Support for plants

Abstract

A plant support is assembled from a plurality of interchangeable parts that can be readily assembled together to form a complete plant assembly having a desired size, in either an open or closed configuration, and to readily permit disassembly for storage or reconfiguration of the support. The plant support may be made up of various horizontal and vertical members that are configured to readily attach and detach from one another in order to form supports in various shapes and sizes such as enclosures or trellis-type supports. The vertical members are stackable and held together or joined via one or more couplers that join an upper end of one vertical member with a lower end of another vertical member.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
         1 . A plant support assembly comprising:
 a plurality of supports configured to extend generally vertically from a support surface when disposed thereat, wherein said supports comprise upper end portions and lower end portions, and wherein each of said supports comprises a plurality of stop elements spaced therealong;   a coupler configured to join said upper end portion of one of said supports to said lower end portion of another of said supports;   a plurality of cross supports, said cross supports having end portions for engaging said supports between said stop elements;   wherein at least one of said end portions of each of said cross supports releasably engages one of said supports between adjacent ones of said stop elements, and wherein said stop elements are configured to limit movement of said cross support along said support; and   wherein, when assembled with said coupler joining respective upper and lower end portions together and with at least one cross support engaged with respective supports, said plant support assembly comprises at least two generally parallel support structures each comprising at least two individual supports coupled together by at least one respective coupler.   
     
     
         2 . The plant support assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said lower end portions of said supports are configured to penetrate a support surface comprising a soil material for supporting said assembly at the soil material. 
     
     
         3 . The plant support assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said coupler comprises a hollow cylindrical member. 
     
     
         4 . The plant support assembly of  claim 1 , wherein both of said end portions of each of said cross supports are configured to releasably engage respective ones of said supports. 
     
     
         5 . The plant support assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one of said end portions of said cross supports comprises an open-ended collar for receiving said supports. 
     
     
         6 . The plant support assembly of  claim 5 , wherein said open-ended collar comprises flexible opposed portions for receiving said generally vertical supports therebetween. 
     
     
         7 . The plant support assembly of  claim 6 , wherein said open-ended collar of said cross support comprises a pair of opposed legs defining a generally C-shaped opening, each of said legs having an outwardly-flared portion for guiding said support through said opening, and wherein said legs flex apart to receive said support when said cross support is urged toward said support, and then contract toward their initial state when said support is received in said C-shaped opening to releasably retain said support inside said C-shaped opening. 
     
     
         8 . The plant support assembly of  claim 7 , wherein said cross support comprises a portion that extends into said C-shaped opening and that is configured to engage one of said stop elements of said support to limit movement of said cross supports along said support. 
     
     
         9 . The plant support assembly of  claim 8 , wherein said stop elements comprise disc portions having diameters that are not greater than a diameter of the cross dimensions of said support between said disc portions. 
     
     
         10 . The plant support assembly of  claim 7 , wherein said stop elements comprise disc portions, and wherein the diameters of said disc portions are greater than a diameter of the cross dimensions of said support between said disc portions, and wherein said open-ended collar of said cross support engages and rests on said disc portion when said cross support is engaged with said support. 
     
     
         11 . A plant support assembly comprising:
 a plurality of supports configured to extend generally vertically from a support surface when disposed thereat, wherein said supports comprise upper end portions and lower end portions;   a coupler configured to join said upper end portion of one of said supports to said lower end portion of another of said supports;   a plurality of cross supports, said cross supports having end portions for engaging said supports;   wherein at least one of said end portions of each of said cross supports releasably engages one of said supports;   wherein, when said end portions of said cross support engage two spaced apart supports, said cross supports extend between the two spaced apart supports; and   wherein, when assembled with said coupler joining respective upper and lower end portions of two vertically adjacent supports together and with at least one cross support engaged with respective spaced apart supports, said plant support assembly comprises at least two generally parallel support structures each comprising at least two individual supports coupled together by at least one respective coupler.   
     
     
         12 . The plant support assembly of  claim 11 , wherein said coupler comprises a hollow cylindrical member. 
     
     
         13 . The plant support assembly of  claim 11 , wherein said coupler is integrally formed at said upper end portion of said support, and wherein an end of said coupler comprises a hollow cylindrical member configured to receive a lower end portion of another support therein. 
     
     
         14 . The plant support assembly of  claim 11 , wherein both of said end portions of each of said cross supports are configured to releasably engage a respective one of said supports. 
     
     
         15 . The plant support assembly of  claim 14 , wherein both of said end portions of said cross supports comprise respective open-ended generally C-shaped collars for receiving said supports when said end portions are releasably engaged with said supports. 
     
     
         16 . The plant support assembly of  claim 11 , wherein said at least one of said end portions of said cross supports comprises an open-ended collar for receiving said supports. 
     
     
         17 . The plant support assembly of  claim 16 , wherein said open-ended collar of said cross support comprises a pair of opposed legs defining a generally C-shaped opening, each of said legs having an outwardly-flared portion for guiding said support through said opening, and wherein said legs flex apart to receive said support when said cross support is urged toward said support, and then contract toward their initial state when said support is received in said C-shaped opening to releasably retain said support inside said C-shaped opening. 
     
     
         18 . A plant support assembly comprising:
 first, second, third and fourth supports, wherein said supports each comprise upper end portions and lower end portions;   a coupler configured to join said upper end portion of said first support to said lower end portion of said second support;   another coupler configured to join said upper end portion of said third support to said lower end portion of said fourth support;   a plurality of cross supports, said cross supports having end portions for engaging said supports;   wherein said end portions of each of said cross supports are configured to releasably engage a respective one of said supports;   wherein said first and second supports are spaced apart from said third and fourth supports and one of said end portions of one of said cross supports engages one of said first and second supports and another of said end portions of one of said cross supports engages one of said third and fourth supports; and   wherein, when assembled with said couplers joining said first and second supports together and said third and fourth supports together, and with at least one cross support engaged with the spaced apart supports, said plant support assembly comprises at least two generally parallel support structures comprising at least two individual supports coupled together by at least one coupler.   
     
     
         19 . The plant support assembly of  claim 18 , wherein said coupler comprises a hollow cylindrical member. 
     
     
         20 . The plant support assembly of  claim 18 , wherein said couplers are integrally formed at said upper end portions of said first and third supports, and wherein an end of said coupler comprises a hollow cylindrical member configured to receive said lower end portions of a respective one of said second and fourth supports therein. 
     
     
         21 . The plant support assembly of  claim 18 , wherein said end portions of said cross supports comprise respective open-ended generally C-shaped collars for receiving said supports when said end portions are releasably engaged with said supports.