Patent ID: 7497048

Claim:
A plant protector, comprising: a cover formed from a flexible material sheet that is air permeable and light transmissive; said cover including an apex, a base, plural sides and plural vertices defining intersections between adjacent pairs of said sides; plural elongated rigid frame members each respectively attached to said cover at one of said vertices; wherein said frame members are attached to said cover by way of sleeves formed on said cover at said vertices; said frame members each having a first end proximate to said cover apex and a second end proximate to said cover base; said cover apex covering and interconnecting said frame member first ends for pivotal movement of said frame members relative to each other; said frame member first ends being interconnected solely by way of said cover apex; wherein said sleeves are closed at their first ends in order to trap said frame member first ends; wherein said sleeves are closed by virtue of a terminal portion of said cover being folded inwardly to extend into said plant-receiving interior below said frame member first ends and to define said cover apex where said terminal portion folds over said frame member first ends; wherein said terminal portion is maintained in said folded position by way of a fastener; said frame members being pivotable at said frame member first ends from an open position wherein said frame members and said cover vertices are angled relative to each other to a collapsed position wherein said frame members and said cover vertices are substantially parallel to each other; said plant protector having a deployment configuration wherein said frame members are in said open position and said cover base is substantially open to define a plant-receiving interior region; said plant protector having a stowage configuration wherein said frame members are in said collapsed position and said cover base and said plant-receiving interior region are substantially closed; and plural connectors for securing said plant protector to a surface.