Wire cage for nursery items

• US 6,895,712 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2001
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cherokee Manufacturing, LLC
• Original Assignee: Cherokee Manufacturing, Inc.
• Inventors: Gunderman, John R., Gunderman, Jerry E., Hollenbeck, George Wendell, Gunderman, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gellner, Jeffrey L.
• Application Number:
  US09/930,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20030033750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 47/45, 47/44, 47/47, 47/39, 248/27.8, 211/85.18, 211/85.21, 211/85.22, 211/85.23
• US Class Current: 47/39
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/12 Supports for plants; Trellis for strawberries or the like trellis-work for vines A01G17/06; stays for trees, props for vines A01G17/14
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 7/025 Flower-pot stabilisers, i.e. means to prevent flower-pots from tipping over

Abstract

A wire plant cage comprises a matrix of interconnected vertical and horizontal wire members to support a plant and to accommodate plant growth. The wire plant cage has an upper ring and lower ring connected to at least one leg adapted to provide support for the wire plant cage and engage the ground. A ledge, shaped so as to permit application of a downward force by a plant cage user, is formed on each leg to facilitate ground engagement without damage to the ring-leg connections. Loops formed on the top of the legs provide a mechanism for pulling the plant cage out of the ground and handling the cage. The plant cage is shaped so as to provide support to plants growing out of the ground and to support plant containers that are placed within the plant cage interior. The present invention is shaped to facilitate the stacking of a plurality of the plant cages for storage.

Claims

1. A stackable container stabilizer comprising:

an upper ring;

a lower ring having a larger diameter than the upper ring;

at least one leg attached to the upper ring and lower ring, the at least one leg adapted to support the upper ring and lower ring and engage the ground, the at least one leg comprising a ledge shaped so as to permit application of a downward force by a plant support user to insert a portion of the plant support into the ground, the ledge defined by a bend in said at least one leg, the ledge located below the position where the lower ring attaches to the at least one leg;

wherein said at least one leg is an elongated U-shaped member comprising a closed end and an open end defined by two portions of the U-shaped member;

the upper ring is attached to said at least one leg proximate the closed end such that a loop is formed above the upper ring by the closed end of the at least one leg;

the ends of the two portions of the U-shaped member are adapted to engage the ground; and

the container stabilizer shaped to enclose plants and support plant containers by inserting a plant container into the interior volume of the wire structure, wherein the plant container is supported above the ground by the wire structure.

2. The stackable container stabilizer of claim 1 wherein at least one ring is located between the upper ring and lower ring and attached to said at least one leg.

3. The stackable container stabilizer of claim 1 wherein the plant support is made of wire.

4. The stackable container stabilizer of claim 3 wherein the at least one leg is attached to the upper ring and lower ring by any one of the group consisting of weld, solder, wrap, and epoxy.

5. The stackable container stabilizer of claim 3 wherein the wire is made of a galvanized metal.

6. The stackable container stabilizer of claim 1 wherein the plant support is made of plastic.

7. The stackable container stabilizer of claim 1 wherein the ledge is defined by a bend in the two portions of the U-shaped member.

8. The stackable container stabilizer of claim 1 wherein the upper ring and lower ring are shaped so as to permit insertion of a plant container within the plant support, and upper ring adapted to engage a portion of the plant container.

9. A method for using a wire structure as both a supporting structure for plants and plant containers comprising:

providing a wire structure centered about a vertical axis, the wire structure having;

at least two parallel rings vertically spaced and horizontally disposed connected to at least two U-shaped legs extending downwardly from said rings, the wire structure defining an interior volume;

a ledge formed on at least one of said legs for securement of the wire structure; and

at least one loop formed by the connection of one of said legs and one of said rings for removal and transport of the wire structure;

wherein the at least two rings include an upper ring and a lower ring, the lower ring having a larger diameter than the upper ring, the upper and lower ring shaped so as to facilitate the stacking of a plurality of wire structures, and to accommodate the insertion of a plant container within the structure, the upper ring engaging a portion of the plant container;

inserting the legs into the ground for using the wire structure as a support for plants, wherein a downward force is applied to the ledge by a wire structure user to insert the legs into the ground without causing damage to leg-to-ring connections of the wire structure;

pulling up on said at least one loop to remove and transport the wire structure when the wire structure is not in use; and

inserting a plant container into the interior volume of the wire structure, wherein the plant container is supported above the ground by the wire structure.

10. The method according to claim 9 further comprising inserting the legs into the ground for using the wire structure as a support for plants, wherein a downward force is applied to the ledge and said at least one loop by a wire structure user to insert the legs into the ground without causing damage to leg-to-ring connections of the wire structure.