Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Processes – Plural materials
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-10
2001-10-16
Douglas, Steven O. (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Processes
Plural materials
C141S002000, C141S018000, C141S100000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06302161
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an injector system for preparing and distributing water dilutable insecticidal formulations and a process for mixing, diluting and dispensing an insecticidal formulation to be used for general insect control, especially mosquito control.
This injector system includes a formulation of a water dilutable insecticide, components for mixing or agitating the concentrated formulation, a water source, an injector for the purpose of diluting the formulation with water in pre-selected ratios, and a dispensing system for delivering the mixed and diluted formulation to application equipment. The injector system can be used to reduce populations of insects of public health concern or annoyance insects.
The injector system of the present invention can accurately mix and dilute insecticides with water in the proper proportions and dispense the diluted insecticide for subsequent application. Application equipment used to apply the diluted insecticide includes units such as ground ultra low volume (ULV) aerosol generators and portable spray units used for ground or aerial application.
The process for preparing the insecticidal formulation includes mixing the concentrated formulation in its container, drawing the formulation from the container and diluting it with water at selected concentrations which are calculated to meet the manufacturer's label application specifications, and dispensing the correctly mixed solution directly into the application equipment (for example, aircraft, truck mounted or portable/handheld sprayers) selected for use.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a process for mixing and diluting water dilutable insecticide formulations with water and dispensing the diluted insecticide. In the past, insecticides applied as space sprays are normally mixed and diluted with oil in order to form and to maintain the recommended droplet size once dispensed. The formulations used within the present invention allow the insecticide to be mixed and diluted with water while still forming and maintaining the recommended droplet size once dispersed.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an injector system that agitates the concentrated formulation and that accurately dilutes the formulation with the proper amount of water. The injector system also dispenses the diluted formulation directly into application equipment.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a container for the concentrated insecticidal formulation that could be returned to the manufacturer for refilling and that could optionally include a tamper evident device.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying figure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
All documents discussed herein, and all documents in provisional application Ser. No. 60/175,548 filed Jan. 11, 1999, are hereby incorporated by reference.
Insect control in the United States, for example, mosquito control, is almost always done for the control of annoying biting insects and for disease prevention. The control and reduction of mosquito populations is done by either larviciding (killing larvae in the water in which they breed) or adult control using various insecticides.
Substantial efforts have been expended by a wide variety of entities in attempting to develop highly effective pesticides, particularly insecticides, which are capable of eradicating or controlling insects which destroy ornamental and agricultural plants, crops, and trees, or which attack, harm, or annoy humans and animals. Particularly bothersome to humans and animals are blood-sucking insects, such as mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and lice. These insects are annoying as well as potentially harmful due to the potential transmission of diseases. It is not only for the suppression of disease that insect control is needed. There is a perennial call for abatement of the nuisance of insects, such as mosquitoes, which make unprotected outdoor activities all but impossible at certain seasons of the year in many parts of the world. Although substantial need has existed in the industry for products which control or eradicate these insects and for systems to effectively prepare these products for application, prior attempts have failed to provide systems that are optimized for the preparation of particular insecticidal formulations.
A number of injector devices have been used for dispensing chemical substances for a variety of applications. Such devices include the non-electric proportional injection systems, such as the DOSMATIC® injector available commercially from Dosatron International, Rue Pascal-BP-6, 33370 Tresse (Bordeaux), France, which operates without electricity by using water pressure as the power source. On its way through such a system, the water pressure activates the dispenser which takes up the required percentage of concentrate directly from the container and injects the concentrate into a fluid stream for dilution. These units are precise and relatively simple and have been used in a wide range of applications, including irrigation, livestock hygiene and crop spraying.
Other devices for mixing concentrated insecticides with a carrier, such as water, include the use of a variety of pumps. Pumps, including positive displacement pumps, vane pumps, rotary lobe pumps, or any type of metering pump, can be used to add a concentrated insecticidal formulation with a carrier. These pumps can be configured to pump a concentrated insecticide into a carrier such as oil or water. Alternatively, these pumps can be used to inject the concentrated insecticidal formulation into a water stream or a carrier stream, thereby diluting the concentrated insecticide when it mixes with the fluid stream.
Space spray insecticides are generally dispersed as ultra low volume (ULV) space treatments or fogs to kills adult mosquitoes. An insecticide is diluted and atomized by a ULV fogging machine. The insecticide would then be released from the ground or from the air. Air currents would carry the droplets downwind of the application equipment. The droplets would collide with the insects, coating the insect with a lethal dose of the active ingredient. A system for dispersing an insecticide in this manner is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,448, entitled Aerosol Generator Apparatus with Control and Recording, and is hereby incorporated by reference.
Space spray aerosol insecticides, such as mosquito adulticides, are generally diluted with oil because this was the only carrier that distributed the insecticide accurately and evenly over a wide range of conditions. However, there are a number of disadvantages and problems associated with oil-based carriers. These include potential storage liability, environmental concerns, inconvenience and additional cost.
Water dilutable insecticides include formulations such as the FFAST™ (an acronym for Film Forming Aqueous Spray Technology) insecticide formulations described in this application, which allow for the use of water as a diluent. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,466,458 and 5,527,823 describe insecticidal formulations suitable for dilution with water to form a space spray aerosol. These patents are hereby incorporated by reference.
It is generally less expensive and more desirable to have the option of using a water-based product. However, at ambient temperatures, conventional water-based sprays tend to evaporate quickly and fail to deliver the insecticide to the target insects or pests efficiently. To overcome this problem in the past, dispersing insecticides in water required the creation of large droplets. However, these large droplets did not drift efficiently and did not reach the target at all.
A formulation, such as the FFAST™ formulation, using long chain alcohol molecules to form a protective film around each droplet of insecticide as it leaves the nozzle of the sprayer, allows for the formation of droplets that do not evaporate too quickly and that efficiently deliver the in
German William K.
Heller Larry D.
Wooldridge Allen W.
Douglas Steven O.
Frommer & Lawrence & Haug LLP
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