Abstract:
The apparatus provides a method for assembling a vertically oriented structure for plants and flowers. A planter assembly which accepts soil and plants is attached to a base assembly which supports the planter assembly. The attachment of the planter assembly to the base assembly is via a plurality of rigid panels inserted into slotted cavities on both the planter assembly and the base assembly wherein the panels are aligned and attached uniformly and directly adjacent to the outer surfaces of the planter assembly and the base assembly sides. When upright, the assembled structure descends in width from top to bottom.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Plants and flowers are commonly grown to add beauty and appeal to a location. Frequently grown in decorative pots, potted plants and flowers often become the centerpiece of a space. The pots themselves can be highly artistic in design and in finish, and are available in a wide range of sizes and materials. Typical sizes can range from a few inches in height and width to several feet. Plastic, metal, clay and ceramic are common materials used to make decorative pots. One particularly popular design is a tall and narrow shaped pot which gives the pot a column-like appearance. This style is popular for several reasons including having the benefit of elevating plants and flowers off the ground resulting in an aesthetically pleasing display. Elevating plants brings them closer to eye-level, making viewing easier, and can make care and watering easier. 
     While tall, vertical pots are popular they tend to be relatively expensive and can be cost -prohibitive to many consumers. Highly decorative pots are particularly expensive and consumers are limited in their selection of finishes and heights. Tall pots also require a relatively large amount of soil to fill their planting cavities. In many cases the soil at the bottom of the pot goes unused by the planted vegetation resulting in wasted material. The unused soil also adds unnecessary weight to the pot. The present apparatus provides a unique means for construction of a tall, vertically-oriented pot which allows for a wide range of finishes and heights. Finishes can include, but are not limited to, natural wood, stained wood, painted wood, masonry, stucco, tile, and metal. The apparatus allows for the height of the pot to be customized during construction as well as significantly reducing the amount of soil required by the pot compared to traditional pots of similar height. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A vertical, interlocking planter apparatus, the purpose of which is to provide a convenient method for assembling a column-shaped, vertically-oriented structure for plants and flowers. To attain this, the planter system provides a planter assembly which accepts soil and plants, a base assembly which supports the planter assembly, and a method for joining the two pieces in a vertically-oriented configuration. 
     An object of the vertical, interlocking planter apparatus is to provide for customized heights of potted plants and flowers. 
     A further object of the vertical, interlocking planter apparatus is to provide for a reduction in the amount of needed planting material, such as soil, for potted plants and flowers. 
     And, an object of the vertical, interlocking planter apparatus is to provide for customization of the planter&#39;s finished appearance. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the planter assembly. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the base assembly. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the planter assembly presently assembled with the base assembly joined by rigid support panels. 
         FIG. 4  is a cut-away side view of the planter assembly presently assembled with the base assembly joined by rigid support panels. 
         FIG. 5  is an orthogonal side view of the planter assembly. 
         FIG. 6  is an orthogonal side view of the base assembly. 
         FIG. 7  is an orthogonal side view of the planter assembly presently assembled with the base assembly joined by rigid support panels. 
         FIG. 8  is an orthogonal side view of the planter assembly and the base assembly with rigid support panels represented in phantom format. 
         FIG. 9  is an orthogonal bottom view of the planter assembly. 
         FIG. 10  is an orthogonal bottom view of the base assembly. 
         FIG. 11  is an orthogonal top view of the planter assembly. 
         FIG. 12  is an orthogonal top view of the base assembly. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a sample rigid support panel. 
         FIG. 14  is a detailed cross-sectional view of  FIG. 2 , taken along the line 3-3, with a representation of the insertion and assembly motion of a rigid support panel. 
         FIG. 15  is an exploded view of the planter assembly, base assembly, and rigid support panels. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in-particular  FIGS. 1 through 15  thereof, the principles and concepts of the interlocking planter system generally designated by the reference number  70  will be described. 
     Referring to  FIG. 15 , the planter system is shown in an exploded view which reveals several key components and generally shows their locations during assembly. A planter assembly  10  is made of plastic, fiberglass or metal and is generally “box” shaped with an open top. The planter assembly allows plants and flowers to be planted inside the assembly. A base assembly  30  is made of plastic, fiberglass or metal and is generally “box” shaped with an open top. The base assembly provides a stable foundation for the planter system to sit upon. Rigid support panels  50  are made of generally planar material including, but not limited to, plywood, sheet metal, concrete “backer” board, plastic, or fiberglass. The rigid support panels  50  are used to connect the planter assembly  10  to the base assembly  30 . 
       FIG. 1  shows the details of the planter assembly  10 . The planter assembly has a selected number of sides  11 , a bottom  12 , and a rim  13  around the outer, upper edge of the sides. 
       FIG. 2  shows the details of the base assembly  30 . The base assembly has the same number of sides  31  as the planter assembly  10 , a bottom  32 , and a rim  33  around the outer, lower edge of the sides. 
     Both the planter assembly&#39;s rim  13  and the base assembly&#39;s rim  33  have cavities that run horizontally along their surfaces. The planter assembly&#39;s cavity  14  ( FIG. 9 ) is on the bottom of its rim. The base assembly&#39;s cavity  34  ( FIG. 2 ) is on the top of its rim. The cavities allow for connecting the two assemblies with a predetermined number of rigid support panels  50  ( FIG. 3 ). During assembly, the rigid support panels are inserted into the cavities. The cavities align the panels, which in turn align the planter assembly  10  with the base assembly  30 . 
       FIG. 3  shows the rigid support panels  50  supporting the planter assembly directly above the base assembly. The planter assembly rim  13  and the base assembly rim  33  are visible. 
       FIG. 4  is a cut-a-way view of the assembled interlocking planter system  70 . The planter assembly  10  is show aligned directly above the base assembly  30  by the rigid support panels  50 . The rigid support panels join the planter assembly  10  at the planter assembly rim  13  and with the base assembly  30  at the base assembly rim  33 . The rigid support panels  50  run generally parallel with the planter assembly sides  11  and the base assembly sides  31 . 
       FIG. 5  is a side view of the planter assembly  10 . The planter assembly walls  11  connect the planter assembly rim  13  with the planter assembly bottom  12 . The angle  17  at which the planter assembly walls join the planter assembly rim is predetermined and is between forty-five degrees and ninety degrees. The planter assembly rim  13  and top edge  15  are parallel with the planter assembly bottom  12 . 
       FIG. 6  is a side view of the base assembly  30 . The base assembly walls  31  are connected to the base assembly rim  33  and the base assembly bottom  32 . The base assembly top edge  35  is parallel with the base assembly rim  33  and the base assembly bottom  32 . The angle  37  at which the base assembly walls meet the plane of the base assembly top edge  35  is approximately the same number of degrees as angle  17  ( FIG. 5 ) of the planter assembly walls. 
       FIG. 7  is a side view of the assembled interlocking planter system  70 . 
       FIG. 8  shows the positioning of the planter assembly  10  directly above the base assembly  30 . Phantom lines simulate the position of the rigid support panels. 
       FIG. 9  shows a bottom view of the planter assembly  10 . The planter assembly is a polygon shaped and has a select number of sides  11 . The planter assembly bottom  12  is joined with, and held in position by, the planter assembly walls  11 . A rim  13  extends around the perimeter of the planter assembly along the upper edge of the walls  11 . Between the rim  13  and the walls  11  is a cavity  14 . 
       FIG. 10  shows a bottom view of the base assembly  30 . The base assembly  30  has a bottom  32  that is generally flat and provides a stable surface for the assembled interlocking planter system to rest upon. 
       FIG. 11  shows a top view of the planter assembly  10 . Visible in this view is the hollow interior of the planter assembly formed by the sides  11 , rim  13 , and bottom  12 . The hollow interior is used to hold soil and plants. 
       FIG. 12  shows a top view of the base assembly  30 . Visible in this view are the walls  31  and bottom  32 . 
       FIG. 13  shows a sample rigid support panel  50 . The rigid support panel consists of a top edge  52 , a bottom edge  53 , interior surface  54 , and exterior surface (not shown). The rigid support panel is generally planar in shape. A plurality of panels is used to connect the planter assembly  10  to the base assembly  30 . When assembled, the side edge  51  of each panel  50  will be adjacent to a corresponding side edge of another panel. The support panels may be attached to each other along their corresponding side edges with anchors or adhesive (not shown). The panel&#39;s exterior surface allows for customization via applied decorative embellishments (not shown). 
       FIG. 14  is a detailed cross sectional view of  FIG. 2 , taken along the line 3-3, with a representation of the insertion and assembly motion of a rigid support panel. This view shows details of each piece and how the rigid support panel  50  is inserted into the cavity  34  of the base assembly  30 . The cavity is formed by the base assembly&#39;s bottom  32 , walls  31 , and rim  33 . When the bottom edge  53  of the rigid support panel is inserted into the cavity of the base assembly  30 , the interior surface  54  of the rigid support panel  50  is in contact with the surface of the base assembly side  31  and the exterior surface  55  of the rigid support panel faces outward. Adhesive such as glue (not shown), or anchors such as screws (not shown) can be used to secure the rigid support panel  50  in the cavity  34 . The process is similar when inserting the top edge  52  of the rigid support panel  50  into the cavity  14  ( FIG. 9 ) of the planter assembly  10 , however the planter assembly&#39;s cavity  14  is downward-facing, therefore the top edge  52  of the rigid support panel would move upward into the cavity  14 . 
       FIG. 15  shows an exploded view of the planter assembly  10 , base assembly  30 , and rigid support panels  50 . The planter assembly  10  is positioned at the top, the rigid support panels  50  are positioned in the middle, and the base assembly  30  is positioned at the bottom.  FIG. 15  illustrates the interlocking planter system  70  in a four-sided configuration. 
     Those skilled in the art will be aware of materials, techniques and equipment suitable to produce the example embodiments presented as well as variations on those examples. This teaching is presented for purposes of illustration and description but is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiments and versions help to explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand it. Various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular application contemplated are expected.