CA2043202C - Wildlife repellant unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A wildlife repellant unit is provided which is constructed of a substantially cylindrical tube having a cavity therein into which chemical repellant is placed, further having a barrier positioned inside the cavity to restrain the chemical wildlife repellant from deteriorating until activation, and further including a pair of openings positioned above the barrier to facilitate movement of air, thereby distributing the repulsive odours of the chemical repellant once the unit is activated. The body of the wildlife repellant unit may be constructed of a strong yet pliable material such as rubber or plastic so that, when it is pressed between the thumb and the forefinger, the barrier can be broken and the wildlife repellant unit activated. A clip is also provided to facilitate attachment of the wildlife repellant unit to a limb of a tree, thereby facilitating use of the wildlife repellant unit.

Description

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 2 ~ h 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 : . ' ''" ', ~ ' ~:, -:

. ~Q71 831 1446 ~IILLIAMS PO~IELL ~ AL~..
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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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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 ~ . , : . . . ~ , ." . " ' ' , ' .'.' '' " " ' 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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6 ~ $~ ii $ij 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 .

24/~5 '61 14 ~4 ~S~)71 ~31 144B ~IILLIAMS PO~IELL ~ ALEX E MACRAE CO ~ 3 'J
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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Claims (3)

1. A wildlife repellant unit comprising:
a hollow tubular body constructed of a substantially flexible material, having:
a top end;
a bottom end:
a cavity therein;
a first opening positioned at said top end and a second opening positioned between said top end and said bottom end:
wildlife repellant material positioned inside of said cavity of said body below said second opening of said body; and a flexible barrier frangibly positioned inside said cavity between said second opening of said body and said wildlife repellant material creating a sealed section of said wildlife repellant unit.

2. A wildlife repellant unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said body is constructed of material sufficiently dark to absorb sufficient heat from sunlight to heat air inside said cavity with resulting movement of air into said second opening through said cavity and out of said first opening.

3. A wildlife repellant unit as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein said barrier consists substantially of a wax seal.