US 11,751,517 B1
Tree and/or agricultural sapling protector
John R. Frangakis, Hermitage, PA (US); Alan Mickle, Ball Ground, GA (US); George Silagyi, Bel Air, MD (US); and Brandy Hammerschmidt, Greenville, PA (US)
Assigned to Reynolds Services, Inc., Greenville, PA (US)
Filed by Reynolds Services, Inc., Greenville, PA (US)
Filed on Feb. 20, 2018, as Appl. No. 15/900,012.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/461,340, filed on Feb. 21, 2017.
Int. Cl. A01G 13/02 (2006.01)
CPC A01G 13/0243 (2013.01) [A01G 13/0237 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sapling protector comprising:
a) a truncated cone-shaped metal tube having first and second ends and a longitudinally extending axis,
wherein the truncated cone-shaped metal tube is open at both ends,
wherein the diameter of the opening of the first end is larger than the diameter of the opening of the second end, and
wherein the truncated cone-shaped metal tube is formed from a flexible metal sheet, the flexible metal sheet comprising first and second transverse edges and first and second longitudinal edges such that the flexible metal sheet forms the truncated cone-shaped metal tube when the first longitudinal edge is joined to the second longitudinal edge, the first transverse edge defining the diameter of the opening of the first end; and
b) at least one fastener securing the first and second longitudinal edges of the metal sheet to form the truncated cone-shaped tube,
wherein the flexible metal sheet comprises at least one of electrolytic tinplate or electrolytic chromium coated steel,
wherein the truncated cone-shaped metal tube comprises a first region having no perforations and extending at least 15.24 cm (6 inches) from the first transverse edge and a second region extending from the first region to the second transverse edge and comprising a plurality of perforations, and
wherein the longitudinal edges and transverse edges of the metal sheet are hemmed; and
c) a support oriented parallel to the longitudinally extending axis and attached to the truncated cone-shaped metal tube by a plurality of support fasteners, wherein a length of each support fastener varies along the longitudinally extending axis, and a lower most support fastener of the plurality of support fasteners is attached to a first row of the plurality of perforations following the first region.