Combination plant pot and trellis

A combination portable plant pot and trellis has a pot for growing plants, flowers, vines and the like and a preferably circumferential trellis extending above the pot and detachably attached thereto. The preferred attachment means have downwardly extending extensions on support posts of the trellis, and these extensions have a lip to engage ledges along the side of the pot and are reachable through apertures in the pot rim. This secures the trellis to the pot and provides the necessary upper support for the branches and vines of growing plants to expose them to maximum sunlight and air.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a portable plant pot having a detachable trellis 
means attached thereto to support growing plants. 
One of the problems associated with growing plants, such as vegetables, 
flowers, or the like, in small, portable pots has been the lack of support 
means above the pot for support of vines, stocks or other parts of the 
plants as they grow above the top of the pot. Typically, these upper parts 
of the plants contain the valuable fruits, vegetables or flowers which 
must be nurtured and exposed to maximum sunlight to grow adequately. 
Without upper support means the weight of the growing stocks and vines 
soon causes them to bend and either break or hang downwardly where lack of 
sunlight and contact with undesirable surfaces stunts growth and produces 
substandard fruits, vegetables or flowers. 
This problem has been particularly acute in situations where the pot has 
been used indoors or on a balcony or the like. When the pot is used on the 
earth, it has been possible to insert a mast or trellis into the earth 
next to the pot to provide the desirable support means above the pot. In 
some instances, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 156,405 and Des. 
156,406, devices have been used to provide a trellis for hanging on the 
wall and having a pot holder to accommodate the pot next to the trellis. 
This, of course, attempts to accomplish the same goal as the outdoor 
trellis stuck in the earth. However, both of these prior art trellis 
means, well and earth-inserted, require a stationary pot, and portability 
of the pot must be sacrificed entirely, particularly after the plant has 
begun to grow and become entwined in the trellis. 
Other attempts to provide trellis means have included those disclosed in 
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,962,503 and 4,270,310. However, these devices have also 
required either stationary support means, or at best a support a rod. 
Accordingly, it is an objective of this invention to provide a combination 
pot and trellis means which is portable. 
It is a further objective to provide a pot and detachable trellis for the 
pot. 
It is an additional objective to provide a detachable trellis for a pot 
which extends all around the circumference of the pot. 
These and other objectives are accomplished through the invention set forth 
below. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the invention, a pot for plants, flowers, vines and the 
like has a trellis means detachably mounted along the top of the pot and 
extending upwardly therefrom. The trellis means extends preferentially 
circumferentially around the entire top of the pot. The trellis means also 
has rungs or steps extending circumferentially about the trellis to aid 
the climbing plants or vines in obtaining points of attachment to the 
trellis means.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT 
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plant pot 10 has an expanded rim 11 
along the upper circumferential edge of pot 10. The bottom end 12 of pot 
10 preferably has one or more circumferential ridges 13 adapted to hold 
the bottom 12 away from a surface (not shown) upon which the pot 10 
normally rests. A plurality of apertures 14 serve as drains for pot 10 to 
permit water to drain from pot 10 and underneath the pot around ridges 14 
to be disposed of elsewhere. 
As shown in FIG. 1, a trellis means 15 is disposed above pot 10, and in 
this embodiment comprises a circumferential network of four support posts 
16 interconnected by a plurality of circumferential rungs 17 or bands for 
aiding in the support of plant stocks and vines. 
As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, a preferred means for attaching trellis means 
15 to pot 10 includes horizontal lip means 17 on the bottom ends of each 
support post 16. Tip means 17 extend downwardly through aperture 8 in rim 
11 to engage ledge means 19 on the side of pot 10 and secure posts 16, and 
hence trellis 15, firmly against the top of pot 10. 
In a preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a support ridge 20 on support 
post 16 is adapted to rest on the horizontal lower edge of rim 11 to 
provide additional vertical support to trellis means 15 when it is secured 
in place on pot 10. 
Both pot 10 and trellis means 15 can be constructed of thermoplastic 
materials or other suitable materials, and can be molded or otherwise 
fabricated. 
While this invention has been described with respect to a preferred 
embodiment, it is to be understood that there are other embodiments which 
fall within the scope of the invention which is limited only by the scope 
of the appended claims.