WO2001095770A1

WO2001095770A1 - A support system

Info

Publication number: WO2001095770A1
Application number: PCT/GB2001/002539
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael Raymond Evans
Original assignee: Michael Raymond Evans
Priority date: 2000-06-13
Filing date: 2001-06-12
Publication date: 2001-12-20
Also published as: AU6406401A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a support system and a kit for assembling a support system. The support system comprises a body (4) having one or more fixing points (5) and one or more plant pot holders (2, 3) releasably attached to the body at the fixing points. The plant pot holders are further configured to receive a plant pot and support the plant pot in an elevated position. The support system is secured into a fixed position by a securing means (10) so as to provide an assembly supporting plant pots at elevated positions to provide a desired height of nature colour. As the holders are releasably attachable, plant pots may be removed repositioned or replaced during use.

Description

A SUPPORT SYSTEM

The present invention relates to a support system, more particularly, to a support system designed to support plant pots.

The ability to add natural living colour to brighten up a wall or entrance to a home is currently rather limited. The planting of flowers either in the ground or in pots at ground level is a well-known and traditional method for adding natural living colour to walls and entrances at ground level. However, plant pots are not necessarily designed with economy of space in mind and rarely provide plants or flowers of sufficient height to improve the aesthetic appeal of a wall or similar area.

In the alternative, the addition of a trellis to a wall or similar area to encourage plants to climb the wall or similar area provides an alternative method of establishing an abundance of natural living colour from ground level to at least eye level whilst occupying the minimum amount of space. However, one problem associated with the use of a trellis is the time taken for the plants to establish themselves over the majority of the area covered by the trellis. This is a particular disadvantage to those wanting relatively instant natural colour particularly at elevated positions above ground level. Solutions to this problem have usually been to use hanging baskets that depend vertically from a wall fitted brace that protrudes from the wall or from a hook mounted into a ceiling area. However, these protruding baskets often act as an obstacle especially in relatively confined spaces where they are set at or near eye level. Furthermore, only certain types of flowering plants are suitable for use in such hanging baskets.

The present invention provides a solution to the problems described above by providing a wall or other suitable area with natural living colour to any desired height in a space economical manner and relatively quickly.

According to the present invention there is provided a support system adapted to support one or more plant pots in an elevated position comprising a body having one or more fixing points, one or more plant pot holders releasably attached to the fixing points of the body and adapted to receive a plant pot; and securing means by which the body is secured into a fixed position.

The body of the support may be configured in a variety of forms. For example, the body may be in the form of a plate that can be circular or generally ovoid in shape or alternatively, the body can be square, rectangular or triangular or consist of a combination of straight lines and curves to define its overall shape. In certain preferred embodiments the body is elongate and, although it could be curved, more preferably it is elongate and straight. In certain alternative preferred embodiments, however, the body is not elongate and instead constitutes the form of a small bracket-like member.

Furthermore, the body as described herein is by way of example can be a substantially solid body and/or come in various sizes. In an alternative embodiment, the body could be in the form of a framework structure, a self-assembly "kit" that is assembled from a flat pack or simply in the form of an open-ended channel. In a preferred embodiment, however, the body is a tube and although the tube can be of circular cross-section, it is preferably of a square or rectangular cross-section. In an alternative preferred embodiment, the body is in the form of a short three-sided C-shaped bracket. The body can also broaden or taper towards one end or throughout its length but preferably, the body is of uniform cross-section throughout its length. The body can be made from plastics material, metal or wood or even bamboo, but the preferred material of manufacture is plastics material, more particularly lightweight plastics material. It will be appreciated that the body and the system as a whole may be of any suitable dimensions so as to enable the function of the systems to be performed. In preferred embodiments, however, the width of the body is within the range of 0.5 to 20 centimetres, preferably, 1 to 10 centimetres and most preferably 2 to 5 centimetres. The fixing points located on the body can be either part of any known male/female connection and may be either all male, all female or a combination of the two. For example, the fixing point could be a screw- thread if the plant pot holder, as its means of attachment, is provided with a threaded screw to enable it to be fitted to the body. Alternatively, the fixing points could be in the form of one half of a series of snap or interference fit connectors, the corresponding half being located on or forming part of the plant pot holder. Different types of fixing point could conceivably occur on the same body. However, preferably each of the fixing points is the same. In certain preferred embodiments, the fixing point is in the form of an elongate slot so sized and shaped as to enable it to receive the ends of a plant pot holder in the form of, for example, a split ring. In an alternative preferred embodiment, the fixing point is a series of holes provided in the body member and positioned to receive the ends of a plant pot holder again in the form of, for example a split ring. It is an important feature of the present invention that the connection formed between the body and the plant pot holder is a releasable attachment enabling a given plant pot holder to be positioned at any of a number of fixing points. Furthermore, the releasable engagement between the plant pot holder and the body enables the removal, replacement or repositioning of plant pots on the support system as desired.

The, or each, plant pot holder could be formed from an elasticated material such that it would physically grip and tighten around a plant pot or any other container that the support system is designed to receive. Preferably, the plant pot holders are formed as resilient split metal rings. These split rings are preferably formed from metal and may optionally be coated with plastics material. In addition, in the preferred embodiment the ends of the split metal ring, formed at the position of the split are folded over so as to provide two engaging portions protruding from the circumference of the ring and which form the means of connection between the plant pot holder and the fixing point of the body.

The means of fixing a plant pot holder to the body of the support need not necessarily form an integral part of the plant pot holder. For example, if the plant pot consisted of a thin strip of metal formed into a circle, with each end portion of the strip being provided with an aperture, overlying these apertures could enable a screw to pass through both of the apertures to form a closed ring, the screw could then be fitted to the body of the support if the fixing point of the body of support was a screw-thread so dimensioned as to receive the screw of the plant pot holder. Preferably, however, the plant pot holder is of an integral construction.

Each of the plant pot holders are generally circular in shape as plant pots tend to be circular in cross-section. However, plant pots whose cross-sections are non-circular are known, and as such, it is envisaged that plant pot holders could be so sized and shaped as to accommodate these variants. For example, the shape of the plant pot holder could be square or rectangular to accommodate a square or rectangular plant pot respectively.

The support is secured into a fixed position by a securing means. In certain preferred embodiments, the securing means is an aperture provided in a support contacting surface of the body, the aperture being of sufficient dimensions for it to, for example, pass over the head of a screw such that the screw head engages the inner surface of the body thereby securing into position. Alternatively, the aperture could receive a hook that has been fitted to a wall or similar area. In an alternative embodiment, the body could be hung from a piece of string or the top end of the body can be provided with a hook or other form of gripping member to grip the top of the wall.

The body of the support system may alternatively, or in addition to, be fitted with a number of brackets to enable the body to be securely fixed to a wall or similar support surface, as yet a further alternative way of providing a means by which a support can be mounted to a wall or other suitable surface. Of course, the wall or structure that the support is eventually mounted to is preferably an external wall but there is nothing to prevent the support from being fitted to an internal wall and used internally to a building.

In a further alternative embodiment, the support is secured into a fixed position by a base stand. Preferably, the base stand is of suitable dimensions so as to be received within the bottom of a sufficiently sized plant pot and to be secured into a fixed position by the weight of soil or compost filled into the plant pot. In such embodiments, the base stand is connected to, or as an alternative integrally formed with the body. Preferably, however, the base stand is not integrally formed with the body and is connected to the body by means of a suitable connection preferably a male/female connection. In a preferred embodiment, the base stand comprises a base plate that contacts a support surface and an upright member fixed to the upper surface of the base plate, the upright member, preferably forming a male connection element and the body preferably forming the female connection element. Furthermore, the extent to which the upright member connector is received by the body enables the height of the body relative to the base plate to be adjusted. The body may be secured at any desired height by securing the respective male and female connection portions together or alternatively passing a securing pin through a hole provided in the the wall of the body and into a corresponding aligned hole extending into the upright member. The base stand is preferably manufactured from metal or plastic material.

In an alternative embodiment the base plate of the base stand is of sufficient weight and dimensions to provide support to the body and hence the support system without requiring to be positioned and secured in a suitable sized plant pot.

In a further alternative embodiment, the underside of the base stand is provided with a ground-piercing spike which may be pushed into the ground to a sufficient extent so as to provide the necessary support to the body.

It will be appreciated that the fixing points may be located at any position on the body. Preferably, however, the fixing points are grouped together in sets, the distance between each fixing point of the set being substantially different to the distance between each of the sets. One set may consist of two fixing points that are spaced apart in a side-by-side relationship whereas another set could comprise three fixing points in a staggered arrangement or in the form of a series of a set. Preferably, each set of fixing points are equal in number. In addition, in embodiments of the invention configured to be mounted to a wall or other suitable surface, the fixing points may be located exclusively on portions of the body that do not contact the wall or other suitable surface. In embodiments in which the body is in the form of a rectangular or square tube, each member of each set of fixing points will preferably occur on each face of the non-wall contacting faces of the body when mounted in its in use position.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provide a kit of parts for constructing a support system, comprising a body having one or more fixing points, one or more plant pot holders configured to releasably attach to the fixing points of the body and to receive a plant pot, and a securing means which, in use, is adapted to secure the body into a fixed position.

The support system may be provided pre-assembled or as a kit of parts to be assembled by the user as defined above. In addition to the above specified components, the kit of parts may comprise further components such as a base stand, a base stand provided with a ground- piercing spike, and bolts, screws, brackets or hooks to be used in conjunction with the securing means. Furthermore, the body, fixing points, plant pot holders and securing means as previously described herein. These specific embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which,

Fligure 1 shows a plan view of the first embodiment of the present invention in its in use position showing where the plant pots are to be located on the support;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the body of the support shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 shows a top view of two of the plant pot holders to be used with both embodiments of the present invention; Figure 4 illustrates in cross-section the body of the support with plant pot holders as illustrated in Figure 2 being fitted into the body of an alternative embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 5 illustrates in cross-section, an alternative body of the support with a plant pot holder designed to accommodate more than one plant pot for use with a further alternative embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6 is a perspective view detailing an alternative embodiment of the present invention illustrating a body in combination with an alternative securing means;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a further alternative embodiment of the present invention showing a body in combination with a further alternative securing means;

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an alternative attachment configuration by which the plant pot holders are attached to the body of the embodiments shown in Figures 6 and 7;

Figure 9A is a cross-sectional view of a further alternative embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 9B is a side elevational view of the body shown in Figure

9A;

Figure 9C is a front plan view of the body 20 shown in Figure 9A.

Figure 1 illustrates a wall mountable support for supporting flower pots (the latter being depicted by the hash lines). The support body comprises a straight elongate square tube 4 of substantially uniform cross-section throughout its length (Figure 2) with a bulbous aperture 1 passing through one face of the tube 4 only.

The aperture body having a generally circular lower portion and a narrower upper neck portion, the aperture 1 being designed to allow the head of, for example, a screw to pass through the aperture body whilst the narrower neck portion is designed to embrace the shank of the screw once the tube 4 of the support is in its use position.

From Figures 1 and 2 it is clear that the tube 4 is provided with four sets of fixing points in the form of three slots, each slot 5 of each set, being centrally located with respect to the sides of each of the three faces of the tube 4.

As can be seen from Figure 2, each slot 5 is elongate, straight and has a longitudinal axis that is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the tube 4.

The slots 5 of each set of slots lie in a staggered arrangement with respect to each other, two of the opposing slots 5 being substantially parallel and lying in a plane substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the tube 4 whilst longitudinal axis of the remaining slot 5 of the set is substantially parallel with respect to the other two slots 5, but it is spaced apart from it and is located above the two opposing slots 5 in the support's normal attitude of operation.

Figure 3 illustrates two different sized split rings 2, 3 the larger of the two being split ring 3. Each split ring 2, 3 is made from a plastics coated metal and each split ring 2, 3 is designed to be resilient.

Each split ring 2, 3 is in the form of an open ended planar circular loop, each end portion of the open loop lying in substantially the same plane and lying outside the almost circular area generally defined by the loop, each of the end portions facing away from each other in generally opposing directions.

In order to fit each of the split rings 2, 3 into each of the slots 5 either split ring 2 or 3 is gripped at either side and compressed such that parts of the two end portions of the split ring 2 or 3 come into contact so that the open loop temporarily becomes a closed loop. The end portions of the split rings 2, 3 are then able to pass through the widest part of the mouth of the slot 5 and once this has occurred, the resilient nature of the split ring 2 or 3 will move it back into its open ended loop configuration once it has been released. The end portions of the split ring 2, 3 now lie behind either side of the short ends of the slot 5 along an internal face of the tube 4, thereby preventing removal of the split ring 2 or 3 from the slot 5. Recompression of the split ring 2 or 3 is required to remove the split ring 2 or 3 from the tube 4. In use, two large splits rings 3 occupy the opposing slots 5 of the tube 4 whilst the smaller split ring 2 occupies the remaining slot 5 of the set. Flower pots can now be inserted as indicated by the hash lines of Figure 1 and the wall mountable support can be fitted to a wall via the slot 1 .

Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment whereby the slots 5 instead of being in a staggered arrangement as shown in Figure 2 all lie in a plane substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the tube 4. As can be seen from Figure 4, with such an arrangement, the outer surfaces of the two larger split rings 3 now contact the outer surface of the smaller split ring 2 in this in use position. Figure 5 shows yet a further alternative embodiment whereby the smaller ring is in fact a closed loop welded to the outer surface of both of the other split rings to form one single plant pot holder capable of holding more than one plant pot and with this particular embodiment, only two opposing slots are required in the tube 4.

An alternative embodiment of the present invention having a body tube 4 in combination with an alternative securing means by which the support system is secured into a fixed upright position is shown in a perspective view in Figure 6. The body portion 4 is secured into a fixed upright position by a base stand having a base plate 10 and an upright member 1 1 fixed to the upper surface of the base plate 10. The upright member 1 1 is an elongate plastic block of square cross-section specifically dimensioned so that the upright member 1 1 is received by and slidably contacts the inner surface of the body tube 4. For the purpose of illustration only, the body tube 4 and the upright member 1 1 are illustrated as being transparent so as to show components internal to the assembly or on surfaces hidden from view. It must be appreciated, however, that in practice the body tube 4 and upright member would normally be opaque.

The upright member is further provided with a series of holes 1 2 that extend there through. The holes 1 2 are spaced apart at predetermined heights along the length of the upright member 1 1 . This facilitates the adjustment of the height of the body tube 4 relative to the base plate 10 by sliding the body tube 4 to the desired height position where a correspondingly positioned hole provided in the side wall of the body tube 4 is aligned with one of the holes 1 2 provided in the upright member 1 1 . A securing pin is then inserted through the hole of the body 4 and into the upright member 1 1 to secure the body at the selected height.

Although the base plate 10, in certain embodiments, may be of sufficient dimensions to support the body tube 4 (and hence the entire support system) when the base plate 10 is positioned on a flat surface, in the present embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, the base plate is too small in diameter to provide sufficient support. In this embodiment, the base plate 10 is of a predetermined size so as to conveniently fit into the bottom of a large plant pot. The addition of soil and/or compost to the pot provides a sufficient support to the base stand to secure the support system into a fixed upright position. The large plant pot is then suitably positioned with the support system providing a means or enabling further plant pots to be supported in elevated positions to provide an enhanced height of natural living colour in the desired area.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a further alternative embodiment of the present invention having a body 4 and a base stand with a base plate 10 and an upright member 1 1 as previously described in reference to Figure 6 (as in Figure 6, the body tube 4 and upright member are shown as transparent for illustrative purposes only). In this embodiment, however, the underside of the base plate 10 has a ground-piercing spike 13 integrally formed therewith. In use, the ground-piercing spike 13 is inserted into a suitable area of ground, for example a flower bed or a lawn, until the base plate 10 rests on the ground surface. This secures the body, and hence support system, into a fixed upright position suitable for the attachment of plant pot holders and the positioning of plants to provide a relatively quick abundance of actual living colour up to the desired height.

The embodiments described in Figures 6 and 7 secure the support system in a freestanding position without the requirement to mount the support system to a wall or other suitable surface. In contrast to the embodiments described in reference to Figures 1 to 5, the freestanding support system embodiments as shown in Figures 6 and 7 enable the plant pot holders to be attached to any of the four sides of the body tube 4 as shown in the cross-sectional view illustrated in Figure 8.

The body tube 4, shown in Figure 8, has plant pot holders 14 and 1 5 attached to the front and rear sides of the body tube 4 respectively, with plant pot holders 1 6 and 1 7 attached to the right and left sides of the body tube 4 respectively. The plant pot holders, 14, 15, 16 and 17, are identical to the plant pot holders previously described in reference to Figures 1 to 3. To enable the provision of sufficient space for an insertion of a plant pot into the plant pot holders, the plant pot holders 16 and 17 are displaced further along the body 4 as illustrated in the cross-sectional view shown in Figure 8. A further alternative embodiment having an alternative body configuration, is shown in Figures 9A, 9B and 9C. Figure 9A shows a cross-sectional view of the alternative configuration of the body. The body 20 is a three-sided C-shaped plastic extrusion having rear wall 25 and two side walls 26 extending from opposing edges of the rear wall. Referring to Figures 9A, 9B and 9C, the rear wall 25 has a screw hole 23 positioned in the centre. In use, the rear wall is placed against a support surface, such as a wall or a fence, with the side walls protruding from the support surface, and the rear wall is secured to the support surface by a screw, the shank of which is inserted through the screw hole 23 into the support surface. The side walls 26 of the body 20 are provided with a pair of aligned holes 24 that serve as the fixing point by which the plant pot holder 21 is attached to the body 20 as shown in Figure 9A. The plant pot holder 21 is a resilient split ring equivalent to the plant pot holders previously described. The plant pot holder 21 has engaging portions 22 that protrude from the circumference of the ring. The engaging portions 22 fit into the holes 24 provided in the side walls 26 of the body 20 as shown in Figure 9A. To remove the plant pot holder 21 , the engaging portions 22 are pushed closed together thereby reducing the size of the split gap within the split ring 21 and withdrawing the engaging portions 22 from the holes 24 of the side walls. The resilient plant pot holder 21 returns to its original configuration (as shown in Figure 3) once the force pushing the engagement portions 22 closer together has been removed.

Claims

1 . A support system adapted to support one or more plant pots in an elevated position comprising a body having one or more fixing points; one or more plant pot holders releasably attached to the fixing points of the body and adapted to receive a plant pot; and securing means by which the body is secured into a fixed position.

2. A support system according to Claim 1 , wherein the body is an elongate tube.

3. A support system according to Claim 2, wherein the tube is composed of a plastics material.

4. A support system according to any preceding claim, wherein the body comprises one or more fixing point.

5. A support system according to Claim 4, wherein at least some of the fixing points are grouped into sets, and the distance between fixing points forming part of the set is substantially different from the distance between each set.

6. A support system according to any preceding claim, wherein said plant pot holders are constructed from a resilient material.

7. A support system according to any preceding claim, wherein said plant pot holder is of a split ring configuration having engagement portions protruding from the circumference defined by the ring.

8. A support system according to any preceding claim, wherein the securing means is an aperture provided on a side of the body and configured to receive a screw-head or a hook to secure the body into a fixed position.

9. A support system according to any of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the securing means is a hook integrally formed with the body.

10. A support system according to any of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the securing means is a base stand connected to the body.

1 1 . A support system according to Claim 10, wherein the base stand comprises a base plate and an upright member, the upright member being configured to connect to the body.

1 2. A support system according to Claims 10 or 1 1 , wherein the connection between the base stand and the body is height adjustable.

13. A support system according to any of Claims 10 to 12, wherein the base stand further comprises a ground-piercing spike attached to its under surface.

14. A support system according to Claim 1 , wherein the body is a three-sided C-shaped bracket having the rear wall and two side walls extending from opposing edges of the rear wall.

1 5. A support system according to Claim 14, wherein the securing means is an aperture provided in the rear wall and through which the body is secured to a support surface.

1 6. A support system according to Claim 14, wherein a plant pot holder is attached to a fixing point provided on the side walls.

17. A kit of parts for constructing a support system, comprising a body having one or more fixing points, one or more plant pot holders configured to releasably attach to the fixing points of the body and to receive a plant pot, and securing means which, in use, is adapted to secure the body into a fixed position.

1 8. A kit of parts according to Claim 17, wherein said kit further comprises a base stand configured to be connected to the body in use and to support the body in a fixed position.