Patent Application
20240253943
The present disclosure relates to a reel assembly. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a reel assembly which generally finds application in an underground housing.
Garden or watering hose are universal pieces of household equipment, and various devices (say gardening devices) are available for storing such a flexible, elongate, and cumbersome article. As a result, such devices range from a simple spike in a wall, post, or the like from which the coiled hose may be hung, to more elaborate stationary racks and revolving reels such as a hose box.
In each of the above cases, the hose is still generally stored outdoors, where it detracts from the decor and is vulnerable to theft or other damage. The hose may alternatively be stored indoors, but the retrieval of the hose from its indoor storage area and deployment out of doors, unnecessarily complicates the task. Accordingly, there is a need for a hose reel assembly (or simple reel assembly) which may be permanently installed in a readily accessible location, preferably in an underground housing and like installation. There have also been efforts to protect and avoid inadvertent unwinding events of the hose while in storage within the hose reel assembly but outside the housing. Such requirements of the hose reel assembly further require a safe, efficient, and trouble-free application of the hose of the hose reel assembly. The hose reel assembly and housing may be installed underground beneath the surface, as in a lawn or other planted area, with easy and user-friendly access for service and other maintenance events.
An example of an underground hose reel assembly and housing is provided by WIPO patent application 2019/206395 (hereinafter referred to as the '395 reference). The '395 reference discloses a high-pressure cleaning device having a housing on which two running wheels are mounted for rotation about a common axis of rotation and in which a motor and a pump driven by the motor are arranged. A pressure hose fluidically connected to an outlet of the pump and a winding apparatus is provided which has a rotatably mounted hose drum for winding and unwinding the pressure hose. The high-pressure cleaning device can be tilted about the axis of rotation of the running wheels from a usage position into a transport position. The winding apparatus has a restoring spring and a blocking mechanism. The restoring spring can be loaded by unwinding the pressure hose from the hose drum and the hose drum can be set into rotation by the restoring spring in order to automatically wind the pressure hose. The hose drum can be automatically locked by means of the blocking mechanism and released by application of a tensile force to the pressure hose.
Another example is provided in German patent application 10-2005-031-527 (hereinafter referred to as '527 reference). The '527 reference provides a storage device, which has an outer geometry for detachedly holding in a ground shaft. The storage device has a side part on which moves a storage drum. The storage device has guiding rollers. The storage drum has a spring unit for winding the garden hose on the drum. The drum has a locking unit for locking the drum to prevent unintentional winding of the hose. However, the '527 reference seems short of disclosing blocking of the turning of the drum when the storage device is outside the ground shaft. Such downsides may limit application of the storage device in places having advanced safety and statutory requirements.
Thus, there is a need for an improved reel assembly which allows safe and efficient application of a hose and the like, particularly suitable for underground installations.
In view of the above, it is an objective of the present invention to solve or at least reduce the drawbacks discussed above. The objective is at least partially achieved by a reel assembly of a watering hose for coupling within a housing. The reel assembly includes an axle and a reel defining a rotational axis. The reel is rotatably mounted around the axle to allow winding of the watering hose on the reel. The reel assembly further includes a frame which houses the reel. Moreover, the reel assembly includes one or more fixing units to removably fix the reel assembly inside the housing. The housing includes a pair of side walls and a pair of front walls. At least one of the pair of side walls and the pair of front walls includes a housing inlet. The housing inlet is or can be associated with a water connector to fluidly couple the watering hose with a fluid line or hose to supply water from an external fluid source.
Further, the reel assembly is characterized in that the reel assembly further includes a blocking mechanism that operatively couples with the reel assembly and cooperates with the reel for selective rotation of the reel. The blocking mechanism disallows rotation of the reel in absence of coupling of the reel assembly within the housing.
Thus, the present disclosure provides a simple, efficient, and safe reel assembly suitable for applications with the underground housing, while selectively restricting undesirable movement (say unwinding) of the hose for the reel assembly outside the housing. The reel assembly includes the blocking mechanism which disallows rotation of the reel (and the hose thereby) when the reel assembly is taken outside the housing for repair, storage in wintertime or other reasons. The blocking mechanism of the reel assembly allows to meet statutory requirement and helps to avoid injury to a user due to accidental rotation of the reel. Further, application of the blocking mechanism allows to avoid unnecessary effort (say due to inadvertent hose unwinding) on the part of the user to maintain the hose intact on the hose reel. The blocking mechanism may also prevent dripping of left-over water from the hose to the ground surface, that would otherwise happen if the reel accidentally rotates. The blocking mechanism also avoids unnecessary frictional contact of the hose and therefore avoids wear and tear of the hose.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the water connector removably couples with the fluid line or hose to supply water from the external fluid source. The removable feature of the water connector may also allow easy maintenance and cleaning of the water connector or the associated parts.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a disconnection of the water connector and the fluid line or hose seals the fluid line or hose to stop the supply of water from the external fluid source. This may lead to judicious use of water and reduce wastage. This may also prevent unnecessary accumulation of water around the housing, which may otherwise further affect the working of the reel assembly or degrade the material of the housing in long run.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the disconnection and sealing of the fluid line or hose takes place automatically in the absence of coupling of the water connector. The automatic feature may allow for quick and efficient disconnection and sealing of the fluid line or hose which may otherwise be a clumsy, inefficient, and time-consuming task.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the blocking mechanism is a turning block in the form of a movable screw or a bolt that is fixed to the frame. The turning block is one or more of substantially parallel, perpendicular, or pivoted with respect to the rotational axis of the reel. The choice of the blocking mechanism may depend upon the type, dimension, service life and other factors related to the hose and the reel assembly. Preferably, the blocking mechanism may be a movable screw or bolt, which is easy to install, easily serviceable and available in different shapes and sizes to cater to the need of different applications.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the blocking mechanisms automatically interacts with the reel to prevent its rotation, when not coupled with the housing. This allows efficient and safe application of the blocking mechanism due to automatically blocking the rotation of reel, while not requiring any human intervention.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the frame also includes a grip or a handle. The user may grip the handle to pull out the frame of the reel out of the housing. Thus, provision of handle on the frame allows easy removal of the reel assembly out of the housing for repair, storage in wintertime or other reasons.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the blocking mechanism gets automatically activated when the reel assembly is manipulated. This may ensure that when the hose reel assembly is displaced from its storage position, the reel rotation is blocked. Also, if due to any external factors (say environmental disturbances), the reel assembly dislocates from its storage position, the reel rotation is automatically blocked.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the grip or handle includes a switch or a button to trigger the blocking mechanism to prevent the rotation of the reel. The provision of the switch or the button on the handle makes the blocking mechanism ergonomic and easy to operate. The switches and the button are inexpensive, simple to attach, replace and take up less space on the handle.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the housing includes an actuator which engages with the blocking mechanism of the reel assembly. The actuator engages with the blocking mechanism to unlock or allow rotation of the reel from the blocking mechanism, during coupling of the housing and the reel assembly.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the blocking mechanisms is manually actuable to allow or disallow the rotation of the reel. The provision of manual actuation of the blocking mechanism allows a user to block the rotation of the reel according to different application requirements.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the reel assembly further includes a drive mechanism configured to drive the reel to wind and unwind the flexible linear component. The present disclosure may be readily implemented with any driving mechanism such as the spring or the electric motor to drive the reel to wind or unwind flexible linear components used in varied application fields such as gardening, electric installations etc.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the drive mechanism is selected from the group including a spring, and an electric motor. The choice of the drive mechanism may be dependent on different factors such as a power source, application location, maintenance, and the like.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the one or more fixing units is selected from the group including one or more of a railing system and a screwing mechanism. Such fixing units may allow for easy adjustment of the frame, easy to install, user friendly among other implementation benefits.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexible linear component is one or more of a hose, wire, and cable. The flexible linear component may be used for watering, supplying power, lifting loads etc.
Other features and aspects of this invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.
The invention will be described in more detail with reference to the enclosed drawings, wherein:
The present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments of the invention incorporating one or more aspects of the present invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. For example, one or more aspects of the present invention may be utilized in other embodiments and even other types of structures and/or methods. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements.
Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the invention. For example, “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “rear”, “side”, “longitudinal”, “lateral”, “transverse”, “upwards”, “downwards”, “forward”, “backward”, “sideward”, “left,” “right,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “upward”, “inner”, “outer”, “inward”, “outward”, “top”, “bottom”, “higher”, “above”, “below”, “central”, “middle”, “intermediate”, “between”, “end”, “adjacent”, “proximate”, “near”, “distal”, “remote”, “radial”, “circumferential”, or the like, merely describe the configuration shown in the Figures. Indeed, the components may be oriented in any direction and the terminology, therefore, should be understood as encompassing such variations unless specified otherwise.
As illustrated in
In some embodiments, the water connector 122 may removably couple with the fluid line or hose to supply water from the external fluid source. The removable feature of the water connector 122 may also allow easy maintenance and cleaning of the water connector 122 or the associated parts. In some embodiments, a disconnection of the water connector 122 and the fluid line or hose seals the fluid line or hose to stop the supply of water from the external fluid source. This may lead to judicious use of water and reduce wastage. This may also prevent unnecessary accumulation of water around the housing 160, which may otherwise further affect the working of the reel assembly 100 or degrade the material of the housing 160 in long run. In some embodiments, the disconnection and sealing of the fluid line or hose takes place automatically in the absence of coupling of the water connector 122. The automatic feature may allow for quick and efficient disconnection and sealing of the fluid line or hose which may otherwise be a clumsy, inefficient, and time-consuming task.
In some embodiments, the housing 160 is preferably made of plastic and is advantageously made using a plastic injection molding process. The housing 160 may have semi-circular shape, cylindrical shape, or any other shape feasible to accommodate and couple with the reel assembly 100.
The cover 180 of the housing 160 preferably provides a weather tight seal for the underlying reel assembly 100. The cover 180 is preferably located in a coplanar manner with the ground surface 190 to permit mowing and, other work to be accomplished thereover without impedance. The cover 180 may be hinged, pivoted, or otherwise secured to the top of the housing 160 in such a way that it is stable against the vacuum force of rotating mower blades. Further, the cover 180 includes a hole 182, which may be used for inspection of the reel assembly 100 and direct winding and unwinding of hose 130 without having to remove the cover 180. Removal or opening of the cover 180 gives access inside the housing 160 as illustrated in
Referring to
As illustrated in
The housing 160 as illustrated in
In some embodiments, the blocking mechanism 170 is manually actuable to allow or disallow the rotation of the reel 120. The provision of manual actuation of the blocking mechanism 170 allows a user to block the rotation of the reel 120 according to different application requirements. The grip or handle 142 includes a switch or a button 144 to trigger the interaction of the blocking mechanism 170 to prevent the rotation of the reel 120. The provision of the switch or the button 144 on the grip or the handle 142 makes the blocking mechanism 170 ergonomic and easy to operate. The switches and the button 144 are inexpensive, simple to attach, replaceable and take up less space on the handle 142.
The reel assembly 100 further includes a drive mechanism (not shown) configured to drive the reel 120 to wind and unwind the flexible linear component 130 (or hose 130). The drive mechanism is selected from the group including a spring, and an electric motor. The choice of the drive mechanism may be dependent on different factors such as a power source, application location, maintenance, and the like. In some embodiments, the drive mechanism may be a spring. The spring as the drive mechanism supports automatic winding of the hose 130. The spring may preferably be a torsion spring. In some embodiments, the drive mechanism may be an electric motor. The electric motor as the drive mechanism supports high-speed winding, continuous operation, and frequent operation, as well as large diameter and long hoses. Further, the motor may be a torque motor, inverter control type motor, servo motor, geared motor, or hydraulic motor.
In an embodiment, the reel 110 rotation may be blocked even when the reel assembly 100 remains coupled within the housing 160. The housing 160 may be provided with a switch, a button and the like which allows the actuator 162 to be disengaged (say pivoted away) from the turning block 172 using manual or automatic means. This will allow the turning block 172 to engage the reel 100, and the hose 130 will not be available for unwinding. Such locking of the hose 130 and the reel 120, with the reel assembly 100 within the housing 160, may be applicable for long non-use periods or due to any safety or maintenance considerations.
In some embodiments, the turning block 172 may be integrated with the cover 180. Thus, the rotation of the reel 120 is permissible only when the reel assembly 100 is properly coupled within the housing 160 and covered by the cover 180.
In some embodiments, the housing inlet 168 of the housing 160 may be connected to the water connector 122 of the reel assembly 100 via a hose or any other fluid coupling as used or known in the art. This allows the fluid (say water) from the external fluid source to reach the water connector 122 and then, through the housing inlet 168 to the hose 130 wounded on the reel 120. Further, when the reel assembly 100 is required to be taken out, or disassembled from the housing 160, the hose 130 connected with the housing inlet 168 may need to be disconnected from the housing inlet 168.
In some embodiments, the grip, or the handle 142 may be integrated to the cover 180, shown in
In some embodiments, the one or more fixing units 150 is selected from the group including one or more of a railing system, and a screwing mechanism. As illustrated in the present disclosure, the handle 142 of the frame 140 is connected to the one or more fixing unit 150 at its ends. During assembly or disassembly of the reel assembly 100 and the housing 160, the one or more fixing units 150 may slide up and down respectively in the rails 152 included in the side walls 164 of the housing 160. In some embodiments, the one or more fixing units 150 may simply be screwed and unscrewed from the housing 160. Such fixing units 150 may allow for easy adjustment of the frame 140, easy to install, user friendly among other implementation benefits.
In some embodiments, the blocking mechanism 170 automatically interacts with the reel 120 to prevent its rotation, when not coupled with the housing 160. This allows efficient and safe application of the blocking mechanism 170 as the blocking mechanism 170 gets automatically activated when the reel assembly 100 is manipulated, while not requiring any human intervention. This may ensure that when the reel assembly 100 is displaced from its storage position, any inadvertent reel 120 rotation is blocked. Also, if due to any external factors (say environmental disturbances), the reel assembly 100 dislocates from its storage position within the housing 160, the reel 120 rotation is automatically blocked.
The present disclosure illustrates the movement “M” of the turning block 172 by double arrows in some embodiments. This is to indicate movement allowed in both the directions (herein up and down with respect to rotational axis X-X′ of the reel 120) by the turning block 172. However, the preferred and automatic movement of the turning block 172 is towards and to engage/lock the reel 120, while dedicated means such as the button 144 have been provided to stop or even reverse the movement “M” of the turning block 172 in some other embodiments.
In some embodiments, the axle 110 may be integrally molded in the reel 120. Further, the axle 110 may be a continuous axle or a stub axle. The axle 110 may be made hollow to accommodate wirings or other accessories of a drive mechanism (not shown) to wind and unwind the reel 120.
In some embodiments, the reel 120 may be manufactured in multiple parts from a suitable plastic material and the multiple parts may then be assembled. The reel 120 may be manufactured in a molded form from a plastic material and substantially in one piece. The reel 120 may even be manufactured from materials such as wood, fiberglass, or metal like heavy-gauge steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and the like. The frame 140 may be made from the same material as the reel 120 and to stabilize the reel 120 inside the housing 160.
Thus, the present disclosure provides a simple, efficient, and safe reel assembly 100 suitable for applications with the underground housing 160. This allows to selectively restrict undesirable movement say unwinding of the hose 130 for the reel assembly 100 outside the housing 160. The reel assembly 100 includes the blocking mechanism 170 which disallows rotation of the reel 120 and the hose 130, when the reel assembly 100 is taken outside the housing 160. The blocking mechanism 170 of the reel assembly 100 allows to meet statutory requirement and helps to avoid injury to a user due to accidental rotation of the reel 120. Further, application of the blocking mechanism 170 allows to avoid unnecessary effort (say due to inadvertent hose unwinding) on the part of the user to maintain the hose 130 intact on the hose reel 120. The blocking mechanism 170 also avoids unnecessary frictional contact of the hose 130 and therefore avoids wear and tear of the hose 130.
In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed preferred embodiments and examples of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for the purpose of limitation of the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21176488.1 | May 2021 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2021/087040 | 12/21/2021 | WO |
