GB2072142A - Portable hose-reel unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable hose and reel unit for general use such as watering plants of gardens or washing cars comprises a housing 1 containing a rotatable drum 3 on which the hose is wound, and two guide rolls 17, 18 for guiding, squeezing, and flattening the hose as it is being rewound onto the drum. The guide rolls may have cam extensions which prevent the hose from slipping off the rolls and which take up different positions during winding and unwinding. The rolls are located in a recess in the housing which also houses the outer end of the hose together with its coupling ring 8. The hose is of a collapsible, double layer construction. The drum has a winding crank 10 which can be pivoted to an out of use, out of the way position. The housing is preferably moulded of plastics with an integrally formed handle 2 for transporting purposes. The housing has internal mouldings for receiving accessories for the hose. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Complete set of portable hydraulic facilities This invention relates to a portable hose and reel unit, suitable for example for domestic use, for the watering of plants and lawns, car washing, supplying make-up water to tanks and so on, and in the preferred embodiment is provided with a range of accessories to give the unit as wide a range of uses as possible.

Currently, there are no such units available and it is normally necessary for accessory components to be provided and transported separately.

The known hose and reel unit which is in popular use comprises simply a drum or reel on which a flexible hose is wound, the accessories for such a unit being storable and transportable separately. There is of course the risk that such accessories can become displaced or lost.

With the unit according to the preferred embodiment of this invention, the user can adapt the unit readily on site to meet a large range of requirements, such as for instance connection to the mains supply, connection between pipes (which may be of different sizes), the connection to users irrespective of pipe diameter, pipe type, and the connection to valves already mounted cn fixed components.

Another disadvantage with the known unit is that when the hose is wound onto the reel it may contain residual water, making the reel and hose when wound thereon an extremely heavy unit.

In the present invention, there is provided a means whereby the residual water can be removed automatically, and in accordance with a general aspect of the invention, there is provided a portable hose and reel unit comprising a housing, a drum rotatably mounted on the housing, a hose wound on the drum so as to be capable of being unwound from and wound back onto the drum, and two guide rolls carried by the housing for guiding, flattening and squeezing the hose as it is re-wound onto the drum.

By such arrangement, the residual water can be ejected from the hose and moreover by flattening the hose, the reel or drum can accommodate a larger length of the hose than it otherwise would do were the hose not flattened by the guide rolls.

To achieve the above, the flexible hose may be manufactured as a two layer laminate, comprising a plastic inner layer and a synthetic fabric outer layer, the hose being designed to be of light weight.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, to one side of the housing are compartments and mountings for receiving a plurality of varied hose connection accessories.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a side view of a unit according to the present invention; Fig. 2 shows an underneath sectional plan of the unit shown in Fig. 1 , the section being taken on the line X-X of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows a plan of the unit shown in Fig. 1, partly in sectional view, the section being taken on the line Y-Y of Fig. 1; Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional elevations taken on the line Z-Z of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 showing the winding handle in the stored position, and Fig. 5 showing the winding handle in the winding position; Fig. 6 is a side view of a portion of the unit shown in Fig. 1;; Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate a portion of the unit shown in Fig. 1, and respectively show how the hose can be wound on the unit drum in either direction; and Fig. 9 is a side view showing the opposite side of the unit from that shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the unit comprises a parallelepipedon shaped container or housing 1, moulded for example in plastics material, and provided with an integral handle 2 to enable the housing and the winding drum 3 carried thereby to be transported by hand. The drum 3 is rotatable about a pivot axis 4.

Drum 3 has a radial slot 5 through which an end section of a flexible hose 6 passes as shown, the other end of the hose 6 being located in a recess so that it can be unwound from the housing 1, as required. The respective ends of the hose are provided with locking or coupling rings 7 and 8 as shown, the coupling ring 7 being located in a central cavity 9 of the drum so as to rotate with the drum.

Rotation of the drum 3 is achieved by means of a crank handle 10 which, as best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, is hinged to the drum 3 on pivot 12, and has a winding hand grip 11.

Fig. 4 shows the handle 10 in a stored position in which it lies in a drum recess 13 so as to be neatly out of the way, whilst Fig. 5 shows the handle in the winding or in use position. The handle 10 has been pivoted by 1800 anticlockwise from the Fig. 4 to the Fig. 5 position, and in the winding position, the handle 10 locates in a groove or channel in the drum 3, and also engages a projection 1 5 in the groove or channel to ensure that the turning effort will be applied through the handle 10 directly to the. drum, and not through the pivot pin 12.

A slot 1 6 is formed in the portion of the drum defining cavity 13 in order to facilitate the moving of the handle 10 from the Fig. 4 position to the Fig. 5 position.

In the recess of the housing containing the end of the hose 6 are provided two inner rollers 1 7 and 18, as shown in particular in Fig. 6 and in Fig. 3.

These rollers 1 7 and 1 8 have cam expansions or extensions as shown and they are designed to squeeze the hose during coiling, and the cam shaped extensions of expansions at the top prevent the hose from slipping off the rollers 1 7 and 18.

In Figs. 1, 6 and 7, the hose 6 is shown as being wound on the drum in one direction i.e. the hose extends from the drum over roller 1 8 then over roller 17, but Fig. 8 shows that the hose 6 can be wound on the drum in the opposite direction, in which case the hose 6 extends from the drum first over roller 17 and then over roller 18.

Considering the arrangement shown in Figs. 1, 6 and 7, the cam shaped expansion take up the position shown in Fig. 1, during winding of the hose onto the drum, whereas when the hose is being wound from the drum, the cam extensions take up the position as shown in Fig. 6. The cam shaped extensions operate in opposite fashion when winding on the drum in the opposite direction.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate in dotted lines the extent to which the hose 6 can be wound onto the drum, this extent being illustrated by the numeral 6'. The hose to be used with the unit will of course be designed in accordance with the maximum requirement 6'.

Referring now to Fig. 9, various compartments and mountings are provided and formed in the opposite side of the housing from that shown in Fig. 1. The mountings may include straight or circular elastic ribs, for the frictional retention of various pipe fittings and accessories, to enable such accessories to be firmly held in the housing, but also to enable such accessories to be removable therefrom selectively for use with the hose. For example, suitable accesories may comprise a water plug, a nozzle 20, male and female joint components 21,22, 23, 24 of various diameters, and an adaptor 25. Such accessories will meet normal requirements for connecting the unit to existing pipes and water cocks, for interconnecting two or more hoses, by the utilisation of two or more sets, and for creating a water spout or spray using the nozzle.

If the requirements are different, the described accessories can be replaced by others deemed more suitable for meeting the requirements, the housing being suitably modified if nscessary.

The unit described is suitable for solving many water requirements as arise from time to time in connection with domestic water usage such as garden watering, car washing, water transfer facilities and so on.

Claims (12)

1 . A portable hose and reel unit comprising a housing, a drum rotatably mounted on the housing, a hose wound on the drum so as to be capable of being unwound from and wound back onto the drum, and two guide rolls carried by the housing for guiding, flattening and squeezing the hose as it is removed onto the drum.

2. A unit according to claim 1 , wherein the drum includes a winding crank at one side of the drum.

3. A unit according to claim 2, wherein the winding crank is pivotable between an in use position in which the drum can be turned by turning the crank and an out of use position in which the winding crank is located in a recess in the drum.

4. A unit according to claim 3, wherein the crank locates in a groove in the drum and is also engaged by a projection on the drum in order that the turning effect applied to the handle will be transmitted to the drum rather than the pivot of the crank.

5. A unit according to any of claims 3 or 4, wherein a resilient tongue of the drum engages the winding crank so as to maintain it in the use position and the out of use position.

6. A unit according to claims 2 to 4, wherein the housing at the other side of the drum has mountings for various hose accessories.

7. A unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the drum has a slot leading to a central cavity in which the inner end of the hose which has a coupling unit, is engaged, the hose adjacent said end being engaged in the slot.

8. A unit according to any preceding claim, wherein each of the guide rolls has a cam shaped extension at the top to prevent the hose from slipping off during the coiling and uncoiling of the hose relative to the drum.

9. A unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the guide rolls are located in a recess in the housing which recess also receives a coupling ring on the end of the hose which is also located in said recess.

10. A unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the hose, by altering the threading of same round the guide rolls, can be wound round the drum in either direction.

11. A unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the hose is of double layer configuration, comprising an inner layer of plastic material and an outer layer of synthetic fabric, such hose being collapsible to flattened form.

12. A hose and reel unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.