Patent Publication Number: US-2012032020-A1

Title: Hose hopper: a device to store hose and similar cord-like items

Description:
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED R &amp; D 
     Not applicable 
     NAMES OF PARTNERS TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
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     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention solves several problems prevailing in the prior art. These problems are manifested in three ways: (1) excessive exertion and frustration with the user-unfriendly operation, (2) equipment malfunction, failure, and wear, and (3) hose damage caused by the equipment. 
     There is a great demand (as evidenced by the several patents relating to Hose-Reels) for apparatus and methods for storing and transporting garden hose and other cord-like items such as electrical wire and electrical cable, gas pressure hose, hydraulic hose; vacuum hose, fiber rope, plastic rope And wire rope. Garden hose will be the specific item described in the application document although the invention applies to the several items listed above. 
     Most of the prior art patents and applications refer to the reel-type hose handling devices because of the many mechanical and moving parts required by their function; parts such as a separate length of inlet hose with connections at both ends, a rotary seal at the end of the spool with hose connections inside and outside the reel, a crankshaft through a bushing on the frame, rotation locks to hold the reel in the desired position, a retractable crank handle with position locks, spool shaft bushings, wheels with wheel bearings, hose distributor, foot pads to prevent disrupting movement of the device while cranking. 
     These features are described in the prior art patents and patent applications listed below: 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,520 refers to several prior art features whose problems are solved by this disclosed invention, for instance problems such as: 
     the hose structure is strained beyond its yield by winding the hose around a small diameter spool. The disclosed HOSE HOPPER invention allows the hose to establish its own coil diameter without strain. 
     The reel has two hose connections attached to it: an inlet through a rotary seal in the shaft , and a fixed one attached to the circumference of the spool. Both of these are susceptable to leakage and wear and require user action to connect the hoses. The HOSE HOPPER does not have these features and, thus, eliminates the problem. 
     The prior art disclosed by this and any other patents for hose reels all include mechanical features that are subject to wear, malfunction and breakage, and user exertion. The HOSE HOPPER has no mechanisms, except wheels, and, thus has none of these problems. 
     U. S. Patent Application # 20040084084 ads folding crank handle with position locks that can break or malfunction or wear out, none of which can occur with the HOSE HOPPER since it does not have a crank or any other mechanism. 
     Patent Application # 20030183276 puts the hose in a hole in the ground which makes the storage immovable. The HOSE HOPPER is portable and can still be protected from the elements inside a building or with a cover. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENYION 
     This invention uses two principles of physics: gravity and elasticity, to easily load, store, transport and unload a portable storage container while eliminating most of thr problems experienced with the use of prior art devices and methods such as hose reels, which require several mechanisms and mechanical parts, and which require excessive exertion by the user. Gravity and elasticity are applied to the flexible strand material such as hose, electrical cord, rope, wire rope, and similar items ,through the unique conical configuration and orientation of the container. 
    
    
     SPECIFICATION (DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION) 
     The invention described herein is a portable container which is loaded and unloaded through the top with garden hose (identified as such for this specification, but applicable to use with other strand configuration materials such as electrical cords, gas pressure hose, hydraulic hose, vacuum hose, fiber cord, plastic cord, wire rope, and other linearly flexible strand items). 
     The HOSE HOPPER consists of a hollow cone with truncated apex down and positioned on and attached to a two-wheeled axle with the wheels located and elevated to provide two points of a three-point stand upon which the HOSE HOPPER reposes. The third point of the stand is a rigid leg attached to the Cone and positioned relative to the two wheels to place the axis of the HOSE HOPPER at the appropriate angle from the horizon to allow gravity and elasticity to settle the hose in coils within the periphery of the cone without straining the hose structure by otherwise forcing it into a small diameter such as would occur on a small reel. This angle (together with the shape of the cone) also reduces overlap of the loops Of the coil formed. 
     While the cone configuration and orientation must remain the same, the size of the HOSE HOPPER can be varied according to the requirements of the items being contained. The size of the prototype is sufficient to contain two one-hundred foot long, ⅝ inch industrial grade rubber hose Although the prototype HOSE HOPPER performed as well with electrical cable, hydraulic hose, compressed air hose, fiber cord, and vacuum hose as with garden hose, it need not have been the Same size. If a smaller size is fabricated it may not require wheels; a rigid stand and a carrying handle might be sufficient. 
     The material of construction for the prototype is metal; but composite material might be satisfactory, and easier to fabricate, and weigh less, and cost less.