GB2475864A

GB2475864A - A modular planter

Info

Publication number: GB2475864A
Application number: GB0921153A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter John Cherry
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-12-02
Filing date: 2009-12-02
Publication date: 2011-06-08
Also published as: GB0921153D0

Abstract

A planter module for a modular planter has a first end and second end, and comprises a first connector10provided at the first end of the module and a second, complementary connector11provided at the second end of the module. A soaker hose9extends between the first and second ends of the module. The first end of the module is connectable in use to the second end of another module and wherein the second end of the module is connectable in use to the first end of another module. Preferably, the first connector and second connector provide for fluid communication, one end of the soaker hose being connected to the first connector and another end of the soaker hose being connected to the second connector. A face/wall of the planter may be removable. A face/wall of the planter may have apertures in which plants can be planted.

Description

A Modular Planter The present invention relates to a modular planter, including a modular planter intended to be oriented vertically or substantially vertically in use.

A "planter" is a receptacle in which plants may be grown. There are many different types of planters. One type is a "modular planter", which is a planter having planter sections (or modules) that may be joined together to form a planter of desired size. In one known type of modular planter, the planter sections are open-ended plastic cylinders. Holes for plants are provided in the walls of the cylinders. Each cylinder has a reduced-diameter portion at one end which is a "push-fit" into another cylinder, so that any number of cylinders may be joined together to form a planter of a desired length. The assembled planter may be suspended at its upper end, or it may be attached in a generally vertical orientation to a structure such as a wall of a building or a fence. In use, the planter is filled with a suitable plant growth material, and the lower end of the planter is closed with a suitable endcap to retain the plant growth material within the planter. Irrigation of the plant growth material is achieved by providing a soaker hose (that is, a hose having apertures along its length) along the length of the planter. The endcap is generally provided with drainage holes to allow excess water to drain from the planter.

*e.... . . * A first aspect of the invention provides a planter module for a modular planter, the module having a first end and second end and comprising: a first connector provided at the first end of the module and a second, complementary connector provided at the **S**.

* 25 second end of the module; and a soaker hose extending between the first end of the module and the second end of the module; wherein the first end of the module is * connectable in use to the second end of another module and wherein the second end *S **.. * *

of the module is connectable in use to the first end of another module. In the prior art * S * * modular planter described above, the soaker hose must be cut to length by a user and installed in the planter once it has been assembled. In the present invention, in contrast, each planter module is provided with a soaker hose so that a user is not required to install a soaker hose in the assembled planter.

Two modules of the invention may be attached to one another by connecting the first end of one module to the second end of the other module, and this process may be repeated to allow any desired number of modules to be joined together to form a planter of any desired size.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a planter module for a modular planter, the module having a first end and second end and comprising: a first end face disposed at the first end of the module; and one or more walls upstanding from the first end face to define an enclosure for plant growth material; wherein the first end of the module is connectable in use to the second end of another module and wherein the second end of the module is connectable in use to the first end of another module.

In the prior art planter described above, since the planter modules are open cylinders that are a push-fit into one another, the interior of one planter module communicates with the interior of adjacent planter modules. When the assembled planter is arranged vertically or substantially vertically, this means that water will drain to the lower planter modules. As a result, there is an unequal distribution of water through the planter, with higher modules being quickly drained and lower modules being potentially flooded. In contrast, the first end face of a planter module of the second aspect provides a watertight boundary between adjacent modules, so that water introduced into one planter module is retained in that planter module. This ensures a generally even level irrigation along the length of the assembled planter.

The planter module may further comprise a second end member at its second end, for example attached to the end(s) of the wall(s) away from the first end face. The second S..

end member may in principle be a second end face so that the first and second end * ** members and the wall(s) enclose the interior of the module, although the invention is not limited to this.

The planter module may comprise a first connector provided at the first end of the module and a second, complementary connector provided at the second end of the module. The first connector may be provided in the first end face. The second connector may be provided in the second end member. The first connector of one planter module connects, in use, with the second connector of another planter module of the invention, and this provides a simple way of connecting two planter modules together.

The planter module may comprise a soaker hose extending between the first end face and the second end member.

The first connector and second connector may provide for fluid communication, and one end of the soaker hose may be connected to the first connector and another end of the soaker hose may be being connected to the second connector. In this embodiment, the first and second connectors not only enable physical connection of one planter module to an adjacent planter module, but they also connect the soaker hose in one planter module to the soaker hose in the adjacent, connected planter module. Thus, connecting two modules together is effective also to join the soaker hose in one module to the soaker hose in another module without any further action required by the user.

At least one of the one or more walls may be removable or comprise a removable portion.

At least one of the one or more walls may be provided with one or more apertures for plants.

S

*S.... S *

A second aspect of the invention provides a planter comprising two or more planter * .5*..

* 25 modules of the first aspect.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the S. 5*I* accompanying drawings in which: Figures 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 are a front view, side view and sectional view respectively of a planter module according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Figures 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 are a front view, side view and sectional view respectively of a planter module according to a second embodiment of the present invention; Figures 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 are a front view, side view and sectional view respectively of a planter module according to a third embodiment of the present invention; Figures 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 are front views of modular planters formed of planter modules according to the first, second and third embodiment respectively; Figure 5.1 is a sectional view of two planter modules of the invention connected together illustrating the soaker hoses; and Figure 5.2 is a side view corresponding to figure 5.1.

Figures 1.1 -1.3, 2.1 -2.3 and 3.1 -3.3 are a front view, side view and sectional view respectively of a planter module 1 according to a first, second and third embodiments of the present invention. As can be seen the planter module I of each of these embodiments has a first end face and one or more walls 3, 3' upstanding from the first end face 2 to define an enclosure for a plant-growing medium 5. The module may be of square cross-section (when seen from the direction of the arrow B) in which case it would have four walls 3, 3', but the invention is not limited to this. The module may have any desired cross-section and the number of walls may differ from four -for example the module may have a generally cylindrical cross-section in which case the number of walls would be one. A second end face or end member 4 is provided at the ends of the walls 3,3' furthest from the first end face 2.

Unlike some existing vertical planting modules which do not have a horizontal physical barrier between modules, the provision of the first end face 2 prevents water from draining from the top module downwards, when the modules are connected together vertically, or near vertically. Vertical in this context means that the front plate surface is vertical. This prevents the upper modules from eventually getting too little water and the lower modules getting too much water. * 25

In one embodiment a module may be enclosed at its top end by a second end face 4 so that the interior of the module is enclosed on all sides to prevent leakage of water or ** growth medium from the interior of the module. It should however be noted that the * provision of the first end face 2 should be sufficient to prevent water from draining from one module into the next, so that it may be sufficient to provide a second end member 4 that does not completely close the top face of the module instead of a second end face.

When seen from the front the module may again have any desired shape, for example rectangular (figure 1.1), polygon shaped (figure 2.1) or substantially circular (figure 3.1).

The module is able to contain a plant-growing medium 5, for example soil, compost or an artificial growing medium. Each individual plant is inserted through an individual hole 6 in one wall, for example a front wall, 3' of the module which has a plurality of such holes 6. One wall of the module may be removable, or may have a removable portion, to allow plant-growing medium to be placed in the module; the wall or portion may then be re-attached to the module to retain the growing medium within the module. Figure 1.3, 2.3 and 3.3 show the rear wall of the module as removable, but the invention is not limited to this and a design variation may be one or more removable side walls instead of a removable back wafl. Providing a removable wall, or a removable portion in a wall, avoids the need to load the plant-growing medium into the module through the holes 6 in the front face of the module.

A module of the invention may be fabricated from any suitable material such as, for example, a plastics material, polymer, metal, wood or a ceramic material.

The holes 6 in the front wall, which may be flat or curved, are just big enough for the stem/roots of a plant that is to be to grown in the module to pass through, thereby preventing the growing medium from falling out when the modules are arranged vertically, or at a steep incline. "Vertical" in this context means that the front plate is vertical: 25 As explained more fully below, a planter module of the invention may be connected to another planter module of the invention, to obtain a planter of any desired length. S..

Figures 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 are front views of modular planters formed by connecting planter modules of the invention. Although figures 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 each show a planter formed by connecting three planter modules of the same shape together the invention is not limited to this and any number of modules, and modules of any shapes, may be fitted together. In figures 4.1,4.2 and 4.3 the three planter modules are shown as having the same height as one another, but a planter may be formed from modules of different heights and/or shapes. As one example, in one planter a square module may be connected to a hexagonal module which in turn may be connected to a circular module (where "square", "hexagonal" and "circular" refer to the appearance of a module as seen from the front, as in Figures 1.1, 2.1 and 3.1). The faces of the modules shown in figure 1.1, 2.1 or 3.1 will typically be between 20 cm and 40 cm in width/height, but are not limited to this range of dimensions.

In use, if a planter as shown in figure 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3 is oriented vertically or substantially vertically, the lowest module of the planter may be placed on, and preferably secured to, the ground. Alternatively, a planter of the invention may lie on a horizontal surface or an inclined surface or be fixed to a surface of virtually any inclination. For example, the planter may be fixed to a structure 8 which may for example be a wall of a building or a surface (such as a fence or trellis). The surface may be vertical, or it may be inclined to the vertical. The planter modules may be secured to the structure 8 using any suitable fixings, for example keyhole slots and screws (the fixings are not shown in the figures). As a further alternative, a planter formed from planter modules of the invention may be suspended at/near its upper end.

A planter module of the invention is provided with a first connector 10 provided in the first end face 2 and a second, complementary connector 11 provided in the second end member 4. When planter modules are stacked to form a planter, the first connector 10 of one planter module connects, in use, with the second connector I lof another planter module of the invention, and so on, and this provides a simple way of connecting two planter modules together. :

The connectors are shown most clearly in figure 5.1. In the embodiment of figure 5.1 25 the first connector 10 is a "male" connector and the second connector 11 is a "female" connector, but any suitable connector may be used. In a preferred embodiment the modules may be connected together using a form of industry-standard garden hose *S * male and female couplings as the connectors 10, 11. These standard couplings lock together by pushing the male and female parts together, and thereby connect the modules together mechanically. If necessary the design of standard male and female couplings may be modified to allow the coupling to be attached to the ends of the module; alternatively, the couplings may be formed integrally with the modules. It is usual for a movable collar (not shown in the figures) around the female coupling to be axially pulled to enable uncoupling of male and female parts. This collar could easily be accessed by removing the removable wall/portion of a module.

The plants in the modules may be irrigated by means of a soaker-hose 9 provided inside the modules, as shown in fig. 5.1. A "soaker-hose" is, as is well known to gardeners and horticulturalists, essentially a hose, for example a polymer or rubber hose, with a multiplicity of tiny holes provided along its entire length, which dispense water along the entire length of the soaker-hose, A soaker hose is available from many different manufacturers.

In the embodiment of figure 5.1 (which may be applied to any planter module of the invention), the soaker hose 9 is provided in the module when the module is assembled.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, one end of the soaker hose is connected to the first connector 10 in the first end face 2 and the other end of the soaker hose is connected to the second connector 11 in the second end member 4. Thus, when two modules are coupled together, the first connector and second connector provide for fluid communication between the soaker hose 9 in one module and the soaker hose 9' in the adjacent module -that is, not only do the couplings connect the modules together mechanically, they also provide for a flow of water from one module to the next module. This simplifies use of the modules, since the need in some prior art systems to cut a soaker hose to length and introduce it into the assembled planter is eliminated.

The path of the soaker-hose shown in fig.5.1 is shown as an illustration of one possible path, and the path may be varied from that shown. *S.s

* : 25 A blanking plug or other seal 12 may be inserted in the free coupling of last module of an assembled planter to retain water within the soaker hoses of the module. In the embodiment of figure 5,1 the free coupling of the last (uppermost) module is a female ** i...

* connector, and the blanking plug thus has the form of a male connector. I. * * * S * *5

In the embodiment of figure 5.1 and 5.2 the free coupling on the first (lowermost) module may be used to connect a garden hose to the module to provide a flow of water to the module or entire connected set of modules. In the embodiment of figure 5.1 and 5.2 the free coupling on the first (lowermost) module is a male connector, and a hose fitted with a female connector may be used to connect to the module. The garden hose only needs to be connected to the first module and turned on for typically less than one minute per day to water the entire set of coupled modules. Alternatively the hose can also remain connected when a proprietary electric timer water valve is used, for example when the gardener is away on holiday.

It should be understood that only certain embodiments of the invention have been described by way of example, and the invention is not limited to the described embodiments. For example, the invention is not limited to the specific type of connectors shown in figure 5.1, and any connector that can provide both mechanical connection and fluid connection may be used to implement the embodiment of figure 5.1. The modules may alternatively be coupled together by another simple mechanical device, for example clips, or studs pushed into holes (not shown in the figures) which would then allow for a simpler water connection arrangement, for example one rigid male pipe with a retained external rubber 0-ring fitting inside a slightly larger rigid female pipe. * : * ** . * * . *

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A planter module for a modular planter, the module having a first end and second end and comprising: a first connector provided at the first end of the module and a second, complementary connector provided at the second end of the module; and a soaker hose extending between the first end of the module and the second end of the module; wherein the first end of the module is connectable in use to the second end of another module and wherein the second end of the module is connectable in use to the first end of another module.
2. A planter module as claimed in claim 1 and comprising a first end face disposed at the first end of the module; and one or more walls upstanding from the first end face to define an container for plant growth material.
3. A planter module for a modular planter, the module having a first end and second end and comprising: a first end face disposed at the first end of the module; and one or more walls upstanding from the first end face to define an container for plant growth material; wherein the first end of the module is connectable in use to the second end of another module and wherein the second end of the module is connectable in use to the first end of another module. c si*
4. A planter module as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 and further comprising a second end member at the second end of the module. * S

*5I11S *
5. A planter module as claimed in claim 3 or 4, and comprising a first connector provided at the first end of the module and a second, complementary connector provided at the second end of the module. * S 5* *

S * S.
6. A planter module as claimed in claim 2 or 5 wherein the first connector is provided in the first end face.
7. A planter module as claimed in claim 5 when dependent from claim 4 wherein the second connector is provided in the second end member.
8. A planter module as claimed in 3 or in any of claims 4 to 7 when dependent from claim 3, and comprising a soaker hose extending between the first end of the module and the second end of the module.
9. A planter module as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 8, wherein the first connector and second connector provide for fluid communication, one end of the soaker hose being connected to the first connector and another end of the soaker hose being connected to the second connector.
10. A planter module as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the one or more walls is removable or comprises a removable portion.
11. A planter module as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the one or more walls is provided with one or more apertures for plants.
12. A planter module substantially as described herein with reference to any one of figures 1.1 to 3.3, figure 5.1 and figure 5.2 of the accompanying drawings.

13 A planter comprising two or more planter modules as defined in any one of claims Ito 12. * S * U aS a ** a * a S * *5