CA2238914C - Plant pot with saucer - Google Patents

Plant pot with saucer Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2238914C
CA2238914C CA 2238914 CA2238914A CA2238914C CA 2238914 C CA2238914 C CA 2238914C CA 2238914 CA2238914 CA 2238914 CA 2238914 A CA2238914 A CA 2238914A CA 2238914 C CA2238914 C CA 2238914C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
saucer
plant pot
projections
drainage holes
pot
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
CA 2238914
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
CA2238914A1 (en
Inventor
Edward Hensen
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
HC CANADA OPERATING COMPANY Ltd
Original Assignee
ITML Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by ITML Inc filed Critical ITML Inc
Priority to CA 2238914 priority Critical patent/CA2238914C/en
Publication of CA2238914A1 publication Critical patent/CA2238914A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA2238914C publication Critical patent/CA2238914C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01GHORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
    • A01G9/00Cultivation in receptacles, forcing-frames or greenhouses; Edging for beds, lawn or the like
    • A01G9/04Flower-pot saucers
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01GHORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
    • A01G9/00Cultivation in receptacles, forcing-frames or greenhouses; Edging for beds, lawn or the like
    • A01G9/02Receptacles, e.g. flower-pots or boxes; Glasses for cultivating flowers
    • A01G9/021Pots formed in one piece; Materials used therefor

Landscapes

  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Cultivation Receptacles Or Flower-Pots, Or Pots For Seedlings (AREA)

Abstract

The plant pot has a bottom surface with a plurality of drainage holes therethrough, and the saucer has a plurality of radially spaced-apart upward projections therefrom to engage selected ones of the drainage holes. The bottom surface of the plant pot has a raised central portion having an inner diameter corresponding approximately to the diameter of an imaginary circle defined by radially outermost points of the upward projections from the saucer, thereby facilitating axial alignment of the saucer relative to the plant pot. The upward projections have radially outwardly extending flanges adjacent distal ends thereof, the flanges being configured so as to extend slightly above and slightly radially outwardly from the selected ones of the drainage holes when installed, so as to provide snap-on securing of the saucer to the plant pot. Preferably, the saucer has a plurality of radially spaced-apart recesses extending upwardly from its bottom surface, positioned to accommodate the upward projections of another identical saucer when the saucers are stacked together. This significantly reduces the height of a stack of saucers, for easier and more economical shipping and handling.

Description

This invention relates to plant pots, particular plastic plant pots of the type having saucers securable to the underside thereof to catch water falling through drain holes in the bottom of the pot.
In current industry practice, the plant pots of this general type are supplied to growers, without the saucers attached. The saucers are provided to the growers separately. This is because the growers do not want to catch water escaping from the bottom of the plant pot. Instead, they want to be able to fully flush or leach the plant, with a large volume of water, and have that water drain fully from the plant pot.
However, the grocery stores and other purchasers of plants from growers increasingly insist on having saucers not only supplied with the plant pots, but also pre-installed on the plant pots. This means that the growers are faced with having to install hundreds or thousands of saucers on plant pots at the time of shipment. Thus ease of installation is a critical factor. Losing just a few seconds on each pot can obviously add up to a good deal of lost labor time, not to mention worker frustration.
Since the plant pots are then shipped from the growers with the saucers installed, it is also critical that the saucers remain in place, or at least that as few as possible become dislodged during shipment. The saucer must therefore be securely attached to the plant pot.
The present invention addresses both the ease and security of installation of the saucers on the plant pots.
Plant pot and saucer combinations of the general type are well known, and are shown for example in United States patent nos. 3,949,524 (Mickelson), 3,965,616 (Ridgeway), 4,020,592 (Saunders), 4,047,329 (Holt), 4,059,920 (Worrell), 4,092,804 (Morris et al.), 4,167,080 (Mickelson), 4,224,764 (Dziewulski et al.), 4,299,055 (Dziewulski et al.), 4,315,382 (Kay et al.), 4,481,733 (Jacobs), 4,597,221 (Adair et al.), 5,309,670 (Bates), 5,481,826 (Dickinson et al.), and 5,638,638 (Moskowitz).
The problems which are evident to one degree or another with the prior art plant pots and saucers is that either the saucers are too difficult to align and install, or they can be dislodged too easily, or both.

The alignment issue relates to whether or not the worker can properly position the saucer with respect to the pot with minimum effort, so that no time is lost in seeking the proper alignment. Some of the prior art plant pots and saucers are relatively easy to align, but suffer from other problems such as difficulty in actually snapping the saucer onto the pot once so aligned, or failing to provide a sufficiently secure connection.
In some prior art combinations, where the connection is on the plant pot's central axis, exerting the required pressure to snap the saucer in place may be very difficult with the pot full of soil, unless the plastic is very thick and rigid, since the force can only be transmitted by pressing down on the outer edges of the plant pot rather than by pressing down at the actual point of connection.
In view of the above, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved plant pot and saucer combination, which provides improved ease and security of installation of the saucers on the plant pots.
It is a further object to provide a configuration which is as easy to ship as possible, by providing improved nesting of the saucers in particular.
Thus in the invention, the plant pot has a bottom surface with a plurality of drainage holes therethrough, and the saucer has a plurality of radially spaced-apart upward projections therefrom to engage selected ones of the drainage holes.
The bottom surface of the plant pot has a raised central portion having an inner diameter corresponding approximately to the diameter of an imaginary circle defined by radially outermost points of the upward projections from the saucer, thereby facilitating axial alignment of the saucer relative to the plant pot. The upward projections have radially outwardly extending flanges adjacent distal ends thereof, the flanges being configured so as to extend slightly above and slightly radially outwardly from the selected ones of the drainage holes when installed, so as to provide snap-on securing of the saucer to the plant pot.
Preferably, the saucer has a plurality of radially spaced-apart recesses extending upwardly from its bottom surface, positioned to accommodate the upward projections of another identical saucer when the saucers are stacked together.
This _2_ significantly reduces the height of a stack of saucers, for easier and more economical shipping and handling.
Furtherfeatures ofthe invention will be described orwill become apparent in the course of the following detailed description.
In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, the preferred embodiment thereof will now be described in detail by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the plant pot and saucer attached to each other;
Fig. 2 is a cross-section ofthe plant pot and saucer aligned for attachment to each other;
Fig. 3 is a cross-section similarto Fig. 2, showing the plant pot and saucer attached to each other;
Fig. 4 is a top view of the plant pot, with the saucer attached;
Fig. 5 is a side elevation view of the plant pot, with the saucer attached;
Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the plant pot and saucer;
Fig. 7 is a side elevation view of the plant pot alone;
Fig. 8 is a bottom view of the plant pot alone;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the top of the saucer;
Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the bottom of the saucer;
Fig. 11 is a plan view of the top of the saucer;
Fig. 12 is a cross-section of the saucer at A-A of Fig. 11;
Fig. 13 is a cross-section of the saucer at B-B of Fig. 11;
Fig. 14 is a plan view of the bottom of the saucer;
Fig. 15 is a side cross-sectional view of a stack of saucers; and Fig. 16 is a side cross-sectional view of the center portion of a stack of saucers.
The invention provides a plant pot 1 in combination with a saucer 2. The plant pot and saucer have a broad base as a result of the reverse curve of the side of the plant pot, which provides excellent stability which tends to prevent the pot from tipping during transportation to the market. The saucer, when attached, provides a continuation of the curvature of the pot, i.e. it does not project radially outwardly to any significant degree. This makes it less likely that the saucer will catch on something and become dislodged, and also makes packaging in conventional sleeves much easierand much less prone to tearing of the plastic or other sleeve material.
The plant pot has a bottom surface 3 with a number of drainage holes 4 therethrough. As best seen in Figs. 4 and 8, there are four such drainage holes in the preferred embodiment, although obviously this number could vary and is not critical to the invention. Nor is the precise location of these drainage holes critical.
The bottom surface 3 has a raised central portion 5, best seen in Figs. 2 and 8, with a number of slots 6 adjacent the outer edge thereof. These slots act as additional drainage holes, but also are used in securing the saucer to the pot, as explained below. In the preferred embodiment, there are four such slots, although obviously this number could vary as well.
As most clearly seen in Fig. 9, the saucer 2 has a number of radially spaced-apart upward projections 7 therefrom generally positioned and aligned to fit through the slots 6. There are four of these projections in the preferred embodiment, to correspond with the four slots 6. Obviously, there could be more slots than projections, if desired, but not more projections than slots.
The raised central portion 5 has an inner diameter corresponding approximately to the diameterof an imaginary circle defined by radially outermost points of the upward projections 7. This feature greatly facilitates axial alignment of the saucer relative to the plant pot, which is an essential step in attaching the saucer to the pot. To install a saucer onto a pot, the worker can very easily align the two components axially, since the projections naturally ride up into the raised central portion. This is preferably facilitate further by the side edges of the raised portion being angled upwardly and inwardly. The worker then just needs to twist the saucer slightly until the projections 7 align with the slots 6, and apply a little upward pressure on the saucer (or downward pressure on the pot). Radially outwardly extending flanges 8 adjacent distal ends of the projections 7 then snap through the slots, the flanges being configured so as to extend, when installed, slightly above the bottom surface 3 of the pot and slightly radially outwardly from the slots 6 of the pot, thus providing snap-on securing of the saucer to the pot. Support ribs 9 add strength to the upward projections.
A particularly advantageous feature of the saucer is that it has a plurality of radially spaced-apart recesses 10 extending upwardly from its bottom surface, positioned to accommodate the upward projections 7 of another saucer when saucers are stacked together. This is clearly illustrated in Figs. 15 and 16.
Successive saucers are offset from each other radially by 45 degrees (in the preferred embodiment with four projections at 90 degrees to each other, or by whatever angle is relevant if there are fewer or more projections), so that the projections of one saucer align with the recesses of the next saucer, the recesses preferably but not necessarily being offset from the projections by 45 degrees. This "projection-in-recess" configuration significantly reduces stack height is reduced to facilitate shipping and handling. This is an important feature since the saucers are now typically shipped separately from the pots.
Other features, less critical to the invention, include:
a. small ridges 12 on the bottom of the pot 1 near its periphery, to act as spacers to provide a small gap between the bottom of the pot and the saucer, which is obviously desirable for drainage from the pot;
b. a raised central dome 14 of the saucer, simply for strengthening or reinforcement of the saucer in that area;
c. several ribs 16 (four of them in the preferred embodiment), extending outwardly from the raised central portion 5 of the pot, for strengthening or reinforcement of the pot and for providing air flow to the root structure of the plant;;
d. a strengthening ridge 18 on the bottom of the saucer 2, between the dome 14 and the recesses 10;
e. various strengthening ridges 20 on the upper surface of the saucer 2.
It will be appreciated that the above description relates to the preferred embodiment by way of example only. Many variations on the invention will be obvious to those knowledgeable in the field, and such obvious variations are within the scope of the invention as described and claimed, whether or not expressly described.

Claims (7)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A plant pot and saucer combination, where said plant pot has a bottom surface with a plurality of drainage holes therethrough, and where said saucer has a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart upward projections therefrom to engage selected ones of said drainage holes, where said bottom surface has a raised central portion having an inner diameter corresponding approximately to the diameter of an imaginary circle defined by radially outermost points of said upward projections from said saucer, thereby facilitating axial alignment of said saucer relative to said plant pot, and where said upward projections have radially outwardly extending flanges adjacent distal ends thereof, said flanges being configured so as to extend slightly above and slightly radially outwardly from said selected ones of said drainage holes when installed, so as to provide snap-on securing of said saucer to said plant pot.
2. A plant pot and saucer combination as recited in claim 1, where there are four said projections.
3. A plant pot and saucer combination as recited in claim 1, where there are more drainage holes than projections.
4. A plant pot and saucer combination as recited in claim 3, where there are four said projections and corresponding drainage holes aligned with said projections, and additional drainage holes through said bottom surface.
5. A plant pot and saucer combination as recited in claim 1, where said saucer has a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart recesses extending upwardly from its bottom surface, positioned to accommodate said upward projections of another said saucer when saucers are stacked together, whereby stack height is reduced to facilitate shipping and handling.
6. A plant pot and saucer combination as recited in claim 5, where there are four said projections circumferentially spaced at 90 degrees from each other, and four said recesses at 90 degrees from each other, said projections and said recesses being at 45 degrees to each other.
7. A plant pot and saucer combination as recited in claim 1, where a radially outer edge of said saucer is substantially aligned with a radially outer edge of said plant pot adjacent said saucer when installed.
CA 2238914 1998-05-28 1998-05-28 Plant pot with saucer Expired - Fee Related CA2238914C (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2238914 CA2238914C (en) 1998-05-28 1998-05-28 Plant pot with saucer

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2238914 CA2238914C (en) 1998-05-28 1998-05-28 Plant pot with saucer

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2238914A1 CA2238914A1 (en) 1999-11-28
CA2238914C true CA2238914C (en) 2001-10-09

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA 2238914 Expired - Fee Related CA2238914C (en) 1998-05-28 1998-05-28 Plant pot with saucer

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CA (1) CA2238914C (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11266079B2 (en) 2019-02-05 2022-03-08 Att Southern, Inc. Pot assembly with a saucer

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
NL1025779C2 (en) 2004-03-22 2005-09-26 Voskamp Vollebregt Holding B V Plant pot system comprising inner pot and outer pot, has stop formed on inside of inner pot side wall
FR2874479B1 (en) * 2004-08-27 2006-12-01 Riviera Soc Par Actions Simpli DEVICE FOR CULTIVATION OF PLANTS, COMPRISING A POT AND A SAUCER
DE112005002870B4 (en) * 2004-12-02 2014-12-31 BIKH-Lizenz GbR (vertretungsberechtigte Gesellschafter Herr von Bismarck,Alexander,23883 Grambeck;Herr Knickmeier,Helge B.,22848 Norderstedt; Herr Irmler Günther,Prof.,20354 Hamburg;Herr Hardenberg,Philipp,Graf20354 Hamburg plant pot
US10076196B2 (en) 2015-01-05 2018-09-18 Christopher James Westbrooks Pot stand with removable water tray
US11083144B2 (en) 2015-10-30 2021-08-10 Syngenta Participations Ag Plant container and tray system

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11266079B2 (en) 2019-02-05 2022-03-08 Att Southern, Inc. Pot assembly with a saucer

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Publication number Publication date
CA2238914A1 (en) 1999-11-28

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Effective date: 20170529