Plant stand

Details Plant stand Plant stand

1999-07-01

2001-05-15

Carone, Michael J. (Department: 3643)

Plant husbandry

Stand for holding a plant or growing medium receptacle

C047S06200C

Reexamination Certificate

active

06230437

ABSTRACT:

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable
REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX”
Not applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The apparatus of the present invention relates to a device that employs phytoremediaton technique (plant and root-associated microorganisms) to purify indoor air by passing air through the soil in the planter. It also provides plants with moderate conditions for growth.
2. General Background of the Invention
The fact that common house plants culture microorganisms on and around their roots that can decompose volatile organic compounds has been demonstrated by Wolverton, et al. (1984) “Foliage Plants for Removing Indoor Air Pollutants from Energy-efficient Homes”, Economic Botany, 38(2), 224-228 and B. C. Wolverton and J. D. Wolverton (1993) “Plants and Soil Microorganisms: Removal of Formaldehyde, Xylene and Ammonia from the Indoor Environment”, Journal of Mississippi Academy of Science, 41(2)
:99-105.
In order to utilize the air purification effect of soil in the planter, it is necessary (I) to properly fertilize and water plants with a minimum task for maintaining growth of the plants, (II) to prevent the growth of mold and mildew in the soil which are harmful to the plants, and (II) to pass indoor air through the soil at a moderate flow rate.
In order to satisfy the above requirements, a planter stand equipped with a sealed reservoir to supply water for the soil and an air pipe was proposed. One side of the air pipe with air intake is extended into the soil, and a fan and light bulb are attached to the outer side of the pipe. The sealed reservoir provides the soil with fresh water for a long period of time, and the air pipe passes indoor air though the soil for air purification. The light bulb not only supplies a light source for growing plants in, but also generates heat to destroy toxic airborne microbes flowing inside the air pipe.
The conventional planter described above would be practical (I) if the planter were not too large, (II) if one could find a plant which has sufficient removal efficiency for all of the pollutants in indoor air, and (III) if the plant were strong enough and never withered. However, since the planter is to be placed inside a house, it is preferable that it be compact and also pleasing to the eyes.
Further, it is likely that the plant would have a reduced function for purifying air due to aging and withering because of improper care. It is also likely that we might find a new plant which is more suitable for removing certain air pollutants. In these circumstances, we would want to replace the plant in the planter.
Since the device described above has an air pipe extended into the soil, it is difficult to plant a new plant into the planter; it also makes it difficult for the planting to spread its roots. Therefore, it is necessary to use a large planter. After planting, the roots will begin to spread around the air pipe therefore, it is possible to have root damage at the time of replanting and a lot of dirt will be scattered making a mess. If one makes an attempt to replace the whole planter, the air pipes also need to be replaced. Therefore, a lot of replacements of air pipes are needed. With this in mind it has been very difficult to replace the plants, and a lot of care must be taken in the maintenance of such a plant stand.
The present invention proposes a new plant stand that is small, compact and easy to exchange plants which has indoor air purifying function.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
In the preferred embodiment, the plant stand comprises a planter, a water reservoir, an elastic seal, air intake pipes, an air pipe and a fan. The planter has water holes on the bottom and air holes on the side. The reservoir has an opening to place the planter in, and once the planter is in place, a space is made between the reservoir and planter. The seal is flexible, therefore making it airtight between the reservoir and planter. The air intake pipes have their inlets in the upper part of the water reservoir. The air pipe is connected to the air intake pipes and has the fan. When adding soil to the planter, some means must be used to prevent soil from entering the air pipe as well as not to plug up the drainage hole. Regular gardening techniques can be used to deal with the drainage holes.
The shape of the seal is a flat ring whose inside fits the outside of the planter or else one in the shape of a hat rim. The latter shape allows one to put the seal on the top of the planter. An air pipe surrounds the reservoir and may be attached either to the outside or the inside of the reservoir, making it possible for the air pipe to completely surround the water reservoir. To make good use of this space it is suggested that the cross section of the reservoir be made square and the intake pipes be attached to the four corner of the square, or if the reservoir is cylindrical, it is best to surround it by the intake pipes.
An additional embodiment of the present invention is characterized by a planter, which has a protective rim over air holes to keep the dirt from plugging the holes. In order to keep the soil in the planter, the air holes on the side of the planter should be small in size but large in number, covered with a screen, or having a protective rim. The protective rim has advantages in that it allows for large holes, thus reducing air resistance and preventing the holes from being plugged.
A third embodiment of the present invention is characterized by a reservoir. When the planter is mounted on the reservoir, a space is made under the bottom of planter for storage of water. The reservoir has sponges between the planter and the reservoir. When the water level is lower than the bottom of the planter, the sponges supply the plants with water by capillary effect through water holes.
For this type of plant stand, because passing air through the soil with the fan causes rapid evaporation of water within the soil, it is necessary to add water frequently to the reservoir. In order to avoid this problem, reservoir should retain a large quantity of water. For this reason, it is preferable (I) to leave a space between the bottom of planter and the reservoir to hold water and (II) to insert sponge-like porous media or fabrics to supply the planter with water through water holes by capillary effect when the water level of the reservoir is low.
A fourth embodiment of the present invention is characterized by a plant stand with a container. The container contains the water reservoir and a fan. Air pipes are attached to one side of the container. The air pipes are extensible and have a light source at the top end for illuminating plants in the planter. It is effective for the plant stand to be equipped with a light source to illuminate the plant and promote photosynthesis, which is also a feature of the conventional device. The light source also serves as a sterilizer for air. The pole for the light source is composed of pipes, which are the conduits to introduce indoor air around the light source. An extensible pole makes it possible to adjust the distance between the plant and the light source to give proper illumination to the plant when the plant grows or is replaced.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5347751 (1994-09-01), Carpay
patent: 5397382 (1995-03-01), Anderson
patent: 6006471 (1999-12-01), Sun

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Plant stand does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Plant stand, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Plant stand will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2472621