Abstract:
A joint obstacle to ants is formed from two or more moats containing a liquid such as water, or a water dish soap mixture, spaced closely apart. The moats surround a table or serving plate for presenting dessert. The moats are separated by a short band about the same width as the moats. By spacing the moats closely apart, the ants rejects a path across the second moat, thereby preventing the ants from reaching the dessert.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to the control of ants and in particular to preventing ants from reaching desserts residing on a table. 
         [0002]    Ants of various varieties are common in both rural and urban areas. In many areas, leaving a dessert remnant on a table, counter, or any location for a length of time, for example, overnight, results in an ant trail to the dessert remnant. Once the ants have found a dessert, they frequently return and quickly become a nuisance and are particularly annoying during hot, cold, or rainy weather when they are often actively seeking shelter. Ants may additionally create health issues. Ants also often spoil outdoor outings by invading dessert arranged on a picnic table or the like. Such invasions may be even more common in wet or other inclimate weather. 
         [0003]    Various designs have been proposed to prevent access to bowls, tables, and the like to ants. Some simple designs include a single simple moat containing a liquid to block the ants, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,125,790, U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,365, U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,798, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,099. Unfortunately, a single moat has not proven effective to blocking ants. Other more complicated designs include two or more moats separated by various features in an attempt to block the ants, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,609, but these have amounted to disjoint obstacles which the ants have addressed as separate and independent obstacles and overcome as they have overcome a single moat. 
         [0004]    Further, known designs are often delegated to utility bowls because of the awkward and/or overly complex appearance, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,609. Such designs are not acceptable for many occasions, for example, serving plates or table, where appearance is important. 
         [0005]    Therefore, a need remains for an effective obstacle having an attractive design to prevent ants from reaching dessert. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention addresses the above and other needs by providing a joint obstacle to ants which is formed from two or more moats containing a liquid such as water, or a water and dish soap mixture, spaced closely apart. The moats surround a table or serving plate used for carrying dessert. The moats are separated by a short land about the same width as the moats. By spacing the moats closely apart, the ants reject a path across the second moat, thereby preventing the ants from reaching the dessert. 
         [0007]    In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided an ant resistant table. The ant resistant table includes a table top for carrying dessert and a base below the table top. The base includes a base bottom for residing on a horizontal surface, an outer edge of the base, a vertical support portion of the base providing support to the table top, and a horizontal top surface portion of the base between the outer edge and the vertical support portion and forming a closed path containing the vertical support portion. A joint obstacle resides on the horizontal top surface between the outer edge and the vertical support portion. The joint obstacle includes a first land, a first moat, a second land, and a second moat. The first land resides in the horizontal top surface portion against the outer edge and forms a closed path containing the vertical support portion and has a width of approximately ⅜ inches. The first moat resides in the horizontal top surface portion and inside and against the first land and forms a closed path containing the vertical support portion and has a width of approximately ⅜ inches. The second land resides on the horizontal top surface portion inside and against the first moat and forms a closed path containing the vertical support portion and has a width of approximately ⅜ inches. The second moat resides in the horizontal top surface portion and inside and against the second land and forms a closed path containing the vertical support portion and having a width of approximately ⅜ inches. The joint obstacle includes a combination of the first moat, the first land, and the second moat, and causes the ant to reject a path across the second moat. 
         [0008]    In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided an ant resistant table comprising an ant resistant pedestal serving plate. The ant resistant pedestal serving plate includes a table top, a base, and a pedestal. The table top is for carrying dessert and has a diameter of approximately ten inches. The base is below the table top and has a diameter of approximately six inches and includes: a base bottom for residing on a horizontal surface; an outer edge; a vertical support portion providing support to the table top; and a horizontal top surface portion between the outer edge and the vertical support portion and forming a closed path containing the vertical support portion. The pedestal extends upward from the vertical support portion and vertically supports the table top approximately six inches above the horizontal surface and is approximately 1.5 inches in diameter near the base and approximately one inch in diameter near the table top. The base further includes a joint obstacle including a combination of the first moat, the first land, and the second moat, and causes ants to reject a path across the second moat. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
         [0009]    The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a side perspective view of an ant resistant table according to the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2A  is a side view of the ant resistant table according to the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2B  is a top view of the ant resistant table according to the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a joint obstacle on a base of the ant resistant table according to the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a joint obstacle on the base of the ant resistant table according to the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a joint obstacle on the base of the ant resistant table according to the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of a joint obstacle on the base of the ant resistant table according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
       [0017]    Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]    The following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims. 
         [0019]    A side perspective view of an ant resistant table  10  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1 , a side view of the ant resistant table  10  is shown in  FIG. 2A  and a top view of the ant resistant table  10  is shown in  FIG. 2B , The ant resistant table  10  includes a flat top  12  for carrying dessert, a base  16 , and a pedestal  14 . The base  16  resides on a horizontal surface  22  thereby supporting the pedestal  14  and top  12 . The base  16  includes an outer edge  16   c , a horizontal top surface portion  16   a  and a vertical support portion  16   b . The horizontal top surface portion  16   a  resides between the outer edge  16   c  and the vertical support portion  16   b  and forms a closed path containing the vertical support portion  16   b  between the outer edge  16   c  and the vertical support portion  16   b . The pedestal  14  attaches to the base  16  over the vertical support portion  16   b . Thus, an ant, or other insect, must cross the horizontal top surface portion  16   a  to reach the pedestal  14 . A joint obstacle  18  resides on or in the horizontal top surface portion  16   a  and forms closed path containing the vertical support portion  16   b  to prevent ants from reaching the pedestal  14  and top  12  of the table  10 . 
         [0020]    A common example of the ant resistant table  10  is a pedestal serving plate. Such pedestal serving plate commonly has a top diameter D 1 , a height H, and a base diameter D 2 . The diameters D 1  and D 2  are generally approximately ten inches and approximately six inches, and the height H is generally approximately six inches. The pedestal  14  is approximately 1½ inches in diameter near the base  16  and approximately one inch in diameter near the top  12 . 
         [0021]    A cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a joint obstacle  18   a  on the horizontal top surface portion  16   a  of the ant resistant table  10  is shown in  FIG. 3 . The joint obstacle  18   a  comprises a first land  22   a  next to and inside the outer edge  16   c  and forming a closed path, a first moat  24   a  containing a liquid  25  such as water, or a water and dish soap mixture, next to and inside the first land  22   a  and forming a closed path, a second land  22   b  next to and inside the first moat  24   a  and forming a closed path, and a second moat  24   b  containing the liquid  25 , next to and inside the second land  22   b  and forming a closed path. The joint obstacle  18   a  is therefore inside the outer edge  16   c  and forms a closed path containing the vertical support portion  16   b  preventing ants from reaching the pedestal  14 . 
         [0022]    The joint obstacle  18   a  presents a combination of obstacles (the moats  24   a  and  24   b ), and by spacing the moats closely together, the ants reject a path across the second moat, thereby preventing the ants from reaching the dessert. Known ant resistant tables either include only a single moat which is not effective, or multiple obstacles which either are ineffective or create an unacceptable appearance. The present invention utilizes the inventor&#39;s discovery that ants reject a path across closely spaced moats. While the actual decision process executed by the ants is unknown, the ant decision process has been observed to reject attempting to cross a second moat immediately after crossing a first moat. 
         [0023]    A cross-sectional view of a second embodiment a joint obstacle  18   b  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 4 . The joint obstacle  18   b  includes the first land  22   a , first moat  24   a , and the second land  22   b  as in the joint obstacle  18   a , but the second moat  24   a  is replaced by a wide moat  24 ′. The wide moat  24 ′ may extend partially inwards towards the vertical support portion  16   b  or all the way to the vertical support portion  16   b  and may provide a different appearance found attractive by some users. 
         [0024]    A cross-sectional view of a third embodiment a joint obstacle  18   c  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 5 . The joint obstacle  18   c  adds a third land  22   c  and a third moat  24   c  to the first obstacle  18   a . The lands  22   a ,  22   b , and  22   c  have widths w 1 , w 3 , and w 5  respectively, and the moats  24   a ,  24   b , and  24   c  have widths w 2 , w 4 , and w 6  respectively. The widths w 1 -w 6  are preferably approximately the same and are more preferably approximately ⅜ inches. 
         [0025]    A cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment a joint obstacle  18   d  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 6 . The joint obstacle  18   d  is similar to the joint obstacle  18   a , but the lands  22   b  and  22   c  are progressively raised. The lands  22   a ,  22   b , and  22   c  have heights h 1 , h 2 , and h 3  above the horizontal plane  22 , and are preferably approximately ½ inches, approximately ⅝ inches and approximately ¾ inches. Alternative, the land  22   b  is preferably approximately ⅛ inches higher than the land  22   a , and the land  22   c  is preferably approximately ⅛ inch higher than the land  22   b.    
         [0026]    While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.