Plant husbandry – Plant supports – Vertical
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-06
2002-09-24
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3643)
Plant husbandry
Plant supports
Vertical
C047S044000, C047S045000, C248S175000, C248S153000, C211S198000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06453606
ABSTRACT:
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 a way 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.
Objects 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.
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“Texas Tomato Cages” Web Page (http://www.tomatocage.com).
Bass Grayson Mark
Shulman Norman Mark
Jordan Charles T.
Valenti Andrea M.
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