Abstract:
The present invention is to an improvement in accoutrements for a patio deck. In particular, the present invention provides a corner pot holder. The corner pot holder is of unitary construction. Unitary construction allows the corner pot holder may be stamped from a piece of metal or may be molded from plastic. The corner pot holder permits the flower pots held by the corner pot holder to drain thus avoiding stagnant water.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a holder for flower pots, cooking vessels, utensils and the like.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the art practices  
           [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,119 issued Oct. 17, 1978 to Engel discloses an elbow-like receptacle with reduced ends to form flanges for rigid connection to the inside surfaces proximate individual open ends of two trough-like receptacles, for connecting these trough-like receptacles together at an angle, forming a continuous planter or flower box. Provision for extending the length of a section of the planter is also included via a splicer, having a plate with a flange, for rigid connection to the inside surfaces proximate individual open ends of two trough-like receptacles, respectively, abutted together.  
           [0005]    In U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,499 issued Jan. 8, 1985 to Gasper there is disclosed a frame fixture having a support base, receiving plate, a pair of carrier bolts and a post, the fixture is placed onto the top of a telephone switchgear frame so that the base grips the frame. The post has two carrier bolts extending therefrom and further has a cargo bar placed transversely to the bolts and is located therebetween. A receiving plate is attached to the bolts to fasten the cargo bar between the post and plate. A plurality of spaced switchgear frames in a transport vehicle are adapted to be interconnected by the cargo bar so as to prevent toppling of the former about their bases.  
           [0006]    Helfman, in U.S. Pat. 4,698,936 issued Oct. 13, 1987 discloses a planter designed to be mounted upon the top of a wall partition typically found in an open plan modem office, wherein the wall partition includes a horizontal surface terminating in two parallel vertical surfaces. The container has a bottom and a continuous side wall forming an unobstructed open interior. Support brackets, having a generally horizontal leg and a generally vertical leg, includes means to permit the support bracket to be secured to the container. Means to fasten the support bracket to the container, and the container and support bracket to the wall partition, such that the generally vertically depending legs of the support brackets tightly clamp the two parallel vertical surfaces of the wall partition, includes one or more screw threaded studs and mating nuts.  
           [0007]    Helfman, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,095 Dec. 14, 1993 shows a mounting assembly for affixing a planter to a horizontal or vertical surface such as the top or side of a deck, balcony or porch railing, iron railing, vertical wall and the like. The planter has a bottom, a surrounding wall extending upwardly from the bottom, and an open top. The bottom is so configured as to accommodate at least one vertically oriented bolt. The at least one bolt is isolated from the interior of the planter. At least one bracket is attachable to the planter by the at least one bolt. The at least one bracket is also attachable to the railing or wall by appropriate fastening means. In a preferred embodiment the planter bottom is provided with at least one upstanding socket for the at least one bolt. The socket has a central vertical bore with an open bottom end and a closed top end. An internally threaded bushing is fixed in the socket bore to be threadedly engaged by the at least one bolt.  
           [0008]    In U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,676 issued Jul. 12, 1994 to Kosky a combined corner pot holder and railing apparatus for flush-mounting on the inside corner of a deck/porch railing having a substantial depth to conceal the pots from view a triangular box with horizontally extending flanges for resting on the top of the railing, the flower planter having a flower pot container section defined by three walls connected by a triangular base, the container having a pair of side walls including a first side wall and a second sidewall joined in angular relation, and a back wall. The sidewalls adapted to a butt side portions of the railing and with each sidewall having a horizontally extending support flange configured to extend to fit on the top horizontal surface of the railing keeping the container positioned in the corner of the railing. The two laterally extending support flanges are in orthogonical relationship one to another and each are in orthogonical relationship to the associated sidewall to provide a mating fit to the inside corner of the railing in a manner that requires no attachment fixtures to be pierced into the railing structure for holding the flower pot container in place.  
           [0009]    To the extent that the foregoing patents are relevant to the present invention they are herein incorporated by reference.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    The present invention describes a corner pot holder adapted for use on a deck,  
           [0011]    said corner pot holder having a unitary construction;  
           [0012]    said unitary construction having a planar surface;  
           [0013]    said planar surface having a length and a width;  
           [0014]    said planar surface having one or more surface means for defining at least one opening through said planar surface, for when in use, receiving and supporting one or more containers;  
           [0015]    a second surface adjacent to said planar surface;  
           [0016]    said second surface having a length and a width; and  
           [0017]    said second surface extending from said planar surface at a generally right angle.  
           [0018]    A further feature of the present invention is a corner pot holder adapted for use on a deck,  
           [0019]    said corner pot holder having a unitary construction;  
           [0020]    said unitary construction having a planar surface;  
           [0021]    said planar surface having a length and a width;  
           [0022]    said planar surface having one or more surface means for defining at least one opening through said planar surface, for when in use, receiving and supporting one or more containers;  
           [0023]    a second surface adjacent to said planar surface;  
           [0024]    said second surface having a length and a width;  
           [0025]    a pair of flanges extending from said planar surface, for when in use, supporting said corner pot holder on a surface of a deck.  
           [0026]    Yet another aspect of the invention is a corner pot holder adapted for use on a deck,  
           [0027]    said corner pot holder having a unitary construction;  
           [0028]    said unitary construction having a planar surface;  
           [0029]    said planar surface having a length and a width;  
           [0030]    said planar surface having one or more surface means for defining at least one opening through said planar surface, for when in use, receiving and supporting one or more containers;  
           [0031]    a second surface adjacent to said planar surface;  
           [0032]    said second surface having a length and a width;  
           [0033]    a third surface adjacent to said planar surface;  
           [0034]    said third surface being in a different plane than said second surface and generally parallel to said second surface.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0035]    The foregoing and other features of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art to which the present invention relates upon consideration of the following description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 1 is a plan view of a corner pot holder according to the invention;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 2 is a frontal perspective view of a corner pot holder according to the invention;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 3 is a view of a corner pot holder with flower pots inserted according to the invention;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 4 is a is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the corner pot holder according to the invention; and,  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 5 is a plan view of a third alternate embodiment of the corner pot holder according to the invention.  
         [0041]    With more particular reference to the drawings the following is set forth.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0042]    [0042]FIG. 1 shows a flat work piece  10 . The flat work piece  10  is conveniently made of {fraction (3/32)}-inch hot rolled steel. The flat work piece  10  may also be formed of stainless steel, aluminum, plastic, resins, and fiberglass materials. The thickness of the flat work piece  10  may be varied depending on the selection of the material and as well on the load (weight) that the flat work piece  10  will carry. The flat work piece  10  has front edge  12  and a back edge  14 . The flat work piece  10  has a two first side edges  16  and two second side edges  18 . The flat work piece  10  has an upper surface  22  and a lower surface  24 .  
         [0043]    The flat work piece  10  is stamped in a stamping operation. The flat work piece  10  may also be formed by cutting a metal plate (not shown) to the appropriate size. Additional production methods for forming the flat work piece  10  include stamping, molding, and shearing.  
         [0044]    As best seen in FIG. 2, the flat work piece  10  has been folded along line  2 - 2  into one or more surfaces. For convenience, a planar surface  30  having generally of a trapezoidal shape is obtained by folding the flat work piece  10  along line  2 - 2 . The planar surface  30  has an upper surface  34  and a lower surface  38 .  
         [0045]    The flat work piece  10  also has surface means defining one or more openings  40  extending through the upper surface  34  and a lower surface  38  of the planar surface  30 . The openings  40  in the flat work piece  10  may be stamped out in a stamping operation. The openings  40  are shown as circular, however, the openings may be rectangular or any other shape desired.  
         [0046]    Alternatively, the openings  40  may be cut out of the planar surface  30  after the planar surface  30  is formed. The openings  40  in the flat work piece  10  may be deburred to give an intermediate surface  42  (the circumference of  40 ).  
         [0047]    The openings  40  may be positioned such that a flower pot or other article inserted into the openings  40  will have the lip of flower pot or other article engage the back edge  14 . The openings  40  may also be positioned such that the a flower pot or other article inserted into the openings  40  will have the lip of flower pot or other article engage and extend beyond the back edge  14 . In either of the foregoing situations, a portion of the flower pot or other article will be partially supported by the deck on which the corner pot hold is mounted.  
         [0048]    As best seen in FIG. 2, the flat work piece  10 , when folded along line  2 - 2 , also results in a generally rectangular surface  60 . The generally rectangular surface  60  has a first surface  62  and a second surface  64 . The generally rectangular surface  60  is folded so as to form a right angle with the planar surface  30 .  
         [0049]    A plurality of decorative pickets  68  may be present on the rectangular surface  60 . The decorative pickets  68  are located away from the fold defined by line  2 - 2 . The decorative pickets  68  may be in any shape but are conventionally, as shown, semi-circular. The decorative pickets  68  extend from the front edge  12 . A lower portion  72  of the second side edge  18  defines the beginning of the arc of the first of the plurality of the decorative pickets  68 . The decorative pickets  68  are of the same size and are spaced apart from one another. The last of the decorative pickets  68  terminates at an opposite side lower portion  74  of the second side edge  18 .  
         [0050]    In the foregoing manner a corner pot holder  100  is formed from the work piece  10 . The fold defined by line  2 - 2  resulting in the decorative pickets  68  strengthens the corner pot holder  100 . The decorative pickets  68  reduce the tendency of the planar surface  30  to buckle downward under the weight of a flower pot or other article inserted in the openings  40 .  
         [0051]    The corner pot holder  100  may be painted. Due to the bending operations in forming the corner pot holder  100 , it is preferred that the flat work piece  10  not be painted until all of the forming operations are completed. The color of the corner pot holder  100  may also be obtained by placing dye in a resin and molding the object. Similarly, the corner pot holder  100  may be colored by plating the color thereon.  
         [0052]    One or more fastener openings  104  are positioned in the planar surface  30 . The fastener openings  90  permit the corner pot holder to be fastened to a deck. While the corner pot holder  100  may be detachably mounted to the deck it is preferred that it is fixedly connected by one or more screws or bolts.  
         [0053]    In use, the corner pot holder  100  is seated onto the upper surface of a patio railing or a deck railing. The corner pot holder  100  may be fastened with screws, nails, or bolts (not shown) to the patio railing or a deck railing through fastener openings  104 . Alternatively, the corner pot holder may be allowed to lie via lower surface  38  on the upper surface of a patio railing or a deck railing.  
         [0054]    A corner pot holder  100  according to the present invention is shown FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3 conventional flower pots  106  are inserted into the openings  40  (per FIG. 2) in the planar surface  30 . The intermediate surface  42  of the openings  40  retains and is the sole means of supporting the outer surface of the flower pot or flower pots. The size of the openings  40  may be correlated to the size of the flower pots  106  such that the bottom of the flower pot does not extend below the front edge  12  of the corner flower pot holder. The distance of the planar surface  30  as measured perpendicularly from line  2 - 2  to the back edge  14  is preferably greater than the distance from perpendicularly from line  2 - 2  to the front edge  12 .  
         [0055]    A second embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows a flat work piece  110 . The flat work piece  110  is conveniently made of {fraction (3/16)}-inch hot rolled steel. The flat work piece  110  has front edge  112  and a back edge  114 . The flat work piece  110  has a two first side edges  116  and two second side edges  118 . The flat work piece  110  is stamped in a stamping operation. The flat work piece  110  may also be formed by cutting a metal plate (not shown) to the appropriate size. Additional production methods for forming the flat work piece  110  include stamping, molding, and shearing.  
         [0056]    As best seen in FIG. 4, the flat work piece  110  has been folded along line  4 - 4  into one or more surfaces. For convenience, a planar surface  130  having generally of a trapezoidal shape is obtained by folding the flat work piece  110  along line  4 - 4 . The planar surface  130  has an upper surface  132  and a lower surface  134 . Two flanges  136  extend outward from the planar surface  130 . The flanges  136  extend from each first side edge  116  to each second side edge  118 .  
         [0057]    The flat work piece  110  also has surface means defining one or more openings  140  extending through the upper surface  134  and a lower surface  138  of the planar surface  130 . The openings  140  in the flat work piece  110  may be stamped out in a stamping operation. Alternatively, the openings  140  may be cut out of the planar surface  130  after the planar surface  130  is formed. Additional production methods for forming the openings  140  in the planar surface  130  are by stamping, molding, and shearing. The openings  140  in the flat work piece  110  may be deburred to give an intermediate surface  142  (the circumference of openings  140 ).  
         [0058]    A third embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 5 shows a flat work piece  210  which when folded along line  6 - 6  results in an article similar in appearance to corner pot holder  100 . The flat work piece  210  has front edge  212  and a first back edge  214 . A flange  215  extends outward from the first back edge  214 . The flange  215  terminates with a second back edge  214 A. The flat work piece  210  has a two first side edges  216  and two second side edges  218 . The flat work piece  210  has an upper surface  222  and a lower surface  224 .  
         [0059]    The flat work piece  210  is conveniently made of {fraction (3/16)}-inch hot rolled steel. The flat work piece  210  is stamped in a stamping operation. The flat work piece  210  may also be formed by cutting a metal plate (not shown) to the appropriate size.  
         [0060]    The flat work piece  210  is folded along line  6 - 6  into one or more surfaces. For convenience, a planar surface  230  having a generally trapezoidal shape is obtained by folding the flat work piece  210  along line  6 - 6 . The planar surface  230  has an upper surface  234  and a lower surface  238 . Two flanges  236  extend outward from the planar surface  230 .  
         [0061]    As best seen in FIG. 5, the flat work piece  210  is further folded along line  6 A- 6 A to form a generally rectangular portion  239  from the flange  215 . The fold along line  6 A- 6 A is made such that the generally rectangular portion  239  at a right angle to the planar surface  230 .  
         [0062]    The flat work piece  210  also has surface means defining one or more openings  240  extending through the upper surface  234  and a lower surface  238  of the planar surface  230 . The openings  240  in the flat work piece  210  may be stamped out in a stamping operation. Alternatively, the openings  240  may be cut out of the planar surface  230  after the planar surface  230  is formed.  
         [0063]    A plurality of decorative pickets  268  may be present on the rectangular surface  230 . The decorative pickets  268  are located away from the fold defined by line  6 - 6 . The decorative pickets  268  may be in any shape but are conventionally, as shown, semi-circular. One or more fastener openings  290  are positioned in the planar surface  230 . The fastener openings  290  permit the corner pot holder to be fastened to a deck.  
         [0064]    In use, the corner pot holder  100  is seated onto the upper surface of a railing of a deck. The corner pot holder may be fastened with screws, nails, or bolts (not shown) to the deck through fastener openings  290 . Alternatively, the corner pot holder may be allowed to lie via lower surface  238  on the upper surface of a railing of a deck.  
         [0065]    Having thereby described the invention with several suggested embodiments we claim the following invention as described in the appended claims.