Abstract:
An elongated tubular pesticide dispersion tube is fixed in place in the outer brick wall of a building having an inner structural wall. The dispersion tube can be installed in the mortar between courses of brick during construction or added to an existing structure by drilling a hole through the outer brick wall. A plug is used to seal the dispersion tube when the appliance is not actively being used as to inject a pesticide, an insecticide, or a chemical through the dispersion tube and into the gap between the outer brick wall and the inner structural wall. The method of using the novel appliance to inject a pesticide, an insecticide, or a chemical product into the gap between the outer brick wall and the inner structural wall, thereby sealing the area formed between them is also described.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/460,539 entitled PERIMETER PEST CONTROL SYSTEM FILED by John J. Jordan on Jul. 27, 2006. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to an appliance for use in injecting a pesticide or a termiticide between the outer brick wall and the inner structural wall of brick structures. In particular, the present invention is intended to be used to provide a means for facilitating the injection of chemical pesticides between the inner and outer portions of the exterior wall system of a brick structure, thereby providing a perimeter pest control system which extends around the periphery of the structure. 
   In the past there have been efforts to provide pesticide treatment to protect structures at the time that they are constructed. While it has been common practice in the construction of new buildings to pre-treat the fill or soil area which is to underlie the foundation with a termiticide, the initial termite barrier does not last indefinitely, so there is a need to supplement this barrier during the life of the building by providing an efficient and inexpensive means at the points where termites or other insects can gain access to wooden structural members. While termites do not bore holes through brick and mortar, they can gain entry into the areas where there are cracks in the foundation or where wood is used in the construction of the building by forming earthen tunnels from ground level over the surfaces of concrete foundations, slabs, and walls. In buildings which have a brick exterior, the foundation is typically formed so as to have a stepped portion on which the lowest course of brick is laid. The stepped portion extends out from, and is lower than, the remaining portion of the foundation on which a wood wall system is supported, leaving a space between the outer brick wall and the inner exterior wall of the structure. 
   Once termites gain entry to the gap between the exterior brick wall and the inner wall, they are able to build tunnels in the tiny spaces between the walls and the surfacing material, and their tunneling activity will not be detected because it is behind the exterior brick wall. Thus, while the exterior brick wall will prevent termites or other insects from gaining access through them, the lack of a seal between the exterior portion of the internal structural wall and the interior portion of the exterior brick wall provides a path through which termites can enter the structure from behind the exterior brick wall. 
   This situation can be made worse if landscaping activities decrease the vertical space between the ground and the upper portion of the foundation wall following construction which make it even easier for termites and other insects to gain access by climbing up the edges of a foundation slab and between the structural walls and the exterior brick wall without being detected until after severe damage has been done to wooden structural members of the building. 
   Prior methods for preventing termites from entering between the structural walls and the exterior brick wall involve saturating the soil adjacent to the perimeter of the structure with pesticides and termiticide at the point of termite entry. This is accomplished by trenching or rodding. In the first of these methods, a trench is dug around the perimeter and filled with termiticide, e.g., at the rate of about four gallons of termiticide per linear foot of trench. In the other method, termiticide is injected through a hollow rod jammed into the soil and against the foundation about every six inches or so. Usually the soil adjacent the foundation is relatively dry. Since dry soil does not absorb liquids easily, it is not uncommon for termiticide applied in this manner to drain away very quickly, thereby making it ineffective at the point of termite entry, and, instead, creating an environmental detriment to the surrounding soil. Further, these methods are quite labor intensive, so they are costly to use. Thus, there has been an ongoing need for an efficient, labor-saving termiticide delivery system for providing an effective perimeter pest control system to create a barrier between the exterior brick wall of a building and its foundation and exterior structural walls, whereby the area between them can be easily treated on a periodic basis. 
   While a number of fluid distribution systems for pesticides or termiticides comprised of conduit capable of emitting pesticides or termiticides through apertures or valves have been developed for incorporation in or under a building foundation, these prior systems are typically quite elaborate in construction, requiring extensive modification of traditional and conventional building methods, expensive pumps and reservoirs, and substantial increases in building costs. Such issues have been previously noted, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,513,586 to Meyer et al. which discloses and teaches a distribution system comprising tube means disposed within a building footer constructed of conventional concrete building blocks, requiring additional support members and plate members, among other things, that but for the distribution system, would not be required as part of the footer. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 3,209,485 to Griffin discloses a pesticide distribution system comprised of multiple, independent, branched circuits, intended to be installed within and under a foundation at the time of construction. The system comprises many parts, and its installation requires multiple steps at different stages of construction of the building. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,248 to Peacock discloses a distribution system comprised of a plurality of parallel connected pipe branches, each branch thereof short enough so that fluid pressure is maintained along the entire piping, with at least two inlets into each branch. Each branch requires a closure fitting at the end opposite the inlet end. Multiple pumps are required to maintain uniform pressure in the branch lines. 
   There are also a number of related systems for distributing pesticide within the walls of buildings. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,676,949 of Ramsey, pipes with emitter nozzles pass through the studs of the walls with a nozzle disposed between each set of studs. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,026 of Bridges et al., pipes extend within the walls or, alternatively, beneath baseboard moldings on the interior walls, permitting injection of insecticide gas within the walls. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,841 to Lundwall an insecticide storage and pressurizing system is installed in the attic, and perforated pipes carry pest control fluid into the building walls, while U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,641 to Cretti describes a built-in reservoir which is installed within a building wall from which pesticide is distributed whenever the pump is operated (which can be done by a timing device for injecting predetermined amounts at predetermined spaced intervals). 
   U.S. Pat. No. 3,330,062 to Carter is another pest control system utilizing pipes installed through holes drilled through the wall studs of a building with the pipes requiring threaded caps at their distal ends. U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,110 to Sims relates to a method for applying pesticide into the concealed areas of a building, by injecting pressurized chemicals through perforated preinstalled tubing. U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,749 to Chitwood et al. discloses a system for reapplication of termiticide to the fill dirt underlying the foundation slab of a building at potential termite entry points: junction of foundation block with slab, and openings in the slab for penetration of bundles of utility connections. 
   While none of the foregoing patents teaches or discloses a system adapted to deliver a termiticide barrier to the exterior walls of a building underneath its surface coating or siding materials, an effort to disclose such a system was made in U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,466 to Aesch, et al., in which a peripheral termiticide delivery system using flexible apertured tubing was described. Nevertheless, that system was designed to simply saturate the exterior foundation walls of a structure, with the treatment going down to the soil, rather than being retrofitted to existing structures having an exterior brick wall while providing a convenient and efficient means for applying pesticide. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,849 which issued Roth describes a flashing article used to seal out and drain away moisture from a stucco coated exterior wall surface, but it does not describe a system which can be used to seal the exposed area between the structural and exterior walls in lapped “plank” type of construction while providing a means for introducing pesticides into such exposed areas. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In that no combination of the known prior art devices provides a means for providing an efficient, easily installed and easily used means for pesticide treatment for structures having exterior brick walls, the need for such a system is met by the present invention. 
   In particular, the present invention is an elongated tubular article designed to be installed in, and extend through, an exterior brick wall of a structure, whereby the appliance provides a means for communication from outside of the brick wall to the gap formed between the inside of the brick wall and the outer surface of the interior structural wall. 
   In various embodiments, the appliance of the present invention includes, as a first component, an elongated dispersion tube, having a length somewhat longer than the width of the brick used to form the outer wall. The dispersion tube has an interior opening, or lumen, which provides direct communication therethrough, and which has an inside diameter sized to receive a termiticide or pesticide injection nozzle. 
   The appliance further includes a second component which is an elongated plug, which is sized to fit within and fill the opening in the dispersion tube, so that when the appliance is installed during the construction of a brick wall, the opening in the dispersion tube, being filled with the plug, does not get clogged with mortar. Similarly, in the embodiments which are designed for retrofit applications, the presence of the plug component during the installation of the appliance prevents adhesive, caulk, or debris from entering the opening in the dispersion tube component. 
   When the appliance is in use, the plug component prevents water or insects from gaining ingress, yet it is easily removed to allow treatment, after which it is easily replaced. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     In the Drawing: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the components which form the preferred embodiment of the present invention, including the dispersion tube and plug components; 
       FIG. 2  is a side, cross-sectional view of the invention of  FIG. 1  illustrating the manner in which the appliance appears when it is part of a structure, and this view corresponds to the view taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 3 ; and 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of additional embodiments of dispersion tube components which are designed for use when the present invention is used in a retrofit application. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , the present invention relates to an apparatus  10  designed to be used as a pesticide or termiticide application appliance which facilitates injection of a termiticide or insecticide between the inner and outer walls of brick structures. As shown, the appliance  10  comprises two components, namely a dispersion tube  12  and a full length plug  14 , which are each preferably molded of a plastic material, such as polyvinylchloride (“PVC”). As will be explained herein, the dispersion tube  12  is formed such that it has an overall length which is preferably chosen to be somewhat longer than the width of the brick used to form the outer wall of the structure. In that standard construction brick has a width of about 3½ inches, the dispersion tube component  12  of the preferred embodiment has an overall length of about 3⅞ inches. 
   With continued reference to  FIG. 1 , the appliance  12  has an elongated barrel  16  which has a proximal portion  18  and a distal portion  20 . An annular flange  22  is formed at the distal end of the distal portion  20  of the barrel  16 , and an opening  24  is formed through the entire length of the barrel  16  as well as through the flange  22 , thereby permitting open communication through the entire length of the dispersion tube  12 , including both the barrel  16  and the flange  22 . A locking ridge or collar  26  having an outer diameter somewhat greater than the outer diameter of the proximal and distal portions  18 ,  20  of the barrel  16  is preferably formed somewhat near the middle of the barrel  16 , separating the proximal and distal portions  18 ,  20 . 
   As set forth above, and as will be explained further hereinafter, in the preferred embodiment of the invention the overall length of the barrel  16  is chosen to be somewhat longer than the width of a standard construction brick (which is about 3½ inches wide). Thus, a length of about 3.688 inches for the barrel  16 , plus another 0.188 inches for the thickness of the flange, giving the dispersion tube  12  an overall length of about 3⅞ inches, has been chosen for use in the preferred embodiment of the invention, although other lengths would be used for brick walls constructed of brick having different thicknesses. The flange  22  preferably has an outside diameter of about 1 inch, and the opening  24  which extends through the length of the dispersion tube  12  and the flange  22  preferably has a diameter of about 3/16 inch in order to prevent binding when a termicide (or insecticide) injection nozzel having an outside diameter of about one-eighth inch is inserted therein. The collar  26  of the preferred embodiment has an outer diameter of about 7/16 inch, and the collar preferably extends about one-quarter inch in length along the barrel  16 . 
   With continued reference to  FIG. 1 , the appliance  10  further comprises a second component which is a full length plug  14 , also preferably molded from a plastic material such as PVC. The plug  14  comprises a barrel  28  having an outer diameter of about one-eighth inch, which allows it to easily slide through the opening  24  in the dispersion tube  12  (as indicated by the dashed line  30 ). A button  32  is formed at the proximal end  34  of the plug  14 . The button  32  has a diameter of about ⅜ inch in the preferred embodiment of the invention whereby it will limit the travel of the plug  14  into the opening  24  in the dispersion tube  12 . The barrel  28  has a length chosen to be somewhat longer than the overall length of the dispersion tube  12 . In the preferred embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the overall length of the dispersion tube is about 3⅞ inches, so the length chosen for the barrel  28  is about 4 inches, plus an additional one-quarter inch for the thickness of the button  32 , thereby giving the plug  14  an overall length of about 4¼ inches. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the assembled appliance  10  (i.e., having the plug  14  inserted into the opening  24  in the dispersion tube  12 ) is shown in place in a brick wall  40 . Specifically,  FIG. 2  illustrates the placement of an assembled appliance  10  (shown in cross-section), with the flange  22  at the distal end of the dispersion tube  12  adjacent the rear of bricks  42 ,  44 . As illustrated, the 1 inch diameter of the flange  22  allows it to overlap the rear surfaces  46 ,  48  of the bricks  42 ,  44 , respectively. As the mortar  50  between bricks is generally applied to a thickness of about one-half inch thickness, the flange  22  extends about one-quarter inch over the rear surfaces  46 ,  48  of each of the bricks  42 ,  44 . 
   As is also illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the design of the collar  26  (i.e., the fact that it extends radially outward from the barrel  16 ,) helps to lock the dispersion tube  12  in place within the mortar  50  separating and binding bricks  42 ,  44 . The flange  22  prevents the dispersion tube  12  from being pulled toward the external surface  52  of the wall  40 , and it helps prevent mortar  50  from entering the opening  24  when the appliance is initially installed (i.e., before the wet mortar has set). The collar  26  also prevents movement of the dispersion tube  12  once the mortar  50  has set. 
   As illustrated, the brick wall  40  sits on a step  54  formed as part of foundation  56 . While the step  54  supports the exterior brick wall  40 , an upper surface  58  of the foundation  56  supports the inner wall  60  of the structure. The inner wall  60  includes a plate  62  which lies on, and is preferably attached to, the upper surface  58  of the foundation. Vertical studs  64  are attached to, and extend upward from, the plate  62 . Typically, a layer of insulation  66  is attached to the outer portion of the interior wall  60 , leaving a gap  68  between the outer surface of the inner wall  60  (which may, optionally, include a layer of “wrap”, not shown) and the rear surface of the exterior brick wall  40 . 
   In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the appliances  10  are spaced about 12 inches apart in the mortar  50 , preferably above the second course of bricks so as to insure that they will be readily accessible after the surrounding area has been filled and landscaped. In addition, by placing the appliances  10  above ground level, the likelihood of water intrusion through the dispersion tubes  12  is minimized. 
   In use, the plugs  14  are readily removable from the dispersion tubes  12 , exposing the openings  24 , into which a pesticide (or termiticide), can be injected periodically, as desired, to insure that the gap  68  is properly treated. It has been found that a preferred method for treating the structure involves the use of a pesticide foam (or a termiticide foam) which is injected through the dispersion tubes  12 , and which then expands in the gap  68  after which the plugs  14  are reinserted. 
   The present invention can be installed on structures having either slab or basement foundations, and it is intended to allow a pest control service company to periodically apply a uniform pesticide or termiticide barrier around the exterior of a home or other structure in an area which protects the pesticide or termiticide against degradation from exposure to the elements. It also minimizes the amount of pesticide that would come in contact with the exterior of the building. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the invention would typically be installed during construction of a new structure. However, in other embodiments of the invention, alternative embodiments  70 ,  72  of the dispersion tube, as shown in  FIG. 4 , are used, in order to allow the invention to be used to retrofit existing structures by drilling holes through the outer wall (preferably through the mortar, rather than the bricks, for esthetic reasons). As shown, the alternative embodiments  70 ,  72 , which are intended for retrofit applications, do not include a flange at their distal ends. Also, as shown, the embodiment  70  has a relatively smooth outer diameter, while the embodiment  72  includes a series of ridges  74 . In order to use either of the embodiments  70 ,  72 , a series of holes are bored through the outer brick wall of the structure, preferably through the mortar between the second and third courses of bricks. Then, the dispersion tubes  70  (or  72 ) are pressed into the holes, typically with an adhesive or caulk applied to them (and with a plug  12  inside to prevent clogging of their internal openings  76  (or  78 ). As will be obvious, the absence of the flange  22  used in dispersion tube  12 , permits the dispersion tubes  70 ,  72  to be pressed into the bored holes. 
   In addition to treating the gap  68  (See,  FIG. 2 ), the appliance of the present invention can also be placed at the four corners of windows and at the upper corners of door frames installed in the brick wall, as these areas are prone to insect and termite attack. 
   The present invention can be used as a stand-alone pest control treatment, or it can be used in conjunction with other traditional pest or termite treatment products and protocols. Its design allows for the application of pesticide or termiticide without requiring entry into the home, so it is not necessary to schedule treatments only when someone can be present to provide access. 
   Various pesticides and termiticides can be used with the present invention. One which has been used in a foam supplied through the use of a portable foam generator of the type produced by NoHowe Product Development Ltd. of Midhurst Ontario and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,755,400 to Howe, using their ProFoam Platinum product, has been Termidor, although other types of pesticide or termiticides, such as those made by Dupont or FMC, could also be used in any suitable foam carrier. 
   While there are industry distinctions between “pesticides” and “termiticides” those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention, described herein, can be used with any pesticide or termiticide which can be injected through it in a foam carrier as described above. As the efficacy of the treatment will be determined by the specific pesticide or termiticide which is used, the present invention should be regarded as an appliance which makes such treatment possible. Accordingly, nothing in the descriptions set forth above should be regarded as limiting the use of the present invention to either a pesticide or a termiticide, or to any particular pesticide or termiticide. Thus, the appliance of the present invention could be used to inject various chemicals, including those used to treat mold or mildew. 
   While the invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments and applications, the inventors do not intend to restrict the description to the examples shown. Persons skilled in the art will recognize that the above methods may be modified or changed without departing from the general scope of this description. The inventors also intend to include all such modifications and alterations in so far as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.