Abstract:
The present invention relates to a rigid hanger member ( 30 ) for hanging a basket ( 31 ) for growing and/or displaying a plant or plants. The rigid hanger member includes a hook member ( 35 ), and a plurality of rigid chain members ( 33 ). One end of each of the rigid chain members ( 33 ) connects to the hook member ( 35 ) and the other end of the rigid chain members ( 33 ) is attached to the basket ( 31 ) or comprises a hook ( 33   a ) or clip element for attaching to a basket ( 31 ). In one form, each rigid chain member ( 33 ) is a rigid support rod and a chain ( 33   b ). The present invention provides for a rigid hanging means which assists with the hanging of planting baskets.

Description:
FIELD OF TIE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to an improved hanger member for a hanging basket assembly for plants.  
       BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     It is known to use hanging basket assemblies to hold live, growing plants and flowers or artificial plants or flowers. The hanging baskets are usually lined with sphagnum moss because of its ability to absorb and retain water up to and exceeding 20 times its own weight. Sphagnum moss also has a natural and aesthetically pleasing appearance. Once lined, the baskets are filled with soil and potting mix, and the plants and/or flowers are planted or placed into the composite soil mixture as desired.  
         [0003]     Hanging basket assemblies typically comprise a wire basket which receives and retains the sphagnum moss, potting mix, soil, plants, flowers etc. The baskets can be hung in position by a hook which is connected to the basket by a number of chains.  
         [0004]     Chains are very important to the overall aesthetic appeal of the hanging basket assemblies, however their use also presents practical problems because of their non-rigid nature. When the hook is not being used, the chains and hook simply collapse into the basket. For this reason it is often necessary for people to use two hands and/or a hanging device when hanging a basket. Further, when shops present pre-arranged hanging basket assemblies complete with planted plants or flowers, but do not display these in a hanging position, the chains and hook simply collapse into the basket and this often damages the plants and/or flowers.  
         [0005]     It is an object of the present invention to provide a hanger member for a basket assembly which goes at least someway to alleviating the problems associated with the known hanging basket assemblies, or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     In one aspect, the present invention broadly consists in a rigid hanger member for hanging a basket for growing and/or displaying a plant or plants, including a hook member, and a plurality of rigid chain members, one end of which connects to the hook member and the other end of which is attached to the basket or comprises a hook or clip element for attaching to a basket.  
         [0007]     Preferably, each rigid chain member includes a rigid support rod and a chain. In this form, the rigid chain member may be configured so that its respective rigid support rod and chain are adjacent each other for their entire lengths.  
         [0008]     Preferably, one end of each rigid support rod is either attached to the basket or formed into or carries a hook or clip element for attaching to a basket, and the other end connects to the hook member.  
         [0009]     In a preferred form, one end of each chain is attached to the hook member. It is also preferable for the other end of each chain to be either attached to the basket or attached to a hook or clip element for attaching to a basket.  
         [0010]     In an alternate form, one end of each chain is attached to the rigid support rod near the end of the rigid support rod which connects to the hook member. It is preferable in this case for the other end of each chain to be attached to the rigid support rod near the end of the rigid support rod which either attaches to the basket or comprises a hook or clip element for attaching to a basket.  
         [0011]     For rigidity, each rigid support rod could be passed or woven through a number of the links of its respective chain. Alternatively or additionally, each chain is fixed to its respective rigid support rod at various points along its length.  
         [0012]     The rigid chain member may be composed of a series of chain links which are individually fixed together or a single length of rod or wire pre-formed and/or bent to a sinuous form over its length. In one form, the rigid chain member comprises two or more lengths of rod or wire plaited together.  
         [0013]     The hook member is preferably fixedly connected to the rigid chain members in a substantially upright orientation.  
         [0014]     The hook or clip element at the other end of each rigid chain member may advantageously comprise an open entry which tapers to a narrow neck.  
         [0015]     In another aspect, the present invention broadly consists in a rigid hanger member for hanging a basket for growing and/or displaying a plant or plants, including a hook member, and a plurality of rigid chain members, each rigid chain member having a rigid support rod attached to a chain, wherein one end of each rigid support rod is either attached to the basket or formed into or carries a hook or clip element for attaching to a basket, and the other end connects to the hook member, and wherein one end of each chain is attached to the rigid support rod near the end of the rigid support rod which connects to the hook member and the other end of each chain is attached to the rigid support rod near the end of the rigid support rod which either attaches to the basket or comprises a hook or clip element for attaching to a basket.  
         [0016]     In a further aspect, the present invention broadly consists in a rigid hanger member for hanging a basket for growing and/or displaying a plant or plants, including a hook member, a plurality of rigid chain members, each rigid chain member having a rigid support rod attached to a chain, wherein one end of each chain is either attached to the basket or formed into or carries a hook or clip element for attaching to a basket and the other end of each chain fixedly connects to the hook member such that the hook member is supported in a substantially upright orientation.  
         [0017]     The rigid hanger member may be provided together with a wire basket for containing a liner, growing media and one or more plants. Also, it may be preferable to provide the rigid hanger member with a basket containing a plant or plants.  
         [0018]     This invention may also be said broadly to consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated in the specification of the application, individually or collectively, and any or all combinations of any two or more said parts, elements or features, and where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which this invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth.  
         [0019]     The invention consists in the foregoing and also envisages constructions of which the following gives examples only. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]     A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described by way of example only and with reference to the drawings, in which:  
         [0021]      FIG. 1  shows a prior art hanging basket assembly with a sphagnum moss liner installed;  
         [0022]      FIG. 2  shows a prior art hanging basket assembly with a plant installed, and in particular illustrates how non-rigid chains collapse into the basket and onto the plant;  
         [0023]      FIG. 3  shows a preferred embodiment rigid hanger member together with a basket with a sphagnum moss liner installed into the basket;  
         [0024]      FIG. 4  shows a further embodiment rigid hanger member together with a basket;  
         [0025]      FIG. 5  shows the rigid hanger member of the hanging basket assembly of  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0026]      FIG. 6  shows the rigid support rod of the rigid hanger member of  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0027]      FIG. 7  shows an example chain link that is attached to the rigid hanger member of  FIG. 6 ; and  
         [0028]      FIG. 8  shows the chain link attached to the rigid hanger member of  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0029]     Known hanging basket assemblies, an example of which is shown in  FIG. 1  referred to generally by  11 , typically comprise a wire basket  13 , hook  19 , and non-rigid chains  17  which attach the hook  19  to the basket  13 . A sphagnum moss liner  15  is also shown installed within the basket  13 .  
         [0030]     As mentioned, the lack of rigidity of the chains which attach the hook to the basket present practical problems when utilising such hanging basket assemblies. An example of one of the problems is shown  FIG. 2 , which illustrates a hanging basket assembly of the type shown in  FIG. 1  with a plant  23  installed. When the hanging basket assembly is stored in a non-hanging position, where it is supported by the base of the basket rather than being hung by the hook, the non-rigid chains  25  and hook (not shown) collapse into the basket and onto the plant  23 . This can result in damage to the plant  23 .  
         [0031]      FIG. 3  shows a preferred embodiment of the rigid hanger member of the present invention, generally indicated by  30 . In the figure, the rigid hanger member  30  is shown attached to a basket  31 . Although basket  31  is shown as a wire framed basket, it will be appreciated that other known basket types could be used, such as plastic or cane baskets.  
         [0032]     The rigid hanger member  30  includes a hook member  35  and rigid chain members  33 . One end of each of the rigid chain members  33  is attached to the hook member  35  while the other end is attached to the basket  31 . In the preferred embodiment, there are three rigid chain members  33 , although it will be appreciated that there may be one or more of these in different configurations. The construction of the rigid chain members  33  ensures that they do not collapse into the basket  31  or onto a plant which it may contain when the hook is not in use.  
         [0033]     The hook member  35  includes a hook part  35   a  to facilitate the hanging of the basket  31  and an attachment part  35   b  to facilitate the attachment of the rigid chain members  33 . It will be appreciated that other hanging mechanisms may be used also. For instance, the hook member  35  may be integrally formed and connected with the rigid chain members  33 . In particular, the top ends of the rigid chain members may be crimped together and curved to form the hook member  35 .  
         [0034]     Each rigid chain member  33  includes a rigid support rod  33   a  and a chain  33   b . One end of each rigid support rod  33   a  is attached to the attachment part  35   b  of the hook member  35 . The attachment may be by virtue of a spot weld for example, although other attachment means could be used. For example, a loop may be formed at the end of the rigid support rod  33   a  to facilitate a hooking-type attachment with the attachment part  35   b  of the hook member  35 . Alternatively, the top ends of the rigid support rod  33   a  and/or the chain  33   b  may be crimped together and curved to form the hook member  35 .  
         [0035]     The other end of each rigid support rod  33   a  is attached to the upper peripheral edge of the basket  31 . In the preferred embodiment shown, attachment loops  39  are provided about the upper peripheral edge of the wire frame which forms the basket  31 . There is an attachment loop  39  for each rigid chain member  33  and the attachment loops are uniformly spaced about the upper peripheral edge of the basket  31 . Attachment of each rigid support rod  33   a  to each respective attachment loop  39  is achieved by a spot weld, although other attachment means may be used as highlighted above in relation to the attachment of the other end of the rigid support rod  33   a  to the hook member  35 . It will be appreciated that attachment loops  39  are not a necessity, and the end of the rigid support rod  33   a  may be attached directly to the upper peripheral edge or any other part of the basket  31 .  
         [0036]     Each chain  33   b  extends substantially along the entire length of its respective rigid support rod  33   a . In the preferred embodiment, one end of each chain  33   b  is attached by virtue of a spot weld to its respective rigid support rod  33   a  near the end of the rod which attaches to the hook member  35 . The other end of each chain  33   b  is attached by virtue of a spot weld near the other end of its respective rigid support rod  33   a  which attaches to the basket  31 .  
         [0037]     At various positions along the length of each rigid chain member  33 , the chain  33   b  may be spot welded to the rigid support rod  33   a . Additionally, or alternatively, the rigid chain member  33  may be configured so that the rigid support rod  33   a  is woven through a number of the links of the chain  33   b.    
         [0038]     It will be appreciated that each chain  33   b  does not necessarily have to be attached to its respective rigid support rod  33   a . For example, in an alternative arrangement, one end of each chain  33   b  may be attached directly to the attachment part  35   b  of the hook member  35 , while the other end of each chain  33   b  may be directly attached to the basket  31 . In this alternative embodiment it is preferable that one end of each chain  33   b  is attached to substantially the same part of the basket  31  as its respective rigid support rod  33   a . This ensures that each chain  33   b  is adjacent to its respective rigid support rod  33   a  along the entire length of the rigid chain member  33 .  
         [0039]      FIG. 4  shows a further embodiment of the rigid hanger member  30 , which includes rigid chain members  33  and hook member  35 . As with  FIG. 3  the rigid hanger member  30  is shown attached to a basket  31 , which is shown as an ornamental alternative to the wire basket of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0040]     The construction of the rigid hanger member  30  is shown in  FIG. 5 . As before, the rigid chain member  33  includes a rigid support rod  33   a  and a chain  33   b . Each rigid support rod  33   a  is attached at one end to the hook member  35  and at the other end to the basket. Thus, the weight of the basket  31  and any of its contents will be supported by the rigid support rods  33   a . The chain  33   b  is solely cosmetic and is not load bearing. The construction of the chain will be described in greater detail below with reference to  FIGS. 7 and 8 .  
         [0041]     Referring to  FIG. 6 , the rigid support rods  33   a  are shown without the chain  33   b  attached. In the most preferred form, the rods  33   a  are made of high tensile wire. On one end, the rods  33   a  are attached to the hook member  35 . In  FIG. 6 , this attachment is made by crimping the ends of the rods  33   a  inside the end of the hook member  35 . For this reason, the end of the hook member  35  is substantially hollow to receive the end of the rods  33   a . In the most preferred embodiment, the rods  33   a  extend substantially the length of the hook member  35  to ensure the rods  33   a  are firmly attached once crimped.  
         [0042]     This attachment also results in the rods  33   a  being rigidly attached to the hook member  35 . Thus, even when not in use, hook member  35  remains upright Together with the rigidity of the chain members  33 , the construction of the hanger  30  as a whole is substantially rigid. Once attached to a planting basket, a user can easily attach the hanging basket assembly by supporting it from the bottom of the basket, without the disadvantage of the hook member  35  collapsing due to a lack of rigid support.  
         [0043]     At the other end of the rod  33   a , a clip or hook element  60  is provided to facilitate the attachment of the rods  33   a  to the upper peripheral edge of a basket. The clip or hook element is shown in the figure as a hook  60  formed by bending the end of the rod  33   a  back over itself. Of course other alternatives, such as moulded plastic clips that are attached to the rod  33   a , can also be used.  
         [0044]     For a firm attachment, the hook  60  is provided with an open entry  61  to easily locate the upper peripheral edge of the basket. The open entry  61  tapers to form a narrow neck  63 , which prevents the basket from easily disengaging from the rod  33   a  once the rod  33   a  is attached to the basket. As previously described, attachment loops may be provided on the basket to receive the hook  60  from each of the rods  33   a.    
         [0045]      FIG. 7  shows one example chain link  70  that can be used to construct the chain  33   b  of the rigid chain member  33 . The precise shape of the chain link is not essential and can be altered depending on the appearance of the chain  33   b  sought. Essentially, the chain link  70  is coupled to other chain links along the rigid support rod  33   a  to give the appearance of a chain  33   b.    
         [0046]     A close-up view of the attachment of the chain link  70  on the rigid support rod  33   a  is shown in  FIG. 8 . In the embodiment shown, the chain link  70  is attached to the rigid support rod  33   a  by virtue of spot welding, shown generally as  80 . Other means, such as ties or adhesives, could be used in addition to or in replacement of the spot welding.  
         [0047]     There is no requirement for every chain link  70  to be spot welded to the rod  33   a —it is possible for only the uppermost and lowermost chain links  70  to be spot welded to the rods  33   a . In this case, the chain links between the uppermost and lowermost chain links would be held firmly in place by virtue of the chain link coupling.  
         [0048]     In an alternative embodiment, the rigid chain members may be formed from chain links which are spot welded together to provide rigidity. In yet another alternative embodiment, each rigid chain member may be formed from a single length of rod or wire which has been pre-formed and/or bent to a sinuous form over its length. This will provide the rigid chain member with a chain-like appearance. Additionally, or alternatively, the rigid chain members may be formed by plaiting together two of more lengths of rod or wire into a rigid member.  
         [0049]     The hanging basket assembly of the present invention provides an advantage in that it includes rigid chain members which attach the basket to the hook, as opposed to non-rigid chain members. The rigidity of the chain members means that the hook is held in a preset position so that the process of hanging is easier and hence the use of two hands and/or a hanging device may not be required. Further, the rigid chain members and hook will not collapse into the basket and onto plants when the hook is not being utilised. Moreover, the present invention provides a hanging basket assembly which has the advantages of rigid supports between the hook and basket, while also maintaining the appealing aesthetics of supports with a chain-like appearance.  
         [0050]     The foregoing description of the invention includes preferred forms thereof. Modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention.