Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to a method a~d composition for
the application of an anti-animal coating to woody articles
to pxevent destruction of the articles by animals.
Baekground of the In~ention
The destruction of bushes, shrubs, and trees in
residential areas, nurseries, tree farms, refores~ation
products, woods, and forests is an epidemic problem of
significant magnitude. The economic losses resulting from
chewing, grazing and feeding by animals is a world-wide
problem resulting in annual losses of millions of dollars.
Furthermore, when destruction occurs in residential areas,
nurseries, woods and forests, there is an aesthetic value
which i~ lost, as well.
Thus, there is a need for a p:roduct which is economical
; to use, and prevents the chewing and grazing of woody
articles by animals. There is a further need for a product
; which may be applied to materials which are misappropriated
~20 by animals for nests, bedding, etc.
In order to be an effective deterrent to animals, the
composition must have a foul taste which deters chewing or
gnawing of the wood or other material. The foul-tasting
composition must also be contained in a binder which easily
adheres to woody products, resists evaporation in hot and
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; humid weather, resists freezing in cold climates, and does
not readily wash off upon exposure to rain. Due to the
required large areas typically covered, the composition
must also be easily applied and economical to use. The
composition al50 must be nontoxic. The binder or the
repellent cannot harm either the woody articles it is
coated on or be toxic ~o the environment in the event the
composition washes off and/or evaporates. The coating and
method must also be safe from a humane standpoint.
Although the composition will not likely be consumed by
animals, small quantities could be ingested by the animals
and thus, it must be non-toxic in small quantities to
animals.
A coating composition and method of applying the
coating for ~he prevention of destruction of woody
materials by animals and blrds is disclosed. The coating
composition comprises:
a. an effective amount of a latex comprising 1
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to 60~ solids; and
b. an effective amount of anti-chewing agent.
The coating has the advantages of having a lingexing
- bitter taste animals and birds don't like, is non-volatile,
- 25 has effective adhesion to surfaces, is not subject to xain
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or snow wash-off and is subject to limited vaporization.
The composition may be applied in a single annual
application to seedlings and have multiple year efficacy on
mature trees. The composition may be applied to a wide
S variety of species of deciduous and conifer trees and
shrubs and is effective on a diverse range of forest
animals and birds.
Detailed Description of the ~n~e~tio~
This invention relates to the method and composition of
applying an anti-animal coating to woody articles such as
trees, bushes and shrubs. Typical trees include, but are
not limited to fruit and ornamental ~rees, apple trees,
cherry trees, peach trees, pine, willow, ash, birch, aspen,
maple, oak, walnut, balsam, cedar, spruce, citrus and nut
trees. ~ypical shrubs which may have the coating
composition of the present invention applied include, but
are no~ limited to amuar maple, russian olive, crab apple,
choke cherry, american plum, flame willow, golden willow,
laurel leaf willow, japanese tree lilac, pogoda dogwood,
juniperous chineisis, juniperous virginiana, juniperolls
: scopulorum, juniperous sabina, arboruithrough oxidentalis,
service berry, amelanchier species, glossy black choke
cherry, siberian pea shru~, grey dogwood, red twigged
; 25 dogwood, hazelnut, catonea, astor species, dwarf bush,
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honeysuckle, claney's dwarf honeysuckle, ninebark
potentella, sumak, nanking cherry, regosa rose, silver
buffaloberry, ash leaf spirea, anthow water spirea,
vanoutte spirea, lilacs airwood, viburnum, nanny berry
viburnum and american cranberry viburnum. The term ~woody
articles,l' for this invention, includes trees, bushes,
shrubs, woodchips, sawdu~t and also other materials animals
and birds chew on or misappropiate for nests or bedding
including insulation or other materials.
The invention is directed to the prevention of the
destruction of the woody articles by animals and birds such
; as rabbits, deer, beaver, woodpec3cers, s~uirrels, moose,
elk, porcupine, skunks, woodchuck, gophers, chipmunks,
; moles, mice, raccoons and other gxazing or chewing-type
animals. By the term 'ianimal" it is meant to include all
animals, birds ~nd insects which might chew, ingest or
misappropiate materials in an unwanted manner.
More particularly, the invention is directed to a novel
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composition and method of application which has unique
nontoxic adhesion prop0rties and has a bitter taste. The
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method and composition of the present invention comprises
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an adhesive latex containing a bitter tasting or foul
tasting component which repels animals when the composition
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~is tasted or ingested. The coating composition must be
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;~25 safe for ingestion by animals, it must have the properties
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necessary to adhere to various woody substrates and it must
retain its pxoperti2s of adhesion and bitter taste when
exposed to the elements. The composition generally
comprises a latex, a bitter or foul tasting compound, and
optionally surfactants, anti-foaming agents, dispersing
agents, thixotropes t wetting agents or other constituents
depending on th~ intended application.
The coating composition generally comprises an
effective amount of a latex comprising about 1-60% solids
and an effective amount of denatonium benzoate. Typically,
the coating composition comprises about 1-30 wt%,
preferably 3-20 wt% of a 0.05~ water base solution of
denatonium ~enzoate, with the remainder of the composition
~' being latex and water. A surfactant may be optionally
~ 15 added in an amount of about 2 - 20 wt%.
`''! The coating is applied to woody articles in a variety
of manners. Possible coating methods include spray
coating, brush coating, coating with a roller, applying by
hand with a glove and other typical coating methods such as
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automated coating systems typically used with painting and
adhesive applications. Aerial application, such as used in
crop dusting, is also a method of application which may be
effectively used for the present invention.
One preferred method is "dipping", which involves
dipping seedlings in the composition befoxe they are
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planted. The yollng seedlings thereafter are protected from
animals in their young, vulnerable stage.
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Latexes are emulsions, which are two phase systems
consisting of two immiscible liquids, the one being
dispersed as finite globules in the other. The dispersed,
discontinuous or internal phase is the liquid that is
broken up into globules. ~he surrounding liquid i~ known as
a continuous or external phase.
~; Emulsions can be thin or thick fluids, paste or gels.
The viscosity may be increased by adding thickeners or
gelling agents that are compatible with the emulsifier.
~ Viscosity may be decreased by increasing the proportion of
-9l~ ~ 15 the continuous phase or by the addition of various types of
i`9~ surface active a~ents.
Latexes which are useful for the present invention
; include generally any latex which results in an effective
coa~ing which adheres to woody articles. The latex needs
1 20 to also sufficiently bind the bitter tasting anti-chew
compound. Furthexmore, the latex must provide a viscosity
whlch is suitable for widespread application~and adhesion
to trees and shrubs.
Preferred latexes include, but are not limited to
esters of acrylic acid, vinyl acetate, styrene, esters of
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methyacrylic acid and b~tadiene. The preferred latex is
either a carboxylated styrene butadiene copolymer or a
vinyl acetate/butyl acrylate copolymer, which are
commercially available from a variety of latex producers.
A preferred latex is 76 RES 4150 carboxylated SBR emulsion,
commercially available from Unocal Chemicals Division.
;~ This emulsion has excellent adhesive characteristics and
has good water resistance. The most important
characteristics of the latex to be utilized are good water
resistance and good adhesive properties.
If an acrylic or vinyl acrylic copolymer latex is used,
the acrylic latex emulsion may comprise homopolymers of
lower alkyl esters of acrylic acid or an alpha-lower alkyl
acrylic acid, or copolymers thereof, that is polymers made
of two or more different acrylic acid esters and/or alpha-
lower alkyl acrylic acid esters. By "lower alkyl" it is
meant alkyl groups having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
~ypical lower alkyl groups include methyl, ethyl, propyl,
isopropyl and butyl. Preferably, any one of the numerous
commercially available acrylic latex emulsions may be used.
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This include~ the Rhoplex brand acrylic emulsions
~ commercially available from Rhom and Haas Co.; UCAR brand
-- acrylic latex emulsions, commercially available from Union
Carbide and acrylic emulsions available from Reichhold
Chemicals.
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Generally, latexes comprising 1 to 75~ solids are
useful for the present invention. Nore preferably, latexes
comprising 1 to 50% solids are useful. Nost preferably,
latexes having 3 to 30% solids are effective for the
present inv~n~ion.
The anti-chew compound can be any compound which is
sufficiently bitter and/or vile tasting that it acts as an
anti-chew repellant for animals. The compound denatonium
benzoate is a bitter substance which exhibits a vile taste
and a lingering after taste. To achieve the bitter tasting
effects, denatonium benzoate may be diluted significantly,
up to 1 part per 100 million parts diluent. Denatonium
benzoate has the following chemical formula:
,j C2H5
:; ~ CH3
----NHCOCH2 I+_cH2___ ( C~H5COO )
:: ~ 20 CH3 C2H5
Its chemical name is benzyldiethel [(2,6~
xylylcarbamoyl)methyl]~ammonium-benzoate). Denatonium
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` benzoate has the following toxicity acute oral rat LD50,
612mg/kg.
In the present invention, the denatonium benzoate used
is a 0.05~ solution diluted in a water base. Preferably, 1
to 30 wt% of the 0.05% denatonium benzoate solution may be
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used in the coating composition of th~ present invention.
More preferably, 3 to 20 wt~ of the 0.05% denatonium
benzoate solution is used. Most preferably, 6 to 10 wt% of
the 0.05% denatonium benzoate solution is used. The only
requirements of the den~onium benzoate is that the
concentration is sufficient such that it produces a vile
taste when animals chew on the coated ~oody article. Other
anti-chew compounds may be used such as denatonium
saccharide.
Surfactants
The composition of the present invention may include an
optional surfactant. The properties of the composition can
be enhanced or augmented using a variety of anionic,
nonionic, cationic, and amphoteric surfactants known in the
$~ art including sodium or potassium salts of fatty acids,
~,~ rosin acids, tall oil, alkyl benzene sulfonates, alkyl
sulfates, long chain acid esters of polyethylene glycols;
; polyethylene glycol ethers of alkyl phenols, polyethylene
glycol ethers of long chain alcohols and surfactants; fatty
- acid diethanol amids, block copolymexs of ethylene oxide
and propylene oxide.
Preferred surfactants for use with the present
invention include ethoxylated phenols, copolymers of
ethylene oxida and propylene oxide and polyethylene glycol
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ether~ of alkyl phenols or long chain fatty alcohols. The
alkoxylated alkyl phenols or the alkoxylated fatty alcohols
can contain from about 3 to about 40 moles of the alkylene
oxide, or mixtures thereof, in combination with one mole of
the alkyl phenol or fatty alcohol. Preferably, an ethylene
oxide surfactant, available under the trade name Igepal RC-
520 and commercially available from Rhone-Poulenc is used.
However other surfactants are useful with the present
- invention.
- 10 Preferably, the coating composition of the present
invention contains 1 to 25 wt% surfactant. Most
preferably, the coating composition of the present
invention contains 2 to 20 wt% of a surfactant.
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Dis~ersing aqents
Optionally, the composition of the present invention
may also contain a dispersing agent dispersed as an element
of the solid phase or dissolved dispersed as an elemen~ of
the liquid phase. The dispersing agent functions to
efficiently disperse the denatonium benzoate of the present
invention within the latex. The dispersing agen~ may also
be used to lower surface tension and modify rheology within
the system providing a composition which may be applied
easily to the intended substrates.
Solid and liquid dispersing agents which are exemplary
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of those useful in the present invention includes those
film forming agents having a dispersing character disclosed
as useful in the coating composition of the present
invention. Useful dispersing agents include colloidal
compositions such as casein, soybean protein, cellulosic
compositions such as carboxymethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl
starch and hydroxy ethyl starch; silicatesl such as sodium
ortho silicate, sodium metasilicate, sodium methyl
silicate, and sodium disilicate.
10In the coating composition of the present invention,
the concentration of the dispersing agent may vary from 0
wt-% to 5 wt-%, preferably from .5 to 4 wt-%, and most
preferably from 1 to 3 wt-%.
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~1~ 15Workin~__xample
The following working examples were formulated as shown
below.
Example 1
The preferred embodiment of the present invention
comprises the following composition:
Denatonium Benzoate(0.05~ solution) 8%
Latex (Res 4150) 45%
Surfactant (RC 250) 10%
Water 37%
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:; The above discussion, exa~ples and data illustrate our
: current understanding of the invention. However, since
many variations of the invention can be made without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the
invention resides wholly in the claims hereinafter
appended.
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