Guide bar for chain saw including stump treatment

• US 6,643,933 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2001
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Oregon Tool Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Blount Incorporated (Oregon Tool Incorporated)
• Inventors: Seigneur, Christopher David
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodman, Charles
• Application Number:
  US09/839,967
• Publication Number:
  US 20020152864A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 301/234, 303/83, 47/15, 47/8, 831/69, 144/364, 144/34.6
• US Class Current: 30/123.4
• CPC Class Codes: B27B 17/025 Composite guide bars, e.g. laminated, multisectioned; Guide bars of diverse material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/263 With means to apply transient nonpropellant fluent material to tool or work
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/7264 With special blade guide means

Abstract

A guide bar for a chain saw of a tree harvester adapted for applying treatment material to the stump upon severing a tree. The guide bar, typically a laminated bar includes an inner channel in the inner laminate that connects to a series of dispersal holes in the outer laminates and along the bar length. Multiple inlet holes also in the outer laminate or laminates are provided in a rear region of the bar for directing material flow into the channel. Only one of the inlet holes is in use and the other inlet holes are plugged. The invention provides for plugging unused inlet holes with a member (plug) that slides into position over the unused inlet holes at the inner side of the outer laminate. Numerous variations are proposed including both automatic, where treatment material flow generates an inner pressure that urges a member against the inner side of the unused hole and manual, where a blocking tab is manually slid into place at the inner side of the hole.

Claims

1. A guide bar for a chain saw comprising:

an elongate planar bar defining a length and having opposed exterior flat sides and a peripheral guide edge, and a rear region of the bar that mounts onto the chain saw;

an elongate channel between the sides and extending lengthwise along the bar length and a series of spaced apart dispersal holes extended laterally from the elongate channel to one of said sides;

at least two inlet holes in the rear region of the bar and both connected to said channel, said inlet holes adapted for connection to a reservoir conduit whereby upon connection of said conduit to one of said inlet holes, liquid treatment from said reservoir conduit is directed into said channel for dispersal through said dispersal holes, the other of said inlet holes requiring closure to prevent outflow there through of said liquid treatment;

a closure for each of said holes comprising;

said inlet holes each defining an outer side exposed to the bar exterior for connection to said reservoir conduit and defining an inner side having a surrounding inner edge, a closure member movable between engaging and non-engaging positions relative to said surrounding inner edge whereby internal pressure produced by treatment flow into the channel from another inlet hole urges the closure member into sealing engagement with said inner edge of said inlet hole.

2. A guide bar for a chain saw as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said two inlet holes are positioned at opposite sides of the bar and in alignment with one another and a channel portion positioned between said inlet holes, said channel portion defining a depth and having a circumference greater than said inlet holes, a disk providing said closure member having a circumference greater than said inlet holes and a thickness less than the depth of the channel portion whereby liquid flow into said channel portion through one of said inlet holes forces movement of said disk against the opposite inlet hole to close off liquid flow through said opposite inlet hole.

3. A guide bar as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said two inlet holes are positioned at opposite sides of the bar and in alignment with one another and a channel portion positioned between said holes to cooperatively define a through cavity, a cannister fitted to said cavity and as fitted to said cavity providing opposed side wall portions of said opposed sides of the guide bar and defining a space between said side wall portions, an inlet opening in each side wall portion of the cannister and an outlet opening from the cannister to said channel; and

a disk in said cannister having a thickness less than the space between said wall portions and a circumference greater than the inlet openings whereby liquid treatment that flows into one of said inlet openings forces movement of the disk for closing the other inlet opening.

4. A guide bar for a chain saw as defined in claim 1:

said at least two inlet holes are provided as one or more pair of inlet holes, each pair including an inlet hole at each side of the bar and aligned with the other one of the pair of inlet holes, and the pair of inlet holes aligned with a channel portion, a pair of closure members in said channel portion and biased apart by a spring member and into closing engagement with the aligned inlet holes, either of said closure members being forced inwardly to an open position upon connection of the flow of liquid treatment from said reservoir conduit.

5. A guide bar for a chain saw as defined in claim 4 wherein the pair of closure members are interconnected by a web, the web providing said spring member biasing the closure members apart.

6. A guide bar for a chain saw comprising:

an elongate planar bar defining a length and having opposed exterior flat sides and a peripheral guide edge, and a rear region of the bar that mounts onto the chain saw;

an elongate channel between the sides and extending lengthwise along the bar length and a series of spaced apart dispersal holes extended laterally from the elongate channel to one of said sides;

at least two inlet holes in the rear region of the bar and both connected to said channel, said inlet holes adapted for connection to a reservoir conduit whereby upon connection of said conduit to one of said inlet holes, liquid treatment from said reservoir conduit is directed into said channel for dispersal through said dispersal holes, the other of said inlet holes requiring closure to prevent outflow of said liquid treatment;

said elongate planar bar including an inner laminate between two outer laminates, said channel formed in said inner laminate and said inlet holes formed in at least one of said outer laminates;

a channel portion positioned in said inner laminate and surrounding said inlet holes of said outer laminates; and

a closure for each of said holes comprising;

a valve template within said channel portion overlying and surrounding said inlet holes and secured to an inner wall of said at least one of said outer laminates, a flap valve forming a part of said template, said flap valve overlying each of the inlet holes, said flap valve forced inwardly to an open position in response to exterior flow of liquid treatment to the respective inlet hole and said flap valve forced outwardly against the respective inlet hole to close said inlet hole in response to interior pressure from flow of liquid treatment into the channel from another inlet hole.