Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WILDLIFE REPELLANT UNIT
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices
utilised to protect plants, more specifically to
devices utilised to protect small tress from wildlife
such as deer and the like, and more particularly to a
wildlife repellant unit which utilises a repulsive
odour to repel wild animals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Past efforts at protecting plants from wild animals
have included plant guards which utilise a form of net
or foil or the like which is effective against attack
by insects, but which allows the limbs of the plant to
pass therethrough as necessary. Such plant guards have
also included portions designed to be placed in the
ground through which a root could pass, as well as
portions designed to be above the ground to protect
from rodents and deer and the like. Other such plant
guards have included heat sinks to prevent overheating
of the plant within the plant guard. While at least
one of the plant guards, specifically U.S. Patent No:
4,400,909, issued to Reese in 1983, teaches the use of
a pesticide packet designed to make the plant untenable
for certain pests, such pesticide packets do not bear
any resemblance to the present invention. Other
attempts to control wildlife have included chemical
repellants sprayed on or around the plant or placed in
a cloth bag which is then hung on the plant. None of
the prior art of which applicant is aware has taught a
24~5 '~1 13 5~ 5~71 ~31 144G ~IILLIAMS POWEL,L ~ ALEX E MAC~AE CO ~t~2
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wildlife repel~.an~ uni~ h~ving ~he uniq~e ~eatures of
~h~ ~nt invonti~n ~nd whi~h is ~ simplo ~n~
to use ah~ as e~fective as the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE lNV~N'l'lON
The present invention consist~ o~ ~ wil~ e repallant
unit whi~h is useful in forestry and horticulture to
protect plants from deer and other animAls. The
wildlife repellant uni~ of the pre~en~ invention
consi~tS generally of a cylin~er cons~u~ted of a
pliable material such as rubber or plastic whi~h h~s a
cavity ~herein in which ~ chemical or ~ther repell~nt
having a repulsive o~our may be placed.. The wildlife
repellan-t unit further has means for attA~hing to a
limb of a tree or other plant. ~n opening i~ provi~ed
for the repulsive odour to exi~ the wildll~e repellant
unit when it ~s properly prepared anq positioned on a
tree or other plant. For purpose~ of ~torage, the
wildlife repe~lant uni~ of the present invention is
provided with ~ sealed s~ction in whi~h the ohemical
repellant may be po~i~iane~ so that none of the ~dour
or effecti~eness is lost a~ a result of ~torage. ~he
effectivene~s Df the wildlife repellant unit is further
zs enhan~ed when the c~iin~er i~ con~tructed of dark
material that will absorb heat from the sun, resultin~
in an in~reased amount o~ vapour exi~ing the wildlife
repellant unit. ~h~ wildlife repellant unlt further
has an opening a~ or near the position of the ohemical
repellant, as well as ~n opening at the top of the
unit, to facilitate co~stant and consi~tent move~ent or
air there~hrough, which there~ore fo~m what coul~ be
termed a chi~ney, and as air pas~es therethrou~h, it
carries ~ith it the repul~ive odour o~ ~he chemical
repellant. A clip is provi~ed which fAcili~a~e~
a~Aahmen~ of the wildlife repellant unit to a branch
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of a tr~e or plant.
One of the objects of the presen~ invention is ko
provide a wildlife repellant unit which is inexpensive
to bu~ld.
Anoth~ ob~ec~ of the present inventi~n is to provide
wildlife repellant unit which effectively repels dee~
and o~her wi.ld animals, the;r~by p~otectin~ trees,
bushe~ and the like.
A furt~er object of ~he present invention is td provide
a wildlife repellant unit ~hieh, because of its
construction, i.s storable over ~ long period of time
without suhstantial degradation o~ the ultima~e
per~orman~e .
nother obiect of ~he present invention is to provide a
wildlife repellant unit which is li~htweight yet easy
to a~ti~ate to facilitate more effective use in the
field. ;
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Another object of the present invention is to provide a
wildlife repellant unit which i~ easily attached ~o a
limb of a t~ee.
The presen~ invention is explained ~urther in the
description which follows of an ex~mplary embodimen~.
BRIE~ DE~CRIP~ION OF THE ~RAWINGS
Figure 1 is a side view ~ho~ing ~ow ~he wil~life
repellant Uni~ is utilised wlth A s~all tr~e to protect
the tree ~rom ~ ~eer.
Figure 2 i~ 21 perspeçtive view showin~ particular
.
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~4~ ' bl 14 Ul '~'I.~ 1 144b ~I I LLI AM.'i t'Uri~LL ~-~ ' ALI~ ~ MA(.:I~A~ ~:U 4ZI l~
fe~tures and cons~ruction of the wildlife repellant
uni~ o~ the presen~ invention~
Figure 3 is a side view ~howin~ a portion o~ ~.he
wildlife repellant unit and h~w the ~lip i~ at~ached
thereto.
Figure 4 is a cross-~ectional view of the wildlife
repellant unit taken alon~ lines 4-4 o~ Fi~ure 2 and
showing ~he interior 6tructure of the unit.
Figu~e 5 is a perspective view showing how the wildlife
repellant unit i 5 acti~ated.
Figure ~ is a cross-sectional vie~ showing the interior
of the wildli~e repellant ~ni~ after it has been
activated.
~E~CRIPTION OF THE PREFE~RED EM~ODIMEN~
As shown in ~igure 1 of ~e drawings, the wildllfe
~epellant unit 1~ is a ~ube-~ike structure whi~h i5
easily attachable to a limb 12 of a t~ee 11. Once
wildli~e repellant unit 10 is ac~iva~d so tha~ it
~5 exudes an odour repulsive ~o wil~ animals, it is
effectiv~ in p~otecting ~he tree 11 from a deer 13 as
shown.
In Figure 2 o~ the ~rawings, the wildlife repellant
~nit 10 is shown in grea~er detail. Wildlife repellant
Uhit 10 iS constru~ted of a body 14 whi~h in this
parti~ular embodiment is const~ucted of substantially
cyllndri~l pl~tic m~teri~l which i~ pre~ed tvgether
at the bottom end t~ form an end 15. An opening 18 is
pro~ided to ~ilita~e Girculation v~ ~ir through the
interior of the wildlife repellant unit 10, thereby
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facilitating dist~ibu~io~ of the repulslve odour of the
wildlife repellant. Durinq use of the wildlife
repellant unit 10, as air en~ers opening 1~, it moves
upward toward and throug~l openin~ 32. r~he reipellant
material utili~e~ is positioned belo~ opening 18 to
minimise drying ou~ and to exten~ the life of wil~ e
repellant unit 10. A closure 16 îs provi~ed to cilose
opening 32 during storaqe and until wildliPe repellant
unit 10 is re~dy to he activated. The positioning and
sealing of closure 16 is ~hown in ~re~ter ~etail in
Figure 4 of the dr~wings. A clip 19, which may be
constructed generally of strong metal materi~
provided and is held against body 1~ by band 17.
~uring placement of wildlife repellant unit 10 on limb
~15 12 o~ tree ~1 of Figure 1, extension 20 is pressed
a~ainst body ~.4 as shown by arrow ~, pu~hing end 21
outw~rd as shown by arrow B so ~hat clip 19 may be
placed over l;,m~ ~Z. Limb 12 then extends betw~en olip
19 and body 1~ through gap 22 a~ shown.
Figure 3 is a side view showin~ the attachment of clip
19 ~o body 14. Clip 19 is held against body 14 by band
17, which ~ay ~e ~onstructed of metal or plastic o~ any
other acceptable strong mat~rial whic~ i~ capable of
~5 holding it in ~osition. Clip lg may also be positioned
utilisi,ng screws or o~her attaohment means capable o~
holding it in position.
~igure 4 of the drawings is A a~o~s-sec~ional view
~aken ~long lines 4-4 of Figure 2 showing the
constrUction of wildlife repellant uni~ 10. ~ild~ife
repellant uni~ 10 may he constructed o~ a substantially
cylin~rical body 14 consisting of a rubber or pl~stic
tube with on~ end 15 pressqd ~ogether to form a tip 23.
End 1~ may be held together at tip 23 by meahs of he~t
sealin~, a~ by melting, or gluin~ to form a strong
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struc~u~al hond. Body 14 has a cavity 33 th~rein
extending from ~he top of wildlife repéllant ~nit 10
down to the area where the ~epell~nt 24 ig posi~ioned.
While the chemical repellant ~ is held in position
inside cavity 33 by means of an absorben~ ma~erial such
as cotton~ the par~icular typ~! of chemical repellant
u~ilised is not importan-t. Wha~ is important i~ that
whatever chemical repellant i5 u~ilised mus-t include an
odour repulsive to wild animals. one such repulsive
odour is that con~ained in mountain lio~ urine.
Mountain lion urine coul~ therefor~ b~ utilised but
other effective ~hemical repellants ~ight al~o be
utilised. Chemical repellant 24 is ~ontained inside
cavity 33 by barrier 2G, whi~h is held in posltion by a
seal 27. ~arrier ~6 may conSist o~ a pi~e of pla~tic
or rubber material and may be seale~ by any effe~tive
seal a~ 27. In ~his particul~r embodi~ent, the b~rrier
26 and ~he seal 27 were constructe~ of wax to pro~ide
an effective barrier to keep the cheml~al repellant 24
from exiting the wildlife repellant uni~ 10 until
desired. ~ closure 16 is provided a~ the top of body 14
to close cavity 33 until wildlife repellant uni~ 1o is
activated. Closure lG ls ~ttached to body 14 at point
28 by ~ttachin~ means such as ~lue, silastic, rub~er, a
clip or any other e~fective attaching means. Closu~e
1~ may be sealed by a sealing means ~5 such as wax or
any other ef fective sealing means if deslred~
Figure 5 shows wildlife repellant unit 10 in posi~ion
between thumb 30 and forefingar 29 of an in~ividUal and
being a~ivatled. The ~perator presses thumb 30 and
forefinger 29 tog~ther to squeeze wildlif~ r~pel1ant
unit 10 ~s ~hown by arrows C and ~, ~herehy breakin~
the ~eal which holds closure 16 in position and
breaking internal barrie~ 2~ ~o ~llow o~our from
chemi~l repellant 24 ~herein to exit through hole 32
.
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and ~avity ~ of the unit.
Figure ~ shows the internal ~tructure of the wildlife
repellant unit 10 after activ~tion. ~hile opening 1~
is now show~ in Figure 6, t~le ~position of opening 1~ is
as shown in ~igure 4 of the drawings. Aft~r barrier 26
has been bro~en and is in po~i~ion as shown in Fi~ure
6, o~oUrs from chemical repe~llant ~4 are no longer
restrained from exi~ing wildllfe repellant unit lO. As
air enters wildlife repellan~ unit 10 through openin~
18, i~ picks up the repulsive odou~ from ~hemi~al
repellant 24 and exits through c~vity 33 and hole 32
as shown by lines 31.
T~le effectiveness of moVihg air thro~gh cavity 33 o~
body 14 is increased when body 14 of wildli~e repellant
unit lo is constru~te~ of ~ dark material. ~hen such ~
dark materia]. is utilised, the area ~etween opening 32
an~ opening ~ becomes similar to a chi~ney, ~ein~
~0 hea~ed by ~unlight, and as a result of the heat
~e~eloped therein, the wil~life repellant unit lO
begins to draw air into openin~g 18 and to press air out
through opening 32 in a thermosiphon fashion. ~hus,
the effectiveness of distributing ~he repulsive odour
in the air is much increased by ~he u~e of a darker
ma~erial.
While the foregoihg description of the invention has
shown a preferred embodiment using spe~ific term~ such
~escription is presente~ for illus~rative purposes
only.
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