Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Simulations
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-10
2001-06-26
Brinson, Patrick (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Simulations
C239S289000, C239S229000, C239S251000, C239S273000, C239S276000, C239S279000, C446S267000, C446S275000, C040S412000, CD23S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250565
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a sprinkler, and in particular to a play sprinkler designed for children. The sprinkler has movable parts that change the direction of water discharged from the sprinkler, providing for an entertaining area for the child to play.
There are other sprinklers with movable parts that change the direction of the discharged water. Many of these sprinklers generally either create movement of appendages that are random due to connections allowing universal movement, create no motion of an appendage attached to a water tube, create rotating motion, or create movement through water sprays that directly impact a moveable body part. U.S. Pat. No. 2,030,605 to Moore discloses a lawn sprinkler with a relatively movable part that moves due to a supply of water to the sprinkler. The figure has an upper arm section and a lower arm section pivotally mounted thereto, and moveable relative to the body of the figure. The connections between the moveable sections are made of interchanged rings or eyes capable of universal movement such that when water flows through the hose, the arm sections randomly wiggle in an erratic manner. The universal joint movement between the sections and the rotation of the figure make it appear that the jointed arm sections move about erratically with respect to each other and with respect to movement of the figure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,514 to Kennard discloses a similar lawn sprinkler of a human figure with an arm having sections that are pivotally mounted to and moveable relative to the body. The sections are attached together by means of ball and socket universal joints permitting random movement. Kennard also discloses the figure being rotatable in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction such that the figure pivots reciprocally right and left while rotating about a vertical axis due to the water flow engaging a turbine blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,378 to Melin discloses a water play toy with multiple flexible hollow tubes attached to an outlet section at the top of the toy. The water flow imparts random motion on the hollow tubes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,380 to Jun; U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,494 to Harwood; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,241,092 to Jurgilanis disclose lawn sprinklers utilizing water pressure to drive a rotating appendage. Harwood uses either internal water flow or reaction forces from water jets to rotate a decorative element.
Another water sprayer configured in the form of an animal is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,603 to Driska. The water sprayer includes a stationary torso and legs and a movable tail, head, and ears. The tail and ears move when they are directly impacted by streams of water that are sprayed through various outlet nozzles. The ears flap about the head moving both backwards, forwards, inwardly and outwardly relative to the head as different parts of the ears are hit by the fluid jets. Because the head is also rotating, the point of impact of the fluid jets on the ears is constantly varying so that the flapping is essentially random. Another two spray jets impact the tail causing it to pivot from side to side relative to the torso.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The presently disclosed sprinkler is more entertaining for both children and adults than other sprinklers because of, among other reasons, the movement of the sprinkler. The sprinkler can be in the shape of an animal or other figure and it not only sprays water, but it utilizes the water spray to move the appendages of the animal figure in a similar way as the actual appendage of the animal would move. The appendages of the animal figure can also be made to move in a more random manner not necessarily representative of how the actual appendage of a real animal would move.
As described herein, an example of such a sprinkler is one shaped like a flamingo having wings and a support member that resembles the legs of a flamingo to which water under pressure is supplied. A tube exits the body of the figure and runs the length of each appendage. A nozzle is inserted into one end of each tube that provides a restriction to the flow of water from the tubes. The flow of water through the tubes and out of the nozzles causes each tube to move. The tubes are connected to the appendages and body of the figure so that water flow through the tubes at relatively low pressures results in movement of the appendages that is substantially planar. At relatively high pressures the movement of the appendage is substantially random.
Each appendage, a water supply conduit supporting the body, and the body are joined together in a substantially triangular configuration. The appendages and the tubes extending along the appendages are substantially flexible while the body and water supply conduit supporting the body are rigid. Each appendage is planar and detachably connected to the body such that it is flexible in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the appendage, but resists motion in a direction parallel to the plane of the appendage. A proximal portion of each appendage is hingedly connected to the body to allow reciprocating movement of the appendage in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the appendage . The relative flexibility of the appendage allows greater freedom of movement of the distal portion of the appendage. The water tubes extending along the appendages are also relatively flexible. To prevent the tubes from twisting, each tube is connected to a corresponding appendage by a connector having greater rigidity than the appendage and having a major axis perpendicular to the major axis of the tube. Each connecter spans a substantial portion of the width of the appendage to which it is connected with the connector being placed on the appendage relatively near to the hinge created between the appendage and the body. The connectors serve to increase the resistance of the appendages to twisting out of the plane of movement of the appendages, and hold the water tubes in position along the underside of the appendages. The wider the connectors, the greater the restoring torque they apply to the appendages.
Although the structure of the sprinkler assembly tends to restrain motion of the appendages to a single plane, at higher water pressures the flow of water through the tubes attached to the appendages can generate sufficient forces to overcome the resistance to motion of the appendages outside of that primary plane. With high enough water pressures, movement of the appendage along with increased twisting of the tube, especially at the far end of the appendage, can approach a more random motion outside of the primary plane of motion.
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DuBois David
Houchens Kyle A.
Ogie Sam
Brinson Patrick
Evans Robin O.
Mattel Inc.
Morgan Lewis & Bockius
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