Device for signaling the felling of a tree and a system for forest conservation

• US 5,506,565 A
• Filed: 06/25/1993
• Issued: 04/09/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brian W. Petersen, Joseph Andrew De Leon
• Original Assignee: Brian W. Petersen, Joseph Andrew De Leon
• Inventors: Andrew de Leon, Joseph, Petersen, Brian W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, John W.
• Application Number:
  US08/083,726
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 340/521, 340/522, 340/539, 340/589, 340/588, 340/584, 340/429, 340/689, 200/52 A, 200/61.52, 200/61.45 R
• US Class Current: 340/522
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 23/00 Forestry
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence

Abstract

A device (10) for signaling the felling of a tree (50) includes a transmitter, an inclination switch (14) which is positioned or mounted within the trunk (52) of the tree (50), the inclination switch (14) being responsive to detect inclination such that the inclination switch (14) is off when the trunk (52) is in an upright position and the switch (14) is on when the trunk (52) has been felled and a fire alarm switch (15) which is responsive to detect a threshold temperature such that the fire alarm switch (15) is off when the environment'"'"'s temperature is lower than the threshold and the fire alarm switch (15) is on when the threshold temperature is exceeded. The transmitter is connected to the inclination switch (14) and the fire alarm switch (15) and is energized to transmit a signal to a remote location when either or both of the switches is on. The device (10) may be part of a system which includes a plurality of like devices (10) each of which are installed into different trees (50). The trees (50) into which the devices (10) are to be installed may be strategically selected in a pattern among trees to protect the entire forest. In order to determine which device (10) is transmitting a signal, two receivers (60, 62) and triangulation techniques are employed.

Claims

1. A device capable of being used in a forest conservation system and for signaling the felling of a tree having a substantially stationary trunk which grows substantially upright, the device comprising:

(a) a switch which is responsive to detect inclination, the switch being positioned with respect to the trunk such that the switch is off when the trunk is in an upright position and the switch is on when the trunk has been felled;

(b) a transmitter electrically coupled to the switch and which is energized to transmit a radio signal to a remote location when the switch is on, and wherein the remote location has a device for receiving the same radio signal, and;

(c) a housing within which the switch and the transmitter are contained, wherein the housing is sized to fit within a hole formed in the trunk of the tree and the hole is formed so as to be readily filled or camouflaged thereby rendering the device and the forest conservation system substantially undetectable by unaided human vision.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the switch is a mercury switch.

3. A system for forest conservation, the system including a plurality of devices for signaling the felling of each tree of particular trees within a predetermined area of forest, the predetermined area of forest having a perimeter and each tree having a substantially stationary main trunk which grows substantially upright, and wherein each of the devices comprises:

(a) a housing mounted on the main trunk and positioned at a height of at least about five feet;

(b) an inclination switch mounted within the housing, responsive to detect inclination, and positioned with respect to the trunk such that the inclination switch is off when the main trunk is in an upright position and the inclination switch is on when the main trunk is in a substantially horizontal position;

(c) a radio transmitter electrically coupled to the inclination switch and which is energized to transmit a radio signal to a remote location when the switch is on, the radio transmitter including;

a one-time on switch for preventing the transmission of false alarms by the device before it is mounted within the main trunk;

and wherein the devices are positioned so that at least a portion of them are placed along the perimeter of the predetermined area of forest such that the felling of trees along the perimeter of the predetermined area of forest may serve as an indication of clear-cutting of a portion of the forest.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein each of the devices for signaling the felling of each tree of particular trees within the predetermined area of forest further comprises:

a fire alarm switch mounted within the housing, electrically coupled in parallel to the inclination switch, and capable of detecting ambient temperature, wherein the fire alarm switch is in an off position when the ambient temperature is less than a threshold temperature and is in an on position when the ambient temperature exceeds the threshold temperature.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the devices are located on a perimeter of the portion of the forest.

6. The system of claim 3, further comprising a receiver located within in the predetermined area of forest and coupled in radio signal receiving relation to the radio transmitter of each of the devices.

7. The system of claim 3 further comprising a second receiver, and wherein triangulation is employed to determine the location of a tree being felled.

8. A method of forest conservation, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) mounting a plurality of tree felling signalling devices in a predetermined number of tree trunks in a predetermined area of forest, where each of the tree felling signalling devices includes a means for detecting inclination, a means for transmitting a signal, is mounted at a height of at least about five feet, and is individually placed in a hole in the tree trunks, the hole formed so as to be readily filled or camouflaged thereby rendering the device substantially undetectable by unaided human vision;

(b) transmitting a signal from one of the devices when the respective tree trunk has relocated from an upright position to a position where the trunk has been felled; and

(c) receiving the signal at a remote location.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

(d) receiving the signal at a second remote location; and

(e) triangulating to determine the location of the particular tree which is being felled by comparing the signals received at the two remote locations.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of locating the devices on selected trees within the predetermined area of forest to indicate clear-cutting of the portion of the forest.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the devices are located on a perimeter of the predetermined area of forest.

12. A system for forest conservation comprising a plurality of devices for signaling the burning of each particular tree of trees within the forest, and wherein each of the devices comprise:

(a) a switch which is mounted upon the particular tree and which is responsive to detect heat, the switch being off when the temperature is below a pre-selected threshold level and the switch being on when the temperature is above a pre-selected threshold level, the pre-selected threshold temperature being selected to be indicative of the burning of the tree; and

(b) a radio transmitter electrically coupled to the switch and which is energized to transmit a radio signal to a remote location when the switch is on, and wherein the devices are located on selected trees the felling of which may serve as a indication of clear-cutting of a portion of the forest; and

(c) a housing within which the switch and the transmitter are contained, wherein the housing is sized to fit within a hole formed in the trunk of the tree and the hole is formed so as to be readily filled or camouflaged thereby rendering the device and the forest conservation system substantially undetectable by unaided human vision.

13. The system of claim 12 and further comprising first and second receivers, and wherein triangulation is employed to determine the location of a tree being felled.

14. A device for signalling the burning or felling of a tree having a substantially stationary trunk which grows substantially upright, the device comprising:

(a) an inclination switch which is responsive to detect inclination, the inclination switch being positioned with respect to the trunk such that the inclination switch is off when the trunk is in an upright position and the inclination switch is on when the trunk has been felled;

(b) a fire alarm switch which is mounted upon the tree and which is responsive to detect heat, the fire alarm switch being off when the temperature is below a pre-selected threshold temperature and the fire alarm switch being on when the temperature is above a pre-selected threshold temperature, the pre-selected threshold temperature being selected to be indicative of the burning of the tree;

(c) a transmitter electrically coupled to the inclination switch and the fire alarm switch, the transmitter being energized to transmit a signal to a remote location when the inclination switch is on, the fire alarm switch is on, or both the inclination switch and the fire alarm switch are on; and

(d) a housing within which the inclination switch, the fire alarm switch, and the transmitter are contained, wherein the housing is sized to fit within a hole formed in the trunk of the tree and the hole is formed so as to be readily filled or camouflaged thereby rendering the device substantially undetectable by unaided human vision.

15. A device for protecting a tree having a substantially stationary main trunk, the device comprising:

a housing capable of being operably mounted on the main trunk and sized so as to fit within a hole formed in the main trunk, the hole formed so as to be capable of being readily filled or camouflaged, thereby rendering the device substantially undetectable to unaided human vision;

an inclination switch mounted within the housing, responsive to detect the inclination of the main trunk, and positioned with respect to the main trunk such that the inclination switch is in an on position when the main trunk is in a substantially horizontal position;

a fire alarm switch mounted within the housing, electrically coupled in parallel to the inclination switch, and capable of detecting ambient temperature, wherein the fire alarm switch is in an off position when the ambient temperature is less than a threshold temperature and is in an on position when the ambient temperature exceeds the threshold temperature; and

a radio transmitter electrically coupled to the inclination switch and the fire alarm switch, the radio transmitter including;

a one-time on switch for preventing the transmission of false alarms by the device before it is operably mounted within the main trunk,

and which is energized to transmit a radio signal to a remote location when the inclination switch is in its on position, when the fire alarm switch is in its on position, or when both the inclination switch and the fire alarm switch are in their on position.