Patent EP0091059A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0091059A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Drip irrigation system employing adjacently arranged flow-restricting passages
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1983-03-28
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-03-28
Abstract
Abstract An elongated fluid distributing hose for use in an irrigation system for plants, vegetables, and the like. The hose incorporates a particular arrangement of a main supply channel for gross water movement, and a water distributing network for fine water movement. Water pressure reduction takes place in the water distributing network at the point of the passing of the water from the high pressure main supply channel through a series of first fluid-passing openings or inlet stations through one or more smaller fluid-restricting passages. In certain embodiments, a structure is provided to perform a pressure regulating function in each of the smaller passages. In one embodiment, pressure reduction between an inlet and an outlet is by way of a serpentine fluid-restricting path. A novel method and machine are employed to manufacture the various hoses embodying the teachings of the subject invention.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard Dexter Chapin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 10:26
CPC Classifications
B; B29; B29C; B29C65/00; B29C65/02; B29C65/40; A; A01; A01G; A01G25/00; A01G25/02; B29C53/00; B29C53/36; B29C53/38; B29C53/48; B29C66/00; B29C66/01; B29C66/05; B29C66/10; B29C66/11; B29C66/112; B29C66/1122; B29C66/40; B29C66/41; B29C66/43; B29C66/432; B29C66/4322; B29C66/80; B29C66/83; B29C66/834; B29C66/8341; B29C66/83411; B29C66/83413; B29C66/70; B29C66/71; Y; Y02; Y02A; Y02A40/00; Y02A40/10; Y02A40/22
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 32
Claim 1
Independent Claim
124 words
An elongated fluid-distributing hose for use in a fluid-distributing system, said hose comprising: a main supply channel adapted for fluid communication with a source of fluid under pressure; at least one elongated flow-restricting passage disposed about the exterior of said main supply channel, said passage being continuous and uninterrupted throughout the full longitudinal length of said hose, said passage being essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said hose; a common wall made of a thin film, said wall simultaneously defining a portion of said main supply channel and each of said flow-restricting passages; inlet means for providing fluid communication between said main supply channel and said passage; and outlet means for providing fluid communication between said passage and the exterior of said hose.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
124 words
An elongated fluid-distributing hose for use in a fluid-distributing system, said hose comprising: a main supply channel adapted for fluid communication with a source of fluid under pressure; at least one elongated flow-restricting passage disposed about the exterior of said main supply channel, said passage being continuous and uninterrupted throughout the full longitudinal length of said hose, said passage being essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said hose; a common wall made of a thin film, said wall simultaneously defining a portion of said main supply channel and each of said flow-restricting passages; inlet means for providing fluid communication between said main supply channel and said passage; and outlet means for providing fluid communication between said passage and the exterior of said hose.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
The hose of claim 1, wherein said outlet means comprises a plurality of discharge outlet stations disposed one next to the other along the full length of the hose.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The hose of claim 1, wherein each of said outlet stations receives fluid from two opposite directions within said passage.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The hose of claim 1, wherein said inlet means comprises a plurality of first fluid-passing inlet stations and said outlet means comprises a plurality of discharge fluid-passing outlet stations.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
The hose of claim 4, wherein at least three adjacently arranged first inlet stations contribute supply fluid to one of said outlet stations.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
The hose of claim 4, wherein each of said first inlet stations is in fluid communication with at least three of said outlet stations.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
The hose of claim 4, further comprising a second wall member separating said passage from the exterior of said hose, and wherein said discharge outlet stations are defined in said second wall member.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
52 words
The hose of claim 4, wherein said flow-restricting passage is divided into a plurality of adjacent flow-restricting segments, each of said segments being defined by the length of said passage between the station in one of the two wall members and the nearest station in the other of the two wall members.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
The hose of claim 8, wherein each two adjacent segments share a common station for receiving the flow of fluid through said two adjacent segments.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
61 words
The hose of claim 4, further comprising means for dividing said flow-restricting passage into a plurality of flow-restricting channels, each of said channels in fluid communication with a dedicated one of said inlet stations and a dedicated one of said outlet stations, and path means for creating a serpentine path within said flow-restricting channel between said dedicated inlet and outlet stations.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
27 words
The hose of claim 10, wherein said path means comprises a plurality of fingers arranged in an interdigitated relationship throughout the full length of the flow-restricting channel.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
106 words
The hose of claim 1, wherein said at least one passage comprises at least two elongated flow-restricting passages aligned one next to the other in a common plane and disposed about the exterior of said main supply channel, each passage being continuous and uninterrupted throughout the full longitudinal length of said hose, each passage being essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said hose, and wherein said inlet means provides fluid communication between said main supply channel and one of said at least two passages, and said outlet means provides fluid communication between another of said at least two passages and the exterior of said hose.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
36 words
The hose of claim 12, wherein said another flow-restricting passage includes means for altering the cross section in said another passage in response to a pressure differential between said main supply channel and said another passage.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
159 words
The hose of claim 1, wherein said at least one passage comprises first, second and third elongated flow-restricting passages aligned one next to the other in a common plane and disposed about the exterior of the main supply channel, and wherein said common wall comprises a first wall member separating said main supply channel and said first passages, said hose further comprising a second wall member separating said first and second passages, a third wall member separating said second and third passages, first fluid-passing inlet stations in said first wall member for fluid communication between said main supply channel passage and said first passage, second fluid-passing inlet stations in said second wall member for fluid communication between said first passage and said second passage, third fluid-passing inlet stations in said third wall member for fluid communication between said second passage and said third passage, and discharge fluid-passing outlet stations from said third passage to the exterior of the hose.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
29 words
The hose of claim 14, wherein the flow from each inlet station supplies a portion of the total flow that passes through each of at least three outlet stations.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
51 words
The hose of claim 14, wherein at least one of said first, second and third wall members comprises a plurality of elongated strips placed lengthwise one next to the other throughout the length of the hose, the ends of said strips being spaced from each other to define said inlet stations.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
34 words
The hose of claim 14, further comprising a fourth wall member separating said third passage from the exterior of said hose, and wherein said discharge outlet stations are defined in said fourth wall member.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
58 words
The hose of claim 14, wherein each of said flow-restricting passages is divided into a plurality of adjacent flow-restricting segments, each of said segments being defined by the length of said passage between the stations in one of the two wall members associated with the passage and the nearest station in the other of the two wall members.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
26 words
The hose of claim 1, further comprising means defined in said passage and spaced from said common wall for compensating for pressure loss within said passage.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
181 words
Apparatus for manufacturing an elongated fluid-distributing hose of claim 19, said hose being made from an elongated plastic film and an elongated plastic sheet having at least two longitudinally extending ridges, said apparatus comprising: means for moving the film in a desired direction that is essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the film; means for orienting the film to expose one of the two surfaces of the film along one of the longitudinal margins of the film; extrusion nozzle means for extruding the plastic sheet with ridges, said nozzle means oriented relative to said one surface of the film so that said sheet with ridges is disposed on said one surface essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the film; molding means for periodically creating a permanent depression in each of said ridges; folding means for folding the film about its longitudinal axis so that the other of the two surfaces of the film along the other of the longitudinal margins of the film comes into contact with said ridges; and means for securing the other margin to said ridges.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
181 words
Apparatus for manufacturing the elongated fluid-distributing hose of claim 1, said hose being made from an elongated plastic film and at least one plastic bead, said apparatus comprising: means for moving the film in a desired direction that is essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the film; means for orienting the film to expose one of the two surfaces of the film along one of the longitudinal margins of the film; extruson nozzle means for extruding the at least one plastic bead, said nozzle means oriented relative to said one surface of the film so that said bead is disposed on said one surface essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the film; molding means for periodically creating a permanent depression in said at least one bead; folding means for folding the film about its longitudinal axis so that the other of the two surfaces of the film along the other of the longitudinal margins of the film comes into contact with said at least one bead; and means for securing the other margin to said at least one bead.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
36 words
The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said at least one plastic bead is a plurality of plastic beads and said nozzle means disposes said plastic beads in an array of adjacently arranged, essentially parallel plastic beads.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
33 words
The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said means for moving comprises a pair of opposed forming wheels defining a nip through which said film is drawn during the rotation of said forming wheels.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said molding means comprises at least one molding tooth movable toward and away from said at least one bead to create said permanent depression.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
31 words
The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising a molding wheel, means for mounting said tooth at a predetermined location on the periphery of said wheel, and means for rotating said wheel.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
159 words
A method of making the elongated fluid-distributing hose of claim 1 from an elongated plastic film and at least one plastic bead, said method comprising the steps of: moving the film in a desired direction that is essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the film; orienting the film to expose one of the two surfaces of the film along one of the longitudinal margins of the film; extruding said at least one plastic bead; disposing said at least one bead on said one surface, said at least one bead being essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the film; periodically creating a permanent depression in said at least one bead; folding the film about its longitudinal axis so that the other of the two surfaces of the film along the other of the longitudinal margins of the film comes into contact with said at least one bead; and securing the other margin to said at least one bead.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 26, wherein said at least one plastic bead is a plurality of plastic beads and said disposing step includes disposing said plastic bead in an array of adjacently arranged, essentially parallel plastic beads.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 26, wherein said moving step comprises drawing said film through the nip of a pair of opposite rotating forming wheels.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of providing said film as a flat sheet.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 26, wherein said molding step comprises moving at least one molding tooth toward and away from said at least one bead to create said permanent depression.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of mounting said tooth at a predetermined location on the periphery of a molding wheel, and rotating said wheel to cause said tooth to create said permanent depression.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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