Patent ID: 6715233
Filing Date: 2004-04-06
Classification: A01G

Abstract:
A modular, expandable, self-regulating water system for burial in a planter, comprising:a plurality of hollow reservoir sections each of which can contain water and each of which has an upper port and a lower port with said lower port in each reservoir section being below the water line when said reservoir section is full of water, and said upper port being located at or near the too of each reservoir section; one or more upper hoses or pipes or conduits (hereafter referred to as hoses) that couple said upper ports of all said hollow reservoir sections together in airtight fashion so as to allow air to flow from one reservoir section to another; one or more lower hoses or pipes or conduits (hereafter referred to as hoses) that couple said lower ports of all said hollow reservoir sections in said plurality of hollow reservoir section together in watertight fashion so as to form a reservoir comprised of a plurality of reservoir sections having their upper ports coupled together by hoses to form a path for air to flow from one reservoir section to another and having said lower ports of said reservoir sections connected together by hoses so as to allow water to flow from one reservoir section to another; and wherein at least one of said reservoir sections has a fill pipe through which water can be added to fill said reservoir, said fill pipe being long enough to extend above soil in a planter in which said reservoir is buried, said fill pipe having a removable stopper, which forms an airtight seal; and wherein at least one of said reservoir sections has one or more water outlet holes in a low portion thereof so as to allow water to escape into said soile in said planter; and wherein at least one of said reservoir sections has an air hole located in a wall of said reservoir section at or above the maximum height water will reach when the reservoir section is filled a piece of tubing having a first end hermetically coupled to said air hole and having a second end which is plugged with a hydrophilic sensor, said tubing being flexible and long enough such that said hydrophilic sensor material can be buried in the soil of a planter in which said self-regulating water system is buried.