Patent ID: 7770324

Claim:
A planter system comprising an adjustable height planter assembly, a hollow support structure having a top end and a bottom end, raising and lowering means for controllably moving the planter assembly relative to the support structure along a continuum of heights, from a lowest position to a highest position, tether assembly operably coupling the adjustable height planter assembly to the raising and lowering means, a pulley at a raised height, said tether assembly extending, within the hollow support, from said raising and lowering means over said pulley to said adjustable height planter assembly, said adjustable height planter assembly being suspended from the tether, and said raising and lowering means being configured to move the planter assembly along a continuum of heights, from a lowest position to a highest position by controllably adjusting the tether assembly from which the planter assembly is suspended, and said planter assembly comprising a planter container configured to hold contents comprising a plant in a growing medium, said planter container having substantially uncovered and remains substantially uncovered throughout the entire range of motion, including at the highest position, allowing the contents to be exposed to light and supplied water throughout the entire range of motion, and said planter assembly further comprising a drainage aperture, said drainage aperture being positioned and sized to automatically release from the planter assembly liquid accumulated in the planter container while contents are held in the planter container, and said planter system further comprising a plurality of rollers disposed between the hollow support structure and the planter assembly, said plurality of rollers maintaining a space between the hollow support structure and the planter assembly, protecting the hollow support structure from marring when the planter assembly moves relative to the hollow support structure, and facilitating movement of the planter assembly relative to the hollow support structure, and said planter system further comprising a locking assembly apart from the raising and lowering means, said locking assembly configured to releasably secure and hold the weight of the planter assembly at a locking height, said locking assembly comprising a fastener associated with the planter assembly and a corresponding aperture, at the locking height, associated with the hollow support structure, whereby, upon locking, the locking assembly prevents the planter assembly from moving below the locking height and, upon unlocking, the locking assembly allows the planter assembly to move relative to the support structure along a continuum of heights, from the highest position to the lowest position.