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US 8,936,046 B2Granted
Elastic and spring biased retractable hoses
AssigneeRagner Technology Corporation
InventorGary Dean Ragner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An extendable and retractable pressure hose can be constructed comprising an input connector, an output connector, an elastic inner hose, an outer cover, and one or more portions of the elastic inner hose engaged with the outer cover and disposed between the first and second ends of the hose. In such a hose, the input connector and output connector can be connected to each end of elastic inner hose and outer cover.
Claims29
A hose having a first end and a second end configured to extend when an extending force exceeds a retracting force and to retract when the retracting force exceeds the extending force, the hose comprising:
- a) a tube-shaped outer cover with an extended length and a retracted length, wherein the outer cover can longitudinally extend to the extended length and longitudinally retract to the retracted length;
- b) an inner elastic hose capable of stretching to at least two times its natural length and having a tendency to return to its natural length when stretched, wherein:
- i) the inner elastic hose is positioned inside of the tube-shaped outer cover;
- ii) the inner elastic hose comprises an outer surface comprising:
- A) one or more portions engaged with the outer cover and disposed between the first and second ends of the hose;
- and
- B) one or more portions freely movable with respect to the outer cover and disposed between the first and second ends of the hose;
- iii) the extending force is generated by a pressure differential between fluid within the inner elastic hose and an ambient environment at lower pressure than the fluid within the inner plastic hose;
- iv) the retracting force is generated by the tendency of the inner elastic hose to return to its natural length when stretched;
- c) an input connector attached, at the first end of the hose, to both the outer cover and the inner elastic hose and designed to be removably attached to a source of pressurized fluid;
- and
- d) an output connector attached, at the second end of the hose, to both the outer cover and the inner elastic hose and designed to removably connect to a flow restricting device;
- wherein one or more structures are affixed to the outer cover, wherein each structure from the one or more structures comprises a material having a greater resistance to wear than the outer cover.
10 more elements
A hose having a first end and a second end configured to extend when an extending force exceeds a retracting force and to retract when the retracting force exceeds the extending force, the hose comprising:
- a) a tube-shaped outer cover with an extended length and a retracted length, wherein the outer cover can longitudinally extend to the extended length and longitudinally retract to the retracted length;
- b) an inner elastic hose capable of stretching to at least two times its natural length and having a tendency to return to its natural length when stretched, wherein:
- i) the inner elastic hose is positioned inside of the tube-shaped outer cover;
- ii) the inner elastic hose comprises an outer surface with a natural diameter greater than about 60 percent of a diameter of the tube shaped outer cover's interior surface;
- iii) the extending force is generated by a pressure differential between fluid within the inner elastic hose and an ambient environment at lower pressure than the fluid within the inner plastic hose;
- iv) the retracting force is generated by the tendency of the inner elastic hose to return to its natural length when stretched;
- c) an input connector attached, at the first end of the hose, to both the outer cover and the inner elastic hose and designed to be removably attached to a source of pressurized fluid;
- and
- d) an output connector attached, at the second end of the hose, to both the outer cover and the inner elastic hose and designed to removably connect to a flow restricting device;
- wherein the inner elastic hose comprises an outer surface comprising:
- A) one or more portions engaged with the outer cover and disposed between the first and second ends of the hose;
- and
- B) one or more portions freely movable with respect to the outer cover and disposed between the first and second ends of the hose;
- wherein the one or more portions of the inner elastic hose are engaged with the outer cover by one or more bonds formed by an activated adhesive composition comprising a bonding component responsive to heat and a microwave radiation absorbing compound intermixed with the bonding component.
11 more elements
A hose having a first end and a second end configured to extend when an extending force exceeds a retracting force and to retract when the retracting force exceeds the extending force, the hose comprising:
- a) a tube-shaped outer cover with an extended length and a retracted length, wherein the outer cover can longitudinally extend to the extended length and longitudinally retract to the retracted length;
- b) an inner elastic hose capable of stretching to at least two times its natural length and having a tendency to return to its natural length when stretched, wherein:
- i) the inner elastic hose is positioned inside of the tube-shaped outer cover;
- ii) the inner elastic hose comprises an outer surface comprising:
- A) one or more portions engaged with the outer cover and disposed between the first and second ends of the hose;
- and
- B) one or more portions freely movable with respect to the outer cover and disposed between the first and second ends of the hose;
- iii) the extending force is generated by a pressure differential between fluid within the inner elastic hose and an ambient environment at lower pressure than the fluid within the inner plastic hose;
- iv) the retracting force is generated by the tendency of the inner elastic hose to return to its natural length when stretched;
- c) an input connector attached, at the first end of the hose, to both the outer cover and the inner elastic hose and designed to be removably attached to a source of pressurized fluid;
- and
- d) an output connector attached, at the second end of the hose, to both the outer cover and the inner elastic hose and designed to removably connect to a flow restricting device;
- wherein each of the one or more portions of the outer surface of the inner elastic hose which is engaged with the outer cover and disposed between the first and second ends of the hose is bonded to the outer cover;
- wherein the each of the one or more portions of the outer surface of the inner elastic hose which is engaged with the outer cover is bonded to the outer cover by an activated adhesive composition comprising a bonding component responsive to heat and a microwave radiation absorbing compound intermixed with the bonding component.
11 more elements
A hose having a first end and a second end configured to extend when an extending force exceeds a retracting force and to retract when the retracting force exceeds the extending force, the hose comprising:
- a) a tube-shaped outer cover with an extended length and a retracted length, wherein the outer cover can longitudinally extend to the extended length and longitudinally retract to the retracted length;
- b) an inner elastic hose capable of stretching to at least two times its natural length and having a tendency to return to its natural length when stretched, wherein:
- i) the inner elastic hose is positioned inside of the tube-shaped outer cover;
- ii) the inner elastic hose comprises an outer surface comprising:
- A) one or more portions engaged with the outer cover and disposed between the first and second ends of the hose;
- and
- B) one or more portions freely movable with respect to the outer cover and disposed between the first and second ends of the hose;
- iii) the extending force is generated by a pressure differential between fluid within the inner elastic hose and an ambient environment at lower pressure than the fluid within the inner plastic hose;
- iv) the retracting force is generated by the tendency of the inner elastic hose to return to its natural length when stretched;
- c) an input connector attached, at the first end of the hose, to both the outer cover and the inner elastic hose and designed to be removably attached to a source of pressurized fluid;
- and
- d) an output connector attached, at the second end of the hose, to both the outer cover and the inner elastic hose and designed to removably connect to a flow restricting device;
- wherein each of the one or more portions of the outer surface of the inner elastic hose which is engaged with the outer cover and disposed between the first and second ends of the hose:
- A) has a stretched radius when the hose is extended and a natural radius when the hose is retracted, wherein the natural radius is less than the extended radius and wherein the extended radius is about equal to an inner radius of the tube shaped outer cover;
- and
- B) is frictionally engaged with the outer cover when the hose is extended.
13 more elements
A hose having a first end and a second end configured to extend when an extending force exceeds a retracting force and to retract when the retracting force exceeds the extending force, the hose comprising:
- a) a tube-shaped outer cover with an extended length and a retracted length, wherein the outer cover can longitudinally extend to the extended length and longitudinally retract to the retracted length;
- b) an inner elastic hose capable of stretching to at least two times its natural length and having a tendency to return to its natural length when stretched, wherein:
- i) the inner elastic hose is positioned inside of the tube-shaped outer cover;
- ii) the inner elastic hose comprises an outer surface comprising:
- A) one or more portions engaged with the outer cover and disposed between the first and second ends of the hose;
- and
- B) one or more portions freely movable with respect to the outer cover and disposed between the first and second ends of the hose;
- iii) the extending force is generated by a pressure differential between fluid within the inner elastic hose and an ambient environment at lower pressure than the fluid within the inner plastic hose;
- iv) the retracting force is generated by the tendency of the inner elastic hose to return to its natural length when stretched;
- c) an input connector attached, at the first end of the hose, to both the outer cover and the inner elastic hose and designed to be removably attached to a source of pressurized fluid;
- and
- d) an output connector attached, at the second end of the hose, to both the outer cover and the inner elastic hose and designed to removably connect to a flow restricting device;
- wherein:
- A) the inner elastic hose has a shape comprising one or more ridges;
- B) the one or more portions of the outer surface of the inner elastic hose which are engaged with the outer cover and which are disposed between the first and second ends of the hose are located at the one or more ridges' apexes;
- wherein the hose further comprises, at each of the one or more portions of the outer surface of the inner elastic hose which is engaged with the outer cover and which is disposed between the first and second ends of the hose, a bonding spacer filling a gap between the outer surface of the inner elastic hose and an inner surface of the outer cover.
13 more elements
A hose having a first end and a second end configured to extend when an extending force exceeds a retracting force and to retract when the retracting force exceeds the extending force, the hose comprising:
- a) a tube-shaped outer cover with an extended length and a retracted length, wherein the outer cover can longitudinally extend to the extended length and longitudinally retract to the retracted length;
- b) an inner elastic hose capable of stretching to at least two times its natural length and having a tendency to return to its natural length when stretched, wherein:
- i) the inner elastic hose is positioned inside of the tube-shaped outer cover;
- ii) the inner elastic hose comprises an outer surface comprising:
- A) one or more portions engaged with the outer cover and disposed between the first and second ends of the hose;
- and
- B) one or more portions freely movable with respect to the outer cover and disposed between the first and second ends of the hose;
- iii) the extending force is generated by a pressure differential between fluid within the inner elastic hose and an ambient environment at lower pressure than the fluid within the inner plastic hose;
- iv) the retracting force is generated by the tendency of the inner elastic hose to return to its natural length when stretched;
- c) an input connector attached, at the first end of the hose, to both the outer cover and the inner elastic hose and designed to be removably attached to a source of pressurized fluid;
- and
- d) an output connector attached, at the second end of the hose, to both the outer cover and the inner elastic hose and designed to removably connect to a flow restricting device;
- wherein the outer cover is a porous hydrophobic outer cover.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.