WO2017215793A1

WO2017215793A1 - Spiral hose storage

Info

Publication number: WO2017215793A1
Application number: PCT/EP2017/052027
Authority: WO
Inventors: Reiner Frey; Tobias Schlegel
Original assignee: Husqvarna Ab
Priority date: 2016-06-15
Filing date: 2017-01-31
Publication date: 2017-12-21
Also published as: TWI714774B; EP3472082A1; EP3472082B1; TW201800005A

Abstract

The invention relates to a hose storage adapted to receive a spiral hose (2). The hose storage comprises a tubular base body (3) confining a cavity (3.1) for receiving the spiral hose (2), said tubular base body (3) comprising an aperture (3.2) at the top side for removing the spiral hose out of the cavity. The cross-section of the tubular base body (3) increases towards the aperture (3.2). Furthermore, the base body (3) at least partially comprises a top portion (3.3) at which a wall portion of the base body (3) bulges outwardly thereby providing a rounded top portion (3.3).

Description

Spiral hose storage

The present invention relates generally to the field of hose storages. More specifically, the present document discloses a hose storage for storing a spiral hose.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Different solutions are known for storing hoses, specifically water hoses. For example, hose reels are known which comprise a frame including the reel for coiling the hose. In addition, hose reels are known which have to be attached to a wall. Spiral hoses are known which take a small helix-like shape in normal state (without applying external forces) and can be ex^¬ tended during usage. After usage, they go back into their origi^¬ nal shape. Spiral hoses are often used for small distances, e.g. for plants around the house or on balconies.

Especially in these areas, customers attach importance to a tidy appearance of the hose when it is not in use. However, spiral hoses tend to take an orderless shape when they are just hanging at the water tap and not held by a special fixture, in particu- lar when they are filled with water.

In addition to the tidy appearance it would certainly be benefi^¬ cial if the hose storage provides the possibility to pull out the spiral hose for watering very easily without much effort and also to return it in a comfortable way. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an objective of the embodiments of the present invention to provide a hose storage for storing a spiral hose which pro- vides a simple removal and storing of a spiral hose. The objec^¬ tive is solved by the features of the independent claim. Pre^¬ ferred embodiments are given in the dependent claims. If not ex^¬ plicitly indicated otherwise, embodiments of the invention can be freely combined with each other.

According to an aspect, the invention relates to a hose storage adapted to receive a spiral hose. The hose storage comprises a tubular base body confining a cavity for receiving the spiral hose. Said tubular base body comprises an aperture at the top side for removing the spiral hose out of the cavity. The cross- section of the tubular base body increases towards the aperture. The base body at least partially comprises a top portion at which a wall portion of the base body bulges outwardly thereby providing a rounded top portion.

Said hose storage is advantageous because the due to the up^¬ wardly increasing cross section and the rounded, edge-free top portion, the spiral hose can be pulled out in a non-blocking way. Similarly also putting the spiral hose back into the hose storage is simplified. Thus, an easy and intuitive handling of the spiral hose is obtained.

According to embodiments, the top portion of the tubular base body comprises a funnel shape. Thereby, a non-blocking removal of the spiral hose by pulling in a direction perpendicular or essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hose storage is simplified.

According to embodiments, said wall portion bends downwardly from the top portion such that a free edge is provided below said top portion. Thereby, there is no edge in the area of the top portion which may prevent a non-blocking pulling out of the spiral hose. According to embodiments, the wall portion bulges outwardly such that the free edge points downwardly or inwardly towards the cavity. Thereby, the free edge of the wall portion does not get in contact with the spiral hose thereby avoiding a blocking of pulling the spiral hose out of the hose storage by an interac- tion of the free edge with the coils of the spiral hose.

According to embodiments, the free edge is arranged at a radial distance to a wall portion confining the cavity thereby provid^¬ ing a groove which opens downwardly. Thereby, a trumpet-shaped top portion is provided which eases the removal of the spiral hose .

According to embodiments, the top portion comprises a convex shape which opens downwardly. The wall portion may bulge out- wardly with a constant radius or with an increasing radius. The radius may be chosen such that the width of the bulge formed by the convex shape of the top portion is greater than the radius of the coils of the spiral hose. According to embodiments, at the top portion, a notch is pro^¬ vided for receiving an end portion of the spiral hose. Thereby, a spiral hose portion hanging over the top portion of the hose storage can be secured against undesired displacement. According to embodiments, the base body comprises a flattened rear portion. Based on said flattened rear portion, the hose storage can be mounted flexibly at different installation areas, e.g. a wall, a railing, a pile, a column etc. According to embodiments, fixing means are provided at the flat^¬ tened rear portion. Based on said fixing means, a fixing of the hose storage can be obtained, for example, by cable ties, hooks, straps, glue, screws etc.

According to embodiments, said fixing means may be selected out of the group of holes, slots or hooks.

According to embodiments, the tubular base body comprises an opening for feeding a free end of the spiral hose through a wall portion of the tubular base body. Thereby, a connection of the spiral hose with a supply hose is possible.

According to embodiments, said opening is provided at the lower side of the base body or at a bottom portion of the base body. Thereby, a space-saving installation of a supply hose is possi^¬ ble .

According to embodiments, said opening comprises a longitudinal, vertically oriented shape thereby allowing the free end of the spiral hose to move in the vertical direction. Thereby, the in^¬ put end of the hose can be pulled upwardly which reduces the pulling forces and increases the operating range of the spiral hose .

According to embodiments, the opening provides a sliding guide or rail for guiding the free end of the spiral hose during the sliding movement. Thereby, the sliding of the input end of the spiral hose is simplified. For example, the sliding guide or rail may provide a guide for a hose coupler attached to the in^¬ put end of the spiral hose.

According to embodiments, the base body may be formed as a one- piece element. For example, the base body may be a single-piece plastic element and may be manufactured by injection molding. The term "essentially" or "approximately" as used in the inven^¬ tion means deviations from the exact value by +/- 10%, prefera^¬ bly by +/- 5% and/or deviations in the form of changes that are insignificant for the function.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various aspects of the invention, including its particular features and advantages, will be readily understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, which :

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an example embodiment of a hose storage including a spiral hose;

Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a base body of a hose storage according to an example embodiment; Fig. 3 illustrates a first lateral view of the base body ac^¬ cording to Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 illustrates a second lateral view of the base body ac^¬ cording to Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 illustrates a rear view of the base body according to

Fig. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will now be described more fully with ref^¬ erence to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodi^¬ ments are shown. However, this invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Throughout the following description similar reference numerals have been used to denote similar elements, parts, items or features, when ap^¬ plicable . Fig. 1 illustrates a hose storage 1 including a spiral hose 2 in a perspective view. The hose storage 1 comprises a base body 3 for receiving said spiral hose 2. The base body 3 comprises a tubular, elongated shape. More in detail, the base body 3 com^¬ prises a cavity 3.1 adapted to receive the spiral hose 2. At the top of the base body 3, an aperture 3.2 is provided for insert^¬ ing the spiral hose 2 into the cavity 3.1, respectively, pulling the spiral hose 2 out of the cavity 3.1. A spiral hose 2 accord^¬ ing to the present invention may be a hose which comprises mul^¬ tiple loops in case that no external forces are applied to the hose in order to elongate the hose. In addition, said spiral hose 2 may be adapted to automatically coil back into said spi^¬ ral shape after elongating the hose during usage. Thus, no coil^¬ ing of the hose is necessary but the spiral hose 2 automatically runs back into the base body 3 due to the residual stress within the spiral hose 2.

Opposite to the aperture 3.2 of the base body 3, a bottom por^¬ tion 3.5 is provided. Said bottom portion 3.5 provides a support for the spiral hose 2 received within the cavity 3.1 of the base body 3. For example, the bottom portion 3.5 may comprise a pla^¬ nar shape or may be funnel-shaped. The bottom portion 3.5 may comprise one or more water drain holes in order to avoid an ac^¬ cumulation of water within the cavity 3.1. Fig. 2 to 5 show the base body 3 in greater detail. In order to ease the removal of the spiral hose 2 out of the base body 3, the cross section of the cavity 3.1 widens towards the aperture 3.2. More in detail, the base body 3 comprises a top portion 3.3 which is funnel-shaped. When pulling the spiral hose 2 out of the cavity 3.1, the coils of the hose can slide along the inner surface of the funnel-shaped wall portion 4 thereby avoiding an undesired blocking of the hose.

If the edge provided at the top portion 3.3 is sharp or has just a small radius, it will block the hose when it is pulled out into a direction that does not meet with the axis of the base body, because under tension the gaps between the windings of the spiral hose increase and can hook into the edge of the con^¬ tainer. Due to similar reasons the return of the hose can be difficult, too.

Therefore, according to preferred embodiments, the top portion 3.3 of the base body 3 comprises a rounded edge 3.6 which ex^¬ tends at least partially around the aperture 3.2. Said rounded edge 3.6 is provided by a wall portion 4 which bends radially outwardly with respect to the longitudinal axis LA of the base body 3. In other words, the wall portion 4 forms a bulge-shaped rim at least partially around the aperture 3.2 which allows a non-blocking sliding of the coiled hose over said wall portion 4. The free end 5 of the wall portion 4 may be arranged such that it points downwardly or inwardly towards the cavity 3.1 in order to avoid an edge in an area of the wall portion 4 over which the spiral hose 2 slides. So, in other words, the free end 5 of the wall portion 4 is placed below the rounded edge 3.6 provided at the top portion 3.3. The free end 5 of the wall por^¬ tion 4 may be arranged at a certain distance d to the cavity 3.1, said distance d being a distance radially measured with re^¬ spect to the longitudinal axis LA of the base body 3. Due to said distance, a groove 6 is provided which opens downwardly, i.e. towards the bottom portion 3.5. the distance d may be in the range of 0.8*r to 1.5*r, wherein r is the radius of the coils of the spiral hose 2.

If the top portion 3.3 of the base body 3 has a large radius (e.g. about the radius of the spiral of the hose or larger), the windings cannot hook into the edge as easy as with a sharp edge (or not before a certain tension of the hose) and the hose can be pulled out very easily while walking to the objects that are to be irrigated. For example, the removal of the spiral hose can be executed even with only one hand. Similarly, returning the spiral hose 2 into the hose storage is also simplified. The fun^¬ nel-shaped top portion supports the return together with gravity of the spiral hose (and the water included in said spiral hose) . The wall portion 4 may bulge outwardly with a constant radius or with a radius which increases, for example, from the inside to the outside.

In order to fix the base body 3 above the ground, for example at a wall or a railing etc., fixing means 8 are provided at a rear portion 3.4 of the base body 3. The base body 3 may comprise a tubular shape which is flattened at the back side. In other words, the rear portion 3.4 comprises a planar shape whereas the remaining wall portion radially confining the cavity 3.1 around a longitudinal axis LA of the hose storage 1 comprises a convex shape. At said planar rear portion 3.4, said fixing means 8 are arranged. Said fixing means 8 may be formed by one or more open^¬ ings or boreholes. Thereby the hose storage 1 can be fixed at a wall, balcony railing etc. by screwing. Alternatively or in ad^¬ dition, the hose storage 1 may comprise one or more slots, hooks etc. for fixing the base body 3 at a desired installation place.

For supplying the spiral hose 2 with liguid, specifically water, an input end of the spiral hose 2 may be provided at the outer side of the base body 3. The base body 3 may comprise an opening 9 through which the free end of the spiral hose 2 is feed through. The opening may be provided at a lateral wall portion of the base body 3, specifically close to the lower end, i.e. the bottom portion 3.5. Alternatively, the opening 9 may be di^¬ rectly provided at the bottom portion 3.5 of the base body 3. As shown in fig. 1 and 4, the opening 9 may be an elongated hole or slit which extends parallel to the longitudinal axis LA of the base body 3. Said elongated hole or slit may provide a slid^¬ ing guide for the input end of the spiral hose 2. In this case, the input end of the spiral hose 2 can move towards the top por^¬ tion 3.3 (together with a supply hose coupled with the input end) when the spiral hose 2 is pulled out. At the upper end of the elongated hole or slit, the input end stops. Thereby the op^¬ erating range is extended (with the same hose length) and pull out forces are reduced because a major part of the spiral hose can be pulled upwardly which means that great winding-gaps arise at a later point of time of pulling the spiral hose 2. Thus, due to said sliding arrangement of the hose input end, there is the possibility to decrease the radius of the rounded edge 3.6 which leads to reduced space reguirements .

As shown in fig. 3, a notch 7 or recess may be provided at the top portion 3.3, specifically at the rounded edge 3.6. Said notch 7 or recess may be adapted to receive a portion of the spiral hose 2 in order to achieve a lateral fixing of the hose in case that the free end of the spiral hose 2 (for example be^¬ ing coupled with a spray head) hangs over the rounded edge 3.6.

It should be noted that the description and drawings merely il^¬ lustrate the principles of the proposed hose storage. Those skilled in the art will be able to implement various arrange^¬ ments that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention. List of reference numerals

1 hose storage

2 spiral hose

3 base body

3.1 cavity

3.2 aperture

3.3 top portion

3.4 rear portion

3.5 bottom portion

3.6 rounded edge

4 wall portion

5 free end

6 groove

7 notch

8 fixing means

9 opening d radial distance

LA longitudinal axis

Claims

1. Hose storage adapted to receive a spiral hose (2), the hose storage comprising a base body (3), specifically a tubular base body, and confining a cavity (3.1) for receiving the spiral hose (2), said tubular base body (3) comprising an ap^¬ erture (3.2) at the top side for removing the spiral hose out of the cavity (3.1), wherein the cross-section of the tubular base body (3) increases towards the aperture (3.2) and wherein the base body (3) at least partially comprises a top portion (3.3) at which a wall portion (4) of the base body

(3) bulges outwardly thereby providing a rounded top portion (3.3) .

2. Hose storage according to claim 1, wherein the top portion (3.3) of the tubular base body (3) comprises a funnel shape.

3. Hose storage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said wall portion (4) bends downwardly from the top portion (3.3) such that a free edge (5) is provided below said top portion (3.3) .

4. Hose storage according to claim 3, wherein the wall portion

(4) bulges outwardly such that the free edge (5) points down^¬ wardly or inwardly towards the cavity (3.1) .

5. Hose storage according to claims 3 or 4, the free edge (5) is arranged at a radial distance (d) to a wall portion (4) con^¬ fining the cavity (3.1) thereby providing a groove (6) which opens downwardly.

6. Hose storage according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the top portion (3.3) comprises a convex shape which opens downwardly.

7. Hose storage according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the wall portion (4) bulges outwardly with a constant radius or with an increasing or decreasing radius .

8. Hose storage according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein at the top portion (3.3), a notch (7) is provided for receiving an end portion of the spiral hose (2) .

9. Hose storage according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the base body (3) comprises a flattened rear portion (3.4) .

10. Hose storage according to claim 9, wherein fixing means (8) are provided at the flattened rear portion (3.4) .

11. Hose storage according to claim 9, wherein said fixing means (8) may be selected out of the group of holes, slots or hooks .

12. Hose storage according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the tubular base body (3) comprises an opening (9) for feeding a free end of the spiral hose (2) through a wall portion of the tubular base body (3) .

13. Hose storage according to claim 12, wherein said opening (9) is provided at the lower side of the base body (3) or at a bottom portion (3.5) of the base body (3) .

14. Hose storage according to claim 12, wherein said opening (9) comprises a longitudinal, vertically oriented shape thereby allowing the free end of the spiral hose (2) to move in the vertical direction. Hose storage according to claim 14, wherein the opening (9) provides a sliding guide or rail for guiding the free end of the spiral hose (2) during the sliding movement.