US2670993A - Lawn sprinkler - Google Patents

Description

March 2, 1954 N. NORDENSTAM LAWN SPRINKLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 18, 1950 A/oxae/s NoeaEMsrnm, INVENTOR.

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Patented Mar. 2, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LAWN SPRINKLER Norris Nordenstam, Riverside, Calif.

Application September 18, 1950, Serial No. 185,381

7 Claims. (01. 299-71) The present invention relates to an improved lawn sprinkler of the type described in my copending patent application Serial No. 23,249, now Patent No. 2,597,366, filed April 26, 1948. The present invention contemplates a water operated motor for oscillating a pair of sprays, the motor being operated by the water which ultimately passes through the sprays.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved sprinkler of this type for use in sprinkling lawns characterized by the fact that it is rugged, simple, foolproof, inexpensive and of a minimum number of parts which are not likely to become worn in use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sprinkler comprising a minimum number of parts which may be made and assembled in accordance with present mass production methods.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved lawn sprinkler of this type characterized by the fact that it incorporates a novel valve of simple, rugged, foolproof construction which is automatically operated in accordance with the angular positions of the oscillating sprays.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. This invention itself, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a top plan view of an improved lawn sprinkler embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the same and shows the spray heads at their extreme ranges of travel in dotted lines.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but shows the parts of the sprinkler in a different operating position.

The sprinkler is mounted on a circular base which supports the vertically extending water supply pipe I I, the lower end of the pipe 1 I being received in an elbow 'fitting l2 which is Welded to the circular. base I0. The upper end of the pipe H as shown in Figures 1 and 3 is received in the elbow 13. The other opening of the elbow l3 receives the tube l5 having its other end closed by the plug [6 welded or soldered therein. This tube I5 is provided with an annular flange [5A and I50 and a downwardly extending apertured portion in the frame of a nozzle I5B. It is noted that each of the elements specifically described above always remains stationary, these stationary elements being the elements It, ll, l3 and I5 with its flanges A, I50 and nozzle I5B. The tube l5 rotatably supports the oscillatable housing or casing l I which is in the form of an apertured ellipsoid. The casing i! has a pair of alterthese parts being joined together through-a coop erating screw threaded connection MB. In assembling the casing I! on the stationary tube [5 the casing half [1C is slipped over the endtube I 5 to contact the flange [5A as shown in Figure 3. Then, with the annular flexible gasket ring 22, coil compression spring 23 and annular ring 24 mounted on the tube, the other casing half I'IB is slipped over the plug end of tube I5 and screwed into the cooperating casing half [10. While these two casing halves HB and [1C are being screwed together the coil compression spring 23 and flexible gasket material 22 is compressed so that a good fluid-tight connection is made between the two casing halves I 13, NC and the stationary tube [5 on which it rotates.

In this respect it is noted that the coil compression spring 23 tends to move the composite casing I! to the right in Figure 3 against the annular flange I5A as well as to resiliently press the ring 24 into engagement with the casing half HE; and, the annular flexible gasket 22 which covers the spring 23 serves to prevent leakage of the water past the spring l3 and between the tub l5 and ring 24.

An important feature of the present invention is the valve construction shown in greater detail in Figures 4 and 5, such valve construction including the pivotally mounted valve element or flapper 30 which is pivotally mounted on the stationary pivot pin 3! secured to the inner boss NE of the composite casing IT. This valve element or flapper 30 cooperates with the nozzle i5B so as to alternately place such nozzle i513 in communication with the laterally extending tubes l1 and [9 in the resulting oscillatory movement of the casing 11.

Examining Figures 4 and 5, the pivoted valve element 38, due to gravity forces acting thereon,

blocks off the opening to one of the tubes l8, is. It is noted that while it is theoretically possible for the valve element 313 to assume amidposition in which neither the opening to tube it nor the opening to tube [9 is closed thereby, as a practi cal matter, such midposition is a relatively unstable one and any slight unbalanced force acting on such valve element, resulting from jar, inertia forces, or unbalanced forces developed during initial water flow, etc., causes the element 3 3 to be moved by gravity forces acting thereon to one of the valve closing positions. The entrance to tube 19 is shown blocked ofi in Figure 4. The water under pressure streaming through the nozzle I5B is always open to cause the interior hollow portion of the casing i? to be filled with water. The water in the interior of easing Il may emerge through the series of apertures HA therein but a portion of the water flows into tube IS. The resulting reaction of the water leaving the nozzle [8 serves to pivot the casing H in the counterclockwise direction indicated by the arrow 33. Such counterclockwise rotation continues until the parts assume their full line positions shown in Figure 5. When this condition exists as shown in Figure 5 the pressure of the water emerging through the nozzle 45B now impinges on the pressure face 3th of the valve element 30 to cause the valve element 38 to move to its dotted line position shown in Figure 5 when the entrance to tube is is closed off and the entrance to tube i9 is opened. Thus, the water then flows out through the tube is and out of the head ISA at which point the reaction forces cause the casing 17 to rotate in the clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow as in Figure 5. Such clockwise rotation continues until the other pressure face 30B is moved into aligned position with the nozzle [5B in which case the water pressure acting on the face 363 causes the valve to be actuated, now to close off the opening to the tube 19 and to allow water to flow into the tube 18. This cycle continues with a resulting oscillation of the casing i1 and tubes l8, l9 carried thereon.

While essentially the valve element 30 is moved by water pressure, a certain amount of its motion is attributed to the fact that the valve element 30 strikes the tube nozzle 153 at the end of travel of the sprinkler head with the resulting impact imparting reverse movement to the valve element. For this purpose the pressure faces 39A and 30B are so shaped that they engage the valve element 30 at the ends of sprinkler head travel. Specifically, the pressure faces 33A and 3513, while essentially flat at regions thereof closest to the pivot pin 3|, such faces are inclined more to the vertical at regions more remote from the pivot pin 3| to effect the aforementioned contact. This feature is of importance, particularly where the water pressure is low and may be insufficient in itself to cause the valve element 38 to flip over from one of its extreme positions to the other one of its extreme positions.

- While the particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In a sprinkler of the character described, a relatively stationary tube, a downwardly extending nozzle in communication with said tube, a casing pivotally supported on said tube and havinga pair of radially extending water outlet tubes, a gravity actuated valve element pivotally mounted on said casing about a horizontal axis passing through a centrally located portion of said valve element and effective alternately to place said water outlet tubes in communication with said nozzle, said valve element being disposed below said nozzle with the axis of said nozzle passing through said horizontal axis when said casing is in a central position and said valve element having a pair of water pressure faces alternately moved into aligned position with said nozzle so that Water from said nozzle impinges directly on said pressure faces to effect operation of said valve element.

2. In a sprinkler of the character described, an oscillatable casing having a pair of water outlet tubes extending radially thereof in alignment, a pivoted gravity actuated valve element movable between extreme positions for alterna-' tively closing off the entrance to one of said tubes and allowing communication between the interior of said casing with the other of said tubes, means pivotally mounting said valve element about a horizontal axis which extends through a central portion of said valve element, a tube assembly supporting said casing, a nozzle associated with said tube and in communication therewith, said valve element having a pair of water pressure surfaces alternately moved into alignment with said noozle at the extremities of movement of said casing so that water from said nozzle impinges directly on said pressure faces to effect operation of said valve element.

3. In a sprinkler of the character described, a water inlet tube, nozzle means on said tube and in communication with said tube, casing assemoly mounted on said tube, a V-shaped valve element pivotally mounted at its apex to said casing, a pair of aligned water outlet tubes extending radially of said casing and in communication with the interior thereof, the ends of said V-shaped valve elements being adapted to alternately close off the opening to one of said tubes while allow ing Water to flow through the opening of the other one of said tubes, said valve element having a pair of pressure surfaces on opposite legs of its V which are movable alternately into an aligned position with said nozzle means to effect operation of said valve element.

4. In a sprinkler of the character described, a water inlet tube having an associated nozzle, an oscillatable casing mounted on said tube, a pivotally mounted gravity actuated valve element on said casing, means pivotally mounting said valve element for movement about a horizontal axis which extends through a central portion of said valve element, said nozzle means being directed toward said central portion when said valve element is in a position midway between its extreme positions of travel, a pair of outlet tubes extend ing radially from opposite side of said casing in communication with the interior thereof, said valve cooperating with-said tubes to block off the flow of water to one of said tubes while simultaneously allowing flow of Water to the other of said tubes, said valve having a pair of water pressure surfaces movable at the extremities of its travel alternately into aligned position with said nozzle means so that watenfrom said nozzle impinges directly on said pressure faces to effect operation of said valve element.

5. In a sprinkler of the character described, a stationary base, a water inlet tube mounted on said base with the upper end thereof extending generally horizontally, said tube end having a pair of spaced flanges thereon and nozzle means, a casing assembly mounted on said tube end, said casing comprising two screw threaded halves, one of said casing halves having an internal flange cooperating with one flange of said tube end, a coil compression spring encircling said tube end and having one of its ends in engagement with the other one of said tube end flanges, an annular ring on said tube end and abutting the other end of said coil compression spring, said other casing half having an inner annular flange in engagement with said ring, an annular ring of flexible material abutting said other tube end flange and said ring and enclosing said coil compression spring, a pair of aligned water outlet tubes extending radially from opposite sides of said casing, a V-shaped valve element pivotally mounted at its apex to said casing, the ends of said V- shaped valve element cooperating with the ends of said outlet tubes to alternately open and close ingress to the same, said V-shaped valve element having a pair of pressure surfaces automatically movable at the extremities of its travel into aligned position with said nozzle means to effect operation of said valve element, the outer extremities of said water outlet tubes having reaction type spray heads.

6. The arrangement set forth in claim 1 in which said pair of pressure faces each have a portion thereof engageable with said nozzle at the extremities of travel of said nozzle to effect movement of said valve element.

7. In a sprinkler of the character described, a relatively stationary tube, a downwardly extending nozzle in communication with said tube, a cas;

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,144,070 Schneider June 22, 1915 1,751,641 Lindhorst Mar. 25, 1930 2,022,396 Wiederhold Nov. 26, 1935 2,266,573 Stone Dec. 16, 1941 2,564,639 Cuppett Aug. 14, 1951

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