Patent Application
20050247345
The present invention relates to hose-reel assemblies and, in particular, it concerns hose-reel assemblies which include a reel with foldable flange portions to allow compact shipping and storage.
It is known to provide various hose-reel assemblies for storing a length of hose such as a domestic garden hose. Hose-reel assemblies exist in many forms including, but not limited to, free-standing hose-reel assemblies, wall-mounted hose-reel assemblies, hose caddies or carts with wheels, and motorized hose-reel assemblies of any of the aforementioned types where a motor powers rotation of the reel to rewind the hose after use.
In most cases, hose-reel assemblies are relatively bulky and cannot be efficiently stacked when assembled. The option of shipping products in a more compact unassembled state, on the other hand, is unpopular with consumers due to the perceived complexity of the assembly process. For this reason, hose-reel assemblies are primarily shipped and sold in their assembled state, resulting in problematic wastage of expensive transportation space and even more expensive retail store space.
In an attempt to address this problem, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,425,391; 5,657,789; 5,704,384; and 5,901,730 to Suncast Inc. propose stackable hose-reel assemblies in which the reel has a narrow partial flange of roughly rectangular shape. The reduced dimension of the flange allows stacking of the hose-reel assemblies, thereby facilitating efficient shipping and storage of the hose-reel assemblies in their assembled state.
Although the Suncast designs allow pre-assembled shipping, thereby avoiding the problem of end-user assembly, the narrow rectangular flange configuration generates new problems as illustrated schematically in
An additional shortcoming of the rectangular flange shape is a large proportion of the wound hose is not fully supported, tending to allow the hose to sag outwards and possible interfere with winding. The rectangular flange structure is also particularly problematic for implementing a motor-driven hose-reel where the cross-over between edges of the rectangular flange and edges of the frame (not shown) creates a scissor-like action, posing a significant safety risk to the user.
There is therefore a need for a stackable hose-reel assembly which would allow efficient stacking of pre-assembled units while maintaining a generally rounded flange configuration.
The present invention is a hose-reel assembly which includes a reel with foldable flange portions to allow compact shipping and storage.
According to the teachings of the present invention there is provided, a stackable hose-reel assembly comprising: (a) a support frame; and (b) a reel rotatably attached to the frame so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation, the reel including: (i) a drum circumscribing the axis of rotation for receiving a length of hose coiled thereabout; and (ii) a pair of flanges, one of the flanges being attached to, or integrally formed with, each of a first side and a second side of the drum, each of the flanges having a fixed portion rigidly associated with the drum and at least one foldable portion hinged to the fixed portion so as to be displaceable between a folded state and a deployed state, such that, when the foldable portions assume the folded state, the hose-reel assembly is stackable with other similar hose-reel assemblies at a stacking step height H, and when the foldable portions assume the deployed state, the fixed portion and the corresponding at least one foldable portion together form a flange with a minimum dimension D measured perpendicular to the axis, where D is greater than H.
According to a further feature of the present invention, D is greater than H by at least 50%.
According to a further feature of the present invention, each of the flanges has two of the foldable portions hinged to the fixed portion along substantially parallel hinges on opposite sides of the axis.
According to a further feature of the present invention, each of the flanges has a substantially elliptical outer shape when the foldable portions are in the deployed state.
According to a further feature of the present invention, each of the flanges has a substantially circular outer shape when the foldable portions are in the deployed state.
According to a further feature of the present invention, each of the flanges further includes at least two retractable extension portions radially displaceable between a recessed position in which the extension portions are retracted within the flanges and an extended position in which the extension portions provide a locally increased maximum dimension of the flange as measured perpendicular to the axis.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the fixed portions and the foldable portions are configured such that, when the foldable portions are moved from the folded state to the deployed state, the foldable portions are locked, at least temporarily, in the deployed state.
According to a further feature of the present invention, there is also provided a telescopic handle associated with the support frame and configured to assume a collapsed state for stacking of the hose-reel assembly and an extended state for holding the stackable hose-reel assembly during use.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the flanges and the telescopic handle are configured such that, when the telescopic handle assumes the collapsed state and the foldable portions assume the folded state, the telescopic handle and the reel engage so as to substantially lock the reel against rotation relative to the support frame.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the support frame includes at least two selectively deployable legs configured to assume a non-deployed state for stacking of the hose-reel assembly and a deployed state for supporting the stackable hose-reel assembly during use.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the selectively deployable legs are separate from a remainder of the support frame when in the non-deployed state and are attachable to the remainder of the support from to provide the deployed state.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the selectively deployable legs are implemented as foldable legs pivotable between the non-deployed state and the deployed state.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the selectively deployable legs are implemented as telescopic legs slidable between the non-deployed state and the deployed state.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the support frame is configured such that, when the selectively deployable legs are in the non-deployed state, one dimension of the stackable hose-reel assembly measured perpendicular to the axis is no greater than stacking step height H.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the flanges and the selectively deployable legs are configured such that, when the selectively deployable legs assume the non-deployed state and the foldable portions assume the folded state, the reel and a surface associated with at least one of the selectively deployable legs engage so as to substantially lock the reel against rotation relative to the support frame.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the support frame has a minimum dimension measured perpendicular to the axis greater than stacking step height H, the support frame being stackable with other similar support frames at stacking step height H.
According to a further feature of the present invention, there is also provided a motor associated with the support frame and the reel for rotating the reel relative to the support frame.
According to a further feature of the present invention, the motor is deployed primarily within the drum.
According to a further feature of the present invention, there is also provided at least one wheel associated with the support frame for supporting the stackable hose-reel assembly so as to be rollable on an underlying surface.
The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The present invention is a hose-reel assembly which includes a reel with foldable flange portions to allow compact shipping and storage.
The principles and operation of hose-reel assemblies according to the present invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings and the accompanying description.
Referring now to the drawings,
At this point, it will readily be appreciated that the present invention offers profound advantages over the various prior art discussed above. Firstly, by allowing compact stacking (i.e., at a stacking step less than the diameter of the reel flanges) of the hose-reel assemblies in their assembled state, the problems of end-user assembly are avoided. At the same time, by providing folding flange portions, the final flange shape may approximate to the normal rounded flange shape with the corresponding aesthetic advantages as well as the functional advantages discussed above with reference to
Before addressing the features of preferred embodiments of the present invention in more detail, it will be useful to define certain terminology as used herein in the description and claims. The term “hose-reel assembly” is used to refer generically to any assembly including a rotatable reel upon which a length of hose may be wound, but does not include the hose itself. Primarily, the present invention relates to hose-reel assemblies of the type in which one end of a hose is attachable to a water supply connection on or within the reel such that the hose is continuously connected to a water supply and can be used to deliver water in both an unwound and a partially wound state.
The term “reel” is used herein to refer to any rotatable element such as a reel or spool upon which the hose is to be wound. The surface or surfaces around which the hose is to be wound are referred to as a “drum”. It should be noted that the term “drum” is used here to refer to any element or combination of elements which perform the function of receiving a hose wound around them. Thus, the “drum” need not be cylindrical, as will be clear from the following examples. Furthermore, as is known in the art, the “drum” may be formed from a set of parallel rods or various other structures which together function as a drum to allow winding of the hose thereupon.
With regard to the flanges at each side of the drum, reference is made to a “minimum dimension measured perpendicular to the axis”. Geometrically, this may be defined as the smallest separation between two planes, parallel to each other and to the axis of the reel, wherein the entirety of the flange would lie between the planes. In the case of a circular flange, this is simply the diameter of the flange. In the case of an ellipse, this is the small axis of the ellipse.
The hose-reel assemblies of the present invention are described herein as “stackable”. The terms “stackable”, “stacking”, “stacked” etc. are used herein to refer to two or more articles (typically at least three) which are positioned sequentially one upon the other. The terms include both the case where the structures directly engage so as to be partially nested one within the next and the case of non-nesting articles where each article rests on top of the underlying article without direct mechanical engagement. In the latter case, the articles may be separately boxed or wrapped without interfering with the stacking.
Finally with regard to terminology, reference is made to a “stacking step height”. This is defined as the magnitude of the “repeat vector” of the stacking pattern, i.e., the distance through which one element would need to be moved to make that element coincident with the position of the next stacked element. It will be noted that this distance is not necessarily defined in a precisely vertical direction, and may vary as a function of the stacking or nesting geometry. It will be understood by one ordinarily skilled in the art that this parameter is well defined by the structure of even a single “stackable” item by the position and geometry of the abutment surfaces which would abut other similar items stacked above and below the item itself.
Turning now to the embodiment of
Each flange preferably has two foldable portions 20 hinged to fixed portion 18 along substantially parallel hinges on opposite sides of axis 14. This allows the reel to assume a folded configuration with generally parallel upper and lower surfaces, formed by the folded portions 20, which is particularly convenient and efficient for stacking.
The configuration with pairs of foldable portions 20 as shown also facilitates significant reduction in the stacking step height H relative to the open flange dimension D. Specifically, in the structure illustrated here, the stacking step height H is substantially equal to the height B of fixed flange portion 18. By using two foldable portions 20 on each flange, the ratio of D to H may readily exceed 3:2 (i.e., D greater than H by at least 50%), and can advantageously be about 2:1 or greater (i.e., D at least about twice H).
Preferably, although not necessarily, fixed portions 18 and foldable portions 20 are configured such that foldable portions 20 lock, either permanently or temporarily, when moved to their deployed state. In the preferred case of a molded plastic construction, this locking effect may be achieved by use of a snap-locking configuration (for example a projecting tooth on foldable portion 20 engaging a corresponding recess on fixed portion 18—not shown), as is known in the art. In certain cases, the presence of a length of hose wound on the reel is sufficient to maintain the deployed state of the foldable portions 20 during use even in the absence of a locking configuration.
As mentioned above, the folding flange structures of the present invention have a particular advantage in that they avoid the narrow rectangular flanges of the aforementioned prior art, instead preferably maintaining a generally rounded shape. It should be appreciated, however, that the deployed flanges of the present invention may vary considerably from a circular shape without departing from the broad scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
In the preferred example of
It will be clear that, where the drum is sufficiently wide, or where overlap of foldable portions 20 is acceptable, circular and other flange configurations may be used. By way of examples,
A further optional feature visible particularly in
Turning now to the features of the support frame in more detail, support frame 12 in this embodiment has a height greater than stacking step height H, the required stacking step height being achieved by partial nesting of the frames as seen in
The preferred embodiment illustrated here further includes a telescopic handle 24 associated with support frame 12. Telescopic handle 24 assumes a collapsed state (
To allow proper stacking of the hose-reel assemblies, reels 10 must be in the correct orientation for stacking, as shown in
Turning now to
In the embodiment illustrated here in
Turning now to
By way of a first illustration, referring to
Turning now to the additional embodiments of
In the case of
In the case of
Parenthetically, also shown in
It will be noted that the embodiments of
Similarly, in the case of detachable legs as illustrated in
It will be appreciated that the above descriptions are intended only to serve as examples, and that many other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.
