WO1999046975A1

WO1999046975A1 - Plant protecting device

Info

Publication number: WO1999046975A1
Application number: PCT/FI1999/000188
Authority: WO
Inventors: Harry PYYKKÖ
Original assignee: Pyykkoe Harry
Priority date: 1998-03-19
Filing date: 1999-03-12
Publication date: 1999-09-23
Also published as: FI104144B1; FI104144B; FI980606A0; AU2730599A

Abstract

A protective device (1), for protecting plants against natural forces and smothering weeds, or a mould, fence, wall or similar, comprising a jacket surface, in which there are alternating narrowing and widening sections, in which there are holes (6) penetrating the sections. The device also includes an elongated securing device intended to run through the holes (6).

Description

Plant protecting device

The present invention relates to a protective device, for example, to a protective device used to protect plants, particularly seedlings, from weather and natural phenomena and also from other, smothering plants, as well as from destruction by animals. The invention be used not only to exclude something, but also to enclose something, so that it can be used, for example, as a mould or similar device, as a wall, and so on.

Each year, millions of tree and other seedlings are planted. Some of the tree seedlings are planted on felling sites, which traditionally are allowed to become densely grassed over after removal of the trees and often grow so strongly and densely that the tree seedlings that are planted have little chance to grow normally, becoming stunted, deformed, and often so starved of nutrients and space to grow that they simply die.

However, there are many other situations, in which young plants require protection, for example, against strong sunlight, high winds, or other natural forces. This kind of protection may be required as much in the middle of nature as in, for example, a garden.

Many different attempts have been made to provide this protection. One way is to destroy the other vegetation in the specific area in which the seedling will be planted. However, this is naturally extremely laborious, and it is obvious that, if it is wished for a tree seedling to grow in a certain area, conditions must be such that weeds will also grow there.

Various mechanical devices intended to protect seedlings are also known. One basic type is a length of plastic piping, with the seedling planted inside it. If the pipe is not secured to the ground, it is sure to fall over and damage the seedling. The pipe can be secured by pushing it into the ground for some distance, but, in this case, there is the problem that ground is often 2 stony and in any event hard, making it very difficult to push the end of the pipe into the ground.

Another mechanical device for protecting seedlings is also known, comprising a sheet made into slightly conical shape, with a hole in the centre for the seedling to come through. Though this type of solution will probably keep the vicinity of the seedling free from other vegetation, it does not actually protect the seedling in any way. Indeed, it can be a danger to the seedling, which can be rubbed and damaged by the edges of the small hole.

In addition to the above, there are also conical devices, with a flange around their lower edge, through which the device can be secured to the ground with pin-like devices.

Thus, many of the devices described above have drawbacks, either by not remaining in place, by being difficult to secure, and also by many of them being permanent constructions, the large space they require often making it difficult to store and transport them.

US Patent 5375368 and DE Patent 927181 present cylindrical or angular protectors, with an essentially flat surface, and with holes in their two, overlapping edges, through which a rod-like securing component is threaded.

A drawback with these solutions is that the usually relatively rigid wall material must be bent, to open the holes at least slightly, in the direction of entry of the rod being threaded, to allow a rod-like securing bar or similar to be threaded through the holes in alternating directions. In the case of two overlapping flat sheet-like components, this can be a difficult and very laborious operation. Often, the sheet components are also bent transversely, making threading even more difficult. 3

There are naturally tens, if not hundreds of known types of moulds, intended to hold a material, such as concrete, in place for long enough for it to set into shape, allowing the mould to be removed. Manufacture of these moulds often requires expensive and time-consuming work. The material costs too are usually considerable. In addition, the moulds either remain in place, leading to substantial one-off costs, or else the construction of the moulds is such that their removal involves high labour costs.

Many different connectable structures, such as wall-type and fence-type structures are also known. They too are often laborious to erect and dismantle. In addition, it is often impossible to reuse them.

The present invention is intended to eliminate the drawbacks of the state of the art and create a protective device for plants, which effectively protects a seedling from its infancy until it becomes relatively large, and which forms a general-purpose, simple, cheap and highly adaptable solution. An additional intention is to create a device that can be used to make a cheap mould, fence, wall or similar, and which is quickly and easily assembled. The intention is also to create a device that can be used to manufacture even large flat or curved plate-like pieces, and in which the basic components of the invention are joined together vertically and/or horizontally.

A device according to the invention can generally be stored in a small space, so that storage and transportation costs are low. Yet another advan- tage of this invention is that the device is suitable for continued reuse.

Unlike many state of the art solutions, the device is easy to assemble and dismantle.

The above and other advantages and benefits of this invention have been achieved in the manner described as characteristic in the accompanying Claims. 4

In the following, the invention is described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show one embodiment of the invention.

Thus:

Figure 1 shows one protective device according to the invention in use; and

Figures 2a, b and c show the separated components of a protective device according to Figure 1.

It should be noted that the device according to the invention is described in the following with particular reference to its use as a protective device for plants, but it is self-evident that, for example, its use as a mould is a direct adaptation of the former, and falls within the scope of protection of the invention, without any specific description of the use other than that below. It is also obvious that the connection of the components of the invention to each other, besides or on top of each other, also falls within the scope of the invention.

Thus, Figure 1 shows one embodiment of the invention in use. It is clear, that the embodiment shown is only one alternative of the invention's external character, and is in no way intended to limit the invention to that shown, but only to show one functional embodiment. The following description refers simultaneously to all of the illustrations. Figures 2a, b and c show the device according to Figure 1 as separated components; in Figure 2a, the halves of the jacket surface are separate and seen from above, in Figure 2b, one half of the jacket surface is seen in side view, while Figure 2c shows the securing device.

Thus, in this embodiment, the device 1 comprises two halves 2 and 3 of the device, which are advantageously identical, and securing devices 4 and 5, by means of which device 1 can be secured to its base. The securing 5 devices are principally rod-like, and are usually made from plastic or metal wire. One end of the securing devices has a bent loop 4' and 5', which is meant to make it easier to use them and also possibly to act as a stop, when the device is being pushed onto the ground.

Not only are the securing devices 4 and 5 intended to secure device 1 to the ground, they also fulfil the important function of holding components 2 and 3 of the device in the desired shape, should the device comprise two or more sections. This is arranged by including, in device 1 , longitudinally narrower 8 and broader 7 sections, which are most clearly seen in Figure 2b. In the broader sections, there are pairs of holes 6, so that the securing device 4 or 5 can be pushed through them.

As Figure 1 shows, the device is suitably assembled so that, in the form shown, halves 2 and 3, which are approximately in the shape of a semicircle, are placed so that they overlap for some distance, allowing the holes 6 in both parts to coincide, after which the securing device is threaded through the holes 6 and pushed into the ground. The holes 6 are especially elongated, making installation easy, as the elongation of the holes helps them to meet, without very precise adjustment.

It is obvious, that a protective device according to the invention can be given many different shapes, without deviating in any way from the basic inventive concept. Thus, the alternation of the curved narrow section 8 and the broad section 7 can be given an angular shape, in which case the device will still operate exactly as described. The shape of the components of the device can be angular instead of curved and the size of the curve or angle can be as desired. One example of an angular shape is shown by the broken lines at the right-hand side of Figure 2b.

This being the case, it is even possible to make fences, using components with a particularly large radius, by linking a suitable number of components 6 in sequence. The fence can be a closed, ring-like construction or open. The construction is sturdy in itself, while the securing devices make it even more so. If necessary, the number of securing devices can be increased, as the device has advantageously holes in the outer jacket at other points than the places, for example, at which the two halves of the device are joined.

If a protective mat or similar is used on the surface of the ground to prevent weeds growing, the securing devices of a device according to the invention will not only secure the device to the ground, but also hold the protective mat or similar in place, as, in this case, they are pushed through the mat.

It is also obvious that the scope of the protection of the invention also covers an alternative with only one part enclosed by a jacket, if it otherwise conforms to the characteristics of the invention.

A device according to the invention can be manufactured to a desired circumference, but also length. The material of manufacture is especially a sheet material, like sheet plastic, which can be transparent, translucent or opaque. In addition, a reflecting or other special surface treatment can be applied. For example, for plants needing a great deal of heat or light, two halves can be used, one of transparent plastic and the other with a reflecting surface, which effectively reflects the heat and light of the sun onto the plant. On the other hand, if it is particularly desired to avoid excessive heat and light, the outer surface of a device according to the invention can be treated to reflect light.

Additional advantages of the invention, besides those above, include the fact that the expanding and contracting sections stiffen the construction excellently in one direction. The pin or rod, which, according to the inven- tion, is threaded through the holes, forms an excellent support in the other direction, so that the invention can be used to create an extremely rigid structure, suitable for many purposes requiring stiffness and an ability to 7 bear loads. Such structures are often made of sheet metal, which itself has excellent strength properties.

If the components of a device according to the invention are stacked on top of each other, they will fit into a very small space, resulting in low storage and transportation costs. A fence-like structure can also be simply rolled up, so that it can be easily and quickly secured again in the desired shape at the place of use.

Claims

8Claims

1. A protective device (1 ), for protecting plants, especially seedlings, against natural forces and smothering weeds, or a mould or similar device for enclosing material within it, or some other sheet-like structure, comprising a jacket surface, with holes (6) to receive elongated securing devices (4, 5), characterized in that the jacket surface has alternating narrowing and widening sections, so that the holes (6) penetrate the sections.

2. A device according to Claim 1 , characterized in that it is formed of at least two parts (2, 3) and that the securing device (4, 5) always runs through the holes (6) of two adjacent parts (2, 3) overlapping at their edges, securing the parts to each other.

3. A device according to Claim 2, characterized in that it is formed of two parts (2, 3) with a cross-sectional shape that it essentially a segment of a curve.

4. A device according to one of the above Claims, characterized in that the device is made from a plastic material and is possibly surface-treated.

5. A device according to one of the above Claims, characterized in that it is made from sheet metal.

6. A device according to Claim 5, characterized in that the device is formed of essentially flat metal plates, in which the longitudinal securing devices (4, 5) running through the holes (6) in the wider sections are intended to secure the plates to each other and possibly to the ground.

7. A device according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the narrowing and widening sections of the jacket surface form a corrugated shape. 9

8. A device according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the narrowing and widening sections of the jacket surface form triangular or otherwise angular protrusions in the jacket surface.

9. A device according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the overall shape of the holes (6) is elongated, to permit rapid installation under all circumstances.

10. A device according to Claim 1 , characterized in that, along the length of the device, there are also holes (6) at suitable intervals in the area between the edges.

11. A device according to one of the above Claims, characterized in that it forms a wall or similar comprising several plate-like sections.