Plant husbandry – Plant supports – Vertical
Patent
1997-09-05
1998-07-14
Carone, Michael J.
Plant husbandry
Plant supports
Vertical
47 71, A01G 1714
Patent
active
057785970
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a device for supporting potted plants and the like, comprising a saucer and at least one support pin which can be fitted to the rim of the saucer so as to support at its upper part a plant stem or stalk which stretches upwards from a plant pot resting on the saucer.
Plant supporting devices of the aforesaid kind are known from NO-B-141 585, AT-C-327 598 and FR-A-1 254 850, for instance. The known plant support devices thus obviate the need of inserting a pin or stick into the soil contained in a plant pot. Publications AT-C-327 598 and NO-B-141 585 also disclose that the vertical plant-supporting pin shall be provided with a support arm which extends horizontally or obliquely upwards, such as to essentially intersect the vertical axis that extends through the vertical centre axis of the saucer or plant pot, so as to enable, for instance, a central plant stem in the pot to be tied at the intersection axis.
One problem with such plant support devices, however, is that the centrally located plant-securing point cannot be displaced vertically, for instance to accompany upward growth movement of the stems or stalks of the plant. For instance, a plant-securing ring fixed to the stem of the plant is unable to move upwards along the central axis while guided by the pin, and no higher located part of the pin is found adjacent the growing central plant stem.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a device with which the aforesaid drawback is avoided.
This object is achieved with a plant-supporting device defined in the following claim 1.
Further embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following dependent claims.
The advantages afforded by the fundamental concept of the invention and its further developments as defined in the dependent claims will be obvious to the skilled person, and the invention provides a device which, among other things, enables the centre of gravity of the growing plant to be easily kept at a central vertical axis, and also enables a pair of guide pins or sticks to be fastened alternatively to the saucer so as to form a basic structure to which a latticework or the like can be fitted, for instance when growing climbing or trailing plants.
According to one embodiment, the invention requires a plant pot from which a central plant stem grows to be placed centrally on a pot saucer which forms part of the inventive device. The saucer is provided with a vertical bore or hole in two mutually diametrically opposed rim regions of the saucer. A support pin can be pushed firmly into the bore, and the pin will preferably have stabilizing fingers which are in stabilizing contact with the saucer wall at two pin positions which are mutually separated by an angle of 180.degree..
The support pin includes two longitudinally separated and generally straight sections which are mutually connected by a spacer or intermediate section. The parallel displacement corresponds generally to the distance between the saucer centre axis to the bore in the rim of the saucer. One or two such pins can be fitted on the saucer rim, so that the upper part of the pin/pins will be directed generally vertically and located in the vicinity of a vertical axis that passes through the centre of the saucer, wherein the main plane of the saucer is thus a plane which lies normal to said axis. This enables the plant stem to be very easily tied or otherwise secured to the pin/pins and enables the tie to be moved upwards in relation to the pin.
Two support pins of the inventive kind can also be attached to diametrically opposing saucer edges in corresponding rotational positions, such that the aforesaid parts of the pin will lie in a common axial plane to the saucer, with the free pin-parts located at the greatest distance from the axis. Connecting elements can be used to extend the upper pin-parts vertically and/or to mutually connect the two, possibly extended upper ends of the support pins, so that together they form a frame in which trailing or climbing plants can be tied so as to be lo
REFERENCES:
patent: D149053 (1948-03-01), Epstein
patent: 2577373 (1951-12-01), Smith
patent: 4860489 (1989-08-01), Bork
patent: 5473839 (1995-12-01), Stidham
patent: 5595019 (1997-01-01), Foreman
patent: 5605010 (1997-02-01), Furlong et al.
Abbott Yvonne R.
Carone Michael J.
Fasth Rolf
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