Continuous tube emitter

A continuous tube emitter, comprising:

• an elongated web of flexible sheet material having longitudinal side margins and being rolled upon itself and longitudinally seamed to form an elongated irrigation tube having inside and outside surfaces;
• means forming a plurality of valve members mounted on said web on the inside surface of said tube and each having a recessed valve face opening generally in a direction toward a longitudinal axis of said tube, each of said recessed valve faces being defined by at least one drip emission groove opening into a valve reservoir of larger cross section;
• said tube further having a plurality of outlet openings formed therein at respective positions aligned generally with said valve faces in flow communication with the valve reservoir, each of said outlet openings being positioned generally in offset relation with respect to the associated drip emission groove;
• and
• a pluraity of flexible flaps within said tube in respective relatively loosely overlying relation with said valve faces each to overlie the adjacent valve reservoir and a portion of the drip emission groove leaving another portion of the drip emission groove exposed to the interior of said tube.

A continuous tube emitter, comprising:

• an elongated web of flexible sheet material having longitudinal side margins and being rolled upon itself and longitudantly seamed to form an elongated irrigation tube, said web further having a plurality of outlet openings formed therein;
• a plurality of valve members mounted onto said web on the inside surface of said tube at respective positions generally overlying the outlet openings substantially without extending into or through the outlet openings, each of said valve members having a recessed valve face opening generally toward a longitudinal axis of said tube and defined by at least one drip emission groove opening into a valve reservoir of larger cross-section, said valve reservoir communicating with the adjacent outlet opening in said web;
• a plurality of flexible flaps inside said tube at respective positions to project in relative loosely overlying relation with said valve members each to overlie the adjacent valve reservoir and a portion of the drip emission groove leaving another portion of the drip emission groove exposed to the interior of said tube;
• and
• means for retaining said flaps in relatively close yet relatively loosely overlying relation with valve faces.

A continuous tube emitter, comprising:

• a web of flexible sheet material rolled upon itself and longitudinally seamed to form an irrigation tube with a central longitudinal axis and having inside and outside surfaces;
• at least one valve member of a flexible sheet material mounted on said web on the inside surface of said tube, said valve member having a recessed valve face opening generally toward the longitudinal axis and defined by at least one drip emission groove opening into a valve reservoir;
• said valve member and web cooperating to define an outlet opening formed through said valve recess and said web with said valve member positioned substantially completely within the interior of said tube;
• and
• at least one flexible flap formed integrally with said web and disposed inside said tube in internal overlying relation with said valve member, said flap being shaped to substantially cover said valve face leaving a portion of said drip emission groove generally opposite said valve reservoir exposed to the interior of said tube.

A continuous tube emitter, comprising:

• an elongated and relatively thin-walled blown film web of plastic sheet material having longitudinal side margins and rolled upon itself with said side margins slightly overlapping each other to form an elongated irrigation tube having inside and outside surfaces;
• a longitudinal seam connecting together said side margins of said web;
• a plurality of valve members mounted individually on said web on the inside surface of said tube at selected longitudinally spaced positions and in laterally spaced relation with one of said side margins on said tube, each of said valve members being formed from a flexible plastic material and having a valve face formed therein opening generally toward a central longitudinal axis of said tube, said valve face being defined by at least one relatively shallow, relatively narrow drip emission groove extending generally in parallel with the longitudinal tube axis and opening at one end into a valve reservoir of relatively larger cross section;
• said valve members and said web cooperating to define a plurality of relatively small outlet openings each communicating with a respective one of said valve reservoirs;
• a plurality of flexible flaps formed integrally with said web generally at the other of said side margins on the inside of said tube and in respective internal overlying relation with said valve members, each of said flaps being shaped to substantially cover the adjacent valve face leaving exposed to the interior of said tube a portion of the adjacent drip emission groove opposite the valve reservoir;
• and;
• means for retaining said flaps in relatively close overlying relation with said valve members.

A continuous tube emitter, comprising;

• an elongated web of flexible sheet material having longitudinal side margins and being rolled upon itself and longitudinally seamed to form an elongated irrigation tube, said web further having a plurality of outlet openings formed therein;
• a plurality of valve members mounted onto said web on the inside surface of said tube at respective positions generally overlying the outlet openings substantially without extending into or through the outlet openings, each of said valve members having a recessed valve face opening generally toward a longitudinal axis of said tube and defined by at least one drip emission groove opening into a valve reservoir of larger cross-section, said valve reservoir communicating with the adjacent outlet opening in said web;
• and
• a plurality of flexible flaps inside said tube at respective positions to project in overlying relation with said valve members each to overlie the adjacent valve reservoir and a portion of the drip emission groove leaving another portion of the drip emission groove exposed to the interior of said tube;
• each of said valve faces having said at least one drip emission groove extending in a first direction toward and communicating with the associated valve reservoir, said valve reservoir communicating in turn with the associated outlet opening, said outlet opening being offset relative to said drip emission groove in a position opening into said valve reservoir such that water flowing through said drip emission groove said first direction is required to undergo directional flow change to flow through said outlet opening in a second direction generally opposite said first direction.