Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Designated organic active ingredient containing – Ketone doai
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-05
2003-06-10
Pryor, Alton N. (Department: 1616)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Designated organic active ingredient containing
Ketone doai
C514S690000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06576673
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process for deterring woodpeckers from wood poles, including those sections of the pole repaired as a result of previous woodpecker damage.
Woodpeckers destroy tens of thousands of wood power and telephone poles annually and are the primary cause of above-ground wood pole damage. While hundreds of different chemicals have been tried in an effort to deter woodpeckers from wood poles, none have proven effective in deterring one of the largest of these birds, the Pileated woodpecker. Of the wood pole structures damaged by woodpeckers, the larger and more expensive wood high tension electric transmission line structures are particularly vulnerable to Pileated woodpecker attack.
In the Tomlinson, Sr. et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,227, a chemical compound Isophorone (3,5,5-trimethyl-2-cyclohexen-one-1) was painted or applied to a surface of a utility pole and was effective in repelling woodpeckers. The tests were performed on the smaller golden fronted adult woodpeckers. Tomlinson, Sr. et al. also reported that the amount of ketonic compound sufficient to repel woodpeckers is within the range of 0.5 to 3 ounces per square foot of surface. If the compound is encapsulated, the amount of compound can be reduced, for example, to 0.1 ounce per square foot of surface.
A paint was developed, under an exclusive license to the above referenced Tomlinson technology, that incorporates micro-capsules of Isophorone in an acrylic emulsion. This paint, described in my prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/480,352, “Process for In-situ Treatment of Wood Poles”, containing 70-80% Isophorone; 8-20% acrylic resin solution; 5-10% paraffin wax; 4-8% clay thickener and 1-2% of a floculated silica thickener, is used to reactivate existing preservatives in the wood.
A four year field evaluation program involving numerous electric utilities throughout the United States was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of the Tomlinson, Sr. paint in deterring woodpeckers from transmission line structures. As part of this evaluation, previously woodpecker damaged sections of poles were painted. The total concentration of Isophorone chemical compound was approximately 2 ounces per square foot of surface. Because the micro-capsules of Isophorone were adhered to the wood surface by the acrylic resin, the greatest concentration of the chemical compound resided at or near the surface. After approximately 3-4 years, each pole that had been treated with the paint was evaluated to determine its effectiveness in deterring further woodpecker activity. Results of this field evaluation showed the paint to be effective in reducing further activity by the smaller woodpeckers, however, it did not deter the larger Pileated woodpeckers.
One possible explanation presented for these results is the differing pecking mechanisms employed by different size woodpeckers. Observations indicate that the smaller, less-powerful woodpeckers require a higher number of pecks to penetrate the wood, while the larger, more powerful Pileated woodpeckers are able to rip the wood with a minimal number of pecks, removing sections as large as ½″ thick and 4-6″ in length. In summary, it appears that the high repetition—low power pecking technique employed by smaller woodpeckers ruptures a sufficient number of micro-capsules on the wood's surface to be deterred. In contrast, by being able to remove relatively large portions of the pole's surface with a minimal number of powerful pecks, an insufficient number of micro-capsules are ruptured to deter the Pileated woodpecker from the pole.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method of making a coating for deterring woodpeckers from damaging wood using Isophorone and the composition made therefrom. The Isophorone is combined with heated wax and combined with a thickener, such as a clay thickener and a silica thickener, and mixed with an acrylic resin. The composition is cooled and blending with ceramic pellets under a vacuum and dried. The dried pellets are then added to a polymer resin, such as an epoxy resin to form a coating material that will deter woodpeckers.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention describes a method of deterring woodpeckers, including Pileated woodpeckers, from wood structures. Capsules containing the chemical compound Isophorone are blended into a high-strength, closed-cell structural foam, either syntactic or expanding, epoxy or other polymer, and the structural matrix applied into or onto the pole. The high strength matrix can be used to strengthen and repair wood poles damaged by woodpeckers, as seen in my prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,905,441 and 5,245,812, or applied to the surface of wood poles to deter woodpeckers from the pole.
The present invention includes the encapsulation of the proven woodpecker deterring Isophorone chemical compound capsules in a high strength matrix versus simply applying the capsules to the pole's surface with an adhesive or coating material. The high strength matrix prevents the easy removal of the capsules by the woodpecker thus requiring more “pecks”; resulting in a larger number of capsules ruptured; and a higher volume of deterring Isophorone chemical compound being released.
Isophorone encapsulation in this high-strength matrix is applicable to both surface and in-hole repair applications.
The use of a high-strength matrix is accomplished by mixing the Isophorone within a structural polymer matrix, either unfoaming or foaming, syntactic or expanding, epoxy or other polymer which can be used to repair woodpecker holes which in turn prevents woodpeckers, such as Pileated woodpeckers, from damaging an already repaired pole. A matrix of the Isophorone chemical compound in the structural polymer forms a high-strength matrix which can be applied to the surface to not only prevent the smaller woodpeckers from attacking the pole but also protects the poles from the Pileated woodpecker.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4414227 (1983-11-01), Tomlinson, Sr. et al.
patent: 4773792 (1988-09-01), Landers
patent: 4905441 (1990-03-01), Landers
patent: 5245812 (1993-09-01), Landers
patent: 6237305 (2001-05-01), Landers
Hobby, III William M.
Pryor Alton N.
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