Patent Document

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a holder for corrugated vacuum cleaner hoses and the like. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Vacuum cleaners are common household, shop, and outdoor tools. Many vacuum cleaners have a body containing an air pump and a depository for debris. The body is connected to a hose used to draw air and debris into the machine. Specialized cleaning tools are attached to the free end of the hose to facilitate cleaning tasks. 
     Vacuum cleaner hoses come in a variety of sizes and diameters. Smaller diameter hoses are preferred for collecting liquid debris and interior house cleaning, while larger diameter hoses are useful for collecting larger debris found in a workshop or outdoors. One vacuum cleaner can use a number of different size hoses. 
     The hoses are long, stiff and intentionally non-collapsible. Commonly, vacuum hoses have circumferential or spiral wound corrugations that extend along the length of the hose. This structure increases hose strength and permits flexing of the hose but makes hose storage difficult. 
     Storage racks that can accommodate vacuum cleaner hoses are known. The racks may be wall mounted or mounted on the vacuum cleaner body. Some of these racks are constructed from molded plastic or metal frames. The racks are large, expensive and complicated to produce and assemble. They cannot be stored compactly, a feature desirable for reducing packaging and transport cost. Often, conventional racks are not designed to accept hoses of different diameters. 
     Installation of racks mountable on vacuum cleaner bodies is problematic. Racks must be made to custom fit specific vacuum cleaner designs. Racks must be mounted with care to vacuum cleaner bodies to avoid damaging the air pump or breaching the debris depository. 
     There is additional difficulty when vacuum cleaner hoses are stored in rooms with unfinished walls having exposed studs, such as closets, basements or garages. These rooms lack a continuous flat mounting surface. Conventional wall-mounted hose storage racks are difficult to mount on walls with exposed studs and do not make efficient use of available space between studs. 
     Therefore, there is need for a mountable holder for corrugated vacuum cleaner hoses that is inexpensive to produce and easy for a user to assemble and mount on a variety of support structures. The holder should accommodate vacuum cleaner hoses of various diameter sizes and types and should be compact for efficient shipping and pre-sale display. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is a two-part mounted holder for corrugated vacuum cleaner hoses. The holder can be mounted on a variety of supports such as flat walls, unfinished walls having exposed studs, directly to a vacuum cleaner body, handles attached to a vacuum cleaner body, and the like. The holder stores coiled corrugated vacuum cleaner hoses of different types and sizes and consists of a pair of hose support members preferably molded from thermoplastic. The holder is compact and can be easily and inexpensively produced. 
     Each support member has a base and at least one hose engaging rib projecting outwardly from the base. A lip preferably extends from the outer end of each rib to keep a hose from falling off the holder. 
     The support members are mounted across from each other on a support so that the ribs on each support member face each other and each rib extends outwardly from the support. The support may be a continuous flat surface, such as a wall or a side of a vacuum cleaner body; a non-continuous flat surface such as a wall having exposed wall studs; or two separated support structures, such as a pair of spaced apart beams, tubular vacuum cleaner handles, and the like. 
     In use, a corrugated vacuum cleaner hose is coiled and opposite sides of the coil are compressed to fit between the support members. The hose is then positioned between the support members and released. As the hose expands, the outer sides of the coil engage the ribs on the support members. The ribs fall into or seat in the valleys on the outer sides of the hose. The spring resilience of the coiled hose forces the hose against the ribs and holds the hose in place on the support members. If required, the hose can be coiled a number of times before being positioned between the support members and released. 
     When the support members are mounted on a flat surface or between exposed wall studs, lips on the outer ends of the ribs will overlie a coiled hose placed in to the holder so that the lips hold the hose against the wall to prevent the hose from moving outwardly from the wall and off the holder. 
     When the support members are mounted on a support having two separated support structures, each rib preferably has a pair of lips extending outwardly from opposite ends of the rib. The hose is retained between the pair of lips to prevent the hose from moving off the holder. 
     When the holder is mounted on a support that is a wall or other vertical structure, the hose is held perpendicular to the ground. The holder also functions when the support is a wall or other structure not perpendicular to the ground. The holder is capable of positioning a hose at a variety of angles relative to the ground. 
     Each hose support member preferably has two spaced ribs. Alternatively, each support member may have a single hose engaging rib. 
     Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying five sheets of drawings illustrating three embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top view of a preform for a first embodiment hose support member; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the preform shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an end view of the preform shown in  FIG. 1  taken along line  3 — 3  of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a first embodiment support member formed from the perform shown in  FIGS. 1–3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a front view, partially broken away, of a first embodiment hose holder with a pair of support members shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view taken along line  6 — 6  of  FIG. 5 , with the holder mounted on a vertical wall; 
         FIG. 7  is a side view, partially broken away, of the first embodiment hose holder mounted on a vacuum cleaner body; 
         FIG. 8  is a view similar to  FIG. 6  of a second embodiment hose holder mounted on exposed wall studs; 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of a third embodiment hose holder mounted on a tubular support; and 
         FIG. 10  is an end view of the third embodiment hose holder taken along line  10 — 10  of  FIG. 9 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Corrugated vacuum cleaner hose holder  10  (see  FIG. 5 ) includes two hose support members  12  each formed from a molded plastic preform  14  shown in  FIGS. 1–3 . 
     Perform  14  includes an elongate rectangular base  16  extending the length of the preform. Rectangular base  16  has a uniform thickness. The base is made up of an elongate support panel  18  located at one end of the preform, a short support panel  20 , an arm panel  22  and an attachment panel  24 . Reduced thickness hinges  26 ,  28  and  30  join panels  18  and  20 , panels  20  and  22  and panels  22  and  24  respectively. 
     A pair of hose support ribs  32  extend along the length of support panel  18  from hinge  26  to preform end  34 . The ribs have a height above base panel  18  sufficient to extend into the valleys between corrugations in a vacuum cleaner hose. At end  34 , the ribs extend outwardly above base support panel  18  to form hose retention lips  36 . A pair of mounting holes  38  extends through base support panel  18 . Mounting holes  40  and  42  extend through panels  20  and  24 . Ribs  32  parallel each other and extend perpendicularly outwardly from base panel  18 . 
     Preform  14  shown in  FIGS. 1–3  may be folded to form hose support member  12  shown in  FIG. 4 . Support panel  18  is shown in the vertical position. Support panel  20  has been bent 90 degrees down from a position shown in  FIG. 1  about hinge  26  so that it extends 90 degrees away from the lower end  44  of panel  18 . Panel  22  is bent relative to panel  20  about hinge  28  through an angle greater than 90 degrees and angles back toward the upper end of panel  18 . Panel  24  is bent through a shallow angle about hinge  30  and rests flush on panel  18 , with hole  42  in panel  24  in alignment with hole  38  in panel  18 . A suitable fastener  46 , which may be a nut and bolt (or other threadable fastener), a pop rivet, or the like, extends through holes  42  and  38  to hold panel  24  against panel  18 . Panel  22  supports panel  18  with ribs  32  extending outwardly as shown. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates hose holder  10  supporting a coiled hose  52 . Support members  12  are across from each other with ribs  32  facing each other. 
     Vacuum cleaner hose  52  may be formed from a corrugated plastic tube and is stiffly flexible about the corrugations. The corrugations may be spiral wound or circumferential. In order to mount hose  52  in holder  10 , the hose is coiled into an elastically bowed section  54  having curved end sections  56  and  58  and side sections  60  extending between the end sections. The resiliency of the hose resists coiling and forms a spring biasing sides  60  outwardly or away from each other. 
     The coiled hose is placed in holder  10  by moving the sides  60  of the elastically bowed section  54  together a distance sufficiently close to permit moving the hose toward the wall past lips  36  and between the ribs  32  of each support member  12 . Elastically bowed section  54  is then released so that the side sections  60  move outwardly of section  54  due to the spring bias of the hose. Side sections  60  then engage ribs  32  as shown. The ribs  32  fit into valleys  62  between adjacent corrugations on the hose. The resiliency of the hose retains side sections  60  in engagement with ribs  32  so that the two support members  12  support the coiled hose on wall  48 . Lips  36  prevent the coiled hose from moving outwardly from wall  48  and off holder  10 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a single coil hose in holder  10 . If desired, a number of coils may be held. The hose is easily removed from the holder  10  by moving side sections  60  together away from adjacent support members  12  and then withdrawing the hose away from the holder  10 . 
     Holder  10  may also be used to support a corrugated vacuum cleaner hose having two side sections  60 , a curved upper section extending between the side sections  60 , and lower ends hanging free below side sections  60 . The resiliency of the curved upper section forms a spring that holds side section  60  outwardly in engagement with ribs  32  as described. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates hose holder  10  mounted on a vertical wall  28  and holding hose  52 . The two hose support members  12  are mounted at the same level on vertical wall  48  with the ribs  32  of each support member facing the other support member. Panels  20  rest flush on wall  48  and are secured to the wall by suitable fasteners  50  extending through holes  40 . As illustrated, the arm panels  22  support the panels  18  against outward deflection caused by hose  52  being mounted between the two hose support members  12 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates hose holder  10  mounted on a vacuum cleaner body  84 . Body  84  has a flat surface  86  so that the holder is normally parallel to ground  88 . The support members  12  are spaced sufficiently apart to hold a hose like hose  52 . The hose is coiled, compressed, moved into the space between support members  12  and released as previously described. The orientation of holder  10  relative to the ground  88  does not affect use of holder  10 . 
     A hose holder like holder  10  could also be integrally molded into vacuum cleaner body  84  with two integral support members like support members  12  having one or more ribs facing each other and spaced apart to receive a coiled hose. In yet another embodiment described further below, the hose holder is mounted on a handle  90  of vacuum cleaner body  84 . 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a second embodiment hose holder  70  mounted on a pair of spaced apart wall studs  74 . Holder  70  includes two hose support members  72 . Each support member  72  is formed from a preform similar to perform  14  but including a support panel  18 , with ribs  32  and lips  36 . Base panels  20  and  22  shown in  FIG. 1  are omitted and cut away at hinge  26 . 
     Each support member  72  is attached to an interior surface of a stud  74  mounted on vertical wall  76  by suitable fasteners  78  extending through holes  38 . Support members  72  extend outwardly perpendicularly from wall  76  at the same level with ribs  32  of each member facing the other member. 
     Holder  70  is shown holding coiled corrugated vacuum cleaner hose  80  between the two support members  72 . The coiled hose is compressed, placed between support member  72 , and then released so that the vertical sides  82  of the coil are elastically held outwardly into engagement with the inwardly facing ribs  32  to support the hose on wall  76 . 
     The hose support members  12  and  72  each have two spaced hose retention ribs  32 . The members may have single hose retention ribs as desired. A two-rib holder has the advantage that a mounting hole may be provided in the center of the support panel  18  and each member may be molded from a single mold. If a member were molded with a single side rib and a central mounting hole and the same member were mounted on both sides of the holder, the two ribs would be located at different levels, which would be aesthetically undesirable although functionally viable. 
       FIGS. 9 and 10  illustrate a third embodiment corrugated vacuum cleaner hose holder  100  suitable for mounting on tubular supports. Holder  100  includes two support members  102 . Holder  100  is shown mounted on handle  90  of the vacuum cleaner body  84 . 
     Each support member  102  has an elongate rectangular base  104  extending the length of the member. Rectangular base  104  has a uniform thickness. Two support ribs  106  extend along the length of base  104 . Ribs  106  are similar to ribs  32  described above. Ribs  106  parallel each other and extend perpendicularly upward from base  104 . Ribs  106  extend outwardly above each end of base  104  to form hose retention lips  108 . Socket  110  formed on base  104  has a curved mounting surface  112  sized to receive the tubular support. Mounting hole  114  extends though base  104  and a socket  110 . 
     The support members  102  are mounted on opposing sides of handle  90  so that the ribs  106  face each other. Handle  90  is received in sockets  110  and held by suitable fasteners  116  through the holes  114 . 
     A coiled hose is mounted on holder  100  so that lips  108  retain the hose laterally and the compressed resiliency of the hose retains hose side sections in engagement with ribs  106  to capture the hose. 
     Sockets  110  may be adapted to receive supports having non-curved or irregular shapes in alternate embodiments. 
     Plastic hose support members are disclosed. If desired, the member may be made of other materials having sufficient strength to support hoses, including wood and metal. 
     While I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of my invention, it is understood that these are capable of modification, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

Technology Category: 1