The invention relates to a swinging support device for grapes vine shoots, adapted to be fitted on vineyard stakes and to be swung on different positions in order to support the shoots of the relative vines.

At the present, the vineyard vine shoots are supported by utilizing several stakes, which are driven in the ground at determinate spaces from each other, and among which the different metallic wires supporting the shoots are secured. According to another way, the metallic wires supporting the shoots are supported by a set of short cross-bars which are secured on the upper part of the diferent stakes. However, still providing for an effective support of the vine shoots, the so realized shoot support devices due to the fact of being made stationary, do not lend themselves to vintage mechanically the grapes, which operations are performed by means of suitable vintage machines which are passed through and displaced from a vine row to another one, and which by means of the mechanical action of adequate movable arms against the grapes bunches cause the latter to fall down and to be collected on to machine conveyer bands, which convey them toward collecting containers for being subsequently pressed. In fact, if in these cases the vine rows aren't spaced away enough from each other, the vintage machines being passing and displacing between a vine row and the next one could provide for squeezing and therefore damaging of the vine shoots, thereby making non practicable the use of these vintage machines and therefore requiring to perform manually the vintage. The present invention has the object to eliminate the above mentioned drawback, in presence of vine rows which are spaced away enough from each other to allow vintage machines for automatic and manual vintage to pass and to be displaced therethrough, by the use of a swinging support device for vine shoots, adapted to support the vine shoots in a manner different than that of the support devices used at present, so as to prevent any squeezing and damage of the shoots by the vintage machines. This swinging support device is made with the constructive characteristics substantially described, with particular reference to the enclosed patent claims.

The invention will be better understood from the following description, given solely by way of not-limitative example and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein :

• Fig. 1 shows a perspective front view of a pair of vine shoots support stakes, provided with a respective swinging support device according to the invention, displaced on a first operative position thereof;
• Fig. 2 shows with the same view of Fig. 1 the pair of support stakes, with the respective swinging support device displaced on a second operative position thereof;
• Fig. 3 shows a front view of the support device according to the invention, displaced on the operative position of Fig. 1, and in a first embodiment thereof;
• Fig. 4 shows a side view of a component part of the device of Fig. 3 ;
• Fig. 5 shows a front view of the support device of Fig. 3, displaced on the operative position of Fig. 2;
• Fig. 6 shows a front view of the support device according to the present invention, displaced on the operative position of Fig. 1, and in a second embodiment thereof;
• Figs. 7 and 8 show a perspective front view of a constructive item of the support device of Fig. 6, on two different constructive versions thereof;
• Fig. 9 shows a front view of a constructive item of the support device of Fig. 6, on another constructive version thereof;
• Fig. 10 shows a front view of the support device according to the present invention, displaced on the operative position of Fig. 2 and in a third embodiment thereof;
• Figs. 11 and 12 show a perspective front view of a constructive item of the support device of Fig. 1, on to two different constructive versions thereof.

The above mentioned Figures schematically show a grapes vine 5, the shoots 6 of which are supported by the metallic wires 7 supported by a pair of swinging support devices 8 according to the invention, fitted on the upper portion of a corresponding vertical stake 9 drawn in the ground.

Each swinging support device 8 may be displaced as it will be described later from a first operative position thereof, shown on Fig. 1, in which the wires 7 are moved away from each other of the greater spacing, thereby supporting effectively the shoots 6 so as to permit a correct exposure to sunshine and the ripening of the grapes bunches supported by the same shoots, before the vintage of such grapes bunches, to a second operative position thereof shown on Fig. 2, in which the wires 7 are moved away and approached to each other of the minimum spacing, by supporting the shoots always in a correct way, in order to change in the time the position of the grapes bunches with respect to the sun position, thereby ensuring the better exposure to sunshine of the grapes bunches and therefore the wine better quality, and to permit the vintage machines to pass and to be displaced between a vine row and the other one without squeezing and damaging the vine shoots, in that in this case such shoots are moved away laterally toward the vine and therefore are less contacting the vintage machines.

As visiblle from Figs. 3-5, in which a swinging support device 8 according to the invention is shown in a first embodiment thereof, which device is identical to that shown on Figs. 1 and 2, it is noted that it is constituted substantially by at least a pair of extended arms 10 and 11, provided with end portions which are articulated to each other in a suitable manner, for example by means of a stud 12 secured to the upper portion of the corresponding stake 9, and with free end portions provided with a respective through hole 13 and 14, for passing and fixing a corresponding wire 7 supporting the shoots 6, wherein an additional through hole 15 is provided near at least one of these through holes (in this case, the through hole 14), and wherein the bent end portion 16 of a hook 17 (see Figs. 1 and 2) is fixed to said additional through hole 15 and provided with another bent end portion 18 whose function will be explained later on, and in the present case is disengaged from other vine parts. In this way, the extended arms 10 and 11 may be swung from each other on different positions, while rotating an arm with respect to the other one about the stud 12, and this rotation may be effected from the maximum extended position shown on Figs. 1, 3 and 6, in which the arms are swung downwards by rotating about the stud 12, by arranging themselves inclined downwards and spread apart from each other on the first operative position thereof, to the minimum extended position shown on Figs. 2, 5 and 10, in which the arms are swung upwards by rotating about the stud 12 in the direction A, and by arranging themselves inclined upwards and approached to each other on the second operative position thereof. Moreover, these arms are so shaped as not to be rotated again in the same direction at any operative position thereof, thanks to the presence of suitable locking means which in the example referred to are constituted by a blade 19 pivoted on to one of the arms (in the present case, the arm 10) and projected laterally therefrom, and at least a respective slit 20 and 21 provided on the side edge of the corresponding arms 10 and 11, against which such blade abuts when the arms are displaced respectively on the maximum and minimum extent thereof. In this way, the present swinging support device may be displaced from its first operative position (see Fig. 1), to its second operative position (see Fig. 2), in which the arms 10 and 11 and the shoot supporting wires 7 are approached to each other, so that the hook 17 arranges itself near the same wires and engage them reciprocally with its bent end portion 18, thereby preventing any displacement of such wires and the shoots supported thereto for the entire duration in which the device is displaced on this second operative position, so that to prevent the shoots from being displaced from this position and damaged when the vintage machine is passing therethrough.

Instead described as above, the device locking the arms 10 and 11 may be also made in a different manner, still permitting to perform the same function thereof. Figs. 7, 8 and 9 show further constructive versions of the locking device, adapted to prevent any additional displacement downwards of the arms swung on the first operative position thereof (see Fig.6).

From Fig. 7 it is noted that such locking device is constituted by a plate 22 which is secured on to the upper portion of a relative vertical stake 9, and is provided with two through holes 23 and 24 overlapped and slightly spaced away to each other, of which the upper hole 23 serves to insert the stud 12 of the two arms 10 and 11, and the lower hole 24 serves to insert a protruded retainer 25 for the abutment of both arms when they are displaced on the first operative position thereof. From Fig. 8 it is noted that such locking device is constituted bythe same plate 22 provided with an upper protruded stud 12 and a lower protruded retainer 25, performing the same function of the corresponding components of Fig. 7. From Fig. 9 it is noted that such locking device is constituted by two blind holes 26 and 27 provided directly on the upper portion of each vertical stake 9, on a superimposed and slightly spaced away position, for inserting therein a corresponding stud and a protruded retainer performing the same function of those previously described.

Figs. 10, 11 and 12 show further constructive versions of the locking device, adapted to prevent an additional displacement upwards of the arms being swung on the second operative position thereof (see Fig. 10). From Fig. 11 it is noted that such locking device is constituted by a plate 28 which is secured on the upper portion of a relative vertical stake 9, and is provided with a lower and central through hole 29 for inserting therein the stud 12 of the two arms 10 and 11, and three upper through holes 30, 31 and 32 superimposed to each other and spaced away from such lower hole and offset angularly from each other, for inserting therein corresponding protruded retainers 33, 34 and 35 adapted to lock both arms when they are displaced on the second operative position thereof.

From Fig. 12 it is noted that such locking device is constituted by the same plate 28 provided with a lower and central protruded stud 12 and three protruded retainers 33, 34 and 35, offset angularly to each other and overlapped to and slightly spaced away from such lower stud 12, so as to perform the same function as described on Fig. 11. Obviously, it is also possible to realize the locking device in manners different than those described by way of example only, provided that it allows to perform always the same function, thus without departing from the protection sphere of the present invention.