Granted Patent B2

US 7,763,801 · App. 12/077,267 · Granted Jul 27, 2010

Abstract

Claims (40)

1. A decoder system wherein a control signal and an electrical power signal are sent over the same underground electrical path comprising:

a controller;

an electrical wire extending from said controller;

an electrical controllable irrigation valve having an electrical wire extending therefrom;

at least one electrical splice formed by joining the electrical wire from said controller to said electrical wire from said electrical controllable irrigation valve;

a wire connector for maintaining the electrical wire from the controller and the electrical wire from the electrical controllable irrigation valve in said electrical splice in an electrical connection; and

an encapsulating pod comprising mateable pod parts with at least one of the mateable pod parts having a sealant therein with the mateable pod parts mateable around the wire connector containing the electrical splice to encapsulate the electrical splice therein in a waterproof condition.

2. The decoder system of claim 1 wherein the mateable pod parts include a first partial pod having an interrupted peripheral wing with a mateable face, said first partial pod having a wire channel located therein with the wire channel extending inward from an end of the first partial pod and terminating in a wire connector cavity; and

a second partial pod having an interrupted peripheral wing with a mateable face and a partial wire channel located therein with the partial wire channel of the second partial pod extending inward from an end of the second partial pod and terminating in a partial wire connector cavity in the second partial pod so that when the first partial pod and the second partial pod are brought into face to face engagement the first partial pod and the second partial pod form an enclosure around a wire connector and the sealant forms an in situ sealant encapsulation of a wire connector and an electrical lead extending therefrom.

3. The decoder system of claim 2 wherein each of the first partial pod and the second partial pod include a second partial wire connector channel and a second partial wire connector cavity and the sealant comprises a gel.

4. The decoder system of claim 1 wherein the encapsulating pod comprises a first rigid partial pod and the second rigid partial pod.

5. The decoder system of claim 1 wherein the wire connector comprises a twist-on wire connector and the encapsulating pod includes a latch for securing the mateable pod parts to each other.

6. The decoder system of claim 5 wherein the mateable pod parts are held in a face-to-face condition to retain the sealant therein.

7. The decoder system of claim 1 wherein the encapsulating pod includes a shoulder located at an internal end of a partial wire channel and proximate a partial wire connector cavity to assist in retaining the wire connector therein.

8. The decoder system of claim 1 with a one of the mateable pods includes a partial wire connector cavity having a larger cross sectional dimension than a cross sectional dimension of the partial wire channel of the first partial pod.

9. A method of direct bury of an electrical splice in a an underground decoder system comprising the steps of:

using a wire connector to electrically connect an end of an electrical wire from an irrigation valve to the underground decoder system into an electrical connection with a further electrical wire by bringing the electrical wire and the further electrical wire into electrical contact to form an electrical junction in the wire connector;

placing the electrical wire and the further electrical wire with the electrical junction into a wire channel in a first partial pod or a second partial pod with at least one of the partial pods carrying a flowable sealant therein;

closing the first partial pod and the second partial pod about the wire connector and the end of the electrical wire and the further electrical wire to provide in situ encapsulation of the wire connector and the end of the electrical wires;

connecting the underground decoder system to an irrigation controller.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of closing includes folding the first partial pod and the second partial pod about the wire connector.

11. The method of claim 9 including the step of latching the first partial pod and the second partial pod to each other to maintain the partial pods in an encapsulating condition.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of using a wire connector comprises using either a twist-on wire connector, a push in wire connector or a split bolt connector.

13. A direct bury decoder splice kit for forming a waterproof underground electrical connection in a decoder system comprising:

a wire connector;

a first partial pod, said first partial pod having a wire channel located therein with the wire channel extending inward from an end of the first partial pod and terminating in a partial wire connector cavity;

a second partial pod for forming an enclosure with the first partial pod when said second partial pod and the first partial pod are mated to each other wherein said first partial pod comprises a domed member and at least one of said first partial pod and said second partial pod include a shoulder for retaining a wire connector therein; and

a sealant located in either or both of said first partial pod and said second partial pod so that when the first partial pod and the second partial pod are brought into mating engagement the first partial pod and the second partial pod form an enclosure around the wire connector while the sealant forms an in situ waterproof sealant encapsulation of a wire connector and an electrical lead extending therefrom.

14. The direct bury decoder splice kit of claim 13 wherein the second pod and the partial pod are identical.

15. The direct bury decoder splice kit of claim 13 wherein the second pod includes a closure member and the sealant comprises a peelable gel.

16. The direct bury decoder splice kit of claim 13 wherein the second partial pod and the first partial pod each include a flange and the wire channel in the first partial pod is sufficiently large to encapsulate the wire connector and the sealant therein when the second partial pod is joined to the first partial pod.

17. The direct bury decoder splice kit of claim 13 wherein the first partial pod and the second partial pod are hinged to each other to permit folding the second partial pod and the first partial pod into an encapsulating condition around a wire connector.

18. A direct bury kit for splicing two or more wires comprising:

an electrical connector, said electrical connector maintaining each of a pair of electrical wires in electrical contact with each other to form an electrical splice;

a split pod container having a first partial pod and a second partial pod each partial pod having a chamber and a shoulder therein for retaining the electrical connector thereon when the first partial pod and the second partial pod are in a closed condition; and

a sufficient amount of sealant located in said chamber so that when said electrical connector is inserted into the sealant the electrical contact between the electrical wires is maintained as the sealant encapsulates and waterproofs the electrical splice, the first partial pod having a U-shaped channel for mating with a U-shaped wall of the second partial pod so that when the first partial pod and the second partial pod are in the closed condition the U-shaped channel and the U-shaped wall retain the sealant located in the chamber from being forced therepast.

19. The direct bury kit of claim 18 wherein the electrical contact is maintained by folding said split pod container about the electrical contact.

20. The direct bury kit of claim 18 wherein the electrical contact is maintained by clamping each of the pair of electrical wires to each other so that pushing said electrical connector into the sealant in said chamber does not disrupt the electrical contact.

21. The direct bury kit of claim 18 wherein the electrical connector comprising a push in wire connector that can be pushed into the sealant by pushing on the pair of electrical wires.

22. The direct bury kit of claim 18 wherein the electrical connector is selected from the group of electrical connectors comprising a split bolt connector wire connector, a push in wire connector and a twist-on wire connector.

Assignments (10)