1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hose reels and, more specifically, to an inlet assembly that may be easily accessed.
2. Background Information
A hose reel typically includes a portable frame assembly that supports a basket assembly. The basket assembly has a central barrel and two end hubs. The basket assembly is structured to have a hose wound thereabout and is rotatably coupled to the frame assembly. The basket assembly also includes one or more conduits structured to couple an external hose to the basket assembly hose. One conduit, the basket assembly conduit, has an inlet end disposed along the axis of rotation of the basket assembly and includes a distal end that extends through the barrel body so that the basket hose may be coupled thereto. The basket assembly conduit rotates with the basket. A second conduit, the inlet conduit, provides the connection with the external supply hose. The inlet conduit has a first end and a second end. The second end is structured to be disposed within the basket assembly conduit inlet end and is disposed along the axis of rotation of the basket assembly. The inlet conduit first end extends from the basket assembly, and may extend from the frame assembly, and is structured to be coupled to the external hose. Typically, the inlet conduit first end extends at generally a right angle to the inlet conduit second end. The inlet conduit second end is disposed within the basket conduit thereby creating a passage for water extending from the external hose, through the inlet conduit, through the basket assembly conduit and into the basket assembly hose. To resist water leakage, the inlet conduit second end typically includes one or more resilient O-rings structured to engage the inner surface of the basket assembly conduit.
When the basket assembly hose is being wound about the barrel, the basket assembly conduit rotates with the basket about the axis of rotation and the inlet conduit remains substantially stationary. In this configuration, the O-rings are subject to wear and tear as the O-rings are the elements at the interface between the inlet conduit and the basket assembly conduit. As such, a hose reel is typically structured to allow a user to separate the inlet conduit and the basket assembly conduit by allowing the inlet conduit to be removed. Once removed, the user can access the inlet conduit O-rings for replacement. The hose reel, however, must also include a device for maintaining the inlet conduit and the basket assembly conduit in place during normal usage.
Various coupling devices are known in the prior art. Initially, the coupling devices were not structured to allow the user to separate the inlet conduit from the basket assembly conduit. Such coupling devices were typically snap clips structured to couple the inlet conduit to the hose reel frame assembly and substantially restrict the motion of the inlet conduit. As manufacturers learned that users desired to replace damaged O-rings, removable clips came into use. These clips, however, have been disposed in difficult to access locations, e.g., between a basket assembly hub and the frame assembly. Such coupling devices typically required the use of two hands and/or the use of tools to disengage.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds