The field of the invention is wire meshes, and more particularly, wire meshes for pest control.
The burrowing behaviors of certain animals like nutria, rats, muskrats, gophers, groundhogs, armadillo, etc. become a problem when the burrowing occurs in man-made structures like earthen dams, levees, embankments and decorative landscaping. The present methods of burrowing control include killing, trapping or other reactive measures. However, prevention and protection of the structures where burrowing is unwanted may be a more appropriate and humane response. Finally, anti-burrowing methods are often harmful to pets and non-invasive animals.
There are a variety of mechanisms for pest exclusion; however, currently there is a need in the art for economical pest exclusion device that is environmentally friendly and easily adaptable to a variety of environments and locations. Moreover, the current mechanisms for pest control are ill-suited for ground laying applications due to corroding, heavy materials, expensive materials, and too stiff for ground or dirt applications. The present invention solves these problems as well as others.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the invention rather than limiting, the scope of the invention being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
The invention is a wire mesh for pest control and deterrence.
The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, will be understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and configurations shown.
Generally speaking, the invention is a wire mesh 10 comprising a plurality of interwoven metal wires 20, as shown in
The wire mesh 10 focuses on prevention and protection of the structures where burrowing is unwanted. The wire mesh 10 is installed by burying the wire mesh 10 just underneath the surface soil and planting grass or other plants over the top. Plants readily root through the diamond shaped pattern 12. Additionally, the wire mesh 10 helps to stabilize the ground surface against erosion. The wire mesh 10 is not harmful to the animals but is effective in creating a permanent anti-burrowing barrier that is invisible. The metal wires 20 woven with sharp edges 24 to provide for additional deterrent for excluding pests in any environment. The wire mesh 10 is significantly lighter than traditional fence and significantly cheaper to produce.
The diamond shaped pattern 12 may have various dimensions, as appropriate to exclude pests, as shown in
In one embodiment of the invention, the metal wires 20 are formed by shaving a cylindrical metal wire 40 with diameter H, as shown in
In one embodiment of the invention, the metal wire 20 is made from stainless steel, as to prevent rusting and corrosion of mesh. However, the metal wire 20 can also be made from bronze, carbon steel, copper, aluminum, metal alloys, and other suitable metals that can be shaved into suitable metal fibers to suit a variety of pest deterring applications. If the wire mesh 10 is made from stainless steel wires, the wire mesh 10 requires no additional coating to protect the wire mesh 10 from rusting or eroding. Typically, wires used for fences require zinc coatings, which are applied by galvanizing after weaving or galvanizing before weaving. Galvanized after weaving (“GAW”) is a process in which wire rod is drawn to the finished gauge, then woven into chain link fabric. The fabric is then pulled through a pot of molten zinc. This process applies 1.2 ounces of zinc coating per square foot of fabric and conforms to ASTM standards. If the wire mesh is made from carbon steel, then galvanizing the metal wire is preferred. Alternatively, nonferrous metals may be preferable in certain environmental conditions. Alternatively, the wire mesh 10 may be coated with a non-corrosive material.
The metal wires can have an average cross sectional dimension similar to round wire between about 6-16 gauge. Gauge is the diameter of round wire, where the higher the gauge number the smaller the wire diameter, each diameter represents a given cross-sectional area. A gauge of 6 corresponds to 0.192 inches diameter (29,000 mils) and 12 gauge corresponds to 0.106 inches diameter (8,800 mils). The preferred embodiment of this invention uses cord-shaped cross section wire of between 2,000-4,000 mils.
In one embodiment of the invention, the metal wire 20 includes a flat edge 26 and the circular edge 28, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Redrawing metal wire 20 to the near-round metal wire 30 in a single step from metal wire 20 may break the wire or snap the sharp edges 24 from the metal wire 20. Thus, redrawing in several steps to the near-round metal wire 30 ensures proper structural integrity of the sharp edges 24 on the near-round wire 30.
The wire mesh 10 is made by a weaving machine. The weaving machine continually feeds one or two strands of the metal wires into a weaving blade and trough mechanism that bends and weaves the metal wires together. The weaving blade and trough interweave the metal wires by helically winding them to provide a continuous wire mesh, without knots or ties, except possibly at the edges of the finished fabric. After being woven together, the formed continuous links of the wire mesh are cut off at the edges, leaving sharp wire end portions. The wire mesh is finished by knuckling or barbing the, depending on the intended use of the wire mesh. If a knuckled edge is desired, an assembly on the weaving machine bends the metal wire end portions of the wire mesh over one another, forming a knuckle at the edge of the wire mesh. Similarly, if a barbed edge is desired, an assembly on the weaving machine twists the metal wire end portions creating a sharp barb at the edge of the wire mesh 10. Alternatively, the ends of the wire mesh 10 may be integrated into a single metal wire that runs along the border of the wire mesh. The ends of the wire mesh 10 may be woven into the border metal wire.
The wire mesh 10 may be made in lengths of 12″ to 144″. In one embodiment of the invention, the wire mesh is formed by weaving a series of spirals together. Wire meshes less than 72″ may have both ends knuckled. Wire meshes 72″ and higher, is generally twisted or barbed at one end and knuckled on the other. For longer wire meshes, the wire mesh can be obtained with both ends twisted or barbed. In one embodiment of the invention, knuckled both ends prevents the sharp wire ends from protruding above ground level after installation and injuring vegetation. The wire mesh does not require welding to secure the diamond shaped pattern 10; however, welding may be used if further fastening is required.
The diameter of the diamond shaped pattern 12 may be adjusted during the weaving process to produce a larger or smaller diameter of the diamond shaped pattern 12. The weaving process may also be adjusted to position the sharp edges 22 to the exterior the wire mesh 10. By positioning the sharp edges 22 towards the exterior of the wire mesh 10, further anti-burrowing effects are obtained by the wire mesh 10.
In one embodiment of the invention, the border of the wire mesh 10 includes attachment points, to attach the wire mesh to another structure. Such attachment points may further secure the wire mesh 10 to the ground. Alternatively, the border of the wire mesh may be secured to additional pieces of wire mesh by C staples, hog rings, D rings, and the like. Alternatively, the wire mesh may be attached to another structure by nails, staples, screws, and the like.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.