Pop-up sprinkler unit with floating sleeve

• US 5,423,486 A
• Filed: 04/11/1994
• Issued: 06/13/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hunter Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hunter Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Hunter, Edwin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): YOUNG, KAREN MERRITT
• Application Number:
  US08/225,742
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 239/203-206, 239/123
• US Class Current: 239/205
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 15/74 driven by the discharged fluid
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 3/0422 with rotating outlet elements

Abstract

A pop-up sprinkler unit for mounting beneath the surface of a soil formation includes an outer cylindrical housing for subsurface mounting, with an inner housing carrying a nozzle and drive turbine with a protective sleeve of a grit resistant material reciprocally mounted between the inner and outer housings for extending with the inner housing up through a portion of the soil for deflecting grit from between the sleeve and housing when the inner housing and sleeve is retracted.

Claims

1. A pop-up sprinkler unit for burying beneath the surface of the soil of an earth formation comprising:

an elongated outer housing member having a cylindrical through bore extending from an inlet for connecting to a source of water to an outlet end for receiving a retractable nozzle;

an elongated inner housing having an inner end and an outer end with said nozzle mounted on said outer end thereof reciprocally mounted in said bore and movable between a retracted position within said bore and an extended position wherein said outer end and said nozzle is extended from said outlet end of said bore, and said inner housing responsive to a source of pressurized water for extending to said extended position through a covering earth formation from said bore;

biasing means for normally biasing said inner housing to said retracted position; and

an elongated grit resistant tubular sleeve having an inner end and an outer end mounted in said bore between said inner housing and said outer housing frictionally supported between first annular seal means at the outlet end of said outer housing and second annular seal means near said outer end of said inner housing, said second seal means has a greater frictional force than said first seal means so that said sleeve is normally carried by said inner housing for moving with said inner housing in a protective position covering said nozzle between said retracted position and said extended position.

2. A sprinkler unit according to claim 1 wherein said sleeve is formed of seamless sheet metal.

3. A sprinkler unit according to claim 2 wherein said sheet metal is stainless steel.

4. A sprinkler unit according to claim 1 wherein said sleeve has a radial shoulder at the inner end for limiting the outward extension thereof relative to said bore.

5. A sprinkler unit according to claim 4 wherein said sleeve is formed of sheet metal having a thickness of on the order of about 0.010 to about 0.030 inches.

6. A sprinkler unit according to claim 5 wherein said sleeve is stainless steel.

7. A sprinkler unit according to claim 1 wherein said sleeve is formed of stainless steel sheet metal having a thickness of on the order of about 0.010 to about 0.030 inches, has a length that is less than that of said inner housing, and has a radial shoulder at the inner end for limiting the outward extension thereof relative to said bore.

8. A pop-up sprinkler unit for burying beneath the surface of the soil of an earth formation comprising:

an elongated tubular outer housing member having a coaxial through bore communicating from an inlet for connecting to a source of water to an outlet end for receiving a retractable nozzle;

an elongated inner housing having an outer end and an inner end with said nozzle mounted on said outer end thereof and reciprocally mounted in said bore for movement between retracted position within said bore and an extended position wherein said outer end and said nozzle are extended from said outlet end of said bore, and said inner housing being responsive to a source of pressurized water for extending to said extended position; and

an elongated grit resistant tubular sleeve having an inner end and an outer end mounted in said bore between said inner housing and said outer housing and carried by ribs on said inner housing for extending with said inner housing to an extended position of said nozzle through a covering earth formation from said bore, and for being held in said extended position by said outer housing when said inner housing extends to a second position wherein said nozzle is extended from said sleeve.

9. A sprinkler unit according to claim 8 wherein said sleeve is formed of seamless sheet metal.

10. A sprinkler unit according to claim 9 wherein said sheet metal is stainless steel.

11. A sprinkler unit according to claim 10 wherein said sleeve includes a radial shoulder at said inner end for engagement with said outer housing for retaining said sleeve in said extended position.

12. A sprinkler unit according to claim 8 wherein said sleeve is formed of stainless steel, has a length of less than that of said inner housing, is frictionally supported between first annular seal means at the outlet end of said outer housing and second seal means near said outer end of said inner housing, said first seal means has a greater frictional force than said second seal means so that said sleeve is normally carried by shoulders of said inner housing.

13. A sprinkler unit according to claim 8 wherein said sleeve has a thickness of on the order of about 0.010 to about 0.030 inches.

14. A pop-up sprinkler unit comprising:

an elongated outer tubular housing having a cylindrical bore with inlet means at an inlet end for attachment to a source of pressurized water and outlet means at an outlet end communicating with said bore;

an elongated inner tubular housing having a nozzle mounted on an outer end thereof reciprocally mounted in said cylindrical bore for movement between a retracted position wherein said nozzle is encased within said outer tubular housing and an extended position wherein said nozzle is cooperatively extended from said outer tubular housing;

an elongated tubular stainless steel sleeve, having a thickness of on the order of about 0.010 to about 0.030 inches, reciprocally mounted in and disposed between said outer housing and said inner housing for movement with said inner housing between said retracted position and said extended position extending from said outlet means of said bore wherein said nozzle extends from an outer end of said sleeve, said sleeve including a radial shoulder at an inner end for engagement with said outer housing for retaining said sleeve in said extended position;

an annular outer seal member surrounding and gripping said sleeve at said outlet end of said outer housing; and

an annular inner seal member extending around and gripping the inner surface of said sleeve adjacent said outer end of said inner housing, wherein said sleeve has a length of less than that of said inner housing, is frictionally supported between said first annular seal member at the outlet end of said outer housing and said second seal member near said outer end of said inner housing, said first seal member has a greater frictional force than said second seal member so that said sleeve is normally carried by said inner housing.