Method and container for growing transplantable plants
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
A01G-013/02
A01G-009/02
B65D-085/50
출원번호
US-0446987
(2003-05-28)
등록번호
US-7481025
(2009-01-27)
발명자
/ 주소
Whitcomb,Carl
출원인 / 주소
Lacebark, Inc.
대리인 / 주소
Streets,Jeffrey L.
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
0인용 특허 :
22
초록▼
An apparatus bounds and retains the medium in which a transplantable plant is grown, and promotes the production of lateral root tips by such a plant at all levels in the growth medium. The apparatus includes a sheet having a plurality of hollow protuberances formed with proximal protuberance openin
An apparatus bounds and retains the medium in which a transplantable plant is grown, and promotes the production of lateral root tips by such a plant at all levels in the growth medium. The apparatus includes a sheet having a plurality of hollow protuberances formed with proximal protuberance openings that communicate with distal protuberance openings. The protuberances provide pathways that mimic the natural tendency of the plant roots, so as to decrease the likelihood of the root tips evading the protuberances and promote root-tip growth towards the distal protuberance openings whereby air-root pruning is assured.
대표청구항▼
What is claimed is: 1. An apparatus, comprising: a plant container including a sidewall formed by a sheet having a plurality of hollow outwardly extending protuberances; each of the protuberances having a proximal opening in communication with a distal opening, a center of the proximal opening bein
What is claimed is: 1. An apparatus, comprising: a plant container including a sidewall formed by a sheet having a plurality of hollow outwardly extending protuberances; each of the protuberances having a proximal opening in communication with a distal opening, a center of the proximal opening being positioned higher than a center of the distal opening when the sheet is positioned vertically, wherein the proximal opening of each protuberance is larger than the distal opening. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sheet is flexible and adapted to be formed in a generally arcuate shape. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sheet is adapted to be formed in a generally cylindrical shape, and further comprising a fastener to secure the edges of the sheet together when formed in the generally cylindrical shape. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sheet is seamlessly formed in a generally cylindrical shape. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of protuberances form a lattice over at least a substantial portion of the sheet. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the plurality of protuberances are arranged in a close-packed configuration. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sheet defines a plane in which a portion of each of the protuberances lie. 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the sheet defines a plane in which the proximal opening of each of the protuberances lie. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sheet has an inner face and an outer face, the inner face defining the plane and the outer face bearing the plurality of protuberances. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the protuberances narrows from the proximal opening to the distal opening. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each of the protuberances narrows in a substantially linear fashion. 12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each of the protuberances narrows in a substantially curvilinear fashion. 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the proximal opening is substantially rectangular in shape. 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the proximal opening is substantially circular in shape. 15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the proximal opening is irregular in shape. 16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the distal opening is substantially rectangular in shape. 17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the distal opening is substantially circular in shape. 18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the distal opening is irregular in shape. 19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the protuberances has a lower profile that is substantially horizontal. 20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sheet defines a plane in which a portion of each of the protuberances lies, and each of the protuberances has a lower profile that slopes upwardly at an angle that exceeds 90 degrees measured from the plane. 21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sheet defines a plane in which a portion of each of the protuberances lies, and each of the protuberances has an upper profile that slopes downwardly at an angle in the range of approximately 110 to 150 degrees measured from the plane. 22. An apparatus for containing a plant, comprising: a sheet adapted to be formed in a generally cylindrical side wall and having a plurality of hollow protuberances; each of the protuberances having a proximal opening in communication with a distal opening and generally depending downwardly and outwardly when the sheet is positioned vertically, wherein the proximal opening is larger than the distal opening. 23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the sheet is flexible. 24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising a fastener to secure the edges of the sheet together when formed in the generally cylindrical shape. 25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the sheet is seamlessly formed in the generally cylindrical shape. 26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the plurality of protuberances form a lattice over at least a substantial portion of the sheet. 27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the plurality of protuberances are arranged in a close-packed configuration. 28. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the sheet defines a plane in which a portion of each of the protuberances lie. 29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the sheet defines a plane in which proximal opening of each of the protuberances lie. 30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the sheet has an inner face and an outer face, the inner face defining the plane and the outer face bearing the plurality of protuberances. 31. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein each of the protuberances narrows from the proximal opening to the distal opening. 32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein each of the protuberances narrows in a substantially linear fashion. 33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein each of the protuberances narrows in a substantially curvilinear fashion. 34. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the proximal opening is substantially rectangular in shape. 35. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the proximal opening is substantially circular in shape. 36. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the proximal opening is irregular in shape. 37. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the distal opening is substantially rectangular in shape. 38. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the distal opening is substantially circular in shape. 39. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the distal opening is irregular in shape. 40. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein each of the protuberances has a lower profile that is substantially horizontal. 41. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the sheet defines a plane in which a portion of each of the protuberances lies, and each of the protuberances has a lower profile that slopes upwardly at an angle that exceeds 90 degrees measured from the plane. 42. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the sheet defines a plane in which a portion of each of the protuberances lies, and each of the protuberances has a upper profile that slopes downwardly at an angle in the range of approximately 110 to 150 degrees measured from the plane. 43. An apparatus for promoting air-root pruning of a plant, comprising: a sheet adapted to be formed in a generally cylindrical shape wall and having a plurality of hollow, root-directing protuberances; each of the protuberances having an inner opening in communication with an outer opening and generally depending downwardly and outwardly when the side wall sheet is positioned vertically, wherein the inner openings is larger than the outer opening; whereby the roots of a plant positioned in a growth medium within the sheet, when formed in the generally cylindrical side wall, are directed through the inner and outer openings of at least one protuberance into open air outside the sheet, inhibiting growth of exposed tips of the roots. 44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the sheet is flexible. 45. The apparatus of claim 44, further comprising a fastener to secure the edges of the joined sheet together when formed in the generally cylindrical shape. 46. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the sheet is seamlessly formed in the generally cylindrical shape. 47. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the plurality of protuberances form a lattice over at least a substantial portion of the sheet. 48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the plurality of protuberances are arranged in a close-packed configurations. 49. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the sheet defines a plane in which a portion of each of the protuberances lie. 50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the sheet defines a plane in which the inner opening of each of the protuberances lie. 51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the sheet has an inner face and an outer face, the inner face defining the plane and the outer face bearing the plurality of protuberances. 52. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the sheet is formed in the generally cylindrical shape by joining edges of the sheet together. 53. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the edges of the sheet are joined together by overlapping one of the edges over the other of the edges, and securing the one edge over the other edge substantially along a length of the edges. 54. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the sheet is formed in the generally cylindrical shape by joining edges of the sheet together via overlapping one of the edges over the other of the edges, and securing the one edge over the other edge substantially along a length of the edges, the overlapping of the edges being guided by the engagement of root-directing protuberances in the lattice region adjacent the one edge with root-directing protuberances in the lattice region adjacent the other edge. 55. The apparatus of claim 54, wherein the sheet defines a plane in which a portion of each of the root-directing protuberances lies, and each of the root-directing protuberances has a lower profile that slopes upwardly at an angle that exceeds 90 degrees measured from the plane, thereby facilitating the engagement by stacking of the root-directing protuberances, one-over-the-other, as the edges overlap. 56. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the edges of the sheet are joined together by making tip mortise and tenon joints formed in the edges. 57. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the sheet is comprised of a thin, plastic material. 58. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein each of the protuberances narrows from the inner opening to the outer opening. 59. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein each of the protuberances narrows in a substantially linear fashion. 60. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein each of the protuberances narrows in a substantially curvilinear fashion. 61. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the inner opening is substantially rectangular in shape. 62. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the inner opening is substantially circular in shape. 63. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the inner opening is substantially irregular in shape. 64. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the outer opening is substantially rectangular in shape. 65. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the outer opening is substantially circular in shape. 66. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the outer opening is substantially irregular in shape. 67. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein each of the protuberances has a lower profile that is substantially horizontal. 68. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the sheet defines a plane in which a portion of each of the protuberances lies, and each of the protuberances has a lower profile that slopes upwardly at an angle that exceeds 90 degrees measured from the plane. 69. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the sheet defines a plane in which a portion of each of the protuberances lies, and each of the protuberances has a upper profile that slopes downwardly at an angle in the range of approximately 110 to 150 degrees measured from the plane. 70. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the downwardly and outwardly depending protuberances are disposed at an angle that mimics that natural downward and outward growth tendency of the plant roots. 71. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sheet further comprises additional protuberances that have a different angle, shape or size than the plurality of protuberances. 72. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the sheet further comprises additional protuberances that have a different angle, shape or size than the plurality of protuberances. 73. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the sheet further comprises additional protuberances that have a different angle, shape or size than the plurality of protuberances.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (22)
Whitcomb Carl E. (Stillwater OK), Air-root-pruning container.
Whitcomb Carl E. (Rte. 5 ; Box 174 Stillwater OK 74074) Stephens Harold D. (P.O. Box 506 Jenks OK 74037), Method and container for growing transplantable plants.
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