Abstract:
An irrigation spray stake is for plants grown in pots. The irrigation spray stake includes an elongated stake member having an upper extremity and a lower extremity adapted to be inserted into soil in a plant pot. The irrigation spray stake further includes a spray head adjacent the upper extremity of the stake member and a means for spraying fluids through the spray head in a predetermined direction. A means along the stake member between the upper and lower extremities indicates the predetermined spraying direction of the spraying head.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/444,944 filed May 23, 2003, the entire subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates generally to low-volume irrigation systems and techniques and, specifically to low-volume apparatus and methods useful for watering potted plants in a nursery, greenhouse, retail store or similar locations.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Background  
         [0005]     There are numerous existing approaches to the irrigation of living plants. The term “low-volume irrigation” (sometimes referred to as “micro-irrigation”) is used in connection with a class of irrigation systems, apparatus and methods designed to apply a small quantity of water to an individual plant or a small number of immediately adjacent plants, usually at the base of the plant. One type of low-volume irrigation system uses a small spray head, referred to generically as a “microjet,” which is removably attached to the top of a stake pushed into the ground adjacent the base of the plant. Water is fed through the spray head via a length of flexible plastic tubing from the main feed line. In a typical low-volume installation such as in an orange grove, for example, there may be hundreds or even thousands of individual spray heads and associated tubing connected together in the irrigation system. Therefore, because the quantities of water in each feed line and through the corresponding spray head is small, the size and dimensions of these elements (e.g., spray head, stake and tubing) may also be correspondingly small and fabricated from inexpensive plastics.  
         [0006]     There have been efforts in the past to apply low-volume irrigation techniques to the watering of plants being grown in movable pots, usually in a nursery, greenhouse, retail store or similar location where the plants are being maintained or grown for sale.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention is directed to irrigation apparatus and methods which can be used to provide low-volume irrigation to plants being grown in pots at a nursery, greenhouse, retail store or similar location in a low cost facile manner, and which can be rapidly and accurately installed in a pot to an appropriate soil depth and with the spray head oriented in the correct direction. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, these objectives are achieved in a unitary spray stake having (a) a unitary molded spray head adjacent an upper extremity; (b) the spray head having a low-angle spray pattern which reduced overspray; (c) a directional feature along the length of the stake which permits the correct orientation of the spray head to be quickly identified during insertion; (d) a height indication feature which may be combined with the directional feature and which indicates the proper height of the stake in the pot; (e) a rotation-resisting feature for reducing rotation of the spray stake which may be combined with the directional and height indication features; (f a pot edge location feature which may be combined with the correct orientation and height features to permit the stake to be properly located relative to the edge of the pot; (g) a side shut-off arm along the portion of the stake which will be above the soil when the stake is in use to permit the end of the flexible tubing to be fitted in order to selectively interdict the flow of water; (h) a steep, two-step thread pattern on an inlet to the spray head and on the shut-off arm to permit tubing of different diameters to be repeatedly threaded onto the inlet and the arm in a rapid manner; (i) wide longitudinal ribs and notches along the length of the stake to insure the stake remains firmly in place when inserted in the pot soil; and (j) a steep end point for ease in placing the spray stake in the soil or alternatively into a (k) pot stake extender attachment for extending the length of the spray stake in accommodating tall pots. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is perspective view of the stake of  FIG. 1  shown in a typical nursery pot installation with associated feed tubing, and with a portion of the nursery pot cut away.  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a side view, partially cut away, illustrating the spray head portion of the stake of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a pot stake extender in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0013]     The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. Unless otherwise defined, technical and scientific terms herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods and materials are described below. In addition, the materials, methods and examples given are illustrative in nature only and not intended to be limiting. Accordingly, this invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the illustrated embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these illustrated embodiments are provided solely for exemplary purposes so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.  
         [0014]     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a low-volume nursery pot irrigation stake in accordance with the present invention is referred to generally by the reference numeral  10 . The stake  10  is formed of a unitary molded elongated member having an upper extremity  12 , a lower extremity  14  and longitudinal ribs, including ribs  16 ,  18  and  20 . One or more notches  22  along the ribs facilitate maintaining the stake firmly in the soil once installed. The stake  10  may be formed from any material appreciated by one of skill in the art. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the stake  10  is formed from a durable ultraviolet inhibited resin material.  
         [0015]     The stake  10  includes at the upper extremity  12  a two-step fitting for receiving feed tubing  60  ( FIG. 3 ). Referring now to both  FIGS. 1, 2  and  4 , the two-step fitting comprises a first portion  24  of smaller cross-sectional dimension than a larger portion  26 . Steep threads  28  surround both portions  24 ,  26 . The respective portions  24 ,  26  have a corresponding initial portion  25 ,  27  (not shown), respectively, of slightly greater cross-sectional dimension to more firmly engage plastic tubing fitted thereon. The upper extremity  12  includes a central bore therethrough for permitting water to flow to a spray head  32 , described below. The central bore is represented by dashed line  30  in  FIGS. 1, 2  and  4 .  
         [0016]     A spray head  32  is fitted on the stake  10  at the upper end  12  and in communication with the bore  30 , so that water flowing through the upper end  12  exits into the spray head. With continued reference to  FIG. 4 , the spray head  32  includes an upper deflector plate  34  and a lower spray surface  36 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the spray surface  36  is angled slightly downwardly an outwardly from the central bore  30 . The deflector plate  34  extends beyond the extremity of the spray surface  36 , and assists in preventing overspray outside of the pot. The spray head  32  provides any number of preselected spray patterns, and may be designed for any desired flow rate.  
         [0017]     Referring again to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the stake  10  includes a side shut-off arm  38  which includes a two-step fitting like that described with reference to the upper end  12 , the shut-off arm  38  having a smaller portion  40  and a larger portion  42 . It will of course be understood that the shut-off arm  38  does not include a bore, in order that the arm may temporarily interdict the flow of water when the tubing  60  is fixed to the shut-off arm  38 .  
         [0018]     As described in the above summary, the preferred embodiment also includes means providing directional, height, rotation-resisting, and pot edge location features. In the preferred embodiment shown in the drawing, these features are achieved with a plate member, referred to generally with reference numeral  44 , and which extends laterally from a mid-point along the stake  10 . Preferably, the plate member  44  is molded together with the stake  10 , although a separate plate member may also be snapped onto the stake as an alternative.  
         [0019]     The plate member  44  has an upper surface  46  and opposing bottom surface (not numbered), a rear edge  48 , a forward extremity  50 , and opposing wings  47 ,  49 . In the specific arrangement shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the plate member  44  is shaped as an arrow pointing in the direction of spray from the spray head  32 , with the forward extremity  50  forming the point of the arrow. In use, the plate member  44  serves at least four functions: first, the bottom of the plate member  44  identifies the correct soil depth to which the stake  10  should be extended into the soil contained in the pot; second, the rear edge  48  of the plate member  44  locates the correct distance from the inside periphery of the pot for correct placement of the stake  10 ; third, the direction of the arrow represented by extremity  50  is pointed in the same direction as the spray pattern of the spray head  32  and thereby permitting the correct direction of the spray pattern to be quickly identified; and fourth the wings  47 ,  49  extending laterally inward from the base of plate member  44  to ribs  18  so to inhibit rotation of stake  10  within the soil and provide lateral stability. It will of course be understood by those skilled in the art that other forms of the plate member  44  are quite possible; for example, the plate member may simply be a disk with a mark or arrow printed or molded onto the upper surface of the disk to indicate correct direction, with the lateral dimension of the disk indicating the correct position of the stake relative to the pot, the bottom of the disk serving to indicate correct soil height, and a longitudinal dimension to serve as wings  47 ,  49 .  
         [0020]     The bottom end  14  of the stake  10  includes a cross-sectional portion  52  below which ribs  16 ,  18 , and  20  converge to an end point  54 . End point  54  allows stake  10  to be easily inserted in various soil pots. Alternatively, end point  54  may be inserted into pot stake extender  80 , illustrated in  FIG. 5 . Pot stake extender  80  includes a top aperture  82  and holding section  84  with a cross-sectional profile preferably accommodating the cross-section of stake  10  at portion  52  such that when end point  54  is inserted into aperture  82 , stake  10  may be slid into holding section  84  of pot stake extender  80  and stake  10  securely extended. Pot stake extender  80  may be any length to accommodate an extension of stake  10 . Pot stake extender  80  preferably includes ribs  86 , 88  having notches  90 , as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . Pot stake extender  80  may also include an end point  92  similar to end point  54  of stake  10  for easy insertion into soil  10  and stability.  
         [0021]     The manner in which the irrigation stake  10  in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is utilized in a nursery pot installation will now be described with reference to  FIG. 3 . The stake  10  is inserted through the top surface  54  of the soil  56  contained within a nursery pot  51  having an outer, vertical surface  52  and a corresponding inner surface  53 . Alternatively, stake  10  may be inserted into aperture  82  in which case stake  10  and pot stake extender  80  would collectively be so inserted. As shown, the stake  10  is installed with the bottom of the plate member  44  against the surface  54  of the soil  56 , with the back edge  46  of the plate member  44  against the inside wall  53  of the pot  51  and wings  47 ,  49  extended perpendicular to the direction of spray head  32  to inhibit rotation of stake  10 . By orienting the arrow  50  of the plate member  44  toward the middle of the pot  51 , the installer can insure that the spray head  32  is accurately pointed toward the plant being grown in the pot  51 .  
         [0022]     Flexible plastic tubing  60  having an open end  62  is fitted onto the upper extremity  12  of the stake  10 . A fitting  64  on the opposite end of the flexible tubing  60  is adapted to be inserted into a hole  68  in a main feed line  66 , to provide water through the tube  60  and out of the spray head  32  in the direction of the plant located in the pot  51 .  
         [0023]     As discussed above, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the design of the nursery pot irrigation stake and method described above, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. By way of example and without limitation, the directional plate member  44  may be replaced by a directional clip which attaches to the stake  10  and to the plant pot, and which may also provide the heights and pot edge functions.