Plant husbandry – Plant irrigators and/or fertilizers – apparatus or method
Patent
1996-10-09
1999-04-27
Carone, Michael J.
Plant husbandry
Plant irrigators and/or fertilizers, apparatus or method
A01G 2900
Patent
active
058967001
ABSTRACT:
This invention is a device for automatically watering unattended houseplants with ordinary tap water. The device controls the rate of discharge of water from a reservoir by means of a replaceable multilayer sandwich-type flow control wafer, which is made of several layers of deformable gasket material, laboratory filtration paper, and thin flexible plastic. The gasket and plastic layers contain designed patterns of through-holes and passages which force the water to flow over and through the filtration paper to control the rate of release of water from the reservoir. The design also uses the filtration paper to remove particles from the tap water which could clog the system and stop the flow. Over the course of the watering cycle the water gradually loosens the adhesive bonds between the filtration paper and the plastic, which increases the effective flow area of the filtration paper to partially compensate for the reduction in pressure head which occurs as the reservoir empties, thus keeping the water flow rate more constant over the watering cycle than it would be if controlled only by a simple orifice or filter. The watering device includes registration and compression rings which position and seal the flow control wafer, a concave funnel-like reservoir opening for filling the device in situ, and a narrow integral spike which supports the device in the plant soil and creates an open vertical passage which facilitates water penetration deep into the plant's root system.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2791347 (1957-05-01), Boehm
patent: 4785575 (1988-11-01), Shioi
patent: 4970823 (1990-11-01), Chen et al.
patent: 5172515 (1992-12-01), Lapshansky, Sr. et al.
patent: 5259142 (1993-11-01), Sax
patent: 5443544 (1995-08-01), Azoulay
Carone Michael J.
Downs Joanne C.
LandOfFree
Device for watering unattended houseplants does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Device for watering unattended houseplants, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Device for watering unattended houseplants will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-676672