Hunter Industries Incorporated

Richard E Hunter

Revis R Hunter

Peter John Woytowitz

Darrin I Schmuckle

Fred M Danner

Arne G Pike

An adjustable height landscape light fixture includes an outer cylindrical body portion having a upper threaded segment and an inner riser portion telescopically mounted in the outer cylindrical body portion. A collet surrounds the inner riser portion. A threaded cap is screwed over the upper threaded segment of the cylindrical body portion. The threaded cap is configured to squeeze the collet against the inner riser portion to fix and un-fix a predetermined longitudinal position of the inner riser portion relative to the outer cylindrical body portion and provide a substantially water impervious seal between the threaded cap and the inner riser portion. An incandescent or LED upper light portion is mounted to an upper end of the inner riser portion.

Adjustable height landscape light fixture

Back washing apparatus

A sprinkler unit of the type that includes an impact drive sprinkler vertically reciprocable inside a subterranean can or case is modified to incorporate a modern pop-up rotor-type sprinkler. The rotor-type sprinkler has a lower retraction spring retainer half-way up its outer riser and a shortened retraction spring. A cylindrical adaptor sleeve surrounds the riser and has its upper end screwed into the upper end cap of the rotor-type sprinkler. The impact drive sprinkler and its attached riser assembly are unscrewed from the subterranean mounting case. Thereafter, a lower male threaded end of the adaptor sleeve is screwed into a female threaded segment at the junction of the lower and upper sections of the cylindrical mounting case. A ring-shaped protective cover plate with a pair of spring retention arms is rotatably mounted to the top end of the rotor-type sprinkler to fill the gap between the sprinkler and the upper curved lip of the cylindrical mounting case.

Pop-up rotor type sprinkler with subterranean outer case and protective

A diaphragm-type control valve for irrigation systems has an outer clam-shell housing that encloses a vertically reciprocable diaphragm assembly. A primary valve seat inside the housing is engaged and disengaged by a seal on the underside of the diaphragm to open and close the valve by connecting and disconnecting its inlet and outlet passages. Pressurized water from a lower inlet chamber of the valve travels through a small metering orifice in the center of the diaphragm assembly to an upper pressure control chamber above a flexible membrane of the diaphragm assembly. A solenoid actuated pilot valve is operatively coupled to the upper pressure control chamber for venting pressurized water therefrom to permit the diaphragm assembly to move upwardly to open the valve. A filter screen is mounted to the underside of the diaphragm assembly to prevent debris from clogging the metering orifice, clogging the small passages of the pilot valve, or fouling the solenoid. A cylindrical wiper element supported by a cylindrical carrier surrounds the filter screen and is moved up and down along the filter screen as the valve opens and closes to scour algae, mineral deposits and other debris from the surface of the filter screen which are carried away through the main outlet passage of the valve.

Diaphragm valve with filter screen and movable wiper element

A cleaning cycle generator for an irrigation system having a programmable irrigation controller. When the irrigation controller terminates an on cycle, the cleaning cycle generator of the present invention will initiate a time delay after which it will turn the sprinklers completely on for a timed period. The sprinklers will then be turned off to complete the remainder of the off cycle. The present invention is particularly advantageous in pressure regulated irrigation valves where particles in the water can become trapped between valve seat surfaces that are in close proximity due to the pressure regulation. Leaking throughout the lengthy off cycle of the irrigation system is prevented by flushing out particles while the valve is in the completely open, unregulated state.

Self-cleaning irrigation regulator valve apparatus

A sprinkler unit comprises a tubular housing having an inlet for connecting to a source of water, a tubular riser telescopically reciprocally mounted in the tubular housing and moveable from a retracted position within the housing to an extended position from the housing, the riser having an outlet having a nozzle for distributing a stream of water outward from the housing, a passage connecting the inlet to the outlet, a retraction spring normally biasing the riser to the retracted position, and a shock absorbing coating on the retracting spring for absorbing the shock of movement of the riser to the extended position.

Pop-up sprinkler with shock absorbing riser spring

A sprinkler unit comprises a housing having an inlet for connecting to a source of water, a rotating head mounted in an upper end of the housing and including an outlet nozzle for distributing a stream of water outward from the housing, a drive assembly including a turbine and a reduction gear drive train connecting the turbine to the head for rotating the head, the drive train having a gap for intermittently interrupting the drive for causing the head to intermittently pause during rotation thereof.

Growing community of inventors

La Jolla, CA, United States of America

Richard E Hunter