GB2534880A - Flexible garden hose assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A flexible garden water hose assembly comprising or including a waterproof but substantially inelastic water-bearing hose 2 connected at each end to first and second connectors 3, the first connector 3 for connecting the hose 2 to a supply of water and the second connector 3 for connecting the hose 2 to a water flow restrictor such as a garden sprinkler or sprayer, the first and second hose connectors 2 each having a pair of bores 6,7, the first bore 7 for conveying water from the first connector 3 to the second connector 3, and the second bore 6 for receiving respective ends of an elastic filament 5 connected to respectively opposite sides of the first and second connectors 3 such that, in use, the hose 2 can expand to its full length under pressure from water entering the hose 2 via the first connector 3 and leaving the hose via the second connector 3 and any associated water restriction means, whereafter upon removal of the water supply the hose 2 contracts in length substantially to the length of the unexpanded elastic filament 5. The filament 5 may be secured in its respective bore 6 by means of a crimped ferrule 8.

Description

flexib e Garden Hose Ass bty This invention dates tc garden hoses of the type used to supply water for arden pia etc Conventional garden hoes are often stored on a reel so oid the risk of e,itanalernent when not n use, which reel therefore increases the cost and complexity of delivering water to garden plants. A solution to this problem has been found in the teaching of 6E32490276 wherein the hose is comprised of a pair of concentric tubes conraeeted together at each end, one being an elastic inner tube for conveying water to garden plants, and the other a flexible but routertube which acts o restrict the extent of radial expansion of the inner tube. Because the inner tube is elastic n therefore also stretch in the longitudinal direction that in its unexpended condition it relay be considerably shorter than the outer tube so that when not supplying water to the garden it occupies a space correspondingly smaller than would be the case in event of a conventional hose corresponding to the total length of the outer tube and, in so doing, it pulls the outer tube to the unexpended length of the inner tube. this arrangement when not in use the garden hose naturally pulls itself to a. compact length corresponding to the unexpended size of the inner tube and arty assumes the full length of the outer tube when water pressure is supplied to the inner tube by, for example, a restrictor hand-held water sprayer heirs d to the free end of the hose for watering plants. However, whilst this arrangement is very efficient in terms of compactness ien the hose is in its stored, unexpended condition, it is also a relatively comp ' -ated construction and there is also a safety issue in that it has been known fc r the flexible, but inelastic. outer albs to rupture whereatt elastic inner t able to expand at the point of rupture until it violently bu to thereafter explosively deposit a large quantity of water onto the garden dior onto the person using the hose.

The present invention is deny realisation that there is a need for a robust and easily manufactured garden hose assembly whilst still preserving the advantages of a garden hosewhich essentially contracts in length to the unexpended length of an olas nt when not in use According to the there is provided a flexible garden water hose rnbly comprising or including a waterproof ubstantially inelastic water-bearing hose connected at each end to first and second connectors, the f rst connector for connecting the hose to a supply of water and the second connector for connecting the hose to a water flow restrictor such as a garden sprinkler yer, the first and second hose tors each having a pair of bores. one for conveying water from the first connector to the second connector, and the other for receiving respective ends of an elastic f larraent connected to respectively opposite sides of the first nd second connectors such that, in use, the hose can expand to its full length under pressure from water entering the e via the first connector and leaving the hose via the second connector and any associated water restriction means, rheroafter upon removal of the water supply the hose contracts in length substantially ength of the, unexpancieci tic filament.

With this arrangement, the bores by which he eias ic filament is sec red between the first and second connectors are separated from the line of water flow through the inlet and =Prater cutlet bores by being parallel toy bat not coincident ith them. This allows for simple manufacture of a water hose assembly having water inlet and water outlet bore of diameter for the purposes of discharging water for watering a garden but in which the elastic filament itself is anchored to and between the first and second connectors by each end extending through a respective filament-only receiving bore parallel to the water inlet and outlet bores whereafter it can be secured between each by being eg crimped to a metal ferrule which does not interfere with the flow of through the first bore in each connector. by sepalating the pmblem of how to return th hose to a length correspor ding to the unexpended length of the elastic fila unction of the hose to discharge water to restrictor such as a garden sprinkler or sprayer, each connector can be easily and inexpensively manufactured with the end result being a robust connector of elegantly simple shape which does not require a pair of concentric hoses one elastic four conveying water, and the other inelastic for preventing t e elastic hose from burs Conveniently, the water inlet and outlet bores are circular,but they may instead' be of non-circular shape, such as oval or crescent shaped.

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is exploded view of a contracted g e ht assembly according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the assembled uncle end of the hose assembly of Figure 1. and Figure 3 is an end view of the male end shown in Figure 2, Refern firstly to Figure 1, an expandable garden hose assembly (1) comprises a flexible but substaritially inelastic waterproof h (2) having at one end a male connector (3) for connection to e.g. a water supply, and at the other end a female connector (4), for connection to e.g, a water restrictor i, the form of a garden sprayer or sprinkler. When so connected and with water flovaiflowing the length of the hose (2) extends until the outside of the hose (2) is completely srrrooth, which may be by a fader of 6 or the length shown in Figure 1..

When not in use the hose (2) assumes the position shown in Figure 1 due to the 76 presence within the hose of an filament (5) connecting the male (3) and female (4) connectors.

As can be seen from Figures 2 and 3 one end ent (5) extends through a filament f lament receiving bore (6) in the m also includes a water outlet pore (7). The end of prevented from leaving the borevirtue of being cramped within a m ferrul diameter greater than tftre bore (6).

The other end pf'the flarttentsecured within the female nec (4) by means of another crimped ferrule immediately above a filament receiving bore through which the other end of the filament (5) extends, the filament-receiving bore also being parallel to a water inlet b In both cases it will be apparent that the manufacture of the ale (3) end female (4) connectors is latively straightforw d in that a single bare in each of diameter corresponding to the unexpended diameter of the filament (5) is required in order to secure it in place via a crimped ferrule (3) and. similarly, for the purposes of introducing water into the hose (2) and owing it to freely exit from it, in and outlet bores can the easily formed within the connectors (3,4) parallel to the major axis of the filament-receiving bores. This hose assembly is therefore less complex than the assembly shown in G824 0270 is more rugged and yet can still be auto belly stored in a compact configuration when not in use.