CA2116901C - Irrigation apparatus - Google Patents
Irrigation apparatus Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2116901C CA2116901C CA002116901A CA2116901A CA2116901C CA 2116901 C CA2116901 C CA 2116901C CA 002116901 A CA002116901 A CA 002116901A CA 2116901 A CA2116901 A CA 2116901A CA 2116901 C CA2116901 C CA 2116901C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- wall
- irrigator
- tire
- annular
- flange
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
- A01G29/00—Root feeders; Injecting fertilisers into the roots
Landscapes
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Environmental Sciences (AREA)
- Cultivation Receptacles Or Flower-Pots, Or Pots For Seedlings (AREA)
Abstract
An irrigator has an annular reservoir, open radially inwardly. A
wall on the inside of the reservoir closes the open inner side and contains a bed of soil for growing plants. Wicks trickle moisture from the reservoir into the soil bed. In preferred versions of the irrigator, an impermeable plastic insert is designed to fit into the centre of a scrap vehicle tire as the reservoir.
When inserted forcefully into one side of the tire, the tire is locked firmly onto the insert on one side to form a reservoir that has an opening between the opposite side of the tire and an upwardly tapered centre wall of the insert.
When set into the ground, plants may be grown in the centre of the insert with moisture being fed into the centre growing zone from within the tire by wicks leading through appropriate slots in the insert wall.
wall on the inside of the reservoir closes the open inner side and contains a bed of soil for growing plants. Wicks trickle moisture from the reservoir into the soil bed. In preferred versions of the irrigator, an impermeable plastic insert is designed to fit into the centre of a scrap vehicle tire as the reservoir.
When inserted forcefully into one side of the tire, the tire is locked firmly onto the insert on one side to form a reservoir that has an opening between the opposite side of the tire and an upwardly tapered centre wall of the insert.
When set into the ground, plants may be grown in the centre of the insert with moisture being fed into the centre growing zone from within the tire by wicks leading through appropriate slots in the insert wall.
Description
'~ 2~~.6901 IRRIGATION APPARATUS
The present invention relates to irrigation and more particularly to an irrigating apparatus that is especially suitable for promoting the growth of single plants.
Irrigators according to the present invention may be used conveniently under a wide range of climatic conditions to assist plant growth.
According to the present invention there is provided an irrigator apparatus comprising;
a hollow, annular reservoir opening radially inwardly;
an annular wall extending through the centre of the annular reservoir and having a bottom end sealed to the bottom of the reservoir; and water delivery means for delivering a limited flow of water from the interior of the reservoir into the centre of the annular wall.
In preferred embodiments of the invention, the reservoir is a vehicle tire, and the inner wall is an insert that attaches to the tire. The irrigator may use waste vehicle tires that are readily available at minimum cost.
This is not only cost effective, but also provides for re-use of some of the numerous waste tires that continue to accumulate world wide.
Preferably, the wall of the insert is tapered upwardly so that there is an annular gap between the wall and the upper bead of the tire when the insert is installed. The seal is preferably a mechanical one, including a bottom flange on the wall, a barb near the flange for capturing the tire bead and a seal ring between the flange and the barb. The preferred water delivery mechanism is wicking, using wicks through slots in the wall.
In use, the irrigator is placed with the closed side down. The internal cavity of the reservoir is closed on the interior by the wall for storing 2~1~9~1 and collecting water. When the centre of the insert is filled with soil, this area may be used for growing plants. The water from the reservoir is trickled into the growing zone by one or more wicks leading from the reservoir through slots in the wall and into the growing zone.
For optimal conditions, the irrigator should be set into a shallow hole in the ground, roughly the height of the tire.
The impermeable reservoir allows for good water storage, collection and conservation. The wicking system efficiently delivers the moisture directly to the roots of a plant being grown. In use, the irrigator effectively suppresses weeds and other competing vegetation and minimizes or eliminates the need for herbicides. When used at high latitudes, the irrigator acts as an effective solar collector. This creates a subsurface micro-climate that provides for optimum root development and an extended growing season.
On the other hand, when used in hot, arid environments, the surface of the irrigator can be treated to reflect heat. This creates an environment that again favors plant growth.
Because of its modular design and, in the preferred embodiments, its use of readily-available waste vehicle tires as a major component, the irrigator is readily used almost anywhere to grow most any kind of vegetation without the need for elaborate machinery, expensive irrigation systems and costly maintenance.
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the present invention:
Figure 1 is an isometric view of an assembled irrigator apparatus;
Figure 2 is an isometric view of an insert used in the irrigator;
Figure 3 is a side view of the insert;
The present invention relates to irrigation and more particularly to an irrigating apparatus that is especially suitable for promoting the growth of single plants.
Irrigators according to the present invention may be used conveniently under a wide range of climatic conditions to assist plant growth.
According to the present invention there is provided an irrigator apparatus comprising;
a hollow, annular reservoir opening radially inwardly;
an annular wall extending through the centre of the annular reservoir and having a bottom end sealed to the bottom of the reservoir; and water delivery means for delivering a limited flow of water from the interior of the reservoir into the centre of the annular wall.
In preferred embodiments of the invention, the reservoir is a vehicle tire, and the inner wall is an insert that attaches to the tire. The irrigator may use waste vehicle tires that are readily available at minimum cost.
This is not only cost effective, but also provides for re-use of some of the numerous waste tires that continue to accumulate world wide.
Preferably, the wall of the insert is tapered upwardly so that there is an annular gap between the wall and the upper bead of the tire when the insert is installed. The seal is preferably a mechanical one, including a bottom flange on the wall, a barb near the flange for capturing the tire bead and a seal ring between the flange and the barb. The preferred water delivery mechanism is wicking, using wicks through slots in the wall.
In use, the irrigator is placed with the closed side down. The internal cavity of the reservoir is closed on the interior by the wall for storing 2~1~9~1 and collecting water. When the centre of the insert is filled with soil, this area may be used for growing plants. The water from the reservoir is trickled into the growing zone by one or more wicks leading from the reservoir through slots in the wall and into the growing zone.
For optimal conditions, the irrigator should be set into a shallow hole in the ground, roughly the height of the tire.
The impermeable reservoir allows for good water storage, collection and conservation. The wicking system efficiently delivers the moisture directly to the roots of a plant being grown. In use, the irrigator effectively suppresses weeds and other competing vegetation and minimizes or eliminates the need for herbicides. When used at high latitudes, the irrigator acts as an effective solar collector. This creates a subsurface micro-climate that provides for optimum root development and an extended growing season.
On the other hand, when used in hot, arid environments, the surface of the irrigator can be treated to reflect heat. This creates an environment that again favors plant growth.
Because of its modular design and, in the preferred embodiments, its use of readily-available waste vehicle tires as a major component, the irrigator is readily used almost anywhere to grow most any kind of vegetation without the need for elaborate machinery, expensive irrigation systems and costly maintenance.
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the present invention:
Figure 1 is an isometric view of an assembled irrigator apparatus;
Figure 2 is an isometric view of an insert used in the irrigator;
Figure 3 is a side view of the insert;
Figure 4 is a top view of the insert; and Figure 5 is a sectional view along line 5-5 of Figure 4.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates an irrigator 10 with an annular reservoir based on a vehicle tire 12. The tire has a hollow tire carcass 14 that opens radially inwardly and is finished on the two inner edges by tire beads 16.
The tire is converted into the irrigator 10 by an insert 18 that is illustrated most particularly in Figures 2 through 5. The insert has an annular wall 20 that tapers upwardly from its bottom edge 22 to its top edge 24. At the bottom edge, the wall has an outer annular flange 26 that slopes upwardly and outwardly at a slight angle. A rib 28 is formed on the upper surface of the flange 26 at a spacing from the wall 20.
Above the flange 26, the wall is formed into a barb 30 that presents a shoulder 32 facing downwardly to confront the flange 26. As illustrated most particularly in Figure 5, the shoulder slopes downwardly to the outside so that the shoulder and the flange slope towards one another to capture the tire bead between the two. Above the shoulder 32, the barb has a tapered face 34 that flares downwardly as a camming surface for stretching a tire bead as the insert is forced into the tire. To augment the sealing of the bead to the tire, an annular, resilient seal 36 is placed around the insert, in the channel between the flange 26 and the shoulder 32.
Roughly one-quarter of the way down the wall 20 from the top are four slots 38 spaced around the wall at 90° from one another. The slots are used to accommodate wicks 40 leading from the inside of the tire, through the wall and into the growing zone circumscribed by the wall.
2~1~901 In use of the apparatus, the insert is forced into the centre of an appropriately-sized tire so that the bead on one side of the tire engages in the channel between the flange 26 and the shoulder 32. The other bead of the tire is spaced radially outwardly from the upwardly-tapered wall 30. This complete unit is then set into a shallow hole in the ground, roughly the depth of the tire. The centre of the irrigator, within the wall 20, is then filled with soil, with one or more wicks 40 laid in place under the soil and leading into the reservoir within the tire. The vegetation to be grown is then planted in the soil fill in the middle of the irrigator and water is poured into the reservoir formed by the tire and the insert.
The annular reservoir between the tire and the insert provides for water storage, collection and conservation. The wicking system efficiently delivers moisture directly to the roots of a plant being grown. In use, the irrigator effectively suppresses weed growth. The irrigator may be used in cold climates and at high latitudes, with the black tire carcass acting as an effective solar collector. This creates a subsurface micro-climate encouraging root development over an extended growing season. On the other hand, when used in hot, arid environments, the surface of the irrigator can be treated to reflect heat. This creates an environment that again favors plant growth.
While one embodiment of the present invention has been described in the foregoing, it is to be understood that other embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention. In addition, various sizes of the insert may be manufactured designed to fit into tires of different diameters.
The invention is thus to be considered limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates an irrigator 10 with an annular reservoir based on a vehicle tire 12. The tire has a hollow tire carcass 14 that opens radially inwardly and is finished on the two inner edges by tire beads 16.
The tire is converted into the irrigator 10 by an insert 18 that is illustrated most particularly in Figures 2 through 5. The insert has an annular wall 20 that tapers upwardly from its bottom edge 22 to its top edge 24. At the bottom edge, the wall has an outer annular flange 26 that slopes upwardly and outwardly at a slight angle. A rib 28 is formed on the upper surface of the flange 26 at a spacing from the wall 20.
Above the flange 26, the wall is formed into a barb 30 that presents a shoulder 32 facing downwardly to confront the flange 26. As illustrated most particularly in Figure 5, the shoulder slopes downwardly to the outside so that the shoulder and the flange slope towards one another to capture the tire bead between the two. Above the shoulder 32, the barb has a tapered face 34 that flares downwardly as a camming surface for stretching a tire bead as the insert is forced into the tire. To augment the sealing of the bead to the tire, an annular, resilient seal 36 is placed around the insert, in the channel between the flange 26 and the shoulder 32.
Roughly one-quarter of the way down the wall 20 from the top are four slots 38 spaced around the wall at 90° from one another. The slots are used to accommodate wicks 40 leading from the inside of the tire, through the wall and into the growing zone circumscribed by the wall.
2~1~901 In use of the apparatus, the insert is forced into the centre of an appropriately-sized tire so that the bead on one side of the tire engages in the channel between the flange 26 and the shoulder 32. The other bead of the tire is spaced radially outwardly from the upwardly-tapered wall 30. This complete unit is then set into a shallow hole in the ground, roughly the depth of the tire. The centre of the irrigator, within the wall 20, is then filled with soil, with one or more wicks 40 laid in place under the soil and leading into the reservoir within the tire. The vegetation to be grown is then planted in the soil fill in the middle of the irrigator and water is poured into the reservoir formed by the tire and the insert.
The annular reservoir between the tire and the insert provides for water storage, collection and conservation. The wicking system efficiently delivers moisture directly to the roots of a plant being grown. In use, the irrigator effectively suppresses weed growth. The irrigator may be used in cold climates and at high latitudes, with the black tire carcass acting as an effective solar collector. This creates a subsurface micro-climate encouraging root development over an extended growing season. On the other hand, when used in hot, arid environments, the surface of the irrigator can be treated to reflect heat. This creates an environment that again favors plant growth.
While one embodiment of the present invention has been described in the foregoing, it is to be understood that other embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention. In addition, various sizes of the insert may be manufactured designed to fit into tires of different diameters.
The invention is thus to be considered limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.
Claims (14)
1. An irrigator apparatus for use with an automobile tire having a hollow, annular carcass opening radially inwardly and including two inner beads defining inner edges of the carcass, said apparatus comprising:
an annular wall dimensioned to extend through the centre of the annular tire carcass;
sealing means for sealing the wall to one bead of the carcass; and water delivery means for delivering a limited flow of water from the interior of the tire carcass into the centre of the annular wall.
an annular wall dimensioned to extend through the centre of the annular tire carcass;
sealing means for sealing the wall to one bead of the carcass; and water delivery means for delivering a limited flow of water from the interior of the tire carcass into the centre of the annular wall.
2. An irrigator apparatus according to Claim 1 wherein the seal means comprise an annular flange projecting outwardly from the wall at a bottom end of the wall.
3. An irrigator apparatus according to Claim 2 wherein the seal means further comprise a retaining shoulder on the outside of the wall facing towards the annular flange.
4. An irrigator apparatus according to Claim 3 including a flared face on the outside of the wall leading to the retaining shoulder.
5. An irrigator apparatus according to Claim 3 or 4 including an annular, resilient seal member around the wall, between the flange and the retaining shoulder.
6. An irrigator apparatus according to Claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the wall is tapered from the annular flange to the apposite top end of the wall.
7. An irrigator apparatus according to Claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the water delivery means comprise at least one wick extending through the wall.
8. An irrigator apparatus according to Claim 7 wherein the water delivery means comprise a plurality of slots through the wall and a plurality of wicks extending through respective ones of the slots.
9. An irrigator comprising, in combination: a vehicle tire having a hollow annular carcass opening radially inwardly, with two annular beads at the radially-inner extremities of the carcass;
an annular wall extending through the centre of the tire; sealing moans sealing the wall to one of the tire heads; and water delivery means for delivering a limited flow of water from the interior of the tire through the wall.
an annular wall extending through the centre of the tire; sealing moans sealing the wall to one of the tire heads; and water delivery means for delivering a limited flow of water from the interior of the tire through the wall.
10. An irrigator according to Claim 9 wherein the seal means comprise an annular flange projecting outwardly from a bottom end of the wall and engaging one of the beads.
11. An irrigator according to Claim 10 wherein the seal means further comprise an annular shoulder on the wall confronting the flange, said one of the beads being captured between the flange and the shoulder.
12. An irrigator according to Claim 11 wherein the seal means further comprise an annular sealing member around the wall, between the shoulder and the flange, forming a seal between the bead and the wall.
13. An irrigator according to Claim 9, 10, 11 or 12 wherein the wall is tapered from the flange towards the top end of the wall and is spaced from the other of the tire beads.
14. An irrigator according to Claim 9, 10, 11 or 12 wherein the water delivery means comprise at least one slot through the wall, spaced above the flange and a wick extending through the slot from the interior of the tire to the space circumscribed by the wall.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002116901A CA2116901C (en) | 1994-03-03 | 1994-03-03 | Irrigation apparatus |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002116901A CA2116901C (en) | 1994-03-03 | 1994-03-03 | Irrigation apparatus |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2116901A1 CA2116901A1 (en) | 1995-09-04 |
| CA2116901C true CA2116901C (en) | 2002-01-22 |
Family
ID=4153009
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002116901A Expired - Fee Related CA2116901C (en) | 1994-03-03 | 1994-03-03 | Irrigation apparatus |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2116901C (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US10085394B2 (en) * | 2016-07-13 | 2018-10-02 | Kuwait University | Planter system using waste materials |
-
1994
- 1994-03-03 CA CA002116901A patent/CA2116901C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CA2116901A1 (en) | 1995-09-04 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| MKLA | Lapsed |