Abstract:
This invention comprises a new and improved apparatus for distributing automatically lawn treatment products, including chemical nutrients, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides, through a lawn irrigation system using either potable or reclaimed water, and for maintaining the system in good working order. An adjustable multi-outlet watering manifold allows a user to regulate the amount of product to be applied to the particular zone serviced by each sprinkler station. 
     Sediment and contaminants that may be found in the main water source are filtered out before reaching the lawn irrigation system, and the design of the apparatus makes regular flushing of the main water line easy. A liquid pressure gauge allows a user to discern immediately whether an observed drop in water pressure is due to a break or other problem with the main water supply. The configuration of the apparatus provides redundant means of preventing contamination the main water source via backflow.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not applicable. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
       [0003]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    This invention relates to the field of devices for the distribution of various lawn treatment products, including chemical nutrients, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides, through irrigation systems, and for irrigation system maintenance. 
         [0006]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0007]    Dry lawns become weak lawns that are substantially more vulnerable to attack from insects, fungus, and weeds and require more intensive regular maintenance through the application of chemical treatments and fertilizers. Persistent drought conditions are becoming increasingly more common in many geographical locations, rendering lawns composed of certain types of “thirsty” grasses, often the most popular varieties in drought-prone areas, much more difficult and expensive to keep healthy as ever-greater water rationing is imposed on outdoor sprinkler use and traditional third-party lawn maintenance services, which apply lawn treatment chemicals and fertilizers, become more dear. 
         [0008]    The stress on lawns due to long-term drought conditions can be exacerbated by a loss of water pressure in lawn irrigation lines, which is a common occurrence and often goes unnoticed by property owners until their lawns have incurred significant damage. Such loss of water pressure can accompany a break in a water line within the irrigation system for the lawn itself or can be due to a general loss of water pressure from a break or other cause in the municipal main or other water supply to the property. 
         [0009]    Broken lines, whether local or not, can allow foreign debris into the line, causing sprinkler heads to clog and compounding the problem of getting adequate irrigation to a lawn. If a break occurs somewhere in the sprinkler system providing irrigation to a lawn, a large quantity of water may be lost if the break is not timely discovered and addressed, costing the property owner substantial sums of money. 
         [0010]    As a means of addressing the ever-growing demand for water, many conservation-minded communities are making reclaimed water available for irrigation of public, commercial, and residential. Reclaimed water itself, however, can naturally contain gross particulate matter that can lead to clogged sprinkler heads, and in turn, cause lawns to dry out and die. 
         [0011]    Fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides are typically water-soluble and ordinarily may be applied to a lawn by their addition into a water base for distribution using either hand-held irrigation devices or fixed irrigation systems. Automated systems for distributing lawn treatment products through sprinkler systems, either alone or in combination are not unknown. 
         [0012]    Existing automated sprinkler distribution systems, however, can be relatively complex, expensive, and often require trained service personnel to operate properly, increasing lawn maintenance costs to the property owner. In addition, while these systems generally may work quite well with potable water sources, they are not specifically designed to prevent the kinds of sprinkler system maintenance problems that arise from sedimentation when reclaimed water is used for lawn irrigation, or when breaks occur in a water line. 
         [0013]    These known systems ordinarily fail to filter out adequately sedimentation and contaminants from the water lines before they can reach and clog sprinkler heads, and they fail to include easy means for flushing the water lines to eliminate such sedimentation and contaminants. Furthermore, they provide no simple way for a user to monitor the pressure of water lines and determine if a loss in pressure has occurred and whether that loss of pressure is due to a break within the sprinkler system itself or in the water main supply to the sprinkler system. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    The present invention comprises a new and improved apparatus for distributing automatically lawn care products, including chemical nutrients, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides, through an ordinary lawn sprinkler system using either potable or reclaimed water, and for maintaining the sprinkler system in good working order. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is an overhead perspective of one appropriate configuration of the apparatus. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a close-up exploded view reflecting the removal of the filter housing for the filter to enable cleaning and replacement of the filter. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a cutaway view of the container for the lawn treatment products. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a close-up view reflecting the connection of individual drip line hoses to each station of the sprinkler system. 
       
    
    
     REFERENCE NUMERALS IN THE DRAWINGS 
       [0019]      101  Main water supply line 
         [0020]      102  PVC 1-inch slip by slip elbow 
         [0021]      103  First 3-inch long PCV pipe of 1-inch diameter 
         [0022]      104  Back-flow valve (one-way dual check valve) 
         [0023]      105  Second 3-inch long PCV pipe of 1-inch diameter 
         [0024]      106  Main PVC on-off ball valve 
         [0025]      107  Third 3-inch long PCV pipe of 1-inch diameter 
         [0026]      108  Second PVC 1-inch slip by slip elbow 
         [0027]      109  Fourth 3-inch long PCV pipe of 1-inch diameter 
         [0028]      110  PVC female ‘T’ coupling 
         [0029]      111  ½-inch diameter by ¾-inch long threaded nipple 
         [0030]      112  Liquid pressure gauge 
         [0031]      113  Filter assembly 
         [0032]      114  Detachable transparent filter housing 
         [0033]      115  Main water line filter 
         [0034]      116  Detachable two-ended ball check valve 
         [0035]      117  Bushing 
         [0036]      118  Sixth 3-inch long PVC pipe of 1-inch diameter 
         [0037]      119  Third PVC 1-inch slip by slip elbow 
         [0038]      120  27-inch long PVC pipe of 1-inch diameter 
         [0039]      121  Fourth PVC 1-inch slip by slip elbow 
         [0040]      122  Pipe 
         [0041]      123  Connective fitting 
         [0042]      124  Solenoid valve 
         [0043]      125  Outlet water line 
         [0044]      126  Sprinkler head 
         [0045]      127  Container 
         [0046]      128  Lid or cover 
         [0047]      129  Marks for measuring content of container 
         [0048]      130  Mutli-outlet adjustable watering manifold 
         [0049]      131  Drip line hose 
         [0050]      132  Intermediate connector 
         [0051]      133  2-inch long high-pressure hose 
         [0052]      134  1-inch diameter slip-slip ‘T’ connector 
         [0053]      301  Single reinforced flex hose 
         [0054]      302  Inlet line connector 
         [0055]      303  Container Filter 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0056]    An overhead perspective of one embodiment of the apparatus is reflected in  FIG. 1 . Except as may be indicated otherwise, the interconnections illustrated in this embodiment utilize Schedule  20  PVC pipes and connectors of specified dimensions, though other pipes and fittings of various sizes, including those made of lead, brass, and other materials, may be used. When PVC pipes are used, they may be purple in color to reflect the use of reclaimed water. 
         [0057]      FIG. 1  shows a main water supply line  101  connected via a PVC 1-inch slip by slip (slip-slip) elbow  102  and an adjoining 3-inch long PCV pipe of 1-inch diameter  103  to a back-flow valve  104 , which may be a one-way dual check valve, to prevent chemically treated water from returning from the apparatus and the sprinkler (lawn irrigation) system to the main water supply line  101  and potentially contaminating the main water source, whether it be potable or reclaimed water. The back-flow valve  104  is, in turn, connected by way of a second 3-inch long PCV pipe of 1-inch diameter  105  to a main PVC on-off ball valve  106 , which controls the entry of water to the apparatus and sprinkler system. The main PVC on-off ball valve  106  provides a means for easily shutting off the water supply for maintenance of the apparatus and sprinkler system. 
         [0058]      FIG. 1  further reflects that the main PVC on-off ball valve  106  is connected by means of a third 3-inch long PCV pipe of 1-inch diameter  107 , a second PVC 1-inch slip by slip elbow  108 , and a fourth 3-inch long PCV pipe of 1-inch diameter  109  to the first of two 1-inch diameter horizontal orifices of a PVC female ‘T’ coupling with a third “bottom” orifice (perpendicular to the two horizontal orifices) of ½-inch diameter  110 . A ½-inch diameter by ¾-inch long threaded nipple  111  is attached to bottom orifice of the PVC female ‘T’ coupling  110 , and in turn, a liquid pressure gauge  112 , which may be a 200-lb. P.S.I. liquid pressure gauge, is attached to the nipple  111 . 
         [0059]    When the main PVC on-off ball valve  106  is in the fully open position, the water pressure arriving to the system from the main water line  101  can be easily checked to determine whether any observable loss of water pressure in the sprinkler system is due to a break or other problem within the sprinkler system, or otherwise due to a break or other problem external to the sprinkler system, e.g., a break in a water main providing water to the apparatus and sprinkler system. The baseline normal pressure for a given system will vary according to the supply source and other factors. If pressure is being lost before water arrives to the apparatus and sprinkler system, the pressure gauge  112  will indicate, relative to any such baseline normal pressure, an abnormally low pressure, or will indicate a steady loss of pressure or sporadic changes in pressure. If the pressure gauge  112  reflects that the baseline normal pressure for the system is being maintained, a user may conclude that there is likely a break in, or some other problem with, the sprinkler system itself that is causing the loss in pressure, and can then undertake to locate the source of the break or other problem and effectuate such repairs as may be necessary or appropriate. 
         [0060]    The second 1-inch diameter end of the PVC female ‘T’ coupling  110  is attached by means of a fifth 3-inch long PVC pipe of 1-inch diameter (not visible in  FIG. 1 ) and an adjoining bushing of 1-inch diameter on one end and 1½ inches on the other (also not visible in  FIG. 1 ) to the first of two 1½-inch diameter threaded orifices of a filter assembly  113 . A detachable transparent filter housing  114 , which may be threadably detachable, allows a user to monitor visibly the condition of an enclosed main water line filter  115  and to access the same for periodic cleaning or replacement, while a detachable two-ended ball check valve  116 , which may be threadably detachable, one end of which is attached to the bottom of the filter housing  114  and the other end of which remains open and unattached, allows a user to flush the main water line filter  115  and the water lines of the apparatus and sprinkler system easily. 
         [0061]    After passing through the main water line filter  115 , water originating from the main water supply line  101  proceeds through a series of pipes and connectors  117 - 123  to the outlet port(s) of one or more solenoid valves  124  for one or more sprinkler stations for the lawn irrigation system. The placement of the main water line filter  115  in advance of the one or more solenoid valves  124 , each such valve associated with a given station of the sprinkler system, reduces the opportunity for sedimentation and contaminants found in reclaimed water, or in water from a source in which a break in the line or other problem has occurred, from reaching the solenoid valves  124  or the sprinkler heads  126  associated with a given sprinkler station. 
         [0062]    A second bushing  117  of 1-inch diameter on one end and 1½ inches on the other is joined from the second 1½-inch orifice of the filter assembly  113  to a sixth 3-inch long PVC pipe of 1-inch diameter  118 , which in turn is attached to a third PVC 1-inch slip by slip elbow  119  that is joined to a 27-inch long PVC pipe of 1-inch diameter  120  to which a fourth PVC 1-inch slip by slip elbow  121 . The latter is then attached by means of additional pipes  122  and connective fittings  123  to the water inlet port of each of one or more solenoid valves  124  of the one or more sprinkler stations, with the outlet port of each solenoid valve  124  leading by way of an outlet water line  125  to one or more sprinkler heads  126  or similar terminal outlets for distribution of water from an irrigation system to a lawn. 
         [0063]    A container  127 , which may have a cover or lid  128 , serves as a dispensing repository for lawn treatment products to be applied to a lawn, and may also be used to mix those products in an aqueous solution. The lawn treatment products that may be introduced into a container  127  may include, without limitation, chemical nutrients, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides, which ordinarily will be water-soluble. One or more pathways, which may be comprised of pipes, hoses, and various forms of connectors, are interposed between the container  127  and a sprinkler system or an individual station thereof. Each such pathway serves to transport liquid comprising or consisting of lawn treatment products from the container  127  into a water stream flowing through the sprinkler system and onto a lawn by means of hydrostatic pressure generated by that water stream. As such, the open end of each pathway terminating at the container, or of any common pathway carrying lawn treatment products from inside the container to multiple pathways terminating at the container, ideally will be submerged in or otherwise positioned below the surface of the liquid comprising or consisting of lawn treatment products in the container  127 . 
         [0064]    Multiple containers may be incorporated into the apparatus. The capacity of a given container  127  may vary, though five gallons is a particularly useful size for household use. Higher-capacity containers, e.g., of 75 gallons each, may be required for large residential or commercial lawn irrigation systems, especially where only a single container is used. 
         [0065]    A typical container  127  may be composed of any number of materials. The use of transparent or translucent plastic, however, allows a user to readily ascertain the volume of the liquid containing the lawn treatment products within the container  127  without removing its lid  128 . To this end, volume marks  129  to indicate the volume of liquid inside the container  127  may be added to the outside of the container as well as to the inside. 
         [0066]    As illustrated in the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 1 , a multi-outlet adjustable watering manifold  130 , such as the Rain Drip Hydroport, may be inserted through the side of the container  127  to facilitate the use of multiple drip line hoses  131  for carrying lawn treatment product from the container  127  to multiple sprinkler stations and to allow variations in the volume of product to be applied to the zone of the lawn serviced by a particular sprinkler station. More than one watering manifold  130  may be used per container. Each of the drip line hoses  131 , which in the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1  are of ½-inch in diameter, is connected at one end to an outlet port of the watering manifold  130 , and at the other end, to the water line  125  between a solenoid valve  124  for a given sprinkler station and the one or more sprinkler heads  126  for that station. 
         [0067]    As illustrated in the embodiment in  FIG. 1 , these connections to the water line  125  may be made by attaching each of the drip line hoses  131  to an intermediate connector  132 , which may be a ½-inch diameter female connector reduced to a ¼-inch ribbed male nipple, and then joining the ribbed male nipple of the intermediate connector  132  to a ¼-inch diameter, 2-inch long high-pressure hose  133 , which may be attached, in turn, to a ¼-inch diameter threaded orifice embedded in a 1-inch diameter slip-slip ‘T’ connector  134  inserted in the water line  125  between a solenoid valve  124  and the one or more sprinkler heads  126  of the sprinkler station. The use of short sections of high-pressure hose  133  to make these connections prevents kinks that could inhibit the consistent delivery of lawn care treatment products into the sprinkler system. Moreover, by introducing the lawn treatment products at a location in the water line  125  between a solenoid valve  124  and a sprinkler head  126 , the solenoid valve  124  can then serve as a redundant check valve to further inhibit backflow of chemicals from the apparatus and sprinkler system to the main water source. 
         [0068]      FIG. 2  presents an exploded view of the detachable transparent filter housing  114  after being detached from the filter assembly  113  to expose the enclosed main water line filter  115  for access for cleaning or removal. The main water line filter  115  may be cleaned, if necessary, in a mild aqueous solution of household bleach. After cleaning or replacement of the main water line filter  115 , the filter assembly  113  is re-attached to the filter housing  114 . 
         [0069]      FIG. 3  is a cutaway view of the container  127  and lid  128 , revealing the use in the embodiment illustrated of a single reinforced flex hose  301  which acts as a common pathway to carry liquid comprising or consisting of lawn treatment products from inside the container  127  to the watering manifold  128  for ultimate distribution to one or more drip line hoses  131 , each of which is attached to an outlet port of the watering manifold  128 . The use of the reinforced flex hose  301  can serve to inhibit kinks which could impede the flow of lawn care treatment products from the container  127  to the watering manifold  128 . 
         [0070]    One end of the flex hose  301  is attached to an inlet line connector  302  of the watering manifold  128 . The other end of the flex line  301  is attached to a container filter  303  situated at the bottom of the inside of the container  127 . The container filter  303 , which is intended to block any sediment or contaminants that may collect in the container  127 , could be an ordinary paint filter. 
         [0071]      FIG. 4  is a close-up view reflecting the connection of individual drip line hoses  131  to each station of the sprinkler system. 
         [0072]    Water-soluble lawn treatment products may be prepared, alone or in combination, either outside of or within the container  127 . The amount of a given lawn treatment product or combination of products to be applied to any given station may be regulated by adjusting the valve on the watering manifold  128  governing the particular outlet thereon to which the drip line hose  131  for that station has been attached. Once the prepared lawn treatment product or products are in the container  127  and the sprinkler system is activated, the hydrostatic pressure generated by the sprinkler system will cause the lawn care product(s) to be drawn automatically from the container  127  into and through the designated sprinkler station and distributed via the sprinkler heads to the lawn served by that sprinkler station. 
         [0073]    Periodically, the system may be maintained by flushing the lines. The frequency required for flushing will depend, in part, on the extent of sedimentation and contaminants present in the water supply to the sprinkler system. With the sprinkler system off and the main PVC on-off ball valve  106  in the open position, a user may flush the lines by simply opening the normally detachable ball check valve  116  to allow water to flow freely through the unattached end of the detachable ball check valve  116 . The user would then close the detachable ball check valve  116  to return the system to normal operability. 
         [0074]    The main water line filter  115  should be checked for discoloration and excess sediment buildup on a regular basis. Accumulation of particulate matter on the main water line filter  115  may be removed by detaching the filter housing  114  and rinsing the main water line filter  115  with fresh water. If the main water line filter  115  appears substantially discolored, it may be removed from the filter housing  114 , washed in a mild solution of bleach and fresh water and rinsed with fresh water before returning it to the filter housing  114 . The main water line filter  115  may be replaced as necessary.