U.S. patent application number 11/151020 was filed with the patent office on 2005-12-15 for wooden post with protective coating and method for making same.
Invention is credited to Nesbitt, Daniel Frederick.
Application Number | 20050274938 11/151020 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35459570 |
Filed Date | 2005-12-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050274938 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nesbitt, Daniel Frederick |
December 15, 2005 |
Wooden post with protective coating and method for making same
Abstract
A protected wooden post having a coating of a hardened
protective material that surrounds the peripheral surface of the
post to protect the wood thereunder from marring and abrasion,
typically from the use of a nylon string trimmer to trim grass and
weeds from around the base of the embedded post. A hardenable
protective coating can be applied to a wooden post, either before
the wooden post is installed into the ground, or after the wooden
post is embedded into the ground. Typical wooden posts include
mailbox posts, swing set posts, fence posts and telephone poles.
The hardened protective coating typically includes a UV protector
to diminish the effect of UV light from sunlight on the integrity
of the protective coating material.
Inventors: |
Nesbitt, Daniel Frederick;
(Cincinnati, OH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HASSE & NESBITT LLC
7550 CENTRAL PARK BLVD.
MASON
OH
45040
US
|
Family ID: |
35459570 |
Appl. No.: |
11/151020 |
Filed: |
June 13, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60579010 |
Jun 12, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
256/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04H 12/2292
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
256/001 |
International
Class: |
E04H 017/00 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A protected wooden post for positioning within the ground to an
intended depth, comprising a wooden post having a first embedded
end, a second upper end, and a ground-level position intermediate
the first and second ends, and a hardened protective coating
covering the peripheral surface of the wooden post and extending
from proximate the ground-level position and extending toward the
second end.
2. The protected wooden post according to claim 1 wherein the
wooden post is selected form the group consisting of a mailbox
post, a fence post, a swing or play set post, a deck support post,
and a telephone pole.
3. The protected wooden post according to claim 1 wherein the
protective coating comprises a binder that is selected from the
group consisting of: oxygen-reactive binders, including alkyds,
epoxy esters, urethane alkyds, and silicone alkyds; lacquers,
including polyvinyl chloride polymers, chlorinated rubbers,
acrylics, and bituminous materials; heat conversion binders,
including hot melt materials, organisols and plastisols;
co-reactive binders, including epoxies and polyurethanes;
condensation binders; coalescent binders; and inorganic binders,
including post-cured silicates, self-curing water silicates, and
self-curing solvent-based silicates.
4. The protective wooden post according to claim 1 wherein the
protective coating extends from below the ground-level position, to
above the ground-level position and toward the upper end.
5. The protected wooden post according to claim 1 wherein the
protective coating covers a length of the post of from about 5 cm
to about 50 cm, and extends from a position about 5 cm to about 20
cm above the ground-level position, to a position about 2 cm to 15
cm below the ground-level position.
6. A method of protecting the base of a wooden post from wear and
abrasion, comprising the steps of: applying a hardenable protective
material to cover the peripheral surface along the length of the
post, extending from proximate a ground-level position intermediate
the first and second ends of the post, toward the second end; and
hardening the protective material into a protective coating.
7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the hardenable
protective material is applied to the wooden post prior to
positioning the wooden post into the ground.
8. The method according to claim 6 wherein the hardenable
protective material is applied to the wooden post while positioned
in the ground.
9. The method according to claim 6 wherein the wooden post is
selected form the group consisting of a mailbox post, a fence post,
a swing or play set post, a deck support post, and a telephone
pole.
10. The method according to claim 6 wherein the protective coating
comprises a binder that is selected from the group consisting of:
oxygen-reactive binders, including alkyds, epoxy esters, urethane
alkyds, and silicone alkyds; lacquers, including polyvinyl chloride
polymers, chlorinated rubbers, acrylics, and bituminous materials;
heat conversion binders, including hot melt materials, organisols
and plastisols; co-reactive binders, including epoxies and
polyurethanes; condensation binders; coalescent binders; and
inorganic binders, including post-cured silicates, self-curing
water silicates, and self-curing solvent-based silicates.
11. The method according to claim 6 wherein the hardenable
protective material is applied from below the ground-level
position, to above the ground-level position and toward the upper
end.
12. The method according to claim 6 wherein the hardenable
protective material is applied to cover a length of the post of
from about 5 cm to about 50 cm, and to extend from a position about
5 cm to about 20 cm above the ground-level position, to a position
about 2 cm to 15 cm below the ground-level position.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claism the benefit of copending U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 60/579,010, filed Jun. 12,
2004.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The United States government has operated a postal service
since 1775 when the Continental Congress named Benjamin Franklin
the first Postmaster General. Rural free delivery service to
individual residences in the rural America first began in 1896, and
by 1908, much of America received its main daily by postal
delivery.
[0003] Presently, a significant proportion of the population
receives the U.S. mail in residential mail boxes positioned on or
near the resident's property and along the side of the road. There
are a variety of mail boxes in use, but the majority of them are
shoebox-sized or larger containers that are affixed to the top end
of an upright support, such as a wooden post. The bottom end of the
support is buried into the ground to secure the mailbox from
swaying and falling over.
[0004] Many residents position the mailbox in the lawn along side
the road. In the course of cutting the grass, the resident or a
lawn care professional will use a trimming device to trim grass
growing close to the base of the mailbox post that can not cut with
a lawn mower. A typical grass trimming device has an electric or
gasoline-operated motor that drives a spool hub at an opposite end
via an elongated shaft. The hub carries a length of flexible
trimming string, a portion of which projecting outwardly from hub
20. As the motor is operated, the hub rotates at great speed. The
outwardly-projecting section of line is swung in a circle about the
axis of the shaft, whereby it will contact and cut off grass or
other material in its path. Examples of such devices are shown in
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,708,335; 3,006,421; 3,608,291; 4,200,978; and
4,584,771.
[0005] The flexible plastic string used in the grass trimmers is
designed and selected for durability. The string typically is made
of a flexible plastic with a high hardness that resists wear and
breaking when striking the earth, asphalt, concrete, stones and
other hard or sharp articles. Some grass trimming strings are
designed with star-shaped profiles that provide the outer surface
with edges that improve the cutting function.
[0006] The strength, durability and design of the flexible plastic
string also causes damage and wear along the base of wooden mailbox
posts when trimming grass close to the base. After repeated grass
cutting and trimmings, the periphery of the base of the wooden post
can experience significant wear. As many mailbox wooden posts are
made of pressure-treated wood, the wearing away of the outer wood
surface along the base exposes the wood in toward the interior
which tends to have less of the water-resistant chemicals. With
time, the wood along the worn base of the wooden post begins to
deteriorate rapidly with additional wear and water. In certain
northern regions, snow that is propelled from a roadway by a
snowplow can impact and snap off the mailbox post at its base.
[0007] At the same time, lawn mowers housings often strike and
gouge the base of the wooden post in the operator's effort to cut
the grass as close as possible to the post.
[0008] Therefore, a need exists for a means for preventing the wear
of the base of wooden posts by grass trimmers and lawn mowers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The invention is a protected wooden post for positioning
within the ground to an intended depth, comprising a wooden post
having a first embedded end, a second upper end, and a ground-level
position intermediate the first and second ends, and a hardened
protective coating covering the peripheral surface of the wooden
post and extending from proximate the ground-level position toward
the second end. The wooden post can include a post made from
pressure-treated wood.
[0010] The invention also relates to a method of protecting the
base of a wooden post from wear and abrasion, prior to or after
positioning into the ground, comprising the steps of: applying a
hardenable protective material to cover the peripheral surface
along the length of the post, extending from proximate a
ground-level position intermediate the first and second ends of the
post, toward the second end; and hardening the protective material
into a protective coating.
[0011] The wooden post can include, but is not limited to, a
mailbox post, a fence post, a swing or play set post, a deck
support post, and a telephone pole.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 shows a wooden post, used as a mailbox post, having a
protective coating that covers a portion of the post intermediate
the ends.
[0013] FIG. 2 shows a wooden post positioned within the ground and
having a protective coating covering the periphery of the post
proximate the ground level.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] FIG. 1 shows an improved wooden post 60 of the present
invention, typically a four-sided post of square or rectangular
cross section, having a length defined by an upper end 64 and an
embedded end 62 intended to be embedded into the ground to support
the upper end 64 of the post 60 in an upright or tilted position.
Such a post is typically used for the mounting of a mailbox 100, as
shown in FIG. 1, and for other uses including fence posts and
wooden play frames and swing sets. Intermediate the embedded end 62
and upper end 64 of the post is a ground-level position 70, where
the distance from the ground-level position 70 to the embedded end
62 approximates the depth that the post would be embedded into the
ground in an intended use for the wooden post. The wooden post 60
comprises a protective coating 10 that typically covers the outer
peripheral surface of the wooden post 60. The protective coating
typically extends from proximate the ground-level position 70,
toward the upper end 64. The protective coating can also extend
from proximate the ground-level position 70 toward the embedded end
62. Preferably, the coating 10 extends from below the ground-level
position 70 (that is, toward the embedded end 62) toward the upper
end 64. Typically, the protective coating covers a length of the
post of from about 5 cm to about 50 cm, more typically from about
10 cm to about 30 cm, and extends from a position 72 about 5 cm to
about 20 cm (or more) above the ground-level position 70 (that is,
toward the upper end 64), toward the first end 62 to a position 74
about 2 cm to 15 cm, or more, below the ground-level position 70.
In other embodiments, the protective coating can extend from above
the ground-level position 70, to the very first end of the embedded
end 62.
[0015] The protective coating is typically formed from a hardenable
or curable liquid protective material that is applied as a liquid
coating onto the surface of the wooden post to adhere directly
thereto. The liquid coating hardens or cures into the hardened,
protective coating. The hardenable liquid material can harden or be
hardened by a variety of means, including solvent evaporation, melt
cooling, and chemical reaction. A protective coating typically
hardens or cures, after application of the liquid coating, into a
dense, solid, and adherent coating.
[0016] The protective coating typically comprises a binder that
provides its hardness, uniformity and coherence. The binder ability
to form a dense, tight film is directly related to its molecular
size and complexity. Binders that have the highest molecular weight
can form films by the evaporation of the vehicle, while binders
with smaller molecular weight will generally be chemically reacted
in situ. Non-limiting examples of the binders can be selected from
the group consisting of: oxygen-reactive binders, including alkyds,
epoxy esters, urethane alkyds, and silicone alkyds; lacquers,
including polyvinyl chloride polymers, chlorinated rubbers,
acrylics, and bituminous materials (e.g., tar); heat conversion
binders, including hot melt materials, organisols and plastisols;
co-reactive binders, including epoxies and polyurethanes;
condensation binders; coalescent binders including latex and
poly-fluoroethylene/vinyl ether (FEVE); and inorganic binders,
including post-cured silicates, self-curing water silicates, and
self-curing solvent-based silicates.
[0017] The protective material can be transparent, translucent, or
opaque, and can have a natural or other color.
[0018] An optional component of the protective coating is an
opacifying agent. One type of opacifying agent is a pigment. A
pigment is essentially a dry powder that is insoluble in the binder
and solvent medium, and that consequently needs to be mixed in by a
dispersion technique. Other types of opacifying agents can include
titanium dioxide, talc and silica powders. The opacifying agent can
be naturally occurring or a man-made organic compound. The
opacifying agent can contribute several properties, including
color, film reinforcement, sag control, increased coverage, gloss
control, and adhesion.
[0019] Another optional component of the protective coating is a UV
absorber or blocking compound, which can diminish the effect of UV
light from sunlight on the integrity of the protective coating
material. UV absorbers suitable for use in the protective coating
are well known and used widely in industrial coatings. Non-limiting
examples of UV absorbers include benzophenone and
benzotriazole.
[0020] The protective coating typically comprises one or multiple
solvents. The choice of solvents influences viscosity, flow
properties, drying speed, spraying or brushing characteristics, and
gloss. There is no universal solvent for protective coatings, the
best solvent in one system being often impractical for another.
Asphalts, for example, can be readily dissolved by hydrocarbons but
are insoluble in alcohols. One of the most serious problems
associated with coatings is the wrong choice of solvent since it
can severely affect the curing and adhesion characteristics of the
final coating. Typical solvents include: aliphatic hydrocarbons or
paraffins such as naphta or mineral spirits are typically used with
asphalt, oil and vinyl based coatings; aromatic hydrocarbons, such
as toluene, xylene or some of the higher boiling homologs, which
are typically used with chlorinated rubbers, coal tars and certain
alkyds; ketones such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl
iso-butyl or amyl ketone and many others, which are used with
vinyls, some epoxies and other resin formulations; esters such as
ethyl, n-propyl, n-butyl or amyl acetates, which are used commonly
as latent solvents (a type of solvent that just swells the binder
at room temperature) with epoxy and polyurethane formulations;
alcohols such as methyl, propyl, iso-propyl or butyl alcohols and
cyclo-hexanol, which are good solvents for highly polar binders
such as phenolics; ethers and alcohol ethers, such as ethyl ether,
which are excellent solvents for some of the natural resins, oils,
and fats; and water, which with recent regulations to reduce the
emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by organic
solvents, has been forcing the coating industry to reconsider the
applicability of water as a solvent.
[0021] The improved wooden post is used to protect the base of the
embedded post from wear from both natural causes and from
mechanical abrasion. For example, mechanical abrasion can be caused
by the use of mechanical string trimmers that use a nylon string to
cut grass and weeds around the base of the embedded post.
Typically, the protective material used to form the protective
coating is selected to have a hardness that is greater than the
hardness of the plastic used for the trimming string. Typical
protective materials include curable epoxy compositions as
described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,383,090, 4,177,173, 3,978,151,
6,573,309, 6,084,039, 4,170,613, 4,172,157, 4,377,457, and
4,424,252, all incorporated herein by reference. Use of the layer
of protective materials proximate to the based of the embedded post
serves to prevent wear of the outer wood surface along the base,
which in time could cause the worn base to deteriorate and
weaken.
[0022] A method of manufacturing a protected wooden post, such as
the one shown in FIG. 1, comprises the steps of: providing a wooden
post having a first embedded end, a second upper end, and a
ground-level position intermediate the first and second ends;
applying a liquid coating of a hardenable protective material to
the peripheral surface of the post, extending from proximate the
ground-level position and toward the upper end; and hardening the
liquid coating into the hardened protective coating. The liquid
protective material can be sprayed on, brushed on, or
roller-applied onto the post. The applied liquid protective coating
is then hardened, or allowed to harden, into the hardened
protective coating. The hardened protective coating is not tacky or
soft, and is typically sufficiently hard and durable to resists
mechanical wear. The step of hardening can include allowing the
material to harden with time due to solvent evaporation, chemical
reaction, and temperature change. Typically, the hardenable
protective material is applied at a thickness of from about 0.5 mm
to about 3 mm. The material can be uniformly or non-uniformly
applied, or intermittently applied to the outer periphery of the
post.
[0023] The invention also includes a method of applying, as
described above, the liquid coating of the hardenable protective
material to the base of the wooden post, such as the post 60 shown
in FIG. 2, while embedded or positioned within the ground 80, and
allowing the hardening of the liquid coating into the hardened
protective coating 10. Typically the hardenable protective coating
10 has been applied from a position 72 above the ground-level
position 70, down to proximate the ground-level position 70 of the
post 60. It is not necessary that the coating be applied completely
to the level of the ground; by "proximate" means above the
ground-level position, to the ground-level position, or below the
ground-level position. The method and the protected post of the
invention can prevent marring and damage of the underlying wood of
the post near the base when grass 66 or other vegetation is trimmed
using a string trimmer.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
[0024] A 7-foot long, 6-inch by 6-inch pressure-treated wooden post
is provided, and a fresh mixture of an epoxy resin and
polymercaptan amines is applied around the peripheral surface of
the wooden post to a thickness of about 1 mm, and along a 25 cm
length, starting at a distance of from about 30 cm from a first
embedded end of the post, toward the second upper end. The
protective material begins to harden about five minutes after the
mixture is formed, and is typically fully cured and hardened after
10 minutes more. The protected wooden post can then be inserted
into the ground, wherein about 10 cm of the hardened protective
layer extends about ground level. When a string trimmer device is
used to trim grass from around the mailbox post, the periphery of
protective material resists scarring or tear by the nylon trimmer
string, and protects the wooden post thereunder from the same.
Example 2
[0025] An existing vertical mailbox post was provided, which had
been embedded into the ground in a grass lawn. The mailbox post was
a pressure-treated wooden post, having a height of about 5 feet and
a 6-inch by 6-inch cross section. The base of the mailbox post near
the ground was substantially free of damage to its outside
peripheral surface. A fresh mixture of an epoxy resin and
polymercaptan amines was formed and applied with a 2-cm wide
plastic bristle brush, around the periphery of the wooden post to a
thickness of about 1 mm, from near the ground level to a height of
about 15 cm. The epoxy mixture began to harden about five minutes
after the mixture was formed, and fully cured into a protective
material after 15 minutes. When a string trimmer device was used
the next day to trim grass from around the mailbox post, the
periphery of protective material resisted scarring or tear by the
nylon trimmer string, and protected the wooden post from the same.
Repeated use of the nylon string trimmer to trim grass from around
the base of the mailbox post resulted in no loss in the integrity
of the epoxy protective coating, and protected the surface of the
wooden mailbox post from scratches, scarring, and tears in the
wood.
Example 3
[0026] The wooden legs of an A-frame swing set are coated with a
hardenable mixture of epoxy resin and polymercaptan amine, along
the lower length of the legs, and the mixture is allowed to harden.
The legs are coated so that once the legs are installed into the
ground, the hardened coating extends above the ground level for
15-20 centimeters. Grass and weeds that grow around the swing set
legs can be trimmed with a nylon string trimmer, which cuts the
grass and weeds, but strikes only the hardened coating, thereby not
damaging the underlying wooden leg.
Example 4
[0027] Similar procedures and results are obtained as in Examples 1
and 2 with a telephone pole, fence posts, and deck support
posts.
* * * * *