Patent ID: 8167221

Claim:
An injection molded plastic sprinkler housing for a pop-up sprinkler, the housing comprising: an injection molded plastic cylindrical side wall defining an internal cavity and a longitudinal axis extending between opposite ends thereof; an inlet opening defined by the injection molded plastic sidewall to provide access to the internal cavity; an annular collar extending from the side wall of the housing about the inlet opening and configured to receive an irrigation supply line; a peripheral edge of the inlet opening having a non-uniform shape relative to a centrally located point in the inlet opening so that a major axis thereof oriented through the central point substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis is longer than a shorter minor axis thereof oriented through the central point along the longitudinal axis of the housing, a ratio of a length of the major axis to a length of the minor axis is between about 1.2 and about 1.7; and the non-uniform shape of the inlet opening configured to position regions of peak stress concentration on the injection molded plastic cylindrical side wall, upon the sprinkler housing being filled with a pressurized fluid, circumferentially spaced from an intersection of the minor axis and the peripheral edge of the inlet opening.