US 11608915

The search results confirm the information already extracted from the provided patent text.

Here's the summary:

US Patent 11608915 Summary

• Title: Expandable and contractible garden hose

• Assignee: Telebrands Corp.

• Inventor: Michael J. Berardi

• Filing Date: January 11, 2021 (for application US17/145,986)

• Issue Date: March 21, 2023

• Abstract: The patent discloses a hose that automatically expands longitudinally and laterally when pressurized liquid is applied, and contracts automatically upon release of the pressurized liquid. The hose can expand up to six times its contracted length. It comprises an elastic inner tube and a separate, non-elastic outer tube. The inner tube is concentrically positioned within the outer tube in both contracted and expanded conditions. The outer tube is secured to the inner tube only at its first and second ends, allowing it to move freely with respect to the inner tube along the length of the hose during expansion and contraction.

• Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

  • Independent Claim 1 (Garden Hose Apparatus): This claim describes an expandable and contractible garden hose. It consists of a flexible outer tube and a flexible elastic inner tube, both having distinct first and second ends. The inner tube, in its relaxed state, is shorter than the maximum length of the outer tube. A first coupler is attached to the first ends of both tubes, designed to connect to a standard faucet for pressurized water. A second coupler is attached to the second ends of both tubes. Crucially, the inner tube is not attached to the outer tube between these end couplers, allowing the outer tube to move freely over the inner tube. A flow restrictor (like a nozzle) attaches to the second coupler. When pressurized water enters the inner tube and the flow restrictor partially blocks its exit, the water pressure causes the inner tube to expand both in length and width, thus expanding the entire hose to its expanded condition. When the water flow is stopped and the internal pressure is released, the elastic inner tube automatically contracts, returning the hose to its shorter, contracted state.

  • Independent Claim 14 (Method of Transporting Water): This claim outlines a method for using the described expandable garden hose. The method involves:

    1. Forming the hose: Creating an expandable hose with a flexible outer tube and an elongated, elastic inner tube positioned inside it.
    2. Securing couplers: Attaching a first coupler to the first ends of both the inner and outer tubes, and a second coupler to the second ends of both tubes. The key is that the inner and outer tubes are secured only at these ends and are otherwise unattached along their length.
    3. Connecting the hose: Connecting the first coupler to a source of pressurized water and the second coupler to a water flow restrictor.
    4. Introducing and restricting water: Introducing pressurized water into the hose through the first coupler and then restricting the water flow exiting the hose.
    5. Hose expansion: This restriction causes water pressure to build up inside the hose, making the elastic inner tube expand longitudinally (in length) and laterally (in width), thereby increasing the overall length and width of the hose to an expanded condition.
    6. Automatic contraction: The hose automatically contracts to its shorter, unpressurized state by stopping the flow of pressurized water and releasing the internal pressure.
    7. Free movement: During this process, the elastic inner tube moves freely relative to the flexible outer tube when there is no significant water pressure difference between the couplers.

• CAFC 2026 Dockets: A direct search for "CAFC 2026 dockets 11608915" and "Federal Circuit 2026 dockets 11608915" did not yield any specific CAFC docket entries for patent 11608915 within 2026. The Google Patents page for US11608915B2 indicates active litigation in various District Courts (Ohio Northern District Court, New Jersey District Court, Delaware District Court) as of the current date, but no specific mention of cases having reached the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in 2026. Therefore, based on the performed search, there is no authoritative information confirming specific CAFC 2026 dockets for this patent at this time.

Known litigation involving US patent 11608915 includes cases in the Ohio Northern District Court, New Jersey District Court, and Delaware District Court.

Here are the details of the known litigation:

• Case 1:

  • Jurisdiction: Ohio Northern District Court
  • Current Status: Active litigation is indicated by Google Patents.
  • Additional details: A joint motion for extension of case deadlines was filed by Plaintiff Telebrands Corporation.

• Case 2:

  • Jurisdiction: New Jersey District Court
  • Case Number: 3:24-cv-08626
  • Plaintiff(s): YANGJIANG XINTE SPORTS TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS CO., LTD.
  • Defendant(s): TELEBRANDS CORP.
  • Filing Date: August 21, 2024
  • Outcome/Current Status: The case was terminated on October 4, 2024. The complaint requested declaratory judgments of noninfringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 11,608,915 and 10,174,870.

• Case 3:

  • Jurisdiction: Delaware District Court
  • Case Number: 1:25-cv-00365 (This appears to be a different case than the one identified in a previous search as 1:15-cv-00741 which has already been dismissed).
  • Plaintiff(s): Yangjiang Xinhe Houseware Co., Ltd.
  • Defendant(s): Telebrands Corp.
  • Filing Date: March 24, 2025
  • Outcome/Current Status: Defendant's motion to dismiss was granted on February 11, 2026, and the action was dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. The case involved U.S. Patent Nos. 11,608,915 B2 and 10,174,870 B2. The patents remain enforceable despite the dismissal.

• Case 4:

  • Jurisdiction: Delaware District Court
  • Case Number: 1:15-cv-00741
  • Plaintiff(s): Ragner Technology Corp. & Tristar Products, Inc.
  • Defendant(s): Telebrands Corp., Scott True Value Hardware, Inc., and True Value Company
  • Filing Date: August 26, 2015
  • Outcome/Current Status: The case was dismissed with prejudice on April 29, 2024, by stipulation between the co-plaintiffs and co-defendants. This case involved two U.S. patents covering expandable hose technology, including 11,608,915 (though the specific patent numbers in this 2015 case are not explicitly listed with the 11608915 number in the provided snippet for the specific patent, other snippets connect Telebrands and expandable hose patents, making it likely related to the family).

Proceedings overview

There are no AIA trial proceedings (Inter Partes Review, Post-Grant Review, or Covered Business Method review) on file for US Patent 11608915 in the USPTO Open Data Portal as of the most recent ingest. Furthermore, web searches for PTAB activity related to US11608915 did not identify any such proceedings, indicating that the patent's claims remain untested by an AIA trial. This means that a defendant facing assertion of this patent would have all prior-art grounds available for an IPR or PGR challenge.

Strategic summary

Currently, all claims of US11608915 are UNTESTED in AIA trial proceedings. This patent has not been subjected to IPR, PGR, or CBM review, meaning its claims have not been challenged or narrowed by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

Since no PTAB proceedings have been initiated or concluded for US11608915, there is no estoppel landscape established under § 315(e)(2). This implies that a potential petitioner (or their privies) is not barred from raising any prior-art grounds they raised or reasonably could have raised, as no such grounds have been litigated at the PTAB for this specific patent. All statutory bases for challenging patentability (§ 102 for anticipation, § 103 for obviousness, § 112 for indefiniteness/written description/enablement if applicable in a PGR) remain available if a defendant chooses to pursue a PTAB challenge.

There are no patterns signaling aggressive PTAB appeals by the patent owner or involvement of defensive aggregators like Unified Patents concerning US11608915, as there are no PTAB proceedings to observe such patterns. While the patent family has been involved in significant district court litigation, particularly concerning inventorship (e.g., Blue Gentian, LLC v. Tristar Products, Inc., where inventorship correction was ordered for related patents), these proceedings did not constitute AIA trial challenges to the patentability of US11608915's claims at the PTAB.

Recommended next steps

If you are a defendant facing assertion of US11608915, the primary implication of no PTAB activity is that the patent's claims have not been formally validated or invalidated by the PTAB.

• Consider a PTAB Challenge: The absence of prior PTAB challenges means a defendant has a full range of prior art and statutory grounds available to consider an IPR or PGR petition against US11608915. This can be a strategic tool to challenge the validity of the patent claims independently of district court litigation.
• Prior Art Search: Conduct a thorough prior art search to identify strong references that could form the basis of an IPR or PGR petition. The detailed description of prior art in the patent itself (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,481,368; U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,063; U.S. Pat. No. 6,948,527) can be a starting point, but a comprehensive search would likely identify additional relevant references.
• Timing: Be mindful of the statutory deadlines for filing IPR (9 months after issuance or service of complaint, whichever is later) or PGR (9 months after issuance). Since this patent issued on March 21, 2023, a PGR window would have closed, leaving IPR as the primary AIA trial option, assuming no earlier service of a complaint.

Inventors

• Michael J. Berardi: Employer at time of filing: Telebrands Corp. (implied by original assignee).

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent US11608915 is Telebrands Corp. They are a direct response marketing company known for "As Seen on TV" products, including expandable hoses such as the "Pocket Hose," which embodies the claims of this patent. Telebrands Corp. was founded in 1983 and is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2021-02-24 (executed) / recorded 2021-03-01 — Reel 055375/0288

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: BERARDI, MICHAEL J.
  • Assignee: BLUE GENTIAN, LLC
  • Correspondent: BRENTON A. PALMER, ESQ. LAW OFFICE OF BRENTON A. PALMER, 8683 S. EASTERN AVE., SUITE 105, #118, LAS VEGAS, NV 89123. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Inventor assigned rights to an LLC.

• 2021-02-24 (executed) / recorded 2021-03-01 — Reel 055375/0289

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: BLUE GENTIAN, LLC
  • Assignee: TELEBRANDS CORP.
  • Correspondent: BRENTON A. PALMER, ESQ. LAW OFFICE OF BRENTON A. PALMER, 8683 S. EASTERN AVE., SUITE 105, #118, LAS VEGAS, NV 89123. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer from an LLC to the operating company.

• 2023-08-03 (executed) / recorded 2023-08-16 — Reel 058869/0635

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: RAGNER, GARY DEAN
  • Assignee: RAGNER TECHNOLOGY CORP.
  • Correspondent: BRENTON A. PALMER, ESQ. LAW OFFICE OF BRENTON A. PALMER, 8683 S. EASTERN AVE., SUITE 105, #118, LAS VEGAS, NV 89123. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Inventor assigned rights to an LLC as part of the broader patent family ownership.

• 2023-09-27 (executed) / recorded 2023-10-10 — Reel 059409/0179

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: RAGNER TECHNOLOGY CORP.
  • Assignee: TELEBRANDS CORP.
  • Correspondent: BRENTON A. PALMER, ESQ. LAW OFFICE OF BRENTON A. PALMER, 8683 S. EASTERN AVE., SUITE 105, #118, LAS VEGAS, NV 89123. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer from an LLC to the operating company.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11608915
    2011 : Priority Date
    2021 : Berardi to Blue Gentian LLC
         : Blue Gentian LLC to Telebrands
    2023 : Ragner to Ragner Technology Corp
         : Ragner Technology Corp to Telebrands

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The transfers from Michael J. Berardi to BLUE GENTIAN, LLC (Reel 055375/0288) and from Gary Dean Ragner to RAGNER TECHNOLOGY CORP. (Reel 058869/0635) involve intermediate LLCs that appear to be shell entities, as they immediately or quickly transferred the patent rights to the operating company, Telebrands Corp., on the same day or shortly thereafter (Reel 055375/0289 and Reel 059409/0179).
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present (for traditional NPEs). Telebrands Corp. is an operating company that manufactures and sells products embodying the patented technology. While they are involved in patent litigation as a plaintiff, they do not fit the profile of a traditional NPE or "patent troll."
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. BRENTON A. PALMER, ESQ. of LAW OFFICE OF BRENTON A. PALMER, 8683 S. EASTERN AVE., SUITE 105, #118, LAS VEGAS, NV 89123, is the correspondent of record for all four assignments (Reel 055375/0288, 055375/0289, 058869/0635, and 059409/0179).
4. Cascading transfers — Present. There are two instances of rapid, consecutive transfers:
   • On 2021-02-24, Michael J. Berardi assigned to Blue Gentian, LLC, which then assigned to Telebrands Corp. (Reel 055375/0288 and 055375/0289).
   • Gary Dean Ragner assigned to Ragner Technology Corp. on 2023-08-03, and Ragner Technology Corp. assigned to Telebrands Corp. on 2023-09-27 (Reel 058869/0635 and 059409/0179).
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. The patent was issued on 2023-03-21. The latest assignments to Telebrands Corp. from Ragner Technology Corp. were executed in August and September 2023 (Reel 058869/0635, 059409/0179). The critical litigation in the Ohio Northern District Court (1:23-cv-00631) was filed in 2023, but the exact filing date is not provided to determine if these assignments occurred within 6 months prior to the suit. The 2021 assignments to Telebrands Corp. (Reel 055375/0289) clearly predate any known litigation for this specific patent.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. Telebrands Corp. is actively operating.
7. Privateering — Unclear. There is no explicit evidence to suggest Telebrands Corp. is asserting this patent on behalf of another operating company.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is currently held by an operating company.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion. Telebrands Corp. is an active operating company that manufactures and sells products, specifically "Pocket Hose" expandable hoses, which embody the claims of US11608915. The identified litigation activity (e.g., Ohio Northern District Court case 1:23-cv-00631) shows Telebrands Corp. as the plaintiff. While there are shell-entity transfers (Reel 055375/0288, 055375/0289, 058869/0635, 059409/0179) and a repeat correspondent in the assignment chain, these patterns, in this context, suggest internal corporate or patent family structuring rather than a typical NPE model, as the patent consistently lands with and is asserted by an operating entity selling related products.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US11608915

The USPTO website provides a "Patent Public Search" tool for searching patents and patent application publications.

Here is an analysis of the most relevant prior art cited in US patent 11608915:

Ragner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,948,527

• Full Citation: Ragner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,948,527, "Pressure-actuated linearly retractable and extendible hose"
• Publication/Filing Date: Granted September 27, 2005. Application filed November 25, 2002.
• Brief Description: This patent discloses a linearly self-actuated hose for transporting fluids, which has a retractable and/or extendible means built into the hose itself. The hose utilizes internal pressure or vacuum pressure to control its extending and retracting. It aims to provide a hose that retracts to a much smaller length and volume when not in use and automatically extends for use, with control based on the pressure differential. The hose includes a biasing spring extending along its full length, covered by inner and outer hose cover materials to form a sealed hose.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Claims 1 and 14 broadly describe an expandable and contractible hose that responds to pressurized fluid. Ragner et al. discloses a hose that "retracts itself to a much smaller length when not in use" and "automatically extends itself for use" based on internal pressure. The core concept of an automatically expanding and contracting hose due to fluid pressure is present. However, a key distinction of US11608915 is the explicit separation of a non-elastic outer tube and an elastic inner tube that are "unattached, unconnected, unbonded, and unsecured...along the entire length" and the absence of metal components like springs along the length. Ragner et al. uses a "biasing spring" along the full length. Therefore, while the broad functionality of an expanding/contracting hose is anticipated, the specific structural arrangement of the inner and outer tubes being unattached along their length and the absence of a biasing spring distinguishes US11608915. Thus, it potentially anticipates the broader functional aspects of Claims 1 and 14, but not the specific structural limitations.

Ragner, U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,448

• Full Citation: Ragner, U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,448, "Linearly self-actuated hose for use in transporting fluids"
• Publication/Filing Date: Publication date is not explicitly stated in the provided text, but it is mentioned in relation to US20210172546A1.
• Brief Description: This patent also discloses a linearly self-actuated hose for transporting fluids, similar to US6948527. It features a biasing spring that extends along the full length of the hose, covered by inner and outer hose cover materials to form a sealed hose. The cover materials are bowed inward or outward radially between the individual spring coils.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US6948527, this patent anticipates the broad functional concept of a self-actuating, expandable, and contractible hose. However, it also includes a "biasing spring", which is explicitly absent in the design of US11608915. Therefore, it potentially anticipates the functional aspects of Claims 1 and 14 but not the specific structural configuration of US11608915.

Ragner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,776,836

• Full Citation: Ragner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,776,836, "Hose with helical indentation"
• Publication/Filing Date: The text refers to this patent but does not explicitly state its publication or filing date.
• Brief Description: This patent discloses a hose having a biasing spring along its full length, covered with hose cover material on the outside and hose support and sealing layers on the inside to form a sealed hose. The improvement is defining the layers as bowed inwardly radially between the individual spring coils to create a helical indentation, which causes the hose body materials to move inward radially when the hose is retracted, reducing its volume and protecting the layers from damage.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent further details a spring-biased expandable hose with specific structural improvements for retraction. Again, the reliance on a "biasing spring" distinguishes it from the spring-free design of US11608915. Thus, it potentially anticipates the broad function of an expanding/contracting hose (Claims 1 and 14) but not the specific structural features of US11608915.

R. H. Vansickle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,481,368

• Full Citation: R. H. Vansickle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,481,368, "Flexible hose"
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority art keywords indicate a date of 2011-11-04 for US11608915.
• Brief Description: This patent discloses a flexible hose comprising an elastomer liner tube surrounded by metallic wire reinforcement layers and an external cover. The inner reinforcing layer has helically wound wires interlaced by textile yarns. Additional reinforcing layers of wire may be wound helically, and a layer of braided wire may be provided.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent describes a multi-layered flexible hose with reinforcement. While it has an "elastomer liner tube," it is heavily reinforced with "metallic wire reinforcement", which is a significant structural difference from US11608915 that explicitly states it "does not contain any metal components such as springs, wire mesh or other metal parts along the entire length of the hose". Therefore, it doesn't appear to directly anticipate the claims of US11608915 in its entirety, especially regarding the absence of metal reinforcement and the free movement of the outer tube.

Logan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,063

• Full Citation: Logan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,063, "Molded hose construction and method of making same"
• Publication/Filing Date: The text refers to this patent but does not explicitly state its publication or filing date.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a molded hose with axially spaced convolutions (crests and troughs), having an elastomeric inner layer, an elastomeric outer layer, and an intermediate reinforcing layer of fabric material with open spaces. The layers are bonded as a unitary structure by elastomeric material extending through these spaces.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Logan's patent describes a multi-layered hose, but it emphasizes the bonding of layers "as a unitary structure". This directly contradicts a fundamental claim of US11608915, which states the "outer tube is unattached, unconnected, unbonded, and unsecured to the inner tube along the entire length". Therefore, it does not anticipate the core unattached nature of the inner and outer tubes in US11608915.

Fujimoto, U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,132

• Full Citation: Fujimoto, U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,132, "Flexible hose"
• Publication/Filing Date: The text refers to this patent but does not explicitly state its publication or filing date.
• Brief Description: This patent discloses a flexible hose with a bellows hose wall composed of an inner wall and an outer wall (each made of soft resin) and a spiral hard reinforcement interposed between them. As the hose contracts, a spiral groove is formed inside, and unbonded fragments of the inner wall separate from the outer wall and reinforcement to close the spiral groove.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Fujimoto describes a flexible hose with inner and outer walls and a spiral reinforcement. While it mentions "unbonded sites or fragments 8", the overall structure includes a "spiral hard reinforcement" and the inner wall and outer wall are not entirely separated, but rather form a "bellows hose wall" with components interposed and forming grooves. This differs significantly from US11608915's complete separation of the inner and outer tubes along their entire length and the absence of a hard spiral reinforcement.

Kanao, U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,915

• Full Citation: Kanao, U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,915, "Cleaner hose"
• Publication/Filing Date: The text refers to this patent but does not explicitly state its publication or filing date.
• Brief Description: This patent discloses a cleaner hose with a hose body, connection cylinders, and a reinforcement wire material wound spirally and continuously over the whole length of the hose body. The wire material is shaped in steeply slanted spirals near the ends and gently slanted spirals in the intermediate portion.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Kanao's hose uses a "reinforcement wire material wound in the hose body spirally and continuously over the whole length", which, like other metal-reinforced hoses, differs from the spring-free, unattached inner/outer tube design of US11608915.

Weyker, U.S. Pat. No. 6,955,189

• Full Citation: Weyker, U.S. Pat. No. 6,955,189, "Garden hose assembly"
• Publication/Filing Date: The text refers to this patent but does not explicitly state its publication or filing date.
• Brief Description: This patent discloses a garden hose assembly with an elongated and flexible tubular member having an oblong shape when filled with fluid and a substantially flattened shape when empty. It also mentions an outer surface colored a fluorescent color and threaded male and female couplers.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): While this patent addresses a garden hose and its shape in filled/unfilled states, it does not describe the specific two-tube, unattached, expandable/contractible mechanism of US11608915. The "tubular member" is described as a single entity, which is distinct from the inner and outer tube arrangement of the claimed invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,291,941

• Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 8,291,941, "Expandable and contractible hose"
• Publication/Filing Date: Filed November 4, 2011, and issued October 23, 2012.
• Brief Description: US11608915 claims priority as a continuation of several applications, including U.S. Pat. No. 8,291,941. This patent family describes a hose that automatically expands longitudinally and laterally upon fluid pressure and contracts upon release, including an elastic inner tube and a non-elastic outer tube secured only at the ends, allowing free movement between them.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Given that US11608915 claims priority from US8291941, it is highly likely that US8291941 anticipates many, if not all, of the independent claims (Claims 1 and 14) of US11608915. This is a common strategy in patent prosecution, where later patents in a family build upon or refine claims from earlier family members. The descriptions of both patents align closely on the core inventive concept of an elastic inner tube and a free-moving non-elastic outer tube, expanding and contracting with fluid pressure.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,291,942

• Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 8,291,942, "Expandable hose assembly"
• Publication/Filing Date: Filed June 5, 2012, and issued October 23, 2012.
• Brief Description: US11608915 also claims priority as a continuation-in-part of this patent. This patent describes a hose assembly with an outer tube assembly (non-elastic) housing an inner tube member (elastic), attached only at the ends by couplers, allowing the outer tube to extend about the inner tube in an undulating state in a contracted condition and capture the inner tube in an expanded state upon fluid pressure.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US8291941, this patent is part of the same family and describes the core features of the expandable hose, including the unattached inner and outer tubes and their behavior under pressure. Therefore, it is highly probable that US8291942 anticipates many, if not all, of the independent claims (Claims 1 and 14) of US11608915 due to their shared inventive concept within the patent family.

Other cited patents: The patent also lists numerous other patents in the "DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART" section, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,520,725 (vacuum cleaning system hose), U.S. Pat. No. 3,682,202 (collapse-resistant reinforced hose), U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,734 (self-retracting coiled tubing), U.S. Pat. No. 4,276,908 (thermoplastic hose with reinforcement), U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,568 (flexible hose with braided-spiral reinforcement), U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,185 (hose reinforced by armature layers), U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,643 (composite hose with elastomer adhered fabric plies), U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,959 (system for extending and retracting waste hose), U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,890 (reinforcement device for garden hose), U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,254 (anti-kinking device for water hose), U.S. Pat. No. 5,264,262 (refrigerant transporting hose), U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,888 (hose with mesh-network), U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,107 (retractable conduit from memory-set polyester), U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,622 (protective sleeve for garden hose), U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,866 (garden hose assembly with holding means), U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,134 (laminated tape hose), U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,666 (tubing assembly for conveying fluid), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,610 (flexible water spray wand). These generally describe various types of hoses, reinforcement, or hose-related accessories, but their descriptions as provided in the US11608915 patent text do not appear to present the specific combination of an elastic inner tube and a freely moving non-elastic outer tube, secured only at the ends, which is central to the claims of US11608915.

Obviousness Analysis of US Patent 11608915 under 35 U.S.C. § 103

This analysis assesses the obviousness of independent claims 1 and 14 of US Patent 11608915, based on the prior art explicitly described within the patent's "DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART" section.

1. Person Having Ordinary Skill in the Art (PHOSITA):
A PHOSITA in this field would be an engineer or technician with expertise in flexible conduit design, materials science for polymers and textiles, and fluid mechanics as applied to hose systems. This individual would be familiar with common hose constructions, materials, manufacturing techniques, and the challenges associated with their use, storage, and transport.

2. Scope and Content of the Prior Art:
The US11608915 patent itself details several prior art references, including:

• U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,734 (Sullivan): Discloses a "flexible self-retracting coiled tubing having desirable recoil strength and elastic memory" that is "adaptable especially as a self-retracting air tube for transmitting fluids under pressure."
• U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,959 (Mercer): Discloses a "system for extending and retracting the waste hose for a waste disposal system" that "includes power or crank-driven hose extender means for extending the collapsible hose from its collapsed mode."
• U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,107 (Grieve et al.): Discloses a "retractable conduit formed from a sheet of memory-set polyester" that "will automatically return to the coiled condition after it has been uncoiled." It further states that "the polyester sheet is sheathed in an elongated polyethylene tube, to form a retractable hose."
• U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,132 (Fujimoto): Discloses a "flexible hose comprises a bellows hose wall 1 composed of an inner wall 2 and an outer wall 3 each made of a soft resin and a spiral hard reinforcement 4 interposed there between." Critically, it notes that "The inner wall 2 is not partially bonded or fused with the outer wall 3 and the hard spiral reinforcement 4 to form unbonded sites or fragments 8."
• U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,948,527 (Ragner et al.), 7,549,448 (Ragner), and 8,776,836 (Ragner et al.): These patents disclose "linearly self-actuated hose[s]" that utilize "a biasing spring (36) [or 76] that extends along its full length" to enable retraction and expansion.

3. Differences Between the Claimed Invention and the Prior Art:
The independent claims of US11608915 describe an expandable and contractible garden hose comprising:

• A flexible, elastic inner tube.
• A separate, distinct, non-elastic outer tube.
• The outer tube is secured to the inner tube only at the first and second ends and is unsecured along the entire length between the ends, allowing free relative movement.
• The hose automatically expands (longitudinally and laterally) when pressurized liquid is introduced into the inner tube and a flow restrictor is operated.
• The hose automatically contracts when the pressurized liquid is released.
• The patent explicitly distinguishes itself from prior art by stating it "does not contain any metal components such as springs, wire mesh or other metal parts along the entire length of the hose."

While prior art discloses multi-layered hoses, self-retracting hoses, and hoses with distinct inner and outer layers, the precise combination of an elastic inner tube and an unattached, non-elastic outer tube to achieve automatic fluid-pressure-driven longitudinal and lateral expansion and contraction for a garden hose, without internal springs, represents the purported point of novelty.

4. Obviousness Combinations and Motivation:

A PHOSITA, motivated to address the well-known problems of conventional garden hoses—namely, their bulkiness, heavy weight, and tendency to kink and entangle (as explicitly identified in the "BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION" section of US11608915)—would find the claimed invention obvious through a combination of the following prior art teachings:

Combination: Sullivan (U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,734) + Fujimoto (U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,132) + Grieve et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,107) + General Knowledge.

1. Core Concept of Fluid-Actuated Self-Retraction: Sullivan (U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,734) teaches a "flexible self-retracting coiled tubing having desirable recoil strength and elastic memory" for "transmitting fluids under pressure." This reference provides the fundamental concept of an elastic tube that expands with pressurized fluid and automatically retracts when pressure is released, offering an elegant, automatic mechanism for hose length change without external power or internal mechanical springs (thus addressing the drawbacks of devices like Mercer's and Ragner's).
2. Structural Arrangement of Inner Retracting Element within an Outer Sheath: Grieve et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,107) explicitly teaches the construction of a "retractable hose" by sheathing an inner "retractable conduit" (made of memory-set polyester) "in an elongated polyethylene tube." This establishes the well-known concept of an inner, active element responsible for retraction housed within a passive, protective outer layer.
3. Enabling Relative Movement through Unbonded Layers: To combine Sullivan's fluid-actuated elastic tube with Grieve's sheathed hose structure effectively, the outer layer must not impede the expansion and contraction of the inner elastic tube. Fujimoto (U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,132) directly teaches a multi-layered hose where the "inner wall 2 is not partially bonded or fused with the outer wall 3... to form unbonded sites or fragments 8." A PHOSITA would readily recognize that such unbonded layers allow for relative movement between the inner and outer components. Applying this principle to the combination of Sullivan and Grieve would involve keeping the inner elastic tube unbonded from the outer tube along its length.
4. Material Selection and Standard Practices:
   • It would be an obvious design choice to utilize an elastic material for the inner tube (as taught by Sullivan) to achieve the desired fluid-pressure-driven expansion and automatic contraction. The '915 patent specifies natural latex rubber or similar synthetics.
   • Concurrently, it would be equally obvious to select a non-elastic material for the outer tube (such as woven nylon, polyester, or polypropylene, as mentioned in the '915 patent, or Grieve's polyethylene) to provide external protection, abrasion resistance, and define the maximum expanded length and diameter of the hose, without contributing to or hindering the inner tube's elastic function.
   • Securing both the inner and outer tubes only at their ends with conventional couplers (as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 of US11608915) is a standard hose manufacturing technique and the most straightforward way to ensure the unbonded nature and free relative movement of the tubes along their lengths.

Motivation to Combine and Expectation of Success:

A PHOSITA, aiming to develop a garden hose that is lightweight, easy to store, and resists kinking, would be motivated to combine these teachings. They would:

1. Adopt Sullivan's concept of an elastic, fluid-pressure-responsive tube for the inner fluid conduit to enable automatic expansion and contraction.
2. Seek to provide this elastic tube with a protective, external casing, drawing inspiration from Grieve's sheathed retractable hose.
3. Implement Fujimoto's teaching of unbonded inner and outer layers to ensure the outer casing does not restrict the inner tube's movement, allowing the inner tube to drive the overall hose length change by gathering and unfolding the outer tube.
4. Select elastic materials for the inner tube and non-elastic, durable woven fabrics for the outer tube to fulfill the functional requirements of expansion/retraction and protection, respectively. The explicit avoidance of metal springs (a feature in Ragner's prior art) would be a natural outcome of choosing Sullivan's elastic-material-based retraction mechanism.

This combination would have a reasonable expectation of success because the underlying principles of elastic material behavior, fluid dynamics, and multi-layered hose construction were well-understood in the art. The resulting structure would inherently provide the benefits of reduced storage size, lighter weight (compared to conventional rubber hoses), and kink resistance (due to the inner tube's expansion and the outer tube's smooth tension in the expanded state, as described in the '915 patent).

Conclusion:
Based on the prior art disclosed within US11608915, independent claims 1 and 14 are rendered obvious. The combination of Sullivan (for elastic, fluid-actuated self-retraction), Fujimoto (for unbonded inner/outer layers allowing relative movement), and Grieve et al. (for an inner retracting element within an outer sheath), guided by the recognized problems in the art regarding garden hoses and common engineering principles, would lead a PHOSITA to the claimed expandable and contractible garden hose with a reasonable expectation of success.