Patent Publication Number: US-2022226851-A1

Title: Pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of pressure regulators for sprinklers. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pressure regulator with check valve that can be inserted into the stem or movable riser of a pop-up type sprinkler. 
     Description of Prior Art 
     A common type of sprinkler used to irrigate lawns, trees, and flowers, is known as a pop-up sprinkler. Pop-up sprinklers are typically buried in the ground such that the top is flush with the ground. The flow of water then allows a riser to extend or pop-up upward from the ground to irrigate or distribute water from a higher level than the ground so as to cover a greater area. Generally, a pop-up sprinkler has a housing, a riser, and a spring. The riser is in the housing and is movable between an extended position in which the riser extends from the housing and a retracted position in which the riser is retracted from the extended position. The spring is placed so that it pushes the riser toward the retracted position. When the irrigation water is turned on, the water pressure forces the riser to the extended position against the biasing action of the spring and the water is distributed or sprayed from the riser. 
     An irrigation system typically comprises of many pop-up sprinklers. Generally each pop-up sprinkler receives water at different pressures. Some sprinklers may be nearer to the source of the water and/or may be at a different elevation that other sprinklers. Thus, not each sprinkler irrigates with the same water pressure. In addition, various states and municipalities are enacting restrictions or limits on the water pressure from each sprinkler. To address these problems, certain pop-up sprinklers include a pressure regulator within its riser. 
     A pressure regulator that is operated by differential fluid pressures may require an aperture in the riser to act as a vent for the pressure regulator. It is known to provide first and second axially spaced seals carried by the housing and cooperate with the riser to seal around the riser. With this conventional construction, the first and inner seal is fluid tight and the second seal is a dust seal which allows the passage of air. In the retracted position, the aperture is protected from particulates by these two seals. However in an extended position, the aperture s above both of these seals and is therefore exposed outside of the housing where it may become clogged, in which event the pressure regulator cannot function as intended. 
     A typical pressure regulator for a pop-up sprinkler may include a valve seat mounted within the riser and a valve tube movable within the riser and a valve tube movable within the riser and cooperable with the valve seat to provide pressure regulation. It is important to seal the interface between the movable valve tube and the inner wall of the riser, and it is known to attempt to accomplish this function with an O-ring. Unfortunately, an O-ring is not as tolerant as desired to debris and also may impose significant friction which inhibits movement of the valve tube. 
     Even more, prior attempts to teach a pop-up sprinkler with a pressure regulator in the riser have proven to be expensive, ineffective, or not marketable. U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,148 teaches a pop-up sprinkler with a pressure regulator. However, the pressure regulator includes multiple part that make it costly or ineffective. Even more, this pressure regulator keeps the riser tube in the open position so that water can backflow. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 8,998,107, teaches a pop-up sprinkler with the pressure regulator built in. The pressure regulator is permanent and built into the sprinkler. In addition, the complexity and amount of parts in the pressure regulator make this device ineffective and costly. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 8,408,482, teaches a sprinkler with a pressure regulator built in. 
     However, none of the above teach a pressure regulator that is not built into a pop-up sprinkler but can be inserted into the riser of a typical pop-up sprinkler. As such what is needed is a pressure regulator that can be inserted into a conventional pop-up sprinkler so as to retrofit the sprinkler to include a pressure regulator that can be adjusted to specific circumstances. Even more, there is no pressure regulator that can be inserted into a conventional pop-up sprinkler and includes a check valve to prevent the backflow of water or the leaking of water at low pressures. The pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers of the present invention provides a practical and satisfactory device which is a significant advance in the art that meets the needs of the market. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned disadvantages occurring in the prior art, and it is the object of the present invention to provide a pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a pressure regulator that can be inserted into the riser tube of a conventional pop-up sprinkler. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a pressure regulator that also serves as a check Valve to prevent backflow of water within the sprinkler and the leaking of water at low pressure. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a pressure regulator that controls the flow rate of the water being used to irrigate. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a pressure regulator that can be adjusted to at least two (2) pressure settings. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers that is inexpensive to manufacture. 
     To accomplish the above objects, the present invention is embodied in a pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers comprising a housing, a shaft assembly with a seal plate, a spring, and a skirt element. The pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers of the present invention is inserted into the riser tube of a conventional pop-up sprinkler through its bottom opening. The spring is placed such that it pushes the seal plate downward to seal or block any water from entering the riser tube at low pressure or backflowing from the riser tube. When water with sufficient pressure is introduced into the riser tube, the water pressure pushes against the spring and displaces the seal plate to allow water to flow into the riser tube at a predetermined pressure and flow rate. Then the water exits out of the riser tube through the top to irrigate a lawn, tree, or flowers. 
     The above and other features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and usage of various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form part of the specification, illustrate various embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the invention and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the invention. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functional similar elements. A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers according to the present invention as it is used to irrigate lawns, trees, or flowers; 
         FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  shows a cross-sectional view of the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of the housing of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of the shaft assembly of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  shows a cross-sectional view of the shaft assembly of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  shows a perspective view of the skirt element of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  shows a cross-sectional view of the skirt element of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  shows a cross-sectional view of a conventional pop-up sprinkler in its retracted position without the pressure regulator with check valve of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  shows a cross-sectional view of the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers of the present invention as it would be installed in a conventional pop-up sprinkler with the riser tube in the retracted position; and 
         FIG. 11  shows a cross-sectional view of the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers of the present invention as it would be installed in a conventional pop-up sprinkler with the riser tube in the extended position. 
         FIG. 12  shows a cross-sectional view of the alternative embodiment of the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers of the present invention without a skirt element. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Certain terminology is used in the following descriptions for convenience only and is not limiting. The words “right”, “left”, “lower”, and “upper” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inwardly” or “distally” and “outwardly” or “proximally” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center or orientation of the device and instruments and related parts thereof. The terminology includes the above-listed words, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import. 
     Although the present invention can be used in connection with any type of sprinkler or irrigation application, it is especially suited for pop-up sprinklers in connection with the irrigation of lawns, trees, and flowers. Accordingly, the present invention will be described herein with reference to pop-up sprinkler applications. However, the preferred system of the present application may also be adapted for with other types of sprinklers or irrigation systems. 
     Reference will be made to the drawings in which various elements of the present invention will be given numerical designations and in which the invention will be discussed so as to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the present invention. 
     The pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100  of the present invention comprises a housing  10 , a shaft assembly  20 , a spring  30 , and a skirt element  40 . A conventional pop-up sprinkler  200  comprises a housing  210 , a riser tube  220 , and a spring  230  that is placed such that it presses the riser tube  220  downward in the retracted position with the top of the riser tube  220  flush with the ground. When water flows into the pop-up sprinkler  200 , the water pressure causes the spring  230  to be compressed thus allowing the riser tube  220  to pop-up above the ground to its extended position. The pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100  of the present invention is inserted into the lower section of the riser tube  220  of a conventional pop-up sprinkler  200  through the bottom opening  225  thereof as shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 . 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100  of the present invention.  FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100  of the present invention to depict in greater detail the various components that comprise the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100 .  FIG. 3  shows a cross-sectional view of the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100  of the present invention to depict in greater detail the interaction and assembly of the various components that comprise the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the housing  10  is primarily tubular in shape with an outer diameter that is slightly less than the inner diameter of the riser tube  220  of a conventional pop-up sprinkler  200  so that the housing  10  can be inserted into the riser tube  220  with minimal play or movement therewithin. An O-ring  11  around the middle of the housing  10  creates a radial seal between the housing  10  and the riser tube  220  to prevent water from flowing outside of the housing  10 . At least one radial rib  12  located towards the lower end of the housing  10  allows the housing to be centered within the riser tube  220  and reduces any play or movement of the housing  10  within the riser tube  220 . A plurality of flanges  13  extend radially outward around the bottom edge of the housing  10 . The flanges  13  serve as stoppers that rest on the bottom edge  225  of the riser tube  220  to prevent the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100  of the present invention from being fully inserted or pushed into the riser tube  220 . A bottom plate  14  is located at the lower end of the housing  10  with a hole  15  at the center. As water is directed into the pop-up sprinkler  200 , the water would normally be directed into the riser tube  220 . But, when the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100  of the present invention is installed into the riser tube  220 , the water is directed through the hole  15  and into the housing  10 . An opening  16  is located at the top of the housing  10  to allow the water to flow through from the hole  15  and out the opening  16 . Finally, at least two slots, a first slot  17   a  and a second slot  17   b,  are located around the top section of the housing  10  with one above the other. Housing ribs  19   a  and  19   b  extend radially inward from the top of the slots  17   a  and  17   b,  respectively. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the shaft assembly  20  comprises a shaft  21  that extends longitudinally with a seal plate  22  attached to the bottom, a peg  23  extending downward from the center of the seal plate  22 , and a gasket  24  placed on the bottom face of the seal plate  22  and held in place by the peg  23 . A plurality of nubs  25  extend radially outward from the seal plate  22  which serve to keep the shaft assembly  20  centered within the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100  of the present invention. Finally, the shaft assembly  20  has a spring wall  26  extending upward from the seal plate  22 . The spring wall  26  is primarily cylindrical, in shape but can take on any other shape. Functionally, the spring wall  26  serves to retain the spring  30  around the shaft  21 . Often, as the spring  30  is compresses, it may tend to shift or displaced transversely to the shaft  21 . Thus, the spring wall  26  partly encases the spring  30  so as to prevent or reduce such shift or displacement of the spring  30 . The top edge of the spring wall  26  has a chamfer  27 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the skirt element  40  is primarily tubular in shape with a bottom opening  41 , a top opening  42 , a sidewall  43 , and a tube  44 . The bottom section of the tube  44  is centrally located within the top section of the sidewall  43  while the top section of the tube  44  extends past the top opening  42  of the skirt element  40 . The tube  44  is radially attached to the sidewall  43  by a plurality of ribs  45 . The bottom of the ribs  45  have an angled edge  47  that substantially matches or mates with the chamfer  27  of the shaft assembly  20 . The sidewall  43  and the tube  44  share the same center as they are concentric. A slot  46  is located at the top of the tube  44 . The outer diameter of the skirt element  40  is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the housing  10  such that the skirt element  40  can be inserted into the housing  10  concentrically. However, the inner section  48  of the sidewall  43  is angled or sloped such that the inner diameter of the skirt element  40  at the bottom opening  41  is greater than the inner diameter of the skirt element  40  at the top opening  42 . Finally, skirt ribs  49  extend radially outward from the top opening  42  of the skirt element  40 . 
     Hereinafter, an explanation on the methods of assembling the product of the present invention, the installation thereof to a tree, and the operating states thereof will be given. 
     Assembly of the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100  of the present invention is accomplished by first placing a spring  30  around the shaft  21  with one end resting on top of the seal plate  22 . Second, once the spring  30  is in place around the shaft  21 , the top of the shaft  21  is inserted into the skirt element  40  through the bottom opening  41  until the top of the shaft  21  is inserted into the bottom end of the tube  44 . Once in place, the shaft assembly  20  is within the skirt element  40  and the spring  30  is held in place by the seal plate  22  in one end and the radial ribs  45  in the other. Third, with the spring  30  and shaft assembly  20  in place, the bottom opening  41  of the skirt element  40  is inserted into the housing  10  through the opening  16 . When inserting the skirt element  40  into the housing  10 , the skirt ribs  49  must not be in alignment with the housing ribs  19   a  or  19   b.  As the skirt element  40  is inserted into the housing  10 , the gasket  24  is pressed against the bottom plate  14  such that the spring  30  is compressed. Once the skirt ribs  49  are inserted past the housing ribs  19   a,  the slot  46  is used to rotate the skirt element  40  with a screwdriver. The skirt element  40  is then released when the skirt ribs  49  are aligned directly under the housing ribs  19   a.  Once released, the skirt element  40  is held within the housing  10  by the skirt ribs  49  pressing against the housing ribs  19   a  and the spring partly compressed so as to push the seal plate  22  against the bottom plate  14 . 
     Alternatively, instead of a skirt element  40  that has to be rotated to be retained within the housing  10 , the skirt ribs  49  in the skirt element  40  can be designed to flex so as to serve as a snapping mechanism. Thus, the flexing skirt ribs  49  can then snap into the slots  17   a  and  17   b  of the housing  10  so as to retain the skirt element  40  within the housing  10 . 
     After the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100  of the present invention is assembled as described above, the housing  10  is inserted into the riser tube  220  of a pop-up sprinkler  200  through the bottom end until the flanges  13  rest on the bottom edge  225  of the riser tube  220  to prevent the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100  of the present invention from being fully inserted or pushed into the riser tube  220 . Once in place, the friction between the O-ring  11  and the inner sidewall of the riser tube  220  holds the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100  of the present invention in place within the riser tube  220  of the pop-up sprinkler  200 . 
     With the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100  of the present invention inserted into the riser tube  220  of a pop-up sprinkler  200 , the irrigation water is turned on and water flowing into the pop-up sprinkler  200  is directed to the hole  15 . The water pressure then pushes against the gasket  24  and the seal plate  22 . As the upward pressure from the water against the seal plate  22  becomes greater than the downward pressure from the spring  30  against the seal plate  22 , the seal plate  22  and the shaft assembly  20  are displaced upward to allow the water to flow upward around it until it exists through the opening  16 . 
     As the irrigation water flows through the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100  of the present invention, the pressure of the water is regulated by the seal plate  22  and the inner section  48  of the sidewall  43  that is angled or sloped such that the inner diameter of the skirt element  40  varies between its bottom opening  41  and its top opening  42 . Essentially, the irrigation water is directed into the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100  of the present invention and around the seal plate  22  through a cross-section that is defined by the outer edge or circumference of the seal plate  22  and the inner diameter of the skirt element  40 . Since the inner diameter of the skirt element  40  is greater towards the bottom opening  41  and less towards the top opening  42 , the cross-section through which the irrigation water flows through is greater towards the bottom opening  41  and less towards the top opening  42 . Ultimately, the pressure of the irrigation water as it exits the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100  of the present invention and is ejected out of the pop-up sprinkler  200  is regulated by the size of the cross-section. Essentially, the pressure of the irrigation water ejected out of the pop-up sprinkler  200  is ultimately regulated by the distance that the seal plate  22  is displaced within the skirt element  40  from the bottom plate  14 . Displacement of the seal plate  22  ceases when the chamfer  27  is pressed against the an angled edge  47  at the bottom of the ribs  45 . 
     When assembling the skirt element  40  into the housing  10 , the skirt ribs  49  can aligned with the housing ribs  19   a  of the first slot  17   a  or the housing ribs  19   b  of the second slot  17   b.  Aligning the skirt ribs  49  with housing ribs  19   a  allows the seal plate  22  to be displaced upwardly a greater distance from the bottom plate  14  than aligning the skirt ribs  49  with the housing ribs  19   b  because the first slot  17   a  is higher than the second slot  17   b.  Essentially, aligning the skirt element  40  with the first slot  17   a  regulates the irrigation water to flow out of the pop-up sprinkler  200  at a first predetermined water pressure. Similarly, aligning the skirt element  40  with the second slot  17   b  regulates the irrigation water to flow out of the pop-up sprinkler  200  at a second predetermined water pressure. In addition, to further regulate or set the water pressure, a spring  30  with s specific strength or resistance can be used to correspond to the desired water pressure. 
     An alternative embodiment of the pressure regulator with check valve for sprinklers  100  of the present invention eliminates the need of the skirt element  40  and includes the integral characteristics of the skirt element  40  within the housing  10  and shaft assembly  20 , as shown in  FIG. 12 . Essentially, the sloping inner section  48   a  is incorporated into the sidewall of the housing  10 . In addition, the tube  44   a  is incorporated in the housing  10 . The tube  44   a  is concentrically attached within the housing  10  by a plurality of ribs  45   a.    
     It is understood that the described embodiments of the present invention are illustrative only, and that modifications thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, this invention is not to be regarded as limited to the embodiments disclosed, but to be limited only as defined by the appended claims herein.