1. A pop-up irrigation sprinkler comprising:
(a) a generally upright housing having
a lower end and an upper end,
a threaded inlet port formed within the lower end of said housing for coupling with a pressurized water source;
(b) a pop-up riser in said housing for movement between an extended position and a retracted position, having
a threaded upper end for coupling a spray nozzle,
a lower end, and
a side wall connecting said upper end and said lower end;
(c) seal valve disposed adjacent to a lower end of said riser having
a valve body having a lower end and an upper end,
a valve plug having a lower surface and an upper surface at the lower end of the valve body for sealing said inlet port while said riser is in the retracted position,
at least one channel within the valve plug, and
an upper port in the upper end of said valve body in fluid communication with said at least one channel; and
(d) a pressure reducing valve within said riser having
a flow tube mounted for limited movement within said riser and having an upper port and a lower port disposed adjacent the upper end of said valve body;
said lower port of said flow tube capable of being closed by moving against the upper surface of said valve plug by backpressure of water when said riser is in the extended, operative position.
2. The sprinkler of claim 1, wherein said valve plug has a groove adjacent to the lower surface for receiving and retaining seal means for sealing said inlet port from inflow and outflow of water from said housing while said riser is in the retracted position.
3. The sprinkler of claim 1, wherein said riser has a vent port located in the side wall of said riser between said upper and lower ends to provide an atmospheric reference vent for said pressure reducing valve.
4. The sprinkler of claim 1, wherein said flow tube of said pressure reducing valve has an upper shoulder and a lower shoulder adjacent the upper port and a second groove formed between said upper and lower shoulders for receiving a sealing means to provide an upper seal between said flow tube and said riser.
5. The sprinkler of claim 1, wherein a retainer adjacent to the lower port of said flow tube of said pressure reducing valve is positioned between the upper end of said valve body of said seal valve and the shoulder formed within the lower end of said riser, said retainer forming a channel for receiving sealing means to provide a lower seal between said flow tube of said pressure reducing valve and said riser.
6. The sprinkler of claim 5, wherein a control spring engaged between an upper surface of said retainer and the lower shoulder of said flow tube for controlling water pressure at the upper port of said flow tube.
7. The sprinkler of claim 3, wherein upper end of said housing has threads, a cover engaging said threads, a wiper seal is disposed in an opening of said cover to restrict passage of deleterious particulate material between the side wall of said riser and said cover and to seal said riser when it is in the extended position, and at least one slot extending longitudinally from said vent port to said to said upper end of said riser to create a gap between said wiper seal and said vent port for optimal venting.
8. The sprinkler of claim 7, wherein the lower end of said riser has a flange projecting radially outwardly from said riser, said wiper seal has an upper surface and a lower surface, an upper seal positioned between the upper surface and the side wall of said riser and a lower seal positioned between the lower surface and said flange.
9. The sprinkler of claim 8, wherein said vent port is positioned below said lower seal surface of said wiper seal while said riser is in said extended, operative position.
10. The sprinkler of claim 9, wherein said vent port has a generally circular or polygonal shape optimally sized to prevent debris intrusion in said riser.
11. The sprinkler of claim 10, wherein a compression spring is biased between said flange and the underside of said cover for retaining said riser in the retracted position when said valve plug of said seal valve is closed against said inlet port of said housing and for preventing flow of water in and out of said housing until the supply water pressure reaches a predetermined threshold.
12. A pop-up irrigation sprinkler comprising:
(a) a generally upright housing having
a lower end and an upper end,
a threaded inlet port formed within the lower end of said housing for coupling with a pressurized water source;
(b) a pop-up riser in said housing for movement between an extended position and a retracted position, having
a threaded upper end for coupling a spray nozzle,
a lower end, and
a side wall connecting said upper end and said lower end;
(c) seal valve disposed adjacent to a lower end of said riser having
a valve body having a lower end and an upper end,
a valve plug having
a lower surface,
an upper surface at the lower end of the valve body for sealing said inlet port while said riser is in the retracted position,
a groove adjacent to the lower surface for receiving, and
retaining seal means for sealing said inlet port from inflow and outflow of water from said housing while said riser is in the retracted position,
at least one channel within the valve plug, and
an upper port in the upper end of said valve body in fluid communication with said at least one channel; and
(d) a pressure reducing valve within said riser having
a flow tube mounted for limited movement within said riser and having an upper port and a lower port disposed adjacent the upper end of said valve body; said lower port of said flow tube capable of being closed by moving against the upper surface of said valve plug by backpressure of water when said riser is in the extended, operative position.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An intelligence gathering device comprising:
a microphone for detecting sounds;
a communication component for transmitting signals or data representative of the sounds to a computer via a wireless communication network;
a display for displaying information related to operation of the device;
a computing device operatively coupled with the microphone, the communication component, and the display; and
a computer program stored on computer-readable medium accessible by the computing device, the computer program including a code segment configured to place the device in a stealth mode in which the display may be turned off or otherwise deactivated to make the entire device appear to be turned off while the microphone continues to detect sounds and the communication component continues to transmit signals or data representative of the sounds to the computer using data channels.
2. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 1, the computer program further including a code segment to wirelessly receive a gain control instruction from the computer and to adjust a gain setting of the microphone in accordance therewith.
3. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the data channels used to transmit the signals or data representative of the sounds are Transmission Control ProtocolInternet Protocol (TCPIP) data channels.
4. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 3, the computer program including a code segment to wirelessly receive an alert from the computer and to operate the vibration element in response thereto.
5. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 1, further including resident memory for storing the signals or data representative of the detected sounds.
6. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 1, the computing device and the computer program being operable to place the device in the stealth mode only after a user of the device enters valid user information and an operator of the computer enters and transmits to the device valid acknowledgment information.
7. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 1, the computing device and the computer program being further operable to discontinue the stealth mode only after a user of the device enters valid user information and an operator of the computer enters and transmits to the device valid acknowledgment information.
8. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 1, further including a location-determining component for determining a geographic location of the device.
9. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 8, the computer program including a code segment to transmit data representative of the geographic location of the device to the computer while the device is in the stealth mode.
10. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 8, the computing device and the computer program being further operable to receive and store geographic coordinates corresponding to a geofence and to wirelessly transmit an alert to the computer whenever the device enters or exits an area encompassed by the geofence.
11. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 10, the computing device and the computer program being further operable to place the device in the stealth mode whenever the device enters or exits the area encompassed by the geofence.
12. A computer program stored on computer-readable medium of a mobile communication device, the mobile communication device having a microphone, a communication component, a display, and a computing device, the computer program comprising a code segment or segments to place the mobile communication device in a stealth mode in which the display is turned off or otherwise deactivated to make the entire mobile communication device appear to be turned off while the microphone continues to detect sounds and the communication component continues to transmit signals or data representative of the sounds to a computer using data channels.
13. The computer program as set forth in claim 12, further comprising a code segment to wirelessly receive a gain control instruction from the computer and a code segment to adjust a gain setting of the microphone in accordance with the gain control instruction.
14. The computer program as set forth in claim 12, wherein the data channels used to transmit the signals or data representative of the sounds are Transmission Control ProtocolInternet Protocol (TCPIP) data channels.
15. The computer program as set forth in claim 12, wherein the code segment for placing the mobile communication device in the stealth mode requires entry of valid user information in the mobile communication device and entry of valid acknowledgment information in the computer.
16. The computer program as set forth in claim 12, further comprising a code segment to discontinue the stealth mode only after a user of the mobile communication device enters valid user information and an operator of the computer enters and transmits to the mobile communication device valid acknowledgment information.
17. The computer program as set forth in claim 12, further comprising a code segment to transmit data representative of a geographic location of the mobile communication device to the computer while the mobile communication device is in the stealth mode.
18. The computer program as set forth in claim 12, further including a code segment to access geographic coordinates corresponding to a geofence and to wirelessly transmit an alert to the computer whenever the mobile communication device enters or exits an area encompassed by the geofence.
19. The computer program as set forth in claim 18, further comprising a code segment to place the mobile communication device in the stealth mode whenever the device enters or exits the area encompassed by the geofence.
20. A system for gathering intelligence data, the system comprising:
a mobile communication device comprising
a microphone for detecting sounds;
a communication component for wirelessly transmitting signals or data representative of the sounds via a wireless communication network;
a display for displaying information related to operation of the mobile communication device;
a computing device operatively coupled with the microphone, the communication component, and the display; and
a computer program stored on computer-readable medium accessible by the computing device, the computer program operable to place the mobile communication device in a stealth mode in which the display is turned off or otherwise deactivated to make the mobile communication device appear to be turned off while the microphone continues to detect sounds and the communication component continues to transmit signals or data representative of the sounds using data channels; and
a computer for wirelessly receiving the signals or data representative of the sounds from the mobile communication device.
21. The system as set forth in claim 20, the computer being operable to wirelessly transmit a gain control instruction to the mobile communication device and the mobile communication device being operable to adjust a gain setting of the microphone in response to the gain control instruction.
22. The system as set forth in claim 20, wherein the data channels used to transmit the signals or data representative of the sounds are Transmission Control ProtocolInternet Protocol (TCPIP) data channels.
23. The system as set forth in claim 22, the computer being further operable to wirelessly transmit an alert to the mobile communication device and the mobile communication device being operable to operate the vibration element in response thereto.
24. The system as set forth in claim 20, the mobile communication device further including a location-determining component for determining a geographic location of the device.
25. The system as set forth in claim 24, the mobile communication device being operable to transmit data representative of the geographic location of the device to the computer while the device is in the stealth mode.