Special receptacle or package – Combined or convertible – Including booklet – leaflet or record means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-24
2001-05-29
Gehman, Bryon P. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
Combined or convertible
Including booklet, leaflet or record means
C206S457000, C446S073000, C446S374000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237759
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to a method of supporting plants. More particularly, this invention relates to a method holding plants to support stakes.
2. State of the Art
Fruit bearing plants are often staked to prevent the plants, when heavy with fruit, from breaking or falling over toward the ground. If the plants break, the fruit will not properly develop. If the plants fall over, the fruit will touch the ground and will rot. In addition, other types of plants are staked to assist the plants in growing vertically or in another desired direction.
In order to stake a plant, a plant stake is inserted into the soil adjacent the plant and a tie is used to couple the plant to the stake. Typically, a plant tie is a piece of string or a common twist tie (a piece of wire sandwiched between thin pieces of plastic or paper). Tying a plant to a stake with one or more ties is generally a cumbersome process. It is difficult to hold the stem of the plant (which has a tendency to fall away from the stake) against the stake while the plant tie is secured around the stem and the stake. At times, especially when using a string to tie a plant to a stake, the two hands of the gardener can seem inadequate to hold the plant stem adjacent the stake while securing the tie thereabout. Also, the relatively small width of a string or twist tie when tightly tied or twisted against the plant stem can cause injury to the plant. Furthermore, when using only a single tie along the stem of a plant, it will be appreciated that the string or twist tie only contacts the stem at a single location. Therefore, the plant is not stably held against the stake and may droop above the location of the tie or bow below the location of the tie. This is especially common with weak-stemmed plants such as tomato plants. Moreover, as the plant grows, it is often necessary to provide plant ties along the stem at a different location; the existing plant ties must be removed and discarded (creating waste), and the entire process of tying the plant to the stake must be repeated. In addition, conventional plant ties are unsightly and detract from the appearance of the garden or plant pot in which they are used.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a method of holding plants to a stake which results in the tied plant having a decorative appearance.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method of holding plants to a stake which can easily be done by one person in an expedient manner.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of holding plants which permits relatively simple relocation of the plant ties along the stem of the plant.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a method for stably holding a plant to stake.
In accord with these objects, which will be discussed in detail below, embodiments of methods of holding plants to a stake are provided. In accord with a first preferred embodiment, first, a posable figure (i.e., a figure capable of being posed) preferably having a plurality of elongate positionable appendages is provided. The posable figure preferably has an internal bendable wire frame and external relatively soft body, appendage, and head portions surrounding the wire frame. In addition, the figure is preferably a whimsical figure, such as a fanciful frog, garden bug, or farmer. A stake is inserted into the soil or other ground or potting material adjacent the plant. Then a pair of appendages of the figure are positioned on either side of the plant stem and stake and bent (folded or wrapped or twisted) about the plant stem and the stake. The process is preferably repeated for additional appendages.
According to another less preferred embodiment, the posable figure is not provided with pairs of appendages. For example, the figure may be a snake. It will be appreciated that the body may be wrapped about the plant stem and the stake to securely hold the plant to the stake.
According to yet another less preferred embodiment, a non-figure-like plant tie consisting of a brace portion and a plurality of arms is used to support the plant stem to the stake. The arms are bent about the plant stem such that they contact the plant stem in more than one vertically displaced horizontal plane.
It will be appreciated that the method of holding plants to a stake according to the invention provides a quick, easy, and decorative manner for safely holding a plant to a stake.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the detailed description taken in conjunction with the provided figures.
REFERENCES:
patent: 424587 (1890-04-01), Whitney
patent: 2392024 (1946-01-01), Couri
patent: 3019552 (1962-02-01), Schleich
patent: 4233775 (1980-11-01), Neufeld
patent: 4932919 (1990-06-01), Shapero
patent: 4964831 (1990-10-01), Wolff
patent: 4969821 (1990-11-01), Smith
patent: 5509808 (1996-04-01), Bell
patent: 5632375 (1997-05-01), Mattikow
patent: 5762531 (1998-06-01), Witkin
patent: 6030274 (2000-02-01), Kaplan
Gallagher Thomas A
Gehman Bryon P.
Gordon David P.
Jacobson David S.
Sunhill Industries
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