Plant husbandry – Receptacle for growing medium – Specific container material
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-26
2003-11-11
Poon, Peter M. (Department: 3643)
Plant husbandry
Receptacle for growing medium
Specific container material
Reexamination Certificate
active
06643978
ABSTRACT:
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
Not Applicable
SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND—FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to flower pots, specifically to improvements in the physical structure used for cultivating plants, reducing the bulk and weight of the pot and thereby increasing the market for it, and increases both the useful lifespan and aesthetic appeal of the pot.
BACKGROUND—DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
Pots which are used to grow plants have traditionally been made of hard materials such as terra cotta clay, wood, or plastic. The art of designing pots is very old and has evolved to provide for containing the plant and its necessary growing medium. But the requirements of the plant also require the pot to provide drainage of excess water, possibly even having a reservoir for that water so that it can be retained and used as needed by the plant (not lost to the floor or ground) and finally, a means of anchoring a hanging pot to a support.
The approach to providing a pot for the plant and its growing medium has been to simply place them into a container which has a hole for drainage. But, it has been shown that there is a significant improvement in first placing the medium and root system into a flexible porous bag, such as the balled-in burlap technique used in nursery stock where plants must be moved occasionally for transplanting.
U.S. Pat. No. 540,681 (1895) to Myers for a Plant-Holder, uses an earth holding basket to retain the earth and plant so that the plant may be removed without disturbing its roots. Here the bag is used only during the initial period of nursery growth and transport, not as a permanent container for the plant.
U.S. Pat. No. 51 67092 (1992) to Reiger for Method and Fabric Container for Controlling Root Growth describes a “balled-in-burlap” type of nursery container which limits root growth with a needle punch poly fabric, prior to removal from the ground for transplanting. Here the function is to limit root growth to inside the ball and to provide support for the roots when the plant is transported. It is not suggested for a permanent container or pot, though it is suggested that it may be left on when the plant is transplanted without damaging the plant.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,311,700 (1991) to Thomas for a Container for Plants describes another “balled-in-burlap” type polyurethane liner supported within a wire mesh outer basket for transplanting. It may also be left on at planting without harm to the plant.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,994,962 (1935) to Rushfeldt and Lea, Plant Package and Method of Making the Same, describes an elastic envelope surrounding a root ball. The envelope is made of rubber sheeting and is used to contain a moisture absorbing material. Its purpose is to protect plants in shipment by excluding insects and retaining moisture with a rubber membrane. Here the two functions of containment and the conservation of moisture have been achieved, but as a packing device for shipping plants, and not in application to a permanent planting location, and it does not promote the free exchange of atmospheric gasses to the root system and biologically active planting medium necessary for long term containment.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,039,986 (1936) to Gardner for a Watering Tube Device simply describes a method for watering packed plants by injecting water into the rootball without wetting the packaging. It suggests the plant would be balled-in-burlap and wrapped in a waterproof material for shipping. Again, this is in application of packaging plants for transportation and transplanting, not in regard to a permanent planter or pot. This is an attempt to remedy the difficulties the previously sited patent addresses, that being, a tightly held growing medium surrounded by a moisture proof outer layer is not a good idea.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,881,939 (1956) to Nelson for a Planter, describes a wooden pot of slats held together with a barrel-hoop type band from which it can be supported. Here we have the container furnished by a hard wooden device and a barrel hoop to hold it together. This results in a large, thick, heavy object which is difficult to store in that it takes up much space, is therefore expensive to ship or mail, and is sometimes damaging to anything which might be hit by it, be it another plant and pot, a wall surface, or someone's head.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,149,339 (1976) to Hall et al. to Hall and Richards for Hanging Plant Holder to Hang from a Curtain Rod describes a water packet of flexible waterproof material with a water reservoir below and a wick to bring water to the plant roots. The method of production and choice of material produces an article which has limited the shape to a tall and wide container with little front to back depth and thereby provides limited root growth space as well as it utilizes only the waterproof material separated into two spaces; there is no inner liner separating the growing medium from the moisture proof outer layer for exchange of atmospheric gasses, nor is it fully circular pot and a separate support structures via a bag for holding the planting medium and roots.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,818,633 (1971) to Sable for Device and a Method of Watering and Feeding Plants describes using a flexible rubber membrane to hang around the sides and bottom of a fibrous pot to retain water. It is to be applied to existing pots as a separate element.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,292 ((1987) to Alstig for a Plant Guard describes a knitted fabric hose like net to form a casing around the entire plant for the purpose of excluding insects. Then the Chinese have been using nets around fruit on trees for centuries to exclude insects from damaging the fruit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,573 (1986) to Stengel for a Raincoat for Hanging Plants describes a decorative cover for a flower pot to contain the water in an absorbent liner with a wick. This cover is to be applied over existing pots, particularly hanging pots and suggests being packaged in a kit form. This is not a feature of the pot itself, but an addition to the pot.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,860 (1988) to Richardson for a Flower Pot Cover describes a decorative cover for a flower pot consisting of an inner liner which is waterproof and an outer cover in the design of an animal. The purpose here is to use fabric to alter the appearance of a hard container being used as a pot so as to contain excess water and to look like a stuffed toy. The results are novel, or create a novelty.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,645 (1991) to Vaughn for a Flower Pot Container describes a rigid water resistant liner covered in a decorative fabric. It appears much like a padded hexagonal wastebasket. It is not advantageous in encouraging healthy plant growth nor does it have other utilitarian functions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,506 (1994) to Weder et al. for a Basket Flower Pot with a Decorative Cover describes a flat polymer film sheet or paper sheet pulled up into decorative cover which is to be applied to the underside of an existing hanging pot. Again, the purpose is to address the shortcoming of the pots which have insufficient storage capacity for water, i.e. they have no reservoir.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,191 (1994) to Mayeda et al. for a Flexible Hanging Basket Liner and describes a liner for a wire basket to help contain excess water and to help moss covered wire basket planters from drying out, as well as to be “decorative”.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,187 (1992) to Hattori et al for a Soil or Soil Improver Containing Porous Ion Exchanger and describes a soil-like medium contained within a plastic bag to allow a plant to grow without watering or feeding for as long as a year. It uses special growing media for ion exchange so that the plant can remain healthy in a closed plastic bag without attention for as long as a year.
This particular medium may just as well be used to advantage in any container and does not directly affect its configuration. The medium, in this application, is the novelty which allows the use of a plastic bag container. The unique medium is necessary here, as it minimizes the requirements of the container.
U.S. Pat.
Gellner Jeffrey L.
Poon Peter M.
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