Plant husbandry – Cover – shade – or screen – Lath or slat type
Patent
1995-07-19
1998-01-06
Melius, Terry Lee
Plant husbandry
Cover, shade, or screen
Lath or slat type
52 20, A01G 1302
Patent
active
057041598
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates generally to a plant root protector and, more particularly, to a protector provided with a plurality of frame-shaped members which may be stacked on top of each other substantially in parallel or in any desired angular inclination.
A root space protector (also known as a tree ring) comprises a foundation frame (also called basic element) sinkable into the soil, into which a tree including its root may be planted and which will protectively surround a root. In the area of the traffic surface surrounding the tree, the basic element is provided with a frame into which a cover made up of at least two parts and provided with an opening surrounding the tree may be inserted after the tree has been planted. The cover is made up of components which may be put together in the manner of a jig-saw puzzle. In the cover of the root-space protector disclosed by German Published Patent Specifications 40 09 612 and 40 09 613 the components, when they are being inserted into the frame, may be put together in different ways and may be rotated relative to each other, thereby allowing to select the eccentricity of the trunk opening. However, this root-space protector suffers from the dis-advantage, that size and, in particular, depth of its basic element are preset and cannot be changed. The root exit openings in the wall of the basic element are preset as well. Hence, the protective root space cannot be adjusted to the shape of the root of a tree which impedes its growth. Also, the depth at which the roots may laterally penetrate through the basic element cannot be adjusted to conform to the requirements of a road building engineer, thus giving rise to the danger that individual tree roots will penetrate at too shallow a depth and raise the road pavement.
For the purpose of avoiding these disadvantages a root space protector is known the basic element of which is constructed of concrete beams of rectangular cross section. During erection or construction parallel pairs of beams are placed in superposition on the planar bottom of a hole, each rotated by 90.degree. in the manner of log-cabin construction, until the basic element has attained its desired height. Where roots are not allowed to penetrate the open sections in the four walls, the basic element will be closed by somewhat smaller beams of like cross section. This basic element suffers from a low inherent stability and in the long run might not be able adequately to absorb the traffic load affecting it. Therefore, the cover is supported by a foundation made up of posts surrounding the basic element, for which reason a frame member for receiving the cover is affixed on top of the posts. Furthermore, the basic element cannot protrude above the traffic surface to form a curb stone.
With all of these known devices for protecting the root space the part visible after installation can be conformed to the style of the surrounding traffic surface in a limited way only.
It is, therefore, the task of the present invention to provide means with which a root space protector may be made without the disadvantages referred to and with which the inclination of the cover can easily be conformed to the surrounding traffic surface.
In accordance with a currently preferred embodiment, the invention provides for a root protector provided with a basic element which defines a three-dimensional root-space and which is composed of at least first and second components in superposition and each consisting of at least two substan-tially complementarily configured members connected to each other and disposed to surround the root-space, the uppermost component defining a frame adapted to receive cover means defining an opening for receiving a plant trunk.
The invention will be described by way of example on the basis of the enclosed schematic drawing, in which:
FIG. 1 depicts a basic element composed of several structural- components;
FIG. 2 and 3 depict different embodiments of the basic element that may be made with the set of structural components, with the uppermost compone
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patent: 3318476 (1967-05-01), Clark
patent: 3858998 (1975-01-01), Larsson et al.
patent: 4308688 (1982-01-01), Revane
patent: 4627191 (1986-12-01), Bergere
patent: 4858378 (1989-08-01), Helmy
patent: 4986025 (1991-01-01), Imperial
Dreyer Hermann A.
Erlacher Peter
Downs Joanne C.
Dreyer Hermann A.
Hormann Karl
Melius Terry Lee
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