EP2338385A1

EP2338385A1 - Improved flower box

Info

Publication number: EP2338385A1
Application number: EP10192350A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Vincenzo Eleuteri
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-12-22
Filing date: 2010-11-24
Publication date: 2011-06-29
Anticipated expiration: 2030-11-24
Also published as: EP2338385B1; ES2391029T3; ITMC20090070U1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a flower box (1,10,100,1000) comprising an upper wall (2,20,200,2000) with hole for insertion of a pot (V), and an empty body (3,30,300,3000) defining a space for said pot (V) and also comprising an air passage that extends at least partially inside the empty body (3,30,300,3000).

Description

The present patent application relates to a flower box according to the preamble of the first claim.
Flower boxes are generally made with different shapes and dimensions, according to specific use and type of pot to be contained therein.
The flower boxes referred to in the present description are composed of an upper wall with opening to insert the pot and lateral walls that define the space where the pot is contained.
Normally, in such a type of flower boxes the lateral walls and the upper wall are continuous.
The above results in a drawback related to the fact that air tends to stagnate inside the space where the pot is contained, with temperature increase that causes the premature evaporation of the water contained in the pot and in the soil in the form of humidity, thus forcing the user to make frequent irrigation.
This problem is especially felt when the flower box is exposed to sunlight: in such a case, the upper wall heats up very rapidly and the temperature inside the space that houses the pot increases very rapidly.
The purpose of the present invention is to remedy said inconveniences by disclosing a flower box in which the space that houses the pot is ventilated through suitable openings adapted to generate air circulation.
More specifically, as illustrated below, air circulation is produced because of the temperature difference generated inside the flower box.
Additional advantageous characteristics are the object of the enclosed sub claims, which are an integral part of the present description.
The invention will be clearer from the detailed description of the enclosed drawings, which illustrate an embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an axonometric view of the flower box of the invention according to a first embodiment;
Fig. 2 is a side view of the flower box of the invention according to a second embodiment;
Fig. 3 is an axonometric view of the flower box of the invention according to a third embodiment;
Fig. 4 is an axonometric view of the flower box of the invention according to a fourth embodiment;
Fig. 5 illustrates an embodiment of the upper wall of the flower box of the present invention.
Fig. 6 illustrates a second embodiment of the upper wall of the flower box of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 1, a first embodiment of flower box (1) according to the present invention is disclosed.
Said flower box (1) comprises an upper wall (2) with hole for insertion of a pot (V), for example a flowerpot.
The upper wall (2) is associated with an empty body (3) defining the space where the body of the pot (V) is at least partially contained.
According to this embodiment the flower box (1) comprises an enlarged base (4) with support feet (7) by means of which the flower box (1) rests on the ground.
According to the precepts of the present invention, the support feet (7) space out the enlarged base from the ground, in such a way that a first opening for air (5) is formed between the ground and said base (4).
The empty body (3) is open downwards in such a way to be in communication with the first opening for air (5).
The upper part of the empty body (3) is provided with a second lateral opening (6), in the form of a slot or similar, that puts in communication the internal space where the pot (V) is contained with the outside.
The flower box (1) basically comprises an air passage that extends at least partially inside the empty body (3) that contains the pot (V).
The first opening (5) and the second opening (6) are situated at different heights. So, when the flower box (1) is exposed to sunlight, a natural air current (indicated by the arrows) is generated inside the empty body because of the temperature difference between the ground (colder) and the upper wall (2) (hotter) that ventilates the space where the pot (V) is contained, lowering the temperature and remedying the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art.
Obviously, it must be noted that in the example of fig. 1 the first opening (5) is obtained between the ground and the enlarged base (4). However, as an alternative or in combination, it could be obtained directly on the empty body (3) just like the second opening (6), as in some of the examples illustrated below.
A second example of a flower box (10) according to the present invention is shown in fig. 2, wherein the same numerals followed by one "zero" are used to indicate the same parts that are not described any further.
According to this example, the first opening (50) is obtained directly on the empty body (30): the latter is basically a parallelepiped closed by the upper wall (20) and open downwards towards the ground.
Two of the four perimeter walls are higher, in such a way to realize support feet (70) on the ground, whereas the other two are lower, in such a way to remain situated at a certain distance from the ground when the first two walls rest on the ground, thus defining the first air passage (50).
Also in this case the flower box (10) comprises an air passage that extends at least partially inside the empty body (30) that also contains the pot (V), being a common characteristic also of figs. 3 and 4.
With respect to the one shown in fig. 1, the advantage of such a solution is that it is inexpensive and easy to make and assemble.
Fig. 3 shows a third embodiment of flower box (100) wherein the same numerals followed by two "zeros" indicate the same parts that are not described any further.
In such a case the flower box (100) has a second opening (600) on the four sides of the empty body (300) immediately under the upper wall (200): the body (300) ends at a certain distance from the upper wall (200) that is supported by the empty body (300) by means of supports or similar parts (E).
Fig. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of a flower box (1000) according to the present invention. Similarly, in such a case the same numerals followed by three "zeros" indicate the same parts that are not described any further.
In such a case the flower box (1000) has the second opening (6000) on the four sides of the empty body (3000) near the upper wall (2000).
In such a case the empty body (3000) has basically a parallelepiped shape and the second opening (6000) is made on the walls as a slot situated in horizontal position at a certain distance from the upper wall (2000).
According to a preferred embodiment the supports (E) coincide with the upper ends of the four legs of a bearing frame (not shown in the figure), whereas the lateral walls of the empty body (30, 300, 3000) coincide with cover panels, each of them being fixed astride each pair of adjacent legs of said frame.
The upper wall (2,20,200,2000) can be made of wood, plastics, resin, stone, marble, granite or similar material.
Advantageously, as shown in fig. 5 or 6, the upper wall (2,20,200,2000) can be obtained by joining multiple sectors (2A,2B,2C,2D) or (20A,20B,20C,20D), which are glued or otherwise mutually fixed, in order to form a surface.
The hole for inserting the pot (V) can have any shape, such as round, square, rectangular, oval, etc.
More generally, although it is always represented as a parallelepiped, the empty body (3,30,300,3000) can have different shapes, such as cubic, spherical, ovoidal, or similar.
In such a case the upper wall (2,20,200,2000) could have a different shape, including imaginary ones, and not a linear and/or regular shape.
The first (5,50,500,5000) and the second (6,60,600,6000) opening may extend all around the perimeter of the body (3,30,300,3000) or only partially, and may be made as slots or as one or more holes, for example aligned in one or more rows.
Finally, it must be noted that every second opening (6, 60, 600, 6000) can be advantageously used as grip where the user can insert his hand and use it as handgrip to lift the flower box (1,10,100,1000).
According to a special embodiment, said flower box (1,10,100,1000) has a total height of about 70-80 cm in such a way to be used as table.

Claims

1. Flower box (1,10,100,1000) comprising an upper wall (2,20,200,2000) with hole for insertion of a pot (V) and a empty body (3,30,300,3000) defining a space for said pot (V)
characterized in that it comprises an air passage that extends at least partially inside the empty body (3,30,300,3000).

2. Flower box (1,10,100,1000) according to the first claim, characterized in that said empty body (3,30,300,3000) defines a first (5,50,500,5000) and a second (6,60,600,6000) opening to put into communication said space for said pot (V) with the outside.

3. Flower box (1,10,100,1000) according to claim 2, characterized in that said first opening (5,50,500,5000) and said second opening (6,60,600,6000) are defined at different heights on said empty body (3,30,300,3000).

4. Flower box (1,10,100,1000) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that it comprises feet (7,70,700,7000) to support the flower box (1,10,100,1000) on the ground, which extend under said empty body (3,30,300,3000) in such a way to define said first opening (5,50,500,5000) between said empty body (3,30,300,3000) and the ground.

5. Flower box (1,10,100,1000) according to one or more of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that said second opening (6,60,600,6000) is situated above said first opening (5,50,500,5000) and extends on at least one side of said empty body (3,30,300,3000) under said upper wall (2,20,200,2000).

6. Flower box (1,10,100,1000) according to one or more of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that said second opening is defined at least partially by said upper wall (200).

7. Flower box (1,10,100,1000) according to one or more of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that said second opening (6,60,600,6000) is a slot.

8. Flower box (1,10,100,1000) according to one or more of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said empty body (3,30,300,3000) is basically shaped as a parallelepiped open on the bottom and closed on top by said upper wall (2,20,200,2000).

9. Flower box (1,10,100,1000) according to one or more of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it has a total height between 70 and 80 cm in such a way to be used as table.

10. Flower box (1,10,100,1000) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a bearing frame to support said upper wall (2,20,200,2000) and said body (3,30,300,3000), the lateral walls of which coincide with corresponding cover panels, each of them being fixed astride each pair of adjacent legs of said frame.