IE68046B1 - Plant support with integral ties - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a stake for plants with incorporated ties. The state consists of an elongated upright (1), preferably made from metal, comprising one or more external and longitudinal grooves (2) having, in cross-section, the general shape of a dovetail (3) in which are inserted double ties (4) forming fasteners, and completed by a tip (7) and a cap (6), preferably made from plastic. The invention applies principally to gardening, horticulture, etc. <IMAGE>

Description

PLANT SUPPORT WITH INTEGRAL TIES The invention relates to a plant support with integral ties.

From French Patent Specification No. 2 572 250, supports equipped with integral ties are known; however in this case, the ties are situated at predetermined positions along the length of the support and are of a predetermined length. Thus they cannot be adapted to the morphology and the volume of the plant to be supported.

Also CA-A-897 966 discloses a plant support comprising a hollow upright provided with a pot and local apertures in the form of keyholes in which enlarged parts of the ties engage. The ties therefore have a position determined in relation to the height of the plant.

The invention proposes to resolve this difficulty. The support according to the invention is therefore formed by an upright of elongate form, comprising one or several external and longitudinal grooves, having in cross-section the general shape of a dovetail, that is to say, grooves in which the dimension of the opening is smaller than that of the body of the groove. In each groove are introduced ties in the form of double ties forming an attachment of an appropriate flexible material. Their total number may be as many as six. The support is then completed by a cap at its top portion and a point at its bottom portion, these two elements being detachable and possibly having the same external shape.

The point obviously permits driving the support into the ground, with a reduced effort.

In a general embodiment, the upright is a solid bar or a thick-walled tube. However, it is also possible to form such a support by providing a slit in a thin-walled tubular section, the hollow portion of the tube then playing the part of the body of the external grooves. The upright may be manufactured from any material whatsoever which is sufficiently resistant and resilient; however, it is preferably that it be formed from a metal or an appropriate alloy and in preference from aluminium or its alloys. It may be of any cross-section whatsoever, but preferably simple geometric shapes such as round, square, etc. are adopted. The ties are formed from materials generally used in gardening such as metal wire, raffia, plastics, plastics reinforced with a metallic wire, etc. Their length is adapted to the volume and to the morphology of the plant to ft) be supported. The double tie is provided in its central portion with a knot or a kink forming an excrescence (outward protrusion), which permits their insertion with little friction and their retention in the grooves; they may then be easily displaced along the upright, and they will stay there in place. The opening of each groove is generally between one and two times the thickness or the diameter of the strands. Of course, the outer surface of the upright may be rough or coated with an appropriate coating (paint, lacquer, etc.). The cap and the point which are of plastics material preferably have a cylindro-conical shape; they prevent the ties from accidentally escaping from the upright during transport, storage, sale, etc.

The methods of manufacture for the supports according to the invention are principally extrusion for the solid or thick tubular uprights; for the thin tubular uprights, only comprising a slit, longitudinal rolling of a metal strip is generally preferred, as a result of its ease of manufacture and lower cost.

The invention will be better understood by means of the following examples of embodiments, illustrated by Figures 1 to 4.

Figure 1 shows the view in elevation, with partial sectioning at one end, of a support according to the invention.

Figure 2 shows a cross-section of the support of Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows the cross-section of another version of the support according to the invention.

Figures 4a and 4b show two embodiments of the central outward protrusion of a double tie.

In Figure 1, the body of the support is formed by an upright 1 of circular cross-section comprising longitudinal grooves 4 (only one being shown), whose cross-section, in the form of a T, apparent in Figure 2. Into this groove are slid the ties 4 comprising a kinked portion 5a or a knot 5b, preferably substantially at their centre. In this embodiment, the upright is formed from extruded alloy 6060 (according to the designation of the Aluminium Association).

The upright has, at each of its ends, on the one hand a fitted cap 6, and on the other hand a fitted point 7, whose shape is cylindro-conical. This cap and this point are formed from polypropylene and comprise a connecting portion 8 of complementary shape to the end of the upright 1.

In another type of embodiment, the upright may have the annular shape indicated by reference 9 (broken line) in Figure 2.

The length and the diameter (or transverse dimension or dimensions) of the upright are adapted to the plants to be supported.

By way of example, the lengths may vary from 0.60 to 2.5 m and the diameters from 6 to 14 mm. The width of the opening 2 is generally between 0.5 and 1 mm. The length of the ties is adapted to the plants to be supported; it is generally between 0.10 and 0.20 m.

By way of example, a support according to Figure 3 has the following characteristics: Diameter : 10 mm, opening : 0.7 mm , thickness : 1 mm.

The support according to the invention offers the following advantages over prior art supports: - Ease of manufacturing and low cost price.

- The possibility of adapting the number, the position and the length of the ties to the morphology and to the volume of the plant or the plants to be supported.

- The possibility of supporting several plants on one single support.

The use of an upright of metal or alloy also provides the following advantages: - Durability compared with wood.

- Freedom from aging and resilience compared with plastics materials.

Furthermore, aluminium and its alloys are not subject to rusting and are of light weight.

Claims (10)

1. Plant stake with integral ties with protrusions, comprising an upright of an elongated shape, with a tapering point and at least one longitudinal external groove which in cross-section has an opening of a size which is smaller than the body of the groove and in which the protrusion of the ties engages, characterised in that this groove extends to the extremities of the upright and in that the stake has a tapering cap and a point which interlock with the extremities of said upright.

2. Stake according to claim 1, characterised in that the stake comprises up to δ grooves.

3. Stake according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the upright is a solid bar.

4. Stake according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the upright is a tube with a thick wall.

5. Stake according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterised in that the upright is a thin tube which is virtually closed.

6. Stake according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the cap and the point are shaped as cone-ended cylinders.

7. Stake according to one of claims 1 to δ, characterised in that the cap and the point are identical.

8. Stake according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the upright is metallic.

9. Stake according to claim 7, characterised in that the upright is made of Al or one of the alloys thereof.

10. Stake according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the cap and the point are made of plastics material.