Abstract:
An automobile air freshener has a growing scented plant growing at the window of the automobile in a two piece pot shaped and arranged to receive the plant and a wire hanger bracket attaching the pot to the window of the automobile including a mounting ring for engaging around the pot and a mounting portion attached to the window of the automobile either by suction cups or by a loop hanging over a top edge of the window.

Description:
[0001]     This invention relates to a plant holder which can be used for example in an automobile as an air freshening system which allows a user to freshen the air within the automobile in a manner which is environmentally friendly and attractive.  
         [0002]     It is one object of the invention to provide an improved air freshener for an automobile.  
         [0003]     According to one aspect of the invention there is provided an automobile plant holder comprising:  
         [0004]     a pot shaped and arranged to receive a growing scented plant;  
         [0005]     and a hanger bracket for attachment of the pot to a window of the automobile including a mounting ring for engaging around the pot and a mounting portion shaped and arranged for attachment to the window of the automobile.  
         [0006]     Preferably the bracket is formed of wire, but other materials such as injection molded plastics can also be used.  
         [0007]     Preferably the mounting portion includes one or more suction cups for attachment by suction to the window.  
         [0008]     Preferably the mounting portion includes a depending portion extending vertically downwardly along an inside surface of the window and the mounting ring extends from a bottom of the depending portion extending outwardly therefrom.  
         [0009]     Preferably the bracket is formed of wire and the depending portion comprises a pair of parallel wire legs spaced apart across the window.  
         [0010]     Preferably the mounting portion includes one or more suction cups located between the wire legs for attachment by suction to the window  
         [0011]     Preferably the mounting portion includes a depending portion extending vertically downwardly along an inside surface of the window and a hanger portion at an upper end of the depending portion for engaging over a top edge of the window and depending therefrom, and the mounting ring extends from a bottom of the depending portion extending outwardly therefrom.  
         [0012]     Preferably the depending portion comprises a pair of parallel wire legs spaced apart across the window.  
         [0013]     Preferably the pot comprises an inner pot portion having a peripheral wall and a perforated base for drainage and an outer pot portion having a peripheral wall and an imperforate base with the outer pot portion arranged to receive the inner pot portion therein with the perforated base spaced from the base of the outer pot portion.  
         [0014]     Preferably the outer surface of the peripheral wall of the inner pot portion lies in contact with the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the outer pot portion thus holding the perforate base spaced from the base of the outer pot portion.  
         [0015]     Preferably the outer pot portion includes a shoulder around its peripheral wall resting against the mounting ring.  
         [0016]     According to a second definition of the invention there is provided an automobile air freshener comprising:  
         [0017]     an automobile window;  
         [0018]     a growing scented plant for growing at the window;  
         [0019]     a pot shaped and arranged to receive the growing scented plant;  
         [0020]     and a hanger bracket for attachment of the pot to the window of the automobile including a mounting ring for engaging around the pot and a mounting portion attached to the window of the automobile. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0021]     One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a vertical cross sectional view through an air freshener according to the present invention.  
         [0023]      FIG. 2  is a rear elevational view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of a second embodiment according to the present invention.  
         [0025]      FIG. 4  is an isometric view of the bracket only of the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 2  but which can be readily modified for use in the embodiment of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
       [0026]     In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0027]     The air freshener according to the present invention comprises an automobile window  10  on which is mounted a mounting bracket  11  carrying a plant pot  12  within which is a growing scented plant  13 . The plant is preferably a herb such as rosemary, lavender, chocolate mint, lemon verbena which is sufficiently aromatic to provide an attractive scent within the automobile to replace less acceptable smells commonly associated with an automobile.  
         [0028]     The pot  12  comprises an outer pot  14  having a suitably aesthetic appearance with a peripheral wall  15  and a base  16 , both of which are closed for imperforate so as to provide a closed container. The pot is preferably formed of suitable plastics material so as to be generally unbreakable if dropped. The pot  14  has a rib  16  around its upper edge defining a shoulder  17  on the peripheral wall for attachment into the bracket  11 . Within the outer pot  14  is provided an inner pot  18  having a peripheral wall  19  and a base  20 . The peripheral wall follows the angle of the peripheral wall  15  of the outer pot so that it can slide into the outer pot with the outer surface of the peripheral wall  19  in contact with the inner surface of the peripheral wall  15  thus holding the pot at a predetermined location within the outer pot with the base  20  spaced away from the base  16 . The base  20  is perforated with holes  21  which allow drainage from soil  22  within the inner pot. The inner pot is hidden within the outer pot so that its top edge  23  is spaced downwardly from the top edge  24  of the outer pot. Thus the inner pot can be readily inserted into the outer pot allowing the plant  13  to be replaced while leaving the outer pot and bracket in place. The outer pot fully contains the plant and the soil  22  to avoid spillage of soil or draining water from the inner pot. The plant grows out over the lip  24  to an extent determined by selection of the plant and application of suitable horticultural techniques.  
         [0029]     The bracket  11  is formed from wire as best shown in  FIG. 4  and comprises a bottom mounting ring  30  which defines a substantially circular wire for engaging under the shoulder  17  to receive the outer pot contained within the mounting ring. The wire forming the mounting ring is bent to form a cantilever outwardly extending portion  31  and then is bent vertically upwardly to define a mounting portion  32 . Thus the mounting portion  32  lies vertically along the inside surface of the window  10  so that the cantilever portion  31  extends horizontally outwardly from the window to carry the plant pot in the ring  30  at a position spaced outwardly from the window. The bracket is formed from wire so that the wire forming the ring  30  defines two parallel legs extending from the ring  30  to define two parallel wires of the cantilever section  31  and two parallel wires of the mounting portion  32 . The wires are joined by a loop  33  at the upper end of the mounting portion  32 . The wires are parallel and spaced by a suitable distance so as to reduce the tendency of the ring and the pot carried in the ring from twisting about a vertical axis at the window.  
         [0030]     In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the vertical mounting section  32  is attached to the window  10  by two suction cups  40  and  41  each of which includes a mounting head  42  on its rear surface with a neck  43  located between the wires. Thus the head  42  projects through between the wires thus trapping the suction cup between the wires at the neck of the suction cup and holding a suction cup in place. The loop  33  engages over the neck of the upper suction cup  40  so that it hangs from the upper suction cup and is stabilized by the lower suction cup. The cantilever effect of the portion  31  on the ring tends to push the mounting portion  32  downwardly and inwardly against the lower suction cup  41  thus holding the structure stable and reducing the tendency of the device to swing away from the window with a danger of swinging back into impact with the window. Thus the structure is held substantially rigidly in place with the suction cup providing enough resilience to accommodate changes in direction without spilling of the soil  22  or loss of the plant  13 .  
         [0031]     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , the suction cups  40  are replaced by loop  32 B at the top of the mounting portion  32 A where the loop forms a hook engaged over the top edge  10 A of the window  10 . Thus the hook is bent so that the upper loop  33 A is located on the exterior surface of the window thus forming a downwardly projecting portion  33 B parallel to the main part  32 C of the mounting portion  32 A. The upper edge  10 A of the window is moved upwardly into engagement with the upper part of the door or body as indicated at  10 C to hold the hook in place thus holding the main body of the mounting portion  32 C in position against the inside surface of the window.  
         [0032]     Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.