The present invention relates to a pole, a method for manufacturing the pole, and use of the pole manufactured by the method.
Poles such as utility, power, and telegraph poles are routinely used for supporting power, telephone, internet lines, or other cables above the ground. They may also be used to support transformers and street lights. Poles may also be used as load-bearing structures for buildings and bridges, as legs in furniture, and other applications requiring poles with ample strength. Existing poles are commonly made of solid wood which is sufficiently strong and resistant to inclemental climate conditions such as high wind. However, poles made of solid wood tend to splinter, decay, or rot with time and eventually require replacement with a new wooden pole. To slow decay, existing poles are treated with the wood preservative, coal-tar creosote. However, use of this creosote is undesirable as it is a harmful, toxic substance requiring use of personal protective clothing and equipment. Use of solid wood poles therefore incurs significant cost in both financial and health terms as well as having a detrimental impact on the environment through increased logging of forests.
It would be desirable to provide an alternative pole to traditional solid wood poles that retains sufficient strength.
Accordingly, the present invention preferably seeks to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies in the art and disadvantages singly or in any combination and solves at least the above mentioned problems by providing in one aspect a pole for supporting a cable, comprising: a plurality of truncated cones arranged in a linear array to form the pole, wherein each truncated cone receives an adjacent truncated cone within its interior; and wherein each truncated cone is formed from a veneer by moving the longitudinal edges of the veneer towards each other.
It should be realized that the term “pole” should be interpreted broadly to cover all pole-like structures, such as pipes etc. For example, the present invention also relates to wooden pipes, a method for manufacturing a wooden pipe, and use of a wooden pipe manufactured by the method. The structure of the wooden pipe, as defined in the appended claims and in the description below, may be used for a number of applications requiring a low cost manufacturing and excellent strength.
Further advantageous embodiments are disclosed in the appended and dependent patent claims.
These and other aspects, features and advantages of which the invention is capable of will be apparent and elucidated from the following description of embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following description focuses on an embodiment of the present invention applicable to a pole, and in particular to a telegraph pole suitable for use with lines, cables, transformers or street lights. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to these applications but may be applied to any pole used to support buildings, bridges, furniture, and wherever a pole with sufficient strength is required.
Another veneer (not shown) suitable for rolling into a truncated cone has the dimensions:
The term “veneer” as used herein is intended to mean any flat sheet or thin layer of wood, or engineered wood product that may be manipulated into a three-dimensional shape for example, shaping by wrapping or rolling the veneer, without the veneer undergoing breakage. Examples of a suitable “veneer” are MDF (medium density fibreboard), particle board (chipboard), plywood, hemp, hemp fiber board, hemp fibres, and cellulose-based products such as paperboard, and cardboard. The veneer may be between 0.1 mm and 10 mm thick but is preferably between 1 mm and 5 mm thick and even more preferably between 2 mm and 3 mm thick. For example, veneers 10, 16, 20, and 24 are 2 mm thick. The lengths and widths of the veneer are not intended to be particularly limited. The dimensions disclosed above are for example only. The veneer may be cut into any desired shape prior to being rolled into a truncated cone.
A method of manufacturing a pole 80 from a plurality of truncated cones is shown in
The steps above are repeated but with each repetition the combined cone-holder 50 is placed over and adhered to one end of the cone array 70. The cone array 70 is thus extended to form pole (or elongated structure) 80 that extends in a longitudinal direction. The steps could be repeated any number of times as desired. For example, the steps could be repeated a finite number of times to form a pole 80 comprising between about 20 to 200 cones, or 50 to 150 cones, or about 100 cones. Alternatively, the steps are repeated continuously to form an infinite linear array of cones stacked one on top of each other. The infinite linear array is then cut at a pre-determined length as shown by the vertical dashed lines to form the pole 80.
Although not illustrated, it is also possible to apply the glue to the outside of a truncated cone 60 or a cone array 70 prior to contacting cone 60 or array 70 with another truncated cone 30 or holder-cone combination 50.
The plurality of truncated cones in the pole 80 may alternatively be connected to each other using screws, nuts and bolts, vacuum, tape, or staples. These mechanical connection methods could also be used in conjunction with the adhesive for attaining a pole with additional strength.
If desired, the outer surface of the pole 80 may be finished with a grinding or cutting machine to make the outer surface smooth or planar.
The pole 80 may be protected from climatic conditions (sun, wind, rain etc.) by application of a suitable protecting agent, if desired. For example, the pole 80 may be treated with lacquer or a fire retardation agent. The pole 80 could also be treated by acetylation or with a Sioo-type protection system such as that disclosed in EP 2 003 977 B1 or at www.sioo.co.uk. It is possible to dip the pole 80 in a container of a suitable polymeric protectant. An alternative to chemical treatments is to wrap the pole 80 in plastic, such as shrink-type plastic. These treatments would make the pole easier to clean and protect the pole from damage caused by birds landing thereon and bird excrements.
Example uses of the pole when mounted into the ground are shown in
The poles of the present invention are lightweight but strong, non-toxic to manufacture and handle, have less impact on the environment, and facilitate easy handling.
Although the present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein. Rather, the invention is limited only by the accompanying claims.
In the claims, the term “comprises/comprising” does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps. Additionally, although individual features may be included in different claims, these may possibly advantageously be combined, and the inclusion in different claims does not imply that a combination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous. In addition, singular references do not exclude a plurality. The terms “a”, “an”, “first”, “second” etc do not preclude a plurality. Reference signs in the claims are provided merely as a clarifying example and shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims in any way.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1551143 | Sep 2015 | SE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/SE2016/050836 | 9/7/2016 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2017/044033 | 3/16/2017 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
232360 | Milliken | Sep 1880 | A |
1954183 | Schlesinger | Apr 1934 | A |
2296781 | Farny | Sep 1942 | A |
2449526 | Dunne | Sep 1948 | A |
3034209 | Bianca | May 1962 | A |
3713262 | Jatcko | Jan 1973 | A |
3963546 | Roberti | Jun 1976 | A |
5285614 | Fouad | Feb 1994 | A |
5438812 | Erickson | Aug 1995 | A |
5746863 | Jarrett | May 1998 | A |
7607276 | Gordin | Oct 2009 | B2 |
8302368 | Keel | Nov 2012 | B1 |
9593506 | Lockwood | Mar 2017 | B2 |
10036177 | Lockwood | Jul 2018 | B2 |
20040074199 | Gordin | Apr 2004 | A1 |
20080274319 | Berksoy | Nov 2008 | A1 |
20090019816 | Lockwood | Jan 2009 | A1 |
20170183886 | Lockwood | Jun 2017 | A1 |
20180282134 | Lagerweij | Oct 2018 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
104641059 | May 2015 | CN |
631126 | Jun 1936 | DE |
867907 | Mar 1954 | DE |
0532376 | Mar 1993 | EP |
2003977 | Dec 2008 | EP |
119337 | Oct 1918 | GB |
362849 | Dec 1931 | GB |
1230083 | Feb 2014 | SE |
2016004470 | Jan 2016 | WO |
Entry |
---|
European Patent Office, Search Report and Written Opinion for Application No. 16844803.3 (9 pages). (dated 2019). |
The National Intellectual Property Administration of P.R. China, Search Report and Text of the First Notification of Office Action for Application No. 201680051828.7 (8 pages). (dated Aug. 15, 2019). |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20180243935 A1 | Aug 2018 | US |