Airplane Patents (Class 111/920)
  • Patent number: 6510805
    Abstract: A reforestation and nourishing practice by the use of a lighter-than-air airship system, for dispersing and planting tree saplings, primarily in remote regions which may have been devastated by fire, where access to such regions by personnel and ground equipment is difficult. The airship system comprises an aerodynamically configured structure having a semi-rigid keel or skeleton, where lift is provided by helium, with the keel mounting a liquid management mechanism consisting of a reservoir open to the outside for resupply of liquid or water, a conduit leading to a holding tank, and a piping distribution and nozzle assembly below the airship system to spray or dispense the liquid or water over selected areas to water or nourish the newly planted trees. The mechanism for temporarily storing and eventually dispensing the tree saplings is a rack mounting at least one cylindrical canister containing plural compartments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Wetzone Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Raoul G. Fima, Charles J. Farnham, Ralph E. Pope, Jr.