystyrene or the like. The panels 30-38 1 are most preferably front and rear configured such that the 2 panels 30, 34 have contoured posts 70 that insert into 3 recesses or channels 72 formed integrally and extending 4 vertically along the front and rear edges each side wall of panel 32 and 36. The contoured projections include ramped 6 surfaces or snap-type elements 76 that engage openings 78 in 7 the channels 72 to her.
lock the panels to one anot 8 Advantageously, this configuration permits ready 9 assembly of the enclosure 14 with a minimum number of tools, and involves a minimum number of parts.
Il The rear panel 34 includes a telescoping handle assembly 12 130. The telescoping handle assembly 130 is moveable between 13a storage position, as illustrated in FIG. l, wherein the 14handle is substantially the same height as the enclosure14 15and an in-use position, as illustrated in FIG. wherein the 2, 16 handle extends above the overall height of the enclosure.
17 The telescoping handle 130 assembly preferably includes a 18 pair of spaced apart telescoping members 132 and a handle 19 member 134 extending substantially horizontally between the telescoping members. The rear panel member 34 includes a 21 pair of integrally formed channels 136 constructed and 22 arranged to guide the telescoping handle assembly 130 during 23 movement between the storage and the in-use positions. The 24 telescoping members 132 each include at least one detent 138 1 constructed and arranged to cooperate with at least one 2 protrusion 140 integrally formed into the telescoping member 3 channels 136 to secure the handle assembly 130 in at least 4 one predetermined position.
The cover or top panel 38 is fitted to the panels 30-36 6 using a hinge arrangement indicated generally at 80. The 7 hinge arrangement 80 permits pivoting or rotating the cover 8 38 between the closed position and an open position. The 9 cover 38 is configured so that when opened and maintained in the open position, use of the motorized spool is locked out 11 via lockout assembly 62 (FIG. 3A).
12 The hinge arrangement 80 includes a pair of integrally 13 formed hinge pin bosses 142 extending upwardly from the top 14 edge 144 of the rear panel 34, each boss including a laterally extending and axially aligned hinge pin 146. In a 16 present embodiment, the cover 38 has a depending lip 88 17 extending around the perimeter of the cover. The depending 18 lip includes a front 148, a rear 150, a left 152 and a right 19 surface 154, the rear surface having a pair of pockets 156 (FIG. 2) constructed and arranged to cooperate with a 21 respective hinge pin 146 and boss 142. Each of the pockets 22 156 are configured to permit rotational movement of the cover 23 38 about the pins 146 for upward rotational movement of the 24 cover .
I The rear panel 34 also includes a pair wheel assembly of 2 receivers 158 each onstructed and arranged cooperate with c to 3 the axle portion a wheel assembly 43 (FIG . 1). In the of 4 preferred embodiment one of the wheel assembly receivers 158 is integr ally formedinto the left edge 160 of the rear panel 6 and one of the wheel assembly receivers 158 is integrally 7 formed into the right edge 162 of the rear panel. The wheel 8 assembly receivers 158 are positioned to align with the left 9 and right side panel wheel assembly hubs 212 and apertures 41.
11 The rear panel 34 further includes a pair of integrally 12 formed hooks 164 constructed and arranged to cooperate with a 13 basket member 44 (FIG. 3A), wherein the basket member 44 is 14 constructed and arranged to fit within the enclosure 14 while permitting hose storage about spool 12. The basket member 16 provides storage space within the enclosure for a variety of 17 hose accessories.
18 Referring to FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C, one embodiment of the 19 torque transfer assembly 172 and hose guide gear-train 96 are shown. For motorized operation, the motorized hose rewinding 21 apparatus 100 is provided with a DC powered motor 98 22 connected to the torque transfer assembly 172 which is 23 connected to the spool 12. In these embodiments the torque 24 transfer assembly is illustrated as but not limited to a l friction drive assembly 168 (FIG. 6B) and a gear drive 2 assembly 170 (FIG. 6C). In the friction drive assembly 168 a 3 friction drive wheel 106 is rotatably secured within the 4 enclosure and suitably coupled to the direct current motor output shaft 166. At least one friction idler wheel 114 is 6 constructed and arranged for selective engagement with the 7 friction drive wheel 106 and rotatable responsive to rotation 8 of the friction drive wheel 106. At least one driven 9 friction idler wheel 116 is positioned for engagement the friction idler wheel 114 wherein the friction idler wheel 116 11 is rotatable responsive to rotation of the idler wheel 114.
12 A respective spool friction wheel 118 is secured to the hub 13 16 of spool 12 to be rotatable therewith, the spool friction 14 wheel 118 being larger in diameter than the friction drive wheel 106. The spool friction wheel 118 is rotatable 16 responsive to the friction idler wheels 114 and 116, thereby 17 enabling the direct current motor 98 to rotate the spool 12 18 at a rotational speed less than the rotational speed of the 19 friction drive wheel 106.
In the drive gear assembly 170 a drive gear 107 is 21 rotatably secured within the enclosure and suitably coupled 22 to the direct current motor output shaft 166. At least one 23 idler gear 115 is constructed and arranged for selective 24 engagement with the respective drive gear 107 and at least 1 one driven idler gear 117 wherein the idler gears 115 and 117 2 are rotatable responsive to rotation of the drive gear 107.
3 A spool gear 118 is secured to the hub 16 of spool 12 to be 4 rotatable therewith. The spool gear 118 larger in diameter than the drive gear 107. The spool gear rotatable responsive 6 to the idler gears 115 and 117, thereby enabling the direct 7 current motor 98 to rotate the spool 12 at a rotational speed 8 less than the rotational speed of the drive gear 107.
9 The preferred embodiment includes a second assembly pivotably mounted within the enclosure illustrated as a 11 cantilever 110 having a first end 164, preferably including 12 the idler wheel 114 or idler gear 115, and a second end 42 13 including a pivotally mounted foot pedal 47. The 14 construction and arrangement of the second assembly allows the pulling force and rotational speed of the motorized spool 16 12 to be regulated. For example, when the foot pedal 47 is 17 depressed the current from the battery 132 (FIG. 12) flows 18 through a fuse and is allowed to start the DC motor 98. The 19 idler gear 115/friction wheel 114 is forced into engagement with the drive gear 107/friction wheel 106 and any driven 21 idler gears 117/friction wheels 116 respectively to rotate 22 the spool gear/friction wheel 118 to provide the desired 23 rotational speed and/or force for hose retrieval. Release of 24 the pedal 47 stops the motor 98 and releases engagement of 1 the idler gear 115/friction wheel 114, and allows the spool 2 12 to be freely rotated. In this manner, the operator of the 3 present invention can easily regulate the rewinding of hose 4 around the spool 12 as well as allow hose to be manually paid S out.
6 When the pedal 47 is depressed the motor rotates the 7 spool through the action of the torque transfer assembly 68.
8 That is, the motor 98 rotates the drive gear 107/friction 9 wheel 106, the idler gear 115/friction wheel 114 respectively operatively engages and rotates driven idler gears 11 117/friction wheels 116, that rotates the spool gear/friction 12 wheel 118 to complete the power-assisted rotation of the 13 spool 12. The hose winding guide lead-screw 54 is caused to 14 rotate through the action of gears 118, 120, and 122. That is, when spool 12 is rotated by motor 98 or by handle 25, 16 the spool 12 and spool gear 118 rotates, which causes the 17 idler gear 120 to rotate, which causes lead screw 54 to also 18 rotate .
19 Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B an alternative embodiment of the power assist means is illustrated. In this embodiment 21 a clutch assembly 170 is suitably coupled to the direct 22 current motor output shaft 166 for transferring rotational 23 torque from the direct current motor 98 to the torque 24 transfer assembly 172. The clutch assembly 170 is of a type 1 well known in the art that may include, but should not be 2 limited to plate type clutches and couplings, cone type 3 clutches and couplings, slip type clutches and couplings, 4 spring applied clutches and couplings, centrifugal clutches and couplings, fluid clutches and couplings, Sprag type 6 clutches and couplings and electromagnetic type clutches and 7 couplings. The clutch assembly 170 may also be constructed 8 and arranged to limit the amount of rotational torque that 9 may be transferred from the direct current motor 98 to the torque transfer assembly 172.
11 The clutch assembly 170 generally includes a first 12 mating surface and a second mating surface, wherein the first 13 mating surface and the second mating surface are constructed 14 and arranged to engage with each other upon rotation of said direct current motor output shaft to cause rotation of the 16 torque transfer assembly 172 and the spool 12. In a 17 preferred embodiment the first and second surfaces of the 18 clutch assembly 170 utilize friction to selectively rotate 19 the torque transfer assembly 172 and thereby the spool 12.
In a most preferred embodiment a cantilever arrangement 110 21 having a foot pedal 47 may be utilized to operatively control 22 the frictional engagement between the first and second 23 surfaces. In this manner springs, pressurized fluids, 24 mechanical advantage or suitable combinations thereof may be 1 utilized to engage the clutch assembly for selective rotation 2 of the spool 12.
3 Referring to FIG. 8, the clutch assembly 170 is 4 illustrated in a non-limiting embodiment as a centrifugal clutch 174. The centrifugal clutch 174 includes a first 6 surface 176 and a second surface 178 wherein the first and 7 second surfaces fractionally engage each other upon the 8 direct current motor output shaft 166 achieving a 9 predetermined number of revolutions per minute.
Referring to FIG. 9, the clutch assembly 170 is 11 illustrated in a non-limiting embodiment as a cone clutch 12 180. The cone clutch includes a first frustoconical surface 13 182 and a second generally frustoconically shaped bore 14 surface 184, wherein the first and the second surfaces are axially aligned and wherein the first and second mating 16 surfaces utilize friction to selectively rotate the torque 17 transfer assembly 172. The cone clutch assembly 170 may 18 utilize springs, cantilevers, pressurized fluids or the like 19 well known in the art to control the torque output transferred from the clutch assembly to the torque transfer 21 assembly.
22 Referring to FIG. 10, a non-limiting embodiment of a 23 plate clutch 186 is illustrated. The plate clutch includes a 24 first generally disc shaped surface 188 and a second 1 generally disc shaped surface 190, wherein the first and the 2 second surfaces are axially aligned and wherein the first and 3 second mating surfaces utilize friction to selectively rotate 4 the torque transfer assembly 172. The plate clutch 186 may utilize springs, pressurized fluids, cantilevers or the like, 6 all well known in the art, to control the torque output 7 transferred from the clutch assembly 170 to the torque 8 transfer assembly.
9 Referring to FIG. 11, the lower portion of rear panel 34 of enclosure 14 is shown. The rear panel contains at least 11 one and preferably two recessed anchoring apertures 128. The 12 recessed apertures 128 allow the enclosure to be securely 13 attached to a desired surface with an attachment means such 14 as lag bolts, spikes or metal stakes, to prevent unwanted IS movement of the apparatus during motorized/manual rewinding 16 or manual pay-out of hose. It should be appreciated that 17 recessing the anchoring apertures increases safety by 18 eliminating objects extending outwardly from the enclosure.
19 Referring to FIG. 12, the battery compartment and the DC
power supply are shown. The battery compartment 60 is 21 generally located in the upper rear corner of the right panel 22 36. The battery compartment 60 is constructed and arranged 23 in a manner that allows the battery assembly 130 to be 24 directionally slid into the compartment for electrical 1 cooperation. That is, there is no need to connect wires to 2 the battery assembly to operate the device. The battery 3 compartment contains a pair of electrical contacts (not 4 shown), positioned in manner that electrical contact a so is made only if the battery assembly is correctly installed.
6 The battery compart ment 60 is provided with a hinged 7 battery cover door 48 having a latch arrangement for 8 releasably engaging side panel 36. Formed integrally to the 9 inside of the battery ver door is a vertical battery hold co down 136. When the door 48 is lat ched in the closed position 11 the battery compartment electrical contacts and the battery 12 assembly electrical contacts 144, 146 (FIG. 14) are 13 maintained in a cooperating relationship. In this manner, 14 the battery assembly 130 is removable and replaceable without the need to attach wiring.
16 Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, a perspective view of the 17 underside (FIG. 13) and the topside (FIG. 14) of the battery 18 clip 134 is shown. The battery clip 134 contains two 19 conductive battery quick connectors 138, 140 and a recharging jack 142 removably attached to a non-conductive cap 148. The 21 conductive quick connectors 138, 140 are constructed and 22 arranged to slidably connect to battery terminals (not shown) 23 and conduct current from the battery 132 to contacts 144 and 24 146 (FIG. 13) located in a juxtaposed position to the upper 1 surface of the non-conductive cap 148. The contacts 144, 146 2 are positioned on the non-conductive cap 148 to allow 3 operation of the motorized hose rewinding apparatus 100 only 4 if the battery assembly 130 is inserted into the battery compartment 60 in the correct directional manner. The 6 recharging jack 142 allows the battery to be recharged 7 without disconnecting the clip 134 from the battery 132. In 8 this manner the battery clip can be easily attached to and 9 removed from the battery, allowing the assembly to be removable, replaceable, and rechargeable.
11 Referring to FIG. 15, a perspective view of the battery 12 assembly 130 cooperating with the battery charging means 13 illustrated herein as battery charger 150. The battery 14 charger 150 is constructed and arranged to utilize a plug 152 that mates with a charging jack 142 for charging the battery 16 132. Battery chargers that utilize household current to 17 recharge low voltage DC batteries are well known in the art 18 and a detailed description will therefore be omitted. In a 19 preferred but non-limiting embodiment, the instant invention may utilize solar cells 35 (FIG. 1) as a means to recharge 21 the battery 132. The solar cells 35 are incorporated into 22 one or more of the various panels of the enclosure and are in 23 electrical communication, e.g. wired, to transfer the energy 24 generated to the battery for storage. Solar cells that 1 utilize bright sunlight to recharge low voltage DC batteries 2 are well known in the art and a detailed description will 3 therefore be omitted.
4 All patents and publications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled 6 in the art to which the invention pertains. All patents and 7 publications are herein incorporated by reference to the same 8 extent as if each individual publication was specifically and 9 individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
It is to be understood that while a certain form of the I1 invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the 12 specific form or arrangement herein described and shown. It 13 will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various 14 changes may be made without departing from the scope of the IS invention and the invention is not to be considered limited 16 to what is shown and described in the specification.
17 One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the 18 present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives 19 and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent therein. The embodiments, methods, procedures 21 and techniques described herein are presently representative 22 of the preferred embodiments, are intended to be exemplary 23 and are not intended as limitations on the scope. Changes 24 therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art I which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and 2 are defin ed by the scope of the appended claims. Although 3 the inven tion has been described in connection with specific 4 preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such 6 specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of the 7 described modes for carrying out the invention which are 8 obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be within 9 the scope of the following claims.
12 Background Information 13 The prior art has proposed a number of different 14 structures for rewinding and storing a hose when it is not in use. These devices generally include stationary hose reel 16 hangers that can be mounted to a surface of a building, such 17 as an outer wall of a house, or portable hose reel carts that 18 permit ready transport of the hose from one location to 19 another.
In the past it was common to retrieve hoses and the like 21 by manually winding them around a suitable structure, such as 22 a wall mounted hanger, or simply bundling them into loose 23 coils. Surface (or wall) mounted hose reels or hangers 24 come in a wide variety of configurations. For example, one I surface mounted hose hanger includes circular a simple, semi-2 metal r plastic support that is mounted to the uilding, o b 3 over ich the hose is looped or hung. Another surface wh 4 mounted device or reel includes a rotatable fitting that is mounted to the building surface to which a manually rotated 6 reel mounted. Unfortunately, when hose is pulled out from is 7 such manually wound devices, it often becomes snarled or 8 tangled and requires appreciable time and effort to correct 9 the situation. Additionally, these surface mounted reels and hangers are often considered unsightly, particularly if they 11 are mounted to the front of the building and are not covered 12 or otherwise obscured by plants or foliage.
13 Portable hose reel carts permit ready transport of the 14 hose from one location to another. Portable hose reel carts typically include an open, manually rotatable reel or spool 16 positioned between a pair of side frames with wheels. The 17 hose is manually wound upon the reel for storage and pulled 18 or dispensed from the reel for use.
19 Although such carts have become wide spread in use because of their portable storage capabilities, they do have 21 drawbacks. First, these devices require manual winding of 22 the hose. Rewinding long hoses requires a considerable 23 effort. Due to the low positional location of the winding 24 mechanism on these devices, many users may be physically 1 unable to complete the rewinding. Additionally, a hose 2 stored on such a reel is exposed to the elements. Often 3 hoses are made of rubber or like materials that can become 4 stiff or brittle and can break when subjected to ultra-violet radiation or low temperature extremes, particularly with 6 advanced age.
7 Portable hose reel carts may also be considered by some 8 to be unsightly. Given that most hose reel carts are 9 designed for use in and around garden and lawn areas, it is expected and natural for these carts to become dirty. As 11 such, some users may be inclined to constantly remove a hose 12 reel cart, particularly from the front of a house, when, for 13 example, the cart becomes dirty, muddy or discolored.
14 In an effort to solve some of these problems, a number of hose retrieval devices have been developed which 16 automatically retrieve and rewind hose on a reel in such a 17 manner so as to avoid tangling the next time the hose is 18 deployed or paid out. Such devices generally include a reel 19 and a level wind mechanism for guiding the hose onto the reel. The level wind mechanism includes a traversing screw, 21 a guide rod, and a follower. The reel is generally directly 22 driven by a motor and/or an intermeshing clutch assembly.
23 Unfortunately, the electric motors of the prior art devices 24 have voltage requirements that reduce portability and 1 increase the risk of electrical shock. Additionally, the 2 clutch mechanisms utilized on these devices are either 3 completely engaged or completely disengaged and lack an 4 infinitely adjustable torque transfer assembly to allow operator controlled speed and/or force of hose retrieval.
6 Unfortunately, many of these motorized devices also lack 7 a suitably safe enclosure to protect the operator and/or 8 small children from being accidentally caught in the device.
9 For example, none of the motorized hose reels known are equipped with safety interlocks to prevent the motor from 11 being engaged if an enclosure cover is opened. To compound 12 the problem, many of these devices do not provide for an 13 emergency stop and require the entire hose to be retracted 14 before the device can be stopped. Retracting the entire hose may take several seconds and exacerbates emergency situations 16 such as when a person or pet has been caught in the machine 17 or in the hose as it is retracted. In addition, none of the 18 devices known provide a disengaging hose winding guide. The 19 level winds of the prior art are capable of causing severe damage to an operator, child or pet that may accidentally get 21 caught in the rewinding device.
22 Accordingly, there exists a need for a rechargeable 23 battery operated motorized hose rewinding and storage device 24 that permits safe motorized take-up and manual dispensing of 1 a hose that is also aesthetically pleasing. Such a hose 2 rewinding and storage device that can be safely used to 3 retract and "hide-away" the hoses stored therein when not in 4 use. The hose rewinding device should also be constructed for easy transport and storagewhile maintaining a overall 6 compact profile.
8 Description of the Prior Art 9 A number of hose rewinding assemblies in the prior art utilize electric motors to drive a reel for retracting an 11 elongate member such as a cord or hose. Examples are 12 disclosed as follows:
13 U.S. Patent No. 4,832,074 discloses an automatic hose 14 rewinding device having an alternating current (AC) motor driven reel. The desired amount of hose is pulled out of the 16 enclosure manually for use. After use a button is pushed 17 once and the hose is completely retracted until a device on 18 the end of the hose strikes a bar to disengage the AC motor.
19 The design of the device does not allow small increments of the hose to be retracted. If the operator wishes to use a 21 smaller amount of hose, the entire hose must be retracted and 22 the desired amount of hose must be manually pulled out again.
23 Additionally, the use of alternating current reduces 1 portability of the device and increases the risk of 2 electrical shock.
3 U.S. Patent No. 4,513,772 discloses an automatic hose 4 winding apparatus having an intermeshing, non-slipping clutch. The desired amount of hose is pulled out of the 6 enclosure manually for use. For retraction, the operator 7 must manually lock the intermeshing clutch mechanism in 8 place. When the hose is completely retracted a device on 9 the end of the hose strikes a lever to disengage the intermeshing clutch. The design of the device allows 11 increments of the hose to be retracted, however, the operator 12 must manually disengage the clutch before any amount of hose 13 can be manually payed out. The apparatus makes no disclosure 14 or suggestion of a protective enclosure or a disengaging hose guide .
16 U.S. Patent No. 5,495,995 discloses a motor driven hose 17 reel assembly. The device interconnects two sensors and a 18 motor to monitor the quantity of hose manually pulled from 19 the reel. By pulling on the hose manually, the hose is rewound in an amount less than that necessary to completely 21 rewind the hose. Because the device is operated in a 22 retraction direction when the hose is pulled, the design 23 requires the operator to overcome the pulling force of the 24 device to extend hose from the machine.
G
1 U.S. Patent No. 4,012,002 discloses a coupling mechanism 2 for use in conjunction with a hose reel to automatically and 3 selectively engage disengage the reel and motorized drive or 4 train. The coupling utilizes a sliding spring pin on the drive train which designed to automatically engage one is of 6 a series of cooperating stop lugs on the reel to transmit the 7 driving power of the motor to the rotatable reel. The spring 8 pin can be manually locked in a disengaged position to allow 9 the hose reel to freewheel. When the spring pin is engaged the device operates in direct drive from the motor.
11 U.S. Patent No. 6,149,096 discloses a retractable reel 12 device especially useful for electrical cables. The device 13 is specifically designed to allow an operator to pull out a 14 desired amount of cable. Once the cable is paid out, the device maintains a predetermined amount of tension on the 16 cable. Thereafter, any slack in the cable is automatically 17 retracted by an AC motor.
18 Thus, what is lacking in the art is a direct current 19 powered hose rewinding device having an infinitely adjustable torque transfer method for modulating hose retrieval. The 21 references are further deficient in teaching the use of a 22 rechargeable battery in combination with a direct current 23 (DC) motor for powering the hose retrieval device. Moreover, 24 the references are deficient in teaching an enclosure with I safety interlocks that prevent the motor from being engaged 2 when a cover is in an open position. The devices are further 3 deficient in teaching a safety hose guide assembly that is 4 capable disengagement in the event that the path of the of device is inadvertently blocked.The prior art devices are 6 still yet deficient in teaching a motorized hose rewinding 7 device with manual override, allowing the hose to be 8 retracted manually as well as by motor. Even further, the 9 prior art devices are deficient in teaching a device which includes a telescoping handle and a pair of rearwardly 11 mounted wheels for easy transport of the device.
13 Brief Description of the Invention 14 The present invention provides an improved direct current powered hose rewinding device having an enclosure 16 including a telescoping handle and a pair of rotatably 17 mounted wheels to provide portability. Additional features 18 include various embodiments of infinitely variable torque 19 transfer assemblies which cooperate with the direct current motor for power-assisted hose retrieval.
21 The apparatus includes a motorized rotatable spool 22 carried and contained within an enclosure. The rotatable 23 spool includes a hub and a pair of flanges at opposing ends 24 of the hub, and is configured for storage, motorized take-up, and manual pay-out of the flexible hose. Power for the 1 motorized spool is supplied through a control assembly that 2 includes a rechargeable battery, a main power switch, and at 3 least one safety interlock. The safety interlocks) are 4 incorporated into the enclosure prevent motorized and S operation of the spool when the enclosure is opened.
6 The enclosure has left and right sidewall panels, front 7 and rear wall panels extending between the left and right 8 wall panels, and a cover. The enclosure is configured for 9 receiving a rotatable spool for storing a length of flexible hose within the enclosure.
11 The cover pivots about a pair of hinges that mount the 12 cover to the enclosure for movement between a closed position 13 and an open position. The hinge arrangement includes hinge 14 pin bosses extending upwardly from a top edge of the rear panel, wherein a hinge pin extends from each of the hinge pin 16 bosses about laterally and in axial alignment with respect to 17 each other. The cover is formed having a depending lip and a 18 pair of pockets that are integrally formed into the rear wall 19 of the depending lip for cooperation with each respective hinge boss and pin. Preferably, the pins are formed as 21 fluted cylindrical elements extending from the bosses, 22 axially aligned to one another to facilitate rotational 23 movement.
1 When the cover is rotated into the open position, a 2 safety interlock switch assembly prevents motorized operation 3 of the hose spool. When the cover is rotated into the closed 4 position, an engagement pin extending from the underside of the cover cooperates with the safety interlock switch to 6 allow motorized operation of the spool.
7 To facilitate take-up and pay-out of the hose with the 8 cover closed, the front wall panel includes a cut-out portion 9 extending downward from the top edge thereof adjacent to the junction with the cover. In this arrangement, when the cover 11 is closed, the cut-out accommodates traversing a portion of 12 the flexible hose therethrough.
13 In one embodiment a reciprocating hose guide assembly is 14 linked to the spool. When the spool is rotated, the IS reciprocating hose guide will move back and forth across the 16 spool to uniformly and smoothly wrap the hose on the spool to 17 provide a compact storage configuration.
18 In a further embodiment, the reciprocating hose guide 19 can be released from its double-helix lead-screw in the event that its path becomes blocked, such as by debris or when a 21 hand or arm is mistakenly placed in the opening.
22 Alternatively, the hose guide may be manually disengaged to 23 facilitate easy hose pay-out, and can thereafter be 24 repositioned before being manually re-engaged.
1 A sliding seal fluid inlet joint permits the hose outlet 2 joint to rotate with the hose spool without disconnecting the 3 hose. This arrangement permits rotating the spool without 4 twisting or torquing internal components, while maintaining sealed fluid communication between the water supply and the 6 hose.
7 For rotational operation the spool is provided with a 8 winding means capable of manual rotational movement of the 9 spool in relation to the enclosure and an electrically energized power assist means for selective and operative I1 engagement of the winding means. The winding means is 12 illustrated as a hand crank extending through the enclosure 13 and connected to the spool at about its axis of rotation.
14 The power assist means is illustrated as a DC powered motor mounted within the enclosure and connected to the hose spool 16 via a torque transfer assembly. In some embodiments the 17 torque transfer assembly utilizes a dynamic clutch assembly 18 to transfer torque from the motor to rotate the torque 19 transfer assembly thereby rotating the spool. In other embodiments the clutch assembly may regulate torque supplied 21 to the spool via a foot pedal operated clutch assembly. In 22 one embodiment the foot operated cantilever forces an idler 23 friction wheel into engagement with a drive friction wheel 24 and a spool friction wheel to selectively couple and decouple 1 the DC motor to and from the spool to modulate the pulling 2 force and rotational speed of the hose spool. When the foot 3 pedal is depressed the main power switch of the control 4 assembly supplies current from the battery to start the DC
motor and the idler friction wheel is forced into engagement 6 to provide the desired speed and/or force required for hose 7 retrieval. Release of the pedal stops the motor and allows 8 hose to be freely pulled from the spool as desired.
9 In an alternative embodiment the foot operated cantilever forces an idler gear into engagement with a drive 11 gear and a spool gear to selectively couple and decouple the 12 DC motor to and from the spool to modulate the pulling force 13 and rotational speed of the hose spool. When the foot pedal 14 is depressed the main power switch of the control assembly supplies current from the battery to start the DC motor and 16 the idler gear is forced into engagement to provide the 17 desired speed and/or force required for hose retrieval.
18 Release of the pedal stops the motor and allows hose to be 19 freely pulled from the spool as desired. The device may also include at least one idler gear to adjust torque and 21 rotational speed of the hose spool with respect to the motor.
22 Because motors often operate at relatively high RPM, the 23 DC motor may include an internal gear train coupled between 24 the armature of the DC motor and the DC motor output shaft .
1 The internal gear train is capable of reducing RPM output and 2 increasing motor torque.
3 Power for the control assembly is provided by a 4 removable, replaceable, and rechargeable battery assembly conveniently stored within its own closed compartment in the 6 enclosure. Connection to the battery is made via a unique 7 clip-on connector that also provides an integrated battery 8 charging jack. The clip-on connector is constructed and 9 arranged to prevent the clip from being incorrectly connected to the battery and the assembly requires directional 11 installation into the enclosure for electrical connection to 12 the control assembly. The integrated charging jack in the 13 clip-on connector allows convenient battery recharging 14 without disconnecting the clip from the battery. In this manner the battery can be safely and easily removed, 16 recharged, and/or reinstalled into the enclosure without 17 danger of incorrect connection.
18 Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention 19 to provide a motorized hose rewinding apparatus wherein the speed and/or force of hose retrieval is modulated by virtue 21 of an infinitely adjustable torque transfer assembly.
22 It is a further objective of the present invention to 23 provide a motorized hose rewinding apparatus that is 24 constructed to utilize a DC power source.
1 It is still a further objective of the present invention 2 to provide a motorized hose rewinding apparatus having a 3 removable and rechargeable power source.
4 Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a battery operated rechargeable motorized hose 6 rewinding apparatus capable of protecting the hose during 7 storage from direct contact with the elements.
8 Still another objective of the present invention is to 9 provide a motorized hose rewinding apparatus that is aesthetically appealing to consumers.
11 Still yet another objective of the present invention is 12 to provide a motorized hose rewinding apparatus that includes 13 an enclosure having safety interlocks to prevent motorized 14 operation when the enclosure is opened.
Still yet another objective of the present invention is 16 to provide a hose rewinding device that provides portability 17 by utilizing wheels and telescoping handle assembly to permit 18 easy transport of the device.
19 Still yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a hose winding guide assembly that includes 21 automatic as well as manual disengagement features.
22 Other objectives and advantages of this invention will 23 become apparent from the following description taken in 24 conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set 1 forth, by way of illustration and example, certain 2 embodiments of this invention. The drawings constitute a 3 part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments 4 of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
1 Description of the Figures 2 Figure 1 is a front perspective view of the motorized 3 hose rewinding apparatus of the instant invention;
4 Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the motorized hose rewinding apparatus illustrated with the telescoping 6 handle in an operative position;
7 Figure 3A is a front partially exploded perspective view 8 of the instant invention illustrating the hand crank and the 9 foot pedal in heir respective open positions;
t Figure 3B is a partial view taken along lines 1-1 of 11 Figure 3;
12 Figure 4 is an partially exploded perspective view of 13 the of the inst ant invention;
14 Figure 5 i s a partially exploded perspective view of the IS enclosure of e instant invention;
th 16 Figure 6A is a partial view of the instant invention 17 illustrated wit h the enclosure omitted for clarity;
18 Figure 6B is a partial view of one embodiment of the 19 variable torque transfer assembly;
Figure 6C is a partial view of one embodiment of the 21 variable torque transfer assembly;
22 Figure 7A is a partially exploded perspective view of 23 one embodiment of the variable torque transfer assembly;
1 Figure 7B is a partial view of one embodiment of the 2 torque transfer assembly;
3 Figure 8 is a perspective view illustrating a 4 centrifugal type clutch assembly;
Figure 9 is a side view illustrating a cone type clutch 6 assembly;
7 Figure 10 is a perspective view illustrating a plate 8 type clutch assembly;
9 Figure 11 is a partial rear view illustrating the recessed anchoring apertures;
11 Figure 12 is a partial exploded view illustrating the 12 battery assembly;
13 Figure 13 is a perspective view of the underside of the 14 clip assembly utilized in the present invention;
Figure 14 is a perspective view of the battery clip 16 assembly;
17 Figure 15 is a pictorial view of the battery and charger 18 assembly.
1 Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments 2 It is to be understood that while a certain form of the 3 invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the 4 specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that 6 various changes may be made without departing from the scope 7 of the invention and the invention is not to be considered 8 limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the 9 specification.
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, generally, there is 11 shown a direct current powered hose rewinding device 100 in 12 accordance with the principles of the present invention. The 13 hose rewinding device 100 includes a motor driven spool 12 14 onto which the hose is mechanically wound or taken up, and from which the hose is manually fed out or paid out.
16 The enclosure 14 includes a front wall panel 30 and a 17 rear wall panel 34, a left side wall panel 32, a right side 18 wall panel 36, and a pivoting cover 38. Optionally, the 19 enclosure 14 can include a bottom panel (not shown) for substantially fully enclosing the spool 12 and protecting the 21 spool 12 and hose from the elements. The optional bottom 22 panel is preferably constructed as a reversible member with 23 an enhanced friction engaging first surface and a relatively 24 smooth second surface. In this manner the bottom panel could 1 be inserted to prevent the apparatus from skidding on hard 2 surfaces where staking is not practical. In addition, the 3 bottom surfaces of the left side wall panel 32 and right side 4 wall panel 36 may be constructed with optionalrubber pads to further engage hard surfaces. As will be apparent from 6 the drawings, the front, rear and side panels 30-36, and the 7 cover 38 enclose the spool 12 such that the spool is 8 substantially not visible from outside of the enclosure 14 9 when the cover 38 is closed.
In a first embodiment the front panel 30 of enclosure 14 11 includes a cut-out portion 52 extending downwardly from the 12 top lip thereof. The cut-out portion 52 can be elongated and 13 is suitably sized to accommodate a standard size garden hose 14so that the hose can be paid-out from or taken-up onto the 15spool 12 without lifting the cover38. That is, the hose can 16freely move through the cut-out opening 52 without opening 17 the cover 38.
18 In a most preferred embodiment the front panel 30 of 19 enclosure 14 includes an elongated cut-out portion 52 extending downwardly from a top lip thereof. The cut-out 21 portion 52 is sized to accommodate a reciprocating hose guide 22 assembly 50 (FIG. 3A) so that the hose can be uniformly and 23 smoothly wrapped on the spool 12 to provide a compact storage 1 configuration or easily paid-out from the spool 12 without 2 lifting the cover 38.
3 The enclosure 14 preferably includes a pair of wheel 4 recesses 40 extending inwardly into the right side panel 36 and left side panel 32 for housing the rotatably mounted 6 wheel assemblies 43. The wheel recesses 40 are generally 7 positioned at a lower rear portion of the side panels and 8 each includes a centrally located wheel assembly hub 212 and 9 aperture 41 (FIG. 4) for accepting the wheel 200 and axle portion of a wheel assembly 43.
11 In a most preferred embodiment, the right side panel 12 wheel recess 40 includes a foot pedal aperture 45. The foot 13 pedal aperture is adapted to allow the second end 92 of the 14 cantilever 110 (FIG. 6A) to extend therethrough. The foot pedal 47 extends outwardly with respect to the side panel 36, 16 as shown in FIG 3A and 3B, when the foot pedal 47 is in an 17 operational position and is recessed with respect to the 18 outermost portion of the side panel 36, as shown in FIG. 1, 19 when the foot pedal 47 is in a storage position. This construction prevents inadvertent operation of the foot pedal 21 47 and permits compact storage of the device.
22 A manual override winding crank 24 is external of the 23 enclosure 14 and extends through a side wall for connection 24 to the spool 12, preferably on an end opposite to that of the 1 in-tube 20 (FIG. 2), to facilitate manual take-up of the 2 hose. The crank 24 includes a folding handle 25 capable of 3 folding into a recess 26 formed in the crank 24. The handle 4 releasable lock 28 (FIG. 3A) in the crank 24 cooperates with detents in the handle 25 to permit the handle 25 to be locked 6 into either a position parallel to the crank or a position 7 perpendicular to the crank. Locking the handle 25 in the 8 parallel position permits the spool to rotate without the 9 danger of the rotating handle hitting or snagging objects or persons within its path and also permits a compact enclosure.
11 Now referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the motorized hose 12 rewinding apparatus 100 is illustrated partially exploded.
13 The battery cover 48 and handle 25 are illustrated in their 14 respective open positions and the foot pedal 47 in its respective operative position.
16 Incorporated into the enclosure 14 is a lockout assembly 17 62 that prevents the direct current motor 98 (FIG. 6A) from 18 operating when the cover 38 is in the open position. The 19 lockout assembly 62 is illustrated as, but not limited to, an engagement pin 64 cooperating with a normally open micro-21 switch 68. Other devices well known in the art suitable for 22 sensing an open cover and locking out electrical devices when 23 the cover is open may be substituted for the pin and switch 24 assembly illustrated herein. Such devices may include but I should not be limited to micro-switches, proximity switches, 2 mercury switches, mechanical switches, optical switches and 3 the like.
4 Also visible is the reciprocating hose guide assembly 50 and the basket member 44. The reciprocating hose guide 6 assembly 50 contains a double helix lead-screw 54, guide rod 7 56, and carriage 58. The reciprocating hose guide assembly 8 50 is linked via gear-train 96 (FIG. 6A) to the hose spool 12 9 so that when the hose spool 12 is rotated, the double helix lead-screw 54 rotates at a desired ratio with respect to the 11 hose spool 12. The lead-screw 54 is journaled for rotation 12 between side members 32 and 36 and is substantially parallel 13 to the central hub portion of spool 12. The lead-screw 54 14 engages the carriage 58 via follower 66, allowing the carriage 58 to move back and forth across the lead-screw 54 16 and the guide rod 56 when engaged during both manual and 17 motorized operation. The follower 66 can be manually 18 disengaged from the lead-screw 54 to permit easy pay-out of 19 hose or repositioning of the carriage 58. Operation of the hose guide assembly 50 permits hose to be uniformly and 21 smoothly wrapped on the spool 12 to provide a compact storage 22 configuration. Optionally the follower 66 may include a 23 disengagement feature that permits the carriage 58 to release 1 from the lead-screw 54 in the event that the carriage 58 is 2 obstructed during motorized or manual hose rewinding.
3 Referring to FIG. 4, the spool 12 is supported by and 4 rotatably mounted within the enclosure 14. The spool 12 includes a central hub 16 constructed of two mating halves 6 16A and 16B and a pair of radially extending flanges 18 that 7 are configured to accommodate a length of the flexible hose 8 wrapped around the hub 16 between the flanges 18. In a 9 typical arrangement, the hose spool 12 can store upward of 150 feet of 5/8 inch garden hose.
11 Those skilled in the art will recognize that the hose 12 spool 12 includes a water inlet port or in-tube 20 and an 13 outlet port or out-tube 22. The in-tube 20 is mounted to the 14 enclosure 14 at about the axis of rotation of the spool 12.
The in-tube 20 is connected to the out-tube 22 by a sliding 16 seal arrangement 23 which will be recognized by those skilled 17 in the art. This arrangement permits the in-tube 20 to 18 remain fixed to the enclosure 14, while the out-tube 22 19 rotates with the spool 12. In this configuration, the in-tube 20 and out-tube 22 remain in fluid communication with 21 one another. This arrangement permits rotating the spool 12 22 without twisting or torquing internal components, while 23 maintaining sealed fluid communication between the water 24 supply and the hose.
I Also visible is one embodiment of the torque transfer 2 assembly 68 having the structural transfer cover 46 removed.
3 The transfer cover 46 cooperates with the right side panel 36 4 to provide structural support to the torque transfer assembly.
6 Still referring to FIG. 4, the wheel assemblies 43 are 7 shown. Each of the wheel assemblies include a wheel 200 and 8 an axle member 202. The axle member 202 includes an axle 9 stub 204. On a first end of the axle stub is a plurality of integrally formed spring clips 206. The spring clips are 11 constructed and arranged to cooperate with the wheel assembly 12 aperture 41 for push in interlocking installation of the 13 wheel assemblies 43. On a second opposite end of the axle 14 stub 204 is an integrally formed thrust plate 208. In operation, the wheel aperture 210 is placed over hub 212 and 16 the axle member 202 is slid into wheel assembly aperture 41.
17 In this manner the axle stub extends through a central 18 portion of said wheel for interlocking engagement with the 19 rear panel and the thrust plate abuts the wheel to rotatably secure the wheel to the enclosure.
21 Referring to FIG. 5, an exploded view of the enclosure 22 is shown 14. The panels 30-38 are preferably molded 23 components formed from high strength polymeric (plastic) 24 material, such as polystyrene or the like. The panels 30-38 1 are most preferably front and rear configured such that the 2 panels 30, 34 have contoured posts 70 that insert into 3 recesses or channels 72 formed integrally and extending 4 vertically along the front and rear edges each side wall of panel 32 and 36. The contoured projections include ramped 6 surfaces or snap-type elements 76 that engage openings 78 in 7 the channels 72 to her.
lock the panels to one anot 8 Advantageously, this configuration permits ready 9 assembly of the enclosure 14 with a minimum number of tools, and involves a minimum number of parts.
Il The rear panel 34 includes a telescoping handle assembly 12 130. The telescoping handle assembly 130 is moveable between 13a storage position, as illustrated in FIG. l, wherein the 14handle is substantially the same height as the enclosure14 15and an in-use position, as illustrated in FIG. wherein the 2, 16 handle extends above the overall height of the enclosure.
17 The telescoping handle 130 assembly preferably includes a 18 pair of spaced apart telescoping members 132 and a handle 19 member 134 extending substantially horizontally between the telescoping members. The rear panel member 34 includes a 21 pair of integrally formed channels 136 constructed and 22 arranged to guide the telescoping handle assembly 130 during 23 movement between the storage and the in-use positions. The 24 telescoping members 132 each include at least one detent 138 1 constructed and arranged to cooperate with at least one 2 protrusion 140 integrally formed into the telescoping member 3 channels 136 to secure the handle assembly 130 in at least 4 one predetermined position.
The cover or top panel 38 is fitted to the panels 30-36 6 using a hinge arrangement indicated generally at 80. The 7 hinge arrangement 80 permits pivoting or rotating the cover 8 38 between the closed position and an open position. The 9 cover 38 is configured so that when opened and maintained in the open position, use of the motorized spool is locked out 11 via lockout assembly 62 (FIG. 3A).
12 The hinge arrangement 80 includes a pair of integrally 13 formed hinge pin bosses 142 extending upwardly from the top 14 edge 144 of the rear panel 34, each boss including a laterally extending and axially aligned hinge pin 146. In a 16 present embodiment, the cover 38 has a depending lip 88 17 extending around the perimeter of the cover. The depending 18 lip includes a front 148, a rear 150, a left 152 and a right 19 surface 154, the rear surface having a pair of pockets 156 (FIG. 2) constructed and arranged to cooperate with a 21 respective hinge pin 146 and boss 142. Each of the pockets 22 156 are configured to permit rotational movement of the cover 23 38 about the pins 146 for upward rotational movement of the 24 cover .
I The rear panel 34 also includes a pair wheel assembly of 2 receivers 158 each onstructed and arranged cooperate with c to 3 the axle portion a wheel assembly 43 (FIG . 1). In the of 4 preferred embodiment one of the wheel assembly receivers 158 is integr ally formedinto the left edge 160 of the rear panel 6 and one of the wheel assembly receivers 158 is integrally 7 formed into the right edge 162 of the rear panel. The wheel 8 assembly receivers 158 are positioned to align with the left 9 and right side panel wheel assembly hubs 212 and apertures 41.
11 The rear panel 34 further includes a pair of integrally 12 formed hooks 164 constructed and arranged to cooperate with a 13 basket member 44 (FIG. 3A), wherein the basket member 44 is 14 constructed and arranged to fit within the enclosure 14 while permitting hose storage about spool 12. The basket member 16 provides storage space within the enclosure for a variety of 17 hose accessories.
18 Referring to FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C, one embodiment of the 19 torque transfer assembly 172 and hose guide gear-train 96 are shown. For motorized operation, the motorized hose rewinding 21 apparatus 100 is provided with a DC powered motor 98 22 connected to the torque transfer assembly 172 which is 23 connected to the spool 12. In these embodiments the torque 24 transfer assembly is illustrated as but not limited to a l friction drive assembly 168 (FIG. 6B) and a gear drive 2 assembly 170 (FIG. 6C). In the friction drive assembly 168 a 3 friction drive wheel 106 is rotatably secured within the 4 enclosure and suitably coupled to the direct current motor output shaft 166. At least one friction idler wheel 114 is 6 constructed and arranged for selective engagement with the 7 friction drive wheel 106 and rotatable responsive to rotation 8 of the friction drive wheel 106. At least one driven 9 friction idler wheel 116 is positioned for engagement the friction idler wheel 114 wherein the friction idler wheel 116 11 is rotatable responsive to rotation of the idler wheel 114.
12 A respective spool friction wheel 118 is secured to the hub 13 16 of spool 12 to be rotatable therewith, the spool friction 14 wheel 118 being larger in diameter than the friction drive wheel 106. The spool friction wheel 118 is rotatable 16 responsive to the friction idler wheels 114 and 116, thereby 17 enabling the direct current motor 98 to rotate the spool 12 18 at a rotational speed less than the rotational speed of the 19 friction drive wheel 106.
In the drive gear assembly 170 a drive gear 107 is 21 rotatably secured within the enclosure and suitably coupled 22 to the direct current motor output shaft 166. At least one 23 idler gear 115 is constructed and arranged for selective 24 engagement with the respective drive gear 107 and at least 1 one driven idler gear 117 wherein the idler gears 115 and 117 2 are rotatable responsive to rotation of the drive gear 107.
3 A spool gear 118 is secured to the hub 16 of spool 12 to be 4 rotatable therewith. The spool gear 118 larger in diameter than the drive gear 107. The spool gear rotatable responsive 6 to the idler gears 115 and 117, thereby enabling the direct 7 current motor 98 to rotate the spool 12 at a rotational speed 8 less than the rotational speed of the drive gear 107.
9 The preferred embodiment includes a second assembly pivotably mounted within the enclosure illustrated as a 11 cantilever 110 having a first end 164, preferably including 12 the idler wheel 114 or idler gear 115, and a second end 42 13 including a pivotally mounted foot pedal 47. The 14 construction and arrangement of the second assembly allows the pulling force and rotational speed of the motorized spool 16 12 to be regulated. For example, when the foot pedal 47 is 17 depressed the current from the battery 132 (FIG. 12) flows 18 through a fuse and is allowed to start the DC motor 98. The 19 idler gear 115/friction wheel 114 is forced into engagement with the drive gear 107/friction wheel 106 and any driven 21 idler gears 117/friction wheels 116 respectively to rotate 22 the spool gear/friction wheel 118 to provide the desired 23 rotational speed and/or force for hose retrieval. Release of 24 the pedal 47 stops the motor 98 and releases engagement of 1 the idler gear 115/friction wheel 114, and allows the spool 2 12 to be freely rotated. In this manner, the operator of the 3 present invention can easily regulate the rewinding of hose 4 around the spool 12 as well as allow hose to be manually paid S out.
6 When the pedal 47 is depressed the motor rotates the 7 spool through the action of the torque transfer assembly 68.
8 That is, the motor 98 rotates the drive gear 107/friction 9 wheel 106, the idler gear 115/friction wheel 114 respectively operatively engages and rotates driven idler gears 11 117/friction wheels 116, that rotates the spool gear/friction 12 wheel 118 to complete the power-assisted rotation of the 13 spool 12. The hose winding guide lead-screw 54 is caused to 14 rotate through the action of gears 118, 120, and 122. That is, when spool 12 is rotated by motor 98 or by handle 25, 16 the spool 12 and spool gear 118 rotates, which causes the 17 idler gear 120 to rotate, which causes lead screw 54 to also 18 rotate .
19 Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B an alternative embodiment of the power assist means is illustrated. In this embodiment 21 a clutch assembly 170 is suitably coupled to the direct 22 current motor output shaft 166 for transferring rotational 23 torque from the direct current motor 98 to the torque 24 transfer assembly 172. The clutch assembly 170 is of a type 1 well known in the art that may include, but should not be 2 limited to plate type clutches and couplings, cone type 3 clutches and couplings, slip type clutches and couplings, 4 spring applied clutches and couplings, centrifugal clutches and couplings, fluid clutches and couplings, Sprag type 6 clutches and couplings and electromagnetic type clutches and 7 couplings. The clutch assembly 170 may also be constructed 8 and arranged to limit the amount of rotational torque that 9 may be transferred from the direct current motor 98 to the torque transfer assembly 172.
11 The clutch assembly 170 generally includes a first 12 mating surface and a second mating surface, wherein the first 13 mating surface and the second mating surface are constructed 14 and arranged to engage with each other upon rotation of said direct current motor output shaft to cause rotation of the 16 torque transfer assembly 172 and the spool 12. In a 17 preferred embodiment the first and second surfaces of the 18 clutch assembly 170 utilize friction to selectively rotate 19 the torque transfer assembly 172 and thereby the spool 12.
In a most preferred embodiment a cantilever arrangement 110 21 having a foot pedal 47 may be utilized to operatively control 22 the frictional engagement between the first and second 23 surfaces. In this manner springs, pressurized fluids, 24 mechanical advantage or suitable combinations thereof may be 1 utilized to engage the clutch assembly for selective rotation 2 of the spool 12.
3 Referring to FIG. 8, the clutch assembly 170 is 4 illustrated in a non-limiting embodiment as a centrifugal clutch 174. The centrifugal clutch 174 includes a first 6 surface 176 and a second surface 178 wherein the first and 7 second surfaces fractionally engage each other upon the 8 direct current motor output shaft 166 achieving a 9 predetermined number of revolutions per minute.
Referring to FIG. 9, the clutch assembly 170 is 11 illustrated in a non-limiting embodiment as a cone clutch 12 180. The cone clutch includes a first frustoconical surface 13 182 and a second generally frustoconically shaped bore 14 surface 184, wherein the first and the second surfaces are axially aligned and wherein the first and second mating 16 surfaces utilize friction to selectively rotate the torque 17 transfer assembly 172. The cone clutch assembly 170 may 18 utilize springs, cantilevers, pressurized fluids or the like 19 well known in the art to control the torque output transferred from the clutch assembly to the torque transfer 21 assembly.
22 Referring to FIG. 10, a non-limiting embodiment of a 23 plate clutch 186 is illustrated. The plate clutch includes a 24 first generally disc shaped surface 188 and a second 1 generally disc shaped surface 190, wherein the first and the 2 second surfaces are axially aligned and wherein the first and 3 second mating surfaces utilize friction to selectively rotate 4 the torque transfer assembly 172. The plate clutch 186 may utilize springs, pressurized fluids, cantilevers or the like, 6 all well known in the art, to control the torque output 7 transferred from the clutch assembly 170 to the torque 8 transfer assembly.
9 Referring to FIG. 11, the lower portion of rear panel 34 of enclosure 14 is shown. The rear panel contains at least 11 one and preferably two recessed anchoring apertures 128. The 12 recessed apertures 128 allow the enclosure to be securely 13 attached to a desired surface with an attachment means such 14 as lag bolts, spikes or metal stakes, to prevent unwanted IS movement of the apparatus during motorized/manual rewinding 16 or manual pay-out of hose. It should be appreciated that 17 recessing the anchoring apertures increases safety by 18 eliminating objects extending outwardly from the enclosure.
19 Referring to FIG. 12, the battery compartment and the DC
power supply are shown. The battery compartment 60 is 21 generally located in the upper rear corner of the right panel 22 36. The battery compartment 60 is constructed and arranged 23 in a manner that allows the battery assembly 130 to be 24 directionally slid into the compartment for electrical 1 cooperation. That is, there is no need to connect wires to 2 the battery assembly to operate the device. The battery 3 compartment contains a pair of electrical contacts (not 4 shown), positioned in manner that electrical contact a so is made only if the battery assembly is correctly installed.
6 The battery compart ment 60 is provided with a hinged 7 battery cover door 48 having a latch arrangement for 8 releasably engaging side panel 36. Formed integrally to the 9 inside of the battery ver door is a vertical battery hold co down 136. When the door 48 is lat ched in the closed position 11 the battery compartment electrical contacts and the battery 12 assembly electrical contacts 144, 146 (FIG. 14) are 13 maintained in a cooperating relationship. In this manner, 14 the battery assembly 130 is removable and replaceable without the need to attach wiring.
16 Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, a perspective view of the 17 underside (FIG. 13) and the topside (FIG. 14) of the battery 18 clip 134 is shown. The battery clip 134 contains two 19 conductive battery quick connectors 138, 140 and a recharging jack 142 removably attached to a non-conductive cap 148. The 21 conductive quick connectors 138, 140 are constructed and 22 arranged to slidably connect to battery terminals (not shown) 23 and conduct current from the battery 132 to contacts 144 and 24 146 (FIG. 13) located in a juxtaposed position to the upper 1 surface of the non-conductive cap 148. The contacts 144, 146 2 are positioned on the non-conductive cap 148 to allow 3 operation of the motorized hose rewinding apparatus 100 only 4 if the battery assembly 130 is inserted into the battery compartment 60 in the correct directional manner. The 6 recharging jack 142 allows the battery to be recharged 7 without disconnecting the clip 134 from the battery 132. In 8 this manner the battery clip can be easily attached to and 9 removed from the battery, allowing the assembly to be removable, replaceable, and rechargeable.
11 Referring to FIG. 15, a perspective view of the battery 12 assembly 130 cooperating with the battery charging means 13 illustrated herein as battery charger 150. The battery 14 charger 150 is constructed and arranged to utilize a plug 152 that mates with a charging jack 142 for charging the battery 16 132. Battery chargers that utilize household current to 17 recharge low voltage DC batteries are well known in the art 18 and a detailed description will therefore be omitted. In a 19 preferred but non-limiting embodiment, the instant invention may utilize solar cells 35 (FIG. 1) as a means to recharge 21 the battery 132. The solar cells 35 are incorporated into 22 one or more of the various panels of the enclosure and are in 23 electrical communication, e.g. wired, to transfer the energy 24 generated to the battery for storage. Solar cells that 1 utilize bright sunlight to recharge low voltage DC batteries 2 are well known in the art and a detailed description will 3 therefore be omitted.
4 All patents and publications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled 6 in the art to which the invention pertains. All patents and 7 publications are herein incorporated by reference to the same 8 extent as if each individual publication was specifically and 9 individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
It is to be understood that while a certain form of the I1 invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the 12 specific form or arrangement herein described and shown. It 13 will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various 14 changes may be made without departing from the scope of the IS invention and the invention is not to be considered limited 16 to what is shown and described in the specification.
17 One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the 18 present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives 19 and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent therein. The embodiments, methods, procedures 21 and techniques described herein are presently representative 22 of the preferred embodiments, are intended to be exemplary 23 and are not intended as limitations on the scope. Changes 24 therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art I which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and 2 are defin ed by the scope of the appended claims. Although 3 the inven tion has been described in connection with specific 4 preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such 6 specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of the 7 described modes for carrying out the invention which are 8 obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be within 9 the scope of the following claims.
Claims (29)
- Claim 1. A direct current powered hose winding apparatus for use with an associated flexible hose comprising:
an enclosure having side panels, front and rear panels extending between said side panels, and a cover;
a spool positioned between said side panels and operably connected thereto for rotation of said spool about an axis of rotation, said spool having a hub defining said axis of rotation and a pair of flanges at opposing ends of said hub and perpendicular to said axis of rotation;
a winding means constructed and arranged to provide infinite rotational movement of said spool in relation to said enclosure;
a direct current energized power-assist means constructed and arranged to selectively and operatively engage said winding means, said power-assist means including a direct current motor, said direct current motor including an armature and an output shaft, wherein rotation of said armature causes rotation of said output shaft;
a torque transfer assembly operatively coupled to said direct current motor output shaft and said winding means for selective driving thereof to cause rotation of said spool;
a control assembly, said control assembly constructed and arranged to control power supplied to said direct current motor; and a clutch assembly suitably coupled to said direct current motor output shaft for transferring rotational torque from said direct current motor to said torque transfer assembly;
wherein manual operation of said winding means and/or power-assisted operation of said winding means provides selective rotational movement of said spool in relation to said enclosure whereby hose winding to a compact configuration is accomplished. - Claim 2. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said direct current motor further includes an output shaft and an output shaft speed reducer, said direct current motor output shaft speed reducer constructed and arranged to increase rotational torque provided by said direct current motor output shaft and reduce rotational speed of said direct current motor output shaft;
wherein said output shaft speed reducer is coupled between an armature of said direct current motor and said direct current motor output shaft. - Claim 3. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said clutch assembly is constructed and arranged to limit the amount of rotational torque transferred from said direct current motor to said torque transfer assembly.
- Claim 4. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said clutch assembly including a first mating surface and a second mating surface, wherein said first mating surface and said second mating surface are constructed and arranged to fractionally engage with each other upon rotation of said direct current motor output shaft, wherein said engagement causes rotation of said torque transfer assembly.
- Claim 5. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein said clutch assembly is a centrifugal clutch, wherein said first and said second mating surfaces engage upon said direct current motor output shaft achieving a predetermined number of revolutions per minute, wherein said first and said second mating surfaces utilize friction to selectively rotate said torque transfer assembly.
- Claim 6. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein said clutch assembly is a cone clutch, wherein 40~
said first mating surface has a generally frustoconical shape, wherein said second mating surface is a generally frustoconically shaped bore, wherein said first and said second surfaces are axially aligned and wherein said first and said second mating surfaces utilize operator controlled friction to selectively rotate said torque transfer assembly. - Claim 7. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein said clutch assembly is a plate clutch, wherein said first mating surface is generally a disk, wherein said second mating surface is generally a disk, wherein said first and said second surfaces are axially aligned and wherein said first and said second mating surfaces utilize operator controlled friction to selectively rotate said spool to selectively rotate said torque transfer assembly.
- Claim 8. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said torque transfer assembly includes:
a drive gear rotatably secured within said enclosure and suitably coupled to said direct current motor output shaft;
a spool gear secured to said hub of said spool to be rotatable therewith, said spool gear being larger in diameter than said drive gear;
at least one idler gear constructed and arranged for selective intermeshing engagement with said drive gear and said spool gear wherein said at least one idler gear is rotatable responsive to rotation of said drive gear and said spool gear is rotatable responsive to said idler gear thereby enabling said direct current motor to rotate said spool at a rotational speed less than the rotational speed of said drive gear. - Claim 9. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 8, wherein said torque transfer assembly includes a second assembly coupled to said enclosure for rotatably supporting said at least one idler gear, wherein said at least one idler gear is movable between a first position spaced apart from said drive gear and said spool gear to allow said at least one idler gear to rotate freely to allow said hose to be freely pulled from said spool, and a second position wherein said at least one idler gear engages said drive gear and said spool gear, wherein said direct current motor selectively rotates said spool to rewind said hose.
- Claim 10. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 9, wherein the second assembly includes a cantilever, said cantilever being pivotally mounted within said enclosure, said cantilever having a first end and a second end, said first end of said cantilever constructed and arranged to rotatably support said at least one idler gear, said second end of said cantilever constructed and arranged to provide a foot pedal for foot operation, wherein said foot operation selectively moves said at least one idler gear between said first and said second positions.
- Claim 11. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said control assembly further includes a direct current power source.
- Claim 12. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 11, wherein said control assembly further comprises a main power switch for electrically connecting and disconnecting said direct current motor to and from said direct current power source.
- Claim 13. The hose winding apparatus of claim 12 wherein said direct current power source is a battery assembly, constructed and arranged for electrically polarized and mechanical engagement with said control assembly.
- Claim 14. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 12, wherein operation of said cantilever further operates said main power switch, wherein electrical connection is made between said direct current motor and said direct current power source during operation of said foot pedal and power is disconnected between said direct current motor and said direct current power source when said foot pedal is not operated.
- Claim 15. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 10, wherein said foot pedal is pivotally mounted to said second end of said cantilever for movement between a operational position and a storage position, wherein said foot pedal is substantially axially aligned with said cantilever in said operational position and wherein said foot pedal is substantially perpendicular with respect to said cantilever in said storage position.
- Claim 16. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said torque transfer assembly includes:
a friction drive wheel rotatably secured within said enclosure and suitably coupled to said direct current motor output shaft;
a friction spool wheel secured to said hub of said spool to be rotatable therewith, said friction spool wheel being larger in diameter than said friction drive wheel;
at least one friction idler wheel constructed and arranged for selective frictional engagement with said friction drive wheel wherein said at least one friction idler wheel is rotatable responsive to rotation of said friction drive wheel and said friction spool wheel is rotatable responsive to said friction idler wheel thereby enabling said direct current motor to rotate said spool at a rotational speed less than the rotational speed of said friction drive wheel. - Claim 17. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said control assembly further comprises at least one safety interlock for disabling said main power switch and preventing electrical connection between said direct current motor and said power source.
- Claim 18. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said enclosure comprises:
a left and a right side wall panel, front and rear wall panels, extending between said left and said right side wall panels, and a cover, said enclosure being configured for receiving said spool so as to permit said spool to rotate about an axis of rotation within said enclosure, wherein said cover is pivotally mounted to said enclosure for movement between a closed position and an open position, wherein said front wall panel includes a cut-out portion at about a top edge thereof adjacent a junction with said cover when said cover is in said closed position, wherein said cut-out is configured for traversing a portion of said flexible hose therethrough to take-up and pay-out said hose with said cover in said closed position, wherein said at least one wheel is rotatably mounted at a lower rear portion of each of said left and said right side panels. - Claim 19. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein said left and said right side panels each include a front edge, a back edge, an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein at least one integrally formed contoured socket extending extends inwardly from said inner surface and substantially perpendicular and adjacent to said front and said back edges thereof, said sockets being adapted to accept locking posts extending outwardly from said left and said right edges of said front and said rear panels, wherein said left, right, front and rear panels interlock to form said enclosure.
- Claim 20. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein said right side panel includes a foot pedal aperture therethrough, wherein said second end of said cantilever extends through said aperture, wherein said foot pedal extends outwardly with respect to said side panel when said foot pedal in said operational position, wherein said foot pedal is recessed with respect to said side panel when said foot pedal in said storage position to prevent inadvertent operation of said foot pedal.
- Claim 21. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein said rear panel includes a telescoping handle assembly, wherein said telescoping handle assembly is moveable between a storage position and an in-use position, wherein said rear panel member includes at least one integrally formed channel constructed and arranged to guide said telescoping handle assembly during movement between said storage and said in-use positions.
- Claim 22. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 21 wherein telescoping handle assembly includes a pair of spaced apart telescoping members and a handle member extending between said telescoping members, wherein said telescoping members each include at least one detent and 47~~
wherein said rear panel includes two integrally formed channels, wherein said channels each include at least one protrusion constructed and arranged to cooperate with said telescoping member detents to secure said handle assembly in at least one predetermined position. - Claim 23. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein said rear panel includes a pair of wheel assembly receivers each constructed and arranged to cooperate with a wheel assembly, wherein one of said wheel assembly receivers is integrally formed into said left edge of said rear panel and one of said wheel assembly receivers is integrally formed into said right edge of said rear panel, wherein said wheel assembly receivers are positioned to align with a left and a right side panel wheel assembly aperture.
- Claim 24. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein said rear panel includes a pair of integrally formed hooks, wherein said hooks are constructed and arranged to cooperate with a basket member for securing said basket member thereto, wherein said basket member is constructed and arranged to fit within said enclosure.
- Claim 25. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein said cover further includes at least one safety interlock for disabling said power-assist means;
wherein motorized rewinding of said hose is locked out when said cover is in an open position, and motorized rewinding of said hose is operable when said cover is in the closed position. - Claim 26. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 25, wherein said safety interlock includes a switching means, said switching means constructed and arranged to cooperate with said cover of said enclosure.
- Claim 27. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 26, wherein said switching means includes at least one electrical switch, said electrical switch operable by said cover to disconnect said power source from said direct current motor when said cover is in the open position.
- Claim 28. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said hose winding means further includes a manual override means, said manual override means constructed and arranged to provide manual rotation of said spool when said power-assist means is decoupled from said spool.
- Claim 29. The hose winding apparatus in accordance with claim 28, wherein said manual override means includes a crank releasably insertable through one of said enclosure side wall panels providing a direct coupling to said spool allowing rotation thereof, said spool including a handle connected to said crank, said handle having a releasable lock, said releasable lock securing said handle in a parallel position with said crank and securing said handle in a perpendicular position with respect to said crank, said handle movable between said positions when said lock is released.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US10/917,921 | 2004-08-12 | ||
| US10/917,921 US7316368B2 (en) | 2003-01-17 | 2004-08-12 | Direct current powered hose rewinding apparatus |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2515171A1 true CA2515171A1 (en) | 2006-02-12 |
| CA2515171C CA2515171C (en) | 2014-10-07 |
Family
ID=35852085
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA2515171A Active CA2515171C (en) | 2004-08-12 | 2005-08-05 | Direct current powered hose rewinding apparatus |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2515171C (en) |
| MX (1) | MXPA05008498A (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN107458936A (en) * | 2017-04-26 | 2017-12-12 | 汤树林 | Coal bed gas water supply line quickly retracting device |
| CN110203776A (en) * | 2018-02-28 | 2019-09-06 | 燕山大学 | A kind of convenient R-T unit of soft band of hose |
-
2005
- 2005-08-05 CA CA2515171A patent/CA2515171C/en active Active
- 2005-08-10 MX MXPA05008498 patent/MXPA05008498A/en active IP Right Grant
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN107458936A (en) * | 2017-04-26 | 2017-12-12 | 汤树林 | Coal bed gas water supply line quickly retracting device |
| CN110203776A (en) * | 2018-02-28 | 2019-09-06 | 燕山大学 | A kind of convenient R-T unit of soft band of hose |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CA2515171C (en) | 2014-10-07 |
| MXPA05008498A (en) | 2006-03-09 |
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request |