Patent Publication Number: US-2021172545-A1

Title: Pneumatic hose fastener

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a Non-Provisional application and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/901,451 filed Sep. 17, 2019, the contents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety into this disclosure. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     1. Technical Field 
     The subject disclosure relates generally to a pneumatic hose fastener adapted for universal use with pneumatic equipment having a hose attachment aperture, an inner securement tail and an outer substantially u-shaped attachment hook. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Conventionally, a solution for carrying and/or dragging a pneumatic hose by a construction worker did not exist. The worker traditionally had to maneuver carrying all of their equipment in addition to a pneumatic hose. This task can be quite difficult, for example, when climbing up a ladder where two hands are required to climb a ladder making it quite difficult to manipulate a hose along with the equipment needed by the worker at a remote location. 
     SUMMARY 
     A pneumatic hose fastener having a flange with a pair of overlapping non-concentric holes attached by a neck to a hook. The overlapping non-concentric holes being adapted to receive a pneumatic hose and quick-connect coupler body. The hook includes an inner hook leg attached to an outer hook leg by a bridge. The bridge connects to the neck. A side profile of the inner hook leg, the bridge and the outer hook leg form substantially a u-shape adapted to secure the hook of the pneumatic hose fastener to another surface. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail, wherein like reference numerals refer to identical or similar components or steps, with reference to the following figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a right-side view of the pneumatic hose fastener. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a left side view of the pneumatic hose fastener. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a top perspective of the pneumatic hose fastener laying on its left side. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a rear view of the pneumatic hose fastener laying on its left side. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a front perspective of the pneumatic hose fastener. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a bottom perspective of the pneumatic hose fastener. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a front perspective of the pneumatic hose fastener focusing on the inner hook leg. 
         FIG. 8  shows a right-side view of the pneumatic hose fastener attached to a hose connected to a quick-connect coupler body. 
         FIG. 9  shows a top perspective of the pneumatic hose fastener attached to a hose connected to a quick-connect coupler body. 
         FIG. 10  shows a bottom perspective of the pneumatic hose fastener attached to a hose connected to a quick-connect coupler body. 
         FIG. 11  a front perspective of the pneumatic hose fastener attached to a hose connected to a quick-connect coupler body further attached to the hose body in a storage position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Particular embodiments of the subject disclosure will now be described in greater detail with reference to the figures. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a right-side view of the pneumatic hose fastener  10 . The pneumatic hose fastener  10  has a top shelf or flange  11  having two overlapping non-concentric holes  12 ,  14  (as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 6 ) for the attachment of a pneumatic hose  30  and a quick-connect coupler body  40  (as shown in  FIG. 8 ). The pneumatic hose fastener  10  has an attachment hook  20  attached to the flange  11  by a neck  26 . 
     The attachment hook  20  is substantially u-shaped and is composed of an outer hook leg  21  connected by a horizontal bridge  24  to an inner hook leg  22 . The horizontal bridge  24  of the attachment hook  20  is connected to the flange  11  by the neck  26 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , the u-shaped construction of the attachment hook  20  is adapted to be friction fit snugly onto another object  5 , such as a belt, a utility belt, a belt portion of a pair of trousers, or the like. 
     The pneumatic hose fastener  10  may be of a one-piece construction. However, it is to be understood that the pneumatic hose fastener  10  may be of a modular construction. The pneumatic hose fastener  10  in the embodiment shown may be made of approximately 16-gauge steel, however it is contemplated that the pneumatic hose fastener  10  could be formed from other material such as aluminum, copper, brass, various metal alloys, plastic, carbon fiber, textiles and/or similar strong rigid material. The gauge of the material used in the construction of the pneumatic hose fastener  10  could be larger or smaller as well. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a left side view of the pneumatic hose fastener  10  next to a ruler for one perspective. However, it is to be understood that the pneumatic hose fastener  10  may take variety of sizes and shapes according to this disclosed subject matter. Shown is the left side view of the pneumatic hose fastener  10  illustrating the outer hook leg  21  of the attachment hook  20 , which is disposed on the outer perimeter of the pneumatic hose fastener  10 , and together with the inner hook leg  22  are constructed in a substantially u-shaped configuration. As shown, the outer hook leg  21  is provided as a single u-shape leg, each end of the outer hook leg  21  having corresponding horizontal bridges  24  adapted to attach the outer hook leg  21  to the inner hook leg  22  through the neck  26 . It is to be understood that the outer hook leg  21  may be constructed in a variety of different configurations including a pair of disconnected outer hook legs  21  joined at the horizontal bridge  24 . 
     As shown, the attachment hook  20  is constructed with a predetermined length adapted to provide a friction fit with the belt  5  that would make removal of the pneumatic hose fastener  10  difficult without manual removal. A lower outer end  21   a  of the outer hook leg  21  has a slight outward flair. And, a lower inner end  22   a  of the inner hook leg  22  has a slight inward flair. The flaired portions of the lower outer end  21   a  and lower inner end  22   a  are provided to allow a user to easily attach the attachment hook  20  portion of the pneumatic hose fastener  10  to another object, such as the belt  5  or other item. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the spatial arrangement of the attachment hook  20  relative to the flange  11 . That is, the inner hook leg  22 , and the horizontal bridge  24  that extends into the inner hook leg  22 . The u-shape attachment hook  20  is attached to the flange  11  through the neck  26 . 
     Although the width of the pneumatic hose fastener  10  is shown as approximately 2 inches from a first end to a second end, it is contemplated that the pneumatic hose fastener  10  could be made larger or smaller and/or wider or thinner to accommodate larger or smaller pneumatic hoses  30  and/or quick-connect coupler bodies  40 , or to better fit with larger or smaller points of attachments. The size of the non-concentric holes  12 ,  14  could be kept static with a larger or smaller construction or could adopt different sized configurations as well. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a top perspective of the pneumatic hose fastener  10  that shows the non-concentric holes  12 ,  14  designed to accommodate two different sized pneumatic hoses  30  and quick-connect coupler body  40  configurations. The National Pipe Thread (NPT) standard recommends two different industry standard sized hoses, both ¼″ and ⅜″ sized hoses. The pneumatic hose fastener  10  has two non-concentric holes  12 , 14  designed to fit these two standard NPT sizes. The non-concentric holes  12 ,  14  are not fully concentric and overlapping in order to facilitate the installation of the pneumatic hose  30  and a mating attachment of the quick-connect coupler body  40 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the construction of the flange  11  in more detail. A waist  13  portion is disposed between the larger non-concentric hole  14  and the smaller non-concentric hole  12 . The waist  13  acts as a retainer or safety device to lock the quick-connect coupler body  40  in place on the flange  11  of the pneumatic hose fastener  10  as shown in  FIG. 8 . Likewise, the waist  13  acts as a sliding stop retainer to prevent the pneumatic hose  30  attached to the quick-connect coupler body  40  from sliding from the smaller non-concentric hole  12  (such as a ¼ inch) into the larger non-concentric hole  14  (such as a ⅜ inch) and becoming loosened and/or disconnected. The waist  13  has a pinched point between the larger non-concentric hole  14  and the smaller non-concentric hole  12 . The pinch point is smaller than the outer diameter of the smaller non-concentric hole  12  so that the pneumatic hose  30  that is snugly placed within the smaller non-concentric hole  12  does not slip out of position. Likewise, when a larger pneumatic hose  30  is placed within the larger non-concentric hole  14 , the larger pneumatic hose  30  would not slip out of its position. As described in more detail later, to install the pneumatic hose  30  into the pneumatic hose fastener  10 , the quick-connect coupler body  40  would be disconnected from a mating fitting  32  on the end of the pneumatic hose  30 . The end of the mating fitting  32  would be inserted into one of the non-concentric holes  12 ,  14  and the end of the quick-connect coupler body  40  would be reconnected to the end of the mating fitting  32  that has been located within one of the non-concentric holes  12 ,  14  as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
     Likewise, the inner hook leg  22  and the outer hook leg  21  of the attachment hook  20  is also another safety feature designed to provide a friction fit clamp on to another item such as the belt  5  in order to protect the pneumatic hose  30  and the quick-connect coupler body  40  from accidentally disengaging from the pneumatic hose fastener  10  attached to a user. The position and configuration of the inner hook leg  22  and the outer hook leg  21  of the attachment hook  20  prevents the quick-connect coupler body  40  from pulling back and releasing from the pneumatic hose fastener  10 . 
     The size, configuration and number of the non-concentric holes  12 ,  14  may be different in order to accommodate different sized hoses or coupler bodies. For example, the size of the larger non-concentric hole  14  and the smaller non-concentric hole  12  could be adapted for use with standards of various countries that require particular standards, such as the U.S. customary system, the metric system and/or any other suitable standard for measurement. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a rear view of the pneumatic hose fastener  10  that shows the outer hook leg  21  and the inner hook leg  22  of the attachment hook  20 . In the embodiment shown, the outer hook leg  21  of the attachment hook  20  is substantially u-shaped having an open body configuration. The top of the outer hook leg  21  is connected by the horizontal bridge  24  to the inner hook leg  22  and the flange  11  of the pneumatic hose fastener  10 . As shown, the bottom portions of the outer hook leg  21  and the inner hook leg  22  of the attachment hook  20  flair slightly away from each other to facilitate an easy attachment and help to align the pneumatic hose fastener  10  when the user plans to hang their equipment to their belt  5 . It is contemplated that the outer hook leg  21  and the inner hook leg  22  of the attachment hook  20  could adopt a variety of shapes and sizes. For example, the outer hook leg  21  could have an open bottom portion, or an enclosed middle portion. Similarly, the inner hook leg  22  could be substantially u-shaped, triangular, elliptical, circular, and/or any other applicable shape. 
       FIG. 5  shows a front view of the pneumatic hose fastener  10 . The pneumatic hose fastener  10  may take a variety of different dimensions and/or constructions. In one embodiment, the pneumatic hose fastener  10  may be approximately 2.25″ in height from the top to the bottom. However, the height of the pneumatic hose fastener  10  could be larger or smaller depending on the configuration. As shown, the inner hook leg  22  is disposed in front of the outer hook leg  21  of the attachment hook  20  and flairs away from the outer hook leg  21 . The lower end of the outer hook leg  21  may be constructed to slightly flair away from the inner hook leg  22  in the opposite direction. However, the outer hook leg  21  and the inner hook leg  22  could be made with complementary curving portions in order to facilitate attachment and the holding of the pneumatic hose  30  and quick-connect coupler body  40 . 
       FIG. 6  shows a bottom perspective of the pneumatic hose fastener  10 . From this perspective the bottom of the two non-concentric holes  12 ,  14  of the flange  11  are shown. The smaller non-concentric hole  12  (such as for a ¼ inch hose) merges and slightly overlaps with the larger non-concentric hole  14  (such as for a ⅜ inch hose). These non-concentric holes  12 ,  14  are adapted for use with the two NPT standard sized hoses. Between the larger non-concentric hole  14  and smaller non-concentric hole  12  is the waist  13  that narrows the space between the non-concentric holes  12 ,  14 . As mentioned previously, the waist  13  prevents the quick-connect coupler body  40  and the pneumatic hose  30  from being jostled from with the respective non-concentric holes  12 ,  14  and/or disconnected from the pneumatic hose fastener  10  during use. 
       FIG. 7  shows a front view of the pneumatic hose fastener  10 . In the embodiment shown, the pneumatic hose fastener  10  may be constructed to be approximately 1.5 inches in width. However, the pneumatic hose fastener  10  could be wider or narrower depending on its intended use.  FIG. 7  also illustrates the inner hook leg  22 . The inner hook leg  22  is shown with a lower end in the shape of a U with an enclosed middle. The inner hook leg  22  is shown as a single piece of steel with parallel edges and a curved bottom portion that flairs towards the front of the pneumatic hose fastener  10 . In the attachment hook  20 . there is a space between the outer hook leg  21  and the inner hook leg  22  used from attaching the pneumatic hose fastener  10  to the belt  5 , such as a pocket, bag, belt, ladder, trousers or the like. In use, there is friction fit and compression tension between the inner hook leg  22  and the outer hook leg  21  that assists in keeping the pneumatic hose fastener  10  attached to the surface by way of the friction fit and the compression force within the attachment hook  20 . It is contemplated that the inner hook leg  22  could snap behind the outer hook leg  21  in a locked position, or vice versa, in order to provide an even tighter attachment. 
       FIG. 8  shows a right-side view of the pneumatic hose fastener  10  attached to the quick-connect coupler body  40  and the mating fitting  32  attached to an end of the pneumatic hose  30 . The mating fitting  32  is connected to the quick-connect coupler body  40  through the smaller non-concentric hole  12 . The inner hook leg  22  is designed to secure and protect the pneumatic hose  30  and quick-connect coupler body  40  from accidentally disengaging. Accordingly, the inner hook leg  22  is shown as substantially the length of the quick-connect coupler body  40 . The lower portions of the attachment hook  20  and the inner hook leg  22  flair in opposite directions in order to facilitate attachment of a friction fit attachment, and to assist in aligning the pneumatic hose fastener  10  when the user plans to hang their equipment. 
       FIG. 9  shows a top perspective of the pneumatic hose fastener  10  attached between the quick-connect coupler body  40  and the mating fitting  32 . The tight fit between the mating fitting  32  of the pneumatic hose  30  and the smaller non-concentric hole  12  in the flange  11  is shown. A pinch point  15  in the waist  13  between the non-concentric holes  12 ,  14  prevents the pneumatic hose  30  from slipping into the larger non-concentric hole  14  of the two non-concentric holes  12 ,  14  and potentially causing slop and/or disengaging the pneumatic hose fastener  10  from the smaller hose  12 . The flange  11  may also serves as a guard that slips into a slot disposed in a female recessed portion of the quick-connect coupler body  40 . This engagement serves to prevent the pneumatic hose fastener  10  from sliding back and releasing the connection between the pneumatic hose  30  and the quick-connect coupler body  40 . 
       FIG. 10  shows a bottom perspective of the pneumatic hose fastener  10 . The hose  30  connects to the quick-connect coupler body  40  through the smaller non-concentric hole  12  of the two non-concentric holes  12 ,  14  in the flange  11  of the pneumatic hose fastener  10 . This arrangement provides a secure connection between the pneumatic hose  30  and the quick-connect coupler body  40  through the pneumatic hose fastener  10  for further attachment to an attachment surface.  FIG. 10  also shows the neck  26  that attaches the horizontal bridge  24  between the outer hook leg  21  and inner hook leg  22  of the attachment hook  20  to the flange  11 . The neck  26  is sized for the inner hook leg  22  to be substantially the size of the quick-connect coupler body  40 , however, the neck  26  could be larger or smaller to facilitate different sized coupler bodies or attachment configurations. 
       FIG. 11  shows the pneumatic hose fastener  10  attached between the mating fitting  32  of the pneumatic hose  30  and the quick-connect coupler body  40  in a storage position. The pneumatic hose fastener  10  is designed to remain attached to the pneumatic hose  30  and the quick-connect coupler body  40  when in a storage position. The attachment portions and non-concentric holes  12 ,  14  provide different storage options for the user. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a hook and loop fastener  50  that can be used to connect the pneumatic hose fastener  10  to a coiled length of the pneumatic hose  30 . In storage, the hook and loop fastener  50  can be used to easily attach the pneumatic hose fastener  10  to a pneumatic hose  30  during non-use and hung with the pneumatic hose  30 . Alternative, the pneumatic hose fastener  10  could be used as a hanger in which the hose  30  and pneumatic hose fastener  10  can be hung from any surface of the pneumatic hose fastener  10 , such as various attachment portions or from the non-concentric holes  12 ,  14 . 
     The illustrations and examples provided herein are for explanatory purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that changes, or modifications may be made to the above described embodiment without departing from the broad inventive concepts of the invention. It is understood therefore that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment, which is described, but is intended to cover all modifications and changes within the scope and spirit of the invention.