Anti-kinking device

#The disclosure relates generally to kink-resistant devices. The disclosure relates specifically to an anti-kinking device that reduces kinking of tubing or hoses.

#Flexible tubing or hoses are widely utilized in countless applications. For instance, garden hoses are used for watering grass, trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetable plants, vines, and other types of vegetation. Many medical devices use some sort of tubing. Oxygen delivery, intravenous (IV) catheters, hemodialysis equipment, and feeding pumps rely on a wide variety of tubing to carry oxygen, blood, medicine, and other liquids or gases.

#Kinking is a phenomenon that may occur when the tubing is doubled over or twisted. A consequence of kinking is that the flow of fluid or gas through the hose can be either severely restricted or blocked. Kinking is a nuisance that causes the user to waste time unkinking the hose and can be deadly. The user or caregiver must then attempt to remove the blockage by manual manipulation, such as by swinging the tubing to relax the kink or approaching the kinked location and manually straightening the kink.

#In order that the manner in which the above-recited and other enhancements and objects of the disclosure are obtained, a more particular description of the disclosure briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, the disclosure will be described with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

#FIG. 1 shows a prior art hose with a spiral metal wire;

#FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of an anti-kinking device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

#The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present disclosure only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of various embodiments of the disclosure. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the disclosure in more detail than is necessary for the fundamental understanding of the disclosure, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the disclosure may be embodied in practice.

#The following definitions and explanations are meant and intended to be controlling in any future construction unless clearly and unambiguously modified in the following examples or when application of the meaning renders any construction meaningless or essentially meaningless. In cases where the construction of the term would render it meaningless or essentially meaningless, the definition should be taken from Webster's Dictionary 3rd Edition.

#FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of an anti-kinking device 20 of the present disclosure. The device 20 has two connecting heads 23, 24 which carry two rods 21, 22 disposed parallel to one another. The two connecting heads 23, 24 and the two rods 21, 22 form a square plane frame. The anti-kinking device 20 can be attached to any location along a flexible tubing (not shown in FIG. 2) by detachably securing the tubing to the two connecting heads 23, 24. The two connecting heads 23, 24 can restrict axial movement and twist of the tubing therebetween, such that the portion of tubing between the connecting heads 23, 24 will not kink. The detachable securing can be any pattern known to one of skill in the art, including but not limit to binding, lashing, clamping and pasting. In an embodiment, the device can be used for any type of tubing or hoses, include medical tubing, industrial applications, and gardening applications. In an embodiment, the size of the device can be any size needed to fit the particular diameter of tubing or hose.