Patent Publication Number: US-2021161087-A1

Title: Suspended flowerpot adapted to automatic water supply

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a suspended flowerpot adapted to automatically supply water and, more particularly, to a plant cultivation system having a horizontal member from which multiple flowerpots can be suspended, as well as a water supply structure enabling automatic water supply to the flowerpots through buoyancy, thereby facilitating management of plant cultivation. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     Recently, as problems due to fine dusts have emerged, demand for plants is increasing to obtain indoor air purification effects and psychological stability effects, and plants are cultivated in many commercial spaces to create a nature-friendly atmosphere in an urban environment. 
     As such, the demand for plants is gradually increasing and interiors using plants are also in the spotlight. An interior using plants may be called a “planterior”, and it is very important for the planterior to keep the indoor environment in the best condition by utilizing the space and maintaining the plants consistently. 
     However, as the structure and shape of the interior space are very diverse, arrangement of potted plants planted for interiors in dimension-limited spaces not only reduces the interior space but also has a limitation that a flowerpot is typically placed on the floor due to the structure thereof. Due to difficulties in using the interior with a balustrade such as on a balcony, there was a limitation in realization of interior diversity. 
     In addition, regular watering is a very important factor in plant cultivation. If watering is not carried out on time, the plants will wither or die, thus having aesthetically adverse effects. 
     As a conventional technology for solving this problem, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2018-0046623, entitled “Multi-stage plant cultivation apparatus with improved water supply structure”, has disclosed a multi-stage plant cultivation apparatus having an improved water supply structure wherein a variety of plants can be grown in a narrow space. 
     Such a plant cultivation apparatus as described above is a cultivation apparatus enabling cultivation of multiple flowerpots in a narrow space, wherein water is supplied up and down so that, when an upper planting pot reaches a water storage level meeting a set level, additionally supplied water flows to a lower planting pot, thereby achieving the above cultivation apparatus. 
     However, the prior art described above has a problem in that the plant can be planted only within a limited plant pot, and a space provided for placing the pot is restricted, therefore, there are difficulties in preparing creative spaces for arrangement of flowerpots and further implementing arrangement of additional flowerpots rather than the designed planting pots. Moreover, there is a limitation that the flowerpots may be dropped and broken due to external impact. 
     In addition, when the planted plant dies or needs to be separated from the pot due to rapid growth, the soil covering the plant, which has been grown for a long time in the pot, is rigid or hardened and thus is not easy to separate from the plant. 
     PRIOR ART LITERATURE 
     Patent Document 
     (Patent Document 0001) Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2018-0046623 (20180509) 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem to be Solved 
     The present disclosure has been designed to overcome the aforementioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a suspended flowerpot enabling automatic water supply, that can be installed in a space with different morphologies and has a water supply structure to automatically supply water to the flowerpot (often referred to simply as “pot”) by adjusting a water level, thereby managing a number of pots conveniently. 
     Technical Solution 
     In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a suspended flowerpot adapted to automatically supply water, which includes: at least one pot having a mounting part possibly suspended on a horizontal member, and a main body that has an accommodation space therein and is provided with a water supply hole formed on a lower portion thereof; a plant planting member (“planting member”) that has an open upper portion through which soil and plants are received and is made of a water-absorbable material, a lower portion of which is accommodated in the pot to be arranged at a lower position than the water supply hole; and a water supply member that has a water storage space to store water supplied from the outside, a drain hole formed on a lower portion of the water storage space, on which a water supply hose is mounted to be connected to the water supply hole, and a buoyancy switching member driven by buoyancy along the water level so as to open/close a feed hole. 
     In this regard, a plurality of flowerpots may be suspended from the horizontal member, and the water supply hose may include a first hose for connecting the water supply hole and the drain hole and a second hose for connecting the water supply hole between adjacent pots. Further, the water supply member preferably supplies water through the first hose and the second hose, such that the plurality of pots arranged at substantially the same height contains water to reach substantially the same water level. 
     Further, one or more pots may be suspended from multiple horizontal members arranged at different heights. It is preferable that the water supply members for pots suspended from corresponding horizontal members are mutually connected through a feed hose. 
     Further, a neck part narrowing to prevent leakage of the plant and soil contained in the planting member may be formed on the upper portion of the planting member, and a release preventing member connected to the mounting part of the pot while surrounding the outside of the neck part may further be provided. 
     In addition, a protrusion is preferably formed on an inner circumferential surface of the pot to prepare a gap with the planting member. 
     Effect of Invention 
     The pot according to the present invention may arrange a plurality of plants in a small space and enable cultivation thereof by means of a horizontal member capable of suspending multiple pots, may also be utilized for pots on horizontal members having different heights, and can be installed in different spaces such as a flat surface or a curved surface through a coupling means such as a ring or string, thus enabling free arrangement. Therefore, there is an advantage of less restriction in structures, especially, in terms of installation space. 
     Further, the pot of the present invention is provided with a specific water supply structure using buoyancy to automatically supply water depending on a water level, thereby eliminating inconvenience of water supply at regular intervals. Further, the pot of the present invention enables easy management of a number of plants by adjusting the water level in the pot to prevent water overflow. 
     Further, the present invention has advantages that the neck part formed in the planting member to accommodate plant and soil can prevent outflow of the plant and soil and may facilitate transfer of the plant (or replanting) to another pot. 
     In addition, the present invention can achieve effects of feeding oxygen through a space between protrusions formed on an inner circumferential surface (“inner surface”) of the pot and controlling humidity, thereby configuring desired environments to allow plants to grow well. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the suspended pot adapted to automatically supply water (abbrev. to “suspended pot”) according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating an exploded state of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating a state of the suspended pot installed on a pillar according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating an installation structure of the plant cultivation system according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating a water supply structure of the plant cultivation system according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates the pot of the plant cultivation system according to the present invention, as viewed from the top; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a state of use of the plant cultivation system according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view illustrating a state of the pot installed on various horizontal members according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     BEST MODE 
     Hereinafter, the configuration of the suspended pot according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the suspended pot according to the present invention;  FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating an exploded state of  FIG. 1 ;  FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating a state of the suspended pot installed on a pillar according to a first embodiment of the present invention;  FIG. 4  is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating an installation structure of the plant cultivation system according to the present invention;  FIG. 5  is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating a water supply structure of the plant cultivation system according to the present invention;  FIG. 6  illustrates the pot of the plant cultivation system according to the present invention, as viewed from the top;  FIG. 7  illustrates a state of use of the plant cultivation system according to the present invention; and  FIG. 8  is a perspective view illustrating a state of the pot installed on various horizontal members according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 to 8 , the present invention relates to a suspended pot adapted to automatically supply water, as a plant cultivation system facilitating plant cultivation and management, characterized in that multiple pots may be installed in a space of a horizontal member such as a balcony or a balustrade, and a pot with a lower water level may be automatically supplied with water by driving a ball valve according to a water level, thereby avoiding discomfort in water supply. 
     To this end, the plant cultivation system of the present invention basically consists of at least one pot  10  including a mounting part  12  and a main body  11 , a planting member  20  to accommodate soil and plants, and a water supply member  40  to manage the supply of water. 
     The pot  10  may be provided with the mounting part  12  which can be suspended from a horizontal member  80  installed at substantially the same height, and the main body  11  having an accommodation space therein and a water supply hole  11   a  at a lower portion thereof. 
     The pot  10  may be disposed on the horizontal member having a variety of shapes. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the horizontal member may be a horizontal member fabricated by winding a wire  82  around a column or pillar. Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 8( a ) , a horizontal member on a handrail or balustrade having the same height may also be used. Further, as shown in  FIG. 8( b ) , the horizontal member may be configured on a handrail having different heights. 
     With regard to the horizontal member  80  fabricated by winding the wire  82  around the pillar, in order to prevent the wire  82  from loosening down from the pillar and to prepare a space in which the mounting part  12  is fixed between the wire  82  and the pillar, the wire  82  is preferably installed while interposing a rubber packing  81  between the wire and the pillar. 
     At least one perforation type coupling hole  11   c  may be formed at the top of the main body  11  in order to suspend a ring or a string. In particular, in case of the horizontal member  80  of a handrail having different heights, the main body may be suspended with a string through the coupling hole  11   c  and a distance between the pot  10  and the horizontal member  80  may be regulated by adjusting a length of the string, so that the pot  10  is installed at the same height. Therefore, the water supply hose  70  connected between multiple pots  10  becomes horizontal so as to manage the multiple pots at the same water level. 
     In order to secure the pot  10  to the horizontal member  80 , at least one mounting part  12  is formed on an upper side of the pot  10  in the form of ‘¬’, wherein, if a gap between the mounting part  12  and the main body  11  is too narrow, the configuration of an installation space is considerably restricted. Therefore, it is preferable to leave a margin in the above gap. 
     The main body  11  may have an accommodation space therein and may be provided with a water supply hole  11   a  connected to a drain hole  41  through the water supply hose  70  prepared on a lower side of the pot  10 . 
     The water supply hole  11   a  may be formed in an empty space between the main body  11  and the planting member  20 , in order to prevent a water channel from being blocked by soil in the planting member  20 , thereby ensuring smooth water supply through the water supply hose  70 . 
     The planting member  20  may accommodate the soil and the plant therein through an open upper portion, is formed in a bag shape and is placed in the pot  10  while containing the soil and the plant. 
     At this time, a lower portion of the planting member  20  is disposed at a lower position than the water supply hole  11   a,  so that the lower portion of the planting member  20  is submerged in the water supplied from the water supply hole  11   a.  Since the planting member  20  is made of a water-absorbable material, the planting member  20  may absorb water supplied from the water supply hole  11   a  and then feed the water to the accommodated soil and plant. 
     In general, when water is supplied to a pot having a water channel, soil is mixed with water and gradually stacked on the water channel to block the water channel, hence preventing smooth water supply. However, the planting member  20  may allow free entry of water simultaneously with absorbing water, while preventing discharge (or leakage) of soil. Therefore, the planting member  20  of the present invention may act as a filter to prevent occurrence of the aforementioned problems. 
     Further, when the pot  10  is suspended from the horizontal member  80  in a state in which the planting member  20  is installed in the pot  10 , the pot  10  may be inclined. In this case, in order to prevent discharge of the plant and soil, a neck part  21  may be formed to be narrowed at a site where an upper portion of soil is located. 
     A release preventing member  30  connected to the mounting part  12  of the pot  10  while surrounding the outside of the neck part  21  may be formed in a ring shape with one side open, as shown in  FIG. 6( a ) . When external force is applied to both ends of the open side, both ends with a narrowed gap may be inserted into two mounting parts  12  and then secured to the two mounting parts  12  by restoration force occurring simultaneously with removal of the external force. 
     At this time, the release preventing member  30  preferably consists of a wire having elasticity. 
     When having a configuration of two mounting parts  12 , the release preventing member  30  may be formed in a ring shape having one open side as described above. On the other hand, in case of the release preventing member  30  configured with one mounting part  12 , both ends thereof may intersect in an X-shape, as shown in  FIG. 6( b ) . 
     In this case, applying a pulling force to the release preventing member  30  may induce deformation to surround the outside of the neck part  21 . When the external force is removed, elastic force to restore to the original form is generated and both ends may intersect in an X-shape and be fixed on the only one mounting part  12 . 
     Since the planting member  20  is stably secured to the pot through the release preventing member  30 , the planting member  20  may not be separated and fall from the fixed position by external impact, may not arbitrarily break away by people, and may be protected from soil blowing or dripping. 
     The protrusion  11   b  may be formed on an inner surface of the pot  10  and is configured to form a gap with the planting member  20 , wherein oxygen is fed through the gap and moisture is controlled to prevent over-humidity, thereby providing environments suitable for plant growth. 
     The water supply member  40  is provided with a water storage space to store water supplied from the outside, wherein a drain hole  41  is formed on a lower portion of the water storage space, and the water supply hose  70  connected to the water supply hole  11   a  is mounted on the drain hole  41 . 
     The drain hole  41  is preferably formed at a position lower than a feed hole  43 , which is diagonal to the feed hole  43 , in order to smoothly supply water. 
     The feed hole  43  formed at the left side of the water supply member  40  is equipped with a feed hose  60  connected to a feed unit  50 , while the drain hole  41  formed at the right side of the water supply member  40  is equipped with a water supply hose  70  connected to the water supply hole  11   a.  Further, a buoyancy switching member  42  to open/close the feed hole  43  by driving a ball valve  42   a  according to a water level in the water supply member  40  may be provided. 
     The water supply member  40  receives water from the feed unit  50  through the feed hose  60 , and the ball valve  42   a  provided in the water supply member  40  extends toward the buoyancy switching member  42 . As the ball valve  42   a  moves up and down according to a water level of the water supply member  40 , water supply may be managed and the water level may be controlled through the buoyancy switching member  42  to close or open the feed hole  43  connected to the feed hose  60 . 
     On the other hand, the present invention may not include the feed unit  50  as shown in  FIG. 5( b )  and, instead, may directly supply water to the water supply member  40  by directly connecting the feed hose  60  to a water pipe. 
     The water supply hose  70  may include a first hose  71  to connect the water supply hole  11   a  and the drain hole  41 , and a second hose  72  to connect the water supply hole  11   a  between adjacent pots  10 . 
     The first hose  71  supplies water to the pot  10  from the water supply member  40  while the second hose  72  supplies water to the adjacent pot, so that water can be supplied to a plurality of flowerpots disposed at substantially the same height through the first hose  71  and the second hose  72  so as to reach substantially the same water level. 
     Since the water supply members  40  of one or more pots suspended from a plurality of horizontal members  80  arranged at different heights are configured to be mutually connected though the feed hose  60 , water may be supplied to the water supply member  40  on each of the horizontal members having different heights through the feed hose  60 . 
     In description of water supply operation of the plant cultivation system according to the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 7 , water fed from the outside to the feed unit  50  may be supplied to the water supply member  40  through the feed hose  60 . Herein, a water level may be controlled using a buoyancy switching member  42  to open and close the feed hole  43  connected to the feed hose  60  by driving the ball valve  42   a  of the water supply member  40 . 
     When the water level of the water supply member  40  is higher than a reference water level, as shown in  FIG. 7( a ) , the ball valve  42   a  connected to the buoyancy switching member  42  moves upward to close the buoyancy switching member  42 , so that water supply from the feed hose  60  is stopped. Therefore, the water supply member  40  is driven by the ball valve  42   a  of the water supply member  40  and may receive water only up to the reference water level from the feed unit  50 , so that water supplied to the water supply member  40  is delivered to the pots having a lower water level than a height of the first hose  71  through the first hose  71 , followed by delivering water between the pots through the second hose  72 . Accordingly, the plurality of pots is supplied with water to reach the same water level. 
     When the water level of the water supply member  40  is lowered by supplying water to the pot  10 , the ball valve  42   a  moves downward as shown in  FIG. 7( b )  to open an upper side of the buoyancy switching member  42 , which in turn opens the feed hole  43 , so that water is fed from the feed hose  60  to manage the water level of the water supply member  40 , thereby enabling automatic water supply. 
     Therefore, the plant cultivation system of the present invention can automatically supply water to pots through an automatic water supply structure in order to maintain a predetermined water level, thereby reducing inconvenience in water supply and allowing easy cultivation of a plurality of plants. 
     As described above, subject matters of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments described above, but are defined by the claims, and it will be apparent that various modifications and adaptations are possibly implemented within the scope of the appended claims by those skilled in the art. 
     DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       10 : Flowerpot (or pot)  11 : Main body 
       11   a:  Water supply hole  11   b:  Protrusion 
       11   c:  Coupling hole  12 : Mounting part 
       20 : Planting member  21 : Neck part 
       30 : Release preventing member  40 : Water supply member 
       41 : Drain hole  42 : Buoyancy switching member 
       42   a:  Ball valve  43 : Feed hole 
       50 : Feed unit  60 : Feed hose 
       70 : Water supply hose  71 : First hose 
       72 : Second hose  80 : Horizontal member 
       81 : Rubber packing  82 : Wire 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF INVENTION 
     Provided herewith is a suspended flowerpot adapted to automatically supply water, including: at least one pot  10  which has a mounting part  12  suspended from a horizontal member  80  installed at substantially the same height, and a main body  11  that has an accommodation space therein and is provided with a water supply hole  11   a  on a lower portion thereof; 
     a planting member  20  that has an open upper portion through which soil and a plant are received and is made of a water-absorbable material, a lower portion of which is accommodated in the pot  10  to be arranged at a lower position than the water supply hole  11   a;  and
         a water supply member  40  that has a water storage space to store water supplied from the outside, a drain hole  41  formed on a lower portion of the water storage space on which a water supply hose  70  is mounted to be connected to the water supply hole  11   a,  and a buoyancy switching member  42  driven by buoyancy according to the water level so as to open/close a feed hole  43 .