AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT ORIGINAL Name of Applicant/s: Ausmose Pty Limited Actual Inventor/s: Harry Holmes Address for Service: Baldwin Shelston Waters 60 MARGARET STREET SYDNEY NSW 2000 CCN: 3710000352 Invention Title: TIMBER POLE PRESERVATION Parent Invention Details Application Number: 26137/02 Patent Number: in the name of: Ausmose Pty Limited The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: File: 31108AUP02 -2 FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to a method of manufacturing and using a preservative dispensing laminate and has been devised particularly though not solely for dispensing a preservative compound on a flexible sheet carrier for the operation described in my co 5 pending patent Application No.26137/02, the content of which is incorporated herein by way of cross reference. In this regard it is considered desirable that a minimum average thickness of preservative be achieved uniformly and continuously over the flexible sheet carrier. The invention has been developed primarily for use for dispensing a timber 10 preservative compound and will be described hereinafter with reference to this application. However it will be appreciated the invention is not limited to this field of use. THE PRIOR ART In the method described in Application No 26137/02, beads of preservative 15 compound are applied to the carrier in a pattern such that the beads are continuous over a substantial part of the carrier. It is desirable that the preservative be applied to the carrier uniformly and continuously with a minimum average thickness in order to achieve an even distribution of preservative compound, and this has not always been easy to achieve by prior methods, particularly the hand applied methods. 20 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a preservative dispensing laminate including the steps of: combining a preservative compound and a viscous agent to form a rheological mix; -3 placing the rheological mix in a dispensing reservoir; feeding a flexible sheet carrier of predetermined width underneath said dispensing reservoir; and applying from the reservoir at least one stripe comprising one or more coats of 5 the mix across and on top of the carrier, said stripe being continuous along the length of the carrier to form a pre-coated carrier. Preferably, the pre-coated carrier is passed under a thickness controlling blade disposed across and parallel to the plane of the carrier and in contact with the stripe to shave off the excess mix leaving the pre-coated carrier with an even thickness. 10 Preferably, the shaved upper surface of the stripe has a release liner applied to it such that the mix is sandwiched between the carrier and the release liner to form a laminate. Preferably, two or more parallel spaced stripes are applied along the length of the carrier, each stripe having a margin free of any mix on both sides. 15 Single or multiple stripes are made to produce rolls of laminate of a width corresponding to the height of the portion of a pole which is intended to be preserved. Preferably multiple stripes are knifed longitudinally along margins free of mix. Preferably the pre-coated stripes are then rolled on drums suitable for packaging and transport. 20 According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a preservative dispensing laminate made in accordance with the method described in the preceding paragraphs. According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of applying a timber preserving compound to timber poles, including the steps of: -4 wrapping one or more lengths of pre-coated carrier made in accordance with the method described in the preceding paragraphs around the circumference of a pole in the area to be preserved, with the preservative between the carrier and the pole. Preferably, the laminate is used by firstly removing the release liner from the 5 laminate before wrapping the pre-coated carrier around the pole. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic cross-section perspective view of a power or telegraph 10 pole having timber preserving compound applied using a laminate according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the pole showing two portions of a laminate stripe about to be applied to the pole, in an exploded view; Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation of apparatus used in a method of 15 manufacturing a preservative dispensing laminate according to the invention; Fig. 4 is a plan view of apparatus used in the method of manufacturing a preservative dispensing laminate as shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a partial enlargement of Fig. 3 showing the operation of the thickness controlling blade; and 20 Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic perspective view of portion of a laminate stripe with the release liner partially removed revealing a stripe of the preservative compound in the form of a mix.
-5 Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms. PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 5 In the preferred form of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a preservative dispensing laminate including the steps of unwinding a flexible sheet carrier 6 of a predetermined width from a carrier feed roll 9 rotatably mounted to a shaft 10. The carrier 6 is then placed over a roller 15 and fed underneath a dispensing reservoir 11 containing a preservative compound in the form of a rheological 10 mix 8 as shown in Fig. 3. The reservoir 11 places at least one coat 12 of the mix 8 across and on top the carrier 6 forming a pre-coated carrier 30. The coat 12 is applied in continuous parallel spaced stripes 13 along the length of the carrier 6, the stripes 13 being bounded by a margin 14 free of any mix 8 as shown in Fig. 4. The stripes 13 then pass underneath a thickness controlling blade 17 placed 15 across and parallel to the plane of the carrier 6 and upon contact with the stripes 13 shave off a top area of the mix 8. The thickness control blade 17 is finely adjustable by gauge 18 such that a predetermined thickness 16 of the stripes 13 is maintained as shown in Fig. 5. A release liner 19 is then unwound from a release liner roll 20 by an adhesion 20 roller 21 placing the liner 19 into contact with an upper shaved surface 22 of the stripes. The stripes 22 are sandwiched between the carrier 6 and the release liner 19 to form a laminate 23. The laminate 23 is then passed through one or more cutting knives 24 being perpendicular to and disposed across the laminate 23 and each cutting knife 24 aligned -6 against the interposed margins 14 such that continuous cuts 31 are made along the length of the laminate producing separate laminate stripes 25. The laminate stripes 25 are of a predetermined width. Each stripe 25 then passes underneath the guide roller 29 and is rewound onto 5 separate drums 26 rotatably mounted to a shaft 27 forming individual laminate rolls 28 each having a predetermined length of the preservative dispensing laminate stripe 25. Referring to Fig. 6, a user is provided with a length of laminate 25 approximately 150mm longer than the pole girth and preferably cut from the laminate roll 28 of a width corresponding to the length intended to be preserved on a pole 2 as shown in Fig. 1. 10 In use, the length of laminate 25 is then cut again into at least two lengths 32 and 33 as shown in Fig. 2 for ease of handling and to avoid any obstructions which may be present in the excavated area 3 shown in Fig. 1. The release liner is then removed from the two portions 32 and 33 of the laminate exposing the pre-coated carrier. The first portion 32 of the pre-coated carrier is offered up to the pole in the below ground 15 area 1 as shown in Fig. 1. The top of the pre-coated carrier is aligned approximately 50 mm below ground level and the pre-coated carrier is then pushed slightly against the pole 2, sliding it on the pole 2 to expose the preservative compound in the form of the mix on both sides. The second portion of the pre-coated carrier 33 is then offered to the pole 2 as 20 shown in Fig. 2 and pushed into place so there is mix for the full girth of the pole with overlaps in the pre-coated carrier. The excavated area 3 can then be back-filled in the normal manner to complete the process. The manufacture of the preservative dispensing laminate according to the invention avoids a need to either paint or spray the timber preservative, both of which -7 have health hazard problems for the user. The safe removal of the release liner from the portions of the laminate prior to being offered up to the timber pole and the even distribution of the mix incorporating the timber preservative pre-coated on the flexible sheet carrier as provided by the methods described in the present application, ameliorates 5 the bead application methods discussed in the co-pending patent application No.26137/02. Furthermore, the use of the laminate is extremely simple in that a roll of laminate can be safely transported near an excavated area whereby portions of laminate are cut from the roll conveniently avoiding any obstructions which may be present in the 10 excavated area. The release liner is then safely removed from each portion revealing a pre-coat of timber preservative in the form of a mix on the flexible sheet carrier. The portions of pre-coated carrier are offered up to the pole and then pushed into place so there is mix for the full girth of the pole with overlaps in the pre-coated carrier. The excavated area can then be back-filled safely without concern of hazardous waste 15 adjacent the pole.