THREADED ADAPTOR FOR A REMOVABLE TORCH AND METHOD OF USING SAME

ADAPTATEUR FILETE POUR CHALUMEAU AMOVIBLE ET METHODE D'UTILISATION

English Abstract

A spout system for collecting sap from a tree and
directing the sap to a sap collecting line. The spout
system comprises a spout having a spout portion at a first
end thereof adapted to be received in a borehole in a tree
trunk for collecting sap therefrom. An outlet at a second
end thereof is connected to an adapter. The spout defines a
passageway extending between the spout portion and the
outlet for sap circulation therethrough. The adapter has at
a first end thereof an inlet for being matingly engaged with
the spout and in fluid communication with the passageway, a
fitting at a second end thereof, the fitting being adapted
for being connected to the sap collecting line. The adapter
is detachable from the spout and sealable so as to remain
connected to the sap collecting line when the spout is
disconnected from the sap collecting line.

Claims

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CLAIMS:
1. A spout system for collecting sap from a tree and
directing said sap to a sap collecting line, comprising:
a spout having a spout portion at a first end thereof
adapted to be received-in a borehole in a tree trunk for
collecting sap therefrom, an outlet at a second end thereof
for being connected to an adapter, said spout defining a
passageway extending between said spout portion and said
outlet for sap circulation therethrough;
said adapter having at a first end thereof an inlet for
being matingly engaged with said spout and in fluid
communication with said passageway, a fitting at a second
end thereof, said fitting being adapted for being connected
to said sap collecting line, said adapter being detachable
from said spout and sealable so as to remain connected to
said sap collecting line when said spout is disconnected
from said sap collecting line.
2. The spout system according to claim 1, further
comprising a line connector having a body defining a hollow
cavity, at least two fittings projecting from said body,
passageways between said fittings and said hollow cavity, a
first of said fittings adapted for being connected to said
fitting of said adapter by a tubing for sap flow connection
between said adapter portion and said line connector
portion, at least a second of said fittings adapted for
being connected to said sap collecting line, and a plug
portion projecting from said body, said plug portion being
adapted for sealingly receiving said inlet of said adapter
portion when said adapter is detached from said spout.
3. The spout system according to claim 1, wherein
said outlet of said spout is threaded and said inlet of said
adapter is correspondingly threaded for mating threaded
engagement therebetween.

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4. The spout system according to claim 3, wherein
said adapter has a pair of wings for facilitating said the
screwing and torquing of said adapter to said spout.
5. The spout system according to claim 1, wherein
said fitting of said adapter comprises a plurality of
radially projecting ribs for sealingly receiving tubing
thereon.
6. The spout system according to claim 1, wherein
said spout has a knob for receiving impacts to drive said
spout portion of said spout in said borehole of said tree.
7. The spout system according to claim 1, wherein
said spout portion of said spout defines a generally
cylindrical shape with a tapered end.
8. A spout adapter for connecting a sap collecting
line to a spout collecting sap from a tree, comprising:
an adapter having an inlet at a first end thereof adapted
for being matingly engaged with said spout and in fluid
communication therewith, a fitting at a second end thereof
adapted for being connected to a tubing, said adapter having
a passageway extending between said inlet and said fitting,
said passageway being adapted for sap circulation
therethrough; and
a line connector comprising a body having a hollow cavity,
at least two fittings projecting from said body, passageways
between said fittings and said hollow cavity, a first of
said fittings adapted for being connected to said tubing for
sap flow connection between said adapter and said line
connector, at least a second of said fittings adapted for
being connected to said sap collecting line, and a plug
portion projecting from said body, said plug portion being
adapted for sealingly receiving said inlet of said adapter
when said adapter is detached from said spout.

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9. The spout adapter according to claim 8, wherein
said line connector has two fittings connected to said sap
collecting line so as to be serially connected to at least
another spout adapter.
10. The spout adapter according to claim 8, wherein
said fittings of said line connector and said adapter each
comprise a plurality of radially projecting ribs for
sealingly securing tubing thereto.
11. The spout adapter according to claim 10, wherein
said plug portion defines a generally cylindrical body
having a tapered end.
12. The spout adapter according to claim 8, wherein
said inlet of said adapter is threaded for mating threaded
engagement with said spout.
13. A method for disconnecting a sap collecting system
from a spout in a tree, said sap collecting spout system of
the type wherein a spout is secured in a borehole in a tree,
said spout being connected to a sap collecting line by a
tubing having at an end a line connector having a plug
portion and linking said tubing to said sap collecting line;
and a spout adapter at an opposed end linking said tubing to
said spout, said method comprising the steps of:
i) disconnecting said spout adapter from said spout; and
ii) plugging said spout adapter by engaging it on said plug
portion of said line connector, whereby said spout adapter
portion remains on site and said sap collecting line is
sealed at said spout adapter.
14. The method according to claim 13, further
comprising the step of (iii) removing said spout from said
borehole in said tree, whereby said spout can be stored off-
site.

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15. The method according to claim 14, wherein steps
(ii) and (iii) are inverted.
16. The method according to claim 14, wherein step
(iii) includes injecting a cleaner fluid in said sap
collecting line prior to plugging said spout adapter.

Description

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SPOUT SYSTEM FOR HARVESTING
SAP AND METHOD OF USE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to tree
sap harvesting and, more particularly, to a spout system for
collecting sap.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Sap harvesting methods have evolved from mostly
manual operations to become generally automated sap
collecting systems. Traditionally, sap was collected by
having buckets hanging underneath spouts inserted in tree
trunks of trees, such as maples . The sap was then gathered
from the buckets and brought to a central shed, wherein
syrup and sugar was produced.
In order to minimize labour operations, collecting
line networks have been provided in groves in order to
collect or pump sap from the trees and convey the sap to the
central shed. For instance, Canadian Patent No. 1,158,868,
issued on December 20, 1983 to Foote et al. and Canadian
Patent No. 1,227,043, issued on September 22, 1987 to Lamb
both describe such spout network collecting systems. Both
these patents disclose spouts connected to a collecting line
network, the spouts being removable from the tree trunks and
sealable so as to close the network from bacteria
infiltration. The network thus becomes a closed system and
may be kept in the grove during the off-seasons (i.e.
summer, fall and part of the winter). This closing-off of
the collection line network is thus particularly important.
If the collection line network required to be removed, fully
re-installing it prior to harvesting would involve a
substantial amount of labour.
Dried sap accumulates on the exterior surface of
the spouts . The exterior surface of the spout is in direct
contact with the cortex of the tree. When the spout remains
on the collecting line network in the off-seasons, the risk

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of bacteria development with the dried sap is increased.
Therefore, cleaning and even sterilizing of the spouts is
recommended. In fact, sterilized spouts may increase by up
to 15 to 20o the sap harvesting of a tree. A
paraformaldehyde treatment sterilizes the spouts on site,
but may have a negative effect on the parenchyma of the
tree, thereby enhancing the blight of the tree.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a spout system
having spouts removable from the collecting line network in
order for them to be sterilized and stored during the off-
season. This would also protect the spouts from rodents.
It would however be required to seal the spoutless ends of
the collecting lines for them to remain installed to the
line network in the groves.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a feature of the present invention to
provide a spout system having spouts which are easily
removable from a sap collecting line network.
It is a further feature of the present invention
to provide a method of removing the above described spouts
from the sap collecting line network.
According to the above feature of the present
invention, and from a broad aspect thereof, the present
invention provides a spout system for collecting sap from a
tree and directing the sap to a sap collecting line. The
spout system comprises a spout having a spout portion at a
first end thereof adapted to be received in a borehole in a
tree trunk for collecting sap therefrom. An outlet at a
second end thereof is connected to an adapter. The spout
defines a passageway extending between the spout portion and
the outlet for sap circulation therethrough. The adapter
has at a first end thereof an inlet for being matingly
engaged with the spout and in fluid communication with the
passageway, a fitting at a second end thereof, the fitting
being adapted for being connected to the sap collecting
line. The adapter is detachable from the spout and sealable

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so as to remain connected to the sap collecting line when
the spout is disconnected from the sap collecting line.
According to a further broad aspect of the present
invention there is provided a spout adapter for connecting a
sap collecting line to a spout collecting sap from a tree.
The spout adapter comprises an adapter having an inlet at a
first end thereof adapted for being matingly engaged with
the spout and in fluid communication therewith. A fitting
at a second end thereof is adapted for being connected to a
tubing. The adapter has a passageway extending between the
inlet and the fitting. The passageway is adapted for sap
circulation therethrough. A line connector comprises a body
having a hollow cavity, a plurality of fittings projecting
from the body, passageways between the fittings and the
hollow cavity. A first of the fittings is adapted for being
connected to the tubing for sap flow connection between the
adapter and the line connector. Other fittings are adapted
for being connected to the sap collecting line. A plug
portion projects from the body. The plug portion is adapted
for sealingly receiving the inlet of the adapter when the
adapter is detached from the spout.
According to a still further broad aspect of the
present invention there is provided a method for
disconnecting a sap collecting system from a spout in a
tree. The sap collecting spout system is of the type
wherein a spout is secured in a borehole in a tree, the
spout being connected to a sap collecting line by a tubing
having at an end a line connector having a plug portion and
linking the tubing to the sap collecting line, and a spout
adapter at an opposed end linking the tubing to the spout .
The method comprising the steps of (i) disconnecting the
spout adapter from the spout; and (ii) plugging the spout
adapter by engaging it on the plug portion of the line
connector, whereby the spout adapter portion remains on site
and the sap collecting line is sealed at the spout adapter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

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A preferred embodiment of the present invention
will now be described in detail having reference to the
accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a branch line and
spout secured to a collecting line system of the present
invention for sap harvesting;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the spout system
sealed during the off-season;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a line connector
of the spout system;
Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the line connector;
Fig. 5 is a rear elevational view of the line
connector;
Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the line
connector;
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the spout;
Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the spout;
Fig. 9 is a rear elevational view of the spout;
Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the spout
taken along cross-section line 10-10 of Fig. 7;
Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a spout adapter
of the spout system;
Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the spout
adapter taken along cross-section line 12-12 of Fig. 11;
Fig. 13 is a rear elevational view of the spout
adapter; and
Fig. 14 is a side elevational view of the spout
adapter.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings and more particularly to
Fig. 1, the spout system of the present invention is
generally shown at 10. For simplicity purposes, the spout
system 10 is illustrated with one branch line 12 connected
to a main sap collecting line 14. It is pointed out that a
plurality of such branch lines 12 are connected thereto to
form a sap collecting line network. The branch line 12 is

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connected to the sap collecting line 14 through a line
connector 16. On the opposed end of the branch line 12 is a
spout adapter 18 to which is connected a spout 20. The
spout 20 is mounted in a borehole in the trunk or lower
portion of a tree, and this will be described hereinafter.
Referring now to Figs. 3 to 6, the line connector
16 is shown having a generally cubic body 22. Fittings 24
and 26 project outwardly from opposed side surfaces of the
cubic body 22, and a fitting 28 projects from a bottom
surface of the cubic body 22. The fittings 24, 26 and 28
each comprise ribs 24A, 26A and 28A, respectively, so as to
be adapted for receiving tubing thereon in press-fit. As
best seen in Fig. 5, the fittings 24, 26 and 28 are
interrelated by a T-shaped passageway 30, through which a
fluid may circulate.
Referring to Fig. 1, the line connector 16 is
shown having the sap collecting line 14 connected to the
fittings 24 and 26, whereas the branch line 12 is connected
to the fitting 28. The sap collecting line 14 and the
branch line 12 are preferably flexible plastic tubing.
Plastic tubing is well-adapted to be used as sap collecting
line. As the plastic tubing is resilient, its connection to
fittings having ribs (such as ribs 24A of fitting 24) is
easily achieved by forcing it over the fitting, whereby the
junction therebetween is watertight. It is pointed out,
however, that other types of conduits may be used for the
sap collecting lines 14 and the branch line 24. A solid
plug 32 projects outwardly from a front surface of the cubic
body 22. The plug 32 has a tapered end 34. The line
connector 16 may consist of various materials; such as
moldable plastics, metal, etc.
Referring now to Figs. 7 to 10, the spout 20 is
shown having a generally cubic body 36. The cubic body has
four rounded edges 38 to ensure the safe handling thereof.
A knob 40 projects outwardly from a rear surface of the
cubic body 36, whereas a tapered spout portion 42 projects
from a front surface thereof. A tapped cylinder portion 44

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projects from a bottom surface of the cubic body 36. As
best seen in Fig. 10, a passageway 46 is defined extending
from the tapped cylinder portion 44 to the tapered spout
portion 42.
The spout 20 is adapted to be inserted in a
borehole drilled in a tree, such as a maple tree. The
borehole is made in the tree trunk and the tapered spout
portion 42 of the spout 20 is inserted therein. Therefore,
the knob 40 is adapted for the spout 20 to be hammered in
the borehole B. Thus, the spout 20 consists of a material
capable of withstanding the impacts of a hammer and of being
forcibly inserted in the borehole of the tree trunk. As
seen in Fig. 10, once the spout 20 is installed in the
borehole B, the tapered spout portion 42 reaches the cortex
C of the tree, whereby sap flowing in the cortex C may be
collected by the spout 20 through the passageway 46.
Referring now to Figs. 11 to 14, the spout adapter
18 is shown in detail. The spout adapter 18 has a generally
cylindrical body 48 defining a passageway 50. A first end
portion of the cylindrical body 48 comprises threads 52,
whereas the other portion of the cylindrical body 48 has
ribs 54 thereon. The ribs 54 portion and the threads 52
portion are separated by a pair of wings 56. The spout
adapter 18 is adapted for being engaged to the spout 20 by
means of the threads 52 being correspondingly received in
the tapped cylinder portion 44 of the spout 20, as shown in
Fig. 1. The opposed end, comprising the ribs 54, is mounted
to the branch line 12, as described above. The wings 56 are
provided for torquing the screwing of the spout adapter 18
in the spout 20. Accordingly, the spout 18 may easily be
attached to or separated from the spout 20.
Referring now to Fig. 2, the spout system 10 of
the present invention is shown in its off-season
configuration. Accordingly, the spout adapter 18 is removed
from the spout 20. The spout adapter 18 is received on the
solid plug 32 of the line connector 16 through its
passageway 50. The tapered end 34 of the plug 32 ensures

CA 02292873 2001-07-11
the complete sealing of the connection between the spout
adapter 18 and the line connector 16. Therefore, the branch
line 12 forms a closed loop, thereby preventing infiltration
of bacteria therein. Furthermore, water may be blown
through the lines prior to closing off the branch lines 12
on the plugs 32 in order to empty or flush the lines of sap
residues. Following the water cleaning of the various
branch lines 12 and the sap collecting line l4, the closing
off of the various branch lines ensures the tidiness and
cleanliness of the system.
Advantageously, the spouts 20 may be removed from
the boreholes B on the trees in order to be stored during
off-season. This permits the cleaning and sterilizing of
the inside and the outside of the spouts 20, and greatly
reduces the risks of infection between a spout 20 and a
borehole in a tree at the next insertion and consequently
lower yield. Furthermore, removing the spouts 20 prevents
the clogging of the boreholes B, which causes the premature
stoppage of the spring flow of sap.
It is within the ambit of the present invention to
cover any obvious modifications of the embodiments described
herein, provided such modifications fall within the scope of
the appended claims.

Representative Drawing