A New or Improved Addition to Flower Pots and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 30th May, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Mar., 1896-Accepted, 4th Apr., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Addition to Flower Pots and the like.
I, CHARLES HENRY WOOTTON, of No. 27 Cherry Street Coventry in the
County of Warwick, Traveller do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to ordinary flower pots and the like which are provided
with an aperture in the base for allowing excess of moisture to drain away and
consists in an improved method of and means for preventing the undue escape, of
mould and the intrusion of worms and the like through the said aperture, and
without preventing any excess of moisture from draining away.
Hitherto it has been customary to employ a piece of broken pot or the like,
commonly known as a "crock," for covering the said aperture, but this is liable to
be wholly or partly unsuccessful owing to its irregular form, sometimes covering
the aperture too completely so that water cannot drain away and the roots of the
plants are rotted, at others not covering it sufficiently so that worms and the like
pass through the aperture into the pot and injure the plant.
According to my invention I form the clock of steel, brass, zinc, or other
suitable metal or other material and bring it to the form of a shallow cup or other
suitable shape, large enough to cover the aperture and small enough to lie in the
bottom of the pot and preferably with a space between it and the walls of the pot.
Apertures of suitable size, shape and number are made in suitable positions
through the disc of the cup and also through the walls thereof. Instead of or in
addition to making apertures through the walls of the cup the edge thereof may be
suitably corrugated, crimped or otherwise formed so that suitable apertures are
left at intervals between the edge of the cup and the base of the pot when the cup
is placed in position, that is to say, mouth downwards over and around the aperture
in the base of the pot. If the cup be made of sheet brass, zinc or the like, it may
be stamped in circular or approximately circular form and the edges be spun up
or the centre pressed up so as to produce the cup like form above referred to;
and in such cases I prefer to leave the part of the metal that forms the connection
between the centre or disc and the edges or walls of the cup entire and not
perforated, so as to prevent splitting along such connecting part. The centre or
disc may be. flat or concave but is preferably slightly convex.
I prefer to place a little cocoa-nut fibre or the like to minimize the risk of the
apertures therein becoming clogged.
Dad 1001 May 1905
W. BESTWICK MAXFIELD,
Applicant's Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Addition to Flower Pots and the like.
1, CHARLES HENRY WOOTTON of No. 27 Cherry Street, Coventry in the County
of Warwick, Traveller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to ordinary flower pots and the like which are provided

page_text: with an aperture in the base for allowing the excess of moisture to drain away,
and consists in an improved method of and means for preventing the undue escape
of mould and the intrusion of worms or the like through the said aperture, and
without preventing any excess of moisture to drain away.
Hitherto it has been customary to employ a piece of broken pot or the like 5
commonly known as a crock for covering the said aperture; but this is liable to
be wholly or partly unsuccessful owing to its irregular form, which sometimes
causes it to cover the aperture too completely so that the water cannot drain
away and the roots of the plant are rotted and at others prevents its covering it
sufficiently so that worms and the like pass through the aperture into the pot and
injure the plant.
According to my invention I form the crock of sheet zinc or other metal or
material suitable for the purpose but prefer to use an alloy of zinc and aluminium
in the following proportions
Zinc
Aluminium
65 parts
-
35
"
which may be melted together at the same time. I do not find sheet brass so
suitable as I anticipated at the time of filing my Provisional Specification and do
not recommend its use for the purpose as its corrosive action is liable to have a
detrimental effect on any plant that may be growing in the pot.
I press or otherwise bring the material to the form of a shallow cup or other
similar suitable shape and make it large enough to cover the said aperture and small
enough to lie in the bottom of the pot, and preferably with a space between it and
the walls of the pot.
Apertures of suitable size, shape, and number are made in suitable positions
through the disc of the cup and also through the walls thereof. Instead of, or in
addition to, making apertures through the walls of the cup, the edge thereof may
be suitably corrugated, crimped or otherwise formed so that suitable apertures are
left at intervals between the edge of the cup and the base of the pot when the cup
is placed in position, that is to say, mouth downwards over and around the aperture
in the base of the pot. If the cup be made of sheet zine or the like, it may be
stamped in circular or approximately circular form and the edges be spun up on
the centre pressed up so as to produce the cuplike form above referred to; and in
such cases, when the material employed is of a comparatively brittle or delicate
nature prefer to leave the part of the metal that forms the connection between
the centre or disc and the edges or walls of the cup entire and not perforated so
as to prevent splitting along such connecting part, but this is not generally
necessary. The centre or disc may be flat or concave but it is preferably slightly
convex. I prefer to place some pieces of pot a little cocoa-nut fibre or the
like on the cup when in use to minimise the risk of the apertures therein becoming
clogged.
and
or
In the accompanying drawings Figure I is a plan and Figure II is an elevation
of a crock constructed according to my invention. It is pressed up from circular
blanks of perforated sheet metal of 45 gauge (standard wire gauge), the perforations
are about 6" in diameter and there are about 64 to the square inch, but these
particulars may be varied without departing from my invention. The perforations
being arranged lineally occur irregularly, and in many cases are incomplete, at the
edge, thus leaving the desired apertures between the edge of the cup and the base
of a pot into which it may be placed. The centre or disc is slightly convex.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A cock of shallow cup or like form, consisting of sheet zinc or other suitable
metal or material provided with perforations through the centre or disc and side,

page_text: and having an irregular edge adapted to form apertures between such edge and the
pot in connection with which it may be employed, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
2. The new or improved addition to flower pots and the like substantially as
herein described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 29th day of February 1896.
G. DOUGLAS LEECHMAN,
18 Hertford Street, Coventry, Patent Agent for the Applicant.