U.S. patent application number 11/072116 was filed with the patent office on 2005-08-04 for injection needle for injecting woody plants.
Invention is credited to Floyd, David E., Wild, Peter M..
Application Number | 20050166450 11/072116 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46304075 |
Filed Date | 2005-08-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050166450 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wild, Peter M. ; et
al. |
August 4, 2005 |
Injection needle for injecting woody plants
Abstract
The present invention includes a needle and a method for
injecting a fluid, such as a medicament, into a woody plant, e.g.,
trees, shrubs or vines. In one embodiment the needle includes a
body having a proximal end, a distal end, an inner conduit
extending from the proximal end towards the distal end, and at
least one aperture in communication with the inner conduit and an
outer surface of the body. An area of uniform cross-section in the
body contains an indentation in the outer surface of the body where
the aperture opens to the outer surface.
Inventors: |
Wild, Peter M.; (Winchester,
MA) ; Floyd, David E.; (Marlborough, MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WILLIAM NITKIN
1320 CENTRE STREET
SUITE 300
NEWTON
MA
02459
US
|
Family ID: |
46304075 |
Appl. No.: |
11/072116 |
Filed: |
March 4, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11072116 |
Mar 4, 2005 |
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10434407 |
May 8, 2003 |
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60379832 |
May 9, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
47/57.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01G 7/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
047/057.5 |
International
Class: |
A47G 007/06 |
Claims
We claim:
1. An injection needle for injecting a fluid into a woody plant
comprising a body having a proximal end, a distal end, an inner
conduit extending from the proximal end towards the distal end, at
least one aperture being in communication with the inner conduit
and an outer surface of the body, there being an indentation in the
outer surface of the body where the at least one aperture opens to
the outer surface, wherein the body includes a first tapered
portion extending from the proximal end toward the distal end, said
first tapered portion having an end, the body including a second
portion of uniform cross-section at the end of said tapered portion
and adjacent the at least one aperture, said uniform cross-section
extending a length that includes said indentation in said outer
surface of said body into which said aperture opens and said
portion of uniform cross-section extending from the end of said
tapered portion toward said distal end.
2. The injection needle of claim 1, further including a second
aperture extending from the inner conduit to the outer surface of
the body, there being a second indentation in the outer surface of
the body where the second aperture opens to the outer surface into
said area of uniform cross-section.
3. The injection needle of claim 2, wherein a centerline of the at
least one aperture and a centerline of the second aperture are
collinear and form an angle of about 90 degrees relative to a
longitudinal axis of the body.
4. The injection needle of claim 3, wherein the apertures are
configured such that a wire can pass through the body.
5. The injection needle of claim 3, wherein said body at its distal
end further includes a third portion extending from said second
portion of uniform cross-section, such third portion forming a
point.
6. The injection needle of claim 3, wherein after said portion of
uniform cross-section said distal end terminates in a blade.
7. The injection needle of claim 3, wherein said indentation formed
around said aperture in said portion of uniform cross-section
includes a radius of curvature.
8. The injection needle of claim 3, wherein said indentation formed
around said aperture in said portion of uniform cross-section
includes a groove formed in at least part of the outer surface of
the body.
9. The injection needle of claim 8, wherein the groove includes at
least one cross-sectional shape selected from the group consisting
of C-shape, V-shape, a chamfer, and a bevel.
10. The injection needle of claim 3, wherein the outer surface in
said area of uniform cross-section is countersunk to form the
indentation.
11. A method for injecting a fluid into a woody plant comprising
the steps of: providing an injection needle for injecting the
fluid, the needle including a body having a proximal end, a distal
end, an inner conduit extending from the proximal end towards the
distal end, and a first aperture and a second aperture in
communication with the inner conduit and an outer surface of the
body, centerlines of the first aperture and the second aperture
being collinear; inserting the needle into the woody plant;
injecting the fluid through the inner conduit of the needle and out
of at least one of the apertures and into the woody plant, thereby
injecting the fluid into the woody plant; providing an indentation
in the body where the first and second apertures open up to the
outer surface of the body; providing a uniform cross-sectional
diameter of the body adjacent the first and second apertures; and
providing a taper in the body from the proximal end toward the body
portion having a uniform cross-section.
12. A method for injecting a fluid into a woody plant, the method
comprising: providing an injection needle for injecting the fluid,
the needle including body having a proximal end, a distal end, an
inner conduit extending from the proximal end towards the distal
end, and at least one aperture being in communication with the
inner conduit and an outer surface of the body, there being an
indentation in the outer surface of the body where the at least one
aperture opens to the outer surface; inserting the needle into the
woody plant; injecting the fluid through the inner conduit of the
needle and out of the at least one aperture end into the woody
plant, thereby injecting the fluid into the woody plant; providing
a uniform cross-sectional diameter of the body adjacent the at
least one aperture; and providing a taper in the body from the
proximal end toward the body portion having a uniform
cross-section.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 60/379,832 filed on May 9, 2002 and is a
continuation-in-part, claiming the benefit and priority of U.S.
utility patent application Ser. No. 10/434,407 filed May 8, 2003
under the same title, now pending. The entire teachings of the
above applications are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Field of the Invention
[0003] Injection treatment of plants is a method of introducing an
agent into a plant. The agent can be introduced into the plant by
gravity or under pressure, and a wide variety of devices exists for
injecting plants.
[0004] Injection treatment is useful for the treatment of disease
conditions or insect infestation, such as Dutch elm disease,
American chestnut blight, woolly adelgid, red palm weevil, etc.
Fungicides, insecticides and chemicals can be administered by
injection.
[0005] Nutritional supplements can also be administered by
injection to maintain, improve or enhance the health of the plant.
Such administration can also be an effective form of prevention of
disease and insect attack as many diseases and insects attack
plants that are in suboptimal health or are otherwise stressed.
[0006] Many plants are quite valuable, especially in the case of
slow-growing plants such as trees or woody vines such as
grapevines. A tree can take many years to grow to maturity, and it
is therefore desirable to maintain adult trees in a healthy state,
given the cost and inconvenience of removal and replacement of
trees. Likewise, some woody plants, such as grapevines and fruit
trees, are valuable because of their crop value, and the time
required to bring a replacement plant to maturity is time during
which the plant is not producing income.
[0007] In general, in administration of agents to trees many
devices require drilling a hole in the tree to allow insertion into
the tree of all or a portion of the device. However, drilling a
hole is injurious to the tree and allows the entry of pathogens and
insects to the interior of the tree. Most plants generally have
mechanisms for "sealing off" a damaged site, but even so, such
damage can stress the plant, making the plant susceptible, or even
attractive, to insects and diseases.
[0008] Once an administration device is removed, the hole can be
filled in with a plug or other means of filling in the hole.
However, the plant has still been injured and may become
susceptible to subsequent attack by pests and diseases. In
addition, diseases and pests can still enter at the junction
between the plug and the plant. Furthermore, leaving objects in a
plant can retard or interfere with the later growth of the
plant.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention includes a needle for injecting a
fluid, such as a medicament, into a woody plant, e.g., trees,
shrubs or vines. In one embodiment the needle includes a body
having a proximal end, a distal end, an inner conduit extending
from the proximal end towards the distal end, and a least one
aperture in communication with the inner conduit and an outer
surface of the body. An indentation in the outer surface of the
body is provided where the at least one aperture opens to the outer
surface. The body includes a tapered first portion extending from
the proximal end toward the distal end and a second portion having
a length of uniform cross-section at the end of said tapered first
portion, said second portion extending around and beyond the
indentation of said first aperture. The second portion of uniform
cross-section extends to a third portion of said needle forming a
point at said distal end of said body. The aperture can include a
second aperture extending from the inner conduit parallel to and
aligned with the aforementioned aperture, both apertures extending
in a collinear fashion from the inner conduit to the outer surface
of the body, such second aperture being approximately 180 degrees
from the aforementioned aperture to the other side of the outer
surface of the body into the second portion of uniform
cross-section, there being a second indentation in the outer
surface of the body where the second aperture opens to the outer
surface in the second portion of the body of substantially uniform
cross-section.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an injection needle
that can be used with an inoculator to inject a fluid in accordance
with one embodiment of the invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-section view of the needle shown
in FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates an enlarged detailed second of the distal
end of the needle shown in FIG. 2.
[0013] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an alternative
embodiment of a needle in accordance with the present
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)
[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an injection needle
10 that can be used with an inoculator to inject a fluid, such as a
medicament, into a woody plant, e.g., trees, shrubs or vines. One
example of an inoculator is illustrated in commonly assigned U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 09/902,494 filed on Jul. 10, 2001 and
corresponding International Publication WO 02/03778 published on
Jan. 17, 2002, the entire teachings of which are incorporated
herein by reference. Other examples of inoculators are disclosed in
commonly assigned U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/433,064 filed
on Dec. 12, 2002, the entire teachings of which are incorporated
herein by reference.
[0015] Generally, the needle 10 includes a body 12 having an outer
surface 13, a proximal end 14, a distal end 22 and at least one
aperture 18 adjacent to distal end 22. Proximal end 14 is adapted
to be secured to the incubator or injector that delivers a fluid to
be injected into the plant under pressure. Thus, an inner conduit
20 extends from proximal end 14 to distal end 22 to provide
communication from inner conduit 20 to one or more aperture(s)
18.
[0016] Needle 10 can be about 1.5 cm (0.6 inches) to about 5.0 cm
(2.0 inches) long in one embodiment. In another embodiment needle
10 is about 2.5 cm (1.0 inch) to about 12.7 cm (5.0 inches) long.
The purpose of this needle 10 is to inject the fluid into larger
trees with deeply fissured bark, e.g. the needle can be used with
deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. In another embodiment
needle 10 is approximately 0.953 cm (0.375 inch) long, and
aperture(s) 18 are about 0.000317 cm (0.000125 inch). This needle
10 can be used for smooth-barked evergreen or deciduous trees,
shrubs and vines (e.g., grapevines). Needle 10 can be made of
hardened and/or is formed of stainless steel or other similar
material. In another embodiment needle 10 is 4.45 cm (1.75 inches)
long with two apertures 18 of 0.081 cm (0.032 inch). In another
embodiment needle 10 is 1.91 cm (0.75 inch) long with two apertures
of 0.038 cm (0.015 inch).
[0017] One embodiment of needle 10 is shown in cross-section in
FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an enlarged detailed section A of FIG. 2 and
illustrates distal end 22. Distal end 22 has a sealed tip. One or
more apertures 18 can have a diameter (d) in the range of between
about 0.02 cm and about 0.1 cm (0.007 and 0.03 inch) in one
embodiment. In another embodiment aperture(s) 18 are about 0.038 cm
(0.015 inch) in diameter. In a further embodiment aperture(s) 18
are about 0.081 cm (0.032 inch) in diameter.
[0018] In one embodiment needle body 12 includes three portions: a
tapered first portion 24, a second portion 16 of uniform
cross-section, and a third portion 26. First portion 24 extends
from proximal end 14 of the needle to second portion 16 of uniform
cross-section, and third portion 26 extends from the end of second
portion 16 of uniform cross-section to distal end 22.
[0019] First portion 24 of needle 10 can be straight or can have a
first taper. All or a part of first portion 24 can be tapered. The
first taper is measured by the angle .varies. between the
longitudinal axis 30 of needle 10 and outer surface 13, as
indicated by exterior line 32 of first portion 24 of the needle.
The first taper can have an angle of between 0 degrees and about 5
degrees in particular embodiments. In one embodiment the first
taper is about 1 degree. In another embodiment the first taper is
about 1.5 degrees.
[0020] It may be desirable for some uses to taper the first portion
so as to increase the strength of the shaft while minimizing the
width at the tip of the needle. The first taper can vary in
relation to the overall length of the needle, allowing the means
for attaching the needle to the injector to remain the same between
different needles.
[0021] In a particular embodiment first portion 24 has a taper
until about point 34 which is located below apertures 18. From
point 34 to about shoulder point 28 the second portion 16 of needle
10 can have a substantially uniform cross-section, i.e.,
non-tapered. It has been found that providing a substantially
uniform cross-section adjacent apertures 18 has beneficial
performance characteristics, such as less clogging of apertures 18
by the plant debris.
[0022] Third portion 26 has a second taper. The second taper is
measured by the angle .beta. between the longitudinal axis 30 of
needle 10 and the majority 36 of the outer surface of second
portion 26 of the needle. The second taper can have angle .beta. in
the range of between about 10 degrees and about 50 degrees relative
to the longitudinal axis 30 of needle 10. In another embodiment the
second taper can be about 20 degrees to about 40 degrees relative
to the longitudinal axis 30 of needle 10. In one embodiment the
second taper is 30 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis 30 of
needle 10.
[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, needle 10 has at least one aperture 18
connecting inner conduit 20 of needle 10 with the outer surface 13
of the needle. The location at which aperture 18 meets outer
surface 13 can be proximate to the distal end 22 and the sealed tip
of needle 10. In one embodiment the location at which aperture 18
meets outer surface 13 is proximate to shoulder point 28. Placing
aperture 18 in this location, behind shoulder point 28, reduces the
incidence of plant debris breaking free from the plant and clogging
aperture 18.
[0024] In the case of a needle 10 with more than one aperture,
apertures 18 can be located on opposite sides of the needle for
simpler and cheaper manufacture of the needle. With centerlines 38
of apertures 18 collinear, a wire or rod can be inserted in one
aperture 18 and pass through to the opposing aperture 18 to remove
any plant debris that may become clogged therein. In a particular
embodiment centerline 38 of aperture 18 is positioned a distance 39
above the end of inner conduit 20 to facilitate the proper
deburring of inner conduit 20. In a particular embodiment the
distance 39 can be in the range of about 0.12 and 0.38 mm (0.005
and 0.015 inch).
[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, an indentation 40 can be provided at a
point in needle 10 where aperture 18 opens to outer surface 13. It
has been found that providing such an indentation 40 provides a
geometry that reduces the likelihood of plant debris clogging
apertures 18. The radius of curvature 42 is optimally selected. A
radius of curvature too small has the undesired effect of "cheese
grating" the plant at the edges upon insertion or withdrawal of the
needle from the plant where indentation 40 meets outer surface 13.
In a particular embodiment the center 46 of radius 42 defining
curvature is located a distance 44 from longitudinal axis 30 on
centerline 38. The radius of curvature 42 can be in the range of
between about 1.27 and 1.78 mm (0.05 and 0.07 inch). In a
particular embodiment the radius of curvature is about 1.58 mm
(0.006 inch). In alternative embodiments a groove can be formed in
outer surface 13 around, or at least part of, the outer
circumference of body 12 to form indentation 40. The groove can be
chamfered, beveled, straight, V-shaped, C-shaped, channeled or
include other suitable geometry.
[0026] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative needle 10 in
which distal end terminates in the shape of a chisel, i.e., a blade
48. This embodiment can be employed for injecting hard wood
plants.
[0027] Although the present invention has been described with
reference to particular embodiments, it will be apparent to those
skilled in the art that variations and modifications can be
substituted therefor without departing from the principles and
spirit of the invention.
* * * * *