NZ518773A - Plant protectors - Google Patents

Abstract

A plant protector is erected from a blank (2) of resilient semi-rigid material by bending the blank (2) into tubular form of approximately circular cross-section. The protector is retained in its erected state by inter- engaging edge portions of respective series of projecting tabs (4) in longitudinally spaced relationship along each of the opposed edges of the blank (2) such that the inter- engaged tabs (4) lie internally of the protector and maintain a longitudinal zone of connection without gaps through which the plant material can grow.

Description

518773 .«• 8 PTT/AIIfl WO 01/33941 * a PCT/AU00/Q13S6 PLANT PROTECTORS This invention relates to plant protectors and more particularly to plant protectors of sleeve-like form assembled around a growing plant.

There is disclosed in our earlier Australian patent application 710089 a plant protector of tubular form erected from sheet material and held in its erected state by a series of interlocking tabs. Althougjh this protector has a wide range of applicability, it is particularly suitable for protecting vines, primarily young vines. A practical form of the 10 embodiment disclosed in our earlier application as aforesaid is fabricated from a plastics flute board such as sold under the trade mark "CORFLUTE" with the flute lines running vertically of the protector. The protector is erected into tubular form of approximately triangular section by folding about longitudinal fold lines and engaging the interlocking tabs by manipulating the tabs so that the adjacent edges of the adjacent tabs interlock to IS ensure that the protector is held tightly closed without gaps through which plant material can grow. Manipulation of the tabs to effect interengagement, and subsequent disengagement when it is required to open the protector, is effected with the tabs located externally as illustrated particularly in Figures 4 and 5 of our earlier application.

According to the present invention, there is provided a plant protector erected from a blank of resilient semi-rigid material by bending the blank into tubular form of approximately circular cross-section, the protector being retained in its erected state by resiliently flexible interengaging edge portions of respective series of projecting tabs in longitudinally spaced relationship along each of the opposed edges of the blank such that 25 the interengaged tabs lie internally of the protector and maintain a longitudinal zone of connection without gaps through which plant material can grow, the resiliently flexible edge portions being such as to snap into interengagement during erection of the protector.

In an embodiment of the invention, a longitudinal outer edge portion of each tab is in contact with the adjacent part of the inner surface of the protector under the inherent resilience of the material from which the protector is fabricated.

Preferably, the interengaging edge portions of the adjacent tabs are each defined by a slot extending longitudinally of the tabs whereby die edge portions of two adjacent tabs interengage, by interlocking of the said longitudinal slots defining said edge portions.

The protector may be of generally cylindrical shape of constant diameter along its length or alternatively may be of generally frusta-conical shape increasing in diameter from its lower end to its upper end, this latter shape facilitating plant growth.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, 10 with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view of a blank erectable to form a plant protector in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 1A is an enlarged fragmentary view showing in greater detail the form of interlocking tabs used to retain the protector in its erected state; Figures 2 and 3 are views respectively showing the protector during erection and after completion of erection; Figure 4 is a horizontal section through the erected protector; and Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 and showing an alternative form of blank for erection into a protector of generally frusto-conical form.

A plant protector in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention is erected into tubular form from a blank 2 as illustrated in Figure 1. The general form of the blank is similar to the blank illustrated in our earlier application 710089 although there are some important detailed differences as will be described subsequently. The blank 2 has 25 along each of its longitudinal edges longitudinally spaced tabs 4 which interlock to maintain the protector in its erected state. The blank 2 has at its upper end a flap 6 engageable over a horizontal supporting wire and lockable in position by a T-shaped locking tab engageable in a slot 10 in the body of the protector, to attach the upper end of the protector to the supporting wire.

The blank 2 is formed from resiliently flexible, semi-rigid sheet material which can be bent without creasing into a tubular shape of approximately circular cross-section of PCT/AU0Q/01356 appropriate diameter, typically in the range of 6 cm to 15 cm. One particularly suitable form of sheet material for this purpose is a single-layer plastics sheet of polyethylene or polypropylene having a thickness within the range 0.25 to 1.5 mm. However another suitable material is a thin card which is plastic-coated or aluminised to provide appropriate 5 weather resistance.

The interlocking tabs 4 formed along the opposed longitudinal edges of the blank 2 although similar to those illustrated in our earlier application, do differ in that at each longitudinal end the tab is shaped with a deeper undercut in the form of a longitudinal slot 10 4a (see Figure 1 A).

In order to erect the protector, the blank 2 is bent into tubular form of approximately circular cross-section with the two longitudinal edges including the sets of interlocking tabs 4 overlapping. By pushing the tabs 4 inwardly, the tabs 4 will, due to the 15 inherent resilience and flexibility of the material snap into interlocking engagement by interlocking of the longitudinal slots 4a at the adjacent ends of adjacent tabs 4 (see Figures 2 and 3). In the erected condition as illustrated, both sets of tabs 4 lie within the interior of the protector, with the outer longitudinal edge portion of each tab 4 projecting from one side of the zone of connection being in substantial sealing engagement with the interior 20 surface of the protector at the opposite side of the line of connection to provide a relatively tight sealed connection without gaps through which plant material can grow. This is illustrated in the cross-section of Figure 4. It will be understood that the relatively tight engagement achieved between the outer longitudinal edge portion of each tab and the adjacent inner surface of the protector arises due to the inherent resilient flexibility of the 25 material from which the protector is made.

The material from which the protector is somewhat more resilient than plastics flute board as used in the preferred embodiment of the protector described in our earlier application 710089, and this greater resilience facilitates the different mode of assembly 30 described above which is quicker and easier than that disclosed in our earlier application as all that is required is a simple pushing action applied to the body of the tabs, rather than PCT/AU0Q/01356 individual manipulation of the end portions of the engaging pairs of tabs. In addition disassembly is easier as all that is required is a simple pushing action applied to the zone at which the slots 4a of one pair, or possibly two pairs, of tabs 4 interengage and this causes the two sets of tabs 4 to spring apart under the inherent resilience of the material.

Figure 5 shows a blank of substantially the same form as Figure 1 except that the opposed longitudinal edges of the blank are not parallel but instead are inclined so that the erected tubular protector of circular cross-section will have a diameter which increases from its lower end to its upper end to form a generally frusto-conical shape. This frusto-10 conical shaping facilitates plant development as the smaller diameter lower end portion will encourage upright growth of a developing plant and as the plant grows into the larger diameter upper end portion, lateral growth will be encouraged. The embodiment of Figure 5 is erected in the manner described in connection with the embodiment of Figures 1 to 4. It is also to be noted that the use of resilient sheet material of the type discussed previously IS to form the blank and which is erectable into tubular form by bending enables this alternative frusto-conical shaping to be achieved which could not be achieved when the blank is formed from plastics flute board.

The blank has at its upper end a flap engageable over a supporting wire and 20 lockable in position by a T-shaped locking tab engageable in a slot in the body of the protector, to attach the upper end of the protector to a horizontal supporting wire. Alternatively the protector may be attached to the horizontal supporting wire in the manner described in Australian petty patent 715959.

The embodiment has been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.

PCT/AUOO/01356 Throughout this specification and claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

Claims (3)

CLAIMS :-

1. A plant protector erected from a blank of resilient semi-rigid material by bending the blank into tabular form of approximately circular cross-section, the protector being retained in its erected state by resiliently flexible interengaging edge portions of respective series of projecting tabs in longitudinally spaced relationship along each of the opposed edges of the blank such that the interengaged tabs lie internally of the protector and maintain a longitudinal zone of connection without gaps through which plant material can grow, the resiliently flexible edge portions being such as to snap into interengagement during erection of the protector.

2. A plant protector according to claim 1, wherein a longitudinal outer edge portion of each tab is in contact with the adjacent part of the inner surface of the protector under the inherent resilience of the material from which the protector is fabricated.

3. A plant protector according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the interengaging edge portions of the adjacent tabs are each defined by a slot extending longitudinally of the tabs whereby the edge portions of two adjacent tabs interengage, by interlocking of the said longitudinal slots defining said edge portions. END OF CLAIMS