Abstract:
A one piece, nestable, portable mini-greenhouse and plant protector for use in a substrate, such as soil, to protect plants and seedlings from extreme weather elements, bugs and pests. The mini-greenhouse has a light-transmitting shell that forms a protective chamber and integrated legs that act to anchor as well as support the shell. The legs can be fully or partially inserted in the soil providing options for a closed or ventilated protective chamber. The unit has concave channels that facilitate watering without disturbing the apparatus. It has unique light filtering and dispersing properties to aid creating a nurturing and growing environment.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    The apparatus of this patent relates to plant protection. The invention is directed towards the creation of an environment that is optimal for young plants, seedlings, and plants left to be over-wintered. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    There are many prior art devices intended to provide shelter for young plants, thereby extending the growing season. Plants in their early growing stages may need protection from weather elements such as frost, snow, hail, heavy rain, wind, and temperature fluctuations. Plants also need to be protected from pests such as slugs, bugs, squirrels, rabbits, and deer. Many different approaches have been tried to achieve this: Greenhouses, Cold-frames, cloches, bell jars, and cones. Greenhouses are bulky, space consuming, high-maintenance, and expensive. Cold frames are stiff and bulky. Cloth cloches wear out and are not effective light transmitters. Bell jar type devices can be heavy, bulky, and/or ineffective regulators for air, water, and light and are generally only effective for one plant at a time. 
         [0003]    Mini greenhouses have been designed, with limited success. The prior art mini greenhouse devices are deficient. In most cases they are difficult or impossible to store in a small space. They also require secondary components or structures to aid in ventilation; openings that need closing or secondary covers that need removing. These additional parts and covers make these devices costly and cumbersome. 
         [0004]    The prior art mini greenhouse devices are also deficient in that they do not generally control the intensity, frequency and quality of light within the enclosure. There is, therefore, a need for a mini greenhouse that is inexpensive, compact, and easily stored with features to readily regulate ventilation and provide an optimal light quality. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1 . Is an isometric view showing various aspects of the preferred embodiment; 
           [0006]      FIG. 2 . Is a side view of the preferred embodiment; 
           [0007]      FIG. 3 . Is a frontal view of the preferred embodiment; 
           [0008]      FIG. 4 . Is an illustration showing the anchor legs partially inserted into soil; 
           [0009]      FIG. 5 . Is an illustration showing the anchor legs fully inserted into soil; 
           [0010]      FIG. 6 . Is an isometric bottom view of the preferred embodiment; 
           [0011]      FIG. 7 . Illustrates the stacking feature of the preferred embodiment; 
           [0012]      FIG. 8 . Illustrates an alternate embodiment of the invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 9 . Illustrates the stacking feature of the alternate embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0014]      FIGS. 1-7  show one embodiment of the apparatus  10 . This embodiment is created as a single piece injection molded unit. However, it would also be possible to make the apparatus from a combination of parts. The apparatus  10  is formed from a substantially clear, un-tinted plastic such as a polycarbonate, but it could be made from any optically suitable (as desired) light-transmitting, i.e. non-opaque material. An alternative embodiment of this invention is made from colored or tinted material so as to filter specific light frequencies in the shell  11 . Such light filtering may benefit certain plants, taking into account the seasonal state and the growth stage of the plant. The apparatus  10  is made of a material that resists bending. While the material may be subject to some flexing, the material of the apparatus  10 , when used as intended, is stiff or hard enough to substantially retain its original formed shape at all times without requiring any other supporting structure. 
         [0015]    The shell  11  has a closed top  12  and an open bottom  13 , forming a protective volume or chamber that is open at the bottom. Employing a process such as injection molding allows for varying surface treatments throughout the mold tool that form the finished part. By polishing the tool surface in an area it is possible to create an area of the shell  11  that will only minimally distort the light that passes through that area, thus, making the area transparent. By texturing an area of the tool surface it is possible to create an area of the shell  11  that will diffuse the light passing through that area, thus, making that area translucent. Diffusing the light through a translucent shell is advantageous in that it can prevent light/heat concentrations within the shell  11 , therefore, providing a better growing environment for young plants. 
         [0016]    The shell  11  has an upper portion  14  and a lower portion  15 . In the apparatus  10 , the inner surface of the upper portion  14  is textured so it may diffuse light as it passes through the upper shell portion  14  thereby rendering the upper shell portion  14  translucent. The lower portion  15  is polished so that light passes through the lower shell portion  15  with minimal optical distortion, thus creating a transparent lower shell portion  15 . This permits viewing of the plants through the lower portion  15  without having to lift the device and disrupt the plants. Similarly, the outer surfaces of both the upper portion  14  and the lower portion  15  may be polished or textured. 
         [0017]    The apparatus  10  is shown with four legs  16 , two on each side; other embodiments may or may not have four legs. In the apparatus  10  the leg  16  is shown integrated with the shell  11 , but it is also possible to design the leg as a separate part that can couple with the shell. The sides of the leg  16  are shown tapered  19 . Each leg  16  has a first/upper end portion at the bottom end of the shell  13  and a second/lower end portion  17  distal from the first end portion for insertion into a substrate  22 . Each leg  16  also has a third/intermediate portion that is between the upper and lower end portions. The cross section of the leg  16  at the upper end is greater than the cross section of the leg  16  at the lower end and the width of the cross section in the intermediate portion of the leg decreases in width as the intermediate cross section moves from the upper end of leg  16  to the lower end of leg  16 . Each leg  16  may serve multiple functions including: to anchor the shell  11  to a substrate  22  such as garden soil, to support the shell  11  above the substrate  22 , and to channel water into the substrate  22 . 
         [0018]    The size of the leg  16  allows it to serve as an effective anchor, thus helping to prevent the unit from being blown out of position or disturbed by small pests. The bottom of the leg  17  is shaped to facilitate penetration into the substrate. In contrast, the sides of the leg  16  are tapered  19  to resist penetration into the substrate  22 . Pushing the leg  16  into the substrate not only requires overcoming the substrate  22  resistance met by the tip of the leg  17 , it also requires creating an ever widening hole in the substrate  22  to accommodate the larger cross section. The force required to push the legs  16  into the substrate increases as the legs  16  are pushed further into the substrate  22 . 
         [0019]    Except in extremely loose substrate, the bottom of the shell  13  can be set above the substrate  22 , where it will stay, as shown in  FIG. 4 . The gap between the substrate  22  and the bottom of the shell  13  may be selectively adjusted/configured by inserting the legs  16  into the substrate  22  either fully, with the shell resting directly on top of the substrate  22 , or by penetrating the substrate with the leg  16  only partially to selectively varying depth. Selectively adjusting the height of the shell  11  above the substrate  22  in this way sets and controls the open space (gap) between the substrate  22  and the open bottom of the shell  13 , allowing for communication between the open air and the interior volume of the shell, for ventilation or access for pollinators. Thus the legs  16  play the role of a stand to support the shell  11  above the substrate. The shape and size of the legs  16  are designed to allow the shell to be held stably at different leg insertion depths. Alternatively, ventilation and access may be closed-off by pushing the legs  16  fully into the substrate  22  until the open bottom of the shell  13  touches the substrate  22  as shown in  FIG. 5 . An alternative embodiment, for use in hotter climates, could include ventilation holes in the shell  11  so that ventilation would never be completely cut off to the plants. 
         [0020]    The leg  16  has a concave outer surface or channel  18 . The shape of the leg  16  and the material rigidity help to provide the structural strength necessary to resist bending and breaking the leg  16  as it is pushed in and out of the substrate  22 . The channel  18  helps to provide a path for directing water, collected on the shell  11  surface from rain or irrigation, from the shell  11  surface to the substrate through the concave channel  18 . 
         [0021]    The leg  16  may be designed to serve these three functions. It should be understood, however, that the legs of certain embodiments need not serve every one of these functions. 
         [0022]    Another salient feature of the apparatus  10  is its design for nestablility and compact storage. The sides of shell  11  of apparatus  10  are projected inwards, meaning that all sides of the shell  11 , with only minor deviations, move towards the center as they extend from the open bottom of the shell  13 . To qualify as a minor deviation, the deviation must be small enough that it does not prevent efficient nesting as described below. In addition, the inner surface of apparatus  11  is uniformly offset from the outer surface so the interior and exterior surface shapes are similar. Some deviation from this uniform offset is permissible to allow for imperfections, cosmetic features, ribbing, etc. Any imperfectly offset surface is considered substantially uniformly offset when the deviations are not large enough to prevent efficient nesting as described below. The inward projection of the sides and the uniform shape of the inner and outer surfaces produce a part that will nest, i.e. two like embodiments of apparatus  10  will nest compactly. Most of the shell  11  of a first unit will insert into the chamber formed by the shell  11  of a second like unit before the outer surface of shell  11  of the first unit comes into contact with the inner surface of the shell  11  of the second unit.  FIG. 7  illustrates a number of like units so nested or stacked. Thus, storage of unused units takes up only a minimal space. Stops  20  may be integrated with shell  11  to prevent the inner surface of one shell  11  and the outer surface of the shell  11  below from jamming together when tightly nested. The upper surface  21  of stops  20  is a rest for the bottom of shell  11  when the units are stacked as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0023]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , the sides of shell  11  of apparatus  10  are elongated in one horizontal direction so that the open bottom  13  forms a rectangularized oval.  FIGS. 8 and 9  show an alternate embodiment  30  with all of the same features described above except that the sides of the shell are not elongated horizontally and are generally co-radial, the result is an open bottom that is generally circular in shape and this embodiment has only  3  legs. It will be obvious to the reader that the invention described above will lend itself to many shapes and sizes and should not be considered limited to any particular shape, size or number of legs.