FR2507438A1 - Capillary-type portable herbicide applicator - has pair of orthogonal tubular liquid reservoirs with elongate felt pad held in slot in lower one - Google Patents

Abstract

The herbicide applicator has a tubular element defining a vertical reservoir (1) for the liq. and a horizontal tubular element (3) fixed to the lower end to define an auxiliary reservoir. The two ends of the auxiliary reservoir are closed by caps (4) one of which can be removed to insert or remove a capillary element (5) which fits into a slot formed longitudinal along the reservoir. The capillary element is gripped by a pair of jaws and is an elongate feld pad through which the herbicide is drawn as the applicator is drawn across the surface to be treated.

Description

PORTABLE CAPILLARITY-SPREADING DEVICE
LIQUID HERBICIDE
The present invention relates to apparatus for spreading liquid herbicide.

 In known devices of this kind, there is an apparatus comprising a handle serving as a reservoir and terminating in the lower part in Y, the ends of which are connected by a cord. This device has a drawback in the distribution of the liquid on the rope, in fact, the supply of the rope by its two ends causes an under-dosage in the middle and an over-dosage at the ends. A second drawback lies in the presence of a column of water in the handle, causing sometimes heavy dripping at the level of the string, and an irregularity in flow, the latter being proportional to the height of said column of water.

 The present device makes it possible to avoid these drawbacks and to spread the herbicide rationally on the surfaces to be weeded. It allows selective weeding with a foliar and systemic herbicide.

 The device which is the subject of the invention has the general shape of an inverted T. I1 comprises a handle forming the reservoir, its lower part is fixed perpendicularly to a second reservoir. The liquid weedkiller product is poured into the handle and accumulates in the lower reservoir soaking a strip of absorbent material which is housed in a slot in said reservoir, distributing the liquid by capillarity over the plants to be destroyed.

 The absorbent material consists of an industrial felt with a specific weight of 0.5, which can be replaced by any other product whose capillary action would ensure, depending on requirements, a certain flow-to-surface ratio to be treated.

 The appended figures illustrate by way of nonlimiting example an embodiment of the device and will make the invention better understood together with the text below.

 FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section of the lower reservoir, along the axis AA shown in FIG. 3.

 FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the lower part of the device, along the axis BB shown in FIG. 3.

 Figure 3 shows a perspective of the entire device.

 As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the device comprises a handle forming a reservoir 1 provided in the upper part with a screw cap 2 and fixed in the lower part on a horizontal reservoir 3, preferably forming a right angle , by any suitable means, such as welding. Said horizontal reservoir 3 has at its two ends a screw cap 4, provided with a seal, to allow the change of the felt 5 positioned in the longitudinal slot 6 of the reservoir 3.

 The reservoir 1 has in the lower part a transverse partition 7 comprising a central opening 8, which lets the liquid pass. On the partition 7 is placed a pad 11 of felt so as to regulate the flow of liquid from the reservoir 1 to the reservoir 3.

 The liquid stored in the reservoir 1 is partially retained by a transverse partition 7, which has an orifice 8 allowing the product to flow to the felt 5.

Said partition 7 carries part of the weight of the liquid contained in the column of the reservoir I regulating the weight of the water on the felt.

 The felt 5 is slid into the longitudinal slot 6 by one of the ends of the reservoir 3, after having previously removed a plug 4 and is pinched by the two jaws 9 of the slot 6. The felt 5 is passed over the grasses to be eliminated and the friction calls up the product by capillary action as the said herbs are moistened.

 The felt 5 having a part inside and the other outside the horizontal reservoir 3 forms an angle of 459 with the axis of the handle, but said felt can be positioned differently depending on the intended uses. ; such as opposite the axis of the handle, or even on the upper part of the tank since it operates by capillary action.

 According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reservoir 1 formed by the handle will be replaced by a single horizontal reservoir 3 provided with a plug 10.

 According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the tank 3 instead of being connected to a handle, will be mounted in one or more copies on a rolling support, such as a mini-wheelbarrow for market gardeners or carried behind a tractor for the 'Agriculture.

 The device which is the subject of the invention is intended for spreading weed killer, but can be used to pass any other product such as insecticides.

Claims (5)

1) Device for weeding- selectively with products  liquids for small or large areas, characterized in  that a handle used as a reservoir has its lower end  fixed on a horizontal tank which has a  longitudinal slot and a plug at each end, one  of the two plugs is removed to slide a material  having a capillary structure in said slot of the  horizontal tank and said material is held by two  jaws. 2) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that  the reservoir formed by the handle has partly lower  a transverse partition with a central opening  retaining part of the mass of the liquid contained in  said tank. 3) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that  the capillary material is positioned over the entire length  from the horizontal tank slot. 4) Device according to claims 1 and 3, characterized in  what the capillary material forming a strip is taken  between two jaws. 5) Device according to all of claims 1 r 2, 3 and 4,  characterized in that it can only include a reser  see horizontal with a plug.