Plant support

A plant support comprises two or more vertically elongated closed looped members which are rotationally spaced around a common vertical axis and connected to each other at the upper end and the lower end of the plant support. The plant support comprises an above-ground section and a relatively shorter in-ground section which is inserted into a planting hole or plant pot before soil is added and a plant is placed inside the plant support. The vertically elongated closed looped members are made of a rigid band material, such as e.g. stainless steel band having a width which is significantly wider than the band is thick.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to plant supports. In particular, the present invention relates to plant supports having a substantially U-shaped below-ground portion.

BACKGROUND

Plant supports are generally well known in the art. Typical prior art plant supports include a plurality of vertical members and a plurality of horizontal members. The vertical members have opposite top and bottom ends. The vertical member bottom ends are adapted to be inserted into the soil to thereby anchor the plant support to the earth and enable the plant support to support a plant. Some prior art plant supports have vertical members with pointed or sharpened bottom ends to facilitate the insertion of the vertical members into the soil. Typically, the horizontal members are attached to each vertical member and are arranged so that the horizontal members are vertically spaced along the length of the vertical members. The major drawback of the prior art plant supports is that they are designed to be pushed into the soil after planting, and thus to not provide reliable anchoring in the ground.

In preparing to use the prior art plant supports, a user positions the plant support over the plant to be supported and inserts the vertical member bottom ends into the soil. U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,502 discloses a prior art cage for supporting vegetable plants in a garden that can be inserted into the soil without deforming. A horizontal bottom member is provided to be stepped on so that the bottom horizontal member and lower sections of the vertical members engage with the earth and anchor the plant support in the soil. Consequently, the prior art plant support cannot be easily used for potted plants, as stepping onto a plant support in an elevated pot is inconvenient, if not impossible.

Both the horizontal members and the vertical members of prior art plant supports are typically made of wire or rods having a circular cross section. The horizontal members of the prior are plant supports are typically round hoops with a large central opening through which the plant may grow. However, some prior art plant supports utilize straight horizontal members. Prior art plant supports that use straight horizontal members are configured to allow a plant to be tied to the horizontal members by rope, twine, string or the like and are similar in nature to the aforesaid posts.

The more common, hoop type horizontal members typically have hoops that increase in diameter as the horizontal members are arranged from the bottom of the plant support to the top of the plant support. The increasing diameter hoops also have an associated increase in their central openings. These types of plant supports are positioned on top of a plant and allow a plant to grow upwardly through the central openings in the horizontal members. The horizontal members thereby provide support for the branches of the plant at various levels and allow for the plant to increase in diameter as the plant grows upwardly. These prior art plant support horizontal members are made of the same flexible and easily bent material as the vertical members. Therefore, the horizontal members also have the tendency to deform during the insertion of the plant support into the soil.

Because the typical prior art plant supports utilize a flexible and easily bent material, the durability of these plant supports is low and the plant supports are typically used only for a few growing seasons. Because the vertical members are so flexible, the user usually cannot insert a vertical member into the soil to the desired depth in a single action without bending or distorting the other vertical members. Additionally, the flexible nature of the prior art plant supports require the user to bend over or sit on the ground to grasp each vertical member near the bottom end to insert the vertical members into the soil.

SUMMARY

A plant support is disclosed which comprises two or more vertically elongated looped members made of a band material. The two or more vertically elongated looped members are connected to each other at a lower end and at an upper end of the plant support. A lower portion of the plant support is embedded in soil and an upper portion of the plan support extends above the soil. The two or more vertically elongated looped members may be made of stainless steel.

The two or more vertically elongated looped members of the plant support may be rotatably connected to each other at the lower end and at the upper end of the plant support so that the two or more vertically elongated looped members can be rotated into a common plane for storage and can be rotated into separate planes for use.

The plant support may further comprise one or more horizontal looped members, which may preferably have a generally circular shape of the same or a different diameter. For example, the plant support may comprise an upper and a lower horizontal looped member, and the diameter of the upper horizontal looped members may be smaller than the diameter of the lower horizontal looped member.

In an alternative embodiment a plant support, comprises at least two vertical support members, each of the vertical support members having a lower end and an upper end. The vertical support members are connected to each other at their lower ends and may also be connected to each other at their upper ends. The vertical support members may form a vertical loop. The vertical support members are preferably made of a band material having a width that that is more than 10 times its thickness, and may for example be made of steel.

The plant support may further comprise at least one horizontal support member that is connected to each of the vertical support members. The horizontal support members may have a generally circular shape. The plant support may comprise two or more horizontal support members, each having a generally circular shape of the same diameter and be connected to each of the vertical support members. The plant support may further comprise a protective device arranged at an upper end of the plan support.

Various shapes of the plant support are possible. For example, the plant support may be substantially tear drop shaped. In that case the plant support may comprise two vertical support members are made from a single piece of band material that is folded at the upper end of the plant support. A different shape may be obtained by forming the upper ends of the vertical support members as outward facing loops.

The plant support may be used within a system for supporting a plant in a pot. In that case the vertical support members may be elastically deformed and push against an inner wall of the pot. The plant is arranged in soil between the at least two vertical support members and the lower ends of the at least two vertical support members are arranged in the soil below the plant.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring toFIG. 1andFIG. 2, an exemplary plant support1is shown. The plant support1comprises a first vertically elongated looped member3and a second vertically elongated looped member4. Each vertically elongated looped member3,4forms two oppositely arranged vertical support members. The first looped member3and the second looped member4are made of band material having a substantially rectangular cross section. The first looped member3and the second looped member4are coaxially arranged around a common vertical axis5. In use, the first looped member3and the second looped member4are arranged in vertical planes which are oriented substantially perpendicular to each other and intersect along the common vertical axis5. The plant support1extends vertically from an upper end6to and lower end7. The first looped member3and the second looped member4intersect and are connected to each other at upper end6and at the lower end7of the plant support1. At the upper end6the first looped member3is connected to the second looped member4by an upper connecting element8. Similarly, at the lower end7the first looped member3is connected to the second looped member4by a lower connecting element9. The connecting elements8,9may for example be screws or rivets. The connecting elements8,9may allow the first looped member3and the second looped member4to rotate relative to each other around their common axis5. The plant support1may be stored with the first looped member3and the second looped member4rotated into a common plane, thus minimizing the storage space of the plant support1when not in use. Alternatively, the first looped member3and the second looped member4may be permanently connected to each other at the upper end6and/or the lower end7of the plant support, e.g. by welding or gluing, thus eliminating the need for one or both of the upper connecting elements8and the lower connecting element9.

In preparation for use the plant support1is inserted into a pot2or an excavated hole in the ground before planting. The plant support1comprises an upper above-ground section10and a lower in-ground section11. The pot2or hole is filled with soil12, so that the in-ground section11of the plant support is securely anchored in the ground. A plant13is placed inside the plant support1. The lower section11of the plant support1may be shaped to correspond to the inner shape of a planting pot2.

The first looped member3and the second looped member4may be made of stainless steel band, for example made of coiled stainless steel band that has been bent into an infinite elongated loop. The stainless steel band may have a width of 1-5 cm and a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2 mm. The first looped member3and the second looped member4are made of band material having a width that is significantly larger than its thickness, e.g. having a width to thickness ration of between 5 and 100, and more preferably between 10 and 30. While the looped members3,4may be made of stainless steel, other materials that provide sufficient strength and weather resistance may be used. In particular, the looped members3,4may also be made of AHS steel. The person skilled in the art recognizes, that the members of the plant support may also have different profiles like solid or tubular bar of any profile like circular, oval or polygonal and may consist of other materials like wood, rattan, bamboo, plastics, compound material, composite material or the like.

As shown inFIG. 2, the in-ground portion14of the first looped member3and the in-ground portion15of the second looped member4may be substantially U-shaped. Alternatively, the in-ground portion of the looped members may be bent with a tighter radius, forming a more pronounced horizontal lower end of the plant support1. In that case, the looped members comprise a more clearly defined vertical section and a horizontal section below ground.

The plant support1may have a height from its upper end6to its lower end7of up to 1 m and a horizontal distance between opposite vertical sections of the looped members3,4of up to 30 cm.

As illustrated inFIG. 3, a larger plant supports1can be built by using horizontal looped members31,32,33which connect to the vertically elongated looped members3,4. The plant support1comprises vertical looped members3,4and horizontal looped members31,32,33. The horizontal looped members31,32,33are attached to the vertical looped members3,4along the length of the vertical members3,4. The looped horizontal members31,32,33may have a generally circular shape with a constant diameter. Consequently, the vertical looped members3,4are arranged substantially in parallel between the horizontal members31,32,33. An in ground section11of the plant support1is located below the lowest looped horizontal member33and adapted to be inserted into a plant pot21,22. The vertical looped members3,4are made of a band material such as stainless steel band. The use of band material provides flexibility of the in-ground section11of the plant support1such that the looped ends can be compressed and adjust to different plant pots21,22. As shown, the same plant support1can thus e.g. be used with both a round plant pot21and a square plant pot22. The plant support1easily adjusts to plant pots or planting holes of different diameters without compromising strength.

Referring now toFIG. 4, it is shown that horizontal looped members31,32,33,34need not be of the same diameter. Instead, various outer shapes of a plant support1can be achieved by using horizontal looped members31,32,33,34of varying diameters. The horizontal looped members31,32,33,34have a generally circular shape. The diameter of an upper horizontal looped member33may be smaller than a diameter of the lower horizontal looped member34arranged below. The horizontal looped member32may be arranged on the outside of the plant support1, i.e. radially outwardly of the vertical looped members. The horizontal looped member33may also be arranged on the inside of the plant support1, i.e. radially inwardly of the vertical looped members.

As illustrated inFIG. 8, the horizontal looped member31may be formed as an inelastic loop of rope or wire which is held in place by spring force of the deformed looped vertical members3,4. The horizontal looped member31thus need not be separately attached to the vertical looped members3,4.

Yet another embodiment of a plant support1is shown inFIG. 5. Here, six vertical support members51-56are arranged circumferentially spaced around a common vertical axis5. The vertical support members51-56are rotated against each other by 60 degrees relative to the vertical axis5. The vertical support members51-56are connected to each other at the lower end7of the plant support1. Two opposite vertical support members51/52,53/54,55/56may be formed from a single piece of band material.

Vertically spaced looped horizontal members31,32and33are provided and connected to vertical support members51-56. Each upper end of the vertical support members51-56is bent into an upper, outward facing loop61-66. The inner surfaces of the upper loops61-66are connected to each other by the uppermost horizontal support member31. The upper loops61-66provide a support to attach a protective device16as shown inFIG. 6, for example a shield to protect sensitive plants from direct sun or rain.

As shown inFIG. 7, a plant support1can be configured with two, three or more elongated vertical members and different number and diameter of horizontal looped members to achieve various shapes of the plant support.

A basic, substantially tear drop shaped version of the plant support1is illustrated inFIG. 9. As shown, the plant support here comprises only two vertical support members, a first vertical support member51and a second vertical support member52. Each of the vertical support members51,52has a lower end and an upper end. The upper end16of the first vertical support member51is connected to the upper end17of the second vertical support member52in form of a fold18. Preferably, the first vertical support member51and a second vertical support member52are be made from one single piece of band material and folded to form a fold18at the upper end6of the plant support1.

As shown inFIG. 10, the plant support may comprise two vertically looped members3,4of different heights that are arranged within one another. As shown, a first vertically looped member3comprises two vertical support members51,52. A second vertically looped member4also comprises two vertical support members53,54. The four vertical support members51-54are circumferentially spaced, with the vertical support members51,52of the first vertically looped member3being arranged opposite each other and rotated approximately 90 degrees around their horizontal axis against the vertical support members53,54of the second vertically looped member4. The folded tip18of the first vertically looped member3is arranged above the folded tip19of the second vertically looped member4. All four vertical support members51-54are connected by a single horizontal looped member31.

FIG. 11illustrates an exemplary system for supporting a plant in a pot, showing a cross-sectional view of a plant support1in use. As shown, a plant13is arranged in soil12between two vertical support members51,52. The lower ends71,72of the vertical support members51,52are arranged in the soil12below the plant13and its roots23. A lower portion11of the plant support1is embedded in the soil12and an upper portion10of the plan support extends substantially vertical above the soil12. The vertical support members51,52are elastically deformed to push against the inside wall24of planting pot2.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the disclosed or illustrated embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover numerous other modifications, substitutions, variations and broad equivalent arrangements that are included within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

For example, one skilled in the art will understand that the vertical axis5of the plant support1need not be oriented in a true vertical, i.e. perpendicular to the ground, but may for example be oriented within an angle of +/−45 degree in respect to the true vertical.