Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Porous or external wick discharge means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-28
2001-07-17
Morris, Lesley D. (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Porous or external wick discharge means
C239S536000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260769
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention is in the area of irrigation, more particularly soaker hose irrigation.
BACKGROUND
The term “soaker hose” refers to a flexible hose that allows water to exit the soaker hose continuously or intermittently along the axial length of the hose. Soaker hoses typically are used in landscaping applications to irrigate individual plants or planting areas or small grassy areas. Typical soaker hoses either are uniformly porous along the axial length of the hose to allow water to slowly seep through the wall of the hose, or have a plurality of apertures spaced apart axially along the length of the hose to permit water to flow from regularly intermittent portions of the hose.
One problem with conventional soaker hoses is that it is not possible to eliminate the flow of water from the hose in any particular axial region of the hose. Thus, for example, if the soaker hose is to be used to irrigate two planting areas separated by a sidewalk, the soaker hose must be placed across the sidewalk to irrigate both planting areas, thus undesirably causing water to flow onto the sidewalk. This drawback with known soaker hoses can cause wastage of water and creation of potentially slippery and dangerous walkways.
THE INVENTION
The invention overcomes this problem by providing an irrigation assembly that comprises a soaker hose having a liquid permitting region and a liquid barrier, which preferably is a tube that is disposed concentrically about a portion of the liquid permitting region and is axially movable relative thereto. The tube is impermeable to the water (or other liquid flowing through the soaker hose) such that water flowing through the soaker hose is not permitted to exit the assembly at axial positions along the region of the liquid permitting portion that is covered by the tube. Preferably, the assembly includes a plurality of tubes that couple with one another to form a substantially fluid-tight coupling and to thereby effectively create a barrier of the combined axial length of the coupled tubes.
Thus, for example, when the assembly is used to irrigate two planting areas separated by a sidewalk, the assembly may be positioned such that the soaker hose crosses the sidewalk and such that the tubes are disposed in the axial region of the hose proximal the sidewalk. The planting areas then may be irrigated without causing water to flow onto the sidewalk.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2807505 (1957-09-01), Weitzel
patent: 3080124 (1963-03-01), Rathmann
patent: 3736755 (1973-06-01), Hammond et al.
patent: 3777987 (1973-12-01), Alljport
patent: 3887138 (1975-06-01), Gilead
patent: 3941342 (1976-03-01), Bradshaw
patent: 4948295 (1990-08-01), Pramsoler
Bocanegra Jorge S.
Morris Lesley D.
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