Plant husbandry – Receptacle for growing medium – Sectional construction
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-22
2002-05-07
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3643)
Plant husbandry
Receptacle for growing medium
Sectional construction
C047S081000, C047S048500, C047S029100, C047S029200, C047S029300, C047S029400, C047S029500, C047S029600, C047S065700, C047S065800, C047S065900, C047S066100, C047S066200, C047S066300, C047S066400, C047S066500, C047S066600
Reexamination Certificate
active
06381900
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Filed of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of horticulture, and more specifically to a novel planter assembly providing three different levels of plant growth therefrom. By selecting the appropriate plants, a person may cause the planter to become completely covered with live foliage, creating a decorative and attractive display.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of indoor and outdoor-plants as decorative articles, has long been a conventional means of providing attractive decor in homes, offices, and other areas. Conventionally, such plants have been placed in a plastic or pottery flower pot, with the pot being placed in a tray to catch excess water, and the assembly perhaps being suspended by a macrame net and/or hanger. Such hanging planters direct the plants to grow in only one direction. i. e., upwardly out of the top of the pot, and even when the plants growing therein tend to trail downwardly, it is very difficult to train the plants to conceal the relatively unsightly pot from which they are growing.
As a result, hanging planters formed of wire mesh or screen were developed, from which plants could be directed in a generally spherical array. These planters can provide a much more attractive display, with plants radiating omnidirectionally from the contained soil pack and root ball held within the generally spherical wire mesh planter. However, this type of planter generally requires a relatively high level of care, as the root ball is essentially exposed to the air, and sun and wind if placed outdoors, which tend to dry the soil and root ball rapidly. As a result, these planters tend to require a relatively high level of maintenance, with at least frequent watering. This leads to a need for further maintenance in the form of more frequent addition of fertilizer to the planter, as the frequent waterings (or rain, if the planter is exposed to such) tend to leach the fertilizer from the soil ball.
Accordingly, a need will be seen for a hanging planter which obviates the above drawbacks of earlier developed conventional hanging planters, by providing a solid shell formed in two sections and defining a series of plant openings of different levels therebetween. The lower portion of the device is liquid tight, serving to hold a reservoir of moisture therein to preclude any need for frequent watering. Yet, the water level is not so high as to cause root rot for the plants within the planter, as their roots are generally somewhat higher than the water level. A central fertilized wick serves to draw water from the lower level of the planter, upwardly where it is absorbed by the root ball of the plants growing therein.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U. S. Pat. No. 1,624,504 issued on Apr. 12, 1927 to John H. Pfarr, titled “Flower Holder,” describes a generally hemispherical welded wire basket having a drip pan welded to the bottom thereof. A hemispherical soil and root ball is formed within the wire basket, to support a plant or plants growing from the top of the planter. Pfarr stresses the importance of aeration of the soil and root ball, but notes the need for a constant supply of water to preclude excessive drying of the soil, by providing the underlying water pan or container. This precludes any possibility of surrounding the planter with vegetation, due to the greater width of the water pan and its inability to provide support for plants.
U. S. Pat. No. 3,990,179 issued on Nov. 9, 1976 to Rick S. Johnson et al., titled “Multisection Hanging Pot And Method,” describes a plant pot assembly having upper and lower portions which secure positively together. The two sections define a series of lateral openings therethrough, but the openings are all of al single level, unlike the multilevel openings of the present hanging planter. The Johnson et al. planter requires that the two planter sections be positively secured together, as the only support is a series of hangers which attach to the upper rim of the upper section. The present planter is supported by a single central rod which secures through the bottom of the lower portion, thus precluding need for positive attachment of upper and lower portions.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,102,081 issued on Jul. 25, 1978 to Edwin M. Morrow, titled “Plant Container,” describes a hanging planter having a single central hanger rod. The Morrow planter comprises only one outer container with an internally placed false floor, to provide a water reservoir for plants placed therein. No multiple container sections defining a series of lateral plant openings therethrough, are disclosed by Morrow. Moreover, the present hanging planter provides for the planter to turn in the wind, without unscrewing the lower end of the hanger assembly where it secures through the bottom of the container assembly. Morrow is silent on this point, but it would appear that he has not considered this function in his planter.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,349,172 issued on Sept. 14, 1982 to John J. Banks, Jr., titled “Plant Pot Suspension Apparatus And The Like,” describes a notched disc placed in the bottom of the netting suspending a conventional flower pot or the like. A second macrame net may be suspended from the peripheral notches of the disc, or suspended by a single hanger secured to a loop in the center of the disc, to provide a vertical array of a series of hanging planters or containers. Banks, Jr. is silent regarding any lateral openings in the plant containers, in contrast to the hanging planter of the present invention. It is also noted that the structure of the Banks, Jr. assembly does not provide any means for allowing the planter(s) to rotate relative to the uppermost attachment (other than twisting back and forth, due to the resilience of the cord suspension), in contrast to the present hanging planter.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,592,166 issued on Jun. 3, 1986 to Donald L. Tendrup et al., titled “Multiple Section Hanging Planter,” describes a two piece pot, with the lower component being of conventional shape and the upper component comprising a rim which seats within the upper edge of the lower component. The lower component also has a series of peripheral slots, with the installation of the upper component defining a series of plant growth openings through the slots. However, the Tendrup et al. assembly differs from the present hanging planter in several ways: (1) The Tendrup planter is of conventional shape; (2) Tendrup does not provide multiple levels of lateral plant growth openings, as provided by the present planter; (3) Tendrup suspends his planter by a series of peripheral hangers, rather than a single central hanger; and (4) Tendrup does not provide any means for his planter to turn or rotate in the wind, as provided by the present planter.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,912,875 issued on Apr. 3, 1990 to Pierre Tardif, titled “Flower Pot And Saucer,” describes a generally conically shaped planter with a separate narrower central upwardly, projecting cone which apex includes a hole for hanging the device. The central cone includes a water reservoir in its bottom portion, which seats at the bottom of the larger planter portion. The Tardif planter is not adapted for encouraging generally omnidirectional growth of plants therefrom, as provided by the present planter invention. No lateral plant growth passages are provided by Tardif in his planter, nor is any means for allowing the assembly to rotate, as provided by the present hanging planter.
U. S. Pat. No. 5,333,409 issued on Aug. 2, 1994 to Frank, P. Mendes, titled “Hanging Pot For Growing Plants,” describes a single container having a plurality of pipe-like orifices extending therefrom, for allowing the growth of plants therefrom. Mendes states that the pipes or tubes assist in supporting the weight of the plant stems as they emerge from the openings, thereby reducing breakage. This is more critical for Mendes, as his planter is directed toward the g
Holzen Stephen A
Jordan Charles T.
Litman Richard C.
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