WO2018018078A1

WO2018018078A1 - System for constructing surfaces for growing plants

Info

Publication number: WO2018018078A1
Application number: PCT/AU2017/050767
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Papalia; Ian David Wilson
Original assignee: Paps Vertical Gardens Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2016-07-26
Filing date: 2017-07-25
Publication date: 2018-02-01
Also published as: AU2016208286A1

Abstract

The invention provides a system for constructing surfaces for growing plants, the system comprising: a plurality of panels (2,251,261,271) each having a front face, rear face and a boundary edge (4,5,6,10,11,12,13) the boundary edge (4,5,6,10,11,12,13) being formed with one or more edge joiner elements (21,22) adapted to cooperate together to join the panels together in sets along the boundary edges (4,5,6,10,11,12,13) to form a plurality of rectangular surfaces; and a plurality of corner connector elements (3,30) adapted to join together edges of the rectangular surfaces in a right angle corner joint.

Description

TITLE

[0001] SYSTEM FOR CONSTRUCTING SURFACES FOR GROWING PLANTS

FIELD

[0002] The present invention relates to vertical gardens, particular to a new system for constructing vertical gardens.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Systems are known for creating attractive and functional vertical garden walls enabling a plurality of plant pots to be hung on the garden walls.

[0004] However structures involving multiple walls require additional building elements and structures to be built on a case-by-case basis, to which vertical garden walls are then attached.

[0005] There is therefore a need to provide a more adaptable system for providing vertical gardens or garden edging allowing more complex structural options without the need for case-by- case construction techniques .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] In accordance with a broad aspect of the invention there is provided a system for constructing surfaces for growing plants, the system comprising: a plurality of panels each having a front face, rear face and a boundary edge, the boundary edge being formed with one or more edge joiner elements adapted to cooperate together to join the panels together in sets along the boundary edges to form a plurality of rectangular surfaces; and

a plurality of corner connector elements adapted to join together edges of the rectangular surfaces in a right angle corner joint.

[0007] In an embodiment, the boundary edge of each panel has four straight edge sides and is square or rectangular. At least some of the edge joiner elements may comprise protrusions and at least some of the edge joiner elements may comprise recesses of complementary shape and position to the protrusions to enable the joining of the panels together. At least an opposite two of the four straight edge sides may comprise one or more of the joiner elements. Each of the four straight edge sides may comprise one or more of the joiner elements. The protrusions may comprise waisted ridges and the recesses may comprise channels with narrowed openings, the waisted ridges of the protrusions and narrowed openings of the channels being oriented at right angles to the front and rear faces and being adapted to

cooperate together in adjacent panels to join the panels together in forming the rectangular surfaces. Each of the four straight edge sides may comprise joiner elements of a first type and a second type, sized and positioned to join together

adjacent ones of the panels by cooperation between the first and second types .

[0008] In an embodiment, the corner connector elements are adapted to join together the rectangular surfaces in the right angle corner through one or more of the edge joiner elements.

[0009] In an embodiment, the system further comprises a

plurality of corner connector pieces separate from the panels, each corner connector piece formed with one or more of the corner connector elements ; wherein the corner connector elements on each corner connector piece are adapted to connect to one or more of the edge joiner elements disposed on the edges of the rectangular surfaces to provide at least part of the right angle corner joint. Each corner connector piece may comprise corner connector elements formed on at least three faces thereof, two of the three faces being mutually opposite so as to enable construction of a T-shaped joint as well as the corner joint.

[0010] In an embodiment, each panel is composed of a regular rectangular array of cells, with apertures in the regular rectangular array so as to provide a substantially open

structure. Each cell may be generally in the shape of a

rectangular prism and the panel may comprise a single layer of the cells, and the apertures may be provided in one or more faces of each cell.

[0011] In an embodiment, each corner connector piece comprises at least one row of the cells. Each corner connector piece may comprise a first row and a second row of the cells, with corner connector elements disposed on a first face of the first row and on a second face of the second row, the second face being at right angles to first face. At least one of the corner connector pieces may comprise corner connector elements on a third face of the second row opposite the second face so as to enable

construction of a T-shaped joint as well as the corner joint. Each corner piece may have a length equal to one of the sides of the rectangular panel .

[0012] In an embodiment, the system further comprises a

plurality of plant pots each having at one or more attachment hooks adapted to attach to the panels through the apertures in the regular rectangular array of cells. In an embodiment where each cell comprises at least one of the apertures, this allows each of the plurality of plant pots to be positioned with the one or more attachment hooks attached in any cell, thereby providing the capability to construct a surface having closely spaced pots in a variety of configurations.

Each panel is preferably less 1000 mm in length and breadth and more preferably less than 600 mm in length and breadth. Each cell of the embodiment described is preferably less than 100 mm in length and breadth and more preferably less than 60 mm and greater than 20 mm in length and breadth.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rectangular vertical garden constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention ;

[0015] Figure 2 shows close-up of a corner region of Figure 1;

[0016] Figure 3 shows an alternative arrangement of joiner elements of the embodiment of Figure 1 ;

[0017] Figure 4 and 5 show a connector pieces of the embodiment of Figure 1 ;

[0018] Figure 6 shows a raised planter constructed from garden walls according to the invention;

[0019] Figure 7 shows another example of a raised planter with a central divider ;

[0020] Figure 8, Figure 9, and Figure 10 show a wall in front and front and rear perspective view respectively having plant pots attached thereto .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Embodiments of the current invention will now be

described. [0022] Referring first to Figure 1, there is shown a rectangular vertical garden 1 constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Vertical garden 1 is constructed from 14 integrally formed plastic rectangular panels 2

interlocked together with neighbouring panels and joined at corners by connector pieces 3. Panels 2 and connector pieces 3 are each manufactured by injection moulding and are composed of UV stabilised recyclable polypropylene, with a structural thickness of about 4 mm.

[0023] Referring now to Figure 2, a close-up of a corner region of Figure 1 is shown. Each rectangular panel 2 is joined to its neighbouring panel 2 or the connector piece 3 at long edges 4 , 5, 6. Each rectangular panel 2 is composed of a regular array of cells 23, 24 in a single layer. Each cell 23, 24 is generally in the shape of a rectangular prism, in this embodiment a cube having equal length, width and depth of approximately 54 mm, and has apertures in each cell face to provide a substantially open structure, useful for allowing vegetation growth within the structure and for providing attachment points for pots. The cells 23, 24 are arranged in an alternating orientation in both length and width directions and the panel shown has six cells along its short edge and 10 cells along its long edge, producing a panel of approximately 500 mm x 300 mm. This is a convenient size to enable a wide variety of walls of different sizes to be constructed out of a manageable number of panels.

[0024] Formed integrally along each long edge and each short edge of the boundary of each panel 2 is a first type joiner element 21 and a second type joiner element 22. The first type joiner element 21 has a complementary shape to the second type joiner element 22 cooperating so that opposing first type and second type joiner elements of adjacent rectangular panels 2 or of an adjacent rectangular panel 2 and a connector piece 3 are adapted to interlock together through sliding engagement of first type joiner element 21 and second type joiner element 22 along the direction of the ridges and channels comprising the first type and second type joiner elements 21 and 22.

[0025] Referring now to Figure 3, an alternative arrangement has two first type joiner elements 21 on one long edge 10 and two second type joiner elements 22 on an opposite long edge 12, and similarly two first type joiner elements 21 on one short edge 11 and two second type joiner elements 22 on an opposite short edge 13.

[0026] Figure 3 also identifies that the first type joiner elements 21 comprise waisted interlocking ridges 25 of generally circular cross-section oriented at right angles to the front and rear faces of the panel 2. The interlocking ridges 25 protrude from edges 10, 11 and cooperate with similarly oriented

interlocking channels 27 of generally circular cross-section having narrowed openings on the second type joiner elements 22 recessed into edges 12, 13 of adjacent panels, and the first type joiner elements 21 further comprise a central tapered guiding ridge 26 protruding from each edge 10, 11 cooperating with tapered guiding channels 28 recessed into edges 12, 13 on the second type joiner elements 22. It will be appreciated that many other geometries and arrangements of ridges and channels or other protrusions and recesses are effective to provide

appropriate interlocking capability of the panels 2 and

connectors 3 through either snap fit or sliding engagement as described above.

[0027] Referring now to Figure 4, a connector piece 30 is shown adapted to join six-cell length short edges of the panels 2, similar to the connector 3 of Figure 2 which is adapted to connect the 10-cell long edges. Connector piece 30 comprises two rows of six cells and is integrally formed with connector elements which in this embodiment are the same shape as the first or second type joiner elements, and are hereinafter also referred to as "joiner elements". First type joiner element 21a and second type joiner element 22a are disposed on a first face 31 of a first row 34 and are positioned to engage with

corresponding first type and second type joiner elements on a short edge of a first panel as described above (of the variant shown in Figure 1) .

[0028] Connector piece 30 further comprises first type joiner element 21c and second type joiner element 22c disposed on a second face 33 at right angles to first face 31 and positioned to engage with corresponding first type and second type joiners on a short edge of a second panel which is desired to connect at right angles to the first panel. In addition, connector 30 further comprises first type joiner element 21b and second type joiner element 22b disposed on a third face 35 on opposite side of connector 30 and parallel to second face 33 also at right angles to first face 31 and also positioned to engage with corresponding first type and second type joiners on a short edge of a third panel, if it is desired to connect the first, second, and third panels in a T-shaped joint. In this way, connector 30 is adapted to provide either corner joints or T-shaped joints and its construction out of similar rows of cells of the panels 2 enables continuous pattern repetition over an entire surface of vertical walls or other surfaces constructed from the panels 2 and connectors 30.

[0029] Figure 5 shows short edge connector piece 30 applied to a T-shaped joint described above of first panel 251, second panel 261 and third panel 271 as described above.

[0030] The detail of Figure 4 and description above applies also to connector piece 3 which is adapted to connect the panels together along the long edges .

[0031] Figure 6 shows a raised planter 40 constructed from four rectangular surfaces being garden walls each composed of two panels 2 joined along short edges, the garden walls being connected together using connector pieces 30 along the short edges .

[0032] Figure 7 similarly shows another example of a raised planter 41 with central divider constructed from garden walls using connector pieces 3 and panels 2 connected together along long edges, using both the corner and T-shaped joint

configurations. It can be seen that the provision of the

connectors 3,30 enables construction of walls with corner joints and T-shaped joints which are completely regular and without visible first or second joiners on the faces of the walls.

[0033] It will be appreciated that higher structures can be built from multiple rows of the panels joined together through the joiner elements at the corners with multiple connectors, one for each row of panels.

[0034] Referring now to Figure 8, Figure 9, and Figure 10 a wall is shown in front and front and rear perspective view respectively. The wall is constructed from the panels 2 in a 4 by 7 array, with plastic plant pots 60 installed thereon. The divisions 51, 52, 53, 54 between the edges of some of the panels are shown for clarification. The plant pots 60 are sized with respect to the cells of the panels 2 to enable a regular

arrangement over the wall. As shown in Figure 10, each plant pot 60 attaches via hooks 61, 62 into an appropriate corresponding edge 71, 72 of the cells in the panels. Hooks 61, 62 are spaced to fit into alternate cell columns and each pot 60 is

appropriately sized having regard to the cell size to provide a closely spaced array of pots. In particular, because each cell provides essentially the same hanging access and can accept the hooks , the hooks 61 , 62 of each pot 60 can be located in any cell, allowing arbitrary positioning of pots in the rectangular wall and therefore close spacing between the pots in a variety of configurations.

[0035] The invention as described above provides a system of constructing attractive surfaces for growing plants, which can be applied to vertical gardens, fences, interior walls, raised garden beds, and the like, and enabling construction of

structures using the corner connector elements without aesthetic impairment. While mainly applicable to vertical structures, the invention extends in its broadest aspect to horizontal surfaces such as pergolas .

[0036] Persons skilled in the art will also appreciate that many variations may be made to the invention without departing from the scope of the invention, which is determined from the broadest scope and claims.

[0037] For example, the construction of the system according to the embodiment described here with panels 2 and separate corner or T-shaped joint connector pieces 3 or 30 enables construction of garden walls with smooth uninterrupted appearance along each wall, providing an aesthetically pleasing regular appearance without spoiling by visible first and second joiners. However it will be appreciated that it is possible to incorporate corner and T-shaped and even cross-shaped joint functionality into each panel 2 by providing appropriately positioned first and second joiners on the front and back faces of each panel at bordering rows or columns, with appropriate redesign of the joiners where necessary to avoid interference between joiners facing different directions. While this alternative arrangement has the

disadvantage that each panel requires visible first and second joiners on the faces of the panels, reducing aesthetic appeal, it has the advantage of component simplicity and therefore systems with such panels only and without separate connectors such as 3,30 are within the scope of the broadest aspect of the invention .

[0038] Further, while the embodiment described involves a single panel type of rectangular shape with a rectangular boundary edge, embodiments of systems comprising multiple panel shapes and non-rectangular or non-square shapes, even

incorporating cooperating curved edges along the boundary of the panel, are within the broadest scope of the invention.

[0039] Further still, while the embodiment described above is constructed using polypropylene, construction using other types of plastic or any suitable material is within the scope of the invention .

[0040] It will also be appreciated that in embodiments such as described here with separate connectors, the connector pieces can be constructed out of a single row of cells rather than two rows of cells, with appropriate redesign of the joiners as described above.

[00 1] In the claims which follow and in the preceding

description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or

"comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention. Further, any method steps recited in the claims are not necessarily intended to be performed temporally in the sequence written, or to be performed without pause once started, unless the context requires it.

[0042] It is to be understood that, if any prior art

publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

Claims

1. A system for constructing surfaces for growing plants, the system comprising:

a plurality of panels each having a front face, rear face and a boundary edge, the boundary edge being formed with one or more edge joiner elements adapted to cooperate together to join the panels together in sets along the boundary edges to form a plurality of rectangular surfaces; and

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the boundary edge of each panel has four straight edge sides and is square or rectangular.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least some of the edge joiner elements comprise protrusions and at least some of the edge joiner elements comprise recesses of complementary shape and position to the protrusions to enable the joining of the panels together.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein at least an opposite two of the four straight edge sides comprise one or more of the joiner elements .

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each of the four straight edge sides comprise one or more of the joiner elements.

6. The system of claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the protrusions comprise waisted ridges and the recesses comprise channels with narrowed openings, the waisted ridges of the protrusions and the narrowed openings of the channels being oriented at right angles to the front and rear faces and being adapted to cooperate together in adjacent panels to join the panels together in forming the rectangular surfaces .

7. The system of claim 5, wherein each of the four straight edge sides comprise joiner elements of a first type and a second type, sized and positioned to join together adjacent ones of the panels by cooperation between the first and second types.

8. The system of any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the corner connector elements are adapted to join together the rectangular surfaces in the right angle corner through one or more of the edge joiner elements.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising a plurality of corner connector pieces separate from the panels, each corner connector piece formed with one or more of the corner connector elements ; wherein the corner connector elements on each corner connector piece are adapted to connect to one or more of the edge joiner elements disposed on the edges of the rectangular surfaces to provide at least part of the right angle corner joint .

10. The system of claim 9 wherein each corner connector piece comprises corner connector elements formed on at least three faces thereof, two of the three faces being mutually opposite so as to enable construction of a T-shaped joint as well as the corner joint.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein each panel is composed of a regular rectangular array of cells, with apertures in the regular rectangular array so as to provide a substantially open structure .

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each cell is generally in the shape of a rectangular prism and the panel is a single layer of the cells, and the apertures are provided in one or more faces of each cell .

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each corner connector piece comprises at least one row of the cells.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein each corner connector piece comprises a first row and a second row of the cells, with corner connector elements disposed on a first face of the first row and on a second face of the second row, the second face being at right angles to first face.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the corner connector pieces comprises corner connector elements on a third face of the second row opposite the second face so as to enable construction of a T-shaped joint as well as the corner joint.

16. The system of any one of claims 13, 14 or 15, wherein each corner piece has a length equal to one of the sides of the rectangular panel .

17. The system of any one of claims 11 to 16 further

comprising a plurality of plant pots each having at one or more attachment hooks adapted to attach to the panels through the apertures in the regular rectangular array of cells.

18. The system of claim 11 further comprising a plurality of plant pots each having one or more attachment hooks adapted to attach to the panels through each of the apertures in the regular rectangular array of cells, and wherein each cell comprises at least one of the apertures, thereby allowing each of the plurality of plant pots to be positioned with the one or more attachment hooks attached in any cell .

19. The system of any one of claims 1 to 18 wherein each panel is less than 1000 mm in length and breadth.

20. The system of any one of claims 1 to 18 wherein each panel is less than 600 mm in length and breadth.

21. The system of claim 11 wherein each cell is less than 100 mm in length and breadth.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein each cell is less than 60 mm in length and breadth. The system of claim 22 wherein each cell is greater than mm in length and breadth .