Plant husbandry – Receptacle for growing medium – Saucer
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-11
2004-06-15
Carone, Michael J. (Department: 3643)
Plant husbandry
Receptacle for growing medium
Saucer
Reexamination Certificate
active
06748697
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to pads or absorbent articles that can be used for capturing drainage water from a potted plant when over-watering has accidentally occurred. However, the invention more particularly pertains to an article that can be easily positioned and removably attached onto either the potted plant itself, the plant container, or the hanging potted plant holder. The article is of simple cost effective construction and it can be reusable, disposable, and/or a combination thereof Also, various novel features and different embodiments are taught herein which allow for versatility and individual user preferences.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Potted plants are commonly used for either indoor or outdoor aesthetic and/or air quality purposes. It is further common to hang potted plants outdoors during summertime and place them indoors during the wintertime, thus removable potted plant hangers are most convenient and are typically used for this purpose.
Unfortunately most potted plants must be aerated, whereby it is important that the plant container provide aeration and water discharge holes which are typically located on the underside of the plant container. Thus when over-watering has occurred, excess water inadvertently drains downward into the plant roots and outwardly from within the container throughout the aeration/drainage holes. This tends to be quite a nuisance as this excess water must be quickly absorbed and/or captured in some manner so as to eliminate possible water damage to any underlying surface or object, such as household flooring, carpeting, furniture, or the like.
As a result, may attempts to relieve this problem have been proposed but each have inherent drawbacks and disadvantages which have heretofore not been recognized, addressed, or resolved in an efficient manner. For example, many plant containers have incorporated use of a drip tray that is either removable or it can be integrally formed with the container itself. Such drip trays are somewhat functional as they can capture a small amount of drainage water but the amount is limited. Also, such drip trays are usually made from a non-absorbent material and thus the drainage water can easily overflow there from, or even worse the drainage water becomes stagnant, dirty and smelly, which in turn may damage or even kill the plant due to contaminated drainage water being reabsorbed by the plant. Therefore, it can clearly be seen that drip trays are not the answer and in fact may cause more problems than they resolve.
Other attempts to resolve the noted problem include use of receptacles such as buckets, cans, pans, or the like. These types of receptacles are somewhat functional as they can capture a larger amount of drainage water. However, they are definitely not aesthetically pleasing. The receptacle must be perfectly positioned either on the ground surface beneath the plant container, or manually held directly underneath the plant container itself while draining. Also such receptacles while in use may be dangerous, as they then become an obstacle and if not noticed this can easily cause an accident.
Still other attempts to resolve the noted problem include use of an absorbent towel or pad, which is again typically positioned on either the ground surface beneath the plant container or manually held in place against the plant container while draining. This again results in possible water damage to the underlying structure or flooring, is very messy and does not resolve the problem in an appropriate manner.
It is therefore obvious that a need exists for an acceptable solution to the noted problem that has not heretofore been addressed or resolved within the known prior art. Thus, the present invention is novel and unique as it recognizes, addresses, and resolves inherent disadvantages associated with the known existing prior art.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a plant over-watering protective drainage article that is of simple construction and which may be easily manufactured and marketed in a cost effective manner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a plant over-watering protective drainage article that may be made from substantially any suitable material of engineering choice, such as plastic, a cloth which has been chemically treated with a water repellent, an absorbent material and/or a combination of each.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a plant over-watering protective drainage article that includes various attachment means of engineering choice for removably adjustably attaching the article onto either the branches of potted plant itself, the actual plant container, or the hanging plant hanger. Also the noted attachment means may be of any suitable type depending on engineering and/or user choice, such as hooks, eyelets, hook and loop fasteners, etc., this also depends on the preferred embodiment of choice.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a plant over-watering protective drainage article that may further include additional optional accessories if so desired. For example, the article may include a centralized drainage means that allows a user to easily drain any water from the article in a simplified, efficient manner. The article may further include measuring means such as indicia thereon that allows a user to visually determine how much water the plant absorbed and how much water was not needed. Also, if desired the article may include an accessory compartment for containment of pertinent information regarding the plant, such as the type of plant, when the plant was planted, watering instructions, or the like. Other items may also be included depending on user choice, such as individual fertilizer packets, plant spray, air-deodorizer, etc.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a plant over-watering protective drainage article that may be manufactured and sold as a disposable item, or as a reusable item, and/or a combination of each. Also, the article may be manufactured in various sizes, or it may be formed so as to be a one-size-fits-all, or the like.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a plant over-watering protective drainage article which may further include decorations thereon so as to be aesthetically pleasing, or the decorations may be interchangeable so as to correspond with different holidays or the like, or still further it may be camouflaged so as to blend in with the plant itself.
Other objects and advantages will be seen within the following specification and drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4138803 (1979-02-01), Sherlock
patent: 5454191 (1995-10-01), Mayeda et al.
patent: 6543183 (2003-04-01), McNaughton
patent: 2664467 (1992-01-01), None
Carwin Edward A
Santa Cruz Cathy D.
Carone Michael J.
Griles Bethany L.
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