US20020104261A1

US20020104261A1 - Collapsible plant support structure

Info

Publication number: US20020104261A1
Application number: US09/777,760
Authority: US
Inventors: Norman Shulman; Grayson Bass
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-02-06
Filing date: 2001-02-06
Publication date: 2002-08-08
Anticipated expiration: 2021-02-06
Also published as: US6453606B1; EP1228685A1

Abstract

A collapsible plant support structure is described which provides a structure wherein a plant may be grown and properly supported. The collapsible plant support structure has three or more vertical members (11) connected to a plurality of rings (12) by guide hubs (18) on the vertical members, thusly providing the collapsible feature of the structure. A vertical member typically is rod-like and extends the entire length of the structure and has connection points (19) set equidistant along the vertical members. The vertical members also include a tapered (20) and angled staking structure to assist in strengthening the structure. The vertical members also have geometrically shaped footplates (20) to assist in placing the structure into any given terrain.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND

Gardeners, ranging from the professional to the casual, have used plant supports since before recorded time. There have been innumerable alternatives devised for providing auxiliary support to a growing plant. These alternatives range from a single stake in the ground to an automated, high-tech, controlled environment greenhouse. Despite the myriad of alternatives historically available, the utility or desirability of any specific alternative is always defined by the totality of the circumstances impacting a given user.

In today's consumer society in the U.S., both the hobbyist and the professional gardener have unique requirements for plant supporters that differ from their historical predecessors of even a few generations ago. These include readily commercial availability (and all the inherent considerations that go into a commercial product), simplicity and ease of use, durability, broad application and efficient storage. Of course, the industry has been motivated to develop a variety of plant supports to address one or more of these desirable features.

A few examples are Allman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,559, Benson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,446, Booker, U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,163, Glamos, U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,060, Hillstead, U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,799, Lemrick, U.S. Pat. No. 3,299,569, Nahon, U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,548, Rocka, U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,956, and Vogel, U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,091.

Additionally, prior art of similar cages shows that these structures are made of a thin wire that bends easily when trying to place the structure into the ground. They also lack support at ground level to keep the structure from being knocked over by the very plant it supports or a passerby. Also, previous plant structures have little or no way to help stake the structure into the ground.

As evident from the above statements, there still is a need for an effective plant support structure that can be used anywhere from a rooftop garden, to a backyard garden, to a field of plants.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to an apparatus that satisfies the need for an effective collapsible plant support structure. The apparatus is comprised of three support rods connected with four cross members. The cross members are spaced equidistantly along the support rods and are of proportionally descending sizes with the bottom cross member used as a structural support. The support rods have footplates and angle away from the center of the opened structure beginning immediately after the bottom cross member. A footplate assists with placement into a given terrain, as does a tapered end.

OBJECT AND ADVANTAGES

Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the invention are an open area to make harvesting the fruit easier, the invention includes tapered tips and footplates to assist in staking the structure to the ground, as well as the invention can also be scaled up or down to help support a potted indoor plant to a plant the size of a large sapling, and the invention is also one collapsible piece making it easier to store as well as set up, along with the traditional cone shape and with the ability to rotate the cross members make it ideal for growing plants from a younger state.

Further objects and advantages of our invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.

DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a version of the collapsed invention in a front elevation view in its closed state and illustrates the main components of the invention. [0011]
FIG. 2 is a side lateral view of the invention and illustrates the cross members as they pivot about their connection points. [0012]
FIG. 3 is a lateral perspective of the invention as the vertical support rods are rotated about the cross members to an appropriate position for use. [0013]
FIG. 4 is a top view of the invention whereas the vertical support rods are in an appropriate position for use. [0014]
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line [0015] 5-5 in FIG. 4 showing the locations and positions of the guide hub, upper cross member, and angled vertical support member while the invention is in use.
FIG. 6 is a side elevation of the vertical support rod with portions being broken away to show the lower particulars of said support. [0016]
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a version of the invention with portions being broken away to show the implementation of the structure within the terrain. [0017]
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the structure opened and in use as a support for a plant or seedling.[0018]

Reference Numerals in Drawings

[0019] 10 collapsible plant support
[0020] 11 vertical support rod
[0021] 12 upper cross member
[0022] 13 intermediate cross member
[0023] 15 intermediate cross member
[0024] 16 bottom cross member
[0025] 17 angled vertical support member
[0026] 18 guide hub
[0027] 19 connection point
[0028] 20 footplate
[0029] 21 pressure area
[0030] 22 tapered end of rod
[0031] 24 lowest connection point
[0032] 25 area of enclosure
[0033] 28 planter
[0034] 30 terrain
[0035] 32 plant

DESCRIPTION

A collapsed view of the [0036] plant support structure 10 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The structure consists of three identical vertical support rods 11 made from wood, plastic, or metal. Each vertical support rod has a tapered end 22 and has a cross member linked to it at four different connection points 19. The cross members decrease proportionally in size 12,13,15, and 16 down the vertical support rods.
FIG. 2 shows a profile of the structure beginning to open. With the cross members swinging down from the connection points [0037] 19. FIG. 3 shows the vertical support rods being separated and slid around the cross members.
FIG. 4 is top view of the area of [0038] enclosure 25 of the opened structure 10 with the vertical support rods spaced equidistant around the cross members at angle [alpha].
FIG. 5 is a close-up of the [0039] connection point 19 where a guide hub 18 on an angled vertical support member 17 connects a cross member 12.
FIG. 6 shows a close-up of the angle [beta] of the angled [0040] vertical support member 17,the footplate 20, the pressure area 21 of the footplate, and the tapered end 22.
FIG. 7 demonstrates how the [0041] planter 28 places his foot on the footplate when placing the structure into the terrain 30.
FIG. 8 is the invention completely erected with a [0042] plant 32 growing in the middle.
While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodiments of the invention, it may be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the appended claims. [0043]

OPERATION-FIGS. 2,3,4,5, 7 and 8

The manner of opening the plant support structure is to hold the structure parallel to the ground so that the cross members fall, perpendicular to the ground from the [0044] vertical support rods 11, under the power of their own weight as shown in FIG. 2. Second, hold the middle vertical support rod and slide the remaining vertical support rods equidistant from each other [alpha] (FIG. 4) and the middle vertical support rod as shown in FIG. 3. Next, turn the structure so that the tapered ends 22 (FIG. 6) of the vertical support rods are facing the ground. Use the footplates 20 (FIG. 6 and 7) to place the structure into the ground as demonstrated by the planter 28 placing his foot on the pressure area 21 (FIG. 6) as shown in FIG. 7.
As shown in FIG. 5, a cross member is connected to a vertical support rod at the [0045] connection point 19 by a guide hub 18. This provides for easy collapsing as well as sliding the vertical support rods around the cross members.
FIG. 4 shows the decreasing size of the cross members as they approach the ground giving the plant room to grow and to be supported. [0046]
In FIG. 7 the [0047] bottom cross member 16 is used as an added support along with the outward angle [beta] of the angled vertical support members 17 as shown in FIG. 6.
In FIG. 8 the [0048] plant 32 grows in the area of enclosure 25 using the vertical support rods and cross members for support.

Conclusion, Ramifications, and Scope

Thus the reader will see that our collapsible support structure provides a more efficient structure with which to grow plants and trees and makes harvesting fruit easier. Our cage is stronger, easier to assemble and collapse, yet a device that can be used by persons of almost any age as well as in almost any location due to the ease of scalability. [0049]
While our above description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof. For example, the ability to have different colors, added or subtracted cross members, and added string for additional support. [0050]
Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. [0051]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A collapsible plant support structure to assist in the maturation and harvesting of fruit bearing plants and trees, comprising of a plurality of vertical members of predetermined length and size to accommodate a linked plurality of feasible geometric shapes;

wherein said vertical members and said geometric shapes are connected by approximately equidistant connection points on the length of said vertical members, and further wherein said geometric shapes decrease in size from top to bottom; and

said geometric shapes and vertical members lay parallel and swaged when collapsed; as well as

said vertical members have, but are not limited to having, a footplate.

2. The collapsible plant support structure of claim 1 wherein said vertical members are made of wood, plastic, or metal.

3. The collapsible plant support structure of claim 2 wherein said vertical members are tapered at the bottom end.

4. The collapsible plant support structure of claim 1, 2, and 3 wherein said connected geometric shapes are made of wood, plastic, or metal.

5. The collapsible plant support structure of claim 4 wherein said connected geometric shapes are rings.

6. The collapsible plant support structure of claim 1 wherein said connection points are guide hubs.

7. The collapsible plant support structure of claim 6 wherein said guide hubs are connected to said vertical members by a means selected from the group consisting of welding, soldering, molding, forming, clipping, or any other means of connection.