Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02567900 2006-11-14
CANISTER HOSE REEL
Cross Reference To Related Application
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Serial No. 60/736,215, filed November 14, 2005 entitled,
CANISTER HOSE REEL, which is herein incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hose reel and, more specifically, to a compact
hose
reel having a generally canister-like shape.
Background Information
Hose reel assemblies are devices structured to assist in transporting and
using
hoses, typically garden hoses for dispensing water. Generally, the hose reel
includes a
base or housing assembly structured to rotatably support a reel. The reel
includes a
barrel, around which the hose is wrapped, a crank, used to turn the reel, and
a water
conduit having a movable end and a fixed end. The stationary end of the
conduit
extends away from the reel and is structured to be coupled to a water supply.
The
movable end of the conduit is disposed on the circumference of the reel. In
this
configuration, a hose may be coupled to the movable end of the conduit and,
when the
reel is rotated, the hose is wrapped, or unwrapped, about the reel. In this
configuration, a hose may be transported and/or stored on the hose reel
assembly.
One type of hose reel includes a handle member used to transport the hose reel
and to assist in bracing the hose reel during winding. The prior art hose reel
handles
were typically disposed parallel to the axis of rotation of the reel. That is,
the prior art
handle was a U-shaped member wherein the two ends extended radially away from
the reel axis and the central portion extended parallel to the reel axis. See,
e.g., U.S.
Patent No. 5,056,553. While such a handle allows a user to transport the hose
reel, it
does have disadvantages. For example, a user may grasp the handle at any
location,
possibly resulting in an off-center or unbalanced support relative to the hose
reel
center of gravity. While this disadvantage may be partially addressed by
identifying
the center of the handle as a grip, e.g., by having visual indication such as
having a
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portion of the handle a different color or different size, a user may still
grasp the
handle in an unbalanced manner. In addition to being unbalanced during
transport, an
off-center grip was also a disadvantage during the winding of the hose. That
is,
depending upon the flexibility of the hose, winding of the hose could require
a
substantial amount of force. Typically, a user used the handle to brace the
hose reel
assembly on the ground or other solid surface. To brace the hose reel assembly
it is
preferable to have an evenly distributed load so that both sides of the
housing
assembly firmly engage the ground. However, if a user pressed down on one side
of
the handle, the opposing side of the hose reel assembly could shift during
vigorous
winding.
Further, given the orientation of the handle, that is parallel to the axis of
rotation, the handle needed to have an extended length so that the steadying
force
applied by the user during winding could overcome the torque created by the
act of
winding. That is, if the handle was too close to the axis of rotation, as the
user wound
the hose the torque created by the winding could be greater than the counter
force
applied to the handle by the user. Therefore, to give the user a mechanical
advantage,
the handle ends would have an extended length. The disadvantage to this
configuration is that the handle was generally not compact, thereby taking up
valuable
storage space.
There is, therefore, a need for a compact hose reel.
There is a further need for a compact hose reel having a perpendicular handle
structured to evenly distribute loads between the handle and the housing
assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These needs, and others, are met by the present invention which provides a
hose reel assembly having a centrally located perpendicular handle member. The
handle member is coupled to a brace. The brace extends generally parallel to
the
rotational axis of the hose reel. The handle extends generally perpendicular
to the
brace. While the handle member may be a generally straight member, the
perpendicular handle member is, preferably, an arced member having a radius
slightly
larger than the radius of the reel hubs. As such, the perpendicular handle may
also be
a circumferential handle member. The perpendicular handle member is,
preferably,
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disposed about an equal distance between the reel hubs. In this configuration,
the user
grips the handle perpendicular to that axis of rotation of the reel assembly.
It is more
convenient for a user to overcome the torque created during the winding of the
hose if
the user's hand is in this orientation. That is, due to the orientation of the
handle
meniber, the handle member may be disposed closer to the axis of that reel
assembly
than was possible with a handle oriented parallel to the axis of rotation. As
such, the
reduced distance between the handle and the axis of rotation of the reel
assembly is
possible because of the orientation of the handle member and is not merely a
design
choice. Thus, in this configuration, the handle is both compact and structured
to
evenly distribute loads between the handle and the housing assembly.
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 exploded view of the present invention.
Figure 2 is an isometric view showing selected features of the present
invention.
Figure 3 is a side view showing selected features of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a detailed view of a conduit assembly.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As used herein, "coupled" means a link between two or more elements,
whether direct or indirect, so long as a link occurs.
As used herein, a "circumferential handle" has a generally arced or curved
portion. That is, the arced, or curved, portion may not be exactly circular.
As shown in Figure 1, a hose reel assembly 10 includes a housing assembly
12, and a reel assembly 14, and a handle assembly 16. The housing assembly 12
includes a base member 20, and two side members 22, 24. The side members 22,
24
are structured to rotatably support the reel assembly 14. Preferably, each
side
member 22, 24 has a hub 25 upon which the reel assembly 14 may rotate. The
side
members 22, 24 each have at least one foot 26 structured to engage the ground
or
another rigid surface. Each side member 22, 24 preferably has a curved upper
surface
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28, 29. The curvature of the side member curved upper surfaces 28, 29
corresponds
to, but is larger than, the shape and curvature of the reel assembly hubs 32,
34
(described below). The side member curved upper surfaces 28, 29 preferably
extend
over an arc of about 180 degrees. The side members 22, 24 are coupled to, and
held
in a generally parallel spaced relation by, the base member 20.
The reel assembly 14 is generally cylindrical and includes an elongated barrel
portion 30, two end hubs 32, 34, a water conduit assembly 36, and a crank
assembly
60. The barrel portion 30 has a cylindrical body 38 with an axis of rotation
40. The
reel assembly hubs 32, 34 are disposed at opposite ends of the barrel portion
30. The
reel assembly hubs 32, 34 are, preferably, circular and have a greater
diameter than
the barrel portion 30. The reel assembly hubs 32, 34 are structured to be
rotatably
coupled to the housing assembly 12 side members 22, 24 at the side member hubs
25.
When the reel assembly 14 is coupled to the housing assembly 12, the reel
assembly
14 is structured to rotate about the longitudinal axis 40 of the barrel
portion 30. The
water conduit assembly 36 has a stationary portion 52, a rotating portion 54,
and a
seal therebetween (not shown). The stationary portion 52 is a generally
elongated
tube 50 disposed generally along the axis of rotation 40. The rotating portion
54 has
an axial section 56 and a perpendicular section 57. The axial section 56 is
disposed,
generally, along the axis of rotation 40 and is rotatably coupled to the
stationary
portion 52. The perpendicular section 57 extends generally perpendicular to
the axis
of rotation 40. That is, the perpendicular section 57 extends through the
barrel portion
30. In this configuration, the stationary portion 52 extends from the reel
assembly 14
and may be coupled to a supply hose. The rotating portion 54 is rotatably
coupled to
the stationary portion 52 and rotates with the barrel portion 30. The hub 32,
34
opposite the tube stationary end 52 is coupled to the crank assembly 60. The
crank
assembly 60 includes a disk 62 and a knob 64. The disk 62 is structured to be
disposed on the outer side of the housing assembly 12 while being coupled to
the hub
32, 34. The knob 64 is coupled to the disk 62 near the periphery of the disk
62. In
this configuration, a user may grasp the knob 64 and rotate the disk 62,
thereby
rotating the reel assembly 14.
The handle assembly 16 includes at least one elongated brace 70, as shown;
there is a first and second brace 70, 72, and a handle member 74. Each brace
70, 72 is
CA 02567900 2006-11-14
structured to be coupled to, and extend between, the housing assembly side
members
22, 24. Thus, the braces 70, 72 extend generally parallel to the axis 40 of
rotation of
the reel assembly 14. The braces 70, 72 are, preferably, coupled to the side
member
curved upper surfaces 28, 29. The braces 70, 72 are spaced apart from each
other,
5 preferably being about 70 degrees apart on the side member curved upper
surfaces 28,
29. The braces 70, 72 may be shaped to bow away from the reel assembly 14 and
each has a medial vertex 76, 78.
The handle member 74 is coupled to, and extends between, the braces 70, 72.
The handle member 74 is, preferably, generally perpendicular to the at least
one brace
70, 72. Additionally, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the handle member 74,
preferably,
has an arcuate, or curved, portion 80. The arcuate portion 80 extends
generally
circumferentially about the reel assembly 14. That is, the arcuate portion 80
extends
between the medial vertices 76, 78 of the braces 70, 72. By being coupled to
the
braces 70, 72 at the medial vertices 76, 78, the arcuate portion 80 is spaced
from the
reel assembly 14. Further, the arcuate portion 80 may also be shaped to bow
away
from the reel assembly 14. The shape to the braces 70, 72 and the arcuate
portion 80
ensure that there is a gap 90 between the handle member 74 and the reel
assembly 14.
The radius of the arcuate portion 80 is slightly greater than the radius of
the hubs 32,
34. In this configuration the arcuate portion 80 does not extend a great
length beyond
the housing assembly 12 allowing the hose reel assembly 10 to be compact while
further allowing a space between the handle member 74 and a hose (not shown)
that is
wound about the reel assembly 14. By way of example, if the hubs 32, 34 have a
radius of about 3.8 inches, the handle member 74 radius, relative to the axis
of
rotation 40, is about 6.8 inches. Of course, the size of the hubs 32, 34 and
handle
member 74 may vary.
In another embodiment, shown in Figure 4, the water conduit assembly 36
includes a three-part conduit. That is, the rotating portion 54 may have two
components, an axial portion 100 and a radial portion 102. The axial portion
100 is
an elongated tube 104 having an axial end 106 and a perpendicular end 108. The
axial portion axial end 106 is rotatably coupled to the stationary portion
tube 50. The
axial portion 100 is generally disposed along the axis of rotation 40. The
perpendicular end 108 is disposed within the barrel portion 30 and is bent, or
curves,
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to extend generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation 40. The radial
portion 102
includes a L-shaped tubular body 110 having an elongated perpendicular portion
112
and a tangent portion 114. The perpendicular portion 112 is rotatably coupled
to the
perpendicular end 108 of the axial portion 100. The tangent portion 114
extends
generally perpendicular to the perpendicular portion 112 and generally tangent
to the
outer surface of the barrel portion 30. The barrel portion 30 may have a
generally flat
platform disposed about the area where the perpendicular portion 112
penetrates the
barrel portion 30. As is known in the art, generally water tight seals (not
shown) are
disposed between the stationary portion tube 50 and the axial portion 100, as
well as
between the axial portion 100 and the radial portion 102.
In this configuration, the hose reel assembly 10 may be adapted to be wound
in either a "left-handed" or "right-handed" direction. That is, the hose (not
shown) is
wrapped about the barrel portion 30 in either a clockwise or counterclockwise
direction. The direction that the hose is wrapped about the barrel portion 30
determines the direction that the crank assembly 60 must be turned in order to
wind
the hose. The direction that the hose is wrapped about the barrel portion 30
is
determined by the direction that the tangent portion 114 faces. Thus, prior to
attaching the hose to the tangent portion 114, a user may rotate the tangent
portion
114 to face a selected direction. In a first direction, the tangent portion
114 faces
clockwise relative to the barrel portion 30 and in a second direction, the
tangent
portion 114 faces counterclockwise relative to the barrel portion 30. Thus, by
orienting the tangent portion 114 to face clockwise, the hose will be wrapped
about
the barrel portion 30 in a clockwise direction. Conversely, by orienting the
tangent
portion 114 to face counterclockwise the hose will be wrapped about the barrel
portion 30 in a counterclockwise direction. Thus, the user may select whether
the
hose shall be wound in a "left-handed" or "right-handed" direction.
While specific embodiments of the invention have 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 claims appended and any and all equivalents thereof.
