Abstract:
A flexible strand is wound around a pole of adjustable height into a plant supporting helix forming a plurality of loops connected to the pole by quick-release fasteners.

Description:
This application is entitled to the date and benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 60/903,398, which was filed on Feb. 26, 2007. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to gardening and farming and more particularly to accessories such as plant supports. 
   Providing support for plants has several benefits. A plant, such as a tomato or pepper, which has a fragile stem that is prone to breakage when exposed to strong winds, and bending when it produces heavy fruit, will benefit from an external support structure, which will reduce breakage and damage to the stem, and will also keep ripe fruit from weighing down limbs until the fruit touches the ground where it may rot. 
   A common method of supporting fruit bearing plants included using a single stake to which the plant was tied, and retied as it grew taller; tying was time consuming and restricted movement of the plant, which often caused breakage or bruising at the tie point. 
   Prior art solutions using spiral or curving wires to eliminate the need for tying a plant to a stake have had deficiencies avoided by this invention. Some had no vertical support or only supported the wire at the top or bottom of a stake. Others could not be adjusted before or after a plant began to grow. Some required multiple stakes for support, while others were not easily disassembled for shipping, marketing, or storage after the plant growing season ends. Those using a spiral support made the spiral from solid material, which had a poor strength to weight ratio, and was not compressible. 
   OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide improved spiral plant supporting structures. 
   Another object is to provide an adjustable plant support. 
   An additional object is to provide a corrosion free plant support. 
   Another object is to provide a spiral plant support that is simple, lightweight, inexpensive to manufacture, package, transport and market. 
   A further object is to provide a plant support that is easy to assemble, install, disassemble when not in use, and compact when stored. 
   A further object is to provide plastic spiral plant supports that are rugged, economical, highly attractive, easy to use, and which do not possess defects found in similar prior art gardening aids. 
   Other objects and advantages of the gardening accessories incorporating this invention will be found in the specification and claims and the scope of the invention will be set forth in the claims. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
       FIG. 1  is a side view of an embodiment of a spiral plant support in accord with this invention. 
       FIG. 2  is rear view of the plant the support shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a top view of the plant the support shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the invention omitting the plant supporting spiral strand. 
       FIG. 5  an enlarged perspective view of a bottom pole section. 
       FIG. 6  is an enlarged perspective view of an intermediate pole section. 
       FIG. 7  is a different enlarged perspective view of an intermediate pole section. 
       FIG. 8  is an enlarged perspective view of a top pole section. 
       FIGS. 9 and 9A  are enlarged, partially cross sectional, side views of interlocked pole sections. 
       FIGS. 10 and 10A  are enlarged partial side views of separated pole sections. 
       FIG. 11  is an enlarged perspective view of a connector clamp. 
       FIG. 12  is an enlarged perspective view of a strand in a receiver. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1  shows how the spiral plant support  1  is used to support a plant  2 . The support pole  3  is held in the ground by a vertical spike  4  and horizontal crosspiece  5  inserted into the ground closely adjacent to the plant  2 , which will drape its stems, leaves and fruit over the strand  6  as it grows. 
   The support pole  3  comprises a plurality of separable, circular, hollow, tubular pole sections made from a resilient, durable plastic resin, such as polyporplyne. A bottom pole section  7  is coupled to one or more intermediate pole sections  8 , which are coupled to a top pole section  9 . The length of pole  3  is determined by the number of intermediate sections  8  that have been joined to each other and to the top section  9  and bottom section  7  by interlocking means  10  on each of the pole sections. The pole sections may have an outside diameter of 1 and ⅝ inches. 
   The interlocking means of the bottom pole section  7  may be a first circular hole  11  through the tubular wall of section  7  and a first slot  12  that extends downwardly from the upper terminal edge  13  of the section. The hole  11  is located adjacent, but is spaced downwardly from, the edge  13 . The hole  11  and the slot  12  are located on diametrically opposite surfaces  15  and  16  of section  7 , and the top of hole  11  is located below the bottom of slot  12 . 
   The interlocking means of an intermediate section  8  includes a first button  17  sized to fit into the first hole  11 , and a second button  18  sized to fit into the first slot  12  and prevent the pole sections from twisting. The buttons  17  and  18  protrude from diametrically opposite surfaces  19  and  20  of thin-walled, bottom end portion  21  of section  8 . The outer diameter of end portion  21  is less than the internal diameter of section  7  so that end portion  21  can telescope into the upper end of section  7 . The outer end  22  of button  17  is essentially aligned with the outer surfaces of sections  7  and  8  when the sections are interlocked. 
   The lower edge  23  of button  17  is slanted inwardly toward surface  19  so as to ease entry of the button into section  7  and hole  11 . A continuous slit  24  having parallel edges cuts through end portion  21  and passes below button  17  so as to define a flexible tab  28  with button  17  at its bottom end. Flexing of tab  28  inwardly enables button  17  to be inserted into and removed from hole  11 . The section  8  may be disconnected from interlocking engagement with bottom section  7  by pressing button  17  out of hole  11  and pulling the two pole sections apart. The thickness of end portion  21  (e.g. 2 mm), its outside diameter (e.g. 36 mm), and the resilience of the plastic from which the tubular sections are made enable the described flexing of the tabs and tube walls without damage thereto. 
   The interlocking means of the intermediate pole sections  8  also may include a second circular hole  25  through the tubular wall of a section  8  and a second slot  26  that extends downwardly from the upper terminal edge  27  of the intermediate section. The hole  25  is located adjacent, but is spaced downwardly from, the edge  27 . The hole  25  and the slot  26  are located on the diametrically opposite surfaces  19  and  20  of section  8 , and the top of hole  25  is located below the bottom of slot  26 . The second hole  25  and second slot  26  are sized, located and arranged so that they correspond identically to the first hole  11  and the first slot  12  in bottom section  7 . This enables the intermediate sections  8  to be interlocked with each other by insertion and retraction of the first and second buttons  17  and  18  as described above regarding the interlocking of pole sections  7  and  8 . 
   The interlocking means of a top pole section  9  includes a third button  30  sized to fit into the second hole  25 , and a fourth button  31  sized to fit into the second slot  26 . The buttons  30  and  31  protrude from diametrically opposite surfaces  32  and  33  of thin-walled, bottom end portion  34  of section  9 . The outer diameter of end portion  34  is less than the internal diameter of section  8  so that end portion  34  can telescope into the upper end of section  8 . The third button  30  and fourth button  31  are sized, located and arranged so that they correspond identically to the first button  17  and the second button  18  in intermediate section  8 . This enables the upper section  9  to be interlocked with the intermediate and bottom sections by insertion and retraction of the third and fourth buttons  30  and  31  as described above regarding the interlocking of pole sections  7  and  8 . 
   The lower edge  35  of button  30  is slanted inwardly toward surface  32  so as to ease entry of the button into section  8  and hole  25 . The outer end  36  of button  30  is essentially aligned with the outer surfaces of sections  8  and  9  when the sections are interlocked. The section  9  may be disconnected from interlocking engagement with intermediate section  8  by pressing button  30  out of hole  25 , while inwardly flexing a tab  37  defined by a slit  38 , as described above with reference to tab  28 , and pulling the two pole sections apart. The thickness and resilience of end portion  34  is the same as end portion  21  of section  8 . 
   The manner in which the interlocking means  10  joins the poles sections  7  and  8  and the pole sections  8  and  9  is shown in  FIGS. 9 and 9A , where corresponding parts are identified with the several reference numbers from their respective pole section. The pole sections may be disconnected by pressing the button  22  or  36  clear of the hole  11  or  25  and pulling the engaged pole sections apart. 
   A hollow, circular tube made from flexible, resilient, compressible plastic resin, such as PE  3408  polyethylene having a wall thickness of 2.5 mm, and a predetermined outer diameter  41  of 19 mm., may be used as the plant supporting strand  40 . When the tubular strand  40  is wound around pole  3  and tightened into the loops or spirals  42  of a helix  43 , as illustrated herein, a “sweet spot” results in tension within the helix that creates a sufficient amount of rigidity to support the mature fruit of tomato plants. For example, loops  42  with a diameter of about twelve inches spaced vertically about ten inches apart can support, with only one inch of deformation, at least two pounds of downward pressure or weight at their weakest point, which is the point farthest from the support pole  3 . The tighter the spiral  43 , the more rigid it becomes and the more weight the loops  42  in the strand  40  can support. The loops  42  should be generally aligned, as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
   A plurality of connectors  45  may be used to attach the strand  40  to the pole  3 . Each of the connectors  45  is an integral part of a section  7 ,  8  or  9  of the pole  3 , and may define a quick-release fastener or clamp  46  having a circular opening  47  therethrough with a diameter  48  that is approximately the same as the outer diameter  41  of strand  40 . The circular opening  47  defines two pairs  49  and  50  of identical, opposed, circular, open-ended clamp jaws  51 , which are separated by a distance  52  that is less than the outer diameter  41  of the strand  40 . The circular opening  47  also defines in each connector a semicircular groove  54  that merges with and into the pairs  49  and  50  of clamp jaws  51 . The pairs of jaws  49  and  50  are parallel to each other and project perpendicularly from the surface at the rear  53  of the assembled pole sections. The groove  54  retains the strand  40  in a horizontal orientation, which increases the tension within the helix  43  and gives additional rigidity to the spirals  41 . The result of this configuration and the configuration of the interlocking means  10  described above is that the connectors  45  and their clamping jaws  51  are located and arranged in a vertically alignment along the rear side  53  of the pole  3 . 
   Since the jaws  51  of each pair  49  and  50  of clamps are separated by a distance  52  that is smaller than the outer diameter  41  of the compressible hollow strand  40 , the strand  40  may be wound around the pole  3 , compressed, and quickly pressed between, or easily pulled out of, the pairs of jaws  51  of any of the connectors. This enables the strand  40  to be spirally wound around the pole  3  and attached to the rear side  53  of the pole  3 , leaving the loops  42  unobstructed by the plant supporting structure. 
   The lower end  56  of the strand  40  may be held in a first receiver  57  that is integral with bottom pole section  7  and the upper end  58  of strand  40  may be held in a second receiver  59  that is integral with top pole section  9 . The receivers  57  and  59  are identical and are both located on the rear side of their respective pole sections so that the receivers will be aligned with the connectors  45  when the pole  3  is in use. First receiver  57  may be located about midway between the upper edge  13  of bottom pole section  7  and the crosspiece  5 , where receiver  57  serves the function of the connector  45  for holding the strand  40  on pole section  7 . Second receiver  59  may be located at the upper terminal edge  60  of the top pole section  9 . 
   Each receiver has a circular opening  61 . The circular opening  61  defines aligned circular holes  62  and  63  in a pair of parallel arms  64  and  65  that project perpendicularly from the surface at the rear  53  of the pole sections. A semicircular groove  66  merges with and into the circular holes  62  and  63 , in the same manner as the groove  54  merges with the clamp jaws  51  The diameter of the circular holes  62  and  63  and the groove  66  is approximately the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter  41  of the strand  40 . The groove  66  retains the ends of the strand  40  in a horizontal position, which increases the tension on the strand as it is bent to form the spirals  42  of the helix  43 , and this tension holds the ends  56  and  58  securely in place. 
   This permits easy insertion of one end of the strand  40  into one of the receivers at the rear of the pole  3 , and winding of the strand  40  around the front of the pole and back to the rear  53 , and pressing the strand  40  into a connector  45  at the rear of the pole so as to form one of the loops  41 , and so on until a helix  43  with the required number of loops  42  has been formed. If after a plant has started growing the gardener desires to increase or decrease the height of the pole  3 , or to change the size or the number of loops  42 , this can be easily accomplished by snapping the strand  40  out of one or more quick-release clamps  46 , and adjusting the size or number of loops  42 , or by removing or adding another intermediate pole section  8  and repositioning the strand  40  to form a different number or differently sized loops  42 . 
   While the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is not intended to illustrate or describe all of the equivalent forms or ramifications thereof. Also, the words used are words of description rather than limitation, and various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the appended claims cover all such changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.