LAWN SPRINKLER
First Claim
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1. A sprinkler for watering a surface, said apparatus comprising:
- a sprinkler base, said sprinkler base comprising a sprinkler base chamber defined by a sprinkler base inner side wall, said sprinkler base chamber having an inlet for receiving a pressurized water flow;
a sprinkler nozzle assembly rotatably coupled to said sprinkler base and configured for operative pop-up extension relative to said base, said sprinkler nozzle assembly comprisinga sprinkler nozzle assembly housing, said housing having an outer wall and an inner wall, said inner wall defining a sprinkler nozzle assembly chamber;
a nozzle, said nozzle adapted for discharging water therethrough;
a sprinkler nozzle assembly primary inlet, said sprinkler nozzle assembly primary inlet in fluid communication with said nozzle,a sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass inlet, said sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass inlet in fluid communication with said nozzle;
a transmission, said transmission secured in working relationship with said sprinkler nozzle assembly, said transmission comprising an impeller and a gear mechanism to transfer force from said impeller to rotationally drive said sprinkler nozzle assembly;
a sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass passageway, said passageway defined between at least a portion of said sprinkler base inner side wall and a portion of said sprinkler nozzle assembly housing outer wall, said sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass passageway in fluid communication with said sprinkler base chamber and with said sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass inlet;
a first flow restrictor, said first flow restrictor comprising a first flow restrictor inner portion, said first flow restrictor inner portion having at least one first flow restrictor inner aperture with a cross section defined by at least one first flow restrictor inner aperture sidewall, a first flow restrictor outer portion, said first flow restrictor outer portion having at least one first flow restrictor outer aperture with a cross section defined by at least one first flow restrictor outer aperture sidewall,a second flow restrictor, said second flow restrictor configured for rotary movement relative to said first flow restrictor, said second flow restrictor comprising a second flow restrictor inner portion, said second flow restrictor inner portion having at least one second flow restrictor inner aperture with a cross sectional area defined by at least one second flow restrictor inner aperture sidewall, a second flow restrictor outer portion, said second flow restrictor outer portion having at least one second flow restrictor outer aperture with a cross sectional area defined by at least one second flow restrictor outer aperture sidewall;
said at least one first flow restrictor inner portion apertures hydraulically coupled with said sprinkler base chamber, said at least one first flow restrictor inner portion apertures and said at least one second flow restrictor inner portion apertures cooperatively positioned to operatively modulate the flow rate of a first water flow to drive said impeller by increasing and decreasing intersecting cross sectional area for water flow through both said at least one first flow restrictor inner aperture cross-sectional area and said at least one second flow restrictor inner aperture cross-sectional area;
said second flow restrictor inner portion apertures hydraulically coupled to said sprinkler nozzle assembly primary inlet, said second flow restrictor outer portion hydraulically coupled with said sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass passageway;
said at least one first flow restrictor outer portion in fluid communication with said sprinkler base chamber, said at least one first flow restrictor outer portion apertures and said second flow restrictor outer portion apertures cooperatively positioned to operatively modulate flow rate of a second water flow to said sprinkler nozzle bypass passageway by increasing and decreasing intersecting cross sectional area available for water flow through both said at least one first flow restrictor outer aperture cross-sectional area and said at least one second flow restrictor outer aperture cross-sectional area.
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Abstract
A lawn sprinkler providing water distribution over an irregular or unique shaped water receiving area. The apparatus includes a water impeller, a first water regulator, a second water regulator, and a bypass channel. The sprinkler regulates the delivery of water according to the shape of the area to be irrigated, so that water is not wasted on adjacent areas which do not require irrigation.
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Citations
46 Claims
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1. A sprinkler for watering a surface, said apparatus comprising:
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a sprinkler base, said sprinkler base comprising a sprinkler base chamber defined by a sprinkler base inner side wall, said sprinkler base chamber having an inlet for receiving a pressurized water flow; a sprinkler nozzle assembly rotatably coupled to said sprinkler base and configured for operative pop-up extension relative to said base, said sprinkler nozzle assembly comprising a sprinkler nozzle assembly housing, said housing having an outer wall and an inner wall, said inner wall defining a sprinkler nozzle assembly chamber; a nozzle, said nozzle adapted for discharging water therethrough; a sprinkler nozzle assembly primary inlet, said sprinkler nozzle assembly primary inlet in fluid communication with said nozzle, a sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass inlet, said sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass inlet in fluid communication with said nozzle; a transmission, said transmission secured in working relationship with said sprinkler nozzle assembly, said transmission comprising an impeller and a gear mechanism to transfer force from said impeller to rotationally drive said sprinkler nozzle assembly; a sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass passageway, said passageway defined between at least a portion of said sprinkler base inner side wall and a portion of said sprinkler nozzle assembly housing outer wall, said sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass passageway in fluid communication with said sprinkler base chamber and with said sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass inlet; a first flow restrictor, said first flow restrictor comprising a first flow restrictor inner portion, said first flow restrictor inner portion having at least one first flow restrictor inner aperture with a cross section defined by at least one first flow restrictor inner aperture sidewall, a first flow restrictor outer portion, said first flow restrictor outer portion having at least one first flow restrictor outer aperture with a cross section defined by at least one first flow restrictor outer aperture sidewall, a second flow restrictor, said second flow restrictor configured for rotary movement relative to said first flow restrictor, said second flow restrictor comprising a second flow restrictor inner portion, said second flow restrictor inner portion having at least one second flow restrictor inner aperture with a cross sectional area defined by at least one second flow restrictor inner aperture sidewall, a second flow restrictor outer portion, said second flow restrictor outer portion having at least one second flow restrictor outer aperture with a cross sectional area defined by at least one second flow restrictor outer aperture sidewall; said at least one first flow restrictor inner portion apertures hydraulically coupled with said sprinkler base chamber, said at least one first flow restrictor inner portion apertures and said at least one second flow restrictor inner portion apertures cooperatively positioned to operatively modulate the flow rate of a first water flow to drive said impeller by increasing and decreasing intersecting cross sectional area for water flow through both said at least one first flow restrictor inner aperture cross-sectional area and said at least one second flow restrictor inner aperture cross-sectional area; said second flow restrictor inner portion apertures hydraulically coupled to said sprinkler nozzle assembly primary inlet, said second flow restrictor outer portion hydraulically coupled with said sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass passageway; said at least one first flow restrictor outer portion in fluid communication with said sprinkler base chamber, said at least one first flow restrictor outer portion apertures and said second flow restrictor outer portion apertures cooperatively positioned to operatively modulate flow rate of a second water flow to said sprinkler nozzle bypass passageway by increasing and decreasing intersecting cross sectional area available for water flow through both said at least one first flow restrictor outer aperture cross-sectional area and said at least one second flow restrictor outer aperture cross-sectional area. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A lawn sprinkler apparatus for regulating the flow of water, comprising:
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a base, said base configured to confiningly receive a pressurized water flow; a sprinkler nozzle assembly, said sprinkler nozzle assembly arcuately coupled to said base, and said sprinkler nozzle assembly comprising a nozzle, said sprinkler nozzle assembly responsive to said pressurized water flow to pop-up into an operating position for discharge of water from said nozzle; a drive mechanism coupled to said sprinkler nozzle assembly, said drive mechanism comprising a water driven impeller and a gear train adapted for operatively driving said sprinkler nozzle assembly via arcuate movement; a water flow regulator, said water flow regulator configured (a) for regulating a first portion of said water flow to increase water flow rate of said first portion of said water flow over said first unit of time, and for regulating said first portion of said water flow to decrease water flow rate of said first portion of said water flow over said second unit of time, and (b) for regulating a second portion of said water flow to decrease water flow rate of said second portion of said water flow over said first unit of time and to increase water flow rate of said second portion of said water flow over said second unit of time, said water flow regulator comprising a first inlet fluidically coupled to said base and a first outlet fluidically coupled to said nozzle, said drive mechanism fluidically driven by said first portion of said water flow; said nozzle sized and shaped (a) to decrease the radial length of water distribution along a first vector over said first unit of time in response to said decrease in water flow rate of said second portion of said water flow, and (b) to increase the radial length of water distribution along a second vector over said second unit of time in response to said increase in water flow rate of said second portion of said water flow; and said drive mechanism operative to increase said arcuate speed of said sprinkler nozzle assembly over said first unit of time in response to said increase in water flow rate of said first portion of said water flow, and to decrease said arcuate speed of said sprinkler nozzle assembly over said second unit of time in response to said decrease in water flow rate of said first portion of said water flow. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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37. A flow regulator for use with a sprinkler nozzle assembly, said sprinkler nozzle assembly comprising a nozzle, an impeller, and a transmission, said nozzle driven in arcuate movement by said impeller through said transmission, said flow regulator comprising:
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(a) an impeller regulator portion, said impeller regulator portion shaped and sized to regulate the flow of water flow through said impeller; (b) a nozzle regulator portion, said nozzle regulator portion shaped and sized to regulate at least a portion of the flow of water to said nozzle; (c) wherein during a first period of time, (1) the shape and size of the impeller regulator portion is configured so that said impeller regulator portion operatively increases water flow through said impeller, and (2) the shape and size of the nozzle regulator portion is configured so that said nozzle regulator portion decreases water flow to said nozzle; and (d) wherein during a second period of time, (1) the shape and size of the impeller regulator portion is configured so that said impeller regulator portion operatively decreases water flow through said impeller, and (2) the shape and size of the nozzle regulator is configured so that said nozzle regulator portion operatively increases water flow to said nozzle. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A method for watering a lawn, said method
increasing volume of water distributed along a first radial of first radial length via a rotating sprinkler nozzle assembly while decreasing arcuate speed of said sprinkler nozzle assembly over a first unit of time, and decreasing volume of water distributed along a second radial of second radial length via a rotating sprinkler nozzle assembly while increasing arcuate speed of said sprinkler nozzle assembly over a second unit of time, said method comprising: -
providing a base, said base configured to confiningly receive a pressurized water flow; providing a sprinkler nozzle assembly, said sprinkler nozzle assembly configured for pop-up operation with respect to said base upon receipt of said pressurized water flow by said base, and arcuately driven with respect to said base, said sprinkler nozzle assembly comprising a sprinkler nozzle assembly housing and a nozzle; providing a drive mechanism coupled to said sprinkler nozzle assembly; arcuately driving said sprinkler nozzle assembly with said drive mechanism; regulating a first portion of said water flow with a water flow regulator to increase water flow rate of said first portion of said water flow over said first unit of time, and to decrease water flow rate of said first portion of said water flow over said second unit of time, said water flow regulator comprising a first inlet fluidically coupled to said base and a first outlet fluidically coupled to said nozzle, said water flow regulator further comprising an outlet fluidically coupled to said drive mechanism, said drive mechanism fluidically driven by said first portion of said first flow; regulating a second portion of said water flow with said water flow regulator to decrease water flow rate of said second portion of said water flow over said first unit of time and to increase water flow rate of said second portion of said water flow over said second unit of time; wherein said nozzle decreases radial length of water distribution of along said first vector from said axis over said first unit of time in response to said decrease in water flow rate of said second portion of said water flow, and increases radial length of water distribution along said second vector from said axis over said second unit of time in response to said increase in water flow rate of said second portion of said water flow; and wherein said drive mechanism decreases said arcuate speed of said sprinkler nozzle assembly over said second unit of time in response to said decrease in water flow rate of said first portion of said water flow, and increases said arcuate speed of said sprinkler nozzle assembly over said first unit of time in response to said increase in water flow rate of said first portion of said water flow.
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Specification