Abstract: Helically winding an extruded web to form a wall of a heated hose about a central axis, extruding a bead of plastics material around a heating wire such that the extruded bead comprises the heating wire at a first location within a cross-section of the extruded bead, helically winding the extruded bead onto the wall of the hose to provide a support helix, and exerting tension on the heating wire to draw down the heating wire toward the central axis such that the heating wire migrates radially inward from the first location to a second location within the cross-section of the extruded bead.

Abstract: An undermold coupling to couple a hose to a hose fitting includes: a tubular portion to be inserted into a hose interface of the hose fitting; threads formed on an inner surface of the tubular portion to engage a support helix on an end of the hose as a set of threads; and a first grating comprising a first plurality of elongate portions to intermesh with a corresponding second plurality of elongate portions of a second grating of the hose interface, wherein the first plurality of elongate portions extend into a second plurality of slots defined by the second plurality of elongate portions, and the second plurality of elongate portions extend into a first plurality of slots defined by the first plurality of elongate portions.

Abstract: An extensible-retractable helically reinforced hose is formed by helically wrapping a freshly extruded bead of thermoplastic material about a rotating mandrel to form a helical array of spaced reinforcing coils, and by helically wrapping a freshly extruded thin yet wide web of thermoplastic material so edge regions of the wide web are placed onto and bond continuously with the peripheries of each adjacent pair of the reinforcing coils, with a leading edge region of each new wrap of the web overlying and bonding to a trailing edge region of a prior web wrap. Central portions of each web wrap extend radially inwardly and are sandwiched between adjacent reinforcing coils when the hose is retracted to a minimal axial length.

Abstract: A method of continuously forming an axially extensible and retractable hose comprising the steps of continuously forming an axially extending helix with axially spaced reinforcing coils from extruded thermoplastic material having a uniform cross-section along its length; and continuously bridging between an adjacent pair of the reinforcing coils with a continuous web of extruded thermoplastic material of substantially uniform width and relatively thin cross-section to form a continuous, helically extending sidewall, with the web having one of two opposite edge regions bonded continuously to a relatively flat outer bonding surface of a radially outwardly located portion of one of the adjacent pair of reinforcing coils, with the web having the other of the edge regions bonded continuously to a relatively flat inner bonding surface of a radially inwardly located portion of the other of the pair of reinforcing coils, and with the edge regions continuously radially separated from each other by the helix.

Abstract: An extensible-retractable helically reinforced hose is formed by helically wrapping a freshly extruded bead of thermoplastic material about a rotating mandrel to form a helical array of spaced reinforcing coils, and by helically wrapping a freshly extruded thin yet wide web of thermoplastic material so edge regions of the wide web are placed onto and bond continuously with the peripheries of each adjacent pair of the reinforcing coils, with a leading edge region of each new wrap of the web overlying and bonding to a trailing edge region of a prior web wrap. Central portions of each web wrap extend radially inwardly and are sandwiched between adjacent reinforcing coils when the hose is retracted to a minimal axial length.

Abstract: This document describes an energy management system in which microprocessor based thermostats are used to control individual room temperatures in a multiple room building in accordance with the known occupancy status of the room. The occupancy status information, as well as other control parameters, are transmitted to the thermostats from a central computer program. The control of a heating and cooling appliances is performed by an algorithm running on the electronic thermostat, which performs this function in accordance with these downloaded parameters. The system, allows room occupants to control the temperature of an occupied room within preset limits, automatically limits energy usage in unoccupied rooms, and provides additional facilities for energy management and general building management.