US3794245A — Intermittent sprinkler and system

Claim 1

Independent Claim 170 words

A pressure actuated intermittent discharge sprinkler comprising: an elongated pipe member having a throat opening at one end and adapted at its other end for connection to a source of water under pressure, a nozzle assembly slidably and rotatably mounted on said pipe member for reciprocation between retracted and extended positions and having a nozzle for communication with said pipe member throat opening, valve means carried by said nozzle assembly and movable therewith between the retracted position closing said throat opening of said pipe member and the extended position communicAting said nozzle and throat opening for water discharge, bias means urging said nozzle assembly and valve means to said retracted position such that water under pressure in said pipe member may overcome said bias means forcing said valve and assembly to said extended position until pressure is relieved by discharge through said nozzle, and a rotation indexer including ratchet means carried by said nozzle assembly and pipe member translating each cycle of assembly reciprocation into an increment of rotation thereof.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 170 words

A pressure actuated intermittent discharge sprinkler comprising: an elongated pipe member having a throat opening at one end and adapted at its other end for connection to a source of water under pressure, a nozzle assembly slidably and rotatably mounted on said pipe member for reciprocation between retracted and extended positions and having a nozzle for communication with said pipe member throat opening, valve means carried by said nozzle assembly and movable therewith between the retracted position closing said throat opening of said pipe member and the extended position communicAting said nozzle and throat opening for water discharge, bias means urging said nozzle assembly and valve means to said retracted position such that water under pressure in said pipe member may overcome said bias means forcing said valve and assembly to said extended position until pressure is relieved by discharge through said nozzle, and a rotation indexer including ratchet means carried by said nozzle assembly and pipe member translating each cycle of assembly reciprocation into an increment of rotation thereof.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 65 words

The sprinkler of claim 1, wherein said nozzle assembly is comprised of a sleeve member having an open end slidably and rotatably mounted on said upstanding pipe member and a closed opposite end, said nozzle having a discharge passage adjacent said closed end extending through said sleeve member and radially outwardly therefrom to provide water discharge when said nozzle assembly is in its extended position.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 115 words

The sprinkler of claim 3, wherein said valve means is carried within said nozzle assembly sleeve member underlying the closed end thereof for cooperation with the throat opening of said pipe member, and said bias means is provided by an elongate coil spring coaxially disposed within said pipe member with an upper end of said spring abutting a downwardly facing circumferential flange of said pipe member underlying said throat opening with a lower end connected to said valve means by a linkage means upwardly extending therefrom through the throat opening to said valve means, whereby said spring is placed in compression so as to urge said valve means and nozzle assembly into said retracted position.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 69 words

The sprinkler of claim 3, wherein said valve means has an annular poppet valve member and said pipe member throat opening is annular and provides a valve seat matingly receiving said valve member, said valve member fixedly carrying a plurality of downwardly depending circumferentially spaced guide pins defining vertical guide surfaces for limiting eccentric movement of the valve member relative to the inside annular surface of said throat opening.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 121 words

The sprinkler of claim 1, wherein said indexer comprises a pawl rotatably mounted on said nozzle assembly and said pipe member has affixed thereto a ring of pawl receiving teeth circumferentially extending about said pipe member in cooperative relation with said pawl when said nozzle assembly is in the retracted position, means for rotation of said pawl in response to upward extension of said assembly to advance a tooth engaging toe of said pawl relative to said ring of teeth such that subsequent movement of said assembly toward said retracted position moves said pawl toe into engagement with said ring of teeth at the advanced position effecting an increment of rotation of said nozzle assembly upon completion of the retraction thereof.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 140 words

The sprinkler of claim 5, wherein said indexer is further defined by said axis of pawl rotation being normal to the axis of said nozzle assembly and said pawl having a pair of teeth engaging toes symmetrically oriented at spaced positions relative to the axis of rotation thereof, spring bias means connected between said pawl and nozzle assembly biasing said pawl in one or the other of two selectable stable orientations and providing said means for pawl rotation, each pawl orientation providing a different direction of incremental rotation in response to vertical reciprocation of said nozzle assembly, and direction control means fixedly disposed relative to said pipe member for automatically tripping said pawl from one stable orientation to the other at preselected circumferential locations about said pipe member, whereby said nozzle discharge is automatically incrementally rotated in selected arcuate paths.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 85 words

The sprinkler of claim 6, said indexer being further defined by said pawl toes being positioned on opposite sides of the axis of rotation thereof and said spring bias continuously urging rotation of one or the other of said toes toward engagemenT with said ring of teeth, stop means fixedly carried by said nozzle assembly limiting rotation of said pawl during upward extension of said assembly to dispose one of the other of said toes in said advanced position relative to said ring of teeth.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 92 words

The sprinkler of claim 7, said control means for tripping said pawl comprising: a pair of pawl engaging control arms fixedly mounted relative to said pipe member at spaced circumferential locations, and each arm having catch portions disposed in the arcuate path of said pawl, said pawl being formed with a shoulder adjacent each toe individually cooperating with each arm at the ends of said arcuate path to be engaged by said catch portion such that vertical reciprocation of said nozzle assembly trips said pawl from one stable orientation to the other.

Claim 10

Independent Claim 124 words

A system of pressure actuated intermittent discharge sprinkler units connected to a common water source, each sprinkler unit comprising: an accumulator adapted for connection to said water source for accumulating water under increasing pressure, a pressure actuated water delivery head including a normally closed valve means, said head connected to said accumulator and said valve means being responsive to an increasing water pressure therein to intermittently discharge water to relieve the pressure in said accumulator and resume its normally closed condition, and a self-adjusting flow control valve connecting said accumulator to said source of water such that periodic build-up and relief of pressure therein is not communicated to said source and thus does not adversely influence operation of the remaining sprinkler units connected thereto.

Claim 11

Independent Claim 124 words

A system of pressure actuated intermittent discharge sprinkler units connected to a common water source, each sprinkler unit comprising: an accumulator adapted for connection to said water source for accumulating water under increasing pressure, a pressure actuated water delivery head including a normally closed valve means, said head connected to said accumulator and said valve means being responsive to an increasing water pressure therein to intermittently discharge water to relieve the pressure in said accumulator and resume its normally closed condition, and a self-adjusting flow control valve connecting said accumulator to said source of water such that periodic build-up and relief of pressure therein is not communicated to said source and thus does not adversely influence operation of the remaining sprinkler units connected thereto.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 150 words

In the system of claim 9, the provision in each sprinkler unit of: an upstanding pipe member having a throat opening at an upper end and connected at an lower end to said accumulator, a nozzle assembly slidably and rotatably mounted on said pipe member for vertical reciprocation between retracted and extended positions and having a directional nozzle for communicating with said throat opening, said valve means carried by said nozzle assembly and movable therewith downwardly to the retracted position to close said throat opening of said pipe member and movable upwardly to the extended position communicating said nozzle and said throat opening, spring bias means urging said nozzle assembly and valve means to said retracted position such that the intermittent opening is accompanied by upward movement of said nozzle assembly to said extended position until the pressure of water in said accumulator is relieved by discharge through said nozzle.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 42 words

In the system of claim 10, each sprinkler unit head further comprising a rotation indexer including ratchet means carried by said nozzle assembly and said pipe member, said indexer translating each vertical cycle of assembly reciprocation into an increment of rotation thereof.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 224 words

A pressure actuated periodic discharge sprinkler for subgrade installation comprising: a pipe member for vertical disposition below a grade level and having a throat opening at an upper end thereof, an annular guard skirt fixedly mounted with and coaxially surrounding said pipe member adjacent said throat opening and having an upper rim for disposition substantially at grade level, a nozzle assembly slidably and rotatably mounted on said pipe member for vertical reciprocation between retracted and extended positions and having a nozzle for communication with said pipe throat opening, said nozzle assembly including a horizontally mounted generally circular guard plate overlying said nozzle and disposed to assume a substantially flush relation with said guard skirt upper rim when said assembly is in its retracted position, valve means carried by said nozzle assembly and movable therewith downwardly to a retracted position closing said throat opening of said pipe member and movable upwardly to the extended position communicating said nozzle and throat opening, and spring bias means urging said nozzle assembly and valve means to said retracted position such that water under pressure in said pipe member overcomes the force of the bias means, forcing said valve means and assembly to said extended position with said guard plate and nozzle rising above the rim of said skirt for nozzle clearance and water discharge until pressure is relieved.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 224 words

A pressure actuated periodic discharge sprinkler for subgrade installation comprising: a pipe member for vertical disposition below a grade level and having a throat opening at an upper end thereof, an annular guard skirt fixedly mounted with and coaxially surrounding said pipe member adjacent said throat opening and having an upper rim for disposition substantially at grade level, a nozzle assembly slidably and rotatably mounted on said pipe member for vertical reciprocation between retracted and extended positions and having a nozzle for communication with said pipe throat opening, said nozzle assembly including a horizontally mounted generally circular guard plate overlying said nozzle and disposed to assume a substantially flush relation with said guard skirt upper rim when said assembly is in its retracted position, valve means carried by said nozzle assembly and movable therewith downwardly to a retracted position closing said throat opening of said pipe member and movable upwardly to the extended position communicating said nozzle and throat opening, and spring bias means urging said nozzle assembly and valve means to said retracted position such that water under pressure in said pipe member overcomes the force of the bias means, forcing said valve means and assembly to said extended position with said guard plate and nozzle rising above the rim of said skirt for nozzle clearance and water discharge until pressure is relieved.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 114 words

The sprinkler of claim 12, wherein said nozzle of said assembly is a primary nozzle having a relative large discharge passage and further comprising a secondary nozzle underlying said primary nozzle and having a relatively smaller discharge passage extending generally parallel to said primary nozzle passage, said secondary nozzle passage being disposed on said nozzle assembly such that a jet of water discharge therefrom during downward movement of said assembly toward its retracted position is intercepted by an upper edge of said guard skirt rim causing radially outward spray deflection of the secondary nozzle discharge jet and partially evacuating accumulated water in an upper cavity region of said guard member by a venturi action.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 45 words

The sprinkler of claim 12, wherein said guard skirt member is in the shape of an inverted truncated cone with the truncated end circumferentially secured to said pipe member at a location spaced below said throat opening and upwardly extending therefrom to define said rim.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 33 words

The invention as defined in claim 12 wherein said pipe member is connected to a source of pressurized liquid, and including an accumulator and a conduit communicating the accumulator with said pipe member.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 17 words

The invention as defined in claim 15 including flow control means between said source and the conduit.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 40 words

The invention as defined in claim 16 wherein said flow control means comprises a self-adjusting valve having an opening therethrough, the effective size of the opening varying in general inverse relation to the difference of liquid pressure across the opening.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 48 words

The invention as defined in claim 15 wherein said accumulator includes upper and lower variable volume chambers separated by fluid impermeable means movable to change the volumes of the chambers, the upper chamber being charged with a pressurized gas and the lower chamber being connected to said conduit.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1977-02-25	1977-08-27	1978-02-26	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1981-02-25	1981-08-27	1982-02-26	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1985-02-25	1985-08-27	1986-02-26	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Intermittent sprinkler and system

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