Plant husbandry – Receptacle for growing medium – Hanging support
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-13
2001-10-09
Poon, Peter M. (Department: 3643)
Plant husbandry
Receptacle for growing medium
Hanging support
C047S079000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06298600
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a hanging pot for growing vegetation and more particularly to a hanging pot for growing vegetation through a recess on the bottom side.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Standard hanging containers sold in the garden market are useful but pose several problems. When a fast growing heavy vine passes over the rim, the vine may have a tendency of breaking. Because fibers within vines run lengthwise and vines are strongest when stress is evenly distributed amongst these fibers, a vine hanging directly downward is stronger with less tendency of breaking than a vine bending over the rim of a container.
A standard hanging pot is often highly visible, with the plant growing only over the edge from above. Standard hanging pots when viewed from below appear as a plastic container with leaves radiating from the upper edge, creating an unattractive display. Also this method of having the plant grow only over from the top of a container is an inefficient use of space.
What is needed is a hanging container allowing plants to be grown from the lower portion and for the full surface area of the container to be covered with foliage whereas heavy vines do not pass over a upper rim.
U.S. Pat. No. 005,333,409 is a hanging container with tube projections along uniform intervals around the base allowing plants to be grown from the lower portion of this container. The subject of the stated patent, although possibly a good design for use outdoors, may leak water and growing medium which makes it inappropriate for use indoors. Also the subject of stated patent possesses small tubes that a plant must be placed through making it difficult for the user to insert plants. The tubes must be manufactured separately from the body of the container and then inserted into the container in order to allow it to be manufactured efficiently from an injection mold.
What is further needed is a container allowing plants to be grown from the top and base, having a means for retaining water and extending periods between watering. What is further needed is a container to allow for the easy insertion of plants into the base. What is further needed is a container with a means for retaining the growing medium within the container while allowing a plant to grow out from the base and expand with the plants natural growth.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An aspect of the present invention is to provide a suspended planting container comprising: a) a base including an outer periphery and an aperture defining a central vegetation region; b) an outer wall extending upward from the periphery of the base to a top edge and defining a container region; c) an inner wall extending upward from the base to a top edge and surrounding the central vegetation region wherein the inner wall extends to a length shorter than a length to which the outer wall extends such that the inner wall extends only partially into the container region; and d) a growing medium retention device including at least one perforation and coupled to the top edge of the inner wall to permit vegetation to grow through the perforation into the central vegetation region but prevent growing medium from falling from the container region into the vegetation region.
The suspended planting container may further including a drainage plate positioned within the container region and separating the container region into a upper growing medium region and a lower reservoir region. The drainage plate may include at least one perforation for permitting water in the upper growing medium region to drain into the lower reservoir region while generally retaining growing medium in the upper growing medium region.
The suspended planting container may further include a wicking mechanism extending from the upper growing medium region to the lower reservoir region for wicking water in the lower reservoir region to the upper growing medium region. The wicking mechanism may include a concave region projecting downward from the drainage plate into the lower reservoir region and includes a port through which water in the lower reservoir region may pass into the concave region and the concave region included growing medium for wicking.
The growing medium retention device may include a pliable first plate with an aperture and a slit extending from the aperture permitting insertion of a plant and securing of the plant around a stem of the plant. Further, a second growing medium retention device, including a pliable plate, with an aperture and a slit extending from the aperture may be included to permit the insertion of a plant such that the slit of the first plate and the slit of the second plate are orientated such that growing medium cannot pass through the slit of the first plate and then the slit of the second plate.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3990179 (1976-11-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 4102081 (1978-07-01), Morrow
patent: 4446652 (1984-05-01), Anderson
patent: 4991346 (1991-02-01), Costa, Jr. et al.
patent: 6094861 (2000-08-01), Sandman et al.
Nguyen Son T.
Poon Peter M.
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