Posted on 08/03/2005 6:57:34 PM PDT by SandRat
SIERRA VISTA - Gary Robertson is about to see every inventor's dream come true.
The 53-year-old's lifetime ambition of having one of his creations go beyond the drawing board is finally set to be realized.
Robertson's invention, called the Solar Tree, has been accepted as an original idea by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
With his patent pending, Robertson is now in the process of getting his new product manufactured with the help of a company called Invent-Tech.
The father of five describes his invention as "an innovative new solar-powered home improvement product that will help lower utility bills."
Robertson was inspired to create the Solar Tree after a tree in his front yard died.
"I didn't want to cut it down, so instead I ran PVC black piping up and down it and connected it to the washing machine which, with five kids in the house, was on virtually all day," recalling how he struck upon the idea. "I got five gallons of water out at 108 degrees. I knew then that I was on to something."
Robertson, a disabled veteran who worked on nuclear submarines, then began putting his idea down on paper.
Robertson eventually came up with a synthetic, weather-resistant tree with hollow branches filled with water to be heated by the sun.
Mounted on the branches like leaves will be 250 tiny solar panels, generating power.
"The great thing about this tree is that it can be used to heat water, heat a pool or power lights," said Robertson, of Sierra Vista. "It can also be planted near the house because it has no roots and will provide shade, too.
"This is going to save people money in the long run. After all, the sun is free and it's clean."
Robertson came up with his first invention when he was just 8 years old, devising a way to flush the toilet with a piece of string.
Ever since, he said, he has been coming up with ideas in the hopes of hitting the jackpot.
This is the second time one of his inventions has actually been accepted for a patent - he came up with a kite which could be lit up for nighttime flying but did not have the funds to take things further.
Robertson is now working with Invent-Tech to complete the patent process on the Solar Tree and to start marketing his invention.
The company, which acts on behalf of inventors, also will arrange for the tree to be manufactured.
Robertson is hoping to eventually see his unique product in stores across America and is seeking the backing of well-known names such as Home Depot, Lowes and Ace Hardware.
His motto is "Branching into the Future."
"I'm just walking on air at the moment. This is definitely a dream come true," he added. "I have so many other ideas but sometimes it's hard to pick out what you think will make it. But when I stumbled onto the Solar Tree I knew I was on to something."
reporter Amanda Baillie can be reached at 515-4683 or by e-mail at amanda.baillie@svherald.com.
Sierra Vistan Gary Robertson has just received a patent on his Solar Tree, a 16-by-16-foot power and hot water producer for the home improvement industry. The "leaves" are solar leaves and 20 gallons of water is stored in the bark, which can be heated to 108 degrees. Ed Honda€Herald/Review
Warning label should note that planting such trees in hurricane prone areas could lead to high numbers of replacements.
Is this satire?
Piping and pumping for a thousand little leaves is supposed to be more efficient than a few large panels? What BS!
Neat-o ban-dee-toe.
Ever run the water from a dark colored hose over your hand that's been sitting in the sun for a while?
"Ever run the water from a dark colored hose over your hand that's been sitting in the sun for a while?"
Ever take a drink of that water? Awful.
Why not just build a water heating grid into the roof of a building where the water is delivered. Ditto for the solar panels. This reads as a total joke. Plant a real tree, not some goofy looking plastic one.
ROI? -30%
Reminds me of an idea I had for a bit of functional artwork.
I thought of constructing, from pieces and connections of copper pipe, a "Condensation Tree."
I'm used to well-water, and the water comes out of the ground at a pretty cool temperature. I thought it would be useful to move some of that through the branches from the inside, (one could use plastic lines to feed it out to the tips), and the cool water inside would cause condensation to form on the "tree."
That water could then fall onto musically tuned bits of metal, and collect in a small pond.
After processing through the tree, and warming up, the formerly cold water could then be the supply line to the hot-water heater, having been pre-warmed.
The condensation pond could be used by the pets, or just be decorative.
I wouldn't even call it an investment. I haven't worked with solar since 1979, and not much has changed since that time. Solar stills are used in some parts of the world where it makes sense.
Check the link. This is real, and is going to be patented.
If the home improvement outfits think it's a joke, then so be it. Otherwise, the inventor is going to be laughing all the way to the bank.
I much prefer the aesthetics of a tree to ugly black panels on my roof, thank you very much.
I much prefer a real tree. Solar panels can be installed in a way that blends with the architecture and you wouldn't even notice them unless it was pointed out to you. Can't do that with a fake tree made of pipes and solar cells.
THE "TOBONGA"! That's cool and a real blast from the past. A friend of mine and I since high school, have communicated for decades through wars, marriages, distance and life in general, by just sending a post card from wherever we were at and just wrote "Tobonga" on it, relating to that corny movie. We often wondered if there were any other "Tobongo's", as we called ourselves, others who were also amused by this movie.
Yes, they can. But it ain't happening that way here in the sunny Southwest, not in residential construction.
To be honest, I see this as something used in rural residences where folks want to either live off the grid, or reduce their reliance on public utilities.
Our local electric coop pays rebates to consumers who install devices that use less electricity, especially solar devices and heat pumps. I can see this happening with solar trees as well.
Nope real story
I never let my hand sit in the sun a while :-)
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