US20120080343A1 - Tapered planter box - Google Patents
Tapered planter box Download PDFInfo
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- US20120080343A1 US20120080343A1 US12/896,087 US89608710A US2012080343A1 US 20120080343 A1 US20120080343 A1 US 20120080343A1 US 89608710 A US89608710 A US 89608710A US 2012080343 A1 US2012080343 A1 US 2012080343A1
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- plank
- tapered
- dovetail
- planter box
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
- A01G9/00—Cultivation in receptacles, forcing-frames or greenhouses; Edging for beds, lawn or the like
- A01G9/02—Receptacles, e.g. flower-pots or boxes; Glasses for cultivating flowers
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a tapered planter box that is constructed from individual planks having tapered dovetail ends that interlock with adjacent planks on either side.
- Dovetail joints are commonly used in carpentry because of their strength.
- a typical dovetail joint is formed by cutting dovetails in one piece of wood and corresponding pins in another piece of wood, and then sliding the pins between adjacent dovetails, forming a joint.
- One drawback to this method of construction is that, while the joint is strong in the direction along which the dovetails extend, the joint is not as strong in the direction along which the pins extend.
- the present invention provides a tapered planter box comprising a bottom surface extending in a plane and a plurality of sides extending upward from the bottom and defining an interior.
- Each of the plurality of sides tapers outward from the interior at an oblique angle.
- Each of the plurality of sides comprises a first plank extending along a longitudinal axis.
- the longitudinal axis extends generally parallel to the plane of the bottom surface.
- the first plank has a body and a tapered dovetail extending therefrom along the longitudinal axis.
- the tapered dovetail comprises an outer trapezoidally shaped surface having a first size and an inner trapezoidally shaped surface having a second size, larger than the first size.
- the dovetail on the first plank on each side interconnects with the dovetail on the first plank on an adjacent side.
- the present invention provides a tapered planter box comprising a bottom surface extending in a plane and a first side extending upward at an oblique angle from the bottom surface.
- the first side tapers outward from the bottom surface.
- the first side comprises a first plank extending along a longitudinal axis.
- the longitudinal axis extends generally parallel to the plane of the bottom surface.
- the first plank has a body and a tapered first dovetail extending therefrom along the longitudinal axis.
- the planter box also has a second side adjacent the first side and extending upward at the oblique angle from the bottom surface.
- the second side comprises a lower plank having a body and a tapered lower dovetail extending therefrom.
- the lower dovetail is located below the first dovetail.
- An upper plank is located above the lower plank.
- the upper plank has a body and a tapered upper dovetail extending therefrom.
- the upper dovetail is located above the first
- the present invention provides a tapered planter box comprising a first side constructed from a first plurality of planks lying in a first plane at an oblique angle a from a vertical.
- One of the planks on the first side has a height h, a maximum body length L, and has a first side dovetail extending outwardly from each end of the body.
- An adjacent plank of the first side has the height h and a maximum length about (L+2 h(tan ⁇ )).
- a second side is adjacent to the first side.
- the second side is constructed from a second plurality of planks
- the second plurality of planks is equal to the first plurality of planks plus one.
- Each of a lowest and a highest of the second plurality of planks has a height about h/2.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tapered planter box according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the tapered planter box of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the tapered planter box of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the tapered planter box of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of a standard plank used to build the tapered planter box of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the plank of FIG. 5 , taken along lines 6 - 6 of FIG. 5 ;
- FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the plank of FIG. 5 , taken along lines 7 - 7 of FIG. 5 ;
- FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a bottom plank used to build the tapered planter box of FIG. 1 .
- Planter box 100 having tapered sides according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 .
- Planter box 100 is constructed from a plurality of planks having dovetail joints at either end. The planks are stacked in alternating fashion to form a structurally sound configuration with interlocking dovetail joints at each corner.
- a base 110 is located at the bottom of planter box 100 and extends in a plane P.
- Base 110 may be constructed from a single sheet of material (not shown), or from a plurality of base planks 112 .
- feet 114 may be located under base 110 to lift base 110 from ground G.
- Feet 114 may be constructed from steel or other suitable material.
- base planks 112 of base 110 are aligned relative to feet 114 such that feet 114 support base planks 112 from underneath.
- Planter box 100 includes four walls 120 , 122 , 124 , 126 that extend upwardly from base 110 and define an interior of planter 100 .
- Walls 120 and 124 are identical and walls 122 and 126 are identical. For simplicity of description, only walls 120 and 122 will be described.
- Walls 120 , 122 are tapered outward from the vertical by an oblique angle ⁇ (shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 ). In an exemplary embodiment, angle ⁇ is about 10 degrees, although those skilled in the art will recognize that angle ⁇ may be other degrees.
- the outer surface of each wall 120 , 122 forms a plane P 1 , P 2 , respectively. Each of planes P 1 , P 2 extends at oblique angle ⁇ away from the vertical such that the top opening of planter 100 is larger than base 110 of planter 100 .
- Walls 120 , 122 are interconnected with each other through dovetail joints at the intersection of walls 120 , 122 .
- the dovetail joints provide a strong interlocking connection so that a horizontal force from the inside of planter 100 will not dislodge walls 120 , 122 .
- wall 122 is constructed from a total of four planks 130 .
- a bottom plank 132 which engages base 110
- a top plank 134 are generally about one half the height of remaining planks 136 , 138 . This allows for interlocking of planks 130 to form walls 120 , 122 .
- wall 120 is constructed from a total of three planks 140 , 142 , 144 , each of which is the same height of planks 136 , 138 .
- Planks 136 , 138 , 140 , 142 , 144 are generally referred to as “standard planks,” because each of these planks has generally similar characteristics.
- standard planks because each of these planks has generally similar characteristics.
- plank 136 which is representative of planks 138 , 140 , 142 , 144 , is shown.
- the description of planks 138 , 140 , 142 , 144 is the same as that for plank 136 .
- plank 136 is broken into two distinct portions: (1) a plank body 150 , which is identified by the portion of the plank in FIG. 5 with the horizontal cross-hatching; and (2) a dovetail, or tail 154 , located at either end of the plank body 150 , which is identified by the portion of plank 136 in FIG. 5 with the vertical cross-hatching.
- Each tail 154 extends along a longitudinal axis A L .
- Plank 136 has a plank body 150 having a height “h”, a maximum length “L” as measured along the top of plank 136 , a minimum length “l” as measured along the bottom of plank 136 , and the longitudinal axis A L that extends parallel to the top and bottom of plank 136 as well as to the plane of bottom surface 110 , and halfway between the top and the bottom of plank 136 .
- the length L is about 2 h(tan ⁇ ) longer than the length l for plank 136 .
- the maximum length L of plank 136 is about the same length as the minimum length l of the plank stacked on top of plank 136 .
- Plank 136 also has a plank end face 152 at either end.
- Plank body 150 is a trapezoid in shape, with the top and bottom of plank 136 being parallel to each other, with the end faces 152 extending at the taper angle ⁇ relative to longitudinal axis A L .
- Plank 136 also has an outside surface 160 and an inside surface 162 (shown in FIG. 6 ). Outside surface 160 and inside surface 162 are parallel to each other.
- end face 152 is not perpendicular to either outside surface 160 or inside surface 162 , but is oblique from being perpendicular by an angle ⁇ .
- angle ⁇ is about 10 degrees
- angle ⁇ is about 1 degree 40 minutes.
- angle ⁇ also approaches 0 degrees
- angle ⁇ increases as well.
- Angle ⁇ must be greater than zero to accommodate the taper of walls 120 , 122 from the vertical. If, for example, one were to cut an imaginary first plane across planter 100 that is parallel to the ground G, the angle between adjacent sides 120 , 122 would be 90 degrees. If, however, one were to cut an imaginary second plane across planter 100 that is perpendicular to inside surface 162 of plank 136 , the angle between adjacent sides 120 , 122 along the second imaginary plane is greater than 90 degrees by angle ⁇ .
- each dovetail 154 comprises a trapezoidally shaped outer surface 164 having a first size and a trapezoidally shaped inner surface 166 having a second size, larger than the first size.
- Dovetail 154 extends outwardly from end face 152 of plank body 150 and forms an acute angle ⁇ with respect to end face 152 . In an exemplary embodiment, angle ⁇ equals about 70 degrees.
- each tail 154 has angles ⁇ and ⁇ relative to longitudinal axis A L , with angle ⁇ not equal to angle ⁇ . In an exemplary embodiment, angle ⁇ equals about 10 degrees and angle ⁇ equals about 30 degrees. Generally, the sum of angle ⁇ and angle ⁇ is approximately equal to 2(90 ⁇ ).
- Dovetail 154 includes a tail end face 156 that extends in a plane.
- the plane of tail end face 156 is parallel to the plane of plank end face 152 .
- End face 156 also extends at an angle of 90 degrees plus the oblique taper angle ⁇ from the longitudinal axis A L .
- Dovetail 154 also has a top surface 158 that extends obliquely relative to outer surface 164 and a bottom surface 159 that also extends obliquely relative to outer surface 164 . Both top surface 158 and bottom surface 159 also extend obliquely to longitudinal axis A L .
- end face 156 is trapezoidal shaped, with the smaller of the parallel sides located on the outside of planter 100 and with the larger of the parallel sides located on the interior of planter 100 .
- an angle ⁇ formed by outer surface 164 and top surface 158 is about 110 degrees and an angle ⁇ formed by inner surface 166 and top surface 158 is about 70 degrees.
- an angle ⁇ formed by outer surface 164 and bottom surface 159 is about 110 degrees and an angle ⁇ formed by inner surface 166 and bottom surface 159 is about 70 degrees.
- base 110 is generally rectangular, and is sized such that plank 136 is the same length as plank 142 and plank 138 is the same length as plank 144 . This reduces the amount of adjustments necessary to tooling during manufacture of each individual plank 136 , 142 and 138 , 144 , respectively.
- planks 136 are stacked on top of each other with a minimal space between vertically adjacent plank bodies. In an exemplary embodiment, a space of about 1/32 inch (about 0.08 centimeters) is maintained. This spacing ensures proper mating of the dovetails between adjacent sides.
- Walls 122 and 126 are started first by laying bottom plank 132 on base 110 so that bottom plank 132 spans all of base planks 112 .
- an interior portion 170 of bottom plank 132 may be rabbetted out so that the bottom of bottom plank 132 is flush with the bottom of base 110 . If so, bottom plank 132 must have a height slightly larger than h/2 to compensate for the thickness of base 110 .
- bottom plank 132 may just be laid across the top of base 110 . In either embodiment, the bottom of bottom plank 132 is mitered at the taper angle ⁇ as shown in FIG. 8 in order to start the taper of walls 122 and 126 .
- Walls 120 and 124 are then started by laying plank 140 across bottom plank 132 such that dovetail 154 of plank 140 engages and interlocks with dovetail 154 of bottom plank 132 as shown in FIG. 1 .
- Planks 136 , 142 , 138 , 144 , and 134 are then laid, in that order, building planter 100 to a height of three planks 136 .
- plank laying between walls 120 and 122 builds up planter 100 and provides strength at the dovetail joints that is not provided with standard dovetail joinery using single element sidewalls.
- plank 142 on side 120 has a dovetail 142 a and plank 136 , which is lower than plank 142 on side 122 , has a dovetail 136 a located below dovetail 142 a.
- Plank 138 which is above plank 142 on side 122 , has a dovetail 138 a located above dovetail 142 a.
- Dovetails 136 a and 138 a engage and interlock with dovetail 142 a to prevent plank 142 from being pushed outward from planter 100 due to forces that may be exerted against plank 142 from inside planter 100 , such as, for example, by soil that is insert into planter 100 after assembly.
- planks 132 , 134 , 136 , 138 , 140 , 142 , 144 are drilled downward through planks 134 , 138 , 136 , and 132 as well as through base 110 and each foot 114 .
- the holes may be drilled in each plank independently, or all at the same time.
- a carriage bolt 180 is inserted through the holes and secured with a nut (not shown) underneath foot 114 .
- handles 182 or other decorative elements may be affixed to the top of plank 134 and secured to planter 100 via carriage bolts 180 .
- ends of top plank 134 may be chamfered to match the slope of the top surface of plank 144 .
- Such a chamfer is for aesthetic purposes and may be omitted if desired.
- the oblique angle of taper angle ⁇ requires additional consideration of the interlocking arrangement of the dovetails that is not required during the construction of prior art structures having vertical walls, such as, for example, log cabins.
- the top surface 158 of dovetail 154 on wall 120 to properly interlock with the lower surface 159 of an adjacent dovetail 154 on wall 122 , as described above, multiple cuts at various oblique angles must be made.
- planks made from wood stock this requires the special jigs be prepared for each cut, as will be recognized by those skilled in the art.
- the jigs must be set at different angles for each cut in order to arrive at the desired taper angle ⁇ for both the body end face 152 and the dovetail end face 156 as well as angles ⁇ , ⁇ , ⁇ , ⁇ , and ⁇ .
- ends of each tail 154 are co-planar with the adjacent side.
- the ends of each tail 154 can be extended beyond the plane of the adjacent side to add a decorative touch to the planter.
- the ends of each tail 154 can extend about one eighth inch beyond the plane of the adjacent side.
- planter box 100 having a generally rectangular base
- a planter box constructed according to the present invention may be alternatively shaped, such as, for example, generally square shaped.
- planter box 100 having four tapered sides
- a planter box constructed according to the present disclosure may have an alternative even number of sides, such as, for example, six or eight tapered sides.
- planter box 100 is constructed from wood planks, those skilled in the art will recognize that planter box 100 may be constructed from other materials, such as, for example, a composite or a synthetic material that is cut or formed into appropriate lengths according to the formulae and angles described above.
Abstract
A tapered planter box includes a bottom surface extending in a plane and a plurality of sides extending upward from the bottom and defining an interior. Each of the plurality of sides tapers outward from the interior at a taper angle. Each of the plurality of sides includes a first plank extending along a longitudinal axis. The longitudinal axis extends generally parallel to the plane of the bottom surface. The first plank has a body and a tapered dovetail extending therefrom along the longitudinal axis. The tapered dovetail includes an outer trapezoidally shaped surface having a first size and an inner trapezoidally shaped surface having a second size, larger than the first size. The dovetail on the first plank on each side interconnects with the dovetail on the first plank on an adjacent side.
Description
- U.S. Design Patent Application No. 29/363,394, filed on Jun. 9, 2010 is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth.
- The present invention relates to a tapered planter box that is constructed from individual planks having tapered dovetail ends that interlock with adjacent planks on either side.
- Dovetail joints are commonly used in carpentry because of their strength. A typical dovetail joint is formed by cutting dovetails in one piece of wood and corresponding pins in another piece of wood, and then sliding the pins between adjacent dovetails, forming a joint. One drawback to this method of construction, however, is that, while the joint is strong in the direction along which the dovetails extend, the joint is not as strong in the direction along which the pins extend.
- It would be beneficial to provide a dovetail joint design that provides a strong connection in more than one direction.
- Briefly, the present invention provides a tapered planter box comprising a bottom surface extending in a plane and a plurality of sides extending upward from the bottom and defining an interior. Each of the plurality of sides tapers outward from the interior at an oblique angle. Each of the plurality of sides comprises a first plank extending along a longitudinal axis. The longitudinal axis extends generally parallel to the plane of the bottom surface. The first plank has a body and a tapered dovetail extending therefrom along the longitudinal axis. The tapered dovetail comprises an outer trapezoidally shaped surface having a first size and an inner trapezoidally shaped surface having a second size, larger than the first size. The dovetail on the first plank on each side interconnects with the dovetail on the first plank on an adjacent side.
- Additionally, the present invention provides a tapered planter box comprising a bottom surface extending in a plane and a first side extending upward at an oblique angle from the bottom surface. The first side tapers outward from the bottom surface. The first side comprises a first plank extending along a longitudinal axis. The longitudinal axis extends generally parallel to the plane of the bottom surface. The first plank has a body and a tapered first dovetail extending therefrom along the longitudinal axis. The planter box also has a second side adjacent the first side and extending upward at the oblique angle from the bottom surface. The second side comprises a lower plank having a body and a tapered lower dovetail extending therefrom. The lower dovetail is located below the first dovetail. An upper plank is located above the lower plank. The upper plank has a body and a tapered upper dovetail extending therefrom. The upper dovetail is located above the first dovetail.
- Further, the present invention provides a tapered planter box comprising a first side constructed from a first plurality of planks lying in a first plane at an oblique angle a from a vertical. One of the planks on the first side has a height h, a maximum body length L, and has a first side dovetail extending outwardly from each end of the body. An adjacent plank of the first side has the height h and a maximum length about (L+2 h(tan α)). A second side is adjacent to the first side. The second side is constructed from a second plurality of planks The second plurality of planks is equal to the first plurality of planks plus one. Each of a lowest and a highest of the second plurality of planks has a height about h/2.
- The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings certain embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are employed for designating the same elements throughout the several figures. In the drawings:
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tapered planter box according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the tapered planter box ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the tapered planter box ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the tapered planter box ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of a standard plank used to build the tapered planter box ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the plank ofFIG. 5 , taken along lines 6-6 ofFIG. 5 ; -
FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the plank ofFIG. 5 , taken along lines 7-7 ofFIG. 5 ; and -
FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a bottom plank used to build the tapered planter box ofFIG. 1 . - In describing the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be used for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, it being understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents operating in similar manner to accomplish similar purpose. It is understood that the drawings are not drawn exactly to scale. In the drawings, similar reference numbers are used for designating similar elements throughout the several figures.
- The following describes particular embodiments of the present invention. Referring to the figures in general, a
planter box 100 having tapered sides according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is illustrated inFIGS. 1-4 .Planter box 100 is constructed from a plurality of planks having dovetail joints at either end. The planks are stacked in alternating fashion to form a structurally sound configuration with interlocking dovetail joints at each corner. - Referring to
FIG. 2 , abase 110 is located at the bottom ofplanter box 100 and extends in aplane P. Base 110 may be constructed from a single sheet of material (not shown), or from a plurality ofbase planks 112. As shown inFIGS. 3 and 4 ,feet 114 may be located underbase 110 tolift base 110 fromground G. Feet 114 may be constructed from steel or other suitable material. In an exemplary embodiment,base planks 112 ofbase 110 are aligned relative tofeet 114 such thatfeet 114support base planks 112 from underneath. -
Planter box 100 includes fourwalls base 110 and define an interior ofplanter 100.Walls walls walls Walls FIGS. 3 and 4 ). In an exemplary embodiment, angle α is about 10 degrees, although those skilled in the art will recognize that angle α may be other degrees. The outer surface of eachwall planter 100 is larger thanbase 110 ofplanter 100. -
Walls walls planter 100 will not dislodgewalls - As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 4 ,wall 122 is constructed from a total of fourplanks 130. Abottom plank 132, which engagesbase 110, and atop plank 134 are generally about one half the height of remainingplanks planks 130 to formwalls FIGS. 1 and 3 ,wall 120 is constructed from a total of threeplanks planks Planks wall 120 may have more than four planks and thatwall 122 will have more than three planks, but it is also recognized thatwall 122 will have one plank more thanwall 120. - Referring to
FIG. 5 ,plank 136, which is representative ofplanks planks plank 136. For simplicity of description,plank 136 is broken into two distinct portions: (1) aplank body 150, which is identified by the portion of the plank inFIG. 5 with the horizontal cross-hatching; and (2) a dovetail, ortail 154, located at either end of theplank body 150, which is identified by the portion ofplank 136 inFIG. 5 with the vertical cross-hatching. Eachtail 154 extends along a longitudinal axis AL. -
Plank 136 has aplank body 150 having a height “h”, a maximum length “L” as measured along the top ofplank 136, a minimum length “l” as measured along the bottom ofplank 136, and the longitudinal axis AL that extends parallel to the top and bottom ofplank 136 as well as to the plane ofbottom surface 110, and halfway between the top and the bottom ofplank 136. The length L is about 2 h(tan α) longer than the length l forplank 136. The maximum length L ofplank 136 is about the same length as the minimum length l of the plank stacked on top ofplank 136.Plank 136 also has aplank end face 152 at either end.Plank body 150 is a trapezoid in shape, with the top and bottom ofplank 136 being parallel to each other, with the end faces 152 extending at the taper angle α relative to longitudinal axis AL. Plank 136 also has anoutside surface 160 and an inside surface 162 (shown inFIG. 6 ). Outsidesurface 160 and insidesurface 162 are parallel to each other. - As shown in
FIG. 7 ,end face 152 is not perpendicular to eitheroutside surface 160 or insidesurface 162, but is oblique from being perpendicular by an angle Ψ. When taper angle α is about 10 degrees, angle Ψ is about 1 degree 40 minutes. For a taper angle α that approaches 0 degrees, angle Ψ also approaches 0 degrees and for a taper angle α that increases above 10 degrees, angle Ψ increases as well. Angle Ψ must be greater than zero to accommodate the taper ofwalls planter 100 that is parallel to the ground G, the angle betweenadjacent sides planter 100 that is perpendicular toinside surface 162 ofplank 136, the angle betweenadjacent sides - Referring back to
FIG. 5 as well as toFIG. 6 , eachdovetail 154 comprises a trapezoidally shapedouter surface 164 having a first size and a trapezoidally shapedinner surface 166 having a second size, larger than the first size.Dovetail 154 extends outwardly fromend face 152 ofplank body 150 and forms an acute angle γ with respect to endface 152. In an exemplary embodiment, angle γ equals about 70 degrees. Additionally, eachtail 154 has angles β and δ relative to longitudinal axis AL, with angle β not equal to angle δ. In an exemplary embodiment, angle β equals about 10 degrees and angle δ equals about 30 degrees. Generally, the sum of angle β and angle δ is approximately equal to 2(90−γ). -
Dovetail 154 includes atail end face 156 that extends in a plane. The plane oftail end face 156 is parallel to the plane ofplank end face 152.End face 156 also extends at an angle of 90 degrees plus the oblique taper angle α from the longitudinal axis AL. Dovetail 154 also has a top surface 158 that extends obliquely relative toouter surface 164 and a bottom surface 159 that also extends obliquely relative toouter surface 164. Both top surface 158 and bottom surface 159 also extend obliquely to longitudinal axis AL. - As shown in
FIG. 6 ,end face 156 is trapezoidal shaped, with the smaller of the parallel sides located on the outside ofplanter 100 and with the larger of the parallel sides located on the interior ofplanter 100. In an exemplary embodiment, an angle λ formed byouter surface 164 and top surface 158 is about 110 degrees and an angle σ formed byinner surface 166 and top surface 158 is about 70 degrees. Additionally, an angle λ formed byouter surface 164 and bottom surface 159 is about 110 degrees and an angle σ formed byinner surface 166 and bottom surface 159 is about 70 degrees. - For ease of manufacturing,
base 110 is generally rectangular, and is sized such thatplank 136 is the same length asplank 142 andplank 138 is the same length asplank 144. This reduces the amount of adjustments necessary to tooling during manufacture of eachindividual plank - In the exemplary embodiment shown,
planks 136 are stacked on top of each other with a minimal space between vertically adjacent plank bodies. In an exemplary embodiment, a space of about 1/32 inch (about 0.08 centimeters) is maintained. This spacing ensures proper mating of the dovetails between adjacent sides. -
Walls bottom plank 132 onbase 110 so thatbottom plank 132 spans all ofbase planks 112. Optionally, aninterior portion 170 ofbottom plank 132 may be rabbetted out so that the bottom ofbottom plank 132 is flush with the bottom ofbase 110. If so,bottom plank 132 must have a height slightly larger than h/2 to compensate for the thickness ofbase 110. Alternatively,bottom plank 132 may just be laid across the top ofbase 110. In either embodiment, the bottom ofbottom plank 132 is mitered at the taper angle α as shown inFIG. 8 in order to start the taper ofwalls -
Walls plank 140 acrossbottom plank 132 such thatdovetail 154 ofplank 140 engages and interlocks withdovetail 154 ofbottom plank 132 as shown inFIG. 1 .Planks planter 100 to a height of threeplanks 136. - The alternation of plank laying between
walls planter 100 and provides strength at the dovetail joints that is not provided with standard dovetail joinery using single element sidewalls. - By way of example, as illustrated in
FIG. 1 ,plank 142 onside 120 has adovetail 142 a andplank 136, which is lower thanplank 142 onside 122, has adovetail 136 a located belowdovetail 142 a.Plank 138, which is aboveplank 142 onside 122, has adovetail 138 a located abovedovetail 142 a. Dovetails 136 a and 138 a engage and interlock withdovetail 142 a to preventplank 142 from being pushed outward fromplanter 100 due to forces that may be exerted againstplank 142 frominside planter 100, such as, for example, by soil that is insert intoplanter 100 after assembly. - To secure
planks planks base 110 and eachfoot 114. The holes may be drilled in each plank independently, or all at the same time. Acarriage bolt 180 is inserted through the holes and secured with a nut (not shown) underneathfoot 114. Optionally, handles 182 or other decorative elements may be affixed to the top ofplank 134 and secured to planter 100 viacarriage bolts 180. - Optionally, as shown in
FIG. 1 , ends oftop plank 134 may be chamfered to match the slope of the top surface ofplank 144. Such a chamfer is for aesthetic purposes and may be omitted if desired. - The oblique angle of taper angle α requires additional consideration of the interlocking arrangement of the dovetails that is not required during the construction of prior art structures having vertical walls, such as, for example, log cabins. For example, in order for the top surface 158 of
dovetail 154 onwall 120 to properly interlock with the lower surface 159 of anadjacent dovetail 154 onwall 122, as described above, multiple cuts at various oblique angles must be made. For planks made from wood stock, this requires the special jigs be prepared for each cut, as will be recognized by those skilled in the art. The jigs must be set at different angles for each cut in order to arrive at the desired taper angle α for both thebody end face 152 and thedovetail end face 156 as well as angles Ψ, β, δ, γ, σ, and λ. - In an exemplary embodiment, ends of each
tail 154 are co-planar with the adjacent side. Optionally, the ends of eachtail 154 can be extended beyond the plane of the adjacent side to add a decorative touch to the planter. For example, the ends of eachtail 154 can extend about one eighth inch beyond the plane of the adjacent side. - When the interior of
planter box 100 is filled with soil, the weight of the soil pushesplanks planter box 100 such that the tail of each plank pushes against the tails of the upper and lower planks on each adjacent side, further strengthening the joints. - While the figures show
planter box 100 having a generally rectangular base, those skilled in the art will recognize that a planter box constructed according to the present invention may be alternatively shaped, such as, for example, generally square shaped. Further, while the figures showplanter box 100 having four tapered sides, those skilled in the art will recognize that a planter box constructed according to the present disclosure may have an alternative even number of sides, such as, for example, six or eight tapered sides. - While an exemplary embodiment of
planter box 100 is constructed from wood planks, those skilled in the art will recognize thatplanter box 100 may be constructed from other materials, such as, for example, a composite or a synthetic material that is cut or formed into appropriate lengths according to the formulae and angles described above. - While the principles of the invention have been described above in connection with preferred embodiments, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation of the scope of the invention.
Claims (20)
1. A tapered planter box comprising:
a bottom surface extending in a plane;
a plurality of sides extending upward from the bottom and defining an interior, each of the plurality of sides tapering outward from the interior at an oblique angle, each of the plurality of sides comprising:
a first plank extending along a longitudinal axis, the longitudinal axis extending generally parallel to the plane of the bottom surface, the first plank having a body and a tapered dovetail extending therefrom along the longitudinal axis, wherein the tapered dovetail comprises an outer trapezoidally shaped surface having a first size and an inner trapezoidally shaped surface having a second size, larger than the first size,
wherein the dovetail on the first plank on each side interconnects with the dovetail on the first plank on an adjacent side.
2. The planter box according to claim 1 , further comprising a second plank located on top of the first plank, the second plank having a second plank body, the second plank body being longer than the first plank body by a distance of about 2 h(tan α), wherein his a distance from the top of the first plank to the top of the second plank and a is the oblique angle.
3. The planter box according to claim 1 , wherein the body of the first plank has an end and wherein the tapered dovetail and the end form an acute angle.
4. The planter box according to claim 1 , wherein the first plank body on one of the plurality of sides has the same length as the first plank body on an adjacent side.
5. The planter box according to claim 1 , wherein one of the plurality of sides comprises a bottom plank engaging the bottom surface, the bottom plank being about one half as high as the first plank.
6. The planter box according to claim 5 , wherein the one of the plurality of sides comprises a top plank, the top plank being about one half as high as the first plank.
7. The planter box according to claim 1 , wherein the dovetail has a free end extending at an angle of 90 degrees plus the oblique angle from the longitudinal axis.
8. A tapered planter box comprising:
a bottom surface extending in a plane;
a first side extending upward at an oblique angle from the bottom surface, the first side tapering outward from the bottom surface, the first side comprising:
a first plank extending along a longitudinal axis, the longitudinal axis extending generally parallel to the plane of the bottom surface, the first plank having a body and a tapered first dovetail extending therefrom along the longitudinal axis; and
a second side adjacent the first side and extending upward at the oblique angle from the bottom surface, the second side comprising:
a lower plank having a body and a tapered lower dovetail extending therefrom, the lower dovetail being located below the first dovetail; and
an upper plank located above the lower plank, the upper plank having a body and a tapered upper dovetail extending therefrom, the upper dovetail being located above the first dovetail.
9. The tapered planter box according to claim 8 , wherein the tapered first dovetail is generally trapezoidally shaped and having a first side extending from the first plank body at a first angle relative to the longitudinal axis and a second side extending from the first plank body at a second angle to the longitudinal axis, different from the first angle.
10. The tapered planter box according to claim 8 , wherein the first plank body further comprises an outside surface and an end face, wherein the end face extends obliquely relative to the outside surface.
11. The tapered planter box according to claim 8 , wherein the maximum length of the top plank body is about 2 h(tan α) longer than maximum length of bottom plank body, wherein h equals the vertical height of the top plank and a equals the oblique angle.
12. The tapered planter box according to claim 8 , wherein the first plank body is trapezoidally shaped.
13. A tapered planter box comprising:
a first side constructed from a first plurality of planks lying in a first plane at an oblique angle α from a vertical, wherein one of the planks on the first side has a height h, a maximum body length L, and has a first side dovetail extending outwardly from each end of the body, and wherein an adjacent plank of the first side has the height h and a maximum length about (L+2 h(tan α)); and
a second side adjacent to the first side, the second side being constructed from a second plurality of planks, wherein the second plurality of planks is equal to the first plurality of planks plus one and wherein each of a lowest and a highest of the second plurality of planks has a height about h/2.
14. The tapered planter box according to claim 13 , wherein the first side dovetail further comprises a top surface extending obliquely relative to the first plane.
15. The tapered planter box according to claim 13 , wherein the second side lies in a second plane at the oblique angle α from the vertical.
16. The tapered planter box according to claim 15 , wherein the first side dovetail has an end that extends parallel to the second plane.
17. The tapered planter box according to claim 13 , wherein the second side comprises a second side plank having a maximum body length L.
18. The tapered planter box according to claim 17 , wherein one of the second side planks comprises a second side dovetail interlocking with the first side dovetails of the first plurality of planks and the adjacent plank.
19. The tapered planter box according to claim 13 , wherein each of the first plurality of planks have a trapezoidally shaped body.
20. The tapered planter box according to claim 19 , wherein each of the second plurality of planks have a trapezoidally shaped body.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US12/896,087 US20120080343A1 (en) | 2010-10-01 | 2010-10-01 | Tapered planter box |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/896,087 US20120080343A1 (en) | 2010-10-01 | 2010-10-01 | Tapered planter box |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20120080343A1 true US20120080343A1 (en) | 2012-04-05 |
Family
ID=45888877
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US12/896,087 Abandoned US20120080343A1 (en) | 2010-10-01 | 2010-10-01 | Tapered planter box |
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US (1) | US20120080343A1 (en) |
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JP2015107086A (en) * | 2013-12-05 | 2015-06-11 | 株式会社タカショー | Planter |
USD734207S1 (en) * | 2013-06-24 | 2015-07-14 | Att Southern Inc. | Planter for a raised garden |
US9585312B1 (en) * | 2015-02-18 | 2017-03-07 | Michael Anthony Klinicki | Tapered, vertical, interlocking planter apparatus and method |
WO2018032069A1 (en) * | 2016-08-16 | 2018-02-22 | Gontijo Bicalho Frederico | Structural arrangement applied to a nesting collapsible box |
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US10197217B2 (en) | 2015-06-30 | 2019-02-05 | The Hillman Group, Inc. | Wall anchor assemblies |
US10258180B2 (en) | 2015-11-06 | 2019-04-16 | The Hillman Group, Inc. | Hook rail |
US10390618B2 (en) | 2016-02-15 | 2019-08-27 | The Hillman Group, Inc. | Wall mountable object support system and related accessories |
US10539266B2 (en) | 2015-06-30 | 2020-01-21 | The Hillman Group, Inc. | Wall anchors |
US10799025B2 (en) | 2015-10-23 | 2020-10-13 | The Hillman Group, Inc. | Wall anchors and related wall mount systems |
USD916510S1 (en) * | 2018-12-29 | 2021-04-20 | My Gift Enterprise, LLC | Ceramic wall hanging plantar box |
US11299862B1 (en) * | 2018-08-29 | 2022-04-12 | Studio5051, Llc | Portable street planter |
USD991084S1 (en) * | 2022-01-17 | 2023-07-04 | Taizhou Sukk Technology Co., Ltd | Outdoor planter |
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