AU2018100544A4 - Livestock resistant tree guard - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract The livestock resistant tree guard is constructed of high tensile wire of any composition and has three main components. 1 The lateral or line-wires (1), the ends of which are provided with a means of fastening (2) to the opposite end of nearby line-wires 2 The trussed wire-forms (3) which comprise the barbs (5) 3 The method of joining (4) said trussed wire-forms to said line wires. The livestock resistant tree guard comprises a series of near-horizontal line-wires spaced apart by wire form trusses attached in a way that allows said wire-form trusses to hinge on said line-wires. The line wires are provided with fasteners not limited to hooks and loops on their ends which allow the line wires to securely couple to the opposite end of nearby line-wires when the livestock resistant tree guard is wrapped to form a cylinder. When wrapped and secured, the line-wires form a continuous single or double helix spring extending the height of the guard. The wire-form trusses both space the line-wires apart and provide and comprise barbs that project outward, away from the guard. When said guard is folded for transit or storage, the barbs tuck inward and away from unintended contact for safety. The method of connecting said line wires to said wire form trusses currently comprises but is not limited to a rolled metal clip, wound coil of wire, short section of tube or combination thereof.

Description

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

STANDARD PATENT

LIVESTOCK RESISTANT TREE GUARD

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it, known to me: Andrew Leyland Humphreys

2018100544 26 Apr 2018

LIVESTOCK RESISTANT TREE GUARD

Protecting trees from farm livestock has always been a difficult problem. Trees can be beneficial to livestock welfare, diversity and overall farm health and productivity, but an efficient way to protect vulnerable trees from livestock is lacking. The livestock resistant tree guard described here is designed to protect trees alongside livestock as an easy use tool for integrating horticulture into grazing areas.

Livestock are often large powerful animals, so tree guards designed to protect against them are solid, robust and very well anchored to resist pushing and rubbing forces, and hence are time consuming and expensive to erect.

Barbed wire has been successful at segregating livestock from crops but the multiple angle barbs can be detrimental to stock welfare, with animals becoming entangled. These multiple barb angles would be hazardous to wildlife and livestock if applied to a mesh. The livestock resistant tree guard described here is a barbed mesh specifically designed to wrap around trees, comprising barbs pointing only outward at a downward pitch, with no upward or inward pointing projections or barbs, to act as a non-entangling deterrent to livestock and wild animals commonly found in rural situations.

Being a physical deterrent means the livestock resistant tree guard described here can be made of less rugged materials with reduced anchorage requirements than commonly used. The folding nature of the livestock resistant tree guard ensures safe and compact transit, handling and storage as the barbs tuck inward, away from contact when folded. These barbed and folding features as well as the construction and chosen materials make for quicker, cheaper, safer, more durable and easier protection of trees on farms or in situations where wild or domestic animals damage trees.

2018100544 26 Apr 2018

2018100544 26 Apr 2018

Editorial Note 2018100544

There is one page of claims only

2018100544 26 Apr 2018

Claims (5)

1. Claims

   1 The livestock resistant tree guard is an expanding wire mesh, barbed on one side only and specifically designed to wrap without permanent deformation to form a cylindrical tree guard.
2. 2 The livestock resistant tree guard is a wire mesh provided with connectors built into the ends of the line-wires for the purpose of securing said line-wires to opposing ends of adjacent said line-wires such that when wrapped into a cylinder and secured, said line-wires form a continuous single or double helix spring.
3. 3 The livestock resistant tree guard is a barbed wire mesh tree guard designed to concertina-fold for compact transit and storage.
4. 4 The livestock resistant tree guard comprises triangular wire-form trusses located between said linewires, with the ends of said wire-form trusses comprising the barbs such that when concertina-folded, said barbs tuck away for safe handling and when erected, said barbs point only in an outward direction at a downward pitch for livestock and pruning safety.
5. 5 The method of joining said line-wires to said wire-form trusses can comprise but is not limited to a metal clip that forms a flexible joint allowing sufficient relative movement between said wire-form trusses and said line-wires such that the livestock resistant tree guard can deform with an applied force and spring back automatically to its original dimensions upon removal of the applied force.

   2018100544 26 Apr 2018

   Editorial Note 2018100544

   There are two pages of drawings only

   2018100544 26 Apr 2018

   2018100544 26 Apr 2018