Patent Application
20200239191
This application relates to the field of plant containers such as biodegradable containers and equipment for transporting plant containers.
Bio-degradable plant containers with integrated handles for manual transport has been known. For example, see U.S. Patent Application Publication 2006/0026987. These plant containers are conventionally designed to allow workers to lift and then transfer the plants to other location. Besides being labor-intensive, the process is often slow and inefficient, especially when dealing with hundreds of nursery stock.
Various objects, features, and advantages of the disclosed subject matter can be more fully appreciated with reference to the following detailed description of the disclosed subject matter when considered in connection with the following drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements. While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. Many of the figures presented herein are black and white representations of images originally created in color.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth regarding the systems and methods of the disclosed subject matter and the environment in which such systems and methods may operate, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed subject matter. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that the disclosed subject matter may be practiced without such specific details, and that certain features, which are well known in the art, are not described in detail in order to avoid complication of the disclosed subject matter. In addition, it will be understood that the examples provided below are exemplary, and that it is contemplated that there are other systems, apparatuses, and/or methods that are within the scope of the disclosed subject matter.
The following description makes reference to spatial relations in addition to directional orientations, such as views with regard to the figures. However, any terms such as up, down, left, right, top, bottom, front, back, above, below, upper, lower, proximal, distal, and the like are used primarily to differentiate between the views and orientations relative to other building elements or pieces within any particular configuration, or series of views or illustrations, and to help describe the relationship between pieces to the reader.
In some embodiments, the planting containers are made of materials that are not biodegradable. Non-biodegradable containers are cheaper to make and can generally be made to hold heavier weigh. Suitable materials include but not limited to plastic, carbon fiber, felt made of natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the container is made of breathable felt. It is ideal for the felt to be porous enough to allow the air to penetrate the fabric and reach the roots. When the roots hit the wall of the container, the dry air lets the plant know that the root system has reached the limits of the container. This way, instead of spiraling around the pot the root will stop growing longer and the plant will produce more roots to branch off in another direction. Commercially, this is sometimes known as air pruning pots.
In some embodiments, the planting containers are biodegradable plant containers. Biodegradable plant containers have been popular among consumers and retail plant growers. For example, biodegradable plant pots are far better for the environment. Biodegradable pots can be made from materials such as wood fiber, peat, coir or other suitable materials. Biodegradable pots are ideal for field planting trees. Instead of removing a grown tree from a conventional pot, trees in biodegradable pots can be planted directly into the soil. Similar to the non-biodegradable containers, it is ideal for the biodegradable containers to be porous enough to allow proper air pruning of the roots.
Over the years, containers with handles have been developed to help growers transfer plants (in the pots) from one location to another. Generally speaking, with conventional designs, a human operator would need to manually lift the plant container off the ground and walk the container to the planting site or to a transportation vehicle. If the container is too heavy, more human operators would be needed. To move multiple plants, human operators often need to manually load them to a truck bed (or a pellet), then drive them to the planting site. Embodiments of the present invention, in contrast, provide a more efficient and less labor-intensive system for transferring plants.
More specifically, to transport plants in plant containers 101, poles or tines 104 of a lift attachment 102 penetrate the eyebolts 103 of the plant container 101 as the container rests on the ground. According to certain embodiments, the eyebolts of the plant container 101 are arranged off-center, for example at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o-clock, but with the openings aligned such that 12 and 9 o-clock share a first transverse axis (i.e., the axis of tine penetration) and 3 and 6 o-clock share a second transverse axis, parallel to the first. In this way, the trunk of a plant in the pot will not hinder the penetration of the tines, or poles, as the tines or poles will be to the left and right of the trunk. The opening of each eyebolt is large enough to receive a tine, even taking into account the axis's line of penetration through the eyebolt in relation to the diameter of a tine. To pick up a container, the tractor 100 would drive the poles 104 of the lift attachment 102 through the eyebolts 103. According to certain embodiments, multiple plant containers can be lifted, depending on their relative weight and size, compared to the size of the tines and the vehicle with the lifting attachment. According to some embodiments, the plant container is fully biodegradable. That is, all parts of the plant container can degrade naturally. In some embodiments, the plant container is made of materials that are not biodegradable (e.g., plastic based fabric, carbon fiber, etc.).
According to certain embodiments, the plant container 200 can be designed to fit different types of plants. The strength of the container can be adjusted based on the material or other supporting elements. These containers may be grow bags, but also may be fabric or other material to hold the plant after it is dug out of the ground. The bags may have a U shaped cross section, right angles at the bottom edges, cone shaped, and the like. In certain embodiments, the plant container may have a vertical slit (not shown) along all or part of its height. This may allow the container to be opened and closed so that a plant and/or soil can be inserted into the container from the side, rather than the open top. A closure is operable to close the slit and hold it in the closed position against the forces applied during lifting and by the weight of the plant and/or soil. Examples of closures may include, but are not limited to a hook and loop connector such as Velcro®, a zipper, a plurality of ties, a clasp, and a clamp.
The lift attachment 600 has a rectangular attachment plate 602 with attachment lips 606 along the top edge of the backside. The attachment plate 602 has carved-out windows 604 and 605 to reduce the overall weight. Two poles are placed under each window. Underneath the left carved-out window 604, poles 608 and 610 are placed apart from each other to allow the poles to penetrate at least two eyebolts of a container discussed in
In some embodiments, the lift attachment operates with just two poles or tines for lifting a single row of containers. In this configuration, the poles can be equal distance away from the center of the lift attachment to keep the center of gravity in the middle. According to some embodiments, the poles space can be adjusted for picking up containers of different sizes.
According to some embodiments, the attachment plate 602 is made of metal, alloy, aluminum, or a combination thereof. It is preferred that the material for making the attachment plate is not too heavy. In some embodiments, there are no carved-out windows 604 and 605 if the plate is sufficiently light. The attachment plate can be a solid plate. In some embodiments, other ways to reduce the weight of the attachment plate is contemplated. For example, the plate can be composed of a different material or molded to a different shape that require less material. According to some embodiments, the attachment lips 606 have back-end hooks that enable a tractor to pick up the attachment plate 602 by driving a corresponding lifting bracket underneath.
According to some embodiments, the body plate 802 has a length of about 48 inches, and a width 808 of about 20 inches. In some embodiments, the body plate 802 is made of steel. In some embodiments, the body plate 802 is made of a metal lighter than steel. In some embodiments, the rod 807 has a hollow center and is about 48 inches in length. In some embodiments, the rod is adjustable in length. In some embodiments, the rod 807 and the body plate 802 are made of the same material. In some embodiments, the rod 807 is of a cylindrical shape but other shapes are also possible such as cuboid shape.
It is contemplated that apparatus and processes of the disclosed invention encompass variations and adaptations developed using information from the embodiments described herein. Adaptation and/or modification of the system, devices, and apparatus described herein may be performed by those of ordinary skill in the relevant art.
Throughout the description, where articles, devices, and systems are described as having, including, or comprising specific components, it is contemplated that, additionally, there are articles, devices, and systems of the present disclosure that consist essentially of, or consist of, the recited components.
It should be understood that the order of steps or order for performing certain actions is immaterial so long as the disclosure remains operable. Moreover, two or more steps or actions may be conducted simultaneously. The mention herein of any publication, for example, in the Background section, is not an admission that the publication serves as prior art. The Background section is presented for purposes of clarity and is not meant as a description of prior art.
It is to be understood that the disclosed subject matter is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the description or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosed subject matter is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the design of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the disclosed subject matter.
Although the disclosed subject matter has been described and illustrated in the foregoing exemplary embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example, and that numerous changes in the details of implementation of the disclosed subject matter may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed subject matter.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62796738 | Jan 2019 | US |
