GB2240538A

GB2240538A - Hose reel

Info

Publication number: GB2240538A
Application number: GB9002552A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Patrick Cosgrove
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-02-06
Filing date: 1990-02-06
Publication date: 1991-08-07
Also published as: GB9002552D0

Abstract

The reel comprises a drum of snap-locked together, plastics parts 11, 12, 13 having metal flanges 14, 15 bolted thereto by bolts 36. The drum accommodates a pipe 19 connected at one end to a mains water supply and closed off at its other end, and with at least one slot 20 between its ends. Rotatably mounted on the pipe within the drum is sleeve 34 covering the slot(s) 20 and connected to pipe 33 whose angled section 35 projects through a drum opening for connection to a wound hose. The pipe 19 may house an automatic valve unit which is cammed open as the hose is unwound from the reel. The reel may have a plate 22 for engaging a wall bracket 39. <IMAGE>

Description

A HOSE REEL HOSE REEL This invention relates to hose reels and in particular to hose reels adapted for mounting on a wall or the like support structure. The hose reel of the present invention may be adapted for manual operation or automatic operation upon unwinding of the hose from the reel.

The present invention provides a hose reel comprising an interlocking multi-section drum assembly provided at each end with hose retaining discs the drum being adapted to both accommodate and rotate around a pipe connected in use at one end to a water supply and effectively closed off at its free end and provided with at least one opening intermediate its end and having mounted thereon in a sealed manner around said opening and for rotation thereon a pipe sleeve member having associated therewith a secondary pipe one end of which projects through the drum assembly to engage in use one end of a hose which may be wound around the drum assembly.

The invention also provides a hose reel in which the pipe has operatively associated therewith an automatic valve unit which comprises a rod member with a valve head housed within a core member which core member is itself located within the pipe the core member having an opening associated with the opening in the pipe, the rod also carrying a cam adapted to react to a cam follower mounted on a cover member attached to the drum assembly whereby in use rotation of the drum assembly causes the cam follower to move the cam and hence move the rod relative the core member secured to the pipe to move the valve head to an open position.

The invention will be understood from the following description of embodiments thereof given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the hose reel of the present invention Fig. 2 is a left hand side view of the hose reel of Fig. 1 Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the hose reel of Fig. 1 Fig. 4 is a right hand side view of the hose reel of Fig. 1 Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic detail view of the main body component of the hose reel Fig. 6 is a detail view of a gooseneck tee component of the hose reel Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional plan view of the gooseneck tee component of Fig. 5 Fig. 8 is an exploded view of the components of the hose reel in an aligned position for assembly Fig. 9 is a cross-section view of the assembly hose reel; and Fig. 10 is a cross-section view of a second embodiment of the hose reel, this embodiment incorporating an automatic value unit.

Referring to Figs. 1-9 of the accompanying drawings the hose reel of the present invention comprises a multi-part moulded plastics drum section 10 consisting in the embodiment of three parts an inner drum section 11, a centre drum section 12 and an outer drum section 13 bounded at each end by a hose retaining metal disc 14 and 15. In Fig. 1 the free end 16 of a moulded plastics gooseneck tee 17 is shown protruding from the drum section 10 which houses the gooseneck tee component 17 and a moulded plastics main body component 18 as hereinafter described. The free end 16 of the gooseneck tee is securely attached in use to one end of a rubber or plastics hose (not shown) which hose is then wound around the drum assembly 11, 12, 13 and retained thereon in a wound and stored position by the retaining and in use protective discs 14 and 15.

The main body component 18 which is illustrated in Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings consists of a pipe 19 having a slot 20 and two plates 21 and 22 which enclose an open ended second pipe 23 which is at right angles to the pipe 19 and operatively connected thereto.

The pipe 19 is formed with spaced apart recesses 24 and 25 positioned on each side of the slot 20 and adapted in use to locate and support 0-rings 26.

The two open ends 30, 31 of the second pipe 23 may be screw threaded to first accommodate a mains water supply pipe and second at the opposite end a plug member 29. It will be understood that the water supply pipe may be connected to either end of the second pipe 23 to facilitate installation and the second open end of the second pipe 23 is then plugged using the plug member 29 to seal off that end.

Figs. 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings illustrate a gooseneck tee 17 which in use is operatively connected to the main body component 18 and is housed within the assembled under drum section 11 and the centre drum 12 section with the free end 16 of the gooseneck tee 17 projecting through an opening 32 in the drum assembly 11, 12. The gooseneck tee consists of pipe sections 33, 34 moulded as a tee shaped pipe and connected to an angled pipe section 35 secured by two dowels 33a into the pipe 33 and sealed by 0-rings 35a housed in grooves 34a. The use of the dowels 33a located in grooves in the pipe section 35 serve to prevent turning between the pipe section 35 and the pipe 33.The free end 16 of the pipe section 35 is adapted in use to project, as already mentioned, through an opening 32 in the inner drum/centre drum assembly 11, 12 for connection in use to a hose to be wound around the drum assembly 11, 12, 13 of the hose reel. The free end 16 of the pipe section 35 is provided with serrations 16a to facilitate connection of the free end 16 to the hose.

In order to facilitate operative assembly of the gooseneck tee 18 onto the main body component 16 a portion of the inner surface of the pipe 34 which must slide over the 0-rings 36, to provide sealing between the pipe 34 and the pipe 19, is recessed. The provision of the slightly recessed portion on the inner surface of the pipe 34 allows the ready assembly of these components without damage to the 0-rings by allowing the 0-rings to expand freely and providing only a sealing action between the pipes 34, 19 only when pipe 34 is fully located over pipe 19. A plug member 27 is secured into the open end of the pipe 19 by screw thread. The sealing between the plug 27 and the pipe 19 to effectively close the pipe 19 is effected by means of an 0-ring 28 housed in a slot in the plug 27.The plug 27 may be secured in the open end 28 of the pipe 34 in any conventional manner - in the present instance the plug 27 and the open end 28 of the pipe 34 are screw threaded to facilitate a sealing engagement of the two parts.

with the O-rings 36 providing the relevant seals water accessing from pipe 19 into pipe 34 via the slot 20 is constrained to pass into pipe 33 to pipe 35 to the end 16 connected to the hose.

The inner, centre and outer drum section 11, 12 and 13 are each provided with complementary locating recesses and projections which allow the sections to be properly aligned relative to each other and then snaplock assembled.

Referring to Fig. 8 of the accompanying drawings the assembled components are locked together by four bolts 36 which pass through aligned holes provided in each of the appropriate reel components namely the plate 21 the disc 15 the drum section 11, 12 and 13 and the disc 14. The free ends of the bolts 36 are screw threaded to engage nuts 37 which when tightened on the bolts 36 lock the assembled hose reel components together. A protective place 38 which snap-locks onto the disc 14 in conventional manner covers the nuts 37 and bolt ends.

The assembled hose reel is adapted for mounting upon a wall. This is achieved by providing a wall bracket 39 with formed tapered grooves 40, 41 which locate and fully support the plate 22 to hold the hose reel in position.

In use the wall mounted hose reel is connected to a valve controlled mains water supply. In the event of a fire the mains valve is opened to supply mains water to the pipe 23. The hose is unwound from the reel and water is fed from the pipe 23 to the pipe 19, through the slot 20 to the pipe 34 and then through the pipe 35 to the end 16 connected to the hose.

Referring to Fig. 10 of the accompanying drawings there is illustrated in detail cross-section of an automatic valve unit which can to advantage be incorporated in the construction of hose reel already described. In this embodiment the mains water supply is in an on or open position continuously. The opening of the automatic valve unit is activated by the unwinding of the hose from the reel namely the rotation of the drum to unwind the hose is adapted to open the valve and allow water pass from the inlet pipe to the hose.

The automatic valve unit comprises a cylindrical rod 40 having at one end a valve head member 41 with a seal 42. The rod 40 is provided immediate its ends with pins 43 and 44 and at the end remote from the head member 41 there is provided a screw member 45 which holds a spring 46 in position under a cap 47. The cylindrical rod 40 is mounted within a plastics core 48 having slots 49 to act as guides for the pin 43 and a recessed housing 50 for the pin 44. The outer surface of the core is provided with 0-ring seals 51 and a screw threaded portion 52.

The valve unit is inserted into the pipe 19 and secured in position by engaging the screw threaded portion 52 of the core 48 of the valve unit with the threaded inner surface of the pipe 19. The seals 51 engage the inner surface of the pipe 19 in a position to generally align the slots 49 with the slots 20 of the pipe 19 and with the pipes 33, 34, 35 of the gooseneck tee 17 such that once the valve head member 41 is moved longitudinally in the direction of arrow A the mains water supply can flow through the valve unit and via slots 49, 20 to pipes 331 34 and 35 to the end 16 of thegooseneck tee 17 and into the hose.

The end of the pipe 19 and the core 48 of the valve unit are engaged together as one unit by a plate 53 which engages the end of the pipe 19 and which is attached to the core 48 by lock pins 54. A cam member 55 is mounted on the rod 40 and is provided with slots which embrace the pin 44 to ensure that the cam 55 is fixed in a rotational sense on the rod 40. The cam 55 is provided with a helical cam track 56. A cover member 57 is placed over the cam 55 and secured to the drum 12 by screws 59. The cover member 57 has a follower pin 58 which is positioned to engage in use the cam track 56.

The end of the spring 46 abuts the cam.

It will be understood that when the hose reel is wall mounted the pipe 19 is held fixed from rotation.

Accordingly, the valve unit and the cam 55 which are operatively fixed in a rotational sense to the pipe 19 are also fixed from rotation. On the other hand the drum 11, 12, 13 to which is secured the cover member 57 and the pin follower 58 are free to rotate relative to the pipe 19.

In use when the hose is unwound from the reel the drum 11, 12, 13 will rotate carrying the cover member 57 and pin follower 58. As the pin follower 58 is moved it will engage in the cam track 56 to move the cam 55 together with the rod 40 against the action of the spring 45 in the direction of arrow A. This movement of the rod 40 opens the valve head 41 to access as previously described mains water to the hose.

In order to close the valve one simply pulls on the hose to disengage the pin follower 58 from the cam track 56 which allows the spring to move the rod back to its original position and allow the valve head to seal itself against the end of the core to close the valve.

It will be understood that the construction of hose reel described above is a relatively simple construction with the separate components designed to facilitate ease of assembly and operation. The construction also facilitates ease of servicing and/or replacement of parts in that the servicing/replacement of parts may be carried out with the hose reel in its wall mounted position.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A hose reel comprising an interlocking multisection drum assembly provided at each end with hose retaining discs the drum assembly being adapted to both accommodate and rotate around a pipe connected in use at one end to a water supply and closed off at its free end and provided with at least one opening intermediate its ends and having mounted thereon in a sealed manner around said opening and for rotation thereon a pipe sleeve member having associated therewith a secondary pipe one end of which projects through the drum assembly to engage in use one end of a hose which may be wound around the drum assembly.

2. A hose reel as claimed in Claim 1 in which the opening in the pipe consists of at least one slot and the pipe is provided with recesses each side of said slot to accommodate sealing rings which engage the inner surface of the pipe sleeve member mounted on the pipe.

3. A hose reel as claimed in Claim 1 in which at least the multi-section drum assembly and the associated retaining discs are each provided with a plurality of spaced apart aligned holes to accommodate bolts which are passed through the aligned holes to engage nuts to lock the hose reel assembly together.

4. A hose reel as claimed in Claim 1 in which the pipe is provided at one end with a plate member which carries a second pipe connected to the said pipe the second pipe being open at both ends to facilitate in use connection of a main water supply from one end or the other, the end not in use being plugged.

5. A hose reel as claimed in Claim 1 in which the pipe of the hose reel has associated therewith a plate member adapted to engage a wall bracket for mounting of the hose reel on a wall.

6. A hose reel as claimed in Claim 1 in which the pipe has operatively associated therewith an automatic valve unit which comprises a rod member with a valve head housed within a core member, which core member is itself located within the pipe, the core member having an opening associated with the opening in the pipe, the rod also carrying a cam adapted to react to a cam follower mounted on a cover member attached to the drum assembly whereby in use rotation of the drum assembly causes the cam follower to move the cam and the rod relative to the core member secured to the pipe to move the valve head to an open position.

7. A hose reel as claimed in Claim 6 in which the cam is provided with a cam track and the cam follower is a follower pin which engages in the cam track.

8. A hose reel substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 1-9 and Fig. 10 of the accompanying drawings.