Improvements in or connected with Flower Boxes, Vases, Pots, or other like Holders for Growing Flowers or Plants.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 4th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 6th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Flower Boxes, Vases, Pots, or
other like Holders for Growing Flowers or Plants.
I THOMAS JOHN SMITH of Springfield Farm Tooting in the County of
Surrey Gardener do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in or connected with flower boxes vases,
pots, or other like holders for growing flowers, or plants.
In window and like gardening serious trouble commonly arises from the watering
of the flowers or plants inasmuch as the water frequently more or less overflows
the box or other holder to the injury of anything beneath, and the damage to
buildings arising from placing these devices upon portico and other roofs has become
so apparent that it is now customary to insert in an agreement for letting an
important house a prohibitory clause in this respect.
Flower boxes and the like are usually placed outside windows or in other exposed
situations and the natural consequence is that the heat of the sun speedily
evaporates the moisture from the earth and unless great attention be given to the
plants this results in serious injury to or the destruction of the plants.
Now the objects of my present invention are to obviate the disadvantages above
pointed out.
For this purpose I employ an outer vessel provided with a false bottom beneath
which is a chamber or receiver for drainage water and in a suitable position in the
interior of the outer vessel I arrange a vertical tube or well which at its lower
end is connected in a watertight manner with the false bottom and communicates
with the drainage chamber whilst at its upper end it rises to or nearly to the top
of the wall of the outer vessel.
Within the outer vessel I arrange a moveable inner vessel which is of such
dimensions that there is a considerable space between the walls of the two vessels
and in the bottom of the inner vessel I provide one or more (preferably two)
perforations or drainage ways and in the false bottom of the outer vessel I provide
corresponding perforations or ways.
In order to automatically make a tight joint between the bottom of the inner
vessel and the false bottom of the outer vessel at the perforations when the inner
vessel is placed in position I fix in or around each of the perforations of the false
bottom a short conical tube of rubber or other suitable material so that when the
inner vessel is placed in position in the outer one the conical rubber tubes will enter
the perforations of the inner vessel and by the weight of the latter and its contents
hereinafter referred to make a perfectly tight joint.
Or I employ any other suitable device which will automatically make the
necessary tight joint upon the placing of the inner vessel in position within the
outer one.
The inner vessel I fill with earth and I plant therein the flowers or the like
O previously to placing the inner vessel in position within the outer one and when
the inner vessel is so placed the plants may be watered in the usual way when
any drainage water will find its way through the perforations and tubular con-
nections into the drainage chamber whilst should the plants be so profusely
watered as to cause an overflow from the inner vessel such overflow will be received
5 by the outer vessel.
When the plants have been once freely watered the water for future operations
of that kind may be drawn from the well by means of a syringe or the like and

page_text: thus the same water may be used repeatedly it being necessary only to add a small
quantity from time to time in order to make up for the loss consequent upon
evaporation.
The space between the inner and outer vessels I fill or nearly fill with water and
I thus obtain a wall of water around the inner vessel which serves to protect
the contents against the extreme heat of the sun and in some cases I form the
walls of the inner vessel partly or wholly of porous material such for example
as unglazed pottery so as to admit of a slight filtration of water from the outer
to the inner vessel in order to render the cooling action more effective and to keep
the earth moist.
Dated this 4th day of March 1893.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Flower Boxes, Vases, Pots, or
other like Holders for Growing Flowers or Plants.
I, THOMAS JOHN SMITH of Springfield Farm Tooting in the County of
Surrey Gardener, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in or connected with flower boxes, vases,
pots, or other like holders for growing flowers or plants.
In window and like gardening serious trouble commonly arises from the watering
of the flowers or plants inasmuch as the water frequently more or less overflows
the box or other holder to the injury of anything beneath, and the damage to
buildings arising from placing these devices upon portico and other roofs has become
so apparent that it is now customary to insert in an agreement for letting an
important house, a prohibitory clause in this respect.
Flower boxes and the like are usually placed outside windows or in other
exposed situations and the natural consequence is that the heat of the sun
speedily evaporates the moisture from the earth, and unless great attention be
given to the plants, this results in serious injury to, or the destruction of the
plants.
Now the objects of my present invention are to obviate the disadvantages above
pointed out.
For this purpose I employ an outer vessel provided with a false bottom, beneath
which is a chamber or receiver for drainage water, and in a suitable position in the
interior of the outer vessel I arrange a vertical tube or well which at its lower end
is connected in a watertight manner with the false bottom, and communicates with
the drainage chamber, whilst at its upper end it rises to or nearly to the top of the
wall of the outer vessel.
Within the outer vessel I arrange a moveable inner vessel which is of such
dimensions that there is a considerable space between the walls of the two vessels,
and in the bottom of the inner vessel I provide one or more (preferably two)
perforations or drainage ways, and in the false bottom of the outer vessel I provide
corresponding perforations or ways.
In order to automatically make a tight joint between the bottom of the inner
vessel, and the false bottom of the outer vessel at the perforations when the inner
vessel is placed in position, I fix in or around each of the perforations of the
false bottom a short conical tube of rubber or other suitable material, so that when
the inner vessel is placed in position in the outer one, the conical rubber tubes will
enter the perforations of the inner vessel, and by the weight of the latter, and its
contents hereinafter referred to, make a perfectly tight joint.

page_text: tubular boss a upon which is fitted a conical or bevelled ring or tube as of rubber
or other suitable packing material whilst upon the bottom of the inner vessel /
and around each of the perforations 2 is formed a projecting ring or seat b³ of
larger internal diameter than the tubular boss a' so that when the inner vessel bis
placed in position in the outer one a the conical rubber tubes or rings a³ will enter
or engage the seats or rings 63 of the inner vessel b and by the weight of the latter
and its contents hereinafter referred to a perfectly tight joint will be made.
In order to ensure the inner vessel b being placed correctly in position within the
outer vessel a so as to engage the rubber rings or tubes as as hereinbefore described
the inner vessel bis provided with distance pieces 6 at three corners thereof whilst
at the fourth corner it is bevelled to pass the well at which at this corner serves the
purpose of a distance piece.
The inner vessel is filled with earth and the flowers or the like are planted
therein previous to placing the inner vessel 6 within the outer one a and when the
inner vessel b is so placed the plants may be watered in the usual way and any
drainage water will find its way through the perforations 62 a6 and tubular
connections into the drainage chamber a³ whilst should the plants be so profusely
watered as to cause an overflow from the inner vessel b, such overflow will be
received in the water space a³ of the outer vessel a.
When the plants have been once freely watered the water for future operations
of that kind may be drawn from the well a* by means of a syringe or the like and
thus the same water may be used repeatedly, it being necessary to add only a small
.quantity from time to time in order to compensate for the loss consequent upon
evaporation.
The space a between the inner and outer vessels is filled or nearly filled with
water and a wall of water is thus obtained around the inner vessel b which serves
to protect the contents thereof against the extreme heat of the sun; and in some
cases the walls of the inner vessel bare formed partly or wholly of porous material
such for example as unglazed pottery so as to admit of a slight filtration of water
from the space a' of the outer vessel a to the interior of the inner vessel 6 in order
to render the cooling action more effective and to keep the earth moist.
In order to facilitate the manipulation of the inner vessel bit is provided with
rings or handles 6* secured to lugs or offsets at each end thereof or any other
suitable device might be employed for this purpose.
In order to provide a means of drawing off the contents of the drainage chamber a³
for cleansing or other purposes a drainage hole a³ is provided which is normally
closed by a cork or stopper alo.
In the example given at Figures 6 and 7 which represent the invention applied
to a flower pot or vase of circular form, a modified device is employed for making
a tight joint between the bottom of the inner vessel b and the false bottom a¹ of
the outer vessel a.
According to this arrangement the drainage ways 62 and a of the inner and outer
vessels are coned or tapered in opposite directions and in connection therewith is
employed a similarly formed tube a of rubber which is first placed in position in
the perforation or drainage way as of the false bottom a' so that when the inner
vessel is placed in position within the outer one a the conical rubber tube a will
enter the perforation of the inner vessel and by the weight of the latter and its
contents will make the necessary tight joint as hereinbefore described with respect
to the previous figures.
In other respects this example is substantially the same as that herein before given
with the slight exception that distance pieces 6 are provided both at the upper and
lower parts of the flower pot or inner vessel b.
In the example given at Figure 8 the false bottom a' of the outer vessel a instead
of being fixed therewith is formed separate therefrom and is carried by an
independent vessel a* which fits within the outer vessel a and rests upon the
shoulders a² but without cement or packing this device enabling the whole of the
apparatus to be taken apart for cleaning or repairs.

page_text: The means for making a tight joint between the false bottom a' of the outer
vessel and the bottom b¹ of the inner vessel are similar to those hereinbefore
described with respect to Figures 1 to 5 but in this case in lieu of placing the
well at at one corner of the outer vessel a it is placed centrally thereof, is circular
in form and is carried by the false bottom a whilst the inner vessel b is formed
with a central tube b* to receive the same.
In cases where it is only desired to protect the contents of the inner vessel b.
from the heat of the sun, the false bottom a' may be dispensed with and the inner
vessel which in this case is imperforate may rest directly or through the
intervention of feet upon the bottom of the vessel a or may be formed or fixed with
the bottom of the vessel a.
I may here remark that I have hereinbefore shown and described the best means
that I am at present acquainted with for carrying my invention into effect but it
will be evident that the details of construction of the apparatus may be to some
extent varied such for example as the means for making a tight joint between the
inner and outer vessels without departing from the peculiar character of my
invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a flower box or holder the combination of an outer vessel provided with a
false bottom an inner vessel capable of removal from the outer vessel and formed
of such dimensions as to leave a water space all round between the two vessels a
drainage way or ways in the bottom of the inner vessel a corresponding way or
ways in the false bottom of the outer vessel and means for ensuring a tight joint
between the bottom of the inner vessel and the false bottom of the outer vessel at.
the ways substantially as herein shown and described.
2. In a flower box or holder the combination of an outer vessel provided with a
false bottom an inner vessel capable of removal from the outer vessel and formed
of such dimensions as to leave a water space all round between the two vessels a
drainage way or ways in the bottom of the inner vessel a corresponding way or
ways in the false bottom of the outer vessel means for ensuring a tight joint
between the bottom of the inner vessel and the false bottom of the outer vessel at
the ways and a well or tube communicating with the drainage chamber beneath
the false bottom substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose
stated.
3. In combination with a flower box of the character referred to in Claim 1 a
conical or bevelled rubber or equivalent tube or ring for automatically making a
tight joint between the false bottom of the outer vessel and the bottom of the inner
vessel substantially as herein shown and described.
4. In a flower box or holder the combination with an outer vessel, of an
imperforate inner vessel formed of porous or other material or of both combined
and of such dimensions as to leave a water space all round between the two vessels
substantially as herein described and for the purpose stated.
5: A flower box or holder consisting of an imperforate vessel formed of porous
or other material or of both combined surrounded by a water jacket substantially as
herein described and for the purpose stated.
Dated this 4th day of December 1893.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents..