IES940227A2 - Hanging basket - Google Patents

Abstract

A hanging basket (10) for plants is provided having a casing of sheet material (11) collapsible to a substantially flat state for storage and transport and erectable to form a container for holding plants by movement of sidewalls (13, 14, 15, 16) relative to a base member (12). Pleats (17, 18, 19, 20) are formed on the outside of the basket (10) on erection. The basket (10) is held together by fasteners (21, 22) and fasteners (23, 24) (shown in dotted outline). The basket (10) may be stored and transported in the flat state and can be easily erected when needed.

Description

The present invention relates to a hanging basket for plants which may be hung by means of wires or chains from a suitable support.

A hanging basket is known in the form of a hemispherical wire frame. The wire frame may be untreated or may be coated with a plastics material. Such baskets are generally hung from a wall support by means of three chains mounted equidistantly around the lip of the basket. The basket needs to be lined before plants can be placed therein. A layer of polythene or moss may be used to line the basket or a purpose-made hemispherical liner of suitable size may be used. Such liners are made from peat or card-based material.

The type of basket described above is not really suitable for hanging indoors as water tends to leak out of it. Such baskets are also time consuming to line and fill and the wire frame tends to rust after a period of time. The baskets are also heavy and bulky when packed for distribution.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hanging basket which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of the known type of basket.

Accordingly, the invention provides a hanging basket for plants, comprising a casing of sheet material collapsible to a substantially flat state for storage and transport and erectable to form a container for holding the plants by movement of side walls relative to a base member, and means for holding the basket in the erect state.

The advantage provided by this hanging basket is that it can be transported and stored in the flat state thus taking up a minimum of space and when needed can be erected rapidly, filled with plants and hung by wires or a chain to a suitable support. Because the basket casing is made of sheet material it is not necessary to use any form of $940227 * liner. Also the basket will retain moisture in the potting compost and can be used indoors.

The basket can be made from any suitable sheet material. Some examples of suitable materials are polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), fibreboard, cardboard, or Corriboard (Corriboard is a trade mark). When using a plastics material the basket may be injection moulded. Other methods of production include vacuum forming, blow moulding, rotary casting, or pressing.

Use of sheet material allows the basket to be manufactured in bright colours and also permits various images to be printed or embossed on the side walls, if required.

Preferably, the casing has fold lines thereon which define the base member and side walls on erection, the fold lines also causing the casing to fold on itself to form pleats between adjacent side walls.

The advantage of the fold lines is that they readily define the shape of the basket thus simplifying its erection from the flat state.

In one embodiment of the invention the fold lines are in the form of channels on the surface of the casing about which it is to be folded.

The advantage of fold lines in the form of channels is that when erecting the basket it will tend to fold into the correct shape without undue effort on the part of the user.

Preferably, the pleats are formed to the exterior of the container on erection, and the means for holding the basket in the erected state are individual fasteners which hold each pleat together.

The advantage provided by having the pleats formed to the exterior of the container is that they can thus provide suitable mounting points for the chains from which the basket is hung in use. $940 2 27 * It will be understood that a variety of basket shapes may be produced according to the invention. Thus the basket could be three, four, five, six sided or more, with corresponding triangular, square/rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal etc., shaped bases.

It will also be understood that the depth of the pleat will determine the angle of a side wall relative to the base member and also to adjacent side walls.

The invention will be further illustrated by the following description of an embodiment thereof given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying Drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a hanging basket according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view from above of the hanging basket of Fig. 1 in the flat state; Fig. 3 is a plan view from below of the hanging basket of Fig.l in the flat state; and Fig. 4 is a section on line IV - IV of Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is indicated generally at 10 a hanging basket according to the invention in the erect state comprising a casing of sheet material 11 having a square base member 12 and four side walls 13,14,15,16. At each comer of the basket 10 the casing 11 is folded on itself to form pleats 17, 18, 19, 20. The pleats 17, 18, 19, 20 are fastened together by means of fasteners 21, 22, and 23, 24 (shown in dotted outline in Fig. 1) which hold the basket in the erect state. The fasteners 21, 22,23,24, are accommodated in holes 25 in the casing 11 (Figs. 2 and 3).

The hanging basket is injection moulded in the flat state from a suitable plastics material. Alternatively the basket 10 could be injection moulded in the erect state. $940227 Referring to Fig. 2, the hanging basket 10 is illustrated in the flat state from above. Upper surface 26 of casing 11 is provided with fold lines in the form of channels 27, 28, 29, 30, which define the perimeter of the base member 12. Further fold lines in the form of channels 31 define the centre line of the pleats 17, 18, 19, 20.

Referring to Fig. 3, the hanging basket 10 is illustrated in the flat condition from below. Lower surface 32 of casing 11 is provided with further fold lines in the form of channels 33 which define the edges of the pleats 17, 18, 19, 20.

As the plastics material in the fold lines in the form of channels is thinner than the surrounding material the casing will readily fold around these fold lines on the side having the channel.

Fig. 4 shows the reduced thickness of the channels 31 and 33 in the casing 11.

A drainage hole 34 is provided in the base member 12.

In use, the hanging basket 10 in the flat state (Fig. 2) may be erected by gripping adjacent side walls and pulling them towards the centre of the hanging basket 10. This will cause the pleat between the adjacent two side walls to fold on itself around the fold line 31, the pleat forming to the outside of the basket. The remaining pleats are drawn together in the same fashion and are fastened using fasteners 21, 22, 23, 24. The formation of pleats 17, 18, 19, 20 is also aided by the fold lines 33 which define the edges thereof.

Once erected the basket 10 may be filled with potting compost into which the plants are placed directly or alternatively the plants in individual pots may be placed in the basket. Four chains (not shown) may then be attached to fasteners 21, 22, 23 ,24 and the basket 10 may be hung from a suitable support by the chains.

Claims (5)

1. A hanging basket for plants, comprising a casing of sheet material collapsible to a substantially flat state for storage and transport and erectable to form a container for holding the plants by movement 5 of side walls relative to a base member, and means for holding the basket in the erect state.

2. A hanging basket according to Claim 1, wherein the casing has fold lines thereon which define the base member and side walls on erection, the fold lines also causing the casing to fold on itself to form 10 pleats between adjacent side walls.

3. A hanging basket according to Claim 2, wherein the fold lines are in the form of channels on the surface of the casing about which it is to be folded.

4. A hanging basket according to Claim 2 or 3, wherein the 15 pleats are formed to the exterior of the container on erection, and the means for holding the basket in the erect state are individual fasteners which hold each of the pleats together.

5. A hanging basket according to Claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with particular reference to and as illustrated in 20 the accompanying Drawings.