FR2645400A1 - Protective cloche for plants or vegetables - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a protective cloche for plants or vegetables, and particularly a cloche intended to whiten the hearts of lettuces. This cloche includes a concave wall 3 suitable for covering a vegetable or a plant and is characterised in that it comprises, formed integrally with the said wall, at least two anchoring rods 5 arranged on the periphery of the latter and provided with an end set into a housing 4 formed on the periphery of the said wall.

Description

PROTECTIVE BELL FOR PLANTS OR VEGETABLES
The invention relates to a protective bell for plants or vegetables and in particular a bell intended to cause the blanching of salad hearts.

 Currently, the bells used, in particular for covering salads with a view to causing the whitening of the heart of the latter, consist of a hemispherical wall with an opening at the top. The maintenance of these bells is obtained by means of an anchor rod inserted through the opening of the wall in order to be planted in the ground. Although commonly used these bells, however, have several drawbacks. Firstly, it is not very easy to place the anchor rod because it is best to avoid piercing the heart of the salad placed under the bell. In addition, this anchor rod partially obstructs the opening of the wall intended for the evacuation of the condensation.

On the other hand, this anchor rod does not ensure perfect maintenance of the bell on the ground, especially in high winds, because the bell then rotates around the rod. In practice, and because of the fragility of salads when they are blanched, the solution adopted to overcome this drawback consists in using, in addition to the anchor rod, strands of wire to ensure the maintenance of the Bell.

However, this solution constitutes a significant loss of time. Finally, the current bells do not allow salads to be protected against cold or heat stroke, frequent sources of their deterioration.

 The present invention proposes to overcome the drawbacks of current bells and has the essential objective of providing a very rapid installation bell which ensures perfect protection of the vegetable or covered plant.

 Another objective is to provide a suitable bell to protect the plants or vegetables against thermal shock (frost or heatstroke).

 To this end, the invention relates to a bell comprising a concave wall adapted to cover a vegetable or a plant, characterized in that it comprises, in one piece with said wall, had at least two anchor rods arranged on the periphery of the latter and having an end embedded in a housing formed on the periphery of said wall.

 This bell comprising at least two peripheral anchoring rods in one piece with the protective wall of the plant or vegetable, is very quick and easy to set up since it suffices to present it above this vegetable or this plant and stick the stems into the ground by pressing the bell.

 In addition, the presence of at least two peripheral anchoring rods makes it possible to flatten the concave wall perfectly and to ensure perfect retention of the latter. This is especially essential when this bell is used to whiten the heart of a salad, because this salad tends to cause the bell to rise, which must therefore be perfectly maintained.

 The invention extends to a bell for protection against cold or heat of plants or vegetables comprising - a bell, called external, as described above.

- A bell, said internal, having a concave wall of shape conjugate with that of the external bell, adapted to be housed in the latter by providing an air volume between said walls, said internal bell comprising, for each rod anchoring of the external bell, a peripheral eyelet arranged so as to slide along said anchoring rod.

 The external bell can therefore be used alone during mild seasons or be lined internally with the internal bell when there is a risk of cold or heat stroke. In the latter case, the volume of air formed between the concave walls of the two bells constitutes an insulating layer preserving the vegetable or the plant from sudden temperature differences.

 I1 should also be noted that the anchor rods then serve not only as means for anchoring the bell but also as guide rods allowing rapid and easy installation of the internal bell inside the external bell. .

 Other characteristics, objects and advantages of the invention will emerge from the detailed description which follows with reference to the accompanying drawings which represent, by way of non-limiting example, a preferred embodiment.

 In these drawings which form an integral part of the present description - Figure 1 is a perspective view of an external bell according to the invention, - Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through a vertical plane A, - Figure 3 is a perspective view of a bell for protection against cold or heat comprising an external bell and an internal bell according to the invention, - the fioure 4 is a longitudinal section through a vertical plane B, - Figure 5 is a perspective view of a bell according to the invention put in place for the protection of a salad.

 The bell represented in the fiqures is intended to cover a plant or a vegetable to force or protect from temperature differences. As shown in Figure 5, it is particularly suitable for covering the heart of a salad so as to cause the blanching of the latter.

 This bell is made by molding a high density polyethylene, and is opaque so as to deprive the heart of the salad of light and thus prevent chlorophyll exchanges. This bell may comprise either either an external bell 1 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, or the above-mentioned external bell 1 internally lined with an internal bell 6, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

 The outer bell 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 has a concave wall 3 adapted to cover the heart of the salad and has a peripheral rim 3a. This concave wall 3 has a hemispherical shape with a flattened dome. This shape has, in fact, the advantage of providing, thanks to the flattened dome, a contact surface with the heart of the salad greater than that of conventional bells, while offering a relatively low wind resistance.

 The concave wall 3 is, moreover, conventionally provided with a chimney 2 for the evacuation of the condensation.

 This external bell 1 further comprises two diametrically opposite peripheral housings 4 opening out at the peripheral rim 3a of the concave wall 3. Inside each of these housings is embedded the end 5a provided with barbs of a rod d 'anchoring 5. This ext emitted 5a is introduced hot, the barbs then quarantining against any risk of tearing.

 It should be noted that a greater number of anchor rods 5 could be provided. However, and as shown in FIG. 5, in the case of salads planted on huts, two diametrically opposite stems 5 are only necessary.

 This external bell 1 can also be used with an internal bell 6, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, with a view to preserving the vegetable or the plant against thermal shock.

 This internal bell 6 has a concave wall of shape conjugate with that of the external bell 1 adapted to be housed therein by providing a volume of insulating air 7 between said walls. This internal bell 6 also has a chimney 8 adapted to come and latch in the chimney 2 of the concave wall 3 of the external bell 1.

 In order to ensure its positioning inside the external bell 1, the internal bell 6 furthermore comprises, on its periphery, two diametrically opposite eyelets 9 arranged so as to each slide the lond of an anchoring pin. 5 and come to the end of the race as a stop under a housing 4.

 The cooperation of these eyelets 9 with the anchor rods 5 of the external bell I allows very rapid and easy installation of the internal bell 6.

 Furthermore, this internal bell 6 comprises a peripheral snap-in return 10 adapted to snap onto the peripheral rim 3a of the external bell 1, and thus avoid any accidental separation of said bells.

 This snap-fastening can also make it possible to inject an insulating material, such as polyurethane foam, between the walls of the two bells, when the climatic conditions require more efficient insulation.

Claims (7)

RETURN! DICATInN5  1 / - Bell having a concave wall (3) adapted to cover a vegetable or a plant, characterized in that it comprises, in one piece with said wall, at least two anchor rods (5) arranged on the periphery of the latter and provided with an end (Sa) embedded in a housing (4) formed on the periphery of said wall.  2 / - Bell according to claim 1, characterized in that it has two anchor rods (5) diametrically opposed peripherals.  3 / - Bell according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises a concave wall (3) of hemispherical shape with a substantially flattened dome.  4 / - Protective bell against deviations in tension, plants or lees, characterized in that it comprises - a bell (1) said to be external according to one of claims 1, 2 or 3, - a so-called internal bell (6) comprising a concave wall of shape conjugate with that of the external bell (1), adapted to be housed in the latter by providing an air volume between said walls, said internal bell comprising for each rod d anchoring (5) of the external bell (1), a peripheral eyelet (9) formed so as to slide along said anchoring rod.  5 / - Protective bell according to claim 4, characterized in that - the external bell (1) comprises a concave wall (3) provided with a peripheral rim (3a), - the internal bell (6) comprises a concave wall provided with a peripheral return (10) adapted to snap onto the flange (3a) of the external bell (1).  6 / - Protective bell according to claim 5, characterized in that the volume delimited by the concave walls of the external (1) and internal (6) bells is filled with an insulating material.  7 / - Internal bell for protective bell according to one of claims 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that it comprises a concave wall provided with at least two eyelets (9) formed on the periphery of said wall.