Moisture control apparatus

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR ALTERNATELY COMPLETING AND INTERRUPTING AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT IN RESPONSE TO A REDUCTION IN MOISTURE IN SOIL SURROUNDING SAID APPARATUS AND IN RESPONSE TO A DELIVERY OF A PREDETERMINED QUANTITY OF WATER TO THE VICINITY OF THE APPARATUS, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING A HOLLOW CONCRETE BLOCK HAVING BOTTOM AND SIDE WALLS AND AN OPEN TOP LEADING TO A CAVITY IN SAID BLOCK, A WATERPROOFING MATERIAL COVERING THE EXTERIOR SURFACES OF THE BOTTOM WALL AND LOWER PORTIONS OF THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID BLOCK TO FORM THE LOWER PORTION OF THE BLOCK INTO A WATERTIGHT CONTAINER, SAID BLOCK BEING INSERTABLE IN SOIL WITH THE TOP THEREOF POSITIONED ADJACENT THE TOP OF THE SOIL AND HAVING UPPER AND NON-WATERPROOFED PORTIONS OF SAID SIDE WALLS IN CONTACT WITH UPPER LAYERS OF SAID SOIL TO FUNCTION AS A WICK TO TRANSFER WATER FROM SAID CAVITY TO SAID UPPER LAYERS OF SAID SOIL, A MERCURY SWITCH RIGIDLY SUPPORTED ON A CARRIAGE MOUNTED ABOVE SAID CAVITY FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS, SAID MERCURY SWITCH HAVING LEAD-IN WIRES ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT WITH THE SWITCH BEING ADAPTED TO ALTERNATELY INTERRUPT AND COMPLETE SAID ELECTRIC CIRCUIT UPON PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT SAID HORIZONTAL AXIS, A FLOAT POSITIONED IN SAID CAVITY FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN THE WATER LEVEL IN THE CAVITY, AN ELONGATED ROD RIGID WITH AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID FLOAT AND THROUGH AN OPENING IN SAID CARRIAGE FOR GUIDED VERTICAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO, STOPS SPACED APART LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID ROD AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID CARRIAGE TO TRANSMIT MOVEMENT OF THE ROD TO THE CARRIAGE, SAID STOPS BEING ADJUSTABLE ALONG THE LENGTH OF SAID ROD TO BE ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID CARRIAGE WHEN SAID FLOAT IS MOVED TO PREDETERMINED VERTICAL POSITIONS IN SAID CAVITY IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN SAID WATER LEVEL, AND MEANS TO COLLECT A PORTION OF WATER DELIVERED TO THE VICINITY OF THE APPARATUS AND TRANSFER IT TO SAID CAVITY.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR ALTERNATELY COMPLETING AND INTERRUPTING AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT IN RESPONSE TO A REDUCTION IN MOISTURE IN SOIL SURROUNDING SAID APPARATUS AND IN RESPONSE TO A DELIVERY OF A PREDETERMINED QUANTITY OF WATER TO THE VICINITY OF THE APPARATUS, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING A HOLLOW CONCRETE BLOCK HAVING BOTTOM AND SIDE WALLS AND AN OPEN TOP LEADING TO A CAVITY IN SAID BLOCK, A WATERPROOFING MATERIAL COVERING THE EXTERIOR SURFACES OF THE BOTTOM WALL AND LOWER PORTIONS OF THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID BLOCK TO FORM THE LOWER PORTION OF THE BLOCK INTO A WATERTIGHT CONTAINER, SAID BLOCK BEING INSERTABLE IN SOIL WITH THE TOP THEREOF POSITIONED ADJACENT THE TOP OF THE SOIL AND HAVING UPPER AND NON-WATERPROOFED PORTIONS OF SAID SIDE WALLS IN CONTACT WITH UPPER LAYERS OF SAID SOIL TO FUNCTION AS A WICK TO TRANSFER WATER FROM SAID CAVITY TO SAID UPPER LAYERS OF SAID SOIL, A MERCURY SWITCH RIGIDLY SUPPORTED ON A CARRIAGE MOUNTED ABOVE SAID CAVITY FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS, SAID MERCURY SWITCH HAVING LEAD-IN WIRES ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT WITH THE SWITCH BEING ADAPTED TO ALTERNATELY INTERRUPT AND COMPLETE SAID ELECTRIC CIRCUIT UPON PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT SAID HORIZONTAL AXIS, A FLOAT POSITIONED IN SAID CAVITY FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN THE WATER LEVEL IN THE CAVITY, AN ELONGATED ROD RIGID WITH AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID FLOAT AND THROUGH AN OPENING IN SAID CARRIAGE FOR GUIDED VERTICAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO, STOPS SPACED APART LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID ROD AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID CARRIAGE TO TRANSMIT MOVEMENT OF THE ROD TO THE CARRIAGE, SAID STOPS BEING ADJUSTABLE ALONG THE LENGTH OF SAID ROD TO BE ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID CARRIAGE WHEN SAID FLOAT IS MOVED TO PREDETERMINED VERTICAL POSITIONS IN SAID CAVITY IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN SAID WATER LEVEL, AND MEANS TO COLLECT A PORTION OF WATER DELIVERED TO THE VICINITY OF THE APPARATUS AND TRANSFER IT TO SAID CAVITY.