Retractable Vacuum Hose Storage With Rollers and Auto Shutoff
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing central vacuum cleaning systems face challenges in hose storage, requiring homeowners to frequently retrieve and return the hose from a remote storage area, leading to inconvenience and clutter, and often result in underutilization due to the need for a dedicated hose connected to a single vacuum source.
Innovation Solution
A compact hose storage system with a pivotally mounted cradle that automatically actuates a switch to turn off the vacuum source, a sealing device for the hose handle, and rollers to prevent tangling, allowing the hose to expand to five times its retracted length, enabling easy use and storage within a kitchen cabinet while maintaining vacuum functionality at other outlets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the hose is stored in a remote location such as a closet, then the hose can be stored when not in use, but the homeowner must continually retrieve and return the hose from the remote location, leading to inconvenience and loss of time
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the vacuum cleaning function into two separate locations: a central vacuum source with hose storage in the basement, and remote wall-mounted valve outlets throughout the house. This allows the hose to be stored centrally while providing convenient access points distributed around the home, eliminating the need to retrieve the entire hose assembly from a remote closet for every cleaning task.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces wall-mounted valve outlets as intermediary connection points between the central vacuum source and cleaning locations. These valves allow the hose to be connected at convenient locations throughout the house rather than requiring retrieval from a remote storage area, serving as mediators that bridge the gap between central storage and distributed usage points.
2Ease of operation
If a power-driven mechanism is used for retracting the hose, then the hose can be automatically retracted when not in use, but the installation cost increases and the system requires a dedicated vacuum source
Solution Approach 1:
The hose is designed to be manually retracted by the user through simple pulling motion, eliminating the need for power-driven retraction mechanisms. The system accepts manual operation for hose retrieval and storage, reducing mechanical complexity and installation costs while still achieving the goal of hose retraction and organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes the power-driven retraction mechanism from the system entirely, extracting this complex function and replacing it with a simpler manual operation. This reduces device complexity and eliminates the need for dedicated power sources at each storage location, while the central vacuum source can still serve multiple outlets.
3Ease of operation
If the hose is dedicated to a single vacuum source, then the hose can be automatically retracted, but the same vacuum source cannot supply other wall valves, reducing versatility
Solution Approach 1:
The central vacuum source is designed to serve multiple wall-mounted valve outlets throughout the house through a single hose assembly. The hose can be connected to different valves as needed, allowing one vacuum source to perform multiple cleaning functions at various locations, eliminating the need for dedicated vacuum sources at each outlet while maintaining operational simplicity.
4Area of stationary object
If the storage housing is small and compact, then the system can be mounted in concealed areas such as kitchen cabinets, but the hose length available for cleaning may be limited
Solution Approach 1:
The hose is stored in a nested configuration within the compact housing, with the hose coiled or folded within the storage compartment. This allows a longer hose to be contained within a smaller housing volume by nesting the hose within itself, enabling the system to fit in concealed areas like kitchen cabinets while still providing sufficient hose length for cleaning adjacent rooms.
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 system allows for convenient and efficient use of the vacuum hose for small cleanups without the need for frequent retrieval, reduces storage clutter, and enables the same vacuum source to supply multiple outlets, enhancing usability and space efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum source tube connected to a vacuum source, wherein the vacuum source tube has a first end connected to the main central vacuum source or to a self-contained vacuum source
Data Source
AI summary
A vacuum hose storage system includes a housing which is mounted in a storage area of a dwelling or vehicle and connected to a vacuum source. A length of flexible, expandable cleaning hose is mounted in a looped fashion about a plurality of spaced rollers rotatably mounted within the housing. A handle is attached to one end of the hose and is seated in a cradle formed in the housing when the hose is in a fully retracted position within the housing. The cradle is mounted in the housing and receives the open end of the hose when not in use and enables other vacuum tubes in the structure to be operational without shutting off the vacuum to the stored hose. An ON/OFF switch is located in the cradle for controlling the vacuum source and is actuated when the handle is placed in or removed from the cradle. The hose has an internal helical spring which biases the hose toward a retracted position about the spaced rollers within the housing. In an alternate embodiment, the hose is slidably extendable from within a rigid serpentine tubing mounting within the housing.