Patent Application
20130025732
The present invention relates to hoses and more particularly, relates to a composite hose with a luminescent exterior portion.
Hoses are currently used to transfer or transport fluid material from one place to another. Hoses are used in many different environments to transfer many different types of materials. Sometimes hoses are used in environments of low or no light. In these environments, it is difficult to see hoses. Hoses can become safety issues causing someone to trip and fall. Additionally, if the hoses cannot be seen, they can be driven over or walked over, thereby causing gouges or cuts in the hose leading to accidental spills and/or injuries to those passing by or to bystanders.
Some hoses have used electrically powered lighting sources, however this causes the hose to be prohibitively expensive and can be dangerous in certain environmental conditions. Other hoses have utilized a reflective material, such as what is currently used on stop signs and other street signs. This reflective material requires a light source to be directed at the material in order to illuminate the material in darkness.
Accordingly, what is needed is a hose that is at least partially visible in low or no light. The hose should not require a source of light to be visible in the darkness. Additionally, the hose should not require a power source or electricity.
The present invention features a flexible conduit having a luminescent exterior element. The flexible conduit comprises a flexible conduit having an exterior region and a luminescent element including a luminescent material, disposed on the exterior region of the flexible conduit. In one embodiment, the flexible conduit is constructed from one or more materials selected from the group consisting of rubber, a plastic film, a fabric, a woven textile, a non-woven textile and a composite material.
In one embodiment, the luminescent element is incorporated into the exterior region of said flexible conduit during manufacturing of said flexible conduit while in another embodiment, the luminescent element is added to the exterior region after manufacturing of the flexible conduit. In this embodiment, the luminescent element may be molecularly bonded, adhered or mechanically fastened to the exterior region after manufacturing of the flexible conduit.
In one embodiment, the flexible conduit may include one luminescent element disposed along generally an entire length of said flexible conduit while in another embodiment there may be a plurality of luminescent elements disposed along generally an entire length of the flexible conduit.
In yet another embodiment, the luminescent element is a separate and removable luminescent element, separate and removable from the flexible conduit and disposed about the exterior region of the flexible conduit. The flexible conduit may be generally circular shaped and the separate and removable luminescent element may be a spirally shaped luminescent element spirally wound onto and around the exterior region of the generally circular shaped flexible conduit.
The luminescent element may have a shape or profile including, for example, a rounded profile, a flat profile, a “U” shaped profile or an “A” shaped profile.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description, taken together with the drawings wherein:
In a first embodiment of the present invention, a hose 10,
The luminescent exterior member 12 is luminescent, rather than reflective. In this embodiment, the luminescent exterior member 12 contains a photoluminescent pigment. The pigment may be a rare-earth activated alkali earth aluminate-silicate photoluminescent pigment. As such, unlike conventional reflective materials that require a source of light to reflect off the material, the luminescent exterior member 12 of the present invention does not require a light source to reflect in order to visually see the hose 10 in darkness. The luminescent exterior member 12 receives and absorbs passive light from the sun or artificially from any light source, such as a conventional lighting source inside a building. After the hose has received and absorbed light from a light source, the luminescent exterior member 12 of the hose 10 lumeneses or “glows” in low or no light conditions, thereby allowing a user to see the hose 10 without the need for any additional light source or electricity. The luminescent exterior member 12 can be recharged over and over using a light source.
In this embodiment of the present invention, the luminescent exterior member 12 may be created from a naturally occurring luminescent material, which is then incorporated into a thermoplastic material and manufactured in the form of a tape or lay line of appropriate material to be added to or incorporated into a composite hose. When the luminescent exterior member 12 is wound or laid along the hose 10, the luminescent exterior member 12 may be secured permanently or temporarily. Methods of securing the luminescent exterior member 12 may be accomplished during the manufacture of the hose or after the manufacture of the hose.
In a first method of securing the luminescent exterior member 12 to the hose 10, the luminescent exterior member 12 is molecularly bonded to the hose 10 without the use of adhesives utilizing a heat curing process with or without an intermediary layer. In this method, the luminescent exterior member 12 may be a single line, multiple lines, a lazy spiral, or any other configuration. In a second method of securing the luminescent exterior member 12 to the hose 10, the luminescent exterior member 12 is wound or run longitudinally down the hose 10 and secured by way of an externally wound wire or another comparable mechanical attachment or may be attached using an appropriate adhesive.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the hose 100,
As in the first embodiment of the present invention, this second embodiment preferably features a luminescent exterior member 102 that is comprised at least partially of a luminescent material, such as a luminescent pigment. The pigment may be a rare-earth activated alkali earth aluminate-silicate photoluminescent pigment. The luminescent material is configured to absorb artificial or natural light and provide an illuminated or glowing light source in darkness, thereby allowing a user to visualize the hose in low or no light without the need for an additional light source. The luminescent exterior member 102 can be recharged over and over.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a luminescent member which can be either incorporated into a composite hose during the manufacturing process or alternatively, be provided as a separate member which can be added to a previously manufactured hose. The luminescent member provides a visual indication to users and bystanders of the existence, presence and position of the hose.
Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present invention, which is not to be limited except by the allowed claims and their legal equivalents.
