Plant husbandry – Receptacle for growing medium – Sectional construction
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-24
2004-02-17
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3643)
Plant husbandry
Receptacle for growing medium
Sectional construction
C206S423000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06691456
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates generally to containers for plants or shrubs and particularly relates to a container for a bulb and a method of planting a bulb in a container.
BACKGROUND ART
The most popular and common container for potted plants and shrubs is of the type where the top cross-section or volume of earth or nutrient is greater than the bottom. Such tapered pots may comprise of plastic or clay material in a fashion well known to those persons skilled in the art.
Such prior art pots are generally planted by first introducing soil in the bottom section of the tapered plant and then introducing seed or bulbs on top of such soil and thereafter topping up the pot with further soil or nutrient.
Such prior art tapered pots are not generally efficient in terms of providing sufficient volumetric space for the roots of the plant which tend to concentrate at the bottom section of the pot which tapers to provide less and less cross-sectional area towards the bottom of the tapered prior art pots.
Furthermore such prior art pots are generally non-decorative or appealing to look at since they comprise generally of the same shape.
Various attempts have heretofore been made to improve on such prior art tapered pots.
For example U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,516 discloses a segmented container for potted plants and shrubs of the type defining an inverted conical shape or spherical zone segment which provides greater volume of earth at the base of the container than at the top to incur greater and healthier root growth. The container assembly consists of a base and two or more separable upper section shell segments which are separable along a vertical line and having circumferential sealing means.
Moreover U.S. Pat. No. D278,521 relates to an ornamental design for a two part flower container while U.S. Pat. No. 2,834,153 relates to a venting cone for use in the lower part of a flower pot adapted to be positioned over the opening in the bottom thereof comprising an annular rim having spacing nodes extending from the undersurface, a wall having an intermediate portion of interlay strips extending upwardly from the upper edge of the rim, and inperforate cone extending from the upper edge of the wall to the apex of the device.
Moreover U.S. Pat. No. 1,534,508 relates to a device for testing soil or seed comprising a closed frusto-conical container having its end walls formed by removable discs adapted to fit the container body snugly, one of said discs being apertured to permit insertion of seed when the container is charged with soil.
Yet another arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,932 which teaches a container split in half longitudinally. The two half sections may be separate, in which case they are held together by the walls of a crate into which a number of the containers are placed. Alternatively the sections may be connected together along their bottom margins by a hinge.
Yet another arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,918 which shows a flower pot comprising an upper pot, lower pot, with means that can regulate the water supply to the soil and a means that can adjust the exposed area of the soil to the water, thereby minimizing the unfavourable effect of the drastic changes of the weather.
Yet another arrangement is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,896 which relates to a container and methodology for growing a plant in soil, soil within an area defined by an annular inner wall having an open top end to expose the soil and plant to ambient air; the inner wall includes transverse holes around its circumference and up its length. In one embodiment the inner wall includes a water impervious circumferal band at its upper end to help maintain the soil top surface dry. An outer annular wall of water impervious material laterally surrounds, in spaced relationship, the inner wall to define an open space with upper opening between the walls into which water can be applied and air may flow.
Finally U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,506 relates to a support collar assembly which is designed, primarily to fell a need for a simple, reliable and economical way of suspending and supporting standard flower pots, and the like within any one of a series of larger diametered containers, or within deeper containers.
These and other prior art devices present relatively complicated structures which are not well suited for easily and simply planting seeds, shrubs, bulbs or the like.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved container, which may be easily used, for planting bulbs of the like.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is an aspect of this invention to provide a plant container containing side walls extending from a bottom to a top opening so as to define a cavity, said top opening smaller than said bottom; means for introducing seeds of said plant into said cavity from said bottom.
It is a further aspect of this invention to provide a container for a bulb comprising sidewalls extending generally upwardly and inwardly from a bottom to top opening so as to define a cavity; said bottom including an opening for introducing said bulb into said cavity; removable means for closing said opening.
It is another aspect of this invention to provide a method of planting a bulb in a container having sidewalls extending generally inwardly from a bottom to a top opening so as to define a cavity, said bottom having an opening, comprising the steps of disposing said container upside down with said top opening pointing downward; introducing said bulb into said cavity through said bottom opening where said top opening is smaller than said bulb; filling said cavity with soil; closing said bottom opening; disposing said container right side up.
It is yet another aspect of this invention to provide a method of planting a bulb in a container having upper and lower mating and separable sidewall sections, said mated sidewall sections extending generally inwardly from a bottom surface to a top opening so as to define a cavity, said method comprising the steps of separating said upper sidewall section from said lower sidewall section; placing soil and a bulb into said lower sidewall section; placing said upper sidewall section into registrable mating disposition with said lower sidewall section.
It is another aspect of this invention to provide a plant container comprising a lower section, an upper section removably securable to said lower section so as to define a cavity therein, said upper section presenting a top opening communicating with said cavity; said fastening means associated with said upper and lower sections for fastening said upper section to said lower section.
It is yet another aspect of this invention to provide a plant container comprising a lower section presenting upstanding sidewall; an upper section presenting upper sidewalls separable from and registrable with said lower sidewalls to define a cavity therein, said upper section presenting a top opening communicating with said cavity; said lower sidewalls presenting a lip means at the upper end thereof; said upper upstanding sidewalls presenting means for capturing said lip means to prevent separation of said upper section from said lower section when lifting said upper section.
It is also an aspect of this invention to provide a method of planting a bulb in a container having a lower section with upstanding sidewalls and an upper section having upper sidewalls and a top opening, said upper section separable from and registrable with said lower section, said lower side walls presenting displaceable means and said upper upstanding sidewalls presenting means for capturing said displaceable means, comprising the steps of introducing a bulb into the confines of said lower upstanding sidewalls; aligning said upper section over said lower section; displacing said upper section and said lower section towards one another from a first separated position to a second locked position where said displaceable means is captured by said capturing means; filling said cavity defined by said lower section and said upper section with soil.
It is an aspect
Gellner Jeffrey L.
Gierczak Eugene J. A.
Jordan Charles T.
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