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US 10,850,295 B2Granted
Sprinkler with flow guard feature
AssigneeHunter Industries, Inc.
InventorsBlake A. Wildt, LaMonte D. Porter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An irrigation sprinkler can be provided with a flow guard feature configured to send an indicator stream into the air when a nozzle is missing, while still conserving most of the water that would have been wasted without the flow guard feature. The flow guard feature can include a valve assembly having a first port and a second off-axis port. The second port can be smaller than the first port. The second port can be non-parallel to the first port. The first port can be open when the nozzle is present and be sealed when the nozzle is missing. The second, off-axis port can be open even when the nozzle is missing to provide the indicator stream.
Claims21
An irrigation sprinkler for releasably connecting to a downstream end of a pipe of a subterranean irrigation system, the sprinkler comprising:
- an elongate body of the sprinkler having a passage therethrough defining a longitudinal axis, the elongate body comprising an inlet end and an outlet end coaxially disposed along the longitudinal axis, the inlet end configured to releasably connect to the downstream end of the pipe of the subterranean irrigation system;
- a nozzle releasably mounted at or near the outlet end of the elongate body of the sprinkler, the nozzle comprising at least one channel fluidly coupled to the passage of the elongate body;
- and
- a valve assembly comprising a valve body and a valve, the valve body and the valve being disposed within the elongate body of the sprinkler and between the outlet end and the inlet end, the valve body comprising a first port and a second port, the first and second ports each fluidly coupled to the passage of the elongate body, the second port comprising an inlet, an outlet, and an internal wall, the outlet being recessed into an outer side wall of the valve body, the internal wall defining a direction for a stream of fluid to exit the outlet, the valve being operatively coupled to the nozzle and configured to move at least partially within the first port and parallel to the longitudinal axis,
- wherein the valve assembly comprises a closed configuration when the valve seals the first port and an open configuration when the valve does not seal the first port, a location of the second port being fixed relative to the elongate body when the valve assembly is in both the closed configuration and the open configuration, the second port being open when the valve assembly is in both the closed configuration and the open configuration, and
- wherein the internal wall of the second port is off-axis of the first port and configured to direct the stream of fluid to exit the sprinkler at an angle that is different than the longitudinal axis of the elongate body when the valve assembly is in the closed configuration and the nozzle is not mounted to the elongate body of the sprinkler.
3 more elements
An irrigation sprinkler, the sprinkler comprising:
- an elongate body of the sprinkler having a passage therethrough, the elongate body comprising an inlet end and an outlet end, respectively;
- a smaller elongate body of the sprinkler configured to be disposed within and telescope upward and then downward relative to the elongate body of the sprinkler, the smaller elongate body having an inlet that is fluidly coupled to the inlet end of the elongate body of the sprinkler;
- a nozzle rotatably mounted on the smaller elongate body, the nozzle comprising at least one channel fluidly coupled to the passage of the elongate body of the sprinkler;
- and
- a valve assembly located upstream of the outlet end of the elongate body of the sprinkler and downstream of the inlet end of the elongate body of the sprinkler, the valve assembly disposed within the elongate body of the sprinkler, the valve assembly comprising a valve body and a valve, the valve body comprising a first port and a second port, the first and second ports each fluidly coupled to the passage of the elongate body of the sprinkler, the second port comprising an inlet, an outlet, and an internal wall, the outlet being recessed into an outer side wall of the valve body, the internal wall defining a direction for a stream of fluid to exit the outlet, the valve being operatively coupled to the nozzle and configured to move at least partially within the first port and along a longitudinal axis of the first port, at least a portion of the second port being off-axis of the first port,
- wherein the valve assembly comprises a closed configuration when the valve seals the first port and an open configuration when the valve does not seal the first port, a location of the second port being fixed relative to the smaller elongate body when the valve assembly is in both the closed configuration and the open configuration, the second port being open when the valve assembly is in both the closed configuration and the open configuration,
- wherein the internal wall of the second port is off-axis of the first port and configured to direct the stream of fluid to exit the sprinkler at an angle that is different than the longitudinal axis of the elongate body when the valve assembly is in the closed configuration and the nozzle is not mounted to the elongate body of the sprinkler, and
- wherein the nozzle and the valve assembly are configured to move with the smaller elongate body at least when the smaller elongate body telescopes downward relative to the elongate body of the sprinkler.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.