Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02518523 2005-09-08
IMPROVED GARDEN HOSE REEL
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an improved garden hose reel that will be described
with reference to the drawings that are attached.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Portable hose carts for convenient handling and storage of garden hoses have
been commercially available for many years. The earlier versions embodied a
metal
tubular frame structure movably supported on a pair of wheels rotatable on an
axle
mounted on the frame structure and a hose reel rotatably mounted on the frame
structure. Examples of portable hose reels of the metal tubular frame type are
disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 2,488,425, 2,512,756, 2,590,963,
and
4,137,939.
In recent years, frames and components made of molded plastic have been
utilized to replace the metal frames and components of the earlier portable
hose carts.
Many such plastic frames are packaged unassembled and sent to retailers. Thus,
the
responsibility for assembly falls on either the retailer or the consumer.
Examples of
portable hose carts constructed of molded plastic are disclosed in U.S. Pat.
Nos.
5,381,981, 5,056,553, and 5,007,598.
It is also known in the prior art to construct stackable portable hose carts
that
can be shipped and merchandised fully assembled. The sale of fully assembled
portable hose cart obviates some problems associated with unassembled hose
carts.
For example, stackable hose carts reduce the inventory space occupied by an
assembled hose cart. Also, consumers do not have to assemble a hose cart that
is
merchandised fully assembled.
Current portable hose carts include a number of drawbacks. For example,
current fully assembled portable hose carts are often bulky and consume
significant
space, notwithstanding the fact that they may be stacked on one another for
storage or
shipping purposes. This is due in large part to the fact that the frames of
such carts
tend to be large and are not provided with the ability to fold and/or
collapse. In
addition, in many current portable hose carts, the hose tends to tangle easily
when
CA 02518523 2005-09-08
wound and/or tends to jump off of the basket assembly around which it is being
wound. Thus, there is room for improvement in the field of portable hose
carts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the invention relates to a stackable hose reel that includes a
pair
of outer legs connected to a pair of inner legs, wherein the inner legs are
structured to
move between a first, open position and a second, closed position. A first
connecting
member is coupled to and extends between the outer legs. The first connecting
member has a first outer surface having a first shape, such as a arcuate
shape. A
second connecting member is coupled to and extends between the inner legs. The
second connecting member has a second outer surface having a second shape,
such an
arcuate shape, that is complementary to the first shape. When the inner legs
are in the
closed position, the second outer surface is structured to engage and rest at
least
partially within an additional first outer surface of an additional stackable
hose reel.
The additional first outer surface is substantially identical to the first
outer surface
such that the stackable hose reel may be stacked on top of the additional
stackable
hose reel.
The stackable hose reel may also include a basket assembly extending
between the inner legs and structured to support a hose. The basket assembly
has a
first protrusion and a first depression. When the stackable hose reel is
stacked on top
of an additional stackable hose reel, the first protrusion of the stackable
hose reel is
structured to be received in the first depression of the basket assembly of
the
additional stackable hose reel and the first protrusion of the basket assembly
of the
additional stackable hose reel is structured to be received in the first
depression of the
stackable hose reel. Additional similar protrusions and depressions may be
provided
on the basket assembly to facilitate the stacking.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a stackable hose reel is
provided that includes a main frame, a basket assembly supported by the main
frame
and structured to support a hose, and a handle extending from the main frame.
The
handle extends in a first direction and has a top portion having a first
surface in a first
plane and a second surface in second plane. The first and second planes are
substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The top portion also has a
hole
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extending from the first surface to the second surface for receiving the hose
therethrough to facilitate the winding of the hose on the basket assembly and
prevent
tangling of the hose during winding. Preferably, the basket assembly is
rotatable
about a first axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction.
The main frame in this aspect may have a pair of first legs and a pair of
second legs connected to the first legs, wherein the handle extends from the
first legs.
In one particular embodiment, the first legs are outer legs and the second
legs are
inner legs, and the inner legs are structured to move between a first, open
position and
second, closed position.
A still further aspect of the invention relates to a hose reel that includes a
pair
of outer legs and a pair of inner legs that are rotatably connected to the
outer legs and
structured to move between a first, open position and a second, closed
position. The
hose reel further includes a basket assembly coupled to the inner legs that
structured
to support a hose. A locking mechanism is provided for selectively preventing
the
inner legs from being moved from the open position to the closed position.
In one particular embodiment, the locking mechanism includes a first portion
and a second portion. The first portion has a selectively displaceable tooth
and the
second portion has a locking ring with an open position opening. When the
inner legs
are in the open position, the tooth is received in the open position opening
and
prevents the inner legs from being moved from the open position to the closed
position. In order to move the inner legs to the closed position, the tooth
must be
displaced from the open position opening. The locking mechanism may also
selectively prevent the inner legs from being moved from the closed position
to the
open position. In such a case, the locking ring includes a closed position
opening.
When the inner legs are in the closed position, the tooth is received in the
closed
position opening, wherein the tooth must be displaced from the closed position
opening to move the inner legs to the open position.
In still a further aspect of the invention, a hose reel is provided that
includes a
main frame, a basket assembly supported by the main frame and structured to
support
a hose, and a water supply assembly supported by the basket assembly. The
water
supply assembly includes a first portion, such as a water inlet portion,
having a groove
and a second portion, such as a water outlet portion, having one or more
radial
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openings. The first portion is inserted within the second portion such that
the one or
more radial openings are aligned with the groove. A clip is inserted at least
partially
through the one or more radial openings. The clip is received in and engages
the
groove.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A full understanding of the invention can be gained from the following
description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is an isometric view of an improved hose reel according to the
present invention in a first, open, ready to use position;
Figure 2 is an isometric view of the hose reel of Figure 1 in a second, closed
position;
Figures 3 and 4 are isometric views showing a number of nested hose reels
according to an aspect of the present invention;
Figure 5 is an alternative isometric view of the hose reel of Figure 1 in a
second, closed position;
Figure 6 is an isometric view showing the back brace of the hose reel of
Figure 1;
Figure 7 is an isometric view showing the bottom portion including a tray of
the hose reel of Figure l;
Figure 8 is an isometric view of an oblong flange of the basket assembly of
the
hose reel of Figure l;
Figure 9 is an enlarged view of a portion of the oblong flange of Figure 8
showing a protrusion and depression used for nesting purposes;
Figures 10 and 11 are isometric views of a push button portion of a locking
mechanism of the hose reel of Figure 1;
Figure 12 is an enlarged view of a connection point between and inner and
outer leg of the hose reel of Figure 1;
Figure 13 and 14 are front elevation and isometric views, respectively, of an
outer leg of the hose reel of Figure 1 including the locking mechanism;
Figure 15 is an enlarged view of a portion of the locking mechanism of the
hose reel of Figure 1;
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Figures 16, 19, 20, and 21 are enlarged views and Figure 16A is a front
elevational view of portions of the basket assembly of the hose reel of Figure
1
showing a portion of the water supply;
Figures 17 and 18 are front elevational and isometric views, respectively, of
the rotatable portion of the water supply of the hose reel of Figure 1;
Figures 22 and 23 are side elevational and isometric views, respectively, of
the
non-rotatable portion of the water supply of the hose reel of Figure l;
Figure 24 is an enlarged view of a portion of an outer leg of the hose reel of
Figure 1 that receives the non-rotatable portion of the water supply;
Figures 25 and 26 are enlarged views of portions of an outer leg of the hose
reel of Figure 1 having the non-rotatable portion of the water supply inserted
therein;
Figure 27 is a cross sectional view showing the point where the outer and
inner leg of the hose reel of Figure 1 that include the water supply connect
to one
another;
Figures 28, 29, and 30 are side elevational, isometric and bottom plan views,
respectively, of an alternative water supply;
Figure 31 is an isometric view of an alternative rotatable portion of the
water
supply; and
Figure 32 is an isometric view of an alternative non-rotatable portion of the
water supply.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Figure 1 shows the improved hose reel 10 in a first, open, ready to use
position
(minus the garden hose). The hose reel 10 includes a basket assembly 12 for
holding
the garden hose (not shown). The basket assembly 12 includes opposed oblong
flange
members 14, 16 which allow for a "low profile" when the hose reel 10 is closed
(see
Figure 2). The basket assembly 12 includes a hub 18 for winding thereon the
garden
hose. A crank assembly 20 is provided including a crank body 22 having a crank
slot
24 and a pivotable crank handle 26. It will be appreciated that the crank
handle 26
can be pivoted into the crank slot 24 (see Figure 2) in order to further
minimize the
profile of the hose reel 10 when it is being shipped or moved about. A unique
water
supply 30 (Fig. 16) is also provided. The water supply will be described more
fully
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below. A unique locking mechanism 200 (Fig. 14) is also provided. The unique
locking mechanism will also be described below.
The main frame of the hose reel 10 consists of an outer leg (crank side) 50,
outer leg (water supply) 52, a pivotably mounted inner leg (crank side) 54 and
a
pivotably mounted inner leg (water side) 56. Each outer leg includes a
respective
wheel 60, 62 and wheel hub 64, 66 (Fig. 4). These items are all preferably
made of
plastic. Mounted between the inner legs 54, 56 is a tray 70 and a footrest 72.
Another unique aspect of the hose reel 10 is its ability to be efficiently
nested
with other like hose reels for shipping. Features embedded in the basket
assembly 12
allow for easy nesting. The nesting features will be discussed below.
One aspect of the invention is to provide a combination handle/hose guide 90.
The handle/hose guide defines an area 92 through which the garden hose is
directed
so that the hose is resisted from "jumping" over the oblong flanges 14, 16 and
getting
tangled.
It will be appreciated that the design of the invention provides a fairly wide
"footprint" when in the open position as is shown in Figure 1. This will
prevent
unwanted tipping of the hose reel 10 as well as providing a stable base when
winding
and unwinding the hose.
Figure 2 shows the hose reel 10 in a second, closed position. As can be seen,
the inner legs 54, 56 are pivoted inwardly allowing the closed hose reel 10 to
lie flat.
The oblong flanges 14, 16 are oriented so that their longitudinal axes are
generally
parallel to the longitudinal axis of the closed hose reel 10. The crank handle
26 is
pivoted into the crank slot 24.
It will be appreciated that once the hose reel 10 is in the closed position,
it can
be easily wheeled from place to place by merely pulling it by the combination
handle/hose guide 90. As opposed to prior art collapsible hose reels where the
handle
was collapsed, the handle does not need to be forced down to pivot the weight
of the
hose over the wheels in order to transport the hose reel 10 from place to
place.
A still further advantage of the collapsed low-profile hose reel is that it
can be
easily stored when not in use. The hose reel 10 can also be hung on the wall
of a
user's garage or shed when being stored. In one embodiment, the hose reel 10
does
not utilize any independent fasteners, such as, but not limited to, screws,
bolts, or
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threaded rods. Put another way, the components of the hose reel 10 are coupled
together by integral fastening structures, such as, but not limited to, snap-
fit
structures. In another embodiment, screws may be used to ensure rigidity in
the
structure. For example, two screws may be used to connect the handle/hose
guide 90
to the outer legs 50 and 52 and two screws may be used to connect the back
brace 74
to the outer legs 50 and 52.
Another advantage of the unique "low profile" of the hose reel 10 is in
shipping. This, along with the nesting feature, allows more units to be
shipped in less
space, thus saving shipping costs. Figures 3 and 4 show how several hose reels
can be
nested on one pallet 96 and then subsequently tightly packed and shipped in
one box
98, with several (in this case six) boxes being fit on a standard size pallet
96.
The nesting feature generally described above and generally shown in Figures
3 and 4 will now be discussed in detail. Referring more particularly to
Figures S, 6
and 7, it will be seen that the hose reel 10 includes a back brace 76 (Figures
5 and 6)
that is mounted transversely between legs 50 and 52. The back brace 76 has an
arcuate outer surface 104 that includes a ledge portion 106 and a scalloped
portion
110. As can be seen in Figure 7, the tray 70 includes an arcuate outer surface
120 that
cooperates with the scalloped portion 110 and is co-extensive therewith so
that when
stacked, the arcuate outer surface 120 rests partially in the scalloped
portion 110.
Another nesting feature involves the oblong flanges 14 and 16. Referring to
Figures 8 and 9, flange 14 is shown. It will be appreciated that flange 16
(not shown
in Figures 8 and 9) has a similar structure. Referring now particularly to
Figures 8
and 9, flange 14 includes a pair of nesting means 140, 142, one of which is
disposed
on one longitudinal portion of the flange 14 and the other on an opposed
longitudinal
portion. Each nesting means 140, 142 includes respective depressions 150, 160
and
respective protrusions 152, 162. The nesting means 140, 142 of each flange is
arranged such that when two or more hose reels 10 are stacked together, the
respective flanges nest in each other to not only hold the stack together and
to resist
having separate hose reels 10 move laterally relative to each other.
Referring particularly to Figure 9, it will be seen that depression 150
includes
an interior ledge 170. It will be appreciated that this interior ledge 170, in
cooperation
with the interior ledge in protrusion 152, as well as the interior ledges for
depressions
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in flange 16, will resist side-to-side movement of the hose reels when
stacked. Of
course, it will be appreciated that front-to-back movement of the stacked and
nested
hose reels will be resisted by the structure and arrangement of the nesting
means 140,
142 themselves.
The unique locking mechanism 200 of the invention will now be discussed
with reference to Figures 10-I 5. Because a collapsible hose reel 10 of the
design of
the invention has not been proposed in the art, a unique locking mechanism 200
had
to be developed which allows for easy opening and folding of the collapsible
hose reel
10.
The locking mechanism 200 includes a button portion 202 which extends
outwardly from outer leg 50 (see Figures 1 and 2). In general, when the
consumer
desires to move the collapsible hose reel 10 from the open position, shown in
Figure
1, to the folded and closed position, shown in Figure 2, all the user needs to
do is push
inwardly button 202 which, as will be discussed in detail below, unlocks the
outer leg
50 from inner leg 54, thus allowing inner leg 54 to rotate into the folded
position. It
will be appreciated that legs 52 and 56 are not locked to each other, but are
freely
rotatable so that when legs 50 and 54 are unlocked, legs 52 and 56 can rotate
with
them either into the folded position.
Refernng now particularly to Figures 10 to 15, the details of the locking
mechanism will be discussed. The locking mechanism 200 itself is shown in two
views in Figures 10 and 11. The locking mechanism 200 is generally circular
and
includes a push button portion 210 including push button 202 which is exposed
to the
consumer and two shoulder portions 212, 214. The two shoulder portions 212,
214
are structured to provide stiffness to the push button portion 210 so that the
push
button portion 210 flexes at tabs 240, 242 (described below). The locking
mechanism
200 includes an outer circular portion 218 and an inner circular portion 220
(Figure
10) joined by a flat perpendicular surface 222 (Figure 11 ). A trapezoidal
portion 228,
structured to act as a tooth to interact with a locking ring, is formed in the
inner
circular portion 220. This portion 228 includes a first short sidewall 230, a
pilot
surface sidewall 232 and a second long sidewall 234. The locking mechanism 200
also includes tab members 240 and 242 which are diametrically opposed and
which
extend generally radially from the outer circular portion 218. Finally, guide
pins 244,
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246 and 248 are provided extending from flat perpendicular surface 222. These
guide
pins facilitate placement of the locking mechanism 200 into the outer leg 50
as will be
explained below.
Referring now to Figures 12 and 15, a close-up view of the inner leg 54 and
outer leg 50 in the open position (see Figure 1) is shown with views partially
cutaway
to show the locking mechanism 200 and its positioning. It will be appreciated
that the
push button 202 extends through an opening 250 in the outer leg 50 and tabs
240 and
242 rest in openings 260 and 262 in the outer legs 50. The trapezoidal portion
228,
when the hose reel 10 is an open position, is disposed in slot 266 in a
locking ring
portion 268 of the inner leg 54 that seats in a groove 270 in the outer leg
(Figure 14).
The locking ring portion 268 also includes a closed position slot 276, whose
purpose
will be discussed below.
Referring particularly to Figure 14, when the hose reel 10 is in its open
position (Figure 1 ) the inner leg 54 is Iocked into the outer leg 50 by means
of the
trapezoidal portion 228, which is mounted into the outer leg 50, engaging into
slot
266 of the locking ring portion 268. In order to unlock the inner leg 54 from
the outer
leg 50 and thus be able to rotate the inner leg 54 relative to the outer leg
50, a user
merely presses down on button 202 in the direction of arrow P. This forces
tabs 240
and 242 to bend in a spring-like manner (tabs 240 and 242 are resilient) and
also
further causes trapezoidal portion 228 to become disengaged from slot 266
which
allows rotation of inner leg 54 relative to outer leg 50. Specifically, second
long
sidewall 234 upon slight rotation of the inner leg 54, clears sidewall 278 of
slot 266
which now allows rotation of the inner leg 54 relative to outer leg 50.
The push button is then released, and the pilot surface sidewall 232
trapezoidal
portion 228 bears against sidewall 278, which, because of its sloped surface,
permits
rotation of the inner leg 54 relative to outer leg 50. It will be appreciated
that the push
button 202 will be in a semi-engaged position while the leading edge 280 of
the
trapezoidal portion 228 bears against the outer surface 284 of inner leg
portion 268.
The inner leg 54 can continue rotating until the trapezoidal portion 228
engages into the folded portion slot 276. At this point the locking mechanism
200 and
the push button 202 will move from its semi-engaged position to its fully
extended
position (see Figure 14). It will be appreciated that slot 276 is not
necessary, but is
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preferred in that when the hose reel 10 is in its closed position, pressure
and tension is
then taken off of the tabs 240, 242, keeping them more resilient and less
subject to
bending fatigue, as they will not be bent when engaged in openings 260 and
262. The
button 202 does not have to be pushed when moving the inner legs from the
second,
closed position to the first, open position. That is, the trapezoidal portion
228 is
structured to act similar to a pawl tooth in that the pilot surface sidewall
232 does not
provide an edge for the closed position slot 276 to engage. Thus, the
trapezoidal
portion 228 does not need to be displaced relative to the locking ring portion
268.
With reference to Figures 16 to 28, the unique water supply 30 of the
invention will now be discussed. Prior art water supply systems for hose reels
included a reel mounted portion that was disposed at an acute angle and which
extended above the surface of the reel. This prior art arrangement had several
shortcomings. First, because of the awkward acute angle of the reel mounted
portion,
users, when connecting the garden hose to the portion, would often cross-
thread the
threaded reel mounted portion. This cross-threading would lead to leaks at the
connection point. Another shortcoming of the prior art water supply was that
because
of the acute angle, when winding the hose, it was not initially against the
reel, thus
causing a space between the hose and the reel which lessened capacity and
which also
made for awkward winding.
Referring particularly to Figure 16, it will be seen that the exposed threaded
end 300 of the rotatable portion of the water supply 302 is arranged so that a
garden
hose can be easily and efficiently screwed onto the threaded end 300, thus
resisting
the possibility of cross-threading, as was prevalent with prior art systems.
Screwing
on of the garden hose is facilitated by providing an indented portion 304 in
the reel
hub half portion 306. It will be further appreciated that this positioning of
the
threaded end allows the garden hose to start resting against the surface 308
of the reel
hub half portion 306 almost immediately, so as to facilitate easy, even and
efficient
winding of the garden hose without kinking.
Referring now to Figure 16A, it can be seen that the rotatable portion 302 is
sandwiched between reel hub half portion 306 and reel hub half portion 307.
Reel
hub half portion 307 includes an arcuate tunnel portion which allows for
mounting of
the rotatable portion 302.
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Figures 17 and 18 show the rotatable portion 302 by itself. The rotatable
portion 302 includes the aforementioned threaded end 300, as well as an elbow
portion 310, a vertical portion 312, a horizontal portion 314 and a sealing
portion 316,
including a sealing cap 318. Disposed on the horizontal portion are two offset
tabs
320, 322. Wings 326 and 328 are also provided which join the horizontal
portion 314
to the vertical portion 312. The tabs 320 and 322 each have a pair of gusset
ribs, such
as ribs 334 and 336.
Referring to Figure 19, the rotatable portion 302 is shown in its mounted
position. It will be appreciated that when the other reel hub half portion 307
(see
Figure 16) is snapped onto the flange 14 and reel hub half portion 306, that
the
rotatable portion 302 will be securely attached to the hose reel 10. As can be
seen in
Figure 20, the wings 326, 328 engage into a slot 332 in order to stabilize the
rotatable
portion 302.
Referring now to Figure 21, the method of inserting the rotatable portion 302
into flange 14 without the use of fasteners will be described. Before
attaching reel
hub half portions 306 and 307 to the rotatable portion 302, the horizontal
portion 314
is inserted into a hole (not seen in Figure 21, but partially observable in
Figure 8) by
means of aligning the tabs 320 and 322 with tab openings 340 and 342, and then
rotating the rotatable portion 302 ninety degrees to the position shown in
Figure 21 so
that the tabs 320, 322 (only tab 320 shown in Figure 21 ) bear against the
outer surface
344 of flange 14.
Thus, as described above with respect to Figures 19-21, the rotatable portion
302 is securely and advantageously positioned on the hub 18.
As is known, a non-rotatable portion must be connected to the rotatable
portion 302 in order to deliver water thereto. Referring to Figures 22 and 23,
the non-
rotatable portion 360 of the invention is shown by itself. Non-rotatable
portion 360
includes a hollow cylindrical section 362 including two O-ring grooves 364,
366.
Connected to the hollow cylindrical section 362 is a generally circular
retaining flange
370 that includes oppositely disposed retaining snaps 372 and 374 whose
function
will be discussed below. Finally, the non-rotatable portion 360 has a threaded
end
376 for use in attaching a garden hose thereto.
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In a preferred embodiment of the water supply 30 shown in Figures 29 and 30,
the rotatable portion 302A and the non-rotatable portion 360A are secured to
each
other with a hairpin clip 303A As shown in Figure 31, generally, the
alternative
rotatable portion 302A includes the same elements described above, including
the
aforementioned threaded end 300A, an elbow portion 310A, a vertical portion
312A,
a horizontal portion 314A and a sealing portion 316 which is structured to
engage a
sealing cap(not shown). Disposed on the horizontal portion are two offset tabs
320A,
322A. Wings 326A, 328A (Fig 30) are also provided which join the horizontal
portion 314A to the vertical portion 312A. The tabs 320 and 322 each have a
pair of
gusset ribs, such as ribs 334A and 336A. The alternative rotatable portion
302A
further includes a pair of opposed radial openings 321A, 323A that extend
substantially, but not entirely, about the horizontal portion 314A.
Referring to Figure 32, the non-rotatable portion 360A of the invention is
shown by itself. Non-rotatable portion 360A includes a hollow cylindrical
section
362A including two O-ring grooves 364A, 366A. Connected to the hollow
cylindrical
section 362A is a generally circular retaining flange 370A that includes
oppositely
disposed retaining snaps 372A and 374A whose function will be discussed below.
The non-rotatable portion 360A has a threaded end 376A for use in attaching a
garden
hose thereto. 'The alternative non-rotatable portion 360A further includes a
hairpin
clip groove 365A disposed between the two O-ring grooves 364A, 366A. As is
shown in Figures 29 and 30, the hairpin clip groove 365A is structured to
engage the
hairpin clip 303A when the non-rotatable portion 360A is inserted into the
rotatable
portion 302A and a hairpin clip 303A is installed at the radial openings 321A,
323A.
Referring to Figures 24 to 28, the horizontal cylindrical section is inserted
through an opening 380 in outer leg 52. Pre-existing snaps 381, 382, 383, 384
are
used to snap together the outer leg 52 and the inner leg 56 (not shown). In
order to
form these snaps 381-384 during the injection molding process, respective
draft slots
385, 386, 387 and 388 must be provided. This invention makes use of, and takes
advantage of these draft holes as can be seen in Figure 25. More particularly,
snaps
372 and 374 of the non-rotatable portion 360 are sized and arranged to be
inserted
through the draft holes 385 and 387, and then snapped onto integral and
oppositely
disposed ledges 390 and 392 as can be seen in Figure 25.
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As can be seen in Figures 25, 26 and 27, the outer surface 394 of leg 52
includes an indented portion 395, and ledges 390, 392 also include an indented
portion 396, 397. This allows a user to place a screwdriver, or the like
through the
ledges 390, 392 to obtain access to the snaps 372, 374 in order to release
them and
remove the non-rotatable portion 360 from the rotatable portion 302 in order
to
replace the non-rotatable portion 360 with a new one, or to service the O-
rings (see
Figure 28).
Figure 28 shows how the cylindrical section 362 is interference fit into the
horizontal portion 314 of the rotatable portion 302.
While a specific embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, it
will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and
alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall
teachings of the
disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be
illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is
to be given
the full breadth of the appended claims and any and all equivalents thereof.
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