US3888417A

US3888417A - Variable water volume sprinkler

Info

Publication number: US3888417A
Application number: US402103A
Authority: US
Inventors: Al Harmon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-09-08
Filing date: 1973-10-01
Publication date: 1975-06-10
Anticipated expiration: 1992-06-10

Abstract

A variable water volume sprinkler having a single nozzle produces a selectable spray pattern with respect to both range and quantity of water. The nozzle travels in a rotary direction due to its off set position while a slotted timer disc positions and determines the dwell time of the nozzle in correlation with timing studs. The timing studs are adjustably positioned on a cylindrical wall and hold the nozzle against rotation when the studs contact the outer perimeter of the timer disc. After the timer disc rotates to a position that coordinates a slot with a stud, the nozzle then continues its rotation until the next timing stud is contacted by the timer disc. Horizontal deflector vanes are adjustable to vary the range of the nozzle. Alternatively, a pair of half cylindrical deflection members with a number of set spray pattern cycles can replace the cylindrical wall.

Description

United States Patent 91 Harmon 1 1 VARIABLE WATER VOLUME SPRINKLER [76] lnventor: Al Harmon, 1548 East Altadena Dr., Altadena, Calif. 91001 [22] Filed: Oct. 1, 1973 [21] App]. No.: 402,103

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 287,511, Sept. 8,

1972, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 239/97; 239/231; 239/236 [51] Int. Cl B05b 3/00 [58] Field of Search 239/97, 98, 236, DIG. l, 239/70, 230, 231

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,530,779 1 1/1950 Owbridge 239/231 3,009,651 11/1961 Wolf............ 239/230 3,095,148 6/1963 Smith.... 239/236 3,099,393 7/1963 Lent 239/97 3,398,894 8/1968 DAgaro 239/97 3,451,623 6/1969 Dibrell 239/97 3,452,930 7/1969 Karbo 239/70 3,580,504 5/1971 Benham 239/70 1 June 10, 1975 3,648,928 3/1972 Lindgren 239/97 Primary ExaminerLloyd L. King Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Jackson and Jones [57] ABSTRACT A variable water volume sprinkler having a single nozzle produces a selectable spray pattern with respect to both range and quantity of water. The nozzle travels in a rotary direction due to its off set position while a slotted timer disc positions and determines the dwell time of the nozzle in correlation with timing studs. The timing studs are adjustably positioned on a cylindrical wall and hold the nozzle against rotation when the studs contact the outer perimeter of the timer disc. After the timer disc rotates to a position that coordinates a slot with a stud, the nozzle then continues its rotation until the next timing stud is contacted by the timer disc. Horizontal deflector vanes are adjustable to vary the range of the nozzle. Alternatively, a pair of half cylindrical deflection members with a number of set spray pattern cycles can replace the cylindrical wall.

31 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUH 10 1915 3.888311? PATENTEDJUN 10 1915 SHEET PATENTEDJUH 10 I975 SHEET oo o oOwoo 00 00 00000 00000 00000 o 000 0000 w Q0000 00000 00000 00000 00000 D0000 VARIABLE WATER VOLUME SPRINKLER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Related Applications The present application is a continuation-in-part application of Ser. No. 287,5l I filed Sept. 8, I972, and now abandoned in favor of this application.

Field of the Invention The present invention is directed to the spraying of water and more particularly to a variable pattern sprinkler.

Description of the Prior Art A common problem in both home lawn water sprinkling and in large scale watering of golf courses, agricultural products and other expanses of turf is to provide thorough coverage of water relative to the plant life and to prevent wasteful and annoying sprinkling of unproductive areas.

This problem is compounded when the desired planted area has a shape other than a circular pattern. Unfortunately, most residential and other planted areas requiring water sprinkling have non-circular shapes such as rectangular, oval or otherwise to accommodate the particular pattern of use. For example, the typical residential lawn will, in addition to the grass, have particular plants or trees that require different amounts of water. This is further complicated by unplanted areas, such as driveways, pavements, patios, etc.

To provide adequate watering, the user to date has ultimately had to resort to hand-held sprinkler guns or nozzles. A number of attempts to provide adequate automatic sprinkling have been made in the past. For example, the Smith U.S. Pat. No. 3,095,148 varies the flow rate of the water through the nozzle by a series of adjustable screws capable of varying the vertical posi tion of a valve lever. The Carlson U.S. Pat. No. 3,575,347 controls the flow rate of water by varying the orifice area of a nozzle plate. The Schreiner, U.S. Pat. No. 3,703,993, Hatanaka, US, Pat. No. 2,954,934 and Owbridge, U.S. Pat. No. 2,530,779 disclose various forms of adjustable deflectors. The following group of patents are cited of general interest: U.S. Pat. No. 3,655,132; U.S. Pat. No. 3,580,504; U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,628; U.S. Pat, No. 3,452,930; U.S. Pat. No. 3,451,623; U.S. Pat. No. 3,099,393; U.S. Pat. No. 3,093,313; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,805,098. The rotary water sprinklers disclosed in these patents resort to relatively complex, expensive and complicated timing mechanisms utilizing a large number of parts to attempt to achieve the desired result and still are incapable of providing an exact quantity of water per unit area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The timed pattern sprinkler of the present invention comprises a frame having a cylinder wall and a nozzle housing assembly rotatably mounted on the frame. The nozzle housing assembly carries an off set nozzle and a slotted timer disc both mounted on a housing. The housing is rotatable as a result of the reaction force of the egressing water from the off center mounting of the nozzle. Timing studs are positioned on the stationary cylindrical wall to co-act with the timing disc for varying the rate of motion or dwell time of the nozzle. A segmented deflector plate is mounted on the top of the cylindrical wall to provide both direction and distance to the water pattern.

Both the deflector plate and the timing studs can be provided in various embodiments to meet particular demands of the user. For example, the timing studs can be variably positioned in slots or holes on the cylinder wall and the deflector plate can be a single member with or without vertical deflection vanes. As an alternative embodiment, the cylindrical wall can comprise a pair of half-cylindrical members having, for example, pre-cast timing slots and a pair of deflection plates which upon movement in the vertical direction will give a variable set water volume. Further, the timer disc can be replaced with a reciprocating blade member that CO acts with the timing studs.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above-mentioned will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a variable water volume sprinkler according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic water flow diagram of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the variable water volume sprinkler in operation;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a timing slot and timing stud;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a timing slot and timing stud;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a deflecting plate;

FIG. 7 is a planned view of a pair of cylindrical deflecting members of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a planned view of another embodiment of a deflecting plate;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a side vane,

FIG. 10 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the timing means of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a side view of the timer disc of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the variable water volume sprinkler;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 14 is side view partially cut away from FIG. I3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is disclosed in which a variable pattern sprinkler 2 comprises a bottom baseplate 4 having a cylindrical wall 6. The baseplate 4 is provided with drain holes 3 and is mounted via a pipe 14 to a stand 8. It is to be understood that the sprinkler 2 can be utilized with a sprinkler system comprised of underground permanent pipes or, for example, with a hose 12 as shown in FIG, 1. A coupling 10 connects the pipe 14 to the hose 12.

Rotatably mounted on the pipe 14 via the bearings I3 is a housing 16. The housing 16 mounts the nozzle 18 which is at an off set position relative to the axis of the entering flow of water from the pipe 14. The reaction force of the egressing water from the nozzle 18 produces a torque force that causes the rotation of the housing 16 about the axis of the pipe 14. By virtue of the nozzle 18 mounting arrangement disclosed more particularly in FIG. 12. there is no necessity to provide an auxiliary force to rotate the housing 16 and its attached nozzle 18. It should be understood, however that if desired the rotation of the housing 16 could be accomplished by other means than the positioning of the nozzle 18, for example, an electrical motor could rotate the housing 16.

Referring to FIG. 2, a schematic illustration of the water flow through the housing 16 is presented. A water source 54 can be any appropriate source such as a residential water main or even a pump. A timer 56 can be connected for automatically controlling the flow of water to the water sprinkler 2. Enclosed within the housing 16 is an impeller 24 which extends into an appropriate water conduct 17 that transports the water from the pipe 14 to the nozzle 18. The impeller 24 is rotated by the flow of water and is connected to a reduction gear 19 that is also enclosed within the housing 16. As can be seen from FIGS. 1, 11 and 12, a timer disc 20 is mounted on the surface of the housing 16. The timer disc 20 is connected to the reduction gear 19 and accordingly revolves at a constant speed proportional to the flow of water through conduit 17. The flow of water to the nozzle 18 is otherwise unrestricted. The quantity of water emitted to a particular area will depend solely on the dwell time of the nozzle 18. This dwell time is controlled by the timer disc 20 and timing studs 22 mounted on the cylindrical wall 6.

The timer disc 20 is provided with appropriate slots 21 on a peripheral lip 23. As will be more fully understood in the subsequent description, the position, number and shape of the timing slots 21 are capable of effecting the rotation of the housing 16 and the corresponding sprinkler pattern. The peripheral lip 23 is inclined relative to the base of the timer disc 20. The inclination of the peripheral lip 23 is such that it is parallel to the radial length of the timing studs 22 when they abut each other. The timing studs 22 are stationary and hold the timer disc 20 and correspondingly the nozzle 18 at a set position until a slot 21 on the peripheral lip 23 is rotated into alignment with the timing stud 22. As can be seen from FIGS. 11 and 12, the timer disc 20 is illustrated in a position where it has been released from timing stud 92 and after an unrestrained travel under the influence of the water nozzle 18 reaction force has contacted the timing stud 93. The dwell time of the nozzle 18 will depend on the length of the pe ripheral lip or blade between the timing slots 21 which must be traversed before releasing timing stud 93. The timer disc 20 is shown in two positions in FIG. 11 to disclose the relative rotational movement of the disc 20. The timer disc 20 is shown in a series of positions in FIG. 12 from a plan view to disclose the relative coaction of the timing studs 92 through 95 with the disc 20. A series of timing holes 32 are provided in the cylindrical wall 6 and the location and number of timing studs 22 will be subjectively determined in accordance with the desired positional or rotational movement of the nozzle 18 and correspondingly. the quantity flow of water desired. As can be seen from FIGS. 4 and 5, the timing studs 22 can be positioned in a number of different ways within the scope of the present invention. These particular illustrations are not to be interpreted as limiting the manner in which the slotted timer disc 20 can be conteolled.

The slotted timer disc 20 and the timing studs 22 control the rotation and corresponding uantity of water ejected through the nozzle 18 towards any particular segmented area. The particular distance and width of the pattern is determined by a deflector plate 28 in conjunction with vertical deflection vanes 30. The deflector plate 28 is generally mounted on the top of the cylindrical wall 6 by appropriate means such as a mounting plate 26. Generally, the deflector plate 28 is segmented into horizontal vanes 29 which can be adjusted. This adjustment feature will be more fully described in reference to FIG. 8.

Referring to FIG. 3, a residential lawn being serviced by a water sprinkler 2 of the present invention is disclosed for illustration purposes. As a modification, the water sprinkler 2 can be designed to be positioned below the surface of the lawn and to rise upon operation of the system. Sector A comprises a portion of the lawn 52 principally devoted to flowers 46. Presuming that the flowers 46 are of the type that require only a light watering, the timing studs 22 adjacent that sector A of the cylindrical wall 6 will be positioned such that the slots 21 of the slotted timer disc 20 will become quickly coincident to permit the water motor 16 to direct the nozzle 18 rapidly through sector A. The horizontal vanes 29 of the deflector plate 28 in sector A will be appropriately positioned to control the throw of water to adequately reach and cover the entire flow bed 46.

In sector B, the lawn will presumably be of the type that will require a moderate amount of sprinkling and accordingly the timing studs 22 will be positioned appropriately in the timing holes 32 of the cylindrical wall 6 so that the housing 16 and the nozzle 18 will be held for longer periods of time at each timing stud 22 and thereby proceed at a slower pace througl": sector B. The fence 44 marking the limit of the users property will also determine the position of the horizontal vanes 29 in the deflector plate 28 so that the water will not disturb nor be wasted on the neighbors lawn.

Sector C will presumably require the heaviest distribution of water flow to adequately provide water for the tree 50. Accordingly, the timing studs will be placed at their maximum position for delaying the slot ted timer disc 20 and the horizontal vanes 29 and the deflector plate 28 will be moved upward to permit the maximum range of the water sprinkler 2. In each of these cases the vertical deflection vanes 30 act to ensure a concise flow pattern with a sharp demarcation between each sector.

Sector D will again require a setting of both the timing studs 22 and horizontal vanes 29 to provide a moderate flow of water with the water range limited by the pavement 48.

The driveway 53 falls principally in sector E and in this case, the timing studs 22 and the horizontal vanes 29 will be appropriately positioned to give a moderate flow to the limited portion of the lawn and, in fact, may even require some of the ports between the vertical deflection vanes 30 and the deflector plate 28 to be blocked to prevent any flow of water on the driveway 53.

Returning to FIG. 4, an alternative embodiment of the present invention is disclosed wherein the cylindrical wall 6 is modified to incorporate longitudinal slots 34 rather than the timing holes 32. Mounted within the slots 34 are timing studs 22' that can be variably positioned along the slot 34. The timing stud 22' includes a stop plate 40 and a movable locking disc 42 that is spring biased by spring 38 to hold the timing stud 22' in the desired position. To facilitate the movement, a hand grip 39 is provided at the end of the timing stud 22'.

Referring to FIG. 5, another embodiment of the present invention is disclosed in which the cylindrical wall 6 is provided with slots 34 that have been further moditied with inverted L-shaped slots 36 adapted to receive and to position at set locations timing studs 22".

Referring to FIG. 8, a modified deflector plate 76 is disclosed. While most of the components of the present invention can be molded from plastic, in this embodiment of the invention it is advantageous to use an aluminum disc member that has been segmented by stamping. The aluminum deflector plate 76 is radially cut and then stamped to form a plurality of gradually increasing conical vanes 78. The conical shape of the vanes 78 helps remove the necessity of having vertical deflection vanes 30. Thus, in the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 1, the deflector plate 28 will be replaced with the single aluminum deflector plate 76 and the conical vanes 78 would be bent to the desired shape to provide the desired flow pattern. A simple tool (not shown) can be used to adjust their position.

An auxilliary side vane 80 as disclosed in FIG. 9 can be mounted over one of the conical vanes 78 through the slot 82 and thereby provide a vertical deflection vane in those areas where it is desired to remove any chance of side spray such as adjacent a house. The side vane 80 would simply be positioned over the conical vane 78 at the appropriate location.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a modification of the present invention is disclosed in which the cylindrical wall 6 is effectively replaced with a pair of

halfcylindrical deflector members

70 and 72. The

deflector members

70 and 72 will be cast from plastic and will be designed to move relative to the timing disc and nozzle 18 in the vertical plane. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the cylindrical deflector member can comprise any number of sets of timing studs, such as timing studs 62 and 64 with appropriate ports 66 and 67. Adjacent the ports will be

deflector plates

58 and 60 respectively. It should be understood that the number of sets of timing studs and corresponding water ports can vary as desired.

As disclosed in FIG. 6, a support member 68 is shown centrally positioned to strengthen the upper portion of the cylindrical deflecting member. Appropriate locking means 74 will be provided to hold the cylindrical deflecting

member

70 or 72 in the appropriate position. With this embodiment of the invention, a simple frame with a base supporting the housing 16 will be supplemented by the half-

cylindrical deflector members

70 and 72. With this form of the present invention, it is possible to provide a number of different spray patterns of a fixed nature in a most economical manner.

As can be seen from the above description of the present invention, various modifications can be made in a most economical and simple manner while solving a complex problem that has escaped the solutions suggested in the prior art. While it is contemplated that the present components of the invention are to be molded from plastic or in the case of the deflector plate 76, stamped from aluminum, it should be clear that various types of material could be utilized to meet the particular demands of the user. Thus, it may be more practical to provide brass or aluminum component parts where the use is contemplated to be in a commercial setting.

The present invention permits the application of a constant rotation force at all times by the off set location of the nozzle 18. The timing studs 22 acting through an appropriate timing member such as timing disc 20 restrains the constant rotation force until it is suddenly released with the timing disc slot aligns with the restraining timing stud. There is no requirement of complicated values to vary the amount of water per unit area. The timing disc 20 while traveling at a constant rate ofspeed still is capable of allowing the nozzle I8 to remain in various positions at variable lengths of time or even to skip an area entirely depending on the existence and position of the timing studs 22.

As can be seen from FIG. 4, the vertical position of a subsequent timing stud 22' in relation to the preceding timing stud 22' will determine the hold or dwell time for the nozzle 18 at that particular position. When a timing slot 21 reaches a timing stud 22' during the rotation of the timing disc 20 it will release the housing 16 until the disc 20 contacts a subsequent timing stud 22'. If the subsequent timing stud 22' is at position a vertically above the preceding timing stud 22' it will contact the same camming blade portion between the timing slots 21 adjacent the slot which passed the preceding timing stud. The dwell time will be relatively short since the timing stud 22' and the slot will quickly be aligned. If however, the subsequent timing stud 22' is at position b vertically below the preceding timing stud 22' it will contact the subsequent camming portion for its full length and will provide the maximum dwell time.

A number of different means for varying the rate of motion of the nozzle can be employed within the scope of the present invention. For example, referring to FIG. 10, instead of the rotating timing disc 20, a gear member 102 can be substituted to engage a pivoted lever 104 mounted on the housing 16. The pivoted lever 104 in turn would engage the timing teeth or studs 22. The lever would have a rack member 106 to engage the gear 102 and would be pivotable also out of the plane of the gear 102 for disengagement as well as in the plane of the gear 102 during the driving cycle. A return spring 108 would bias the lever to an initial position against stop 109 and would be capable of returning the lever 104 to the initial position during the levers travel between timing studs 22. A throw out spring 110 would disengage the rack 106 from the gear 102 whenever the lever 104 was released from the gear 102.

Thus, while the lever 104 was restrained by a timing stud 22, the force exerted by the nozzle 18 would bias the lever 104 against the throw out spring 110 and would engage the rack 106 with the gear 102. When the slot in the lever 104 was aligned with the timing stud 22, the lever 104 would release the constant force of the nozzle 18 and the spring force of throw out spring 110. The lever when released from the engagement of rack 106 and gear 102 will be returned to its starting position adjacent stop 109 by the force of spring 108. This particular arrangement is highly advantageous in that each timing stud 22 can be positioned independent of the preceding timing stud since the lever 104 starts its cycle from its initial position upon contact with the next timing stud.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, another embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. This embodiment is similar to FIG. in that each timing stud 22 can be positioned independent of the preceding or subsequent timing studs. The lever 202 mounted on the revolving housing 16 is moved into and out of the path of the timing studs 22 by a pinion gear 204 and a return spring 206 mounted between the frame member 208 and the track 210. The lever 202 is pivotally mounted on a frame member 208. The frame member 208 reciprocates along track 210 mounted on the housing 16.

The lever 202 has a rack portion 212 which can engage the pinion gear 204. The lever 202 is pivotable out of the plane of the gear 204 for disengagement under the influence of a throw out spring 214. When the lever 202 contacts a timing stud 22, the force exerted by the nozzle 18 biases the lever 202 against the throw out spring 214 and engages the rack portion 121 with the gear 204. The return spring 206 normally biases the lever 202 to its extended position shown in FIG. 13 for contact with a timing stud 22. The individual timing studs 22 can be of a variable length to vary the dwell time; that is. the depth or radial length that extends into the cavity between the cylindrical wall 6 and the housing 16 will determine the effective interference contact area with the lever 202. When the lever 202 is biased against the gear 204 it is slowly moved against the force of the return spring 206 until it is released from the timing stud 22.

The lever 202 has a camming shoulder 216 designed to contact a slanted follower surface 218 at one end of a brake lever 220. A mounting bracket 224 supports the brake lever 220 and further guides the lever 202. The interaction of the camming shoulder 216 and follower 218 pivots the brake lever 220 out of contact with a brake pin 222. The brake lever 220 is biased into contact with the brake pin 222 by a spring 224 that is mounted between the brake lever 220 and the mounting bracket 224. A series of brake pins 222 are mounted beneath the timing studs 22 on the cylindrical wall 6. The function of the brake lever 220 is to prevent any rotational movement of the housing 16 until the lever 202 is released from the gear 204 and is again being extended outward from the housing 16 by the return spring 206. The relative slanting of the follower surface 218 permits the brake lever 220 to be released from the brake pin 222 and also permits the lever 202 to advance beyond the timing stud 22 previously engaged. The lever 202 is moved forward by the throw out spring 214 at least the width of a timing stud 22. Without the brake pins 222 and brake lever 220 it would be possible. depending on the rotational speed capable of being generated by the water force for the lever 202 the skip or bypass subsequent timing studs 22 before engagement While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed above, it should be clear that modifications can be made by a person skilled in the art and accordingly the scope of the present invention should be determined solely from the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A water sprinkler assembly for delivering a variable volume of water comprising:

at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from a constant source of water and mounted for rotational movement;

means for applying a constant rotational force to the nozzle; and

timing means for intermittently holding the nozzle stationary against the constant rotational force to vary the total volume of water emitted in a particular direction including a movable timing member and a plurality of relatively stationary members that are capable of restraining the co-ordinate movement of the timing member and the nozzle.

2. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 1 wherein the means for applying a constant rotational force to the nozzle includes mounting means for permitting the reactionary force of the water emitted from the nozzle to drive the nozzle directly.

3. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 2 further including means for mounting the nozzle for free rotational movement, the constant rotational force and rotational nozzle movement being unrestrained when free of the timing means for intermittently holding the nozzle.

4. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 8 where the plurality of relatively stationary members are mounted in the path of the timing member and are movable to vary the dwell time of the nozzle.

5. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 4 further including means for varying the distance of water emitted from the nozzle.

6. A water sprinkler as in claim 5 further including brake means for holding the nozzle from movement until the timing member is released from engagement with the stationary member.

7. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 6 where the timing member is a rotatable slotted disc.

8. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 6 where the timing member is a pivotable lever that contacts each stationary member at a set initial position.

9. A water sprinkler assembly comprising:

at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from a source of water;

means for moving the nozzle;

means for varying the rate of motion of the nozzle including a rotatable slotted timing disc mounted for movement co-ordinate with the nozzle and a plurality of relatively stationary members located in the discs path of movement to sequentially engage the timing disc; and

means for varying the distance of water emitted from the nozzle.

10. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 9 further including brake means for holding the nozzle from movement until the timing disc is released from engagement with a stationary member.

11. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 9 further including a cylindrical frame located about the means for moving the nozzle and the stationary member is a timing stud mounted on the cylindrical frame.

12. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 9 where the means for varying the water distance includes a horizontal deflector plate.

13. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 9 where a pair of half-cylindrical deflector members are adjustably mounted about the means for moving the nozzle, at least one of the deflector members mounting the stationary member.

14. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 11 where the cylindrical frame has at least one timing slot for receiving the timing stud and locking means on the timing stud for permitting the timing stud to be variably fastened along the slot.

15. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 11 where the cylindrical frame has at least one timing slot with a plurality of inverted L-shaped slots connected to the timing slot to provide set position for the timing stud.

16. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 12 where the deflector plate is segmented and adjustable vertical vanes are positioned between segments.

17. A water sprinkler assembly comprising:

at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from a source of water;

means for moving the nozzle;

means for varying the rate of motion of the nozzle including a timing member mounted for movement co-ordinate with the nozzle and at least one member relatively stationary to the timing member and located in its path of movement; and

means for varying the distance of water emitted from the nozzle including a pair of half-cyclindrical deflector members that are mounted about the means for moving the nozzle, at least one of the deflector members mounting at least one relatively stationary member.

18. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 17 where a plurality of stationary members are provided and the constant rotational force is unrestrained between stationary members.

19. A water sprinkler assembly comprising:

at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from a source of water;

means for moving the nozzle including a housing; and

means for varying the rate of motion of the nozzle including a timing lever having a rack portion mounted for pivotal motion on the housing, a gear rotatably mounted on the housing and adapted to drivingly engage the rack portion, means for biasing the timing lever to an initial position, throw out means for disengaging the rack portion from the gear and a plurality of relatively stationary timing members positioned in the path of the timing lever when in its initial position, whereby the timing lever is disengaged from a timing member by the driving engagement of the gear and rack against the force of the bias means.

20. A water sprinkler assembly for delivering a variable volume of water to designated areas comprising:

at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from a source of water;

means for moving the nozzle including a rotatable housing supporting the nozzle;

a frame member located about and relatively stationary to the rotatable housing; and

means for varying the rate of motion of the nozzle including a slotted timing member mounted for coordinate movement with the rotatable housing, means for moving the slotted timing member relative to the housing, and a plurality of timing studs mounted on the frame member in the path of the slotted timing member to sequentially engage the slotted timing member and suspend the rotation of the housing and nozzle during engagement until a slot on the timing member is moved into alignment with and released from the timing stud.

21. A water sprinkler assembly for delivering a predetermined variable volume of water to various areas from a source of water comprising:

at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from said source of water and mounted for movement along a cyclical path;

means for applying a force to said nozzle to move said nozzle along said cyclical path;

means fo intermittently holding the movement of said nozzle at predetermined positions against said force and simultaneously varying said nozzle dwell period along said cyclical path at said predetermined positions to vary the total volume of water emitted to a particular predetermined area including a timing member mounted for movement coordinate with said nozzle movement and a plurality of relatively stationary members that are sequentially located along the direction of movement of said timing member for sequentially coacting with said timing member to restrain said nozzle at said predetermined positions; and

means for moving said timing member relative to said stationary members whereby each stationary member is capable of being located at a predetermined point for restraining said timing member and nozzle for a preset dwell period determined primarily by the time period of relative engagement of said timing member with said stationary member.

22. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 21, where the timing member is a rotatably slotted disc.

23. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 21 further including brake means for holding said nozzle from movement until said timing member is released from engagement with a stationary member.

24. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 23 further including means for varying the distance of water emitted from said nozzle.

25. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 21 wherein said means for applying force to said nozzle includes mounting means for permitting the reactionary force of the water emitted from said nozzle to drive said nozzle.

26. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 21 wherein the timing member is a rotatably slotted disc and a plurality of stationary members are located in its path of movement to sequentially engage the disc.

27. A water sprinkler as in claim 21 where the means for holding the movement of the nozzle includes a timing lever mounted for pivotal motion.

28. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 27 further including a rack and rotatable gear, the gear mounted on a housing and the rack mounted on the lever.

29. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 28 where the plurality of stationary members are provided in the path of the lever and the lever returns to an initial position between each stationary member.

30. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 28 further including a base spring and a throw out spring attached to the lever to return and pivot the lever respectively.

31. A water sprinkler assembly as in claim 19 further including brake means for holding the housing from rotation when the lever is retracted out of the path of the stationary timing members.

Claims

1. A water sprinkler assembly for delivering a variable volume of water comprising: at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from a constant source of water and mounted for rotational movement; means for applying a constant rotational force to the nozzle; and timing means for intermittently holding the nozzle stationary against the constant rotational force to vary the total volume of water emitted in a particular direction including a movable timing member and a plurality of relatively stationary members that are capable of restraining the co-ordinate movement of the timing member and the nozzle.

9. A water sprinkler assembly comprising: at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from a source of water; means for moving the nozzle; means for varying the rate of motion of the nozzle including a rotatable slotted timing disc mounted for movement co-ordinate with the nozzle and a plurality of relatively stationary members located in the disc''s path of movement to sequentially engage the timing disc; and means for varying the distance of water emitted from the nozzle.

17. A water sprinkler assembly comprising: at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from a source of water; means for moving the nozzle; means for varying the rate of motion of the nozzle including a timing member mounted for movement co-ordinate with the nozzle and at least one member relatively stationary to the timing member and located in its path of movement; and means for varying the distance of water emitted from the nozzle including a pair of half-cyclindrical deflector members that are mounted about the means for moving the nozzle, at least one of the deflector members mounting at least one relatively stationary member.

19. A water sprinkler assembly comprising: at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from a source of water; means for moving the nozzle including a housing; and means for varying the rate of motion of the nozzle including a timing lever having a rack portion mounted for pivotal motion on the housing, a gear rotatably mounted on the housing and adapted to drivingly engage the rack portion, means for biasing the timing lever to an initial position, throw out means for disengaging the rack portion from the gear and a plurality of relatively stationary timing members positioned in the path of the timing lever when in its initial position, whereby the timing lever is disengaged from a timing member by the driving engagement of the gear and rack against the force of the bias means.

20. A water sprinkler assembly for delivering a variable volume of water to designated areas comprising: at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from a source of water; means for moving the nozzle including a rotatable housing supporting the nozzle; a frame member located about and relatively stationary to the rotatable housing; and means for varying the rate of motion of the nozzle including a slotted timing member mounted for co-ordinate movement with the rotatable housing, means for moving the slotted timing member relative to the housing, and a plurality of timing studs mounted on the frame member in the path of the slotted timing member to sequentially engage the slotted timing member and suspend the rotation of the housing and nozzle during engagement until a slot on the timing member is moved into alignment with and released from the timing stud.

21. A water sprinkler assembly for delivering a predetermined variable volume of water to various areas from a source of water comprising: at least one nozzle adapted to emit water from said source of water and mounted for movement along a cyclical path; means for applying a force to said nOzzle to move said nozzle along said cyclical path; means fo intermittently holding the movement of said nozzle at predetermined positions against said force and simultaneously varying said nozzle dwell period along said cyclical path at said predetermined positions to vary the total volume of water emitted to a particular predetermined area including a timing member mounted for movement co-ordinate with said nozzle movement and a plurality of relatively stationary members that are sequentially located along the direction of movement of said timing member for sequentially coacting with said timing member to restrain said nozzle at said predetermined positions; and means for moving said timing member relative to said stationary members whereby each stationary member is capable of being located at a predetermined point for restraining said timing member and nozzle for a preset dwell period determined primarily by the time period of relative engagement of said timing member with said stationary member.