Patent Grant
12289805
Irrigation systems including trickle or drip irrigation systems include conduits for delivering the irrigation water in small quantities directly to the plants being irrigated. The water is merely dripped onto the soil adjacent the plant or is delivered as a very slow, steady trickle to the soil. This is done so that soil pore spaces are never completely filled with water and oxygen is always available to the plant roots and soil microbes.
More conventional irrigation systems often include sprinkler heads that are designed for irrigation of broader areas including lawns and landscaped or planted areas in commercial growing businesses and recreation facilities such as golf courses. Often these types of irrigation systems use a flexible tube or pipe segment as the final connection to the sprinkler head so as to allow the system to flex rather than break in the instance that the head is stepped on or driven over by vehicles. These segments are often referred to as “flex pipe”, or “swing pipe”.
Distribution tubing, flex pipes, molded fittings and valves in such systems are generally made of strong and relatively thick plastic materials. In most of the above-described drip irrigation systems and systems that incorporate flex pipe, the connecting components incorporate barb shapes designed to securely retain the tubing or pipe in place. However, for anyone that has ever tried to push a barbed fitting or connector into cold tubing on a cold day, it is well known that it can be frustrating and a struggle, but even in normal temperatures it often is difficult to optimally establish an ideal connection because of the forces necessary to press on the connectors to the optimum depth.
One method used by drip irrigation professionals is to briefly insert the end of a piece of micro tubing into a cup of hot water, or heat with a heat gun or flame from an lighter before attempting to push molded fittings into the tubing-small and large. This is often helpful, but awkward, not ideal, and clearly, better methods are urgently needed.
Therefore, the present invention provides safe and easy devices and methods for heating the ends of drip line irrigation tubing or flex pipe of the typical sizes for these products (usually ¼″ and ½″), but not limited to those sizes, and doing so quickly and effectively in a repeatable manner.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for heating drip line irrigation tubing, and flexible pipe, comprising: a heating element; a housing for the heating element; and a power source for the heating element, wherein the housing for the heating element is configured to receive tubing and pipe of one or more sizes so as to properly position the heating element in contact with the tubing or pipe, and apply heat precisely and only to where it is needed.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided another method of directly heating drip line irrigation tubing or flex pipe by using a heating element to heat up to the proper depth and duration, comprising: providing a heating element; providing a housing for the heating element; providing a power source for the heating element that may incorporate internal or external batteries, or other potential source like a direct AC connection, or even an alternate source of power such as butane; and bringing the heating element in contact with the tubing or pipe placed inside the housing by the user.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided another method of directly heating drip line irrigation tubing or flex pipe by using a heating element to heat up a reservoir of liquid to a specified temperature allowing for the tubing or pipe to be immersed to a specified depth into the reservoir.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the invention facilitates achieving optimum temperature for ease of insertion of tubing or piping into or onto connectors and devices.
According to another important aspect of the present invention, following the heating and installation of the tubing over or into the connector, the tubing cools and shrinks to the contours of the connector. The result is a more robust connection that is much less likely to fail in the future.
It has been noted by the inventors that when tubing has been physically forced onto a connecter by brute force, the tubing becomes permanently distorted by that force and thus renders the integrity of the connection resulting in a greater likelihood of failure of the connection in the future.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the heating element is surrounded by protective material associated with the enclosure or integrated with the enclosure and designed and configured to be appropriately water resistant for field conditions.
The device encompasses a temperature-controlled heat head 03, a power switch 01, and a power/recharge light 02 that shows the current status of the device, (on vs charging, etc.) according to an embodiment.
The heating element 03 inside the heat head may be housed in a heat-resistant cylindrical housing, for example. Heating element 03 is shown inside cylindrical housing.
The heaters may be sized for multiple sizes of tubing, and ½″ flex-pipe small drip tubing that is usually approximately ¼″ OD, and ½″ drip tubing. The typical tubing sizes are ¼ and ½″ but other sizes can be accommodated so the device is not limited to those two sizes. The heater assembly could also be sized to accommodate more than 2 sizes.
Power switch 01 allows the device to be turned on and off and indicator light 02 allows the user to see if power is flowing to the device, or if battery is charging.
The device can have an onboard temperature regulator, which can be adjusted via a circuit board, or alternate means.
The device can be reconfigured to mate to most all configurations of power tool manufacturers according to other embodiments.
The commercial device is intended to be used in the field attached to the battery so the device typically will not need its own batteries-because it is intended for commercial application, it is assumed that much more battery power will be necessary.
In this heat head embodiment, the center pin 23 will heat the ID of ⅛″ tubing. The surface adjacent to the center pin will heat the OD of ¼″ tubing, The next surface outward 21, will heat the ID of ½″ tubing, and the next surface outward 22, Will heat the OD of Flex Pipe. Allowing for a single device with the versatility to heat many common sizes of tubing/pipe.
For ease of use, the addition to a belt clip, a lanyard or similar device for retention to the user can be employed in alternate embodiments.
The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments, and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all the elements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use of the structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.
In one such additional embodiment, the device can be configured for interchangeable heads that accommodate different tubing shapes, sizes, and configurations. The heads can be interchangeable in a variety of ways including by a quick-connect, unscrewing, snap-on, or other similar mechanisms.
In another embodiment, adapter components allowing for compatibility with various proprietary power tool battery mating configurations can be provided which attach to the device, so as to enable the use of the device with different brands of power tool batteries.
The device can be configured to be used with various drip tape sizes and configurations. Drip tape is a thin-walled tube/pipe, lying flat upon application, only enlarging once filled with water (whereas dripline is a structured pipe that is rigid). Drip tape is a thin-walled pipeline with a common wall thickness of 0.15 mm, 0.2 mm and 0.3 mm. In comparison to Drip Line which commonly has a wall thickness of 0.9 mm to 1.2 mm.
In another embodiment, PEX pipe material which is thicker than typical drip irrigation tubing is used with a variant of the device. There are three types of PEX pipe which can be used. PEX-A is the most flexible and is suitable for use in all home water-supply plumbing needs. It is the most resistant to cracking due to freezing, as it can expand the most. PEX-A is more expensive than B or C, and has no major benefit over PEX-B besides its greater flexibility. PEX-A is manufactured using peroxide. PEX-B is stiffer than PEX-A and has a tendency to want to return to its coiled state. PEX-B can still be installed easily and expands to resist cracking due to freezing as well. PEX-B is manufactured using a moisture-cure method, and has a higher resistance to chlorine, making it a solid choice in regions where water contains higher chlorine levels. PEX-C is the stiffest of the three types of PEX, making it the most difficult to work with. It is prone to kinking and susceptible to cracks in freezing conditions. PEX-C is the cheapest option, and should only be used for small repairs that don't require much bending. PEX-C is manufactured via an irradiation method.
Prior art methods of connections using PEX pipe include using a PEX expander tool to stretch and widen the diameter of the PEX tube, copper fittings and stainless steel clamps, which all suffer from limitations compared to the embodiment of the present invention which utilizes PEX pipe with the heating device.
Other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may be exaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. Thus, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3706824 | Huber et al. | Dec 1972 | A |
| 4255137 | Guyer | Mar 1981 | A |
| 5505898 | Goto | Apr 1996 | A |
| 20130157209 | Gillanders | Jun 2013 | A1 |
| 20140001172 | Parzick | Jan 2014 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63569394 | Mar 2024 | US | |
| 63607814 | Dec 2023 | US |
