Title of Invention

"INSECT TRAP FOR COFFEE-PLANT BARK BEETLE"

Abstract

Insect trap for coffee-plant bark beetle comprising an upper part with an insect attractant and a funnel-shaped entrance path (11) and a lower part that ends in a transparent or translucid bowl (12) partly filled with an aqueous solution wherein the insects which have fallen down the reduced cross-section of the funnel are drowned, said trap being characterized in that it is species-specific, particularly aimed at the coffee-plant bark beetle, and very little attractive to other insects, said funnel being red and having near the opening plane of the funnel a nozzle (15) diffusing vapors of an attractant liquid such as a methanol-based solution.

Full Text

FORM 2 THE PATENTS ACT 1970 [39 OF 1970] & THE PATENTS RULES, 2003 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION [See Section 10; rule 13] "INSECT TRAP FOR COFFEE-PLANT BARK BEETLE" CENTRE DE COOPERATION INTERNATIONALE EN ECHERCHE AGRONOMIQUE POUR LE DEVELOPMENT C.I.R.A.D., of 42 rue Scheffer, 75116 Paris, France and LA FUNDACION SALVADORENA PARA INVESTIGACIONES DEL CAFE, of Final la, Avenida Norte Santa Tecla - La Libertad, Salvador C.A. [SV]. The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed: This invention relates to a new insect trap, particularly aimed at trapping the coffee-plant bark beetle. The bark beetle of the fruit of the coffee plant, Hypothenemus hampei, is the main destroyer of coffee plants. It is responsible for considerable losses in production, an estimated 10 to 15% of the world production. The bark beetle causes besides a depreciation of the coffee quality. The objective of this invention is the trapping of this insect while avoiding trapping others that are innocuous, let alone useful. In other words, the goal of this invention is to implement a specific trap that essentially only attracts and effectively traps the coffee-plant bark beetle. The trap of this invention is of the type comprising a product that is attractive to insects, an entrance path leading to a reservoir partly filled with a liquid in which the insects are drowned once they have entered the trap and cannot find their way back out. It is characterized according to the invention in that, such trap being specific of a species, more particularly that of the coffee-plant bark beetle, and very little attractive for other insects, it comprises in its upper part a funnel-shaped entrance with, near the opening plane of the funnel, a nozzle diffusing the vapors of the attractant liquid, said funnel being red, color that is very attractive to the coffee-plant bark beetle, the lower part of said trap ending in a transparent or translucid bowl partly filled with an aqueous solution wherein the insects are drowned once they have fallen down through the reduced section of the funnel. The bowl transparence allows for a visual control of the catch. Such being the general design of this trap, many insects will not be attracted by it because they cannot enter it, as they usually are not prone to going down the funnel top entrance, but rather to going up, since they are not attracted by the color red but rather by light colors such as white or yellow. A specific shade of red that can be advantageously used is the one with a 640-nanometer (nm) wavelength. According to another characteristic of this invention, the diffusion nozzle is formed at the top of a small bottle filled with the attractant liquid and placed in the funnel with the nozzle protruding slightly above the upper opening plane of the funnel. The bottle is a single-use bottle, so that the users will not have to handle the attractant mix, usually flammable and toxic. According to yet another characteristic of this invention, the funnel is topped with wings forming arrow tail, that latch onto the funnel, forming in the center a housing for the bottle containing the attractant liquid, and the wings are red, like the funnel. The rigidity of the trap is thus increased as well as its attractant surface for the bark beetle, thus increasing the trap efficiency. According to yet another characteristic of this invention, the bowl is designed with, at a given level, outlets forming outflow ports limiting the height of the water level in the bowl. Thus, when it is raining, the water level in the bowl will not go above the optimum maximum level, even if some rain water goes down the funnel. According to yet another characteristic of this invention, the funnel is easy to assemble and disassemble on the bowl, by means of screws, a bayonet system or the like. This helps collect the trapped insects whenever suitable depending on their accumulation, and replenish the liquid in the bowl in which the insects are drowned. As to the attractant liquid, it is chosen so as to be enticing to the bark bettle, and good results are obtained in particular by using a methanol-based solution. This invention and its implementation will appear more clearly from the following description, together with the accompanying drawings showing only an illustrative embodiment. In these drawings: Fig. 1 shows a side view of a trap designed according to this invention; Fig. 2 shows essentially the funnel part; Fig. 3 and 3' show essentially two parts of complementary wings topping the funnel; Fig. 4 shows an example of a bottle containing the attractant liquid, with its diffusion nozzle; Fig. 5 shows enlarged the detail circled in V in Fig. 2. Referring first to Fig. 1, the trap, referenced as a whole in 10, comprises a funnel 11 placed above a bowl 12 on which it is mounted, as will be described in more details thereafter, by means of its cap 13, that can, for instance, be screwed to the bowl 12. Above the funnel 11 is designed a four-winged system forming arrow tail referenced as a whole in 14. Above the upper opening plane of the funnel, is shown in its center, the diffusion nozzle 15 of a bottle 16 filled with the attractant liquid and held in position in the wings 17 of the tail 14, as will be detailed in reference to Fig. 3 and 3'. The same Fig.l shows that the bowl 12 comprises two lines respectively referenced "min" and "max" to indicate the minimum and maximum filling levels of the aqueous solution contained in said bowl 12, in which the insects will be drowned. Above the "max" line corresponding to the maximum optimal filling level are shown ports 18 perforated in the bowl, to form an outflow system. Thus, if some rain water comes to fall through the funnel 11 into the bowl 12, said bowl will not overflow, which would prevent the trap from being fully operational. As mentioned already, in order to achieve the specificity of the insects to be trapped, the funnel 11, the wings 17 and the cap 13 are all preferably bright red. As for the bowl 12, it is either transparent or translucid. The funnel is advantageously made of a plastic material such as polypropylene, PVC or the like. As for the bowl, it is advantageouly made of a transparent or translucid plastic material such as the polypropylene. The following dimensions are estimated most suitable for a trap both effective and easy to set and to maintain whether in use or not or in storage. Total height: 35 to 45 cm, e.g. 40 cm. Diameter of the funnel opening surface: 15 to 20 cm, e.g. 17 cm. Funnel height: 15 to 20 cm, e.g. 16.3 cm. Height of the diffusing nozzle support (protruding tail 14): 15 to 20 cm, e.g. 18.5 cm. Height of the bowl containing the liquid: 15 to 20 cm, e.g. 16 cm. Outer bowl diameter: 7 to 10 cm, e.g. 8 cm. The positions marks on the bowl for the minimum and maximum levels can be located respectively, for instance 3.5 cm and 5.5 cm above the bottom of said bowl. Fig.2 shows more precisely the composition of the funnel 11, and its fixation on the cap 13. As seen in Fig.2 and more precisely in Fig.5, the lower wall of the funnel 11 is designed with a shoulder (11a) against which the cap 13 comes to abut and be wedged, said cap displaying in its center a hole to allow through the smaller lower part (l1b) of the funnel. A nut 20 is screwed on the threaded wall 1 lb of said funnel so that this cap 13 is firmly secured to the shoulder 11a. In such an embodiment, the cap 13 and the funnel 11 are both red. Both parts could also be molded in one piece in the suitable plastic material. The funnel upper part is designed with a protruding rib 11C that will provide, as will be explained in reference with Fig. 3, the secure fixation of the tail 14 on the funnel. 11d also displays an upper rib on the outside periphery of the funnel. Fig. 3 and 3' illustrate the two double wings 17 suitably cut out in a red sheet of polypropylene, for instance. As can be seen on Fig. 3 and 3', the plate 17 has an essentially rectangular shape with its wider upper part protruding above the upper plane of the funnel 11 when the double wings 17 are set in the funnel. Said wider part ends with a shoulder 20 that will abut against the upper rib l1d (Fig. 2). The lower part of said double wing 17 is designed with a cut-out 21 that enables the introduction of the second double wing to form the arrow tail, which allows its setting in the funnel by an elastic locking of the notch 22 on the rib 11C designed inside the funnel upper wall (Fig. 2). Above the cut-out 21, the plate is also designed with two openings or cut-outs of successively increasing width ll and 12 respectively. The width 11 of the housing designed in the plate 17 is equal to the width of the bottle 16 that can thus be received and held there, while the width 12 designed above the bottle facilitates its easy introduction in said housing. Aligned with the cut-out 21 in the first double wing is provided another cut¬out 23 that allows, by assembling the two plates crosswise, to form the tail 14 previously described in reference to Fig, 1. The lower part of the plates forming the double wings 17 are besides, as seen in Fig, 3 and 3', cut out in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid so that they fit exactly the inside of the funnel truncated cone. This provides an excellent overall rigidity of the funnel-tail unit. The upper part of the wings 17 is designed with holes 24 that will enable the hanging of the trap, for example by means of a string or a nylon thread (trademark) (not represented) inserted through these holes. Fig. 4 shows the composition of the bottle 16 with a part 25 designed with the nozzle 15 that enables the diffusion of the vapor of the attractant liquid contained in said bottle 16. A stopper 26 caps the part 25 before use. A methanol-based solution can be used as the attractant liquid, for instance. Of course, the shape and dimensions of the trap described herein can be modified in various ways. As suggested in Fig. 1, it is possible to cap the upper tail 14 with a roof in the shape of a top 27 that will simply set itself on the upper part of the tail 14 so that, when it rains, it will prevent the fall of too much water in the funnel and its mixing with the liquid contained in the bowl 12 in which come to be drowned the insects. To avoid a decomposition and putrefaction of the liquid contained in said bowl in which the insects are drowned, an antiseptic product can advantageously be added to it. When a trap such as described herein is used, it shows an excellent specificity of the catch, 93 to 97% of the insects thus caught being actually bark beetles. This is extremely important and quite unheard of, the known traps usually being very little species-specific. This characteristic gives this invention an undeniable advantage over a conventional pest control system, such as a chemical control. WE CLAIM: 1. Insect trap for coffee-plant bark beetle comprising an upper part with an insect attractant and a funnel-shaped entrance path (11) and a lower part that ends in a transparent or translucid bowl (12) partly filled with an aqueous solution wherein the insects which have fallen down the reduced cross-section of the funnel are drowned, said trap being characterized in that it is species-specific, particularly aimed at the coffee-plant bark beetle, and very little attractive to other insects, said funnel being red and having near the opening plane of the funnel a nozzle (15) diffusing vapors of an attractant liquid such as a methanol-based solution. 2. Insect trap as claimed in claim 1, wherein said diffusion nozzle is formed at the top of a small bottle (16) filled with the attractant liquid and placed in the funnel (11) with the nozzle (15) protruding sligthly above the upper opening plane of the funnel. 3. Insect trap as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said funnel (11) is topped with wings (17) forming arrow tail, that latch onto the funnel forming in the center a housing to hold the bottle (16) of attractant liquid. 4. Insect trap as claimed in claim 3, wherein both the wings (17) and the funnel are red. 5. Insect trap as claimed in any of the previous claims, wherein said bowl (12) is designed with, at a given level, ports forming outflow system, limiting the height of the water level in the bowl. 6. Insect trap as claimed in any of the previous claims, wherein said funnel (11) is easy to assemble and disassemble with the bowl (12) by means of a screw, bayonet system or the like. 7. Insect trap as claimed in any of the claims 3 to 6, wherein said upper part of the wings (17) has holes (24) to facilitate the hanging of the trap on the coffee plants. 8. Insect trap as claimed in any of the previous claims, wherein the diameter of the upper part of the funnel (11) is 15 to 20 cm, its height is 15 to 20 cm and the height of the reduced section of the funnel is 5 cm. 9. Insect trap as claimed in claim 8, wherein the bowl (12) is 15 to 20 cm high, with a 7 to 10 cm diameter. 10. Insect trap as claimed in any of the claims 3 to 9, wherein the tail (14) is in the shape of a cross and has a height essentially equivalent to that of the funnel. 11. Insect trap as claimed in any of the previous claims, wherein the lower part (11a) of the funnel (11) is mounted / fixed on the cap (13) that closes the bowl (12), said cap being red, like the funnel. Dated this 5th day of August, 2002 (RANJJANA MEHTA DUTT] OF REMFRY & SAGAR ATTORNEY FOR THE APPLICANTS

Documents:

abstract1.jpg

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-cancelled pages(07-11-2005).pdf

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-claims(granted)-(07-11-2005).doc

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-claims(granted)-(07-11-2005).pdf

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-correspondence(22-02-2007).pdf

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-correspondence(ipo)-(20-05-2005).pdf

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-drawing(07-11-2005).pdf

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-form 18(14-02-2005).pdf

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-form 1a(05-08-2002).pdf

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-form 1a(07-11-2005).pdf

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-form 2(granted)-(07-11-2005).doc

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-form 2(granted)-(07-11-2005).pdf

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-form 3(05-08-2002).pdf

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-form 3(07-11-2005).pdf

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-form 4(22-11-2005).pdf

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-form 5(05-08-2002).pdf

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-form-pct-isa-210(07-11-2005).pdf

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-petition under rule 137(07-11-2005).pdf

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-petition under rule 138(07-11-2005).pdf

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-power of authority(07-11-2005).pdf

in-pct-2002-01059-mum-power of authority(20-12-2005).pdf