MXPA96003292A - Hose reel with wall and esapila assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a stackable hose storage apparatus, for retaining in rolled form elongated flexible garden hoses, comprising: a one-piece support frame, defined by frame dosages having, each, a upper surface and divided legs hanging therefrom, forming a front leg and a rear leg, the sides of the frame being formed integral with a front crossbar that supports the front legs and a rear crossbar that supports the rear legs, each side having of the frame a plug supporting surface placed between the upper surface and the divided legs, a reel placed between the sides of the frame, the spool having a plurality of braces defining a winding surface to receive a flexible hose, the surface of which is winding coupled between a first and a second oblong winding tabs nga, defined by a length and a width, with the length being greater than the width, each winding flange having a centrally placed plug operatively associated with each plug support surface on one side of the frame; a hose connector capable to be releasably inserted through one of the plugs, providing an input connection mounted in a fixed position on one side of the frame, the side of the frame and through the winding flange fluidly communicated with an output adapter in a second side of the flange: a U-shaped carrier handle attached to the plugs placed centrally between the winding tabs and the sides of the frame, so that the handle can be pivoted freely around the axis of the plug, to be placed as a handle carrier or for stackable storage, a means for fixedly mounting the hose storage apparatus on a surface placed in the form vertic

Description

"HOSE REEL WITH WALL MOUNTING AND THAT IS STACKABLE" FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the storage of flexible garden hoses and, more particularly, to a hose reel with improved wall mounting, which is pre-assembled and shipped in a stacked formation.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION The use of hose reels for convenient handling and storage of flexible garden hose has gained wide public acceptance. These hose reels can be mounted on a trolley or secured on the wall and are constructed primarily of molded plastic components that have a centrally positioned rotating reel to roll in or out the flexible hose, a frame that includes a pair of sides of frame for holding a reel, and means for mounting the frame on the wall of a building. Hose reel carts and wall mounted hose reels are commonly purchased by the general consumer in a disassembled state that requires hand tools for assembly. The assembly can be delayed and for the novice it is frustrating as well as leading to damaged goods if the assembly is improperly prepared. Due to this reason, a problem that has arisen with hose reels of the prior art is that, despite the instructions for assembly, a majority of the consuming public is not capable or has no desire to assemble these devices. The home industries that have developed only for the purpose of joining products that have been purchased in an unarmed state. Many stores that have non-assembled products have personnel capable of assembling the product. If this is done as a courtesy, the expense becomes a charge to the store. If the consumer pays for the product to be assembled, the device cost increases. Incorrect assembly can damage these devices when an assembler stops following instructions or tries to forcefully adjust a component. The result is irritation on the part of the buyer who can request that the store receive the return of the product and reimburse his money. A store that accepts a returned product carries a delayed paperwork test that includes a request from the manufacturer to accept the returned product, where the manufacturer must also carry out paperwork as well as try to salvage the damaged product. Since this is done unexpectedly, most returned items are damaged as a result of incorrect assembly. The reason why many of these products are shipped unarmed is due to the size of the packing required once an assembled product is put into an operating form. For example, a hose reel shipped in a disassembled state can be easily adjusted in a box that allows the device to be shipped on a platform along with numerous other b in a similar manner. Under these circumstances, it is not usual to have twenty or more b of hose reels mountable on the wall, placed on a platform where a fork can be used to move on the platform. A store may leave a shipment of packages on the boarding platform above the normal reach of the consuming public. The b product is lowered to replenish those items purchased causing the store to decide whether to assemble the product before presenting for exhibition. The unarmored hose reels are packed in a shipping carton to protect the product during shipment and storage, and more importantly to avoid the loss of individual components before assembly. A great deal of time and cost is required for the packaging of the product in order to provide as compact a packaging as possible. The boarding carton must include signs to indicate to the public what is contained inside the cardboard box. This is added to the expense for the cardboard box, especially if color graphics are provided, which is preferred by shop owners so that potential buyers do not open cardboard boxes in an effort to determine content. In addition, unarmored hose carts require the inclusion of assembly instructions. The disposal of shipping cartons is also a waste. Once a hose car is assembled, the boarding carton is unusable for almost any other object. The cardboard box becomes a useless product that can possibly be recycled, but actually adds mass to an embankment. There is also the problem that cardboard boxes are sized to allow the ability to stack when placed on a platform. Another problem with the prior art is the securing of a reel plug necessary for the introduction of water. The reel plug must allow rotation, but, however, must allow the device to engage in a water supply where the hose can be rolled in or out or in without interfering with the flow of water. Seals inside the plug allow rotation without leakage. A problem occurs when the seals require service either in the form of lubrication or replacement. This is commonly a problem in the northern states in case the device can freeze. When the seals require service, the plug must be removed to facilitate replenishment. Without the proper tools, the unit will be damaged. In most cases, fastening is carried out by using screws that require proper bolting or identical replacement in case the screws are lost in order to avoid or damage the unit. Disassembly and assembly is complicated and many consumers simply give up this leading to the early destruction of the device. Therefore, what is lacking in the technique is a hose reel with wall mounting that can be pre-assembled at the factory, shipped without the need for a conventional shipping container and a design in such a way that the hose reels can fit together to reduce storage space.

Therefore, what is also lacking in the prior art, is a wall mountable hose reel having an improved reel assembly that can be disassembled without tools and that includes a means to reduce the effort of the hose wound around the reel .

COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION Among the various aspects and particularities of the present invention are intended to be observed, the hose reel of the present invention is of the configuration and design so that the hose reel can be preassembled in the factory, thus eliminating the need for books of instructions and packaging of associated product. The teachings of the present invention allow a plurality of pre-assembled wall mounted hose reels to be placed on a skid by decreasing the amount of space needed for storage and transportation, thereby increasing the number of units that can be shipped by a certain cubic volume of space. In order to achieve efficiency in shipping and boarding carton alignment, the present invention incorporates the use of an oblong-shaped spool flange and a one-piece inverted "V" shaped frame to avoid fitting multiple units. . In addition, the frame includes interlacing fingers. The assembly hose reel of the present invention allows the use of a single unitary frame construction for the support of a flexible garden hose that is wound onto a multi-layer roll by contacting one another by use of a Directional reel forming a spool rotatably coupled with the frame. The reel tabs forming the side walls of the reel are oblong in shape to retain the hose within the use of the reel in a manner similar to the prior art, however, allowing the aforementioned recessing of the assembled hose reels. It is an object of the present invention to provide a wall-mounted hose reel having a one-piece frame with all the components for assembling in order to eliminate the need for package and instruction booklets that are commonly used in the prior art. Another object of the present invention is to provide a wall-mounted hose reel that can be stacked on top of the wall-mounted hose reels in a nested manner with the ability to ship more units per cubic meter volume what has been possible in the prior art and which are individually packed even in a completely disarmed state. Another object of the present invention is to disclose the use of quick release fastening tabs that allows a crank arm of a winding spool to be placed on either side of the frame allowing left or right hand operation. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a water connector that can be installed and removed without the use of hand tools. In particular, the connector will use a syringe-type attachment mechanism that engages the tabs on the inner surface of the plug to disengage to access the replaceable O-rings. Still another object of the present invention is to disclose the use of a handle clamping mechanism for wall-mounted hose reels that eliminate the need for a hook pin and that can be incorporated into the frame of the mountable hose reel to the wall where it can be placed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is an illustrative view of the wall mountable hose reel, which is stackable; Figure 2 is a detailed view of the frame and the hose reel; Figure 3 is a bottom view of the frame; Figure 4 is a side view of the frame; Figure 5 is a top view of the frame; Figure 6 is a side view of the frame, with the surface of the inner side shown in silhouette; Figure 7 is an end view of the frame, with the internal structures shown in silhouette; Figure 8 is a side view of the middle of the inner hose reel assembly; Figure 9 is a detailed top view of the inner hose reel halves and the end flanges; Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the half of the inner hose reel assembly of Figure 8 along the cut A-A; Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of the part of the inner assembly of Figure 9 along the cut B-B; Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of the frame of Figure 4 along the cut F-F; Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of the frame of Figure 4 along the section D-D; Figure 14 is an illustrative view of the wall mounted hose reels placed in a stored and stacked position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITY Although the invention "has been described in terms of a specific embodiment, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various rearrangements and substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention." The scope of the invention is defined by Claims attached thereto Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, an illustration of the present invention 10 is disclosed consisting of a frame 12 having a first oblong-shaped reel flange 14 separated from the second flange 16. of the hose reel by opposite spool halves 18 and 20. The frame 12 consists of a one-piece molded plastic frame such as polyethylene, which is defined by a front cross bar 30 molded on the front parts of a frame in "V" shape inverted, with sides 32 and 34. The sides 32 and 34 of the frame are a mirror image one of the This includes the shape and design of the plug which allows the exchange of the plug coupling devices, namely a crank arm 40, a hose connector 42 which will be described further below in this description. An upper portion of the frame 44 includes a detent 46 which allows the engagement of the frames in a similar manner one in the upper part and another since a lower portion of the frame includes outwardly extending tabs 48 used to engage the retainer in a adjacent frame. The handle 49 includes a generally "U" -shaped section and is constructed of a single piece of plastic such as polyethylene with ridges 51 reinforced with ribs along the base of the handle. The handle 49 is further defined by a pair of side bars each of which has an enlarged base that conforms to the upper portions of the frame. A crank arm 52 is bent pivotally toward the handle 48. A U-shaped handle 47 is also included in the unit which is fixed to the plug 70 on either side of the reel (or spool) assembly 15. Accordingly , the handle 47 pivots around the socket 70 to facilitate the stackable storage of many hose reel units (see Figure 14) and to swing the handle toward a vertical carrier position as shown in Figure 1. Making Refer now to Figure 3, there is shown a bottom view of the frame having the mounting openings 60, 62, 64 and 66 positioned along each corner of the frame. The openings are in the form of keyholes that allow placement over a mounting bolt or screw with the neck of the opening allowing the slidable coupling of the mounting bolt for ease of securing into a wall. The base transverse parts 30 and 36 of the frame 12 include reinforced sections 68 which provide rigidity to the cross pieces. Tabs 48 are used to engage with the detent 46 as described above. Figure 4 is a side view of the frame 12 illustrating the detent 46 and the mounting tabs 48 that are used to join the adjacent stacked frames together. The plug 70 is positioned centrally for the coupling of the water connection assembly or the crank arm and adjacent spool. Figure 5 is a partial top view of the frame 12 illustrating the holes 60, 62, 64, 66 mounted positioned in the corner. Figure 6 is a view of the internal side surface 72 (shown in outline) of the frame 12 having a front area 74 for positioning the reel flange and the tabs 48 used to insert into the detent 46 as has been previously described . Figure 7 shows an end view of the frame 12, with internal structural components shown in silhouette. The plug 70 is used to secure the hose reel (not shown). The reinforcing sections 69 as well as the mounting holes 64, 66 are shown. Referring now to Figure 8, the reel assembly is comprised of two identically molded struts that form the reel halves 18 and 20 each having a preformed hose recess 76 that forms an inward tilt from the first edge of the reel. a radius Rl of approximately 16.0 millimeters inward by approximately 6.35 centimeters from the lateral edge 78 to the second lateral edge 80 where the cavity 76 is a continuous format across the surface of the spool and tapers to a radius R2 of about 7.62 millimeters in from the side 80 edge at approximately 2.54 centimeters. The opening 82 is of sufficient size to allow the hand of an operator to screw an end fitting of the female hose of a hose into the male outlet of the plug which is located within the reel cavity. Each half of the spool includes a coupling tongue 84 which may be available to serve either flange 14 or 16 having slots 86 (see also Figure 2) to be secured therein. Figure 11 shows a cross-sectional view of the reel halves 18, 20 of Figure 8 along the cut A-A. This further demonstrates the formation of the cavity 76. Figure 12 shows a cross-sectional view of the half 20 of the reel of Figure 9 along the cut B-B, which similarly shows the structural formations. Figure 13 shows a cross-sectional view of the frame 12 and Figure 4 along the cut F-F. This view further demonstrates the structural formation of the plug 70 and the detents 46. Figure 13 shows a cross-sectional view of the frame 12 of Figure 4 along the cut D-D. Again, this view also demonstrates the structural formation of the plug 70 within the frame 12. Figure 14 is an illustrative view of a plurality of wall mounted hose reels 10 illustrating the utility of the reel flanges 14 when the frames 12 are placed in a nested position. As shown by an illustration, the reel tabs 14 are engaged while in a stacked position. The hidden lines illustrate the angular direction of the flanges 14 and the handles 48 are placed in the storage position with the crank arm 52 which is rotated and engaged in position along a pivot point so as not to extend outward from each side frame. The carrier handle 47 is also shown as being pivoted with respect to an optimal position for stacking the multiple units. As further detailed in U.S. Patent No. 5,425,391 of the prior art by this same inventor, the crank arm 52 is capable of being bent into a storage position including an opening in which the pivot lugs extend and provide an attachment of forced adjustment allowing pivoting rotation without additional securing. During use, the extension of the handle crank rest against a resting surface on the arm allows the handle to be in a position perpendicular to the handle providing the optimum lever arm during the rotation of the reel. A retaining tab on the end of the extension crank handle of the crank arm in a perpendicular position.

It should be understood that even when certain forms of our invention have been illustrated and described, it should not be limited to the forms or arrangement of specific parts described and shown herein. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, and the invention should not be considered limited to what is shown in the drawings and has been described in the specification.

Claims (22)

CLAIMS:

1. A stackable hose storage apparatus for rolling up an elongated flexible garden hose comprising: a one-piece support frame defined by two sides of the frame, each having an upper surface and divided legs depending thereon forming a front leg and a rear leg, the sides of the frame formed integrally with a front crossbar hold the front legs and a rear crossbar supports the rear legs, each side of the frame has a plug supporting surface placed between the top surface and the legs. divided legs; a spool placed between the sides of the frame, the spool has a plurality of struts defining a surface of the reel to receive a flexible hose, the surface of the reel is coupled between a first and a second reel flange of oblong shape defined by a length and a width with the length being greater than the width, each reel flange has a centrally attached plug operatively associated with each supporting surface of the plug on one side of the frame; a hose connector releasably insertable through one of the plugs providing an input connection mounted in a fixed position on one side of the frame, the side of the frame and through the flange of the spool communicated with fluid with the output adapter in a second side of the tab; a "U" shaped carrier handle attached to the plugs centrally positioned between the spool flanges and the sides of the frame so that the handle can pivot freely around the shaft of the socket to be positioned as a carrying handle or for stackable storage; means for fixedly mounting the hose storage apparatus on a vertically placed surface. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the struts is further defined as two semicircular brackets that form identical spool surface halves. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each reel surface includes at least one hose relief cavity comprising an inward tilt that depends on the first edge of the surface of the reel having a reel. first depth placed at a first distance from one end of the spool surface to a second edge of the spool surface at a depth less than the first depth and placed at a second distance from the first end of the spool surface. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each reel surface includes at least one opening of sufficient size whereby the opening allows an operator to attach a free end of a flexible hose to the connector of hose. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hose connector includes: a male hose connector that is adaptable to be connected with a flexible hose available for winding around the spool, a female hose adapter that it is adaptable to connect with an inlet hose, and a coupling sleeve, the male hose connector has at least one O-ring which is brought into contact with the female hose adapter to form a seal therebetween. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the coupling sleeve is further defined as a plurality of inwardly-urged tabs obtainable for holding the male hose connector with the female hose connector, the tabs being associated with the female hose connector. 7. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 6, where the tabs are removed in the pushing position with the female hose connector pulling the coupling sleeve away from the female hose connector. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hose includes a handle constructed of a moldable plastic material pivotally fixed on a crank rod that is capable of being positioned from a perpendicular position for rotation to a raised position for ease of storage, the handle frictionally engages the rod for securing in a raised or lowered position. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the handle can be placed in any socket providing operation in a left hand or right hand position. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frame is constructed of a single piece of plastic that further defines each side of the frame by inverted "V" shaped structures having a flattened upper portion, and divided legs that depend on it, the frame is able to be placed in another frame allowing a nestable arrangement. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the handle includes a brace that provides a slot for holding a free end of a flexible hose in a vertical position. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second oblong-shaped reel flanges include means for coupling two of the struts into a fixed diametrically opposed position. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 12, wherein each flange of the oblong-shaped reel is further defined as having a length of approximately 38.10 centimeters and a width of approximately 19.05 centimeters. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each plug of the oblong-shaped reel flange includes four separate indentations equally operably associated with the coupling tabs separated from the crank. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each oblong-shaped reel flange plug includes four equally spaced indentations operably associated with the separate coupling tabs of the hose coupling device. The hose storage assembly according to claim 1, wherein each flange hub of the oblong-shaped spool includes a flat front surface proximate an aperture centrally positioned in a ribbed rear surface that provides support for the extended extension of the opening. A stackable hose storage apparatus for rolling up an elongated flexible garden hose comprising: a one-piece support frame having two inverted "V" frame sides, each side of the frame having a surface upper and divided legs that depend on it forming a front leg and a rear leg, the sides of the frame are formed integral with the front crossbar that holds the front legs and the rear crossbar that holds the rear legs, each side of the frame has a plug support surface placed between the upper surface and the divided legs; a spool placed between the sides of the frame, the spool has a plurality of struts defining a surface of the reel to receive a flexible hose, the surface of the spool is coupled between a first and a second spool flanges of oblong shape having a length and a width being the length greater than the width, each flange of the reel has a centrally placed plug operatively associated with each side of the frame; a hose connector comprising a female hose connector which is adaptable to connect with the flexible hose available for winding around the spool, a female hose connector which is adaptable to connect with an inlet hose, and a coupling sleeve, the female hose connector has at least one physical seal in contact with the female hose connector to form a seal therebetween; the hose connector is releasably insertable through one of the plugs providing an input connection mounted in a fixed position on one side of the flange of the spool communicated with fluid with an outlet adapter on a second side of the flange; a crank releasably insertable through one of the plugs providing a direct coupling with the reel allowing the rotation of the same, the crank includes a crank handle pivoted on the crank capable of being placed from a perpendicular position for manual operation to a position lifted to facilitate storage; a "U" shaped carrier handle attached to the plugs centrally placed between the spool flanges and the sides of the frame so that the handle can be freely pivoted around the axis of the socket to be placed as a carrying handle or for storage stackable .; a plurality of fixing holes in the bottom of the legs of the frame for fixing the hose carriage on a vertically placed surface; and wherein the carrier handle and the spool flange rotate to an optimum position allowing a fully assembled hose storage apparatus to be stacked in a nesting arrangement above a similarly assembled hose storage apparatus. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the coupling sleeve is further defined as a plurality of inwardly pushed tabs available for holding the male hose connector with the female hose connector, the tabs being Operably associated with the female hose connector. 19. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the tabs are removed in a pushed position with the female hose connector by pulling the coupling sleeve away from the female hose connector. 20. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the handle of the crank is held in a raised position for frictional engagement. 21. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the brace defines a plurality of cavities of sufficient angular shape to allow a flexible hose to engage with the female coupling at an angle providing a gradual incline for relief of the effort of the hose during the coupling of the flexible hose with the male hose connector. 2

2. The hose storage apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the cavities allow the directional placement of a flexible hose whereby the flexible hose can be wound around the spool of the apparatus in a clockwise or clockwise direction.