Patent Application
20240180088
For thousands of years indigenous peoples of the Mohican-Algonquin-Mohawk peoples of the North East American continent have used sap from an indigenous tree Acer saccharum (The Maple Tree) for many remedies and foods up to and including deriving sugar (sucrose) from sap “tapped” from the tree during a few key months in the Winter.
Observing this, immigrants from the 1600's adapted the process to produce a “syrup” that was commonly used as a condiment associated with “pancakes”.
The first innovation introduced in Maple sap collection was the open bucket, then came the introduction of the Spile, then the partially closed bucket, then the Spile was joined by interlocking tubing systems that running through the forest to a collection tank increased efficacy in collection with a loss in enjoyable forest habitat.
On the African continent a vaguely similar process of extraction of sap is used to extract a “Wine” from the Palm Tree; this sap is called “Palm Wine”.
The process of extraction is vaguely similar though on a vastly different schedule, and the Palm tree is tapped at its crown as opposed to the lower trunk as is the case with the Sugar Maple tree.
Also while Maple syrup requires a boiling process, Palm wine requires only a brief fermentation—“resting”— for it to be fully ready for consumption.
The Tree Sap Collector becomes significant in both cases for a similar reason: In both cases it ensures a “clean” product free of debris, up to and including small flying insects.
In the case of the Palm Wine tree, the collection device attached to food grade clear tubing then a spile at the collection point, with collection in a vessel at ground level reduces the need for a person to climb the tree to collect the “sap/wine” as “collection occurs on the ground instead of from a gourd attached to the crown at 30 to 40 feet.
Also the Tree Sap Collector allows for the introduction of sap collection measuring devices so in a manual collection system, the collector is notified of which Tree Sap Collection vessels are full and need to be emptied.
With the Palm Tree application this could result in vast savings in spilled overflows at tree top, the physical risk associated with daily scaling of a tall thin tree, and in both a significant saving in time in a still manual collection process.
Both applications become significant in a world that has shifted from focusing on production—and overproduction—to one focused on small producers leveraging technologies like web based efficacious process systems to enable stable and sustainable micro-production, as opposed to massive mono-crop agricultural systems.
The Tree Sap Collector enables tree farmers small and large to efficaciously collect clean tree sap on an individual tree basis.
For small sap collectors with non contiguous Acer saccharum or Palm Trees on their properties, they are able to replicate the same efficacy in cleanliness as vast interlocking tube collection efforts native to larger efforts.
Where most innovations enhance large mono crop applications, the Tree Sap Collector is the small efficacious farmer's/tapper's dream.
The Tree Sap Collector consists of a food grade collection bucket with a sealed tube portal.
Clear food grade plastic tubing is inserted into the exact size portal in the lidded food grade collection bucket.
The other end is a closed loop attached by zip-tie to the Spile and the Spile to the drilled hole in the tree trunk forming a tight collection system that cannot be invaded by debris or insects.
A measuring device in the collection drum will identify the level for emptying, obliviating the labor intensive need for constant opening of each collection vessel to check for readiness to empty the vessel of collected Sap.
The Algonquin Sap Collector will enable efficacious farming on an individual tree basis.
The Algonquin Tree Sap Collection device takes into consideration several factors in its efficacy.
The collection of sap efficaciously and health safe, means that the same—or similar—levels of efficacy in contiguous tubing can be reached with an individual collection device without the restricting nature of threading tubes through a nature forest
It will encourage small producers to produce as the efficacy levels in terms of clean Sugar (sucrose from Acer saccharum) or Clean safe “wine” from Palm trees can be reached with the Algonquin Tree Sap Collector
The Algonquin Tree Sap Collector enables dual use of the forest.
First as a sap collection device in the winter sap collection months and as a Nature Walk during those same months, and during all other months of the year.
The Algonquin Tree Sap Collector will have a great impact on the community of people whose task it is using rudimentary safety tools to scale a 30-40 foot Palm Tree daily to manually check if the tree has produced sufficient sap to collect, and replacing a full receptacle with a new empty one.
The invention known as the Algonquin Tree Sap Collector is an invention in the USPTO category:
Specifically from
Where on web application specification or by physical inspection, said sap is collected then before overflowing is identified for individual receptor vessel emptying.
The receptor vessel consists of a food grade bucket type vessel, with a sealing removable lid.
Within this removable lid, a hole is placed to receive the expectant receptor tubing while not allowing for debris or insects to inhabit said opening or collected sap when tube is placed and collection is imminent, has commenced, or has ended.
The food grade tubing is extended to appropriate height [3-4 feet for Acer saccharum, possibly 30-40 feet for Palm Tree sap tapping.
The receptor vessel is placed on the ground for stability, and is connected to the Spile receptacle point by food grade plastic tubing from 4 to 40 feet depending on application.
Either through a web based app with a sensor on the receptor vessel, or through physical inspection by collection personnel, an individual tree receptor collection schedule is enabled.
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