Apparatus and methods for attaching objects to trees
OwnerThomas J. Edgington, Bradley T. Edgingtoninventors
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Abstract
Devices and methods for attaching objects to living trees. Various forms of the devices employ a cable that is sized to be wrapped around a circumference of a portion of the living tree and engaged by at least one friction generating member to retain the cable attached to the portion of the living tree without human intervention until another circumference of the portion of the living tree exceeds a length of the cable to enable the cable to automatically disengage the portion of the living tree without the human intervention.
Claims20
A kit for suspending an object from a portion of a living tree, wherein said kit comprises:
- a cable comprising a length that is longer than an initial circumference of the portion of the living tree to enable said cable to be wrapped around the portion of the living tree;
- a friction generating member, wherein when said cable is wrapped around the portion of the living tree, said friction generating member is configured to engage a first portion of said cable in sliding frictional engagement therewith and a second portion of said cable in other sliding frictional engagement therewith to retain said cable wrapped around the portion of the living tree without human intervention until another circumference of the portion of the living tree exceeds the length of said cable, wherein said friction generating member automatically disengages at least one of said first portion of said cable and said second portion of said cable to enable said cable to disengage the portion of the living tree without the human intervention;
- and
- a hanger configured to be supported by said cable.
A kit for suspending an object from a portion of a living tree, wherein the living tree is growing above a ground surface, wherein the portion of the living tree is located a distance above the ground surface, and wherein said kit comprises:
- a cable comprising a length that is longer than an initial circumference of a portion of the living tree to enable said cable to be wrapped around the portion of the living tree;
- a hanger coupled to said cable and attached to the object;
- and
- a friction generating member configured to releasably engage said cable to retain said cable wrapped around the portion of the living tree without human intervention until another circumference of the portion of the living tree exceeds the length of said cable, wherein said friction generating member automatically disengages said cable to cause said cable and hanger to fall to the ground surface without the human intervention.
A method of suspending objects from portions of living trees, wherein the method comprises:
- providing a kit comprising:
- a plurality of cables;
- a plurality of friction generating members;
- and
- a plurality of hangers, and wherein said method further comprises:
- selecting a living tree comprising a portion comprising an initial circumference;
- selecting one cable from the plurality of cables, wherein the length of the selected cable is longer than the initial circumference of the portion of the selected living tree;
- selecting a hanger from the plurality of hangers, wherein the selected hanger is configured to support an object therefrom;
- coupling the selected hanger to the selected cable;
- selecting a friction generating member from the plurality of friction generating members;
- wrapping the selected cable around the portion of the selected living tree;
- engaging the selected friction generating member with the selected cable to releasably frictionally engage the selected cable to retain the selected cable wrapped around the portion of the selected living tree without human intervention until another circumference of the portion of the selected living tree exceeds the length of the selected cable to enable the selected friction generating member to automatically disengage the selected cable without the human intervention;
- and
- supporting the object from the selected hanger.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.