Expandable Hose Assembly for Kink-Resistant Compact Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional garden hoses face challenges in storage due to their size and tendency to kink when not in use, particularly in spaces where storage devices are impractical, leading to entanglement and kinking issues.
Innovation Solution
A flexible hose design featuring an elastic inner tube within a non-elastic outer tube that expands up to six times its length when pressurized and contracts when pressure is released, preventing kinking and entanglement, with secure couplers at the ends and a lightweight construction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional garden hoses are made with thick sidewalls to prevent kinking, then kink resistance is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a thin-walled flexible hose structure that relies on its ability to deform and conform to surfaces rather than rigid thick walls. The thin flexible material allows the hose to bend and adapt without kinking, eliminating the need for heavy thick sidewalls while maintaining kink resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The hose is designed to be dynamically adaptable, changing its shape and configuration based on external forces and surface contours. This dynamic flexibility allows the thin-walled hose to prevent kinking through adaptive deformation rather than rigid structural support, reducing weight.
2Volume of moving object
If conventional garden hoses are stored coiled or on reels, then storage space is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The thin flexible hose is designed to be self-storing, requiring no external reels, containers, or complex storage mechanisms. Its inherent flexibility and thin profile allow it to be easily coiled, folded, or hung without specialized equipment, achieving compact storage through its own properties rather than auxiliary devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The thin flexible construction enables the hose to conform to various storage configurations without requiring rigid storage structures. It can be easily folded into compact shapes or hung loosely, achieving space-efficient storage without the complexity of dedicated storage devices.
3Reliability
If fiber reinforcements are added to prevent kinking, then kink resistance is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves kink resistance without fiber reinforcements by utilizing the inherent properties of thin flexible material. The hose relies on its flexibility and ability to deform rather than rigid reinforcing elements, eliminating the weight penalty of added fibers while maintaining resistance to kinking.
Solution Approach 2:
The hose design changes the approach to kink resistance by modifying material parameters - using thin flexible material with appropriate elasticity and compliance rather than thick rigid material with fiber reinforcements. This parameter change achieves the same functional goal with reduced weight.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The hose effectively expands to twice to six times its contracted length when pressurized, remains kink-resistant, and automatically contracts for easy storage, reducing weight and preventing entanglement, making it suitable for compact storage and use in various settings.
Implementation Method 1
The inner tube is formed from an elastic material with an elongation ratio of up to 6 to 1 and will expand up to 4 to 6 times its relaxed or unexpanded length when a pressurized fluid is introduced into the inner tube
Implementation Method 2
when a pressurized fluid is introduced into the inner tube
Data Source
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AI summary
A hose (10) comprising a flexible, non-elastic, hollow outer tube (12) having a first end and a second end; a flexible, elastic, hollow inner tube (14) having a first end and a second end; a first coupler (16, 18) secured to said first end of said inner and said outer tubes; a second coupler (18, 16) secured to said second end of said inner and said outer tubes; said first coupler arranged in use to couple said hose to a source of pressurized water, said second coupler comprising a water flow restrictor, wherein the water flow restrictor includes a nozzle having an internal valve that permits, limits, and stops a flow of water through the nozzle; whereby said outer tube and said inner tube have a substantially shortened first length in a non-fluid flow contracted state with said outer tube extending about an outer surface of said inner tube in a undulating state, and a substantially longer second length with said outer tube capturing said inner tube member in an expanded state when fluid flows through said hose; whereby, when water under pressure is introduced into the first end of the hose, said elongated inner tube expands longitudinally along a length of said inner tube and laterally across a width of said inner tube thereby increasing a length of said hose to an expanded condition; and wherein the water flow restrictor is configured to vary the amount of restriction of the water under pressure that is released from the water flow restrictor while maintaining the length of the hose in the expanded condition.