GB2277859A - Plant pot - Google Patents

Abstract

A plant pot 2 having a base dimension larger than its top dimension also includes a detachable base portion 6. As shown in Figure 2, the top end has a flange 10 and slots in the side walls of the top portion 4 receive clips 22 fastened to or integral with the side walls 20 of base portion 6 to maintain portions 4, 6 in latched condition. In figure 4 clips 22 are replaced by a dove-tail connection arrangement. The top portion may be in two halves secured by clips (22A, Figure 3) or connector elements 63, 64. Base portions 52 may have ribs 56 to provide a drainage facility. <IMAGE>

Description

A PLANT POT This invention relates to plant pots.

Conventional plant pots of earthenware or plastics material generally taper inwardly from their open upper ends towards their lower ends. This enables a plant with its root system to be removed from the pot without the root system sustaining damage.

Because of the small base area compared with the area of the top of the pot the centre of gravity of a filled pot is relatively high and, particulary when the pot is used for growing large plants or bushes having trailing or over-lying stems and branches, a slight knock is found to be sufficient to cause the pot to fall over.

Attempts have been made to alleviate this fault by providing broad based plant pot holders whereby a conventional plant pot is rested within the holder.

Thus the base of the holder is wider than the largest diameter of the pot.

British patent specification 2236238 describes and illustrates a plant pot of conventional form located within, or being integral with, an outer container whose base is wider than the widest part of the plant pot.

US patent 4745707 discloses a self-watering pot whose base is wider than its top. In this arrangement it is not possible to remove the plant from its pot eg to re-pot it to a larger sized pot without imparting considerable root damage.

It is an object of this invention to provide a plant pot having a base which is wider than its top and whereby a plant and its root system may be readily removed from the pot without the danger of untoward damage to its root system; and/or to provide improvements generally.

In accordance with the invention there is provided a plant pot having an open top and bottom and a detachable base, the bottom of the pot and the base having a width dimension greater than its top dimension.

It has been found that such a pot enjoys the advantages of increased stability, and yet enables the plant to be removed with minimal damage to the root system.

Preferably, but not exclusively, the base is removably attached to the pot by means of interengaging elements.

The arrangement of this embodiment further facilitates the removal of the plant and root ball from the pot.

Preferably the side walls of the pot are formed in two or more parts, joined together by interengaging elements.

The above and other features of the invention will become clear from the following description which is given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig 1 is a view partly in section of a combined pot and base according to the invention; Fig 2 is an exploded perspective view of the pot seen in Fig 1; Fig 3 is a perspective view similar to Fig 2 but of a second embodiment; Fig 4 is a scrap section view of a third alternative embodiment; Fig 5 is an exploded perspective view of a fourth embodiment; Fig 6 is a section view of the embodiment seen in Fig 5.

As seen in Figs 1 and 2 of the drawings a plant pot 2 comprises a top portion 4 and a base portion 6.

The top portion is hollow and is provided with walls 8 sloping outwardly from top to bottom.

The top end of the pot is formed with a flange 10 defining a hole 12. The bottom end of the pot is open to define a hole 14 and towards that end of the walls 8 are formed a number of slots 16.

The base portion 6 is frusto-conical and has a flat bottom 18 and side walls 20 sloping inwardly upwardly from the bottom. A drain hole 19 is formed in the flat bottom portion 18. Fastened to, or integral with the side walls 20 are a number of clips 22 adapted to pass through the slots 16 in the side walls of the top portion in order to maintain the two portions 4 and 6 in latched connection one with the other.

Thus, as seen clearly in Fig 1 the interconnected top and bottom portions provide a plant pot having a base dimension greater than its top dimension so that, particularly when filled with soil or potting compost, the centre of gravity of the pot is maintained substantially towards its base, obviating the danger of toppling over when it contains a heavy or spreading plant.

When it is desired to pot-on the plant into a larger size of pot the clips 22 are removed from their connections with the slots 16 and the base 6 is removed from the top 4. The soil or compost, which is generally at that stage bound somewhat together by the root hairs of the plant, may then be lowered out of the pot while the plant stems, flowers, and foliage are carefully threaded downwardly through the hole 12.

Re-potting into a larger sized pot is effected by carefully threading the stems, flowers and foliage upwardly through the hole in the pot and packing a fresh supply of soil or compost into the space between the old compost and the walls of the pot in the normal way.

In the alternative embodiment seen in Fig 3, the top portion of the pot is made in two halves 4A and 4B releasably coupled together by clips 22A.

When it is required to remove the plant for repotting, the clips 22 are removed from the slots 16 and the base 6 is lowered from the top 4 after which the clips 22 are released from engagement with the halves 4A and 4B of the top portion. The halves 4A and 4B are then separated, there being no need to thread the flowers or foliage through the hole 12.

Re-potting into a larger pot is done in the reverse order.

In the embodiment seen in Fig 4 the clips 22 are replaced by a dove-tail connection arrangement 24 moulded as part of the joining edges of the split wall 4A, 4B.

In the embodiment seen in Figs 5 and 6 the pot is constructed with a base 52 and a top 54. The base has upstanding ribs 56 which provide a drainage facility, and cavities 58 are formed between an upturned rim 60 and the outermost ribs 56A. Projections 62 are provided on the innermost face of the rim 60.

The top 54 is made in two halves 54A and 54B and, in use, these are removably secured together by slotted connector elements 63, 64 formed in one with an upper rim 65. As seen in Figs 5 and 6, a hollow rectangular sleeve element 63 is formed as part of the half 54A and a spring clip element 64 is formed as part of the half 54B.

The lower portions of the top halves are formed with inturned horizontal feet 66 and an outwardly projecting bead 68. The feet 66 are provided with connector elements 70, 72, as seen in Fig 5, each element 70 being slotted to receive a tongue 72 projecting from the foot 66 of the half 54B.

To assemble the flower pot for use, the connector elements 63, 64 and 70, 72 are inter-engaged and the assembled top 54 is placed within the base 52 and secured therein by snapping the bead 68 beneath the projections 63.

The plant pots according to the invention may be made of ceramics or injection moulded in a plastics material. Alternatively they may be moulded using a paper pulp composition or from cardboard.

Claims (12)

1 A plant pot having an open top and bottom and a detachable base member, the bottom of the pot having a width dimension greater than its top dimension.

2 A plant pot according to claim 1 wherein the pot is formed in at least two separate transverse parts detachably connectable together.

3 A plant pot according to claim 2 wherein two separate transverse parts are inter-connectable by means of detachable clips.

4 A plant pot according to claim 2 wherein the two separate transverse parts are inter-connectable by means of formations on one part engaging with formations on the other part.

5 A plant pot according to claim 4 wherein the formations on one part are adapted to be resiliently urged into engagement with the formations on the other part.

6 A plant pot according to all or any of the above claims wherein the two separate transverse parts, when assembled together, have a rim which is adapted to engage with two or more projections formed on the base member.

7 A plant pot according to all or any of the above claims wherein the base member is formed with an upturned peripheral rim defining a cavity into which a lower part of the pot may be located.

8 A plant pot according to claim 7 wherein the base member has a number of upstanding walls adapted to provide a water storage and drainage facility.

9 A plant pot substantially as described with reference to Figs 1 and 2.

10 A plant pot substantially as described with reference to Fig 3.

11 A plant pot substantially as described with reference to Fig 4.

12 A plant pot substantially as described with reference to Figs 5 and 6.