Pop-Up Markers for Subterranean Feature Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for marking subterranean features like sprinkler heads and valve boxes in landscaping operations are inefficient, often requiring manual flag placement or expensive scanning services, which are impractical for most landscaping operations.
Innovation Solution
A landscaping marking system featuring individually selectively actuated pop-up visible markers that can be mounted adjacent to subterranean features, with pop-up visible components movable between deployed and stored positions, and a controller for remote actuation, allowing for efficient and visible identification of these features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual flag placement is used to mark subterranean features, then the location can be identified, but the operation is inefficient and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The marker automatically deploys itself when activated by the controller, eliminating the need for manual flag placement. The system serves itself by converting electrical signals into mechanical deployment action, thereby improving productivity and reducing labor time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical action of flag placement with an automated electro-mechanical system. The controller sends electrical signals that trigger the marker's deployment mechanism, substituting human labor with an automated control system.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If sprinklers are turned on to locate sprinkler heads, then the physical location can be viewed, but this is not always practical and does not assist in locating valve boxes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces markers as intermediary objects that visually indicate the location of subterranean features. Instead of turning on sprinklers to see where water comes out, the markers serve as direct visual mediators that point to the exact location of sprinkler heads and valve boxes, making detection easier and more practical.
Solution Approach 2:
The markers create a visible copy or representation of the subterranean feature's location above ground. The pop-up marker at the surface serves as a copy indicating where the invisible subterranean feature is located, eliminating the need to activate the feature itself for detection.
3Measurement precision
If expensive scanning services are used to map subterranean lines, then accurate location data can be obtained, but this is impractical for most landscaping operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses simple, inexpensive markers instead of expensive scanning equipment. The markers are low-cost devices that can be deployed and reset as needed, providing sufficient accuracy for landscaping operations without requiring complex and costly scanning technology.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential function of location marking from complex scanning services and implements it through simple markers controlled by a basic controller. This separates the core marking function from the expensive scanning infrastructure, making the system accessible to typical landscaping operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A landscaping marking system comprising a plurality of individually selectively actuated pop up visible markers mounted adjacent subterranean features of interest, wherein each marker includes pop-up visible components moveable between a popped up deployed visible position and a stored non-visible position and that may be reset to the stored non-visible position; and a controller for selectively actuating each marker.