Patent Publication Number: US-2005132644-A1

Title: Planting device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      Ser. No. 60/531,109 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
      Not applicable  
     REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING  
      Not applicable  
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention relates to the display and growth of botanicals, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for supporting and displaying potted plants in a vertical position without compacting the soil within each pot.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention pertains generally to stands on which two or more potted plants may be supported for display purposes. Potted plants are commonly used about homes and other structures to enhance their appearance and impart visual pleasure to the resident or passersby. Commonly large potted plants for outdoor use are sold with wire hangers to permit suspension of the potted plant from an overhead support, for example, the eave of a roof, a driveway light, etc. Accordingly the plants are necessarily located not by choice but rather by the location of existing structures to hang same from.  
      Many types of plant holders, stands, and racks have been made. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,666, issued to Rakestraw, discloses a device for supporting plants in which a plurality of trays or shelves are mounted on a central support. U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,559, issued to Carlyon, Jr., discloses a self-irrigating display rack for potted plants which comprises a tier of display dishes supported on a reservoir base. The display dishes are mounted in vertically spaced coaxial positions on an upright central tubular member which, in turn, is supported on the base. U.S. Pat. No. 3,293,798, issued to Johnson, Sr., discloses a vertical tiered sectional planter in which a central vertical tubular perforated standard is surrounded by concentric, upwardly-flared pan-shaped sections which are secured to the standard. U.S. Pat. No. 2,720,056, issued to Levy, discloses a combined lamp and flower receptacle in which a plurality of bowls are attached to a tubular column in a tiered arrangement. U.S. Pat. No. 3,030,735, issued to Bodkins, discloses a structure for mounting a planter box in vertically adjustable position upon a vertical pole. U.S. Pat. No. 2,803,923, issued to Pratt, discloses a wheeled indoor portable garden stand having a tiered arrangement of boxes. U.S. Pat. No. 207,915, issued to Zimmerman, and U.S. Pat. No. 221,571, issued to Stevens, or U.S. Pat. No. 5,606,824 to Ruibal, disclose other types of tiered planters.  
      The prior art plant stands listed above utilize a specialized base or floor support made specifically for supporting the plant stand. Inasmuch as pottery, metal, or plastic flower pots are relatively inexpensive, widely commercially available, and frequently already owned by persons desiring an apparatus for supporting one or more plants above the ground level, a need exists for an elevated plant holder which can be supported entirely from an ordinary plant or flower pot. Preferably, such a plant holder will be decorative and attractive in appearance, and will permit the plant pot from which it is supported to also contain one or more plants in the traditional manner. Such a plant holder will also preferably be capable of deterring soils compaction within each pot by their placement.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention is embodied within a stand enabling the display of several potted plants in an economical and attractive and vertical manner without reliance on an overhead support or supports while eliminating the chance of compacting the soils.  
      The present stand includes one vertical support extending from the base of the device to the furthers upward point. Uppermost portions of the vertical support arm are configured to extend through the potted plant and extending through the next upper plant. A base supports the vertical extending arm.  
      Important objectives of the present invention include the provision of a stand for potted plants with provision for several plants displayed in a vertical plane above a ground surface and a centrally located elevated potted plant displayed in the manner of being on a pedestal; the provision of a stand for potted plants which includes a support rod.  
      There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.  
      In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.  
      As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.  
      Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.  
      It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a planting device apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the closures mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a planting device which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art tool guides, either alone or in any combination thereof.  
      It is another object of the present invention to provide a planting device which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.  
      It is a further object of the present invention to provide a planting device which is of a durable and reliable construction.  
      An even further object of the present invention is to provide a planting device which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such planting device economically available to the buying public.  
      Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a planting device which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.  
      These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      In the accompanying drawing:  
       FIG. 1  is an elevational view of the present stand for potted plants;  
       FIG. 2  is an elevational view of the present invention with potted plants placed over the vertical support member. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      A potted plant holder is indicated generally and includes a vertical support member  1  having fins  3  which offer lateral support for the device when placed inside the base potted plant  4  and surrounded with soil or the like. A base  7  is located below the lateral support fins  3  for placement within the first potted plant. A support clip  2  is permanently attached to the vertical support  1  with a welding manner for general support to the second vertically placed potted plant  5  on the vertical support member  1   
      With continuing attention to the drawing, wherein applied reference numerals indicate parts similarly hereinafter identified, the reference numeral  1  indicates the vertical support member centrally located on the planting device while additional potted plants at  4 - 6  are disposed in a vertical direction above plant  4 .  
      While I have shown but a few embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied still otherwise without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.  
      Having thus described the invention, what is desired to be secured by a Patent is: