US4993184A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Heart shaped, free standing, living horticultural plants
Assignee: P W Chisholm Inc
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Filing: 1990-08-13
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Granted: 1991-02-19
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Expires: 2010-08-13
Abstract
Abstract A heart-shaped, free standing, living plant comprises at least two living plants, a left plant and a right plant, formed into opposed lobes forming the heart configuration. Each plant comprises a root end, an intermediate trunk section and a foliage end. The root ends are secured together and the intermediate trunk sections form the left lobe and right lobe respectively. The foliage ends extend laterally outwardly from the downwardly depending intermediate trunk sections to form a foliage midsection of the heart-shaped plant. A support means is provided during the initial growing period wherein the heart-shaped plant is permanently formed. Thereafter, the support means can be removed to form a free-standing, unsupported living plant.
Inventors
- 👤 Gene L. Howe
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 10:30
CPC Classifications
A; A01; A01G; A01G9/00; A01G9/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
140 words
A free-standing, growing, horticultural plant formed into a heart-shaped plant, comprising: at least two living plants providing a left plant and a right plant, each plant having a lower root end, an intermediate trunk section, and a foliage end, the root ends of each plant secured together and disposed in ground, each intermediate trunk extending upwardly and bowed outwardly forming an upper arcuate bend, each intermediate trunk further extending downwardly and inwardly to form lobe configurations of the heart-shaped plant where the left plant forms the left lobe and the right plant forms the right lobe, where the left and right trunks meet at an internal midsection of the heart-shaped plant, the foliage end of each plant directed laterally outwardly and disposed between the upper lobes and the lower roots of the heart-shaped plant to form a lateral foliage area.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
140 words
A free-standing, growing, horticultural plant formed into a heart-shaped plant, comprising: at least two living plants providing a left plant and a right plant, each plant having a lower root end, an intermediate trunk section, and a foliage end, the root ends of each plant secured together and disposed in ground, each intermediate trunk extending upwardly and bowed outwardly forming an upper arcuate bend, each intermediate trunk further extending downwardly and inwardly to form lobe configurations of the heart-shaped plant where the left plant forms the left lobe and the right plant forms the right lobe, where the left and right trunks meet at an internal midsection of the heart-shaped plant, the foliage end of each plant directed laterally outwardly and disposed between the upper lobes and the lower roots of the heart-shaped plant to form a lateral foliage area.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
13 words
The horticultural heart-shaped plant of claim 1 where the root ends are crossed.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
The horticultural heart-shaped plant of claim 2 where the root ends are crossed and tied.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
The horticultural heart-shaped plant of claim 1 where the intermediate trunks are secured together where the downwardly depending left trunk meets the right trunk at an internal midsection of the heart-shaped plant.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
49 words
The horticultural heart-shaped plant of claim 1 where the laterally disposed foliage of the left plant is secured to the outwardly bowed trunk section of the left plant and the laterally disposed foliage of the right plant is secured to the outwardly bowed trunk section of the right plant.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
36 words
The heart-shaped plant of claim 5 where the laterally disposed foliage is located in a midsection of the heart-shaped plant located at a vertical distance of about two-thirds of the vertical height of the heart-shaped plant.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
The heart-shaped plant of claim 6 where the foliage extends laterally beyond the outwardly bowed left and right trunks forming the left and right lobes.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
The horticultural heart-shaped plant of claim 1 where the foliage of the left plant and the foliage of the right plant forms a continuous lateral foliage at a vertical midsection of the heart-shaped plant.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
34 words
The horticultural heart-shaped plant of claim 1 where the lateral foliage of the left plant and lateral foliage of the right plant are trimmed in the shape of an arrow traversing the heart-shaped plant.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
The horticultural heart-shaped plant of claim 9 where the lateral foliages comprise continuous lateral foliage.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
15 words
The horticultural heart-shaped plant of claim 1 disposed in and growing within a growing container.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
The horticultural heart-shaped plant of claim 1 where the left plant is a specie plant different than the specie of the right plant.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
39 words
The heart-shaped plant of claim 1 where the plants are assembled and supported by an exterior support means during an initial growing period to form a permanent heart-shaped plant and the support is removed after the initial growing period.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
The heart-shaped plant of claim 1 where the intermediate trunk section of the left plant and the right plant are trimmed of foliage.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
217 words
A method of growing a free-standing, heart-shaped horticultural plant comprising: providing a support means for supporting the heart-shaped plant during the initial growing period; providing at least two living plants comprising a left plant and right plant, each plant having a lower root end, an intermediate trunk section, and a foliage end; securing the root ends of the left plant and the right plant together while securing said root ends to the support means; bowing each intermediate trunk section outwardly and forming an upper left arcuate bend and an upper right arcuate bend, forming extending each said intermediate trunk sections downwardly and inwardly and further securing to said support means where both said intermediate trunk sections meet internally in a midsection of the heart-shaped plant to form lobe configurations where the left plant forms the left lobe and the right plant forms a right lobe; directing the foliage end of each plant laterally outwardly where the foliage of the left plant is directed left and secured to the outwardly bowed left trunk section and the foliage of the right trunk is directed right and is secured to the outwardly bowed right trunk section to form a midsection lateral foliage area of the heart-shaped plant; and inserting the roots and lowermost end of the support in growing soil.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
217 words
A method of growing a free-standing, heart-shaped horticultural plant comprising: providing a support means for supporting the heart-shaped plant during the initial growing period; providing at least two living plants comprising a left plant and right plant, each plant having a lower root end, an intermediate trunk section, and a foliage end; securing the root ends of the left plant and the right plant together while securing said root ends to the support means; bowing each intermediate trunk section outwardly and forming an upper left arcuate bend and an upper right arcuate bend, forming extending each said intermediate trunk sections downwardly and inwardly and further securing to said support means where both said intermediate trunk sections meet internally in a midsection of the heart-shaped plant to form lobe configurations where the left plant forms the left lobe and the right plant forms a right lobe; directing the foliage end of each plant laterally outwardly where the foliage of the left plant is directed left and secured to the outwardly bowed left trunk section and the foliage of the right trunk is directed right and is secured to the outwardly bowed right trunk section to form a midsection lateral foliage area of the heart-shaped plant; and inserting the roots and lowermost end of the support in growing soil.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 15 where the support means comprises a T-shaped support having a vertical member for insertion into a growing soil and an upper horizontal member.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 16 where the work surface comprises a pegboard containing a plurality of pegs adapted to maintain the support means secure and prevent free movement of the support means.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 17 where the pegboard includes a plurality of pegs for engaging and maintaining in place the uppermost arcuate sections of each lobe.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 16 where the horizontal member contains an extender for engaging the outwardly bowed intermediate trunk sections to prevent movement of said intermediate trunk sections.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
53 words
The method of claim 15 where a working surface is provided for supporting the supporting means, where said working surface includes a lower edge, and the root ends overhang and extend beyond the lower edge of the work surface and are secured to the lower end of the vertical member of the support.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
183 words
A method of growing a free-standing, heart-shaped horticultural plant comprising: providing a support means for supporting the heart-shaped plant during the initial growing period; providing at least two living plants comprising a left plant and right plant, each plant having a lower root end, an intermediate trunk section, and a foliage end; securing the root ends of the left plant and the right plant together while securing said root ends to the support means; bowing each intermediate trunk section outwardly and forming an upper left arcuate bend and an upper right arcuate bend, further extending each said intermediate trunk sections downwardly and inwardly and further securing to said support means where both said intermediate trunk sections meet internally in a midsection of the heart-shaped plant to form lobe configurations where the left plant forms the left lobe and the right plant forms a right lobe; directing the foliage end of each plant laterally outwardly and securing the left foliage and the right foliage to the horizontal member of the support means; inserting the roots and lowermost end of the support in growing soil.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
183 words
A method of growing a free-standing, heart-shaped horticultural plant comprising: providing a support means for supporting the heart-shaped plant during the initial growing period; providing at least two living plants comprising a left plant and right plant, each plant having a lower root end, an intermediate trunk section, and a foliage end; securing the root ends of the left plant and the right plant together while securing said root ends to the support means; bowing each intermediate trunk section outwardly and forming an upper left arcuate bend and an upper right arcuate bend, further extending each said intermediate trunk sections downwardly and inwardly and further securing to said support means where both said intermediate trunk sections meet internally in a midsection of the heart-shaped plant to form lobe configurations where the left plant forms the left lobe and the right plant forms a right lobe; directing the foliage end of each plant laterally outwardly and securing the left foliage and the right foliage to the horizontal member of the support means; inserting the roots and lowermost end of the support in growing soil.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1994-02-18 | 1994-08-20 | 1995-02-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-02-18 | 1998-08-20 | 1999-02-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-02-18 | 2002-08-20 | 2003-02-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |