Agricultural Container

Abstract

An agricultural container that is easily assembled and disassembled through the use of comparatively few panels and a locking system that enables the fasteners to be removed or released from outside of the agricultural container that is filled with agricultural materials.

Claims

1. An agricultural container device comprising: at least two panels, the at least two panels including a first end panel and a second end panel; the at least two panels releasably connected to one another using a locking system; the locking system including a plurality of openings in the at least two panels, the openings having a top opening end and a bottom opening end and wherein one of the top opening end or bottom opening end is larger in size than the other, the locking system further including fasteners that are removably placeable in the openings; the openings in one of the at least two panels configured to line up with openings in another panel of the at least two panels and the fasteners further configured to couple two panels of the last two panels to one another.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the top opening end and the bottom opening end have different sizes.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the top opening end is larger than the bottom opening end.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the openings are configured in the shape of a keyhole.

5. The device of claim 4, the fasteners configured to be secured in the bottom end and releasable through the top end.

6. The device of claim 1, the first end panel and the second end panel each configured in an approximate U-Shape, and the locking system configured to attach the first end panel to the second end panel.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the first end panel is connected to the second end panel with fewer than ten fasteners.

8. The device of claim 1, the at least two panels including a first mid panel and a second mid panel, the first mid panel and the second mid panel coupled to the first end panel and second end panel by the locking system.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. The drawings are not drawn to scale.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fully assembled agriculture container according to the invention, showing the front, top and side of the container and the container filled with materials and growing vegetables.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fully assembled container showing the top and side, with h?gelkultur base materials within the container.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a side view of the fully assembled container from the side, the container comprised of four panel sections.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the container showing the top and ends of the container, with the four panels in position but not assembled.

[0018] FIG. 5 is an illustration of the four panels in a disassembled state.

[0019] FIG. 6 is an illustration of a two-panel arrangement with the panels slightly separated.

[0020] FIG. 7 is a closeup sideview of the container illustrating a keyhole between two panels that are in alignment.

[0021] FIG. 8 is a closeup sideview of the container illustrating a keyhole with a locking mechanism from inside the container.

[0022] FIG. 9 is a closeup sideview of the container illustrating a keyhole with a locking mechanism from outside the container.

[0023] FIG. 10 is an illustration of a container panel lying on the ground with three locking mechanisms.

[0024] FIG. 11 illustrates different designs for the keyhole.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] The present invention will now be described more fully in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention should not, however, be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0026] FIGS. 1-11 illustrate the agricultural container 100 according to the invention, including two or more panels 10 and a locking system 30. The at least two panels are comprised of a sturdy material and configured in a manner that provides a strong container when assembled with the locking system. The locking system 30 is configured to allow for a convenient assembly process while also enabling a user to disassemble the container 100 after years of use to access and utilize the soil that may be generated through a h?gelkultur process.

[0027] The locking system 30 includes a plurality of fastening points or openings 32 in the panels 10 that have a keyhole shape, the keyhole shape including a narrow aperture 32A contiguous with a wider aperture 32B. Various keyhole shapes are illustrated in FIG. 11. The locking system also includes a plurality of fasteners 34 that are configured to fit through the openings 32 and secure the two panels 10 together. In most embodiments, the narrow aperture 32A is on the bottom of the keyhole. Once the container is filled with material, those materials settle over time, and this exerts a downward force on the fastener such that it is advantageous to have the narrow aperture 32A beneath the larger aperture 32B, otherwise it is possible that the settling process may push out the fastener.

[0028] FIGS. 7-9 illustrate one embodiment of the locking system 30. Specifically, FIG. 7 illustrates the keyhole opening with two panels in alignment to be secured, while FIG. 8 illustrates the fasteners secured on an inside portion of the system, the bolt being secured by a nut and washer, and FIG. 9 illustrates the fastener secured in the narrow aperture with the wider aperture opening above the head of the bolt, the larger aperture slightly larger in size than the end of the fastener.

[0029] To assemble the container 100, the panels are arranged so that the ends of two panels overlap and fastening points on separate panels are in alignment. A fastener 34, acting as a locking key, is inserted through the fastening point 32 and secured in the narrow aperture 32A. For example, the fastener may be in the form of a nut and bolt such that the bolt is inserted through the opening, placed in the narrow aperture 32A, and secured with a washer and nut.

[0030] To disassemble the container after it has been fully assembled and used for the desired period of time, a user simply slides the fastener into the wide aperture and punches it through the panel walls, which may be done using a variety of conventional tools such as a pin or nail punch.

[0031] The containers may be constructed in a number of shapes and sizes. In most embodiments, at least two U-Shaped panels are provided, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6. For example, the embodiment shown in the U-Shaped panels are 36 inches tall, approximately 2 to 2.5 feet long, and approximately 40 inches wide, with a curve radius of 20 inches. The soil placed in containers having such an oval shape causes a force from inside the container to move outward towards the panels, and a great deal of that force is directed towards the curved ends. The comparatively large end panels in the disclosed design are adapted to hold up well in spite of the force, and moving the fastening points away from the ends and towards a midpoint helps to create a strong container with fewer fasteners.

[0032] In order to increase the size of the container 100, either the two end panels 10 may be increased in size or, as shown in FIGS. 3-5, additional panels 10 that are largely straight in form may be added between the U-shaped sections. In this embodiment the additional panels are 24 inches long by 36 inches tall. The additional panels 10 include the same locking system 30. This particular embodiment may be used, for example, to create a container that is between 6 and 7 feet in length, 3 to 4 feet in width, with a height of approximately 3 feet, using only 12 fasteners.

[0033] The embodiment shown in the figures uses groups of three pairs of openings and fasteners, with one pair located near the top of the panel, one located near the middle of the panel, and one located near the bottom. More fasteners may be used. For example, four may prove slightly more advantageous in some designs, however.

[0034] Again, the keyhole shaped opening generally enables a user to slide the fastener from the small end of the keyhole to the larger end of the keyhole in order to remove the fastener from the outside of the container with a common tool, for example, with a nail punch. Depending on the location of the opening and the amount of material in the container, the top fastener may be easily accessible and so it may not be necessary to use the punch method and in fact a user may choose to use a larger fastener that is not configured to fit through the opening but that is larger and stronger for a more secure connection. Additionally, the openings on the lower end of the panel are best placed with enough height above the bottom surface to ensure the user is able to punch the fastener upward.

[0035] The panels 10 may be comprised of many conventional materials, such as, for example, sheet metal or galvanized steel. In the embodiment shown in the drawings the material is corrugated.

[0036] It is understood that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present invention. Variations in the construction of the Agricultural Container may be contemplated by one skilled in the art without limiting the intended scope of the invention herein disclosed.