Improvements in Lawn Sprinklers and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 13th July, 1897-Accepted, 28th Aug., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lawn Sprinklers and the like.
I, ISAAC WILLIAM PLEASANT BUCHANAN, of Lebanon in the county of Wilson
and State of Tennessee, Professor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
-
My invention relates to an Improvement in Lawn Sprinklers, the object of
the invention being to construct a lawn sprinkler which shall be automatic in
operation and by means of which a considerable area can be watered effectually
and in a comparatively short space of time.
A further object is to produce a sprinkler which shall be simple in construction;
by means of which a large quantity of water can be evenly distributed over a
correspondingly large area of ground; said sprinkler being so constructed as to
be ornamental in appearance and effectual, in all respects, in the performance
of its functions.
With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of
construction and combinations and arrangements of parts as hereinafter set forth
and pointed out in the claims.
structure
In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is an elevation of a
embodying my invention; Figures 2, 3 and 4 are views showing different positions
which the parts assume during the operation of the apparatus.
Figure 5 is a view of a modification, and Figure 6 is a detail view.
A represents a frame which may be made of metallic rods or tubing and may,
The base portion
also, if desired, be nickel plated or otherwise ornamented.
of the frame or stand A, comprises three legs 1, 2, 3 united at their upper ends
to the corners of a tri-angular frame 4. The leg 3 will preferably be made in
two sections normally secured together by means of a suitable clamp 5, whereby
said leg can be adjusted as to length so as to permit the apparatus to stand level
when used on uneven ground.
A triangular frame 6 is disposed below the frame 4 and secured at its corners
to the legs 1, 2, 3. The body portion of the stand comprises three upright rods
or bars 9, 10 secured at their lower ends to the corners of the triangular frame 4
and having secured to their upper ends a ring B of hard metal, such as steel,
the rods or bars 9 being continuations of the legs 1, 2. The bar or upright 10
may be made somewhat larger than the bars or uprights 9 and is made with a
vertical slot 12 for the accommodation of the screw of a clamp 13. This clamp
comprises a plate a disposed against the bar or upright 10; a post b projecting
from said plate; clamping arms 15 projecting from said post and adapted to
receive and hold a hose pipe 14; a screw c¹ passing through the slot 12 in the bar
or upright 10 and entering said plate, and a shoulder d¹ on said screw to bear
against the outer face of the bar or upright 10. The ring B is made in its upper
edge with a groove g in which an endless series of ratchet teeth h are located,
the height of these teeth being somewhat less than the depth of the groove g.
Upon the ring B, a movable device which, for convenience, I will term a

page_text: 66 rotator," disposed. The rotator C comprises in its structure, a rectangular
frame 16 supported on said ring by means of arms c, d, e, f. The frame 16 is
preferably of such size that its longest diameter will be about one-half the
diameter of the ring B and at each end, said rectangular frame is provided with
collars 18 having angular openings and through said collars a transverse bar 19
is adapted to pass loosely. The transverse bar 19 is provided between its ends
with a ring 20 through which the hose pipe is adapted to pass. Stops 21, 21
are attached to the arms c, d, and adapted to engage the inner face of the ring B,
said stops being preferably made adjustable. Stops 22, 23 are adjustably
attached to the arms e, f, and are normally disposed on said arms at points
intermediate of the ring B and the rectangular frame 16. A collar i is loosely
mounted on each arm c, d, and prevented from lateral displacement by the walls
of the groove g. From each collar i, a dog j projects and engages the ratchet
teeth h.
The hose 14 is passed up through the ring 20 of the rotator, which is of such
diameter as to permit the hose to pass through it loosely, 'so as to avoid any
binding between said hose and ring. The hose will be pulled through the ring 20
until the nozzle at the end of said hose will be about one foot (more or less), from
the ring. The clamp 13 will be made to grasp the hose.
When the hose has been thus attached to the apparatus, the free or nozzle
end thereof will hang loosely over the top of the stand or frame A. Should the
water supply be now turned on, the frictional contact of the water against the
curved free end of the hose will cause it to rise. The force of the water which
thus caused the free end of the hose to rise, will also cause it to move backwardly,
this backward movement being permitted by the sliding, transverse rod or bar 19.
When the bar 19 reaches the end of its movement, the ring in the center thereof
will strike the end of the rectangular frame 16 and by the jar thus caused, the
free end of the hose will be thrown over as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1.
The jar caused by the engagement of the ring 20 with the end of the rectangular
frame, will also cause said frame to move on one of the stops or pins 21 as a
pivot, until the adjustable stop 22 (or 23), engage the ring B. By this time,
the free end of the hose will have completed its oscillatory movement in the arc
of a circle, and will be thrown back by the action of the force of the water in
the same manner as above explained, but now a new portion of the ground will
be watered, as the rectangular frame 16 has made a portion of a revolution. This
action of the apparatus will continue, the nozzle end of the hose oscillating back
and forth in the are of a circle and the rectangular frame making a slight move-
at each oscillation of the end of the hose,-until the frame 16 has made a complete
revolution and a circular path of ground has been watered.
By providing the ratchet device above described, all lost motion, when the
rotator turns on the pivot pins or stops, will be prevented. Without the ratchet
device, little irregularities of trend or flexibility of the hose pipe would tend
to interfere with perfect rotation of the rotator, but with said ratchet devices,
the operation of the rotator will be uniform, regardless of the irregularities above
mentioned.
I have demonstrated by actual experiment that, by means of my improved
apparatus, I am enabled to thoroughly water a very large area of ground in a
comparatively short space of time.
It will be observed that the movements of the hose above the clamp 13 and
this clamp is made adjustable as above explained to accommodate the apparatus
to hose pipes of different degrees of flexibility and different pressures of water.
In order to ensure the accurate operation of the devices above described, at the
upper end of the stand, the apparatus should be level and for this purpose, one
of the legs is made adjustable as above described.
When it is desired to water a rectangular piece of ground, the stops 22, 23
will be moved out on the arms e, f, until they engage the ring B, so as to prevent
the rotation of the' rectangular frame 16.

page_text: The hose pipe used may be flexible throughout or it may be made of flexible
and rigid sections if desired.
Where the pressure is more severe than ordinary, the free or nozzle end of the
hose pipe might vibrate so rapidly as to cause unnecessary friction; the full
throw of the hose pipe would not be utilized and the diameter of the watered
area would be shortened. To ensure the proper vibration of the nozzle end of
the hose pipe under varying pressures of water, I prefer to adjustably attach
a weight 26 to said hose pipe between the rotator C and the nozzle.
Instead of the transverse sliding bar 19 above described, the rectangular
frame 16 may be made with an elongated slot 27, in which the hose can move
back and forth, as shown in Figure 5.
My improvements are simple in construction; comprise few parts; are orna-
mental in appearance; will operate to distribute water thoroughly over a large
area and are effectual, in all respects, in the performance of their functions.
Various slight changes might be made in the details of construction of my in-
vention without departing from the spirit thereof or limiting its scope and hence
I do not wish to limit myself to the precise details of construction herein set forth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention,
and 'in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1st. The combination with a frame or stand, of a device loosely mounted thereon,
and a hose connected at a point near its nozzle end to said device, said hose
having a rotary and rectilineal sliding motion relative to the frame or stand
induced by the action of the water passing through the hose, substantially as set
forth.
2nd. The combination with a stand, of a horizontal frame mounted thereon,
said horizontal frame being constructed to receive a hose and the latter having
a sliding connection therewith in such manner as to permit a transverse move-
ment of said hose, due to the pressure of the water flowing therethrough, sub-
stantially as set forth.
3rd. The combination with a stand, and a hose of a frame mounted thereon
and a transversely movable bar mounted in said frame and adapted to receive
the hose and move in a rectilinear direction whereby the pressure of water flowing
through said hose will cause said bar to move and the free end of the hose to
be thrown over in the arc of a circle, substantially as set forth.
4th. The combination with a stand and a hose, of a frame mounted thereon, a
transversely movable bar mounted in said frame and adapted to move automati-
cally, and a ring between the ends of said bar for the reception of the hose, whereby
the pressure of the' water passing through said hose will cause the free end thereof
to rise and the transverse bar to move until said ring engages the end of the
frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
5th. The combination with a stand, of a frame, arms projecting from said
frame and resting on the top of the 'stand, said frame being adapted to receive
a hose in such manner as to permit it to have a transverse movement and stops
on said arms, said stops being so constructed and arranged that when the hose
moved transversely and engages the end of the frame, the jar thus caused will
effect a partial rotation of the frame on one of said stops as a fulcrum, substantially
as set forth.
6th. The combination with a stand, of a horizontal frame thereon, arms pro-
jecting from said horizontal frame and resting on the top of the stand, a
transversely movable device on said frame adapted to receive a hose, stops on
diametrically opposite arms adapted to engage the top of the stand, and stops
on the other diametrically opposite arms and adapted to be made to engage said
top of the stand when said horizontal frame is moved, substantially as set forth.
7th. The combination with a stand, of a horizontal frame, arms projecting
from said frame, adjustable stops or pins on said arms and adapted to engage

page_text: said horizontal frame and a reciprocating device mounted in said frame and
adapted to receive a hose pipe, substantially as set forth.
8th. The combination with a stand, of a ring thereon having ratchet teeth,
a frame adapted to receive a hose, arms projecting from said frame and supported
on said ring, dogs carried by some of said arms and adapted to engage said
ratchet teeth, and pins or stops on said arms and adapted to engage the ring,
substantially as set forth.
9th. The combination with a stand, of a movable frame supported thereby, a
hose pipe connected with said frame whereby to cause it to reciprocate and rotate
when water is passed through said hose pipe, and an adjustable weight on the
hose pipe between said movable frame and the nozzle end of the hose pipe, sub-
stantially as set forth.
10th. The combination with a series of vertical rods or uprights, of a ring at
the upper ends of said rods or uprights, a horizontal frame, arms projecting from
said frame and resting on said ring, stops on said arms, a transversely movable
bar mounted in said frame, and a ring between the ends of said bar for the
reception of a hose, substantially as set forth.
11th. In a sprinkler, the combination with a series of uprights, of a ring at
the upper ends thereof, a triangular frame below said uprights and a rotator
mounted on the ring at the tops of the uprights, for the reception of said hose,
substantially as set forth.
12th. The combination with a stand, of a rotator mounted on said stand and
adapted to receive the hose, and a clamp adapted to receive the hose below the
rotator, substantially as set forth.
13th. The combination with a stand, of a rotator mounted on the stand and
adapted to receive the hose and a hose clamp adapted to receive the hose below
the rotator, said clamp being adjustably' connected with the stand, substantially
as set forth.
14th. The combination with a stand comprising a series of uprights, one of
said uprights having an elongated slot of a rotator mounted on the stand and
adapted to receive a hose passing through the stand, a clamp to receive the hose
below said rotator, and a screw adapted to pass through the slotted upright and
enter the body of the 'clamp and having a shoulder to bear against said upright,
substantially as set forth.
1
L 1
1007
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., London, Agents to Applicant.