Abstract:
The present invention is directed to a device and method for preventing hoses, cords and cables from becoming jammed under wheels without impairing productivity nor leading to back strain. The device is comprised of a “U” shaped wedge body with a thin end and a thick end connected by equal top and bottom surfaces and a flat edge that wraps around the “U” shape to be wedged between the supporting surface and the tire tread. The outer expanding edge provides a contact surface for a hose or cable to be guided around the corner of the wheel. The top and bottom surfaces being equal making the device symmetrical and allowing the device to be equally effective when inserted either side up. The body provides a device that can be traversed, not removed, while the wheeled vehicle is being removed from the service area.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a mechanical device and method useful for preventing hoses, cords and cables from becoming jammed under vehicle tires without impairing productivity nor leading to back strain. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The concept of having a device for preventing hoses, cables and the like from becoming jammed under vehicle tires during repairs or service has been disclosed in several U.S. Patents. In many applications involving work on a vehicle with tires, it is necessary for service personnel to pull a utility hose or cord from one side of the vehicle to another. There is a tendency for the hose to become wedged between the tire and the surface on which the tire is resting. This area has been referred to as the nip area (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,225 to Parnell). 
     For example, when servicing a vehicle, several different types of hoses such as lubrication or air hoses for pneumatic wrenches or electrical cables such as for electronic test equipment are pulled around the corners of the vehicle. During automobile painting, a similar rubber hose is pulled around the corners of the vehicle. Another common experience for the average automobile owner is pulling a water hose around the corners of the vehicle while washing the car. In all these instances, the hose easily becomes caught in the nip area between the rubber tread surface of the tire and the supporting surface such as the garage floor or driveway. Normally, once caught in the nip area, the hose cannot be pulled any further. It must be pulled back around the corner in the opposite direction until it can be freed. Having to walk back around the vehicle to free the hose from the nip can be very aggravating non-productive activity. To address this problem, Louwsma in U.S. Pat. No. 4,404,925 proposed filling the nip area between the tire and the working surface, using a device that has a wedge-shaped profile that can be placed in the nip area and that also has a vertical surface around which a painter&#39;s air hose can run and has a means for “receiving a finger” to manipulate the hose guide. In fact, this design is such that it has to be removed when servicing is complete. It cannot be driven over repeatedly without sustaining damage to the device, rendering it unusable. The device of the Louwsma invention has minimal contact area of the guide contacting the supporting surface and the tread surface of the tire. This could result in the device becoming dislodged when exposed to high stress such as when a high-pressure water hose is used. 
     The hose guide disclosed by Violette in U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,432 (Jun. 6, 1989 Class 242/615) is also designed for use with an automotive vehicle paint spray apparatus and is comprised of a U-shaped body having legs that embrace the tire at the ground level and that has an upward turned concave surface across which the hose may run. This device as does Louwsma&#39;s has a means to easily grasp it for adjustment and/or removal when finished. It is not designed to be driven over as a standard operating procedure. A further aspect of the Violette device is that any given device is limited in the range of tire widths with which it can be used. The Violette patent teaches that typically a device is used in front of both front tires and behind both rear tires. 
     The device of Parnell in U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,225 (Jan. 23, 1990 Class 188/32) for a “cylindrical hose guide wheel chock” discloses a wedge formed from a cylinder that is vertically placed under a tire. The function is two-fold, as a chock to prevent vehicle forward movement and to prevent a hose from becoming caught in the nip. 
     In none of the foregoing disclosures is there consideration of the disadvantage of personnel having to take extra time and effort to remove devices prior to moving the vehicle. It is the inventor&#39;s contention that this oversight has contributed to the lack of ready acceptance in the trade and by the consumer. 
     The invention in this application overcomes this and other disadvantages of the previous inventions. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Often various hoses, cables or electrical cords are used by service personnel and individuals servicing or maintaining their own vehicles. These hoses, cables or cords often times become lodged in a nip area between tire tread and the supporting surface when they are pulled around the corners of vehicles and through the nip area. Freeing up the hoses causes wasted time and effort for the service person who needs to backtrack and free the captured hose or cable. 
     The present invention is directed to mechanical device and method useful for preventing hoses and cable from becoming jammed under vehicle tires. The device is inserted in the gap (nip) between the tire tread of a tire and the supporting surface. 
     The preferred device is generally wedge-shaped in such a fashion and dimensions so as to fill the space between ground and tread in such a manner that no crevices are formed that could entrap a nominally sized hose or cable. 
     Another object of the device is that it be shaped and textured so that it will not be readily dislodged by the movement of the hoses or cables. To accomplish this purpose, the hose guide may have top and bottom surfaces that have a series of ridges and grooves designed to engage the respective surfaces and lodge the device firmly in place. 
     Another object is to provide a hose guide that has the size, shape and structural integrity that will allow it to be repeatably driven over by a vehicle. 
     Another object is to provide a hose guide that has symmetrical top and bottom surfaces allowing the guide to be inserted into the gap (nip) with different orientations without effecting functionality. 
     The method for preventing the jamming of the hoses under a wheel is to drop a wedge shaped device under the wheel in question and to kick it into place. Likewise it can be kicked clear when finished and/or driven over and kicked out of the way until further use. 
     The preferred method is to insert devices under each of the tires. This does not significantly slow down the servicing since it is not necessary to remove the devices when finished. One merely drives over them. 
     Since the service personnel do not need to bend down to dislodge the wedge, possible back strain or injury is avoided. 
     Another objective is to provide a device that can be readily and economically manufactured. 
     These and other objects of the present invention will become more readily appreciated and understood from a consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments when taken together with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the device being used in the presence of a hose, cord or cable. 
     FIG. 2 is a top perspective view. 
     FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view. 
     FIG. 4 is a front perspective view. 
     FIG. 5 a  is a side perspective view of a non-solid embodiment. 
     FIG. 5 b  is a detailed bottom view of a non-solid embodiment. 
     FIG. 5 c  is a cross-sectional side view of a non-solid embodiment. 
     FIG. 5 d  is a cross-sectional end, from the thin end of the wedge looking to the thick end, view of a non-solid embodiment. 
     FIG. 6 is a front view elevation showing two hose guides being used. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention is a device and its method of use that prevents jamming of hoses, cords or cables and the like from under vehicle tires and which reduces the likelihood of back strains or injuries. The device is further described by explanation of the accompanying figures. 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view that illustrates a tire  30  resting on surface  14  such as a driveway or garage floor. There is a gap  33  between the tread  3  and the surface  14  at all but the very bottom of the tire. Into the gap  33  is inserted the device  1  so as to close the gap so that hose or cable  2  cannot be wedged into any gaps or openings pre-existing or created thereby. Specifically, the new gap  35  between the top of the uppermost edge of the device and the tire tread directly above shall be less than the diameter of the hose, cable or cord  2 . This could mean the gap should be no greater than half an inch under anticipated usages. This requirement may be met in part by careful selection of the shape and dimensions of the device and in part by selection of a material that at least partially flexes under pressure to conform to the curvature of the tire and further by selection of material and shapes that lend themselves to a cord running over the surface with minimal friction. 
     Referring now in more detail to the hose guide the device  1  is from top and bottom perspective views in FIGS. 2 and 3. The device  1  is generally in the form of a U-shaped wedge having a top flat surface  4 , a flat bottom surface  5 , which form an angle  60  at their intersection  6  that lies in the range of 15-60 degrees. The sides  15  and back  16  conform generally to a “U”-shaped outer surface connection top and bottom surfaces  4  and  5  at junctures  10  and  11 . In a preferred embodiment this surface rises from the ground surface  14  in a nearly perpendicular direction. In actuality it may deviate from perpendicularity by as much as 30 degrees in the instance in which symmetry is designed for (that is the top  4  or bottom  5  surfaces can be used interchangeably). One advantage of a symmetrical design is ease of manufacturing. Another advantage is ease of use—you can drop the device on the floor and kick it into place without regard for orientation. 
     The function of the “U”-shaped surface is to provide a curved surface over which the hose or cable  2  may traverse without any impediments and without the need for perfect alignment under a tire. It is important that the dimensions of the side  15  of the device be sufficiently large and the width of the “U” sufficiently broad so that a hose is prevented from catching a corner of the tire not covered by the device. In the preferred embodiment such dimensions are on the order of 3-6 inches on the side  15  by 4-6 inches between the sides. Additionally, the width of the wedge end surface  9  (in FIG. 4) is at least as wide as the largest hose or cable diameter (1 inch) but no wider than practical for one to easily drive over (2 inches). 
     Note that the device could be made smaller to work with e.g. compressors that are on wheels, so hoses do not get caught in compressor wheels. Typically the tires for such appliances are less that 12 inches diameter and less than 4 inches wide. Thus, a hose guide device could be 3-4 inches on the side, only 3-4 inches between sides and between 1-2 inches maximum thickness and still be effective in this application. 
     Advantageously the top surface  4  in FIG.  2  and bottom surface  5  in FIG. 3, though substantially flat surfaces have a series of ridges and grooves  7  and  8  respectively traversing the surfaces from the point of the wedge  6  to the thick part of the wedge end surface  9 . The dimensions of such grooves are preferably 1-5 mm deep and 1-5 wide. 
     In one embodiment, top surface  4  and bottom surface  5  are equal in length and width, creating a symmetrical device. 
     An alternative surface treatment is to provide a granularity over the entirety of both surfaces  4  and  5 . Such granularity might be molded in, incorporated near the end of curing or applied as a separate operation in manufacturing whichever is most cost effective and provides functional stability during extended use. 
     When used in the expected application the hose guide  1  is placed in the gap (nip) area as shown in FIG. 1, where the tire tread  3  of a wheeled vehicle meets the supporting surface  14 . The hose guide  1 , fills this gap. Ridges and grooves  7  in the top surface  4  as seen in FIG.  2 . (or granularity as suggested above) contacts the supporting surface  14 , causing the guide  1  to be firmly lodged in the gap area preventing the guide  1  from becoming dislodged as the hose or cables  2 , are pulled around the corner of the wheeled vehicle being serviced. 
     FIG. 4 provides a front perspective view of the device  1  illustrating more completely the shape of the front surface  9  of the wedge. 
     One principal design requirement of the present embodiment of the hose and cable guide is a body structure that can be molded partly and that can withstand the weight of a vehicle traversing the guide  1 , when the vehicle being serviced is removed from the service area. While FIGS. 2 and 3 would indicate that the preferred embodiment is a solid wedge-shaped device, it is possible that the same goals would be met with a non-solid-wedge-shaped device as illustrated in FIGS. 5 a  and  5   b  and  5   c  and  5   d . In FIG. 5 a , a perspective view is provided showing the device  100  being of a general wedge shape but integrally providing a plurality of struts or ribs to enable it to be molded and to be formed in a unitary operation. These ribs are provided in a selected number and location relative to the size of the guide to provide substantial strength to support the weigh of a portion of wheeled vehicle. 
     FIG. 5 b  illustrates a plurality of vertically disposed longitudinally extending ribs  107  (three as shown) and which extend from one end  106  of the wedge shape to the other thick end  109 . A similar set of 5 longitudinally extending ribs  105  extending from one of the side walls  115  to the traverse side walls  115 , as also shown in FIGS. 5 c  and  5   d . In order to promote good flow ability in an injected molded part wall thicknesses of no more than ⅛ inch are recommended. The advantages of this embodiment are lower costs and lighter weight. 
     Furthermore, these longitudinally extending ribs and the transversely extending ribs extend downwardly in a vertical direction creating columns of open area to the overall depth of the guide  100 . Thus all the ribs extend from the interiorly presented surface of the top surface  104  and they all have their lower edges aligned to a common horizontal plane. 
     This embodiment may be implemented by forming a mold suitable for use in plastic injection molding machines wherein there are interleaving parts to alternately form ribs and pockets, side surfaces and a top surface to form the thin and thick parts of the wedge wherein said thick part is cured to approximate the bottom of a “U”; feeder channels through which thermoplastic resin is forced under high pressure; and knockout pins provided to push the completed part from the mold. 
     Materials that would be appropriate for the solid embodiment include wood, hard rubber and moldable plastics. Materials that would be appropriate for the non-solid embodiment include lightweight castable metals such as aluminum and injection moldable thermoplastics such as high impact styrene, epoxy resins, glass fiber reinforced resins and the like. Besides durability and strength, materials shall be selected based upon their potential to conform to the shape of the tire and slipperiness of the surfaces that would come into contact with the hoses or cables. 
     FIG. 6 is a front view elevation that illustrates the use of two hose guide devices  1  and  15 , when placed on the outside of the tire tread  3  and  12  respectively. Also shown are phantom lines depicting varying widths of tires, illustrating the potential effectiveness of the devices even for use with very wide tires as long as the guides are placed near the outside of the tire tread surface. 
     The method of use entails dropping or placing one ore more devices on the floor  14  and pushing them into place under the tire to fill the nip. This can be done by using one&#39;s feet or hands equally conveniently. The design of the device is such that if dropped to the floor it will assume the proper position necessary to slide it under the tire since either way it falls, it will work. Furthermore, the device is designed so that it can be run over so it is easy to pick up or sweep to the side when the vehicle is removed from the service area. This methodology tends to reduce back strain and/or finger injuries. 
     Accordingly, the present invention has been described with some degree of particularity directed to preferred embodiments of the present invention and methods of use. It should be appreciated, though, that the present invention is defined by the following claims construed in light of the related art so that modifications or changes may be made to preferred embodiments of the present invention without departing from inventive concepts contained herein.