Abstract:
A spray assembly configured has an extensible pole may be adjusted to different heights that accommodate plants during a season of growth.

Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    The present disclosure pertains to the field of sprinkler systems, and particularly sprinklers that may be used for gardening applications in the watering of plants. 
       STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 
       [0002]    Water irrigation systems are used in gardening applications to distribute water, and sometimes also soluble nutrients, to plants in need thereof. The systems may be constructed from a wide variety of familiar hoses, sprinklers, sprayers, misters and valves that are available on commercial order. 
         [0003]    Due to a need to conserve scarce water resources, the art is trending towards distributed delivery systems that provide water precisely at the point where it is needed. Thus, the areal extent of a garden may be provided with tubing and drip valves or sprinklers that distribute water to each particular plant in a garden, but withhold water from portions of the garden that do not contain plants. Alternatively, valves may be provided for selective adjustment of water flow to plants in the garden that have less need of water. 
         [0004]    Many home and professional gardeners perceive a benefit to spraying water onto the foliage for their plants. While the art provides generally for the areal or horizontal distribution of water, plants also exist in various heights that may change significantly as the plants grow. It is problematic that, other than manual spraying from handheld apparatus, the art does not provide for variation of water distribution according to the height of the plant. 
       SOLUTION 
       [0005]    The presently disclosed instrumentalities overcome the problems outlined above and advance the art by providing a variable height spray assembly that may be selectively adjusted for variation of water distribution according to the height of the plant 
         [0006]    In one aspect, a spray assembly for delivering water to a spray nozzle through tubing is improved by having a spray nozzle mounted upon a selective height adjustment mechanism. The height adjustment mechanism includes an upper tubular member and one or more lower tubular member(s). The upper tubular member and the lower tubular member(s) telescopically received within the other, or vice-versa. 
         [0007]    Means is provided for locking upper tubular member and the lower tubular member into a temporarily fixed position with respect to one another. This adjusts an overall height of the spray assembly. 
         [0008]    In one aspect, the locking mechanism or ‘means’ may include a collet assembly that is actuated for engagement into a fixed locking position by opposing rotational movement of the upper tubular member relative to the lower tubular member. The collet assembly is disengaged by opposite rotational movements into an unfixed mode permitting sliding telescopic movement to adjust the overall height of the spray assembly. 
         [0009]    In one aspect, the locking mechanism or ‘means’ may include a bayonet latch mechanism to assist with the placement and anchoring of the spray assembly. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  shows a spray assembly that may be adjusted to various heights for the distribution of water to plants that grow to different levels during a single growing season; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is an assembly view of the spray assembly shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a midsectional view of the spray assembly shown in  FIG. 1  that provides additional details of a rotational locking mechanism; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is shows a bayonet latch mechanism that may be used to adjust handle position of handle to assist placement and anchoring of spray assembly; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  shows the detail of the adapter which receives the spray nozzle 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]      FIG. 1  shows a spray assembly  100  dispensing a spray of water  102  to plants  104 ,  106 . A stake tip  108  retains the spray assembly  100  in earth  110 . Flexible tubing  112 , such as ¼ inch vinyl tubing, communicates water from a supply  114  to spray nozzle  116  which dispenses the spray of water  102 . A grip handle  118  surrounds an elongate upper tubular member  120  at a radially outboard location and may be used to impart additional gripping force for sinking the stake tip  108  into and out of the earth  110 . A lower tubular member  122  is telescopically received within the upper tubular member  120 . A plastic bushing  124  resides at the lower distal end of upper tubular member  120  to prevent water damage to the internal mechanism and mitigate possible scratching of the lower tubular member  122  as it slides into and out of the upper tubular member  120 . An internal locking mechanism (not shown) is provided atop the portion of lower tubular member  122  that resides within the upper tubular member  120  and so is hidden from view in  FIG. 1 . A valve  128  may be adjusted to regulate the flow of water through tubing  112 . 
         [0016]    The spray assembly  100  is selectively locked and unlocked at a height H by selective manual actuation of opposed turning motions  126   a,  a 126   b  about the elongate axis of assembly  100 . The upper and lower tubular members may be rotated in one direction as shown in  FIG. 1  to engage the locking mechanism, and in the opposite direction to disengage the locking mechanism such that the lower tubular member  122  is released for sliding telescopic movement within the upper tubular member  120 . It will be appreciated that plants  104 ,  106 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , reside at level L 1 ; however, throughout the course of an entire growing season these same plants may grow to a height at level L 2  and then level L 3 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the height H of spray assembly  100  is appropriate for L 3 , but not L 1 , and so the assembly  100  may be reduced to a new overall height dimension that is more appropriate to level L 1 . Later in the growing season the spray assembly  100  may be lengthened to accommodate levels L 2  and then L 3 . 
         [0017]    It will be appreciated that the pressurized water supply  114  may be a hose or tubing coupled with a well or a city water supply. A plurality of spray assemblies  100  with the same or different spray patterns and spray ranges may be connected in series to a single water supply line in the mariner of what is conventionally known as a drip system. 
         [0018]      FIG. 2  presents an assembly view of the spray assembly  100  using identical part numbers for parts already described above. A specialized adapter  200  is within the upper end  202  of upper tubular member  120  to hold the spray nozzle  116 . The specialized adapter is constructed in a manner which allows for its removal when flexible tubing  112  requires replacement due to wear and tear (see  FIG. 5 ). It will be appreciated that the spray nozzle  116 , valve  128 , and tubing  112  may be purchased on commercial order, for example, from RainDrip, Inc. of Fresno, Calif. The spray nozzle  116  may be designed for the spraying or misting of water, and so the spray assembly has alternative uses, such as in outdoor cooling applications where mist is prayed to cool people or animals on a hot summer day. 
         [0019]    The grip handle  118  may be press-fit or adhered to the upper tubular member  120  at any fixed position. The grip handle  118  is optionally provided with a bayonet latch mechanism permitting selective sliding adjustment of the grip handle at any position on upper tubular member  120 , as described below. A flexible strap  121  is provided for storage of the spray assembly during the non-growing season. 
         [0020]    The tubing  112  passes through aperture  208  such that end  210  is fastened to the adapter  200  which retains the spray nozzle  116 . Valve  128  may be press-fit or adhered to end  212 . The plastic bushing  124  may be press fit or adhered to end  214  of the upper tubular member  120 . The stake tip  108  may be press fit or adhered to end  216  of the lower tubular member  122 . 
         [0021]    Upper end  218  of the lower tubular member  122  contains the aforementioned internal locking mechanism, now designated mechanism  220  in  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 3  presents a more detailed view of mechanism  220  where a clamp  300  is rigidly affixed to an interior surface  302  of the lower tubular member  122 , and retains a central conical wedge  306  that tapers upwardly along wall  308  towards a distal shoulder  310 . The lower section  312  of wedge  306  is threadably received within clamp  300  such that rotation of clamp  300  relative to threaded lower member  122  causes movement of the wedge  300  relative to clamp  300  and an elastomeric collet  314 . This motion may cause tightening of collet  314  against shoulder  310  drives the collet  314  into compression and, consequently also, radial outboard expansion against the inner surface  316  of upper tubular member  120 . Reverse rotational movement reduces this radial expansion such that the tubular members  120 ,  122  may be telescopically aligned for selective height adjustment of height H, as described above. Preferably, the collet  300  is always in some compression against the inner surface  316  because this provides friction facilitating the locking and unlocking rotations  126   a,    126   b.    
         [0022]    It will be appreciated that it is not necessary for the lower tubular member  122  to fit within the upper tubular member  120 . If the situation is reversed, such that the upper tubular member  120  telescopes into the lower tubular member  122 , then the locking mechanism  220  may reside at the bottom of upper tubular member  120 , instead of residing atop the lower tubular member  122 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 4  shows an optional locking mechanism  400  generally in the form of a bayonet latch that may be provided to adjust the position of handle  118 . The handle  118  is mounted on an inner tubular member  402  is telescopically received within an outer tubular member  404 . A rivet  406  attaches a spring  408  to the inner tubular member  402 . Spring  408  drives a head  410  into engagement with any selected one of a plurality of apertures  412 ,  414 ,  416  to lock the inner and outer tubular members  402 ,  404  at a selected position. This may be undone by manually depressing the head  410  against the bias of spring  408  until the head  410  is removed from the selected aperture. In this case, rotational movement is not required for selective height adjustment. 
         [0024]      FIG. 5  provides additional detail regarding the manner of mounting the adapter  200  upon end  202  of the upper tubular member  120 . End  202  has a cap or wall  500 . The adapter  200  is optionally formed as a circular plate  502  with wings  504 ,  506  extending in a radially outboard direction. Screws  508 ,  510  attach wings  504 ,  506  to the wall  500 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , a portion of end  202  is removed to show tubing  112  connected to a barbed end  512  of spray nozzle  116 . The spray nozzle  116  is optionally press-fit or threadably received in a central opening  514  of the adapter  200 . 
         [0025]    The foregoing discussion teaches by way of illustration and example, not by limitation of the disclosed embodiments. As such, the disclosure should not be interpreted in a manner that is unduly limiting. It will also be appreciated by those of ordinary skilled in the art that insubstantial changes may deviate from what is disclosed, without departing from the true scope of the invention. Accordingly, the inventor states his intention to rely upon the doctrine of Equivalents in protecting the full scope of what is described and claimed.