Patent Publication Number: US-6905087-B2

Title: Hose reel device

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a hose reel device that includes a resistance device for reduce the force and speed of the hose with a heavy end when retrieving the hose. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A conventional hose reel device  10  is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  and generally includes a mandrel  12  located in a casing  11  and a rotatable member  14  is mounted to the mandrel  12 . A coil spring  13  is fixed to the mandrel  12  and one end of the coil spring  13  is fixed to the mandrel  12  and the other end of the coil spring  13  is fixed to a notch  141  defined in a periphery of the rotatable member  14 , so that when the coil spring  13  is released, the rotatable member  14  is rotated to retrieve the hose “a” which is wrapped around the rotatable member  14 . A sprinkle or a nozzle “a′” is connected to a distal end of the hose “a” and is extended out from the opening  16  of the hose reel device  10  and a roller assembly  15  located in the opening  16 . A plurality of positioning members  17  which includes slots  171  and stops  172 . A pawl  18  is connected to a spring  181  so as to be engaged with the slots  171 , such that the rotatable member  14  can only be rotated in one direction. A lever  19  is pivotably connected to the casing  11  and can be operated to engage with the stop  172  such that the rotatable member  14  cannot be rotated and the hose “a” is fixed at a desired length. When retrieving the hose “a”, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the lever  19  is disengaged from the stop  172  and the pawl  18  is disengaged from the slots  171 . The coil spring  13  is then released freely to retrieve the hose “a”. Nevertheless, because the coil spring  13  is released freely, so that the metal or heavy sprinkle or nozzle “a′ ”connected to the remote end of the hose “a” moves at a high speed and could damage objects that are hit by the sprinkle or nozzle “a′”. 
     The present invention intends to provide a hose reel device which includes a resistance device that reduces the retrieving speed of the hose so as to improve the shortcoming of the conventional hose reel device. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hose reel device which comprises a casing having a box received therein and a mandrel located in the box for a hose being wrapped on the mandrel. A side plate is connected to an end of the box and has a shaft extending from an inside of the side plate so that a coil spring is mounted to the shaft. A transmission gear set is located between the box and the side plate and includes a first gear co-axially connected to an axle of the mandrel. A second gear is co-axially connected to the coil spring and engaged with the first gear. A resistance gear set is engaged with the first gear and includes a clutch member which disengages the rotational movement of the first gear from the resistance gear set when pulling the hose, and connects the rotational movement of the first gear to the resistance gear set when retrieving the hose. 
     The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is side view to show a conventional hose reel device when the rotation member is fixed; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view to show the conventional hose reel device when the rotation member is rotated to retrieve the hose; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view to show the hose reel device of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view to show the hose reel device of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view to show the clutch member is not yet activated to engage with the fourth gear; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view to show the tongues of the clutch member are expanded to engage with the fourth gear; 
         FIG. 7  shows that the locking gear is locked by the pawl of the hose reel device of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  shows that the locking gear is released from the pawl of the hose reel device of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  shows a pneumatic pipe is connected to the extension tube of the mandrel; 
         FIG. 10  shows an electric receptacle is connected to an end of the extension tube, and 
         FIG. 11  shows a rope is wrapped on the mandrel of the hose reel device of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  7 , the hose reel device of the present invention comprises a casing  20  which is composed of two halves  21  and has an opening  22  defined therethrough. A fixing port  26  is connected to the casing  20  so as to fix the casing  20  on a wall. A box  50  is received in the casing  20  and composed of two boards with connection rods  23  connected therebetween. A mandrel  30  is rotatably disposed in the box  50  by an axle  32  and has a connection member  31  so that a hose “a” is connected to the connection member  31  and wrapped on the mandrel  30 . A guidance piece  80  is movably connected to the connection rods  23  so as to guide the hose “a”. 
     A side plate  70  is connected to an end of the box  50  and has a shaft  41  extending from an inside of the side plate  70 . A coil spring  40  is mounted to the shaft  41  and has a first end fixed to a slit  411  defined in the shaft  41 . A wall extends from the side plate  70  and encloses a space  71  for receiving the coil spring  40 . A notch  711  defined in the wall and a second end of the coil spring  40  is engaged with the notch  711 . 
     A transmission gear set  60  is located between the box  50  and the side plate  70  by mounting gears thereof to the gear shafts  33  on the side plate  70 . The transmission gear set  60  includes a first gear  61  which co-axially connected to an axle  32  of the mandrel  30 . A second gear  62  is co-axially connected to the coil spring  40  and engaged with the first gear  61 . A transmission gear  64  is engaged with the first gear  61  and a driving gear  65  respectively. The driving gear  65  drives the guidance piece  80  which evenly wraps the hose onto the mandrel  30 . 
     A resistance gear set  63  is engaged with the first gear  61  and includes a third gear  631  which is engaged with the first gear  61  and has only one-fifth of the number of teeth of the first gear  61 . A fourth gear  632  is co-axially connected to the third gear  631 . A fifth gear  634  is engaged with the fourth gear  632  and has only one-fifth of the number of teeth of the fourth gear  632 . A sixth gear  635  is co-axially connected to the fifth gear  634 . A locking gear  51  is engaged with the sixth gear  635  and a flywheel  636  is co-axially connected to the locking gear  51 . 
     The fourth gear  632  includes a plurality of holes  6321  defined therethrough and a clutch member  633  is located between the third gear  631  and the fourth gear  632 . The clutch member  633  has a plurality of tongues  6331  ( FIG. 6 ) which are pivotably connected to the clutch member  633 . The tongues  6331  can be expanded to engage with the holes  6321  in the fourth gear  632  when the hose is retrieved. 
     A control member  24  is pivotably connected to the casing  20  and includes a lever  241  and a pawl  242  which disengagably locks locking gear  51  by operating the lever  241 . As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 7 , when the pawl  242  is engaged with the locking gear  51 , and the hose “a” is pulled out from the casing  20 , the rotational direction of the clutch member  633  cannot expand the tongues  6331  to engage with the holes  6321  in the fourth gear  632 , so that there is less resistance for the user to pull the hose “a”. Even if the hose “a” is released during pulling, because the locking gear  51  is not allowed to rotate by the pawl  242 , the hose “a” cannot be retrieved. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , when retrieving the hose “a”, the lever  241  is pivoted and the pawl  242  is removed from the locking gear  51 . The coil spring  40  pulls the hose “a” and the first gear  61  activates the resistance gear set  63 , and the rotational direction of the clutch member  633  expands the tongues  6331  to engage the holes  6321  in the fourth gear  632 , so that the friction between the gears of resistance gear set  63  reduces the speed of the retrieve of the hose “a”. The flywheel  636  stores energy when the coil spring  40  is totally released and this energy effectively retrieves the last section of the hose “a”. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , an extension tube  311  is connected to the mandrel  30  and extends out from the casing  20  and an adapter  34  is connected to the extension tube  311  so that a pneumatic hose “b” can be connected to the adapter  34 . A plurality of extension plates  25  extend outward from the casing  20  so as to define a space to organize pneumatic hose “b”. 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , an electric receptacle “c′ ”is connected to an end of the extension tube  311  so that the hose reel can also be used to receive electric wires “c”. 
       FIG. 11  shows that if a rope “d” is wrapped on the mandrel  30 , an end plate  35  is used to fixed an end of the rope “d” at the distal end of the extension tube  311 . 
     While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.