The present invention relates generally to garden stakes for supporting plants and, more particularly, to adjustable garden stakes that have a support member to surround a plant.
Garden stakes are commonly used to support growing plants. Most are simple, straight support members, such as bamboo stakes. String can be used to support a plant next to the stake. Stakes have improved upon this simple example to include support wires to surround a plant. Multiple upright support members joined with hoops have also been employed and may be especially useful for fruit or vegetable bearing plants, such as tomatoes. However, as a plant grows the support needs may change. Furthermore a single stake size may not accommodate all plant sizes and support concerns.
The deficiencies in the currently available stakes are overcome in the present invention, providing a stake for insertion in soil to support an item such as a plant. The stake includes a primary shaft and a foot adjustably secured to the primary shaft. The primary shaft has an upper end and a lower end. The lower end is configured for insertion into the soil at a first location. The foot has a supporting protrusion for insertion into the soil at a second location removed from the first location. The foot is adjustable for translation along at least a portion of the primary shaft.
Preferably, the foot is slidably coupled to the exterior of the primary shaft. The foot is translatable along the primary shaft while the supporting protrusion maintains a substantially parallel orientation relative to the lower end of the primary shaft.
In one preferred embodiment, the foot includes a quick-release fastener coupled to the primary shaft. The quick-release fastener includes a leaf-spring clamp having at least one hole for engagement of the primary shaft. The clamp is biased into an angled relationship with respect to the primary shaft for securement thereto.
In a further aspect of the invention, the foot includes a sleeve fixed to the supporting protrusion. The sleeve has an inner size slightly larger than an outer size of at least a portion of the primary shaft. The sleeve is slideably engaged to the primary shaft and positioned adjacent the leaf spring.
In a further aspect of the invention, the foot includes a support member substantially transverse to the lower end of the primary shaft. The support member extends between the primary shaft and the supporting protrusion.
In another aspect of the invention, the sleeve that is secured to the primary shaft for slidable engagement therewith is cylindrical with an axis along a longitudinal axis of the primary shaft. The foot is rotatable about the primary shaft while maintaining the relative orientation of the supporting protrusion relative to the lower end of the primary shaft.
The stake of the present invention may also be defined as including a primary shaft, a secondary shaft, and a clamp. The primary shaft includes a soil engaging lower portion and a hollow upper portion. The secondary shaft is telescopically secured within the upper, hollow portion of the primary shaft. The clamp is secured between the primary shaft and the secondary shaft. The clamp is formed of a plate spring formed with at least one bend and having a first opening. The first opening engages the primary shaft. A second opening engages the secondary shaft. The bend in the plate spring is disposed between the first and second openings.
In one preferred aspect of the invention both the primary and secondary shafts comprise hollow cylindrical tubes.
In one embodiment of the invention, the plate spring includes a first portion and a second portion. The first opening in the plate spring is disposed through the first portion. The first portion is angled downwardly from the bend, generally toward the soil engaging lower portion. The second opening is disposed through the second portion. The second portion is angled generally upwardly opposite the first portion.
In an alternate embodiment, the first portion of the plate spring is angled generally upwardly from a bend while a second portion is angled generally downwardly. In such an embodiment preferably two bends and a backing portion spacing the two bends are used between the first and second portions of the spring plate.
Preferred and alternative examples of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings:
As shown in
In one embodiment, the stake is constructed of at least two independent lengths of material, such as metal, composite, or wood. Preferably aluminum or steel tubes telescope relative to each other in order to change the length of the overall stake. A primary shaft 12 is formed of a first, larger diameter outer tube. A secondary shaft 14 is formed of a second, smaller diameter tube that telescopes within an upper end 16 of primary shaft 12. The stake also incorporates a slidably adjustable foot 18 that provides a secondary supporting protrusion 20 into the soil to support the main stake body. It also has a slidably adjustable rubber like collar 22 that serves as a secondary anchor point for a string, lace, rope or strap that supports the plant's lower portion.
One desirable configuration of the stake utilizes one or more upper members (secondary shaft 14) adjustable and fixable to the lower member (primary shaft 12) of the stake 10 by employing two or more telescoping tubes using a unique leaf spring clamp 24 that when squeezed will allow adjustment of one tube relative to the others and thereby changing the overall length of the stake 10. For example clamp 24 can be squeezed to release secondary shaft 14 for telescopically adjusting the positioning of secondary shaft 14 relative to primary shaft 12.
The upper most tube (secondary shaft 14) being hollow allows for two flexible but spring like wires, retractable ties 26, to reside inside the tube but be extended out and bent to form a closed hoop that is made possible by a connection means (tie couplers 28). See
The degree to which the hoop wires (retractable ties 26) are extended from their normal resting spot inside the tube (secondary shaft 14) determines how big the hoop can be made and therefore what breadth of plant can be enveloped or supported by the hoop.
The adjustable telescoping metal or composite tubes with bent metal leaf spring clamp 24 are punched with precise holes that align themselves when the leaf spring clamp is squeezed, freeing the tubes from their locked position and allowing them to slide relative to each other for height adjustment. Note that the spring tension on the edges of the precise holes in the spring clamp causes the spring to “bite” into the outer side walls of the tubing when the clamp is left in its normally engaged position. This serves as an inexpensive and simple friction lock.
In one alternate embodiment, shown in
A further alternate fastener to secure primary shaft 12 relative to secondary shaft 14 is shown in
Referring to
The mechanism for locking the foot to the main shaft is unique in that it makes use of a simple leaf spring clamp (foot clamp 40) used to adjust the position of the foot 18 relative to the stake 10. Thus a quick-release fastener is created. The clamp is fed through a hoop 42 in the foot 18 and then the shaft 12 is guided through holes 44 in the clamp so that it pulls on the shaft 12 in two places which spreads the load on the stake shaft when the stake is to be driven into the ground. The lower portion of the stake foot has a loop (sleeve 46) formed in it which the shaft tube passes through allowing the foot to guide on the shaft while being adjusted. This triangulating configuration also is very effective in reducing the bending movement on the stake shaft when force is applied during insertion of the stake into the soil.
Note that this configuration divides the load between the two halves in the metal leaf spring clip (clamp 40) also contributing to the minimization of the bending movement on the shaft as well as not overstressing the leaf spring clip during stake insertion.
Foot hoop 42 is secured to supporting protrusion with support member 48, extending generally transverse to supporting protrusion 20. Support member 48 provides a convenient place to push the lower end of primary shaft 12 and supporting protrusion 20 into the soil. It is also useful to pull stake 10 from the ground.
As seen in
The hoop wires (retractable ties 26) are preferably made of such a material that they are bendable into a hoop but yet stiff enough that when enveloping the upper portion of a plant they offer proper support. As previously mentioned the hoop size can be adjusted as necessary to support various width plants and yet can be reformed to push back into the upper tube for storage or making the hoop smaller.
The described garden stake readily accommodates different soil conditions. It is easily adjustable in height to be appropriate for different height plants. Moreover it accommodates the plant in terms of width and height as the plant grows. The stake is reconfigurable to perform these functions in a more favorable manner.
Other uses for stakes with adjustable feet and or length adjustment are contemplated for various applications in addition to garden stakes such as for fence posts. The adjustable foot or feet idea can be used to drive in a stake to considerable depth by readjusting the foot several times as the stake goes deeper. A person jumping on the foot or feet and/or even a slide hammer weight guiding on the stake shaft represents two possible applications of this idea.
Other spring configurations can be utilized to accomplish a locking friction mechanism securing the foot to any desired position along the stake shaft.
Although the description and accompanying drawings show the round tubing, it does not preclude the use of other shapes.
Thus, while the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiments. Instead, the invention should be determined by reference to the claims that follow.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/873,867 filed Dec. 7, 2006.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/US07/86844 | 12/7/2007 | WO | 00 | 6/4/2009 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60873867 | Dec 2006 | US |