Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to shields for protecting
trees especially city trees.
5 BACKGROUND OF THE I VENT I ON
In cities located in northern. climates, the trees must
be protected against damage by moving vehicles and more
particularly, snow-clearing plows during the winter-time. It is
standard practice to secure a plurality of upright wooden two-by-
fours by means of metallic straps and clips around the tree trunk
- just before the start of the winter season and to remove the same
in the spring. This is a time-consuming operation and,
furthermore, the two by-four are often stolen for use as fuel.
Due to the longitudinal rigidity of the two-by-fours, they often
damage the roots of a young tree when impacted.
It is also standard practice to protect the tree trunk
of young trees with a metallic shield formed of upright metal
slats interconnected by rings. Such metallic shields are often
distorted or broken by passing vehicles and they are time-
consuming to repair. Also, their upkeep is expensive because since they are made of steel, they mutt be painted every year or
so .
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore the general object of the invention to
provide a shield for trees which will obviate the above-noted
disadvantages in that they are especially arranged to protect
tree trunlcs against snow plow and the like.
It is an object of the invention to provide such
shields mainly made of rubber reclaimed from used tires, which
may be reinforced with fibers, if desired, resulting in a
protector which cannot be damaged and has a minimum of upkeep and
yet will efficiently protect a tree trunk against impact.
Another object of the invention is to provide a shield
of the character described, especially adapted for young trees in
that it spacedly surrounds the tree, so as to permit tree growth
and to better protect the same and its roots against snow plows
and the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The shield of the invention is or protecting against
impact trees as found on city streets. It comprises at least one
flexible generally rectangular sheet, mainly containing rubber
reclaimed from used tires and having a thickness of at least one-
half inch. The sheets are preferably provided with at least one
transverse row of vertical openings to increase the transverse
flexibility of the sheet, so that it can. be wrapped around a tree
trunk while having a maximum sheet thickness for proper
resistance to impact. In one embodiment, the bottom portion of
each sheet is also provided with integral tongues adapted to
plead apart, so as to enclose the protruding roots ox the tree
surrounded by the sheets. The tongues are separated by slits
I
which are longitudinally aligned with the openings. The slits
also increase the transverse flexibility of the sheet.
In a second embodiment, especially for small trees, one
sheet is kept in a cylindrical shape with the lateral edges of
the sheet abutting against each other by means of rigid straps
which ore tightened against the curved sheet spacedly from the
top to the bottom of the sheet to provide intermediate sheet
zones in which the sheet forms bulges, these bulges preferably
provided with rows of openings.
BY I EN DE S OR I PUT I ON OF TO E DRAW I NO S
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of
the tree shield in position around a mature tree trunk;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment
of the tree shield in position around the trunk of a young tree;
Figure 3 is a plan section taken along line 3-3 of
Figure l;
Figure 4 is a plan section taken along line 4-4 of
. Figure 2;
Figure 5 it a perspective view of the rigid band used
for securing the sheet in the embodiment of Figure 2;
Figure 6 it an elevation ox one the sheets used in
Figure l;
Figure 7 is an elevation ox the sheet used in Figure 2;
. 25 Figure 8 is a partial vertical section taken along line
8-8 of Figure 6; and
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Figure 9 is an enlarged elevation talc en within circle 9
of Figure 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The ~1rst embodiment of thy tree shield is used for
mature trees and is shown in Figures 1, 3, 6 and 8. A sheet 10,
of substantially uniform thickness, for instance between one-half
inch and one inch and mainly containing rubber reclaimed from
used tires, with or without reinforcing fibers, is used to make
the shield. Mach sheet is of rectangular shape, having a bottom
edge 12, a top edge 14, and side edges 16. Top edge 14 may be
straight but is preferably a decrypter edge, as shown. The
sheet 10 is provided with a transverse row of vertically-
disposed, elongated openings 18, which are of rectangular shape
but preferably with rounded ends 20, said openings being
generally parallel to the side edges 16. The bottom portion of
the sheet is provided with a series of vertically-extending slits
22 originating at the bottom edge 12 anal terminating below the
lower ends of the openings 18, being vertically aligned with
these opening 18. These slits define there between a series of
tongues 24 depending at their top end from sheet 10. The tongues
24 are f fee to spread apart, as shown in Figure 1. Between the
top ends of openings 18 and the top edge 14, there is defined a
first opening free zone 26, and between the lower ends of the
openings 18 and the top ends of slits 22, there is formed an
intermediate opening free zone 28. Preferably, as shown in
Figure 8, the outer surface 30 of each sheet 10 is wormed for
decorative purposes with integrally-molded round bosses or
pimples 32 equally spaced all over the outer surface 30.
As shown in Figures 1 and 3, for a large diameter tree
S trunk A, two or more sheets 10 are wrapped around the tree trunk
directly against the tree trunk bark B and held it position by
means ox thin flexible metal straps 34 tightly attached by
conventional clips 36. As shown, the side edges 16 of the sheets
10 are in direct abutment forming butt joints. The straps 34 are
applied against the opening free Jones 26 and 28. Preferably, in
zone 28, there are two traps 34 respectively disposed at the top
and bottom of the zone adjacent the bottom edge of the openings
18 and top edges of slits 22, respectively disposed at the top
and bottom of the zone adjacent the bottom edges of the openings
18 and top edge of slits 22, respectively. The sheets 10, being
made of rubber, are compressible to a certain extent and form a
hock absorbing means to resist impact ox a stow plow or the like
vehicle hitting the tree. Due to the provision of slits 22, the
Tony 24 are capable of spreading apart to leave room for
protruding roots of the tree, while protecting the same against
impact. The openings 18 increase the transverse flyability of
the sheets, so that for a given sheet thickness, the same can be
bent about a shorter radius of curvature. This latter feature is
particularly useful for surrounding a small diameter tree trunk,
such as the tree trunk C illustrated in Figure 2.
The sheet for such a tree trunk is shown at 38 in
v v Jo
Figures 2, 4, 7 and 9, and the fastening means to hold the sheet
38 around the tree trunk C is more particularly shown in Figure
5. Each sheet 38 is made ox the same material as sheet 10, has
thy same uniform thickness and is of rectangular shape, providing
a bottom straight edge 40, a top decorative edge 42 and straight
side edges 44. The sheet is provided with two transverse rows of
vertically-disposed elongated openings 46 and 48. All the
openings are of rectangular shape, with rounded ends 50 and 52,
respectively. The openings 46 of the top row are respectively
aligned with the openings 48 of the bottom row and all the
openings are substantially parallel to the side edges 44. There
is defined a top opening free zone 54 extending between the top
edge 42 and the top ends 50 of openings 45. A further
intermediate opening free zone 56 is defined between the bottom
ends of openings 46 and the top ends of openings 48. Finally, a
bottom opining free zone 58 extends between the bottom ends of
bottom openings 48 and the bottom edge 40 of the sheet 38. The
outer surface 60 of the sheet 38 it preferably provided with
pimples 62, similar Jo pimples 32 of the sheet 10.
As shown in Figures 2, 4 and 5, a single sheet is
wrapped around a tree trunk C, for instance of a maximum diameter
of 7 inches, with the side edges 44 in abutment, so as to form a
free standing cylindrical element 64 spacedly surrounding the
tree trunlc C, as shown by the spacing 66 in Figure 4. This
cylindrical element 64 is obtained by the use of rigid sheet
metal bands I of a length in accordance with the width of the
Jo -3 'Pi
sheet 38 and provided with outwardly-bent ears 70, each having a
hole 72 or receiving a bolt and nut 74, which serves to tighten
the two ears 70 against each other. When tightened, the bands 68
rigidly maintain the sheet 38 in its cylindrical shape, as shown
at 64 with the zones of the side edges 44 immediately surrounded
by the band in forced abutment. The bands are located in the
top, intermediate and bottom zones 54, 56 and 58, respectively.
The portions of the cylindrical sheet element 64 between the
bands bulge outwardly, as shown in Figure 2, and, therefore, in
these portions, the elide edges 44 are spaced apart and arrant in
direct abutment. Similarly, the portions I of the side edges 44
below the bottom bend 68 normally are spaced apart, and this
permits to maze room for any protruding part ox the tree trunk at
ground level.
The poison 66 between the cylindrical element 64 and
the tree trunk C has teen found to further increase the
resistance to damage which might be in listed by a snow plow or
the like on the small diameter tree trunk. This spacing 68 also
allows or tree growth during suite a few years even if the
20 shield is kept in place year round.
