Abstract:
A stream nozzle resides between a water source and a sprinkler nozzle and provides a stream of water for watering a bush, shrub, or tree. The stream nozzle may either reside between a fixed height riser and a nozzle, or under the nozzle of a pop-up sprinkler. In the case of a fixed height riser, the stream nozzle may be attached to an adapter or directly to the riser. In the case of a pop-up sprinkler, the stream nozzle is preferably attached to an independently rotatable collar below the nozzle. The stream nozzle is preferably adjustable in elevation angle and in azimuth angle.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to irrigation and in particular to providing a directed stream of water to shrubs, trees, and the like. 
   Plants are generally used to provide inviting outdoor scenery. Often plants are introduced into areas where they do not naturally occur and in many instances these areas do not receive sufficient rainfall to support the plants. In these instances, irrigation must be utilized to provide sufficient water to the plants. 
   The most common form of irrigation comprises spray nozzles which spray a pattern of water onto a planted area. The nozzles may be a round pattern, a half round pattern, a quarter round pattern, a rectangular pattern, or the like. All of these patterns have a common problem of providing a spray to an area, versus targeting a single plant. As a result, water is spayed onto areas not requiring irrigation. Further, some plants benefit from deep watering. Specifically, it is desire: to saturate a small area around the plant to promote deep root growth. When known spray nozzles are used, a large surface area is uniformly watered, and shallow root growth results. 
   One alternative to using spray nozzles is a drip irrigation system. Such drip irrigation systems include manifolds and individual lines running to each plant. While a drip irrigation system may provide the desired concentration and resulting deep watering required for some plants, the numerous lines may be inadvertently cut or moved out of their original positions during subsequent yard work. A tree or shrub may die due to lack of water before the damage to the drip system is recognized. 
   There is thus a need for an irrigation system which provides directed watering without individual lines running to each plant. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention addresses the above and other needs by providing a stream nozzle which resides between a water source and a sprinkler nozzle and provides a stream of water for watering a bush, shrub, or tree. The stream nozzle may reside either between a fixed height riser and a nozzle, or under the nozzle of a pop-up sprinkler. In the case of a fixed height riser, the stream nozzle may be attached to an adapter or directly to the riser. In the case of a pop-up sprinkler, the stream nozzle is preferably attached to an independently rotatable collar below the nozzle. The stream nozzle is preferably adjustable in elevation and in azimuth. 
   In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a stream watering apparatus comprising a water source, a sprinkler nozzle in fluid communication with the water source, and stream nozzle residing between the water source and the sprinkler nozzle. The stream nozzle is adjustable to independently change an elevation angle of the stream nozzle and an azimuth angle of the stream nozzle, relative to the sprinkler nozzle. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a watering system comprising a water source, underground water lines, risers connected to the underground water lines, a sprinkler nozzle in fluid communication with the risers, and a stream nozzle residing between the water source and the sprinkler nozzle. The stream nozzle is adjustable to independently change an elevation angle of the stream nozzle and an azimuth angle of the stream nozzle, relative to the sprinkler nozzle. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
     The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a prior art sprinkler system. 
       FIG. 2  is a sprinkler system with stream nozzles according to the present invention residing between water sources and sprinkler nozzles. 
       FIG. 3A  shows the stream nozzle connected to an adapter according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 3B  shows the stream nozzle connected directly to a riser. 
       FIG. 4  shows a cross-sectional view of the adapter taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3A . 
       FIG. 5  shows a detailed view of an fitting configured for cooperation with the adapter. 
       FIG. 6  shows a cross-sectional view of a second fitting according to the present invention, taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 3B . 
       FIG. 7  is a detailed view of the second fitting. 
       FIG. 7A  is a needle valve configured for cooperation with the second fitting. 
       FIG. 8  is a third fitting including a pressure regulator. 
       FIG. 9  is a pop-up sprinkler including a stream nozzle according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 10  is a pop-up sprinkler with the stream nozzle attached by a nozzle fixture. 
       FIG. 11  is a front view of the stream nozzle attached to a pop-up stem. 
       FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view of the stream nozzle attached to the pop-up stem, taken along line  12 - 12  of  FIG. 11 . 
       FIG. 13  is a front view of the stream nozzle attached to a pop-up stem by the nozzle fixture. 
       FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view of the stream nozzle attached to the pop-up stem by the nozzle fixture, taken along line  14 - 14  of  FIG. 13 . 
       FIG. 15  is a top view of a half circle sprinkler pattern from a sprinkler nozzle and a water stream from the stream nozzle. 
       FIG. 16  is a second pop-up sprinkler nozzle including a stream nozzle according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 17  is a third pop-up sprinkler nozzle with the stream nozzle attached by the nozzle fixture. 
       FIG. 18  is a front view of the stream nozzle attached to the second sprinkler nozzle. 
       FIG. 19  is a cross-sectional view of the stream nozzle attached to the second sprinkler nozzle, taken along line  19 - 19  of  FIG. 18 . 
       FIG. 20  is a front view of the stream nozzle attached to the third sprinkler nozzle by the nozzle fixture. 
       FIG. 21  is a cross-sectional view of the stream nozzle attached to the third sprinkler nozzle by the nozzle fixture, taken along line  21 - 21  of  FIG. 20 . 
       FIG. 22  is a front view of the stream nozzle attached to the rotating collar by swedging, the rotating collar residing above a sprinkler nozzle. 
       FIG. 23  is a front view of the stream nozzle attached to the rotating collar by the nozzle fixture, the rotating collar residing above a sprinkler nozzle. 
   

   Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims. 
   A prior art sprinkler system is shown arranged around a home  10 . The sprinkler system includes half circle pattern sprinklers  20   a  and full circle pattern sprinklers  20   b . Other sprinkler patterns such as quarter pattern, strip pattern, and the like are commonly used. Planted areas around the home  10  include planters  12  along a walkway  11 , and lawns  18 . While the sprinklers  20   a  and  20   b  provide a uniform coverage desirable for the lawns  18 , they do not provide the concentrated coverage desirable for shrubs  14  or trees  16 . 
   An improved sprinkler system with stream nozzles according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 2 . The stream nozzles provide water streams  22  for concentrated watering of shrubs  14 , trees  16 , and the like. The stream nozzles are further configured to augment existing sprinklers and thus do not require additional sprinkler lines to be installed. The water streams  22  may further be used to provide water to any object requiring periodic addition of water, for example, fountains, bird baths, ponds, and the like. 
   A first stream nozzle  38   a  connected between a riser  24  and a sprinkler nozzle  26  by an adapter  28 , is shown in  FIG. 3A . The adapter  28  generally includes a female-threaded end for connecting to the riser  24 , and a male-threaded end for the nozzle  26 . The adapter  28  may thus be added to an existing sprinkler  26  position by removing the sprinkler  26  from the riser  24 , screwing the adapter  28  onto the riser  24 , and screwing the sprinkler  26  onto the adapter  28 . The adapter includes a shoulder  34  which may be molded into the adapter  28 . The shoulder  34  receives a first fitting (for example an elbow)  32   a , and a bendable arm  36  slides over the fitting  32   a . The stream nozzle  38   a  is inserted into the arm  36  and held in place on the arm  36  by a friction fit, barbs, glue, clamp, or by any means suitable for holding the stream nozzle  38   a  on the arm  36 . The arm is similarly held in place on the shoulder  32   a . The riser  24 , adapter  28 , and sprinkler  26  are horizontally aligned, meaning that they are aligned when looked down from a top view. 
   The fitting  32   a  may be straight or may be an angled elbow, and is preferably a 90 degree elbow. If the fitting  32   a  is an elbow, the fitting may be rotated in the shoulder  34  to aim the stream nozzle  38   b . Further, the arm  36  is configured to retain a shape once bent, and to retain a new shape when bent again. The arm preferably is a flexible tide with a metal wire  44  (see  FIG. 4 ) running through the tube. 
   The stream nozzle  38   a  is shown connected directly to the riser  24  in  FIG. 3B . A second fitting  32   b  penetrates a wall of the riser  24 , and includes a needle valve  42  for adjusting the flow of water to the stream nozzle  38   a.    
   A cross-sectional view of the adapter  28  taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3A  is shown in  FIG. 4 . The fitting  32   a  extends through the shoulder  34  and into the interior of the adapter  28 , thus into fluid communication with water provided by the riser  24  to the sprinkler nozzle  26 . A passage  40  in the fitting  32   a  carries the water to the arm  36 . The wire  44  resides inside the arm  36  to hold a position the arm  36  is bent into. The arm  36  may also comprise structure to retain shape when bent, for example, the arm  36  may be a corrugated tube made from metal, plastic, or any water compatible material, may be ball joint tubing, or the like. 
   A detailed view of an fitting  32   a  is shown in  FIG. 5 . The fitting  32   a  preferably includes a first flair  46   a  for retaining the fitting  32   a  in the adapter  28 , and a second flair  46   b  for retaining the arm  44  on the fitting  32   a . A slice  47  preferably separates the flair  46   a  to facilitate insertion of the fitting  32   a  into the adapter  28 . 
   A cross-sectional view of a second fitting  32   b  inserted into a riser  24 , taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 3B , is shown in  FIG. 6 , and a cross-sectional view of the fitting  32   b  alone is shown in  FIG. 7 . The fitting  32   b  includes first threads  48   a  for attaching (or screwing) the fitting  32   b  into the riser  24 . The fitting  32   b  is preferably made from metal, and the threads  48   a  are configured to self tap into an appropriate size hole drilled (or otherwise formed) in a wall of the riser  24 . The arm  36  attaches to the fitting  32   b  in a similar fashion as to the fitting  32   a , and a flair  46   b  (see  FIG. 5 ) may similarly be provided to retain the arm  36  on the fitting  32   b.    
   The needle valve  42 , configured for cooperation with the second fitting  32   b , is shown in  FIG. 7A . The needle valve  42  includes a valve tip  49  which cooperates with the valve seat  50  (see  FIG. 7 ) to adjust the flow of water to the stream nozzle  38   a  (see  FIG. 3B ), and third threads  48   c  for advancing the needle valve  42  into the fitting  32   b.    
   A third fitting  32   c  with a pressure regulator  51  is shown in  FIG. 8 . The pressure regulator may be similar to the pressure regulator incorporated into the stem of the Rainbird 1800-PRS pop-up sprinkler. Such pressure regulator is advantageous where water pressure may vary during, and maintains the aim of the water stream  22 . 
   A pop-up sprinkler including a second stream nozzle  38   b  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 9 . The pop-up sprinkler resides close to the ground  23  and generally approximately flush with grass  58 . The pop-up sprinkler includes base  56  and pop-up stem  54  which receive water from the riser  24 . A first rotatable collar  52   a  is attached proximal to the top of the pop-up stem  54  and resides under the sprinkler nozzle  26 , and a second stream nozzle  38   b  is attached to the collar  52 . The collar  52   a  allows the stream nozzle  38   b  to be aimed in azimuth (see  FIG. 15 ) independently from the sprinkler nozzle  26 . 
   A pop-up sprinkler with the stream nozzle  38   b  attached by a nozzle fixture  62  is shown in  FIG. 10 . The fixture  62  is attached to a second rotatable collar  52   b.    
   A front view of the collar  52   a  and stream nozzle  38   b  attached to a pop-up stem  54 , below the sprinkler nozzle  26 , is shown in  FIG. 11 , and a cross-sectional view of the stream nozzle attached to the pop-up stem, taken along line  12 - 12  of  FIG. 11  is shown in  FIG. 12 . The collar  52   a  preferably resides between seals (for example o-rings)  60 , providing a seal, and allowing independent rotation of the collar  52   a  with respect to the sprinkler nozzle  26 . The stream nozzle  38   b  is swedged into the collar  52   a  to provide a snug (or friction) fit, allowing adjustment of the stream nozzle  38   b  and holding the position of the stream nozzle  38   b  after adjustment. 
   A front view of the stream nozzle  38   b  attached to the pop-up stem  54  by a nozzle fixture (or collar)  52   b  is shown in  FIG. 13 , and a cross-sectional view of the stream nozzle  38   b  attached to the pop-up stem  54  by the nozzle fixture  52   b , taken along line  14 - 14  of  FIG. 13 , is shown in  FIG. 14 . A fixture base  62   b  is pressed into the fixture  52   b , and a fixture nut  62   a  is tightened over the fixture base  62   b  for holding the stream nozzle  38   b  in the fixture  52   b . The stream nozzle  38   b  may be adjusted by loosening the fixture nut  62   b , and held in position by tightening the fixture nut  62   b . Water flowing through the stem  54  to the sprinkler nozzle  26  may pass through the center of the fixture  62  and into the stream nozzle  38   b.    
   A top view of a half circle sprinkler pattern  20   a  from a sprinkler nozzle  26  and a water stream  22  from the stream nozzle  38   a  or  38   b  is shown in  FIG. 15 . The stream nozzle  38   a  may be adjusted in azimuth along arc  66  by tightening the sprinkler nozzle  26  more or less (as is typically done to adjust a sprinkler nozzle), and by bending the arm  36 . The stream nozzle  38   b  may be adjusted in azimuth along arc  66  by rotating the collar  52   a  or  52   b.    
   A second pop-up sprinkler nozzle  26   a  including the stream nozzle  38   b  is shown in  FIG. 16 . The pop-up sprinkler nozzle  26   a  includes a stream nozzle  38   b  for providing a stream  22 . The stream nozzle  38   b  is held in place in the same manner as described in  FIGS. 9 ,  11 , and  12 . 
   A third pop-up sprinkler nozzle  26   b  with the stream nozzle  38   b  attached by the nozzle fixture  62  is shown in  FIG. 17 . The nozzle fixture  62  is held in place in the same manner as described in  FIGS. 10 ,  13 , and  14 . 
   A front view of the stream nozzle  38   b  attached to the second sprinkler nozzle  26   a  is shown in  FIG. 18 , and a cross-sectional view of the stream nozzle attached to the second sprinkler nozzle, taken along line  19 - 19  of  FIG. 18 . The second sprinkler nozzle  26   a  thus provides for attaching a stream nozzle directly to the sprinkler nozzle  26   a  and does not require a rotating collar between the water source and the sprinkler nozzle as described in  FIGS. 9 ,  11 , and  12 . 
   A front view of the stream nozzle  38   b  attached to the third sprinkler nozzle  26   b  by the nozzle fixture  62  is shown in  FIG. 20 , and a cross-sectional view of the stream nozzle  38   b  attached to the third sprinkler nozzle  26   b  by the nozzle fixture  62 , taken along line  21 - 21  of  FIG. 20 , is shown in  FIG. 21 . The third sprinkler nozzle  26   b  thus provides for attaching a stream nozzle  38   b  directly to the sprinkler nozzle  26   a  using the nozzle fixture  62 , and does not require a rotating collar between the water source and the sprinkler nozzle as described in  FIGS. 10 ,  13 , and  14 . 
   A front view of the stream nozzle  38   b  attached to a third collar  52   c  by swedging is shown in  FIG. 22 . The collar  52   c  resides above a second sprinkler nozzle  26   b . The stream nozzle  38   b  is attached in a manner similar to that described in  FIG. 12 . The sprinkler nozzle  26   b  may be rotatably connected to the stem  54  in the same manner as the collar  52   a  shown in  FIG. 12 , or the collar  52   c  may be a rotating collar. 
   A front view of the stream nozzle  38   b  attached to a fourth collar  52   d  by the nozzle fixture  62  is shown in  FIG. 23 . The collar  52   d  resides above the sprinkler nozzle  26   b , but is otherwise similar to  FIG. 14 . The sprinkler nozzle  26   b  may be rotatably connected to the stem  54  in the same manner as the collar  52   a  shown in  FIG. 12 , or the collar  52   d  may be a rotating collar. 
   While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.