Patent ID: 8127491

Claim:
A flow-control assembly for a watering device that is adapted for deployment within soil for watering vegetation by releasing water into the soil in which the vegetation is growing, wherein the assembly is adapted for being coupled to an inlet of a container that is shaped for being deployed at least partially within soil and has said inlet for receiving a flow of water into the container and a plurality of apertures through which water can flow from the container, said assembly comprising: a casing dimensioned for placement within the container; a float having an open bottom and a closed top with a projection extending from the top, wherein the float is disposed within the casing for sensing a demand for water by the soil in which a said container is deployed by rising and falling in accordance with the level at which water accumulates within the container when the assembly is coupled to the inlet of the container; and means for regulating the flow of water into the container through the inlet in accordance with the sensed demand for water by the soil, the regulating means comprising; a float-controlled valve within the casing above the float for regulating the flow of water into the inlet of the container through an orifice in the valve in accordance with the level of the float; wherein the projection extending from the top of the float is disposed for entering the orifice in the valve as the level of the float rises: wherein the float is disposed for rising and falling in accordance with the level at which water accumulates within the container when the assembly is coupled to the inlet of the container; and wherein the valve is coupled to the float for regulating the flow of water into the container through the inlet in accordance with the level of the float when the assembly is coupled to the inlet of the container; wherein when the assembly is coupled to the inlet of the container and the container is deployed at such a depth in soil that water can flow through the apertures of the container into the soil, and the soil becomes so saturated with water that the water flowing into the container accumulates within the container, the level of the float rises as the water accumulates and thereupon causes the float to rise until the valve shuts off the flow of water into the container through the inlet.