Arc marking system for sprinkler

• US 6,039,268 A
• Filed: 05/22/1998
• Issued: 03/21/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toro Company (Toro)
• Original Assignee: Toro Company (Toro)
• Inventors: Wright, James T., Grundy, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOCANEGRA, JORGE
• Application Number:
  US09/083,471
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 239/DIG. 1, 239/203, 239/204, 239/205, 239/206, 239/71, 239/73, 239/74, 116/200, 116/280
• US Class Current: 239/73
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 31/02 Nozzles specially adapted for fire-extinguishing
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 15/74 driven by the discharged fluid
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 3/0431 the rotative movement of the outlet elements being reversible B05B3/0445 takes precedence

Abstract

An arc marking system is provided for a sprinkler that waters an arc, either a full circle arc or a part circle arc. The system includes a plurality of arc indicators provided on the top of the nozzle assembly. Each arc indicator is adjacent an arc indicia such that each arc indicator represents a different arc that this sprinkler is capable of watering. After ascertaining the arc that a particular sprinkler can water, the arc information can be marked on the nozzle assembly by cutting off the arc indicator that is adjacent the numeral that represents the number of degrees covered by the arc. Thus, the arc information is added to the top of the sprinkler where it can be easily seen.

Claims

1. A system for marking the arc being watered by a sprinkler, which comprises:

a plurality of arc indicators carried on the sprinkler, wherein the plurality of arc indicators represent different arcs, and wherein the arc indicators are changeable from one condition to another condition such that the user can change the condition of one of the arc indicators compared to the condition of the other arc indicators that remain unchanged to thereby mark the arc represented by the arc indicator whose condition was changed.

2. The arc marking system of claim 1, further including indicia means carried on the sprinkler and correlated with the arc indicators such that each arc indicator represents a different arc.

3. The arc marking system of claim 2, wherein the indicia means is separate from the arc indicators and is located adjacent the arc indicators.

4. The arc marking system of claim 1, wherein the arc indicators have a changeable height, and wherein the user changes the condition of the one arc indicator by changing its height relative to the height of the other arc indicators.

5. An arc marking system for a sprinkler that waters an arc, which comprises:

a plurality of arc indicators provided on the sprinkler, each arc indicator being correlated with an arc indicia such that each arc indicator represents a different arc that the sprinkler is capable of watering, the arc indicators being severable such that the arc can be marked on the sprinkler by severing the one arc indicator that is correlated with the arc indicia that represents the arc that the sprinkler will water, whereby the arc covered by the sprinkler can be easily marked on the sprinkler.

6. The arc marking system of claim 5, wherein the arc indicators and the arc indicia are located on some portion of the sprinkler such that the arc indicators and arc indicia can be viewed from above the sprinkler.

7. A sprinkler, which comprises:

(a) a nozzle assembly having at least one nozzle;

(b) a drive for rotating the nozzle assembly through a single, fixed, non-adjustable arc; and

(c) means carried on the nozzle assembly for marking the single arc of rotation of the nozzle assembly that the drive is configured to provide, wherein the arc marking means comprises a plurality of arc indicators representing different arcs, wherein the arc indicators are changeable from one condition to another condition such that the user can change the condition of one of the arc indicators, representing the single arc of rotation, compared to the condition of the other arc indicators that remain unchanged to thereby mark the single arc of rotation represented by the arc indicator whose condition was changed.

8. The sprinkler of claim 7, wherein the nozzle assembly has an exterior, and wherein the arc marking means is carried on the exterior of the nozzle assembly.

9. The sprinkler of claim 8, wherein the exterior of the nozzle assembly includes a top, and wherein the arc marking means is carried on the top of the nozzle assembly.

10. The sprinkler of claim 9, wherein the nozzle assembly and drive form part of a riser which is carried in a sprinkler body for movement between a retracted position inside the sprinkler body and a popped up position in which the riser is at least partially extended from the sprinkler body, and wherein the drive is hidden within the sprinkler body when the riser is in the retracted position.

11. The sprinkler of claim 7, wherein the arc indicators have a changeable height, wherein the user changes the condition of the one arc indicator by changing its height relative to the height of the other arc indicators.

12. The sprinkler of claim 7, wherein the arc indicators comprise a plurality of projections that extend outwardly from the nozzle assembly and which are sufficiently soft to allow the projections to be severed from the nozzle assembly, and wherein the user changes the condition of one of the projections by cutting the projection off, thereby lowering the height of the one projection relative to the other projections.

13. The sprinkler of claim 12 wherein the projections are part of a top cover of the nozzle assembly.

14. The sprinkler of claim 13, wherein the projections and the top cover are made as one piece from a relatively soft rubber material.

15. The sprinkler of claim 13, wherein the top cover includes indicia means carried thereon adjacent the projections such that each projection is adjacent a marking representing a different arc.