GB2502154A

GB2502154A - Elastic pest deterrent barrier

Info

Publication number: GB2502154A
Application number: GB201208846A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kevin Porter
Original assignee: Tecman Speciality Materials Ltd
Current assignee: Tecman Speciality Materials Ltd
Priority date: 2012-05-18
Filing date: 2012-05-18
Publication date: 2013-11-20
Anticipated expiration: 2032-05-18
Also published as: GB201208846D0; GB2502154B

Abstract

A pest deterrent barrier in the form of a flexible and elastic tape 10 has outer pest deterrent elements 14 supported on an elastic pressure sensitive adhesive layer 12 which flexes and stretches to conform to the shape of any article to which the tape is applied. The outer pest deterrent elements may comprise a plurality separate pest deterrent elements located adjacent each other in a longitudinal sense along the tape. The outer pest deterrent elements may be initially in contact with each other prior to the application of the tape to the article with the elements spacing apart from each other as the adhesive layer is stretched when it is applied to the article. The The outer pest deterrent elements may be made from a copper based material. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing such a pest deterrent barrier

Description

PEST DETERRENT BARRIERS

This invention relates to pest deterrent barriers and in particular, though not exclusively, to such barriers to deter attacks from slugs and snails.

It is known that plants can be protected from attacks from slugs and snails by the use of a copper barrier located around plants and their containers which deters the advances of slugs and snails and other gastropods.

Problems occur in providing such a copper barrier particularly when the containers in which such plants are planted are of tapering crass-section and it is therefore difficult to apply such a barrier in a neat and aesthetically pleasing manner.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a slug and snail deterrent barrier which can be easily applied around plant containers of all shapes and also a method of making such a barrier.

Thus according to the present invention there is provided a pest deterrent barrier in the form of a flexible and elastic tape having outer pest deterrent elements supported on an elastic pressure sensitive adhesive layer which flexes and stretches to conform to the shape of any article to which the tape is applied.

Conveniently the outer pest deterrent elements may comprise a plurality separate pest deterrent elements located adjacent each other in a longitudinal sense along the tape.

The outer pest deterrent elements may be initially in contact with each other prior to the application of the tape to the article with the elements spacing apart from each other as the adhesive layer is stretched when it is applied to the article.

Conveniently the tape may be supplied in a roll with a peel-off strip protecting the surface of the adhesive layer which is to adhere to the article.

The adhesive layer may be made from rubber or acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive.

The outer pest deterrent elements may be made from a copper based material.

The invention also provides a method of manufacturing a pest deterrent barrier, the method comprising:- -cutting through an outer pest deterrent material carried on one side on a support layer to divide the deterrent material into separate sections located adjacent each other in a longitudinal sense on the support layer, -applying to the other side of the cut pest deterrent material a continuous layer of elastic pressure sensitive adhesive with a peel-off protective strip which protects the surface of the adhesive layer which is to secure the tape in position on an article, and -removing the deterrent material support layer to complete the tape.

The foil may be cut by passing the pest deterrent material and support layer under a cutting wheel with circumferentially spaced cutting blades around its periphery, the blades cutting through the deterrent material without cutting through the support layer.

Conveniently, the deterrent material and support layer and the adhesive layer and tear-off protective strip are all initially several times wider than the required finished width of the tape and are divided into separate tapes after the cutting and applying of the adhesive backing layer.

The support layer for the deterrent material may be made from paper or polymeric film.

The deterrent material may be copper foil.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic plan view of a portion of pest deterrent in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 shows a section on line A-A of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a plan view of part of the tape of Figure 1 after it has been stretch an applied to an article; Figure 4 shows a section on line B-B of Figure 3; Figure 5 shows diagrammatically a length of tape of Figure 1 applied to a tapering plant pot; Figure 6 shows a length of tape of Figure 1 partly stretch ready to apply to an article; Figures 7a to 7f show examples of alternative cutting patterns suitable for use on a tape in accordance with the present invention; Figure 8 shows diagrammatically an apparatus for making the tape of Figure 1, and Figure 9 shows a plan view of the apparatus of Figure 9.

Referring to the drawings, a pest deterrent tape 10 has an outer pest deterrent layer 11 supported on an elastic pressure sensitive adhesive layer 12 which has a peel-off strip 13 which protects the surface of the adhesive layer 12 which is applied to the article on which the tape is to be mounted.

Typically the pest deterrent layer 11 is formed from a copper based material such as copper foil and the pressure sensitive adhesive layer 12 is made from rubber or acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive material. The peel off strip 13 can conveniently be formed from a hard paper or polymeric film material.

As can be seen from figures 1 and 2, when the tape is in its unused condition the pest deterrent layer 11 comprises a series of transversely extending copper strips 14 with the edges of adjacent strips contacting each other.

When the tape is applied to an article, for example a flower pot 15 in which a plant 16 is planted, the tape is stretched slightly as shown in figures 3 and 4 so that the strips of copper foil 14 which typically have a width W of 2 mms are spaced from each other say by 1mm as shown in figures 3 and 4. This stretching of the pressure sensitive adhesive layer 12 allows the tape to conform to the tapering form of the flower pot with the spaces between the strips 14 at the upper edge of the tape being correspondingly wider than the spaces between the strips 14 at the lower edge of the tape to accommodate the taper of the pot. The tape can therefore be easily applied to the flower pot without any wrinkles or overlaps and provides a very pleasant visual appearance to enhance the overall appearance of the flower pot which leaves all the strips 14 exposed to repel the slugs and snails.

As will be appreciated other types of cutting pattern can be applied to the copper foil layer 11 and examples of such an alternate forms are shown in the figures 7a to 7f.

All these alternative cutting patterns for the copper foil pest deterrent layer 11 are arranged so that adjacent elements of the copper foil contact each other when the tape is not being used and are spaced from each other when the pressure sensitive adhesive layer 12 is stretched to accommodate any taper or other shaped configurations of the pot to which the tape is applied.

Figures 8 and 9 show diagrammatically an apparatus on which the tape of the form shown in figures 1 to 6 can be manufactured.

To ease manufacture, several tapes are manufactured simultaneously. For example, as can be seen from figure 9, four tapes can A, B, C and D, are manufactured simultaneously by using material which is four times the width of the required finished tape.

Initially the copper foil layer 11 is mounted on a self-adhesive stiff paper backing 18 by passing between rollers 19 and 20. The material then passes between a cutting roller 22 which has circumferentially arranged knives 23 thereon and a support roller 24. The knives 23 are spaced apart to provide the 2mm wide strips 14 of the tape and the length of the knives in a radial sense is sufficient to cut through the copper foil 11 but not through the hard support paper layer 18. Typically each tape A, B, C and D is 38 mm wide. The material then pass through between rollers 25 and 26 where the layer 12 of pressure sensitive adhesive with its tear off protective strip 13 is applied to the surface 29 of the copper foil 17.

The next stage in the process is for the hard paper/film backing layer 18 to be removed from the copper foil layer 17 which is done by pulling the backing layer down away from foil 11 after passing between rollers 31. The tape now consists of the outer copper foil layer 11, the pressure sensitive adhesive layer 12 and the peel off strip 13. The tapes A, B, C and D are then slit into separate strips using linear slitting blades 32 or similar tools and coiled into continuous rolls of finished tape as indicated at 33.

If any of the alternative cutting patterns shown in Figures 7a to 7f are used then an appropriate knife pattern is used on the cutting roller 22.

The present invention thus provides a simple but effective pest deterrent tape construction and a method of manufacturing such a tape.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A pest deterrent barrier in the form of a flexible and elastic tape having outer pest deterrent elements supported on an elastic pressure sensitive adhesive layer which flexes and stretches to conform to the shape of any article to which tape is applied.
2. A barrier according to claim 1 in which the outer pest deterrent elements comprise a plurality of separate deterrent elements which are located adjacent to each other in a longitudinal sense.
3. A barrier according to claim 2 in which the outer pest deterrent elements are initially in contact with each other prior to the application of the tape to the article with the elements spacing apart from each other as the adhesive layer is stretched when it is applied to the article.
4. A barrier according to claim 2 or 3 in which the outer pest deterrent elements comprise strips which extend generally transverse to the direction of extensions of the tape.
5. A barrier according to any one of claims 1 to 4 in which the tape is supplied in a roll with a peel-off strip protecting the surface of the adhesive layer which is to adhere to the article.
6. A barrier according to any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the adhesive layer is made from rubber or acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive material.A barrier according to any one of claims 1 to 6 in which the outer pest deterrent elements are made from a copper based material.
7. A method of manufacturing a pest deterrent barrier tape, the method comprising:- -cutting through an outer pest deterrent material carried on one side on a support layer to divide the deterrent material into separate sections located adjacent each other in a longitudinal sense on the support layer, -applying to the other side of the cut pest deterrent material a layer of elastic pressure sensitive adhesive with a peel-off protective strip which protects the surface of the adhesive layer which is to secure the tape in position on an article, and -removing the support layer from the deterrent material to complete the tape.
8. A method according to claim 7 in which the deterrent material is cut by passing the material and support layer under a cutting wheel with circumferentially spaced cutting blades around its periphery, the blades cutting through the deterrent material without cuffing through the support layer.
9. A method according to claim 7 or 8 in which the deterrent material and support layer and the adhesive layer and peel-off protective strip are all initially several times wider than the required finished width of the tape and are divided into separate tapes after the cuffing and applying of the adhesive backing layer.
10. A method according to anyone of claims 7 to 9 in which the support layer for the deterrent material is made from paper or polymeric film.
11. A method according to any one of claims 7 to 10 in which the adhesive layer is made from rubber or acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive.
12. A method according to any one of claims 7 to 11 in which the deterrent material is copper based material.
13. A pest deterrent barrier constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.