Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Animal blocking lateral projection – trap – or scarer
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-30
2001-08-28
Kent, Christopher T. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Animal blocking lateral projection, trap, or scarer
C052S220800, C052S294000, C052S414000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279273
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a termite shielding structure of underfloor portions of a building for preventing termites from entering the underfloor portions from underground.
In case ventilation of underfloor portions of a building is poor, it is often the case that the building is eroded by termites. Termites, with the exception of some minor kinds thereof, favorably breed on temperate and humid soil and exist by absorbing moisture from nature. By entering underfloor portions from cracks in foundations or peripheries of underground piping from soil in the periphery of the building, the termites erode wooden materials constituting the building or even furniture.
Principal measures that have conventionally been taken to prevent termites from entering or to get rid of them are chemical measures employing chemicals such as insecticides or termite shielding chemicals. More particularly, such measures include directly dispersing insecticides at places where termites inhabit, killing the termites either directly or indirectly by inducing the termites to baits, or utilizing wooden materials that preliminarily underwent termite shielding treatments by using chemicals. There are also taken measures for keeping termites away from wooden material portions of a building by forming a barrier through dispersing termite shielding chemicals into soil in the periphery of the building or laying a termite shielding sheet on a ground surface corresponding to underfloor portions of the building. Floor slab concrete may be poured above the surface of the soil on which the termite shielding chemicals have been dispersed or above the termite shielding sheet that has been laid on the soil surface for suppressing purposes.
However, while such chemical measures that are dependent on chemical efficacy of termite shielding chemicals or insecticides are capable of performing termite shielding treatments or getting rid of them in a relatively short time when and where required, it cannot be avoided that the toxicity of the chemicals badly affect the peripheral environment as well as other creatures. That is, it may be that a person performing chemical treatments may breathe in chemicals or that chemicals that have been dispersed into the soil and to underfloor portions are spread to harm the health of residents. Wooden materials that have undergone termite shielding treatments through chemicals are limited in their purposes when being reused, and they may pollute the environment when being disposed. Further, since the chemical efficacy of chemicals vanish after a short term, it will be necessary to repeatedly perform chemical treatments within effective periods so that such a measure is not an economical one in terms of trouble and costs in a long-term aspect.
PURPOSE AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of these facts, and it is a purpose of the invention to provide a termite shielding structure of underfloor portions of a building that is capable of preventing termites from entering underfloor portions of a building through a physical arrangement whereby it is enabled to minimize the dependency on chemicals that may lead to environmental pollution or damages to health and to simplify maintenance and control of the structure.
For achieving these purposes, the termite shielding structure of underfloor portions of a building according to the present invention is arranged in that a floor mold slab of reinforced concrete is integrally formed with underground beams of mat foundations made of reinforced concrete such that bar arrangements of the slab are connected to bar arrangements of the underground beams on sleeve crown portions thereof with these sleeve crown portions of the underground beams forming construction joints. Since the underground beams of the mat foundations and the floor mold slab are arranged to be of continuous structure integrated by reinforced concrete, portions that are divided by the underground beams are completely shielded at their upper portions through the floor mold slab. Further, since the construction joints of concrete form horizontal surfaces of sleeve crown portions of the underground beams, concrete sufficiently fits against these construction joints so as to decrease the occurrence of cracks. Thus, possibilities that termite paths be formed around the floor mold slab are minimized and termites can be prevented from entering above the floor mold slab on the indoor side.
It is preferable that the underground beams and a berm be formed in an integral manner with the floor mold slab. The berm is a portion that is formed in an overhanging manner to the outdoor side along the outer periphery of the underground beams, and by integrating the berm with the underground beams and the floor mold slab, there is formed a barrier for preventing termites from climbing the outer peripheral portions of the underground beams and entering underfloor portions through underfloor ventilation openings or the like that are formed at outer peripheral walls. Even if termite paths were formed on the surface of the berm, traces may be detected more easily so that extermination treatments may be performed at an early stage.
The termite shielding structure of underfloor portions of a building according to the present invention is further arranged in that a termite shielding chemicals bucket is embedded into the floor mold slab so as to pierce therethrough in a vertical manner, the bucket being arranged by filling termite shielding chemicals into an interior of a long cylindrical body whose upper end is open or openable, and in that pipes that are used for delivery of plumbing water, gas or other fluids or for guiding electric wiring cables are connected to the termite shielding chemicals bucket such that these respectively extend on both upper and lower sides of the slab. That is, by connecting pipes which are respectively arranged above and below the floor mold slab with termite shielding chemicals bucket being filled with termite shielding chemicals and interposed between, the chemical efficacy can be focused at portions at which the pipes pierce through the floor mold slab, such that termites can be prevented from entering above the floor mold slab through these piercing portions. By making the upper portions of the termite shielding chemicals bucket open above the floor mold slab, termite shielding chemicals may be supplemented to maintain long-term termite shielding effects.
The termite shielding chemicals bucket may be a cylindrical body assuming a circular, square or any other polygonal section. Its upper end may be continuously open, but it is more preferable to provide an openable/closable lid that may be opened when termite shielding chemicals are supplemented into the termite shielding chemicals bucket. The termite shielding chemicals may be chemicals of aromatic group such as naphthalene or any other known chemicals of boric acid group, organic chloride group or organic phosphoric acid group, and the chemicals to be used in the present invention are not limited to any particular kind of chemicals. Further, the chemicals may be in any form such as powder, grains or liquid unless filling and supplementing into the termite shielding chemicals bucket becomes not particularly inconvenient.
The termite shielding structure of underfloor portions of a building according to the present invention is further characterized in that a floor is formed above the floor mold slab wherein the floor is provided with an underfloor portion inspecting opening that is at any time openable/closable from at least the indoor side. According to this invention, underfloor portions can be inspected at any time through this underfloor inspecting opening even after completion of the building, and it is further enabled to perform supplementation of termite shielding chemicals and to confirm whether no leakage from the piping has occurred.
In this manner, the termite shielding structure of underfloor portions of a building according to the present invention i
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Kent Christopher T.
Shinyo Co., Ltd.
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