Patent Document

FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to a method and apparatus for protecting a plant from adverse elements.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Protective coverings for plants have been in use for many years. Protective coverings are used to protect plants from damage that plants would otherwise incur as a result of exposure to severe weather conditions, transportation, and pollutants. Protective coverings typically comprise a sheet of material, usually burlap, wrapped around a plant. A securing system is used to secure the sheet in place.  
           [0003]    One of the problems with the conventional method of protecting plants is the way in which the protective material is secured around the plant. The systems often employed to secure the protective material around the plant include the use of twine, elastic chords, tape, or a wooden frame constructed around the plant to which a sheet is stapled. Though such methods attain the desired result, they only do so with the requirement of supporting materials and superfluous labour. Some of these materials, such as staples and tape, damage the sheet and cause wear and tear, ultimately reducing its lifespan. Furthermore, the negative aspects of conventional plant protection are compounded whenever it is necessary to tighten, loosen or remove the protective covering.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    In accordance with this invention, a plant protector comprises at least one sheet of material, the sheet of material having first and second surfaces and a periphery defined by a top edge, a bottom edge, a leadirig edge and a trailing edge. The plant protector includes a hook and loop fastener system including at least one strip of hook component portion and at least one strip of loop component portion. At least one of the strip of hook component portions is on one of the first and second surfaces of the sheet of material and at least one of the strip of loop component portions is on the other of the first and second surfaces of the material. The strips of hook and loop component portions are located on the surfaces of the sheet of material so as to be interengageable upon wrapping the sheet of material around at least a section of a plant to be protected. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the hook and loop fastener system is located on the sheet so that at least some of the loop portion is engageable with at least some of the hook portion to hold the sheet of material in a tube configuration when the sheet is wrapped around a plant. In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, there is a composite protector comprising a plurality of protectors as described above. The protectors are located such that the hook and loop component portion on one of the plant protectors is interengageable with the loop and component portion on another one of the plant protectors. The plant protectors may be joined so that the trailing edge of one protector is joined to the leading edge of a second protector and they make an elongated composite protector. In addition, the protectors may be joined together with the bottom edge of a first protector joined to a top edge of a second protector so that the composite protector may include a plurality of protectors joined together as to be able to wrap a plant of desired size.  
           [0005]    In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method of protecting a plant comprises wrapping a sheet of material about the plant, the sheet having a hook component portion and a loop component portion and at least some of the hook component portion engages with at least some of the loop component portion. In a preferred embodiment, there may be a plurality of sheets. These are used to wrap a plant wherein the leading edge of one sheet is placed in adherence with the trailing edge of a second sheet and the elongated sheet is wrapped about the plant. In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, a method includes wrapping a plant with a plurality of sheets, whose material are used to wrap a plant and wherein the top edge of one sheet is attached to the bottom edge of a second sheet.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]    The figures illustrate preferred embodiments of a protector made in accordance with the invention and in which:  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a planar view of the exterior surface of a protector.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 is a planar view of the interior surface of the protector of FIG. 1.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the protector of FIG. 1.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 4( a ) is a plan view in section of the protector of FIG. 1 wrapped around an upright plant. FIG. 4( b ) is a view of the hook-loop fastener connection of FIG. 4( a ).  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the protector of FIG. 1 wrapped around an upright plant.  
         [0012]    FIGS.  6 ( a ) and ( b ) are plan views of the protector of FIG. 1 wrapped around upright plants of different diameters.  
         [0013]    FIGS.  7 ( a ) and ( b ) are plan views in section of a plurality of protectors of FIG. 1 working in conjunction to wrap a plant.  
         [0014]    FIGS.  8 - 10  depict alternate embodiments of the invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 8( a ) is a planar view of the exterior side of an unwrapped plant protector in accordance with a first alternate embodiment. FIG. 8( b ) is a planar view of the interior side of the unwrapped plant protector of FIG. 8( a ). FIG. 8( c ) is a perspective view of a plurality of plant protectors of FIG. 8( a ), in the process of connection to increase the height of plant protection.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 9( a ) is a planar view of the exterior of an unwrapped plant protector in accordance with a second alternate embodiment. FIG. 9( b ) is a planar view of the interior of the unwrapped plant protector of FIG. 9( a ).  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 10( a ) is a planar view of the interior of an unwrapped plant protector with attached hook straps in accordance with a third embodiment. FIG. 10( b ) is a planar view of the exterior of the unwrapped plant protector of FIG. 10( a ) with attached hook straps. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]    The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is directed to a protector  10  comprising a sheet  20  of material having first and second sides. One of the sides forms an interior surface  22 , and the other side forms an exterior surface  24 . The sheet  20  is generally rectangular and has a periphery defined by a leading edge  30 , a trailing edge  32 , a top edge  34 , and a bottom edge  36 . The length of the sheet  20  is defined by the distance between the leading edge  30  and the trailing edge  32 . The height of the sheet  20  is defined by the distance between the top edge  34  and the bottom edge  36 .  
         [0019]    The system employed to secure the protector around a plant is a hook and loop fastener system, comprising at least one hook component portion, and at least one loop component portion. In the embodiments that follow, the hook and loop fastener system is comprised of hook strips  40  and loop strips  50 .  
         [0020]    As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 1, a plurality of loop strips  50  are affixed to the exterior surface  24  of the sheet  20  extending lengthwise, beginning at the trailing edge  32  of the sheet  20  and extending towards the leading edge  30  of the sheet  20 . As will become evident, it is not necessary to have loop strips  50  extend all the way to the leading edge  30  of the sheet. While any number of loop strips  50  can be affixed to the exterior surface  24  of the sheet  20 , it is preferable to have a top edge loop strip  52  extending adjacent a portion of the top edge  34  of the sheet  20 , and one bottom edge loop strip  54  extending adjacent a portion of the bottom edge  36  of the sheet  20 . Depending on the vertical dimension of the sheet  20 , it may be desirable to have one or more intermediate loop strips  56  on the sheet  20  in between the top edge loop strip  52  and the bottom edge loop strip  54 , in order to have the sheet  20  more securely affixed around the plant, and to prevent the sheet  20  from sagging. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, one such intermediate loop strip  56  is located in the middle of the sheet  20 .  
         [0021]    As illustrated in FIG. 2, hook strips  40  are affixed to the interior surface  22  of the sheet  20  extending lengthwise; beginning at the leading edge  30 . As will become evident later, it is not necessary to have the hook strips  40  extend all the way to the trailing edge  32 . While any number of horizontal hook strips  40  can be affixed to the interior surface  22  of the sheet  20 , it is desirable to have a top edge hook strip  42  extending adjacent a portion of the top edge  34  of the sheet  20 , and one bottom edge hook strip  44  extending adjacent a portion of the bottom edge  36  of the sheet  20 . Intermediate hook strips  46  can be affixed to the sheet  20  in between the top edge hook strip  42  and the bottom edge hook strip  44 . It is desirable to have the same number of intermediate hook strips  46  as there are intermediate loop strips  56 . It is also desirable to have both intermediate hook strips  46  and intermediate loop strips  56  located such that the strips will be aligned for fastening once the sheet  20  is wrapped around a plant.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 is a perspective illustration of the protector  10  in a horseshoe shape, neither wrapped nor lying flat. The plant  80 , represented in FIG. 3 by the vertical black cylindrical object, will be within the concave, or interior, portion of the horseshoe shaped protector  10 . The way in which the protector  10  is fastened around the plant  80  is as follows: The interior surface  22  of the sheet  20  is the surface that makes contact with the plant  80 . The interior surface  22  is placed against the plant  80 , beginning with the trailing edge  32 . With the trailing edge  32  held in place, the sheet  20  is then wrapped around the plant  80  circumferentially to form a tube. Eventually, the sheet  20  will envelop the plant  80 , as illustrated in FIG. 4( a ).  
         [0023]    After the plant  80  is enveloped by the interior surface  22  of the sheet  20 , there will remain an overlapping portion  60  of the sheet  20  defined by the portion of the interior surface  22  that covers the exterior surface  24 , as depicted in FIGS.  4 ( a ) and ( b ). It is this overlapping portion  60  that enables the hook strips  40  to make a connection with the loop strips  50 , thereby securing the protector  10  around the plant  80 . Upon the completion of wrapping, the hook strips  40  on the interior surface  22  are pressed against the loop strips  50  of the exterior surface  24 , creating a hook and loop fastening bond  62 , as illustrated in FIG. 4( b ), securing the protector  10  in place. The end result is the creation of a tube shaped protective cover enveloping a plant, as illustrated in FIG. 5.  
         [0024]    The length of the loop strips may extend almost completely along the length of the sheet  20 , providing the flexibility to use a single protector  10  for a range of plants  80  varying in diameter, as illustrated in FIGS.  6 ( a ) and  6 ( b ). A plant  80  may have a circumference which, once enveloped, leaves a portion of overlapping surface  60  which is just enough to enable engagement of the loop strips  50  with the hook strips  40 , as illustrated in FIG. 6( a ). It is thus desirable to have affixed loop strips  50  beginning at the trailing edge  32 , and the hook strips  40  beginning at the leading edge  30 , as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, in order to enable securement of the sheet for use with a plant with such a large diameter. In order to enable protection of plants with circumferences smaller than that depicted in FIG. 6( a ), it is desirable to increase the length of the loop strips  50  towards the leading edge  30 . As the diameter of desired plants one wishes to be able to envelop decreases, so too must the length of the loop strips  50  increase from the trailing edge  32  toward the leading edge  30 . It is not necessary to have the loop strips  50  extend all the way to the leading edge  30 , as it is highly unlikely that the hook strips  40  would not be able to engage with the loop strips  50 , after an extensive overlap around a plant with a comparatively small diameter.  
         [0025]    Generally speaking, the length of the hook strips  40  is much shorter than the length of the loop strips  50  in this embodiment. The hook strips  40  are simply long enough so as to ensure that there is sufficient contact surface area between the loop strips  50  and the hook strips  40 , such that external forces such as wind, gravity, or the force exerted by the relaxation of the plant  80  within the protector  10  will not cause the hook and loop fastening bond  2  to fail and expose the plant  80 .  
         [0026]    There are a variety of lengths and positions in which the hook strips  40  and loop strips  50  can be affixed to the sheet  20 , as there are a variety of configurations and sizes available for the sheet  20 .  
         [0027]    In the event the circumference of the plant  80  is greater than the length of the sheet  20 , making it impossible to envelop the plant  80  with one such sheet  20 , it is possible to meet the desired length requirement by fastening a plurality of protectors  10  together in order to envelop the plant  80 , as illustrated in FIGS.  7 ( a ) and ( b ), to form a composite protector  12 . Two such protectors  1 O a  and  10   b  have been joined together in FIG. 7( a ), three protectors  1 O a ,  10   b , and  10   c  in FIG. 7( b ) to form a composite protector  12 .  
         [0028]    While FIGS.  7 ( a ) and ( b ) provide examples of increasing the length of composite protector  12 , it is also within the scope of the invention to have a plurality of protectors  10  increase the overall height of protection. Increasing the height of protection may entail the use of a plurality of protector units  10  having hook strips  40  and loop strips  50  affixed along the entire length of both the top  34  and bottom edges  36  of the sheet, as illustrated in FIGS.  8 ( a ) and ( b ) to form a composite protector  12 . As one of these protectors  10  is wrapped around a plant, another protector  10  can be wrapped immediately above it, having the bottom edge hook strip  44  of the upper protector  10   a  engage with the top edge loop strip  52  of the lower protector  10   b , as illustrated in FIG. 8( c ). In this embodiment, the hook strips  40  and loop strips  50  are shown as extending continuously from the leading edge  30  to the trailing edge  32 . In an alternate embodiment, not illustrated, these continuous strips could be replaced with a plurality of shorter individual strips.  
         [0029]    Most conveniently, it has been found useful to manufacture protectors  10  from sheets of burlap having a height of 3 feet and a length of 9 feet. The 9 foot length will handle plants with a diameter of little less than 3 feet. If the plant to be protected is larger in diameter, then a second or third protector  10  is used as shown in FIGS.  7 ( a ) and  7 ( b ) respectively. Three such protectors  10 , when joined, will handle a plant just under  27  feet in circumference, or just under 9 feet in diameter.  
         [0030]    With hook and loop strips,  40 ,  50  at top and bottom edges  34 ,  36 , and at least one hook strip  46  and one loop strip  56  at an area between these edges, these protectors can be joined together, as shown in FIG. 8, to protect plants 6 feet tall (2 protectors), 9 feet tall (3 protectors), or larger as needed. It is noted that with this kind of arrangement,.the hook strips  40  and loop strips  50  will be affixed completely opposite each other on the sheet  20 . Thus, one 3×9 sheet  20  can be used alone for smaller plants, or a plurality of sheets can be used together for plants which are greater in circumference than 9 feet and/or taller than 3 feet. This facilitates stocking requirements for retailers.  
         [0031]    Various plants or sections of plants, such as root bulbs or awkwardly shaped hedged plants, may not have a convenient shape for wrapping. It may thus be desirable to have a configuration of hook strips  40  and loop strips  50  that are affixed to sheets  20  diagonally, intermittently, or on the periphery, in order to better enable one to wrap plant matter that is not longitudinal in shape. An example of such a hook and loop strip  40 ,  50  configuration is found in FIGS.  9 ( a ) and ( b ).  
         [0032]    Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS.  10 ( a ) and ( b ). The interior surface  22  has no hook strips  40  affixed to the sheet  20 , whereas the exterior surface  24  has loop strips  50  affixed as lengthwise strips. The difference between this embodiment and that previously described is that there are attached to the leading edge  30  of the sheet  20  hook straps  70 . Once again the trailing edge  32  is placed against the plant  80 , but instead of the overlapping portion  60  creating the fastening connection  62 , securing the sheet  20  in place, it is the hook straps  70  that create this bond.  
         [0033]    While in this description of the preferred embodiments the hook strips  40  are on the interior surface  22  and the loop strips  50  are on the exterior surface, these are switchable as desired.  
         [0034]    Although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example, and is not to be taken by way of limitation. The spirit and scope of the invention are to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

Technology Category: a