Plant husbandry – Cover – shade – or screen – Lath or slat type
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-19
2001-06-12
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Plant husbandry
Cover, shade, or screen
Lath or slat type
Reexamination Certificate
active
06243984
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND ART
The present invention relates to a root deflector of a kind having a collar which is intended to be installed in a horizontal plane around the root ball of a tree, shrub, bush or other plant to restrict sideways growth of the roots and to deflect the root growth in a downward direction.
Root deflectors of the kind aforementioned are well known, usually being formed as plastics mouldings and being utilised to direct root growth away from regions where, for example, such growth could cause structural damage as lifting or cracking of paving stones and the like or be generally undesirable or inconvenient in a cultivated plot. Examples of known root deflectors are disclosed in Patent Specifications U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,642 and WO 94/00002.
A problem which has been encountered with previously proposed root deflectors is that the root growth tends to be directed as a spiralling formation in a horizontal plane within the bounds of the deflector. As a consequence ground penetration by the roots tends to be retarded and may be inadequate to sustain growth of the tree or bush and to anchor the tree or bush in the ground (as compared with what may be considered reasonable for the expected root growth) It is an object of the present invention to provide a root deflector which alleviates the aforementioned disadvantages and which is of a relatively simple construction capable of economic manufacture, particularly when such manufacture is by plastics moulding.
STATEMENT OF INVENTION AND ADVANTAGES
According to the present invention, there is provided a root deflector comprising a collar for installation in a substantially horizontal plane around a root ball for the tree, bush or other plant to project upwardly through the collar, said collar having a downwardly extending peripheral skirt for location beneath ground level and wherein said skirt has on its interior face a plurality of peripherally spaced guide faces which are inclined relative to the vertical for directing root growth impinging thereon downwardly relative to the deflector when installed.
The peripherally spaced guide faces in the deflector of the present invention serve to direct the roots downwardly as such roots abut and move over the guide faces during their growth. Preferably the collar is clear of protuberancies which could hinder root growth beneath the guide faces. Typically the guide faces will be flat and inclined at approximately 30° to the vertical when the collar is installed in a horizontal plane. The parts of the collar on which the guide faces are presented should not themselves form obstructions to root deflection and growth in a downward direction; with this in mind it is preferred that the skirt has a peripherally spaced array of buttress type projections directed inwardly of the skirt and the guide faces are presented by inclined side faces on these projections. With such buttress type projections, it is possible to ensure that the guide faces are presented in a manner which alleviates the formation of shoulders or rebates on the interior of the skirt which could deflect the roots in a direction other than downwardly.
Preferably the collar is formed as a plastics moulding. The aforementioned buttress type projections are preferably hollow to present correspondingly shaped recesses on the exterior of the skirt. Such hollow projections are particularly advantageous for conserving use of plastics material in the moulding of the deflector.
Preferably the skirt diverges outwardly in the downward direction so that the divergence of the interior of the skirt itself serves to deflect root growth in a downward direction.
The profile presented by the collar in plan may be or any shape but usually will be rectangular, circular or oval. The collar may be formed as a one-piece peripherally continuous structure so that it is necessary either to locate the collar over a tree or shrub or to locate a tree or shrub through the collar during installation. Preferably, however, the collar has a split line which permits it to be opened, usually by flexure of plastics from which it is preferably formed, for installation of the deflector around the trunk or other growth from an existing buried root ball. With such a split collar, means will usually be provided for securing together opposite ends of the collar at the split line following its installation. This securing means may be presented by interengaging end parts of the collar such as studs on one end of the collar snap engaging in apertures at the opposite end of the collar. Preferably, however, the securing means is in the form of a clip which is engageable with opposite ends of the collar to bridge the split line. Such a clip may be snap engageable with the collar and profiled to be accommodated unobtrusively in an aesthetically pleasing manner within rebates at the ends of the collar adjacent to the split line.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4019279 (1977-04-01), Moorman et al.
patent: 4584789 (1986-04-01), Jean et al.
patent: 4995191 (1991-02-01), Davis
patent: 5402602 (1995-04-01), Huang
patent: 5647169 (1997-07-01), Bui
Jordan Charles T.
Palo Francis T.
Young & Thompson
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