Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention is concerned with a hub
joint for coupling parts of tubular structures, in
particular hose carts.
Hose carts are known in which the rotating drum
designed to receive the hose is supported by a metal tubular
structure formed of a base part optionally equipped with
wheels and a top part functioning as the handling element.
The two tubular structural parts which are shaped
like the letter U with appropriately located bends are
joined together and to the revolving axle of the hose-
winding drum at a pair of joints generally made of plastic
material placed at the two sides of the drum. Each of said
joints receives one end of each of the two parts of the
tubular structure and the revolving hub of the drum
perpendicularly thus creating a single supporting structure
for the drum.
~ lub joints rnade of plas~ic rna~erial formed of two
identical bodies placed side by side and each having a
blind-hole seat to receive the end of a corresponding part
of the tubular structure and a perpendicular through half-
seat working in conjunction with the corresponding half-seat
of the other body of the joint to receive the revolving drum
hub are known at present.
The two joined ends of the tubular structure are
thus nonaligned but parallel in a plane perpendicular to the
drum rotation axis.
The object of the present invention is to provide
a hub joint for coupling parts of tubular structures, in
particular hose carts, which fulfills the same function as
the above described joints but has a form which is simpler,
more functional and easier to fabricate and assemble.
In accordance with the invention, this object is
achived with a hub joint for coupling together elements of
tubular structures and simultaneously mounting said elements
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ont:o a hub, said joint including:
an elongated body having a pair of opposite ends and a
pa:ir of aligned axial blind bores in said opposite ends,
respectively, for receiving ends of said elements to be
coupled, said opposite ends of said body being threaded and
having protruding locking tabs; and
internally threaded locking ring-nuts, said ring-nuts
being sized to be screwed onto said opposite ends and having
inclined internal surfaces capable of acting on said locking
tabs to force them inwardly into engagement with the tubular
elements to be coupled;
wherein the body of said hub joint further comprises a
central transverse bore sized to receive said hub.
The invention also provides a hose cart having a
horizontal, rotatable hose drum with a pair of axially
extending hubs at both ends; upper and lower, generally U-
shaped tubular support elernents and two hub joints for
coupling tog~ther said support e.Lements and simultaneously
rotatably mounting said elements onto said hubs; wherein
said hub joints each includes an elongated body having a
pair of opposite ends and a pair of axial blind bores in
said opposite ends, respectively, each of said bores
respectively receiving one end of each of the U-shaped
support elements, said opposite ends of said elongated body
being threaded and having protruding locking tabs, each of
said hub joint further including internally threaded locking
ring-nuts used hole screwed on to said opposite ends and
having inclined internal surfaces capable of acting on said
locking tabs to force them inwardly into engagement with the
corresponding ends of the U-shaped tubular elements, each of
said hub joints further including a central transverse bore
in which one of said hubs is mounted.
It is obviously a joint of extremely simple
construction which can be assembled easily and quickly to
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join parts of tubular structures and support a revolving hub
such as that of the revolving drum of a hose cart.
An example of a practical embodiment of the hub
joint in accordance with the invention is illustrated for
S greater clarity in the annexed drawings in which:
Fig. 1 shows a front view of a hub joint in
accordance with the invention,
Fig. 2 shows a partial cutaway view along the axis
of said hub joint rotated 90 in relation to Fig. 1,
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Fig. 3 shows a top view of said hub joint as
il]Lustrated in Fig. 2, and
Fig. 4 shows an example of the employment of the
hub joint o Figs. 1-3 in a hose cart.
With reference to Figs. 1-3 there is shown a hub
joint 1 which consists of a single elongated body 2 made of
plastic material the ends of which have aligned cylindrical
seats with blind bottoms 3-4 in which can be received the
ends 5-6 of the coupling parts of tubular structures.
Said ends have locking tabs 7-8 protruding from
threaded male parts 9-10 on which can be screwed locking
ring-nuts 11-12 having converging surfaces 13-14 capable of
acting on the locking tabs 7-8 to force them into engagement
with the tubular element 5 or 6. The upper ring-nut 11 is
omitted from Fig. 3 for drawing convenience.
The single body 2 is also traversed in its centre
by a perpendicular cylindrical hole 15 designed to receive a
revolving hub as indicated with reference number 16 in
Fig. 2.
The hub joint of Figs. 1-3 is designed in
particular for use with a hose cart such as the one shown in
Fig. 4 which is designed for garden sprinkling purposes.
Said cart comprises a revolving central hose-
winding drum 17 and a tubular support structure made up of a
base part 18 provided with wheels 19 and of a top part 20
functioning as a handling element.
The two tubular structural parts 18 and 20 have a
U shape with appropriate bends 21 and 22 near the wheels 19
and near the top of the drum 17 respectively.
Tw~ hub joints 1 are employed at the two sides of
the revolving drum 17 to join together the free ends 6 and 5
of the two tubular structural parts 18 and 20 and act as
supports for the end hubs 16 of the drum 17.
