Vegetation hanging and drying system and brackets thereof

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 12239224
  • Patent Number
    12,239,224
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, January 20, 2022
    3 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, March 4, 2025
    2 months ago
Abstract
A bracket for use in a vegetation hanging and drying system includes a mounting plate configured to couple to a vertical support shaft of the vegetation hanging and drying system, and a racking plate extending from the mounting plate and configured to receive a horizontal bar of the vegetation hanging and drying system.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to support brackets, and more specifically to pallet-rack brackets and shelving unit brackets for use in a vegetation hanging and drying system.


BACKGROUND

Recently there has been a widespread growth of the use of cannabis and hemp ranging from medicine to recreational. In this widespread growth, the drying of cannabis and hemp has become an essential part of processing cannabis and hemp, but the process takes a significant amount of time and effort. Typically, the drying process requires the hemp and/or cannabis to be hung with plastic netting, which is not only time-consuming but requires a lot of manual labor and leaves little room for error.


The process requires the hemp and/or cannabis to be hung one branch at a time and threaded through the netting to secure the hemp and/or cannabis. Removal of the hemp and/or cannabis requires careful unthreading of the hemp and/or cannabis from the plastic netting. Other methods have been contemplated, such as bailing wires, string and/or ropes, screens, chains, fencing, and combinations thereof, all of which cause damage to hemp and/or cannabis. Additionally, from harvest to drying there are multiple points of contact with the hemp and/or cannabis that diminish the quality of the finished dried product. Therefore, there is a need to provide a system and method of hanging and drying vegetation, such as, hemp, cannabis, and other plants harvested and subsequently dried, without damaging the vegetation.


SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a vegetation hanging and drying system that includes a bracket. The bracket includes a mounting plate configured to abut a vertical support shaft of the vegetation hanging and drying system, an anchor attached to the mounting plate and configured to secure the mounting plate to the vertical support shaft, a racking plate protruding from the mounting plate and defining a vertically-extending gap configured for receipt of a horizontal hanging bar, and a stabilizing plate extending away from the racking plate.


In aspects, the anchor may be configured to be inserted through a slot defined in the vertical support shaft of the vegetation hanging and drying system.


In aspects, the anchor may include a body portion protruding from a face of the mounting plate, and an end portion affixed to the body portion.


In aspects, a diameter of the end portion may be greater than a diameter of the body portion.


In aspects, the racking plate may include a pair of vertical fingers joined by a lower body to define the vertically-extending gap.


In aspects, the stabilizing plate may be directly attached to the lower body of the racking plate and may extend perpendicularly relative to the pair of vertical fingers.


In aspects, a first finger of the pair of vertical fingers may be directly adjoined to the mounting plate and a second finger of the pair of vertical fingers may be free-standing.


In aspects, the first finger may be taller than the second finger.


In aspects, the mounting plate and the racking plate may extend perpendicularly relative to one another.


In aspects, the mounting plate may include a pair of first and second mounting plates extending perpendicularly from a longitudinal edge of the racking plate. Each of the first and second mounting plates may have a respective anchor.


In aspects, the stabilizing plate may extend between the pair of first and second mounting plates and coplanar with the racking plate. The stabilizing plate may be configured to rest against an outer sidewall of the vertical support shaft of the vegetation hanging and drying system.


In aspects, the anchor of each of the first and second mounting plates may be configured to bend outwardly.


In aspects, the stabilizing plate may extend underneath and rearwardly beyond the mounting plate to provide additional leveraged support for the horizontal hanging bar of the vegetation hanging and drying system.


In aspects, the mounting plate may include a circular indentation configured to indicate a position of the anchor.


In aspects, the mounting plate may include a circular aperture configured to align with a secondary slot disposed on the vertical support shaft of the vegetation hanging and drying system, such that a fastener can be inserted through both the mounting plate and the vertical support shaft of the vegetation hanging and drying system.


In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a vegetation hanging and drying system is provided that includes a vertical support shaft defining a plurality of slots along a length thereof, a hanging bar, and a bracket including a mounting plate having a first face and an opposing second face, an anchor protruding from the first face of the mounting plate and configured for detachable locking engagement with a selected slot of the plurality of slots of the vertical support shaft, and a racking plate extending perpendicularly relative to the mounting plate. The racking plate defines a vertically-extending gap configured for receipt of the hanging bar.


In aspects, the bracket may further include a stabilizing plate extending from the racking plate.


In aspects, the mounting plate may include a pair of first and second mounting plates extending from respective upper and lower portions of the racking plate. The stabilizing plate may be positioned between the pair of first and second mounting plates and may extend coplanar with the racking plate.


In aspects, the racking plate may include a pair of vertical fingers joined by a lower body. The pair of vertical fingers may be spaced from one another to define the vertically-extending gap.


In aspects, a first finger of the pair of vertical fingers may be directly adjoined to the mounting plate and a second finger of the pair of vertical fingers may be free-standing.


In aspects, the present disclosure also relates to a vegetation hanging and drying system. The vegetation hanging and drying system includes a vertical support shaft that defines a plurality of slots along a length thereof, a hanging bar, and a pallet-rack bracket. The pallet-rack bracket includes a mounting plate, an anchor key, a racking plate, and a stabilizer. The mounting plate having a first face and an opposing second face. The anchor key protrudes from the first face of the mounting plate and is configured to be detachably engaged with a selected slot of the plurality of slots of the vertical support shaft. The racking plate extends perpendicularly from the second face of the mounting plate, and the stabilizer that extends downward and rearwardly away from the racking plate.


As used herein, the terms parallel and perpendicular are understood to include relative configurations that are substantially parallel and substantially perpendicular up to about + or −10 degrees from true parallel and true perpendicular.





BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the features and advantages of the disclosed technology will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description that sets forth illustrative aspects, in which the principles of the technology are utilized, and the accompanying figures of which:



FIG. 1 is a rear, side perspective view of a pallet-rack bracket for use in a vegetation hanging and drying system in accordance with the present disclosure;



FIG. 2 is a front, side perspective view of the pallet-rack bracket of FIG. 1;



FIG. 3 is a front, side perspective view of the pallet-rack bracket of FIG. 1 in use with a vertical support shaft and a hanging bar from a vegetation hanging and drying system;



FIG. 4 is a side view of the pallet-rack bracket of FIG. 1;



FIG. 5 is a rear view of the pallet-rack bracket of FIG. 1;



FIG. 6A is a rear, perspective view illustrating another aspect of the bracket for use in a vegetation and drying system in accordance with the present disclosure;



FIG. 6B is a front, perspective view illustrating the bracket of FIG. 6A;



FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the bracket of FIGS. 6A-6B being connected to a vertical support shaft of a shelving unit; and



FIG. 8 is a front, perspective view illustrating the bracket of FIGS. 6A-6B secured to the vertical support shaft of the shelving unit.





DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although illustrative systems of this disclosure will be described in terms of specific aspects, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art that various modifications, rearrangements, and substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.


For purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of this disclosure, reference will now be made to exemplary aspects illustrated in the figures, and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of this disclosure is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of this disclosure features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of this disclosure as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of this disclosure.


As will be described in detail below, the present disclosure is directed to various aspects of brackets for use in vegetation hanging and drying systems. One of the vegetation hanging and drying systems includes a dry space, such as, a harvest hang harvesting structure, a tower hang harvesting structure, or a pod hang harvesting structure, at least one pair of brackets, at least one horizontal hanging bar, and at least one hanger, such as a vegetation hanger or a vegetation hanger.



FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a bracket, such as, for example, a pallet-rack bracket 100 generally including a mounting plate 110, a racking plate 130, and a stabilizing plate 140. The bracket 100 may be a monolithic structure formed from a single sheet of material (e.g., metal). During manufacturing, the section intended to be used as the mounting plate 110 is folded inward toward the racking plate 130 until the two plates 110, 130 are perpendicularly oriented to one another, as shown. Both plates 110, 130 share a common vertical axis (Y-axis), but are approximately perpendicular to one another horizontally so that the mounting plate 110 extends along the Z-axis, and the racking plate 130 extends along the X-axis. The stabilizing plate 140 remains in alignment with the racking plate 130 and also extends along the X-axis.


This process of reorienting the mounting plate 110 and the racking plate 130 by means of folding allows the pallet-rack bracket 100 to remain as one monolithic structure, while facing in different directions thereby avoiding the loss of structural integrity brought about by joining two separate pieces together. However, in some aspects, the structural integrity of the pallet-rack bracket 100 is not the only consideration and the orthogonal orientation of the mounting plate 110 relative to the racking plate 130 can be accomplished by the temporary or permanent joining of two separate pieces representing the mounting plate 110 and the racking plate 130. For example, the plates 110, 130 may be joined using adhesives, welding, fasteners, etc.


The mounting plate 110 provides an initial point of integration with the larger vegetation hanging and drying system 10 (FIG. 3) because the mounting plate 110 defines an anchor key 120 configured to be removably attached to a vertical support shaft 200 of the vegetation hanging and drying system 10. The racking plate 130 provides a secondary point of integration with the larger vegetation hanging and drying system 10, because the racking plate 130 defines a gap 134 configured to receive a hanging bar 300 of the vegetation hanging and drying system 10. The stabilizing plate 140 provides a third point of integration with the larger vegetation hanging and drying system 10. The stabilizing plate 150 rests against an outer sidewall 230 of the vegetation hanging and drying system 10 to hold the pallet-rack bracket 100 in place and to provide additional stability to the racking plate 130 when supporting the hanging bar 300.


With reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, the mounting plate 110 includes a distal or first face 111, and an anchor key 120 that protrudes from a top end portion of the distal face 111 of mounting plate 110. The anchor key 120 includes a body portion 121 that extends distally away from the mounting plate 110 and an end portion 122 affixed to the distal end of the body portion 121, such that the body portion 121 creates a small region of separation between the end portion 122 and the distal face 111 of the mounting plate 110. Additionally, the body portion 121 is smaller in diameter than the end portion 122 to facilitate coupling with the vertical shaft 200 (see FIG. 3) of the hanging and drying system 10.


Generally, the vertical shaft 200 includes a vertical slot 210 (see FIG. 3) that is broader at the top and narrower at the bottom. This design allows for the broader end portion 122 to be inserted through the top end of the vertical slot 210 and slid down into a secure position. Once in position, the narrower body portion 121 of the anchor 120 is supported by the narrower bottom end of the vertical slot 210 and the broader end portion 122 of the anchor plate 120 is also held in position by the narrower bottom end of the vertical slot 210. In aspects, the body portion 121 may be cylindrical in shape and the end portion 122 may be circular in shape such that the diameter of the end portion 122 is larger than the diameter of the body portion 121. In other aspects, the body portion 121 and end portion 122 can assume any suitable shape so long as the end portion 122 remains larger than the body portion 121, such that the anchor key 120 can be inserted through a vertical slot 210 and be thereby coupled to a vertical shaft 200 of the vegetation hanging and drying system 10. In yet other aspects, the anchor 120 can be molded from the same sheet as the mounting plate 110, such that the entire pallet-rack bracket 100 is one monolithic structure ensuring high structural integrity. Alternatively, in still other aspects, the anchor plate 120 can be formed from a completely separate piece, such that the mounting plate 110 and the anchor plate 120 are temporarily or permanently joined after the fact.


With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, as previously mentioned, the racking plate 130 shares a vertical axis with the mounting plate 110. While the mounting plate 110 is focused on coupling the pallet-rack bracket 100 to a vertical support shaft 200 of the vegetation hanging and drying system 10, the racking plate 130 supports the hanging bar 300 from which vegetation is suspended during the drying process. The racking plate 130 includes a pair of vertical fingers 131, 132 that are joined together by a lower body 133 to define a gap 134 configured to receive a hanging bar 300 of the vegetation hanging and drying system 10. The gap 134 is large enough to receive the hanging bar 300, but at the same time is also narrow enough to prevent unnecessary shifting of the hanging bar 300 along the lower body 133 when installed. A first finger 131 of the pair of vertical fingers is directly adjoined to the mounting plate 110 and extends upward to the same height as the mounting plate 110. A second finger 132 of the pair of vertical fingers is free-standing and extends to a height less than that of the first finger 131.


In use, the pallet-rack bracket 100 may be installed at a high position on the vertical support shaft 200 that is difficult to reach for a person standing on the ground. The shorter height of the second finger 132 makes it easier for a person standing below the pallet-rack bracket 100 to place the hanging bar 300 into position in the gap 134 between the pair of vertical fingers 131, 132. In some aspects, the upper end of the second vertical finger 132 has a ramped edge 132a such that a hanging bar 300 being pushed upward will be more readily ejected from the gap 134. As such, the ramped edge 132a of the second finger 132 facilitates removal of the hanging bar 300 and/or positioning of the hanging bar 300 into the gap 134. In other aspects, the second vertical finger 132 may be coupled with a locking mechanism capable of firmly securing the hanging bar 300 within the gap 134 of the racking plate 130.


Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the stabilizing plate 140 extends from the racking plate 130 in a downward direction to occupy a vertical space beneath both the mounting plate 110 and the racking plate 130. The stabilizing plate 140 also extends distally backward to occupy a longitudinal space behind both the mounting plate 110 and the racking plate 130. By occupying this space, both below and behind the other plates 110, 130, the stabilizing plate 140 is uniquely positioned to provide a form of leveraged support for the pallet-rack bracket 100 as a whole. In use, the stabilizing plate 140 rests against an outer sidewall 230 of the vertical support shaft 200 of the vegetation hanging and drying system 10. By resting against the outer sidewall 230, the stabilizing plate 140 ensures that the pallet-rack bracket 100 cannot rotate out of position in the clockwise direction. Further, when a hanging bar 300 is inserted into the gap 134 of the racking plate 130, any clockwise torque will push the stabilizing plate 140 against the outer sidewall 230 of the vertical support shaft 200. As such, in addition to the direct support provided by the racking plate 130, the stabilizing plate 140 also provides leveraged support for the hanging bar 300 inserted into the gap 134 that increases the overall stability of the vegetation hanging and drying system.


In aspects, the pallet-rack bracket 100 also includes a second slot 141 between the mounting plate 110 and the stabilizing plate 140. This second slot 141 provides the stabilizing plate 140 and the racking plate 130 with an additional range of lateral motion independent from the influence of the mounting plate 110. As such, in the event that excessive lateral force is applied to the bracket 100 while the mounting plate 110 is coupled to a vertical support shaft 200, the additional range of lateral motion provided by the second slot 141 gives the stabilizing plate 140 enough flexibility to potentially bend without breaking while continuing to provide leveraged support for the hanging bar 300.


With reference to FIGS. 3 and 5, the mounting plate 110 includes a proximal face 112 having a marker 113 that lines up directly with the position of the anchor key 120 on the distal face. In use, this marker 113 allows a person coupling a pallet-rack bracket 100 to a vertical support shaft 200 to line up the broad end portion 122 of the anchor key 120 with the broad upper portion of the vertical slot 210 without needing to see the mounting plate 110 from behind. In aspects, the marker 113 can be an indentation formed in the place where the anchor key 120 is pressed out to protrude from the distal face 111. In other aspects, the marker 113 can be any suitable visual indicator of position.


In aspects, the proximal or second face 112 of the mounting plate 110 may also includes an aperture 114 that aligns with a secondary slot 220 disposed on the vertical support shaft 200 of the vegetation hanging and drying system 10. The aperture 114 is sized to receive a fastener, such that the fastener can be inserted through both the mounting plate 110 and secondary slot 220 of the vertical support shaft 200 to further secure the position of the pallet-rack bracket 100 relative to the vertical support shaft 200.


With reference to FIGS. 6A-6C, 7, and 8, another type of bracket 400 for use in the vegetation hanging and drying system 10 (FIG. 3) is shown. The bracket 400 is similar to and may include any of the features of the bracket 100 of FIGS. 1-5 except as explicitly contradicted below.


The bracket 400 is configured to fixedly secure to a vertical support shaft 200 (FIGS. 7-8) of the vegetation hanging and drying system 10, and to support a horizontal hanging bar 300 (FIG. 3) from which vegetation is suspended during a drying process of the vegetation. In aspects, the vertical support shaft 200 may be part of a shelving unit 500 (FIG. 7). The bracket 500 generally includes a racking plate 430, a mounting plate 410 extending perpendicularly from a longitudinal edge 432 of the racking plate 430, and a support tab or stabilizing plate 440 projecting from the longitudinal edge 432 of the racking plate 430. The components of the bracket 400 may be monolithically formed from a single sheet of material (e.g., stainless steel). In other aspects, the components of the bracket 400 may be integrally connected to one another via any suitable fastener, such as, for example, adhesive, welding, or the like.


The racking plate 430 includes first and second vertically-extending fingers 436, 438 that are joined together by a lower body 433 of the racking plate 430. The fingers 436, 438 define a vertically-extending gap 434 therebetween configured to receive the hanging bar 300 (FIG. 3) of the vegetation hanging and drying system 10. The gap 434 may have a rectangular shape and a sufficient width to receive the hanging bar 300 and permit sliding along a longitudinal axis of the hanging bar 300 while preventing shifting of the hanging bar 300 within the gap 434.


The first finger 436 is directly adjoined to the mounting plate 410 and the stabilizing plate 440 and extends at a perpendicular angle relative thereto. The first finger 436 may have the same height as the mounting plate 410 and has an inner edge 442 extending approximately three-quarters of the height of the mounting plate 410. The second finger 438 is free-standing and extends upwardly from the lower body 433 to a height less than that of the first finger 436. The second finger 438 has an inner edge 444 having a linear lower portion 444a and a ramped upper portion 444b. The inner edge 442 of the first finger 436 and the linear lower portion 444a of the inner edge 444 of the second finger 438 define a rectilinear portion of the gap 434 therebetween. The ramped upper portion 444b of the inner edge 444 of the second finger 438 facilitates entry and removal of the hanging bar 300 into and from the gap 434.


The mounting plate 410 of the bracket 400 includes a pair of first and second mounting plates 410a, 410b that extend perpendicularly from the longitudinal edge 432 of the racking plate 430. The first and second mounting plates 410a, 410b are vertically separated from one another along a length of the racking plate 430 to define a gap 450 therebetween. The first mounting plate 410a extends perpendicularly from an upper portion of the first finger 436 of the racking plate 430 and the second mounting plate 410b extends perpendicularly from the lower body 433 of the racking plate 430. The first and second mounting plates 410a, 410b may each be square shaped and have a movable anchor or tab 452, 454 extending outwardly therefrom. It is contemplated that the tabs 452, 454 may be cut from the mounting plates 410a, 410b. The tabs 452, 454 may extend away from the respective first and second mounting plates 410a, 410b to define a recess 456, 458 configured for capturing an edge 202 (FIG. 8) of the vertical support shaft 200 therebetween. The tabs 452, 454 may statically bendable or deformable to allow for an adjustment of the size of the respective recess 456, 458.


The stabilizing plate 440 extends from and is coplanar with the first finger 436 of the racking plate 430. The stabilizing plate 440 extends through the gap 450 defined between the first and second mounting plates 410a, 410b and has a trapezoidal shape, but other shapes are also contemplated, such as, for example, rounded, squared, or the like. The stabilizing plate 440 is configured to rest against a first outer sidewall 230 (FIG. 7) of the vertical support shaft 200 of the vegetation hanging and drying system 10. By resting against the first outer sidewall 230, the stabilizing plate 440 ensures that the bracket 400 is resisted from rotating out of position. Further, when a horizontal hanging bar 300 is inserted into the gap 434 of the racking plate 430, any torque will push the stabilizing plate 440 against the outer sidewall 230 of the vertical support shaft 200. As such, in addition to the direct support provided by the racking plate 430, the stabilizing plate 440 also provides leveraged support for the hanging bar 300 inserted into the gap 434 that increases the overall stability of the vegetation hanging and drying system 10.


In use, the bracket 400 is positioned adjacent the vertical support shaft 200 of a shelving unit 500, as shown in FIG. 7. The first and second mounting plates 410, 410b are positioned into abutment with a second outer sidewall 232 of the vertical support shaft 200 and the stabilizing plate 440 is positioned into abutment with the first outer sidewall 320 of the vertical support shaft 200. The tabs 452, 454 of the mounting plates 410a, 410b are inserted within first and second tapered slots 204, 206 defined in the second outer sidewall 232 of the vertical support shaft 200 and the bracket 400 is translated downward.


During downward translation of the bracket 400 relative to the vertical support shaft 300, the tapered slots 204, 206 of the vertical support shaft 200 bend or deform the tabs 452, 454 of the mounting plates 410a, 410b to snugly secure the tabs 452, 454 with the tapered slots 204, 206 of the vertical support shaft 200, as shown in FIG. 8. This process is repeated with a second bracket (not shown), identical to bracket 400, to secure the second bracket with a second support shaft (not shown), identical to the first support shaft 200, of the shelving unit 500 and at a vertical location of the second support shaft that is horizontally aligned with the bracket 400 secured to the first vertical support shaft 200. With the brackets 400 secured to the vertical support shafts 200, the hanging bar 300 (FIG. 3) is positioned within the gaps 434 of the racking plates 430 of the brackets 400 to support the horizontal hanging bar 300 in a horizontal orientation.


It will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of various embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended thereto.

Claims
  • 1. A bracket for use in a vegetation hanging and drying system, the bracket comprising: a mounting plate configured to abut a vertical support shaft of the vegetation hanging and drying system;an anchor attached to the mounting plate and configured to secure the mounting plate to the vertical support shaft;a racking plate protruding from the mounting plate and defining a vertically-extending gap configured for receipt of a horizontal hanging bar, the racking plate including a pair of vertical fingers joined by a lower body to define the vertically-extending gap; anda stabilizing plate extending away from the racking plate,wherein the mounting plate includes a pair of first and second mounting plates extending substantially perpendicular from a longitudinal edge of the racking plate, and wherein the stabilizing plate extends between the pair of first and second mounting plates and is coplanar with the racking plate, and wherein the second mounting plate of the pair of first and second mounting plates extends substantially perpendicular from the lower body of the racking plate.
  • 2. The bracket of claim 1, wherein the anchor is configured to be inserted through a slot defined in the vertical support shaft of the vegetation hanging and drying system.
  • 3. The bracket of claim 1, wherein a first finger of the pair of vertical fingers is directly adjoined to the mounting plate and a second finger of the pair of vertical fingers is free-standing.
  • 4. The bracket of claim 3, wherein the first finger of the pair of vertical fingers is taller than the second finger of the pair of vertical fingers.
  • 5. The bracket of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second mounting plates has a respective anchor.
  • 6. The bracket of claim 5, wherein the stabilizing plate is configured to rest against an outer sidewall of the vertical support shaft of the vegetation hanging and drying system.
  • 7. The bracket of claim 6, wherein the anchor of each of the first and second mounting plates is configured to bend outwardly.
  • 8. The bracket of claim 1, wherein the stabilizing plate extends underneath and rearwardly beyond the mounting plate to provide additional leveraged support for the horizontal hanging bar of the vegetation hanging and drying system.
  • 9. The bracket of claim 1, wherein the anchor is attached to a central portion of the mounting plate, the anchor including a recess defined in a central, backside portion thereof.
  • 10. The bracket of claim 1, wherein a second finger of the pair of vertical fingers includes an inner edge having a linear lower portion and a ramped upper portion.
  • 11. A bracket for use in a vegetation hanging and drying system, the bracket comprising: a mounting plate configured to abut a vertical support shaft of the vegetation hanging and drying system;an anchor attached to the mounting plate and configured to secure the mounting plate to the vertical support shaft;a racking plate protruding from the mounting plate and defining a vertically-extending gap configured for receipt of a horizontal hanging bar, the racking plate including a pair of vertical fingers joined by a lower body to define the vertically-extending gap,wherein a first finger of the pair of vertical fingers is directly adjoined to the mounting plate and a second finger of the pair of vertical fingers is free-standing, and wherein the first finger of the pair of vertical fingers includes a linear, inner edge and the second finger of the pair of vertical fingers includes an inner edge having a linear lower portion and a ramped upper portion, the first finger of the pair of vertical fingers having the same height as the mounting plate; anda stabilizing plate extending away from the racking plate, the stabilizing plate extending substantially perpendicular relative to a longitudinal edge of the first finger of the pair of vertical fingers,wherein the mounting plate includes a pair of first and second mounting plates extending substantially perpendicular from a longitudinal edge of the racking plate, and wherein the stabilizing plate extends between the pair of first and second mounting plates and is coplanar with the racking plate, and wherein the second mounting plate of the pair of first and second mounting plates extends substantially perpendicular from the lower body of the racking plate.
  • 12. A bracket for use in a vegetation hanging and drying system, the bracket comprising: a mounting plate configured to abut a vertical support shaft of the vegetation hanging and drying system;an anchor attached to the mounting plate and configured to secure the mounting plate to the vertical support shaft;a racking plate protruding from the mounting plate and defining a vertically-extending gap configured for receipt of a horizontal hanging bar, the racking plate including a pair of vertical fingers joined by a lower body to define the vertically-extending gap,wherein a first finger of the pair of vertical fingers is directly adjoined to the mounting plate and a second finger of the pair of vertical fingers is free-standing, and wherein the first finger of the pair of vertical fingers includes a linear, inner edge and the second finger of the pair of vertical fingers includes an inner edge having a linear lower portion and a ramped upper portion, the first finger of the pair of vertical fingers having the same height as the mounting plate; anda stabilizing plate extending away from the racking plate, the stabilizing plate extending substantially perpendicular relative to a longitudinal edge of the first finger of the pair of vertical fingers,wherein the mounting plate includes a pair of first and second mounting plates extending substantially perpendicular from a longitudinal edge of the racking plate, each of the first and second mounting plates having a respective anchor configured to bend outwardly, and wherein the stabilizing plate extends between the pair of first and second mounting plates and is coplanar with the racking plate, and wherein the second mounting plate of the pair of first and second mounting plates extends substantially perpendicular from the lower body of the racking plate.
  • 13. The bracket of claim 12, wherein the first mounting plate of the pair of first and second mounting plates extends substantially perpendicular from an upper portion of the first finger of the pair of vertical fingers.
  • 14. The bracket of claim 12, wherein the stabilizing plate has a trapezoidal shape and each of the first and second mounting plates has a rectangular shape.
  • 15. The bracket of claim 12, wherein the vertically-extending gap has a rectangular shape and is configured to permit sliding along a longitudinal axis of the horizontal hanging bar.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/171,115, filed on Apr. 6, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

US Referenced Citations (163)
Number Name Date Kind
941448 Haglund Nov 1909 A
945729 Rangnow Jan 1910 A
1321997 Duberstein Nov 1919 A
1515078 Sheee Nov 1924 A
1833388 Carmack Nov 1931 A
1868638 Mackey Jul 1932 A
1983470 Knape Dec 1934 A
2099596 Bruening Nov 1937 A
2150869 Shafarman Mar 1939 A
2279777 Dean Apr 1942 A
2289729 Robinson et al. Jul 1942 A
2411856 Harding Dec 1946 A
2484449 Fetterman Oct 1949 A
2546929 Nampa Mar 1951 A
2580193 Richterkessing Dec 1951 A
2586913 Burns Feb 1952 A
2634031 Klein Apr 1953 A
2671938 Roberts Mar 1954 A
2692711 Norris et al. Oct 1954 A
2716513 Braunstein Aug 1955 A
2828897 Gordon Apr 1958 A
2960761 Preader Nov 1960 A
3095975 Cassel Jul 1963 A
3131817 Schenkler May 1964 A
3152670 Colligan Oct 1964 A
3194458 Bennett Jul 1965 A
D202954 Hanson Nov 1965 S
3346150 Clopton Oct 1967 A
D210333 Apy Feb 1968 S
3522920 Gray Aug 1970 A
3535808 Morrish Oct 1970 A
3565264 Guiher Feb 1971 A
3606948 Strang Sep 1971 A
3788490 Featherman Jan 1974 A
3874572 McClenning Apr 1975 A
D236572 Ostroll Sep 1975 S
3999875 Simon Dec 1976 A
4067445 Derclaye Jan 1978 A
4129279 Burkholder Dec 1978 A
4146140 Suter Mar 1979 A
4150753 Stahl Apr 1979 A
4154419 Breidenbach May 1979 A
4159814 Fibus Jul 1979 A
4197952 De Fouw Apr 1980 A
4285436 Konstant Aug 1981 A
4316546 Varon Feb 1982 A
D264912 Bliss et al. Jun 1982 S
4342397 Halstrick Aug 1982 A
4440369 Banks Apr 1984 A
4455007 Varon Jun 1984 A
4467729 Featherman Aug 1984 A
4515494 Robilliard May 1985 A
4703878 Louw Nov 1987 A
4708252 Azzi Nov 1987 A
4717053 Wang Jan 1988 A
4724967 Valiulis Feb 1988 A
4793531 Blanchard et al. Dec 1988 A
4796541 Halstrick Jan 1989 A
4845602 Lehocki Jul 1989 A
4874148 Guinter Oct 1989 A
4881342 Ferguson Nov 1989 A
5007562 Brink et al. Apr 1991 A
5074445 Chen Dec 1991 A
D331425 Rhyne Dec 1992 S
D332180 Marshall et al. Jan 1993 S
5190172 Tyson Mar 1993 A
5329728 Ray Jul 1994 A
5333409 Mendes Aug 1994 A
5361949 Petrou Nov 1994 A
5377851 Asano Jan 1995 A
5388354 Marshall et al. Feb 1995 A
D357813 Koresko May 1995 S
5520311 Lam May 1996 A
5535927 Garrison Jul 1996 A
5544765 Farbman Aug 1996 A
5581936 Belgiorno Dec 1996 A
5813092 Greenfield et al. Sep 1998 A
5826759 Ohsugi Oct 1998 A
5884422 Marshall et al. Mar 1999 A
5938367 Olson Aug 1999 A
6047867 Heiber Apr 2000 A
6132305 Witherell Oct 2000 A
6158599 Lazarus Dec 2000 A
6293507 Gorniak Sep 2001 B1
6298600 Feldman Oct 2001 B1
6340238 Pan Jan 2002 B1
6349863 Frye Feb 2002 B1
6389744 Pugh May 2002 B1
6641105 Hamerski Nov 2003 B1
6659295 De Land et al. Dec 2003 B1
6811064 Salem Nov 2004 B2
6817497 Grasso et al. Nov 2004 B2
6820758 May Nov 2004 B2
D502756 Birdwell et al. Mar 2005 S
6863197 Dirlam et al. Mar 2005 B1
7015815 Feibelman Mar 2006 B1
7070021 McKinney Jul 2006 B1
7178705 Sutton Feb 2007 B1
7377409 Brown May 2008 B1
7438268 Kologe Oct 2008 B2
7774977 Miller Shelton Aug 2010 B2
7984585 Wu Jul 2011 B1
8152119 Pfund Apr 2012 B2
8276714 Broyles Oct 2012 B2
D711123 Birge Aug 2014 S
9113736 Antler Aug 2015 B1
D772584 Debus Nov 2016 S
9782031 Debus Oct 2017 B2
D806410 Denby et al. Jan 2018 S
D853737 Wolfe Jul 2019 S
D867770 Wright Nov 2019 S
10709267 Kologe Jul 2020 B2
D934665 Cronkhite Nov 2021 S
11478080 Briosi Oct 2022 B2
11678741 Gonzalez Jun 2023 B2
20020184799 Chou Dec 2002 A1
20040226971 Detten Nov 2004 A1
20050035159 Hunt et al. Feb 2005 A1
20050139625 Gouldson Jun 2005 A1
20050189383 Weal et al. Sep 2005 A1
20060032130 Lifers et al. Feb 2006 A1
20060226179 Hsu Oct 2006 A1
20070062898 Choi Mar 2007 A1
20070187561 Xayoiphonh Aug 2007 A1
20070266627 Shelton Nov 2007 A1
20080047474 Scholz Feb 2008 A1
20080236041 Carpenter Oct 2008 A1
20080283558 Rude et al. Nov 2008 A1
20110247185 Bolden et al. Oct 2011 A1
20110284597 Kaleta et al. Nov 2011 A1
20120132679 Gouldson May 2012 A1
20130015215 Coote Jan 2013 A1
20130221041 Wittenstein et al. Aug 2013 A1
20140138503 Consaul May 2014 A1
20140246464 Zhong Sep 2014 A1
20140367425 Laibe Dec 2014 A1
20160058210 Strassburger et al. Mar 2016 A1
20160206095 Hansen Jul 2016 A1
20160223137 Ochipa Aug 2016 A1
20170105362 Irving, Jr. Apr 2017 A1
20170231384 Erlandsson Aug 2017 A1
20170238731 Davies Aug 2017 A1
20170280875 Buckley Oct 2017 A1
20170325614 Baltz Nov 2017 A1
20180087293 Strassburger et al. Mar 2018 A1
20180103785 Goldman et al. Apr 2018 A1
20180160833 Ho Jun 2018 A1
20180303263 Jones et al. Oct 2018 A1
20180317685 Boles Nov 2018 A1
20180325299 Clark et al. Nov 2018 A1
20180356028 Fang Dec 2018 A1
20190014936 Beyda et al. Jan 2019 A1
20190307248 Murphy Oct 2019 A1
20190307264 Carr et al. Oct 2019 A1
20190328134 Walker Oct 2019 A1
20190380522 Johansson Dec 2019 A1
20200085221 Riedel et al. Mar 2020 A1
20200128988 Moore et al. Apr 2020 A1
20200245796 Gilbert Aug 2020 A1
20200323341 Briosi Oct 2020 A1
20210137264 French May 2021 A1
20210339108 Sorin Nov 2021 A1
20220279928 Larkins Sep 2022 A1
Foreign Referenced Citations (36)
Number Date Country
2458956 Sep 2004 CA
105474854 Apr 2016 CN
206611910 Nov 2017 CN
107896731 Apr 2018 CN
4123421 Jan 1993 DE
3246174 Jan 1994 DE
19624438 Jan 1998 DE
0263009 Apr 1988 EP
0633742 Jun 1996 EP
3644464 Apr 2020 EP
2464638 Mar 1981 FR
2513351 Mar 1983 FR
2919167 Jan 2009 FR
3062120 Jul 2018 FR
2067706 Jul 1981 GB
2441387 Mar 2008 GB
1071649 Apr 1985 IT
2008092939 Apr 2008 JP
4218802 Feb 2009 JP
4399093 Jan 2010 JP
2011010890 Jan 2011 JP
960009817 Nov 1996 KR
200320245 Jul 2003 KR
200334180 Nov 2003 KR
20-2005-0002675 Jan 2005 KR
2003821320000 Apr 2005 KR
20100085398 Jul 2010 KR
2011 0029352 Mar 2011 KR
101071670 Oct 2011 KR
2012 0131010 Dec 2012 KR
2017 0067056 Jun 2017 KR
20170079314 Jul 2017 KR
101938225 Jan 2019 KR
WO-2004089160 Oct 2004 WO
2018150157 Aug 2018 WO
WO-2022060888 Mar 2022 WO
Non-Patent Literature Citations (5)
Entry
Chrystal Johnson: 11 How to dry herbs from your Garden, Happy Mothering natural living in a modern world Aug. 29, 2017 (Aug. 29, 2017), Retrieved from the Internet: URL:https://www.happy-mothering.com/diy-hanging-herb-dryer/.
International Search Report and Written Opinion for Application No. PCT/US2020/042261 dated Nov. 2, 2020.
International Search Report and Written Opinion issued in corresponding International Application No. PCT/US2020/053426 dated Jan. 18, 2021, 14 pages.
International Search Report and Written Opinion issued in corresponding International Application No. PCT/US2020/054898 dated Jan. 22, 2021, 14 pages.
International Preliminary Report on Patentability issued in corresponding international application No. PCT/US2020/053426, 6 pages.
Related Publications (1)
Number Date Country
20220312965 A1 Oct 2022 US
Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
63171115 Apr 2021 US