This invention relates to a plant support device, and more specifically, to a plant support device having a J-hook configuration for securing a plant limb to a support structure.
Various types of plant support devices, including rings, clips, stakes, trusses, hooks, cages, twine, etc., have been developed for supporting plants so that their agricultural yields are increased. These devices support limbs or stalks that are weighted down or otherwise stressed to prevent them from breaking or kinking, which in turn can restrict the flow of water and/or nutrients to outlying fruits or vegetables. As the fruits or vegetables grow in size and weight, so too does the need for supporting them.
It is known in the art to use a plant support device in conjunction with a vertically or horizontally aligned support structure such as a string or wire, such that the support device acts as a sort-of intermediary between the plant and the wire. In such an arrangement, a portion of the weight of the limb, including any fruit or vegetable growing thereon, is born by the support device and the wire and not the plant itself. Because the support device buttresses the plant, it increases the agricultural load the plant is able to bear without breaking or kinking any of its limbs. Examples of some plant support devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,655,000, 6,254,049 and 6,718,691. Although various types of plant support devices are known in the art, design challenges still remain and should be considered.
For instance, installing and removing one or more individual plant support devices for each plant in a large agricultural operation can be quite labor intensive. Moreover, some agricultural operations require periodic oversight and the occasional installation of additional support devices to accommodate the continued growth of the plants being monitored. Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a plant support device that can easily and quickly be installed and removed from a plant.
Also, it is not uncommon for certain annual plants to be disposed of once their fruit or vegetable has been harvested. In such a case, the individual removal of each plant support device from each plant could be quite a time consuming endeavor. Therefore, it would also be advantageous to provide a plant support device that is inexpensive such that it is economically feasible to dispose of the support device when the plant is disposed of.
According to an embodiment of this invention, there is provided a plant support device for use with a support structure that includes an elongated shaft portion, a hook portion and an attachment portion. The attachment portion includes a projection and a complementary recess separated from one another by a slot, wherein the plant support device is installed on the support structure such that the support structure is retained in the slot by the projection and recess.
According to another embodiment, there is provided a plant support device also having a shaft portion, a hook portion and an attachment portion, but the attachment portion includes sections that define first and second slots. The first and second slots are non-linearly aligned to retain the support structure.
A preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements, and:
With reference to
Hook portion 12 is located on one end of support device 10 and is sized and shaped to receive a limb, branch, stalk, vine or some other segment of the plant (hereafter simply referred to as a ‘plant segment’). Accordingly, the inner diameter of the hook portion is large enough to accommodate the plant segment that it is supporting; otherwise, installation of plant support device 10 would be difficult if a worker was unable to fit the hook portion around the plant segment. In a preferred embodiment, hook portion 12 is semi-circular with an inner diameter in the range of 0.25″ to 1″, and is most desirably about 0.5″. Hook portion 12 preferably has a circular cross-section that is slightly larger than shaft portion 14, as demonstrated by the tapered connection or junction 30 located between those two portions.
Shaft portion 14 is a slim, elongated component having hook portion 12 located on one end, attachment portion 16 located on the other, and includes a grip or handle 32 located therebetween. According to a preferred embodiment, shaft portion 14 has a length that is in the range of 2″ to 5″, and is most desirably about 3.25″. Handle 32 is a thin plastic component that extends from shaft portion 14 in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the axis of the shaft. The handle is located at an axial position that is closer to attachment portion 16 than it is to hook portion 12, and at a circumferential position such that it extends in the same general direction as the hook portion. Put differently, hook portion 12 and handle 32 both extend outwardly, away from the longitudinal axis of shaft 14 and lie within a common plane. It has been found that the position, size and shape of handle 32 allows a worker to easily grasp and manipulate support device 10, such that installation of the plant support device is made easier.
Attachment portion 16 is designed to capture and securely attach to a support structure 34, such as a vertically-aligned string or wire, such that plant support device 10 is suspended from the support structure and can carry the weight of the plant without sliding along the support structure. Attachment portion 16 extends radially outward from the shaft in approximately the same direction as hook portion 12 and handle 32 and generally includes a clip 48 and a pair of ears 62. As shown in
Taper section 50 is preferably a flat, generally triangular component that adjoins shaft portion 14 and extends outwardly, away from the shaft in much the same manner as handle 32. In a center area of the taper section, ears 62 extend perpendicularly outward away from the taper section. On one end of the taper section resides first and second projections 52, 54 which extend into second and first portions 74, 72, respectively of slot 70. According to a preferred embodiment, the projections are of equal size such that they extend the same length outwardly away from taper section 50. Of course, it is possible to provide projections of unequal length, as it is also possible to increase or decrease the number of projections used. The size, shape and position of first and second projections 52, 54 play a role in the retention of support structure 34, as will be subsequently explained.
Recess 56 is formed in the forward section 58 and opens into the second slot portion 74. Preferably, recess 56 is complementary in shape to first projection 52 and is located directly across the second slot portion 74 from that projection. In this manner, recess 56 and first projection 52 work in conjunction with one another to grasp and retain a string or other support structure 34 when plant support device 10 is being installed; again, this will be subsequently explained in greater detail.
Forward and hook sections 58 and 60 form a generally hook-shaped end of the support device which, at least along the outer periphery, is not too much different than hook section 12. However, instead of the inner periphery also forming a hook-shaped configuration, inner periphery 80 of forward section 58 is flat such that it defines one side of the opening of slot 70. Hook section 60, on the other hand, is a thin finger-like component that extends backwardly from the forward section 58 such that it too defines a side of the opening of slot 70.
Ears 62 are best shown in
Slot 70 with its first and second portions 72 and 74 is an opening or channel in clip 48 that follows a complex contoured path, meaning that it has one or more bends or narrowed portions between its opening and inner end 74. The slot 70 is suitably sized to receive and capture a length of support structure 34, such that plant support device 10 is attached in a manner similar to that shown in
In use, hook portion 12 hooks and holds onto a plant limb and attachment portion 16 attaches to a support structure 34 such that plant support device 10 carries at least some of the weight of the plant. Turning now to
It will thus be apparent that there has been provided in accordance with the present invention a plant support device which achieves the aims and advantages specified herein. Some of those aims and advantages include providing an inexpensive, yet strong, plant support device that is easy to install and remove. It will, of course, be understood that the foregoing description is of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention and that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments shown. Various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, one or more of the hook portion 12, attachment portion 16, and handle 32 could be rearranged such that they extend outwardly from a different circumferential position on the shaft; that is, they extend outwardly in a different direction. Also, the relative size, shape, orientation, etc. of the slot 70 could differ from the exemplary embodiment shown here. Moreover, one or both of the ears 62 could be eliminated or moved from the exemplary position shown in the drawings. These are, of course, only some of the changes that could be made to the plant support device disclosed herein, as all such changes and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present invention.
As used in this specification and appended claims, the terms “for example,” “for instance,” and “such as,” and the verbs “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and their other verb forms, when used in conjunction with a listing of one or more components or other items, are each to be construed as open-ended, meaning that that the listing is not to be considered as excluding other, additional components or items. Other terms are to be construed using their broadest reasonable meaning unless they are used in a context that requires a different interpretation.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/400,782 filed Mar. 27, 2003, which claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/368,031 filed Mar. 27, 2002. The complete disclosures of both applications are hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60368031 | Mar 2002 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10400782 | Mar 2003 | US |
Child | 10947591 | Sep 2004 | US |