US20120074185A1

US20120074185A1 - Hose and cord buddy

Info

Publication number: US20120074185A1
Application number: US13/244,472
Authority: US
Inventors: Kevin D. Hoffer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-09-24
Filing date: 2011-09-24
Publication date: 2012-03-29

Abstract

A hose and cord buddy to be worn on a belt of a person includes a tubular member. The tubular member receives a hose/cord of a tool thereto. A fastener temporarily retains in a pivotal manner the tubular member to the belt. A mechanism on the tubular member is for securing the hose/cord in place while the person operates the tool.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application No. 61/385,991, filed on Sep. 24, 2010, in the United States Patent & Trademark Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wearable hose and cord retention device, and more particularly, a hose and cord buddy.
Some professions and hobbies necessitates a person having to use bulky cords and hoses to perform assorted activities. These items may often be heavy and can easily weigh down the person. Some may carry these objects with their arms, which can be uncomfortable and slow down the work process. When climbing stairs or a ladder, these weighty items may also throw off the balance of the person, possibly resulting in injuries. Cords and hoses may easily make their way under the feet of the person during use, also causing an unsafe situation. Having a hands-free way to carry these heavy items while completing various tasks may assist the person in staying safe and finishing projects in a timely manner with less effort.
The hose and cord buddy is a device that can hold heavy hoses and cords so the items may be clipped to the waist of the person during use, freeing the arms of the person of the burden. The present invention can assist a person in completing various tasks, involving heavy cords and hoses, without straining themselves, wasting time or becoming unsafely tripped up by the weighty items. The hose and cord buddy is ideal for use by painters, carpenters, roofers, gardeners and anyone else looking for an easy and safe way to carry cords and hoses with them as they complete various tasks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous innovations for hose and cord holders have been provided in the prior art that will be described. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they differ from the present invention.
A FIRST EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,349, issued on May 7, 1974, to Baedke teaches an electric cord supporting device or holder for use with manually operated equipment such as power tools, vacuum sweepers, electric lawn mowers and the like. This device embodies a hook or bracket type support through which the cord can be trained or reeved to keep it from dragging or becoming entangled with the mechanism to which it is attached or the workpiece involved or with the operator using the mechanism and is adapted in different embodiments to be worn on the operator's arm or belt or to be detachably or fixedly secured to a stationary support. A roller is preferably provided for engagement by the cord to facilitate the travel of the cord through this support or holder as the movements of the operator require.
A SECOND EXAMPLE, U.S. Patent Office Publication No. 2003/0168483, published on Sep. 11, 2003, to Mabe teaches a holster-tool for holding a water hose with a trigger spray nozzle to a user's belt. A first embodiment of the holster-tool includes a central base portion for the nozzle to lie against, a pair of belt clips formed from the upper portions of the base to engage the belt of the user, a retaining channel formed from the base at the forward part of the base to hold the barrel of the spray nozzle and a retaining channel formed from the base at the rearward part to hold the handle of the trigger spray nozzle. The base extends downward to below the water connector on the trigger spray nozzle. The second embodiment includes a belt clip formed from the upper portions of the base to engage the belt of the user, a lower retaining channel formed from the lower portion of the base to engage the hose near a spray nozzle.
A THIRD EXAMPLE, U.S. Patent Office Publication No. 2005/0274840, published on Dec. 15, 2005, to Davis teaches a cord holder that may be used for storage or transport of any coiled elongate article, such as a rope or electrical cord. It comprises a collar that surrounds and contains the coil, and a shank that extends away from the collar and forms a shoulder across the collar. The shank supports the coil to keep it from falling through the collar or otherwise becoming tangled or uncoiled. The collar may be open or closed, and the shank may take on various angles and shapes to accommodate a variety of coiled elongate articles. This cord holder may be made from a variety of materials and is scalable in size to accommodate varying loads. Methods of use are shown that include mounting brackets and transport features.
A FOURTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Patent Office Publication No. 2006/0065684, published on Mar. 30, 2006, to Houcek teaches a hose guiding device for use with a utility hose comprising a hanger for securing the device to a user's belt and means for guiding the hose that is pivotally supported by the hanger. The means for guiding has an elongated passageway with a forward end and a rear end that allows the hose to be pulled forward through the passageway toward the front end. The means for guiding impedes reverse movement of the hose.
A FIFTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Patent Office Publication No. 2010/0001028, published on Jan. 7, 2010, to Titshaw teaches a fastener that is connected to a waist belt. A collar is connected to a hose near its working end. The hose is clipped into the fastener. The collar locks the hose onto the belt to enable the worker to haul the hose around using his hips rather than his arms and back.
It is apparent now that numerous innovations for hose and cord holders have been provided in the prior art that are adequate for various purposes. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, accordingly, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

AN OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a hose and cord buddy that avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a hose and cord buddy that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
STILL ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a hose and cord buddy that is simple to use.
BRIEFLY STATED, STILL YET ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a hose and cord buddy that comprises a belt worn about the waist of a person. A tubular member receives a hose/cord of a tool thereto. A fastener temporarily retains in a pivotal manner the tubular member to the belt. A mechanism on the tubular member is for securing the hose/cord in place while the person operates the tool.
The novel features which are considered characteristic of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of the specific embodiments when read and understood in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The figures of the drawings are briefly described as follows:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the present invention in use; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the various components of the present invention in greater detail.

REFERENCE NUMERALS UTILIZED IN THE DRAWING

110 hose and cord buddy
112 belt of hose and cord buddy 110
114 waist of person 116
116 person
118 tubular member of hose and cord buddy 110
120 hose/cord of tool 122
122 tool
124 fastener of hose and cord buddy 110
126 securing mechanism of hose and cord buddy 110
128 cylindrical pipe for tubular member 118
130 side slot in cylindrical pipe 128
132 collar of securing mechanism 126
134 slide locking member of securing mechanism 126
136 PVC pipe material
138 belt clip of hose and cord buddy 110

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As shown in FIG. 1, a hose and cord buddy 110 which comprises a belt 112 worn about the waist 114 of a person 116. A tubular member 118 receives a hose/cord 120 of a tool 122 thereto.
As shown in FIG. 2, a fastener 124 temporarily retains in a pivotal manner the tubular member 118 to the belt 112. A mechanism 126 on the tubular member 118 is for securing the hose/cord 120 in place while the person 116 operates the tool 122.
The tubular member 118 comprises a cylindrical pipe 128 having a side slot 130 to allow the hose/cord 120 to extend therethrough. The side slot 130 is approximately half inch to one inch in diameter to accommodate different sized hoses and cords. The securing mechanism 126 comprises a collar 132 affixed onto a forward end of the cylindrical pipe 128. A slide locking member 134 on the cylindrical pipe 128 holds the hose/cord 120 in place against the collar 132 on the cylindrical pipe 128.
The cylindrical pipe 128 is approximately one to three inches in diameter to accommodate different sized hoses and cords 120. The cylindrical pipe 128, the collar 132 and the slide locking member 134 are fabricated out of PVC pipe material 136.
The hose and cord buddy 110 can further comprise a belt clip 138 mounted onto the cylindrical pipe 128, wherein the belt clip 138 will engage with the belt 112.
In review, the hose and cord buddy 110 is an apparatus that can be utilized to hold heavy cords and hoses 120 on the belt 112 on the waist 114 of the person 116, allowing the arms to remain free to reduce exertion and for safety reasons. The tubular member 118 is retained to the belt 112 by fastener 124 and is produced from PVC pipe material 136. A collar 132 and a slide locking member 134 keeps the hose/cord 120 securely in place. The collar 132 has a slot to engage a small external pin of the tubular member 118 in order to lock into a locking position. The user 116 can take the hose or cord 120 inserted into an open end of collar 132 and then let the hose 120 coming out of the side slot 130 of the tubular member 118. The person 116 then can adjust the outcoming cord 120 within a yard, and reattach the cord to the tool 122 so that the person 116 can be hand freed to use the tool 122. The tool 122 can be a paint spraying device, a power wash tool, drilling tool, portable vacuum nozzle, disinfectant spraying device or the like.
Then, the collar 132 can be snapped fit into the tubular member 118 and twisted into the locking position (via said small external pin).
The hose and cord buddy 110 may also have a belt clip 138 that allows it to be temporarily affixed to the belt 112. For use, the hose/cord 120 can easily be slid through the cylindrical pipe 128 and out of the side slot 130 after it has been affixed to a person's waistband or belt 112. The securing mechanism 126 may then be employed to lock the hose/cord 120 in place. The cylindrical pipe 128 is approximately one to three inches in diameter to accommodate different sizes of cor/hose and five to six inches in length. The exact dimensions, materials used for construction and method of operation of the hose and cord buddy 110 may vary upon manufacturing.
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.
While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodiments of a hose and cord buddy, accordingly it is not limited to the details shown, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.

Claims

1. A hose and cord buddy to be worn on a belt of a person, which comprises:

a) a tubular member has an external pin and a forward opening end to receive a hose/cord of a tool thereto;

b) a fastener to temporarily retain in a pivotal manner the tubular member to the belt; and

c) means on the tubular member for securing the hose/cord in place while the person operates the tool.

2. The hose and cord buddy as recited in claim 1, wherein the tubular member comprises a cylindrical pipe having a side slot to allow the hose/cord to extend therethrough from said open end.

3. The hose and cord buddy as recited in claim 2, wherein the securing means comprises:

a) a collar affixed onto said forward end of the cylindrical pipe; and

b) a slide locking member on the cylindrical pipe to hold the hose/cord in place against the collar on the cylindrical pipe.

4. The hose and cord buddy as recited in claim 3, wherein said collar having a slot to be locked into said external pin of the tubular member.

5. The hose and cord buddy as recited in claim 3, wherein the cylindrical pipe is approximately one to three inches in diameter to accommodate different sized hoses and cords and five to six inches in length.

6. The hose and cord buddy as recited in claim 3, wherein the cylindrical pipe, the collar and the slide locking member are fabricated out of PVC pipe material.

7. The hose and cord buddy as recited in claim 1, further comprises a belt clip mounted onto the cylindrical pipe, wherein the belt clip can engage with the belt.

8. The hose and cord buddy as recited in claim 2, wherein the side slot is approximately half inch to one inch in diameter to accommodate different sized hoses and cords.

9. The hose and cord buddy as recited in claim 1, wherein the tool is selected from a group consisting one of: a paint spraying device, a power wash tool, drilling tool, portable vacuum nozzle, or disinfectant spraying device.