Treeshelter system for seedlings, saplings, and the like

A treeshelter system comprising a unitary treeshelter with integral staking means is disclosed. The treeshelter system may include treeshelter extenders with a lower edge having connector means which cooperate and connect with connector means provided on the upper edge of a unitary treeshelter or on the top edge of another treeshelter extender. The unitary treeshelter comprises a hollow tube, preferably in the form of a truncated cone, open at both ends, and formed of polymeric material. The tube comprises integral staking means consisting of a plurality of rods secured to and supported in a like number of bosses formed integrally with the tube, and spaced substantially evenly around the lower edge of the tube. A unitary treeshelter according to the invention is installed in a single step by positioning it over a seedling and pressing downwardly until the lower end of it is flush with the ground and the rods are securely embedded in the ground. The height of a treeshelter according to the invention can be customized, on site, with no tools, by the use of extenders, thereby eliminating the need for foresters to maintain an inventory of treeshelters of various lengths. The treeshelter system according to the invention gives foresters the ability to extend the length of a treeshelter comprising a treeshelter base or a treeshelter base and extender, while the treeshelter is still installed over a seedling which has grown within the treeshelter to the top of it.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention. 
The present invention relates generally to treeshelters which are devices 
for covering and protecting seedlings and saplings. More specifically, the 
invention relates to treeshelter systems comprising a unitary shelter with 
integral staking means for securing the shelter in the ground surrounding 
the seedling or sapling. Treeshelters according to the invention are 
installed in a single step without tools and, once they are installed, 
they are extremely easy to remove and replace so that the seedling, 
sapling, or the like may be easily inspected. The removed shelter can be 
reused. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Treeshelters have long been recognized for their contribution to the growth 
and well-being of seedlings and saplings. Today, commercial treeshelter 
systems generally comprise a hollow tube with a circular or polygonal 
cross section, a separate support stake and connectors for securing the 
tube to the stake after it is pounded into the ground. Treeshelter systems 
of this type are thoroughly discussed in "TREESHELTERS", Handbook 7 of the 
UK Forestry Commission, by M. J. Potter. The U.S. Department of 
Agriculture and the Forest Service have published Keith Windell's document 
entitled "Tree Shelters For Seedling Protection" and it also discusses 
conventional treeshelter systems and their use. 
Treeshelters protect young trees from damage due to wind and animals, while 
providing support for the young trees while they develop adequate root 
systems. They also enhance the growth rate of seedlings. Although the 
treeshelters protect seedlings against damage, they still permit sunshine 
and rain to nourish the seedlings, as well as permitting the application 
of chemical treatments including fertilizers and pesticides. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,486 discloses a conventional treeshelter comprising a 
twin walled extrusion in a cylindrical form. The patent also discloses 
that the treeshelter is installed by pounding a separate support stake in 
the ground, near a newly planted tree (with the risk of damage to the 
roots of the seedling) and securing the treeshelter to the separate 
support stake with several ties. 
UK Patent application No. 2,212,048A discloses a treeshelter which 
comprises a separate support stake and a flexible sheet which is formed 
into a treeshelter shape, i.e., cylindrical, and retained in that shape by 
collars which include ties for securing the shelter to the support stake. 
It is recognized by Potter, Windell and others that the use of these and 
other conventional multi-component treeshelter systems is very labor 
intensive and usually involves the use of a sledge hammer or heavy post 
driver for pounding a separate support stake in the ground. The 
installation of a treeshelter entails the delivery of the treeshelter 
components (shelter, separate support stake and ties) to the seedling 
site, pounding a separate support stake in the ground adjacent the 
seedling, positioning the shelter over the seedling and connecting the 
shelter with ties or the like to the separate support stake. 
Conventional treeshelter systems are prone to failure in some cases, 
primarily for reasons involving the conventional, separate support stake. 
High winds can cause a shelter which is secured to a single, separate 
support stake to pivot about the stake to the extent that the shelter 
sheers off a seedling which it was designed to protect. Another failure 
mode for conventional treeshelters is breakage, usually around a knot, of 
the separate support stake while it is being pounded into the ground, 
especially in gravelly or rocky soil. Yet another failure mode involves 
rotting or degradation of the stake after the treeshelter has been 
installed. Although the separate support stake can be treated for weather 
resistance, the chemicals that are used to treat wood contain heavy metals 
which can leach from the support stake and harm the seedling. 
Conventional treeshelters and the separate support stakes are pre-cut to 
various lengths and this contributes to problems with maintaining 
inventories of treeshelters and support stakes for various applications. 
It is recognized that the growth rate of a seedling in a treeshelter which 
is taller than the seedling is relatively fast. The growth rate has been 
observed to decrease, however, when the top of the seedling reaches the 
top of the treeshelter. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a 
treeshelter system in which the height of a treeshelter could be extended 
simply and quickly. So far as is known, the height of conventional 
treeshelters can't be extended. A short conventional treeshelter system 
can be removed and replaced with a taller one, but that is very 
cumbersome. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is a treeshelter system comprising a unitary 
treeshelter with integral staking means and may include treeshelter 
extenders with a lower edge having connector means which cooperate and 
connect with connector means provided on the upper edge of the unitary 
treeshelter or on the upper edge of another treeshelter extender. The 
unitary treeshelter comprises a hollow tube, preferably in the form of a 
truncated cone, open at both ends, and formed of polymeric material. The 
tube comprises integral staking means consisting of at least three rods 
secured to and supported in a like number of bosses formed integrally with 
the tube, and spaced substantially evenly around the lower edge of the 
tube. A unitary treeshelter according to the invention is installed in a 
single step by positioning it over a seedling and pressing downwardly 
until the lower edge of the treeshelter is flush with the ground and the 
rods are securely embedded in the ground. Preferably, the upper edge of 
the unitary treeshelter includes connector means, such as an enlarged lip, 
which cooperates with connector means on the lower edge of a treeshelter 
extender, such as a groove, so that the height of a treeshelter according 
to the invention can be customized, on site, with no tools, thereby 
eliminating the need for foresters to maintain an inventory of 
treeshelters and stakes of various lengths. The treeshelter system 
according to the invention also provides foresters with an opportunity to 
extend the length of a treeshelter comprising a unitary treeshelter or a 
unitary treeshelter and extender, while the treeshelter is still installed 
over a seedling which has grown within the treeshelter to the top of it. 
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a 
treeshelter system which can be installed over seedlings without tools, 
without separate support stakes, without ties or connectors and without 
risk of damage to the seedling. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a unitary tree shelter with 
integral staking means which can be easily installed over a seedling, even 
when the seedling is planted in rocky or gravelly soil. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a treeshelter system in which 
components can be snap fit together to produce a treeshelter of desired 
height. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a treeshelter 
system in which the height of a treeshelter can be extended while it is 
installed over a seedling which has grown within the shelter to reach the 
top of it. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a treeshelter 
system which is installed without the need to pound a stake into the 
ground and without the need for manually connecting the treeshelter to a 
stake. 
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a treeshelter 
system which is unitary and thereby eliminates the inventory problems 
associated with prior art treeshelters as well as the problem of getting 
the multiple components of conventional treeshelter systems to the site. 
It is a further object of the invention to provide a treeshelter system 
which includes a unitary treeshelter which can accommodate the limb 
structure of conifers. 
It is a further object of the invention to provide a unitary treeshelter 
which can be infinitely nested with other identical unitary treeshelters, 
for economical transportation. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a treeshelter system 
which includes a unitary treeshelter which includes integral staking 
means. 
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will no 
doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art after they have read the 
following detailed description of the preferred embodiment which is 
illustrated by the various drawing figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
A unitary treeshelter according to the present invention is indicated 
generally at 10 in FIG. 1. The unitary treeshelter 10 comprises an 
integral plastic or polymeric treeshelter body 12 and three rods 14 which 
are connected to the treeshelter body 12 and extend downwardly from a 
lower edge 16 thereof. The preferred shape of the treeshelter body 12 is 
illustrated in FIG. 1 and it is a hollow, truncated cone which is open 
adjacent the lower edge 16 and adjacent an upper edge 18. 
Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, an upper portion 20 of each of the rods 14 
is connected to the unitary treeshelter 10 in bores 22 formed in bosses 
24. According to the preferred method for producing the unitary 
treeshelter 10, the bores 22 are formed in the bosses 24 when the unitary 
treeshelter 10 is produced, preferably by injection molding. The diameter 
of the bores 22, when molded, is slightly larger than the diameter of the 
rods 14. While the injection molded treeshelter body is still warm, the 
rods are positioned in the bores 22 in the bosses 24 which will have 
retained the most heat from molding. As the bosses 24 continue to cool, 
they will contract and engage the rods 14 which will become securely 
connected to the treeshelter body 12 within the bosses 24. By controlling 
the size of the bores 22 and the diameters of the rods, this connection 
will be strong enough to withstand the removal of the unitary treeshelter 
from the ground by way of a lifting force applied to the treeshelter body 
12. Alternatively, the rods may be secured in the bosses by insert molding 
where the rods are inserted into the body mold and the plastic is injected 
into the mold in and around the rods. Another alternative is to form the 
bosses without bores and position the rods against the ends of the bosses 
and vibrate the rods using sonics so that they form a bore in the boss and 
heat from friction joins the rod and boss. Injection molding, however, is 
the preferred method because it facilitates the use of different length 
rods without the need to change tooling as would be required in the 
alternative methods discussed above. 
It is preferred that three bosses 24 be formed in the body 12 and that they 
be spaced evenly 120 degrees from each other around the body 12 adjacent 
to the lower edge 16. Each boss 24 is an integral part of the body 12 and, 
in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the boss extends from the lower edge 16 
of the body about six inches towards the upper edge 18. A lower portion 26 
of the body 12 constitutes a cylindrical band and the bores 22 in the 
bosses 24 extend, in a direction which is parallel to the axis A of the 
body 12, from the lower end 16 of the body 12 to the upper edge 28 of the 
band 26, preferably about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters). In the preferred 
embodiment, the body 12 ms injection molded from polypropylene or high 
density polyethylene and a wall 30 which defines the bore 22 in each boss 
24 has a substantially uniform thickness of 1/8 inch (3 millimeters) while 
the rest of the body comprises a wall 32 with a substantially uniform 
thickness of 40 thousandths of an inch (1 millimeter), except in the 
vicinity of the bosses 24. This construction has been found to provide 
enough rigidity and strength in the bosses 24 and the body 12 so that 
pushing or pulling forces applied to the body 12 are readily transmitted 
to the rods 14, even when they are embedded in dirt. 
The rods 14 may be made from 9 gauge (4 millimeter diameter) wire and, when 
the body 12 is produced by injection molding and the rods 14 are inserted 
in bores in the still hot bosses 24, the diameter of the boss bores 22 
would preferably be about 5 thousandths of an inch greater than the 
diameter of the rods 14. For most applications, it is preferred that the 
rods have a total length of about 9 inches (23 centimeters) so that the 
rods 14 extend a distance of about 8 inches (20 centimeters) from the 
lower end 16 of the body 12. The rods 14 are illustrated as having a point 
34 although it is preferred that the rods 14 not be pointed to reduce the 
likelihood of injury. When the rods 14 are made of 9 gauge wire, unpointed 
ends of the rods can be pushed into all soils without the use of tools. 
The rods 14 should be galvanized or otherwise treated to resist corrosion. 
In a treeshelter system according to the invention, the unitary treeshelter 
body 12 may have a nominal height of 2 feet (two thirds of a meter), a 
diameter at the lower end 16 of 7 and 3/4 inches (20 centimeters) and a 
diameter at the upper end 18 of 4 inches (10 centimeters). The body 12 is 
formed in the shape of a truncated cone with a large diameter of 
approximately 8 inches at the lower edge so that it can accommodate 
conifer branching, although this shape is equally well suited for use on 
deciduous trees. As noted by Potter in Treeshelters, shelter effect drops 
off when the diameter of the shelter body increases beyond about 8 inches 
(20 centimeters). The average diameter of a unitary treeshelter according 
to the invention is preferably about 6 inches (15 centimeters). 
As mentioned previously and by Potter, conventional treeshelters are cut to 
various lengths anywhere from about 2 feet (2/3 meter) up to about 6 feet 
(2 meters). Treeshelters of various lengths are produced, according to the 
treeshelter system of this invention, by assembling modular components of 
predetermined lengths to achieve a treeshelter of desired length. One such 
modular component is the unitary treeshelter 10 which has already been 
described above. 
Another modular component is an extender 40. One embodiment of an extender 
is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6 and a second embodiment of an extender is 
illustrated in FIGS. 7-10. The extender 40 is a hollow tube with an open 
upper end 42 and an open lower end 44. The lower end 44 of the extender 40 
has connector means which comprise a pair of opposed flanges 46 connected 
by a web 48 which, together, define a groove which extends around the 
entire lower edge 44 of the extender 40. A lip 50 is formed on the upper 
edge 18 of the unitary treeshelter 10 and extends all the way around the 
edge 18. A lip 52 is formed on the upper edge 42 of the treeshelter 
extender 40 and extends all the way around the edge 42. The unitary 
treeshelter lip 50 cooperates with the elements forming the groove in the 
lower edge 44 of the treeshelter extender 40 so that, when the lip 50 is 
pressed into the groove or vice versa, the treeshelter extender 40 will be 
firmly connected to the unitary treeshelter 10. Similarly, the lip 52 may 
be received in a groove formed by elements at the lower edge of yet 
another extender (not shown) having a lip at its upper edge. Thus, it will 
be seen that a treeshelter having a height greater than the height of a 
unitary treeshelter can be produced from a system comprising a unitary 
treeshelter and a desired number of treeshelter extenders which can be 
releasably connected to each other to produce a treeshelter of desired 
height. Although a specific lip and groove arrangement has been disclosed 
and described for connecting components of the treeshelter system, it will 
be readily appreciated that other suitable means for connecting these 
components may be employed to advantage in a system according to the 
invention. 
The extender shown 40 is illustrated in FIG. 4 as having the shape of a 
hollow truncated cone with a given diameter at the end 42 and a slightly 
larger diameter at the end 44. This affords a slight draft which 
facilitates production of the extender by means of injection molding. It 
will be appreciated that an extender (not shown) may have a cylindrical 
shape with the same diameter at each end and, in that case, the connector 
means shown in FIG. 6 may be employed to connect any number of cylindrical 
extenders. In the case of an extender which is conical, preferred 
connector means are illustrated in FIGS. 7-10. 
Referring now to FIGS. 7-10, alternative connector means are described in 
connection with an end of either a unitary treeshelter or a treeshelter 
extender indicated generally at 60. The connector means shown in FIGS. 7 
and 8 comprise a pair of tongue sections 62 and a pair of groove sections 
64. The tongue and groove sections 62 and 64 are alternatingly distributed 
around an end 66 of the treeshelter/extender 60 and each constitutes 
approximately one fourth of the circumference of the treeshelter/extender 
60 at the end 66. The tongue sections 62 may have a lip 68 and the groove 
sections 64 may have a lip configuration, as indicated at 70. Similar 
connector means are shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 but they comprise three tongue 
sections 62' and three groove sections 64'. The tongue and groove sections 
62' and 64' are alternatingly distributed around an end 66 of the 
treeshelter/extender 60 and each constitutes approximately one sixth of 
the circumference of the treeshelter/extender 60 at the end 66. Each 
tongue section 62' may also have a lip 68' and the groove sections 64' may 
also have a lip configuration (not shown). 
The connector means illustrated either in FIGS. 7 or 8 or in FIGS. 9 and 10 
may be used exclusively in a treeshelter system according to the 
invention, meaning that the upper end of the unitary treeshelter and each 
end of each extender would have one or the other connector means. It is 
preferred, however, in the case where the extender is conical and has a 
first end with a first diameter and a second end with a second, slightly 
different diameter, that the first end have one type of connector means, 
such as that shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and that the second end have a 
different type of connector, such as that shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, so that 
the type of connector means may provide a visual indication which will 
make it easier to connect the end of an extender having a given diameter 
to the end of another extender or the upper end of a unitary tree shelter 
having the same given diameter. 
Regardless of whether the treeshelter extender has the same connector means 
at each end or different connector means at each end, any number of 
treeshelter extenders, whether conical or cylindrical, having connector 
means corresponding with those illustrated in FIGS. 7-10 can be connected 
to each other to produce a treeshelter having a desired height. 
Accordingly, any number of treeshelter extenders, having one 
configuration, can be used to produce, on site, without tools, a 
treeshelter of a desired height, completely eliminating the need to 
maintain inventories of different length treeshelters. Manufacturing costs 
are also reduced since a single part can be used, in combination with a 
unitary tree shelter, to extend the height of a unitary treeshelter to any 
height. In the case of cylindrical treeshelter extenders, this result can 
be achieved with the connector means shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. 
It will be appreciated that connector means corresponding with those shown 
in FIGS. 7-10 comprise any given number of groove sections and a like 
number of tongue sections. 
It will be appreciated that the unitary treeshelter 10 may be comprised of 
a unitary treeshelter having a length of, for example, twelve inches and a 
treeshelter extender having a length of twelve inches. In this case, 
connector means would be provided to connect the two parts and this would 
reduce the tooling costs and, specifically, the die costs associated with 
producing a unitary treeshelter that is twenty four inches tall. 
The color of a treeshelter system according to the invention can be 
controlled to advantage. For example, different colored shelters can be 
used on different kinds of trees, especially those which require different 
care, to assist persons who would not otherwise be able to readily 
differentiate between species of trees. 
Although the present invention has been described in terms of specific 
embodiments, it is anticipated that alterations and modifications thereof 
will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is therefore 
intended that the following claims be interpreted as covering all such 
alterations and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of 
the invention.