Abstract:
A chemical distribution apparatus contains at least one, and preferably multiple chambers which house magazines which accept solid lawn treatment chemicals such as fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, lime treatments, pre-emergents, post-emergents, and the like. As water is passed into the chemical distribution apparatus, it is preferably selectively controlled by a controller to a particular chamber for distribution of a particular chemical in accordance with a pre-set schedule.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to devices and methods for dispensing dissolved chemical treatments and more particularly to devices and methods for distributing lawn care products provided in a solid form which are dissolved and provided to a yard through an irrigation system. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Yard care including the treatment of grass and/or plant beds with fertilizers, weed control, insect or fungal control and/or other chemical treatments is a very large market in the United States, and probably elsewhere. Many people take pride in their yards and are willing to spend large sums of money to protect their investment and the look of their yard. 
   In order to treat lawns, numerous technological advances have occurred including U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,649 which shows a housing adapted to support a number of canisters of liquid chemical treatments. This housing is connected to an irrigation system such as those sold by Rain Bird Sprinkler Manufacturing Corporation so that the various liquid chemicals can be directed to the yard of a user. However, whatever chemicals are added in the dispenser shown in the &#39;649 patent are apparently delivered to the entire yard. Furthermore, while liquid chemicals have various advantages in that they are already dissolved in liquid and they are easily disbursed via a stream of water, they also have a number of disadvantages. Specifically, concentrated liquids may pose a risk to pets or small children, and may result in overconcentration to a desired area of the yard thus providing a negative effect when a desired effect was sought. Specifically, over fertilizing is well known to kill plants. If the water supply is secured and the chemicals are directed to the outlet, they may continue out the system undiluted. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,610 shows a fertilizer dispensing apparatus which dispenses a solid fertilizer core in which water is run through the inside surfaces of a hollow cylinder of solid chemical fertilizer. Although this delivery method is believed to be an improvement over the prior art, improvements in the delivery of solid fertilizer with fluid streams are believed to exist. Specifically, this design prevents water from contacting exterior surfaces of the fertilizer cylinder while allowing fluid to only contact the interior bore portion of the cylinder. Furthermore, this device appears to be adapted for use with a hose instead of an irrigation system. 
   Accordingly, a need exists for an improved yard chemical distribution system and method. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A need exists for a chemical distribution apparatus having a housing which accepts at least one stream of water from a water supply and directs the stream through at least one magazine containing solid lawn chemicals therein. Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment, the housing contains a plurality of magazines which may be separated from one another along with separate water flows such that the output from the magazines may be directed to specific locations in the yard of the user with a desired chemical solution. In this manner, different magazines may be filled with different chemicals for treating different areas of a yard at different times or on different intervals. Furthermore, with the use of a controller, specific cylinders may be utilized or bypassed at a specific time of the year, month, week, and/or day. With attention paid to the design of the magazines and their placement in flows of fluid, it may be possible to obtain several cycles of use without needing to reload the magazine. The user may elect to only fill the cartridges with the appropriate chemicals for particular purposes. The controller, when utilized, opens or closes valves which allows the supply of water to enter the magazine and then be directed towards a specific location in the yard containing dissolved chemicals therein. 
   A somewhat sophisticated controller may be utilized in more advanced embodiments with the controller operating valves to specifically direct chemicals to portions of the yard at specific times of the day, month, or year. With a pre-loaded housing and selection of relatively slow dissolving solids, very little manual work need be required to treat a yard. The controller may also bypass the addition of chemicals in some embodiments to selectively provide water without a specific chemical at specific times. Of course, simpler embodiments may not have bypass or controller functions. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The particular features and advantages of the invention as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: 
       FIG. 1  shows the presently preferred embodiment of a lawn chemical distribution box for use with an irrigation system of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 2  shows a portion of the box of  FIG. 1  in detail. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 1  shows a distribution box  10  which receives an input  12  such as from a water supply. Typically the input  12  is connected near the water meter along an edge of a particular piece of property and downstream of a back flow preventer. Of course, in other embodiments the input  12  may be connected to a faucet from a structure or other source of water. Black poly pipe or Schedule 40 PVC pipe are commonly used with irrigation systems ad would provide a satisfactory input  12 . 
   Inlet valve  14  is illustrated so that the supply of water into the box  10  may be secured by an operator or controller  16  by closing inlet valve  14 . Inlet valve  14  is preferably secured when the irrigation system is not in use to conserve water and to not over water the yard. Downstream of the inlet valve  14  is a manifold  16  which may be located interior to or exterior of housing  18 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the manifold  16  directs water to supply lines,  20 ,  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 . The supply lines,  20 ,  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  are preferably equipped with inlet supply valves  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48  which are illustrated internal to housing  18 , but could be external in other embodiments. The supply inlet valves  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48  are preferably controlled by controller  16  as it is described in further detail below. 
     FIG. 2  is useful in describing the flow from a supply line  32  and out of the box  10  which is illustrative of the other supply line and outlet operations. Supply line  32  is illustrated as directing water to a chamber  50 . At least the chamber  50  is capable of being made water tight with the addition of top member  52  which assists in maintaining a water tight barrier about housing  18  and/or chamber  50 . In  FIG. 1 , top member  52  makes the interior of housing  18  watertight. As water enters the chamber  50 , it preferably encounters one or more magazines  54  which are illustrated positioned within and preferably substantially transverse, or perpendicular, to a flow of water from the supply  32 . The magazines  54  are preferably located in the flow of the stream from the outlet of the supply line  32  or the inlet  56  of the chamber  50 . As water proceeds from the inlet  56  into the chamber  50  it contacts the exterior surface  58  of the magazine  50  and proceeds through orifices  60  into the core  62  of the magazine  54 . The core  62  houses at least one and preferably a plurality of solid lawn chemical tablets such as disks  64 , pellets  66 , or other appropriate shape. Of course, combinations of various shaped solids may be placed in the magazines. Various shaped magazines  54  other than cylindrical may also be utilized. 
   As the water enters through the orifices  60  into the core  62 , the flow of water dissolves the solid fertilizer  64  or  66  located within the cores  62  of the magazine  54 . The orifices  60  are preferably sufficiently small so that the magazine  54  acts as a filter to retain undissolved particles within the magazine  54 . Additional filters may be located internal or external to the magazines  54  to prevent solid particles from leaving the box  10  and potentially interfere with the operation of such items as sprinklers or feeding tubes downstream in the irrigation system. 
   Depending on the size of the magazines  54  and the positioning of the magazine(s)  54  within the chamber  50 , the desired flow from the supply line  32  to the magazines  54  dissolves the solid fertilizer in the cores  62 . Accordingly, the desired concentration exits the chamber  50  and proceeds through outlet  68 . In some embodiments, the magazines  54  may be replaceable as a disposable item while in other embodiments the magazines  54  may be mounted to the housing  18  such as along the floor  70 . The magazines  54  may be reloaded in this embodiment. 
   With the magazines  54  in place, they may be loaded with solid chemical lawn treatment such as fertilizer, lime treatments, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, weed treatment systems, pre-emergent, post-emergent, or other appropriate solid chemicals utilized to treat lawns and/or plants. Of course, the magazines  54  could be loaded prior to their insertion within the cavity  50  as well. Once the magazines  54  are loaded, the top  52  may be replaced to contain fluid within the cavity  50  if not the entire contents of the housing  18 . One or more tops  52  may be utilized. 
   Preferably, the magazines  70  extend from the floor  72  to the top member  52  within the cavity or chamber  50 . This design prevents the need for tops and bottoms on the magazine, however, other embodiments could otherwise account for the possibility of particulate solids breaking off of the disks  64  otherwise to prevent pellets  66  from coming out of tops or bottoms of the magazine  54 . 
   In operation water enters through the inlet  32  and proceeds though the magazines  54  to dissolve some of the particulate treatment chemicals located in the magazine  54 . The solution is then transported through outlet  68  which will be discussed in further detail below. The solid chemicals are preferably selected so that they release at a desired concentration of solution under an expected flow. This is believed to prevent over concentration being delivered to the yard. Some solid chemicals are also expected to last for more than one use; such as for a plurality of days&#39; use. 
   Referring back to  FIG. 1 , as solution leaves the outlet  68  it passes through isolation valve  72  and is directed through header  74  toward lawn supply  76 . In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 , an alternate path  78  is also utilized to supply lawn supply  76 . Header  80  is connected to supply chamber  82  which has been purposely left without any magazines  54  therein and in this manner water may be sent through the supply line  30  through isolation valve  46  and into chamber  82  to bypass the first chamber  50  so that water without any chemicals dissolved in it may be supplied to lawn supply  76 . The outlet isolation valve  72  may be closed during this step in some embodiments to prevent the inadvertent flow of chemicals from first chamber  50  when utilized in this manner. 
   While some portions of the system may be fed by the bypass as shown by these two chambers  50 ,  82 , it is also possible that chambers such as adjacent chamber  84 ,  86  contains magazines  54 . Some of the magazines  54  may not be filled with chemicals at a particular time whereas other magazines  54  may be filled with some type of solid chemical. The lawn supplies  88 ,  90  may or may not be directed to the similar portions of the yard. Some supplies may be directed to sprinklers within a grass area. Other supplies  88 ,  90  may be directed to plant beds. While other headers  74 ,  78  may be connected to a common supply  76  at manifold  80 . Accordingly, for a given area, multiple chambers  84 ,  86  may direct their outlets to the specific portion of the yard such as a plant bed. The multiple chambers  84 ,  86  may be loaded with different chemicals, i.e., one loaded with a fungicide, one loaded with a fertilizer, one loaded with a lime treatment, etc. . . . such that the particular treatment may be provided as the desired time to that portion of the yard while the box  10  may be loaded at a single time or at regular intervals. Furthermore, any particular magazine  54  may be loaded with any particular type of chemical at the discretion of the user or lawn treatment company. 
   While the system utilizing the box  10  above may require additional piping to support the multiple supplies  76 ,  88 ,  90  which would otherwise be branched off at various locations along the yard instead of originating at a common location, the ability for a homeowner or service to have a location to load solid chemicals is believed to be advantageous over the prior art. Furthermore, the chemicals may be loaded for a specific period of time such as a week, a month, or even a year which is believed to be an advantage which greatly outweighs the additional cost of some extra piping placed in the yard. Controller  16  preferably controls the valves within the box  10  as well as any other valves in the system such as inlet valve  14  which is illustrated external to the housing  18 . 
   The controller  16  preferably includes a display  100 , an on/off switch  102 , a manual override switch  104 , and a scheduling button  106 . Dial  108  may be utilized to select particular stations such as particular areas of the lawn to be treated or for a particular service such as fertilizing, lawn treatment, insecticides or fungicides to be applied. The use of the scheduling button  106  is believed to be advantageous in that a plurality of preset settings may be programmed into the controller  16  so that the lawns and plant beds are watered and/or treated according to a desired schedule. For instance, the lawn could be feed and seeded in March while the plant beds could be treated with herbicide and fungicide in April, etc. . . . Specifically, the chemical treatment of the yard may be performed with no further interaction other than loading the cylinders by a lawn treatment service and/or the homeowner. 
   Numerous alternations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to the preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.