Irrigation pipe system

• US 6,302,445 B1
• Filed: 11/01/1999
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: North American Specialty Products LLC (TTWF LP)
• Original Assignee: CertainTeed Corp. (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Kugele, Adolf, Schroeder, LaVern
• Primary Examiner(s): LUU, TUYET PHUONG PHAM
• Application Number:
  US09/432,037
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 285/110, 285/111, 285/360, 285/361, 285/376, 285/395, 285/396, 285/401, 285/402, 285/5, 285/6, 285/197, 285/198, 285/199
• US Class Current: 285/5
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 17/035 the sealing rings having two lips parallel to each other
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/008 for branching pipes; for joining pipes to walls
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/148 the securing element being flexible F16L37/144 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 47/28 Joining pipes to walls or to other pipes, the axis of the joined pipe being perpendicular to the wall or to the axis of the other pipe

Abstract

An irrigation pipe system including a tubular coupler member releasably connectable to fluid transport pipes. The tubular coupler member includes wing-like lateral projections for stabilizing and minimizing impact upon the tubular coupler member as it is drawn along a ground surface. Structure is provided for enabling a sprinkler riser to be connected to and disconnected from the tubular member by rotating the sprinkler riser less than about one rotation. A seal is also provided for preventing fluid leakage between the tubular coupler member and the sprinkler riser.

Claims

1. An irrigation pipe system comprising:

a tubular coupler member having at least one open end;

at least one fluid transport pipe;

means for releasably connecting said at least one fluid transport pipe to said at least one open end;

a sprinkler riser having a bottom end;

a fitting including a lock member having a lug connected to said sprinkler riser and a cylindrical member attached to and in fluid communication with said tubular coupler member, said cylindrical member terminating in a substantially annular flange, said flange having an undersurface with a flat portion and at least one gap for receiving said at least one lug, said undersurface of said flange having a plurality of stops;

whereby said sprinkler riser is connected to said cylindrical member by inserting the bottom end of said sprinkler riser inside said cylindrical member, pushing said sprinkler riser into the cylindrical member in a direction towards tubular coupler member a distance sufficient for said at least one lug to clear one of said plurality of stops, and rotating said sprinkler riser till said lug is past said one stop, wherein said stops are spaced so as to limit a range of rotation of the lock member, when the lug is in contact with the flat portion of the undersurface between the stops; and

a seal having at least a first portion seated in the cylindrical member.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the seal is compressed axially and expands radially when the lock member is positioned so that the lug engages the undersurface of the flange, thereby preventing water leakage between said sprinkler riser and said sprinkler riser fitting.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said undersurface of said flange includes a camming surface, said camming surface serving to promote compression of said seal and said flat portion of the undersurface serving to seat said sprinkler riser with respect to said coupler member.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said fitting further comprises an externally threaded fitting member carried by said coupler member and an internally threaded riser cap threadably connectable to the fitting member, said riser cap carrying said cylindrical member.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the range of rotation is about 90 degrees.

6. An irrigation pipe coupler comprising:

a tubular member having a central longitudinal axis, a central region and first and second open ends, said first and second open ends being adapted for respective connection to first and second pipes;

a fitting including a lock member having a lug connected to a sprinkler riser and a cylindrical member attached to and in fluid communication with said tubular member, said cylindrical member terminating in a substantially annular flange, said flange having an undersurface with a flat portion and at least one gap for receiving said at least one lug, said undersurface of said flange having a plurality of stops,

whereby said sprinkler riser is connected to and released from said cylindrical member by inserting the bottom end of said sprinkler riser inside said cylindrical member, pushing said sprinkler riser into the cylindrical member in a direction towards said tubular member a distance sufficient for said at least one lug to clear one of said plurality of stops, and rotating said sprinkler riser till said lug is past said one stop, wherein said stops are spaced so as to limit a range of rotation of the lock member, when the lug is in contact with the flat portion of the undersurface between the stops; and

a seal having at least a first portion seated in the cylindrical member.

7. The irrigation pipe coupler of claim 6, wherein the seal is compressed axially and expands radially when the lock member is positioned so that the lug engages the undersurface of the flange, thereby preventing water leakage between said sprinkler riser and said sprinkler riser fitting.

8. The irrigation pipe coupler of claim 7 wherein said undersurface of said flange includes a camming surface, said camming surface serving to promote compression of said seal and said flat portion of the undersurface serving to seat said sprinkler riser with respect to said tubular member.

9. The coupler of claim 6, wherein the range of rotation is about 90 degrees.

10. The irrigation pipe coupler of claim 6, wherein said fitting further comprises an externally threaded fitting member carried by said tubular member and an internally threaded riser cap threadably connectable to the fitting, said riser cap carrying said cylindrical member.

11. The irrigation pipe coupler of claim 10, wherein the seal has a bifurcated construction such that a portion thereof is separated into spaced apart annular ridges.

12. The irrigation pipe coupler of claim 6 further comprising at least one lateral projection disposed on an outer surface of said tubular member and extending substantially tangentially thereto, each of said at least one projection including first and second end portions respectively angularly disposed toward said central longitudinal axis at an angle of about 5°

to about 30°

with respect to said central longitudinal axis.

13. The irrigation pipe coupler of claim 12 wherein each of said first and second end portions of said at least one projection, includes a distal edge extending outwardly from a respective one of said first and second open ends of said tubular member toward said central region thereof at an angle of about 15°

to about 35°

with respect to said central longitudinal axis.

14. An irrigation pipe coupler comprising:

a tubular member having a central longitudinal axis, a central region and first and second open ends, said first and second open ends being adapted for respective connection to first and second pipes;

a fitting including a cylindrical member in fluid communication with said tubular member, the fitting capable of receiving a sprinkler riser in a locking relationship with the fitting, the fitting including an externally threaded fitting member and an internally threaded fitting member threadably connectable to the externally threaded fitting member; and

a seal, compressible between the externally threaded fitting member and the internally threaded fitting member, for sealing between the cylindrical member and the sprinkler riser, wherein;

the seal has a bifurcated construction such that a portion thereof is separated into inner and outer spaced apart annular ridges,

one of the group consisting of the internally threaded fitting member and the externally threaded fitting member has a bore for receiving the seal,

the outer annular ridge of the seal has a height that is greater than a height of the bore, and

the inner annular ridge is shorter than the outer annular ridge.

15. The irrigation pipe coupler of claim 14, wherein the height of the inner annular ridge is smaller than the height of the bore.

16. An irrigation pipe coupler comprising:

a tubular member having a central longitudinal axis, a central region and first and second open ends, said first and second open ends being adapted for respective connection to first and second pipes;

a fitting including a cylindrical member in fluid communication with said tubular member, the fitting capable of receiving a sprinkler riser in a locking relationship with the fitting, the fitting including an externally threaded fitting member and an internally threaded fitting member threadably connectable to the externally threaded fitting member; and

a seal, compressible between the externally threaded fitting member and the internally threaded fitting member, for sealing between the cylindrical member and the sprinkler riser, wherein the seal seats on a seating surface of the externally threaded fitting member, the seating surface having an angle so that the seating surface is deeper at an outer circumference than at an inner circumference thereof.

17. The irrigation pipe coupler of claim 16, wherein the seal has a bifurcated construction such that a portion thereof is separated into inner and outer spaced apart annular ridges.

18. The irrigation pipe coupler of claim 16 wherein the angle is about 5 degrees.