Patents Assigned to Hunter Industries, Inc.
  • Patent number: 10561079
    Abstract: An irrigation controller comprises actuable controls, a memory to store the watering program, and one or more displays. The actuable controls and display are incorporated into a removable face pack that is mounted to an interior door of the irrigation controller. The face pack can be easily moved from a first position on the front side of the interior door to a second position on the back side of the interior door and the face pack automatically senses its position. When the face pack is in the first position, the actuable controls and display are configured for operating information. When the face pack is in the second position, the wiring hook up area of the irrigation controller is exposed and the actuable controls and display are configured for diagnostics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: HUNTER INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Richard C. Stange, Thomas C. Kadien, Steven B. Cook, Kok Huat Chong
  • Patent number: 10559949
    Abstract: A watertight electrical compartment for use in an irrigation device can include a compartment body having a chamber and a sealing section configured to mate with one or more sealing rings. A sealing cap can mate with the sealing section and/or the sealing rings to seal the chamber. A cap retainer can be advanced over at least a portion of the sealing cap. One of the compartment body and cap retainer can have internal threads to be screwed onto external threads of the other one of the compartment body and cap retainer. The cap retainer can also have a stopping feature to keep the sealing cap in its sealed position. The watertight electrical compartment can be used in a wireless flow sensor assembly, a battery operated irrigation controller, and/or a battery-operated central controller device, to provide irrigation control, and/or sensor information, without the need for AC power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael F. Paul
  • Patent number: 10555405
    Abstract: A lighting system includes lighting fixtures and a lighting controller that sends commands and data over an AC power line to power and control the lighting fixtures. Lighting themes are uniquely programmable color and intensity that are applied to a collection of lighting groups to achieve different lighting modes instantly, without the delay that programming each lighting fixture individually incurs. The groups of lighting modules receive theme lighting information over the power line and store the theme information in memory. The lighting controller sends a single command to the collections of the lighting groups to apply the theme. Each lighting module retrieves and applies the theme information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: John Malaugh, Peter John Woytowitz
  • Patent number: 10498115
    Abstract: An irrigation control box can include a housing base having a first sidewall, a second sidewall, a top sidewall, a bottom sidewall, and a back wall. The box can include at least one hinge post. An offset hinge assembly can include a hinge assembly frame defining a hinge assembly interior, a first attachment structure positioned at least partially within the hinge assembly interior and configured to releasably attach to the at least one hinge post, and a rotational attachment point. A facepack can include at least one hinge point configured to mate with the rotational attachment point. In some cases, the facepack is configured to rotate about rotational attachment point of the offset hinge assembly with respect to the housing base when the housing base and facepack are each attached to the offset hinge assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael F. Paul
  • Patent number: 10437217
    Abstract: A modular irrigation controller has a robust ground path with high conductivity that can accommodate lightning induced power surges on field valve wires and common wires that are connected to a plurality of station modules. Sensitive electronic components in the station modules are thereby protected from damage. The robust ground path extends from conductors on circuit boards within the station modules through captive mounting screws to a metallic backplane and then through metallic grounding brackets within a pedestal enclosing the modules and the backplane. The grounding brackets are in turn grounded to both an earth ground stake and to a ground wire associated with the incoming one hundred and ten volt AC power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard C. Stange, David M. Hurrle, Kok Huat Chong
  • Patent number: 10425248
    Abstract: Systems and methods to authenticate a controller having a user interface with a manually actionable control include randomly selecting a first position of the plurality of positions of the manually actuatable control, prompting a user to position the manually actionable control to the randomly selected position, receiving an indication of the present position of the manually actionable control, comparing the indication of the randomly selected position with the indication of the present position, and authenticating the controller when the indication of the randomly selected position matches the indication of the present position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Vicente Tulliano, Dexter Baga, Charlotte A. Wilson, Dustin R. Franklin, Lynn Langit, Jason Lin, Christopher Karady Scripca Lucian, Christian M. Stead
  • Patent number: 10375793
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to transmit a data encoded power signal to addressable devices. A data signal includes address and command data that varies between logical states. A controller provides a low loss rectified power signal. The controller further provides data within the power signal by forming a positive polarity rectified power waveform corresponding to data in a first state and a negative polarity rectified waveform signal corresponding to data in a second state using substantially loss-less circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter John Woytowitz
  • Patent number: 10340675
    Abstract: A watertight electrical compartment for use in an irrigation device can include a compartment body having a chamber and a sealing section configured to mate with one or more sealing rings. A sealing cap can mate with the sealing section and/or the sealing rings to seal the chamber. A cap retainer can be advanced over at least a portion of the sealing cap. One of the compartment body and cap retainer can have internal threads to be screwed onto external threads of the other one of the compartment body and cap retainer. The cap retainer can also have a stopping feature to keep the sealing cap in its sealed position. The watertight electrical compartment can be used in a wireless flow sensor assembly, a battery operated irrigation controller, and/or a battery-operated central controller device, to provide irrigation control, and/or sensor information, without the need for AC power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael F. Paul
  • Patent number: 10322422
    Abstract: A sprinkler can include a turbine, a nozzle, a gear drive and a reversing mechanism. The gear drive and the reversing mechanism rotatably couple the turbine and the nozzle. The gear drive can shift a direction of rotation of an output stage that is coupled to the reversing mechanism. The sprinkler can include at least one arc adjusting gear that moves and arc adjusting tab to contact a shift arm to cause the shifting mechanism to change direction. The arc adjusting gear can engage with the arc tab for adjusting the arc setting and disengage from the arc tab for normal operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Zachary B. Simmons
  • Patent number: 10288267
    Abstract: A light fixture can include a light housing and a light cartridge. The light cartridge can be configured to releasably and/or electrically connect to a portion of the light housing. In some embodiments, the light cartridge includes a collar movably connected to the cartridge and configured to rotate with respect to the cartridge. Rotation of the collar can facilitate attachment and/or release of the cartridge from the light housing. In some cases, the cartridge includes a releasable driver, one or more lenses, one or more beam reflectors, one or more diffusers, and/or other electrical and optical components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: HUNTER INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventor: Darrin I. Schmuckle
  • Patent number: 10285344
    Abstract: An irrigation controller comprises actuable controls, a memory to store the watering program, and one or more displays. The actuable controls and display are incorporated into a removable face pack that is mounted to an interior door of the irrigation controller. The face pack can be easily moved from a first position on the front side of the interior door to a second position on the back side of the interior door and the face pack automatically senses its position. When the face pack is in the first position, the actuable controls and display are configured for operating information. When the face pack is in the second position, the wiring hook up area of the irrigation controller is exposed and the actuable controls and display are configured for diagnostics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard C. Stange, Thomas C. Kadien, Steven B. Cook, Kok Huat Chong
  • Patent number: 10228711
    Abstract: An irrigation system comprises an Internet connected controller that receives user input and provides a power signal and command and message data to an encoder. The encoder encodes the command and message data onto the power signal to provide a data encoded power waveform that is sent over a two-wire path. The irrigation system further comprises one or more decoders in communication with the two-wire path to receive the data encoded power waveform and one or more irrigation valves in communication with the one or more decoders. The data encoded power waveform provides power to the decoders and the decoders decode the command and message data from the data encoded power waveform to control the irrigation valves according to the user input. Thus, a user controls an irrigation system comprising the two-wire path from a remote location using an Internet-compatible device without specific software installed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter John Woytowitz
  • Patent number: 10225996
    Abstract: A control module for a water harvesting system can be operatively connected to a water level sensor in a water collection cistern, the pump/master valve (P/MV) output port of an irrigation controller, a pump start relay that controls a pump coupled to the cistern, and a pair of master valves that are coupled to station valves for delivering water to a plurality of sprinklers. The control module uses a processor, a plurality of switching circuits, and an operational program stored in a memory to cause the landscape vegetation to be watered with water from the water collection cistern or a municipal water supply, depending on the level of water detected in the water collection cistern. The control module can include a display that can indicate a graphic depiction that represents an actual level of the water in the water collection cistern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffery J. Kremicki, Peter J. Woytowitz
  • Patent number: 10197252
    Abstract: A light fixture can include a light housing and a light cartridge. The light cartridge can be configured to releasably and/or electrically connect to a portion of the light housing. In some embodiments, the light cartridge includes a collar movably connected to the cartridge and configured to rotate with respect to the cartridge. Rotation of the collar can facilitate attachment and/or release of the cartridge from the light housing. In some cases, the cartridge includes a releasable driver, one or more lenses, one or more beam reflectors, one or more diffusers, and/or other electrical and optical components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas E. Veloskey, Darrin I. Schmuckle
  • Patent number: 10199815
    Abstract: A watertight electrical compartment for use in an irrigation device can include a compartment body having a chamber and a sealing section configured to mate with one or more sealing rings. A sealing cap can mate with the sealing section and/or the sealing rings to seal the chamber. A cap retainer can be advanced over at least a portion of the sealing cap. One of the compartment body and cap retainer can have internal threads to be screwed onto external threads of the other one of the compartment body and cap retainer. The cap retainer can also have a stopping feature to keep the sealing cap in its sealed position. The watertight electrical compartment can be used in a wireless flow sensor assembly, a battery operated irrigation controller, and/or a battery-operated central controller device, to provide irrigation control, and/or sensor information, without the need for AC power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael F. Paul
  • Patent number: D844876
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Carl A. Eberts, Darrin I. Schmuckle, Stephen A. Sharp
  • Patent number: D853617
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Carl A. Eberts, Stephen A. Sharp
  • Patent number: D853972
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Carl A. Eberts, Stephen A. Sharp
  • Patent number: D853973
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen A. Sharp, Thomas E. Veloskey
  • Patent number: D854505
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: Hunter Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen A. Sharp, Dillon J. Rak