Garden hose device and method

What is this patent about?

’127 is related to the field of expandable water hoses, specifically those designed to transition between a compact storage state and an elongated operational state. Traditional garden hoses are often bulky, heavy, and prone to kinking, making them difficult to store in confined spaces like apartments, boats, or RVs. While some retractable hoses use internal wire coils to achieve a spring-like effect, these designs remain cumbersome and do not significantly reduce the hose's footprint when empty.

The underlying idea behind ’127 is the use of a dual-layered architecture where an elastic inner liner is housed within a non-elastic outer jacket, coupled with a mechanism to maintain internal pressure. By utilizing a thermoplastic elastomeric (TPE) inner tube that is only attached to the outer fabric at the terminal ends, the hose can stretch and grow freely. The key insight is that by restricting the flow at the exit point, the incoming water pressure forces the inner tube to expand both longitudinally and laterally until it is physically constrained by the dimensions of the outer fabric sleeve.

The claims of ’127 focus on a hose assembly comprising a hollow inner tube and a hollow outer tube that remain unattached and unbonded along their entire length between the couplers. The independent claims specifically require an inlet coupler for a water source and an outlet coupler equipped with a flow restrictor. This restrictor is essential to the claimed invention as it creates the necessary backpressure to drive the longitudinal and lateral expansion of the inner tube, effectively using the water pressure itself to deploy the hose to its full working length.

In practice, the invention works by equalizing the internal pressure of the hose with the pressure of the water supply. When the flow restrictor—which may be an integral ball valve or a spray nozzle—is closed or partially restricted, the TPE inner tube stretches, and the outer fabric jacket, which was previously gathered or wrinkled, becomes taut and smooth. Because the outer jacket is made of a strong, woven material like polyester, it acts as a pressure vessel that prevents the elastic inner liner from bursting while defining the maximum length and diameter of the hose.

This approach differs from prior art by eliminating the need for internal springs or heavy reinforced sidewalls. By ensuring the two layers move independently, the hose avoids the internal friction that typically leads to kinking. When the water pressure is removed, the elastic memory of the inner tube automatically pulls the assembly back into a contracted state, expelling excess water and allowing the hose to be stored in a fraction of the space required by a conventional rubber hose.