An Appliance for Holding and Preventing Overturning of Flower Pots.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 4th Feb., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Appliance for Holding and Preventing Overturning of
Flower Pots.
I, JOHN EDWARD AUSTIN, of West Court, Detling, Maidstone, in the County of
Kent, Gentleman, 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:-
It frequently happens that by the accidental overturning by wind or other
causes of flower pots containing growing flowers not only is there considerable
loss in the breakage of pots, but also great damage is done to the plants owing
to breakage of or damage to growing shoots, flowers, and so forth. This is
particularly the case with chrysanthemums and other plants which have at
times to be exposed to the weather.
The object of my invention is to provide a simple appliance in which the
flower pots can be safely placed, and by the use of which they cannot well be
accidentally overturned, and my appliance offers sundry other advantages here-
inafter set forth. According to my invention I provide a rigidly constructed
flower pot holder having considerably greater superficial area at its base than
that of the base of the Hower pot which it is designed to hold and protect, for
example, a flower pot five inches in diameter at the top has a diameter of three
inches at the base, and for such a pot the diameter of the base of the holding
appliance may be nine inches, giving a relation between the respective super-
ficial areas of holder base and pot base of about 9 to 1. Hence the condition is
one of great stability, and more than ordinary force would be required to over-
turn the appliance when loaded with a flower pot. I will by way of further
explanation describe in reference to the accompanying drawings an efficient and
inexpensive construction of my appliance. Figs. 1 and 2 are perspective views
illustrating two constructions of the appliance with a flower pot placed therein,
said pot being shown in dotted lines. The holder consists of two or more rings
of stiff wire or the like, of which one A is placed at the top and is of a diameter
adapted to receive any given flower pot. Another ring B is placed at or near
the base of the holder and the two rings A and B are firmly secured together
by wire bracing such as C C of sufficient rigidity and soldered or wired thereto;
adjacent members of the bracing are preferably connected together by bending
the wire at the base as shown at D, or otherwise suitably. The ring B may
form the base of the holder as shown in Fig. 1. in which case it rests upon the
ground and an intermediate ring may be added if necessary as shown dotted:
or the braces C may be extended downwardly below the ring B and soldered
or secured thereto as shown in Fig. 2. in which case the connected parts D) form
wide feet or supports on which the whole weight rests.
The relative diameters of the rings A and B, or the ring A and the base of
the holder, are determined so as to secure an efficient condition of stability and
the appliance will be made in various sizes and strengths to suit all kinds of
flower pots. I am aware that the holder might be made by stamping out of
sheet metal or it might be cast of metal or made of other material, but a simple

page_text: structure of wire such as I have described braced together with sufficient rigidity
is the lightest and least expensive to produce and quite suitable for every
purpose.
The top rim of the flower pot may fit down to the ring A or remain slightly
above same, but in no case does the base of the pot touch the ground. By the
use of this appliance grass is not marked by the flower pot nor can earth worms
gain access thereto. Another advantage in the use of this holder is that the bak-
ing of one side of the flower pot by the sun can be easily prevented by simply
inserting a shield of paper or other bad conductor of heat between the holder
and the flower pot. This will be appreciated by growers and it also saves the
labour of turning the pots round and is not liable to be blown away by wind.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
An appliance for holding and preventing overturning of flower pots constructed
or adapted for use substantially as herein described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
Dated this Twenty-eighth day of November 1898.
For the Applicant,
J. C. CHAPMAN,
Chartered Patent Agent, 70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.