Patent Application
20170238475
This disclosure relates generally to a device for assisting with horticulture, and more particularly to an expandable, portable, semi-permanent planter box for creating a controlled environment, in regards to both soil and atmosphere, for the cultivation of plant life.
Individuals interested in the cultivation of plant life of all varieties have always desired the ability to control the immediate environment of their flora of choice, both in regards to the soil and the atmosphere. Traditionally, in a rural setting, this is achieved by enhancing the local soil nutrients with various fertilizers or with non-local soils to cultivate particular advantageous properties and by controlling the soil moisture levels, whether by adding water or by allowing for proper drainage to remove access moisture. More advanced techniques also include atmospheric control, both in terms of air temperature and relative humidity. Transparent or translucent structures are sometimes utilized to enclose the cultivated plants allowing for some or all of the natural sunlight to penetrate for greater control of the plant's sunlight exposure and immediate atmosphere.
On a smaller, suburban scale, such structures are often called greenhouses. Greenhouses are structures that allow for the sunlight to penetrate the ceiling and/or walls but restrict the flow of air allowing for the atmosphere to be controlled both in terms of temperature and relative humidity. Greenhouses may either be built around a particular parcel of land in which the cultivated plants are directly planted, or they may have a proper building foundation requiring any cultivated plants growing within to be potted or placed inside a structure capable of retaining soil.
In either case, greenhouses are typically permanent structures that require a modest investment and require an individual to have a reasonable expectation that the land and space will not be needed for another purpose in the near future. If an individual is uncomfortable or unable to make plans with the requisite level of permanence then he or she may be not be able to invest in a greenhouse. It would be a significant convenience to such individuals if there existed a semi-permanent and/or portable solution that could assist in the cultivation of plants and be easily adaptable under changing circumstances.
Furthermore, the erection of permanent structures such as a greenhouse may require permission from a homeowners association, the city, or some other zoning authority. In today's increasingly urban and high-density society many property owners are subject to an increasing amount of prohibitive regulation from city, state, and local zoning authorities. In such situations, a semi-permanent and/or portable apparatus for the controlled cultivation of plants might allow such individuals to avoid much of the regulation and could prove to be a significant advantage.
Still further, a large number of individuals reside in rental properties, and therefore, have no authority to erect any permanent structures. These individuals might still be able to erect a structure for the cultivation of plant life if they could demonstrate that it could be disassembled and removed with ease and did not constitute a permanent addition or alteration to the property. There exists a need for such semi-permanent or portable devices for those who desire to erect an apparatus to assist with the cultivation of plant life in a controlled environment on leased or rented property.
Even those individuals who have the authority and resources to erect a greenhouse may have reservations because of its permanence of size and location. A greenhouse is not often easily expandable after it is erected and typically cannot be disassembled and moved without significant effort and probable damage. A semi-permanent, expandable, and/or portable apparatus for the cultivation of plant life in a controlled environment would be preferred by many such individuals.
Some individuals wish to cultivate plant life in locations without direct access to ground soil. This is increasingly true with the growing trend of urban farming. The spaces available to urban farmers are often unusual and nontraditional such as roof tops, patios, warehouses, and under-utilized parking lots. In spaces such as these, the soil must be wholly contained inside a portable structure. Traditionally, terracotta or ceramic pots or planters are used to hold soil above ground for plants.
However, if an individual is cultivating several plants, such a small garden, it may be more desirable and efficient to have a singular large structure with uniform soil nutrient and moisture characteristics, but such a structure is not often utilized because of the significant drawbacks related to its likely size, weight, and the difficulty of transportation. Depending on the physical restrictions of particular locations, such as roof tops or small patios, transporting a singular large structure may not be possible. There exists a need for a singular structure that may be dissembled into small component parts and reassemble at its final destination without heavy equipment or tools allowing for manageable transportation.
Further, in relation to urban farmers, space is typically highly limited, and therefore, highly valuable. Use of a plurality of terracotta or ceramic pots may not be an efficient use of space. Likewise, singular large structures may only be available in standard sizes that may not maximize the available footprint of unusual and/or nontraditional spaces that are often available. If a singular large structure is comprised of small interchangeable component parts, it could be customizable allowing for its shape and size to altered to best utilize all the available space for any particular location.
Whether for its semi-permanent nature, the flexibility of customizing and changing the size and shape of the structure, or its relative portability, there exists a need for an adaptable planter box for the cultivation plant life constructed from small interchangeable parts.
The present disclosure distinguishes over the related art providing heretofore unknown advantages as described in the following summary.
The present disclosure relates to an expandable, portable, semi-permanent planter box for creating a controlled growing environment, in regards to both soil and atmosphere, for the cultivation of plant life.
The expandable, portable, semi-permanent planter box is constructed from a plurality of component blocks made from concrete or other material with similar structural qualities. The present disclosure teaches at least two varieties of blocks, a straight component block and corner component block. Each component block, whether straight or corner, features both a notch configuration and a key configuration on opposing longitudinal distal ends such that when any two component blocks are situated tightly adjacent each other, the notch and key configurations fit in a complimentary interlocking fashion. This longitudinal interlocking system allows each of two or more blocks to transfer lateral stress to the longitudinally adjacent block, thereby structurally behaving as if such longitudinally adjacent component blocks are one solitary block.
Using the desired number of straight component blocks and corner component blocks, an individual may assemble a planter box in a myriad of different shapes and of any practical size with relatively little effort. By placing each block longitudinally adjacent the next, when assembled, the longitudinal interlocking system will cause the entire planter box to behave structurally as if it were constructed from one solid block. This will allow the component blocks to collectively resist the lateral force of soil, fertilizer, water, and plant growth when the planter box is filled and utilized.
The component blocks are designed to be supportively integrated vertically as well. Each component block, whether straight or cornered, features at least two vertical holes located such that if an individual stacks a second layer of component blocks oriented in an overlapping or “running” fashion, the two vertical holes closest to the junction of two longitudinally adjacent component blocks will align with the two holes of the single component block situated above or below. After such alignment is made, an appropriately sized vertical reinforcement member may be inserted down through the aligned vertical holes of the stacked component blocks allowing vertically adjacent component blocks to transfer lateral stress, thereby acting as if vertically adjacent component blocks are one solitary block. This mechanism allows for the height of the planter box wall to be increased without loss of structural integrity.
Further embodiments may incorporate additional component block shapes, such as a curved component block, a decorative or rounded corner component block, or even specialty component blocks featuring integrated hardware such as a valve for a watering or fertilizing system or ab accommodation for electrical access for lighting. However, at a minimum, all component blocks must include the requisite features to facilitate either vertical or longitudinal integration or both so as to not compromise the overall structural integrity for the assembled planter box.
In some embodiments, the vertical reinforcement members are dowels or pipes constructed from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Other embodiments may utilize bars or pipes constructed from a weather resistant metal such as aluminum. The material of construction of the vertical reinforcement members is not critical so long as they are appropriately sized to assist in the transfer of lateral stress between vertically adjacent component blocks and are of sufficient strength to withstand the shear stress created by the lateral force of the soil, fertilizer, water, and plant growth once the planter box is utilized.
In addition to vertically integrating the component blocks, the vertical reinforcement members can also provide the ribs for planter box's canopy. In most embodiments, the vertical reinforcement members extend up through the vertical holes of the vertically adjacent component blocks on one side of the planter box, form an arch, and extend down through the vertical holes of the vertically adjacent component blocks on the opposing side of the planter box. In this manner the vertical reinforcement members form a plurality of bowed ribs that serve as the physical structure for the planter box's canopy. In some embodiments, a transparent or translucent canopy integument is stretched across the plurality of bowed ribs forming an enclosure within which the plant life can be nurtured in a partially controlled environment with regards to both sunlight and atmosphere.
The choice of material from which to construct the canopy integument may vary widely depending on the particular desired plant-growing environment. For example, some embodiments may feature a transparent canopy integument to allow a maximum amount of sunlight exposure to reach the plant life to facilitate maximum photosynthesis while other canopy integuments may be opaque or varying degrees of translucent to protect sensitive varieties of plant life from the harshness of direct sunlight. Material qualities related to water permeability and heat transfer properties may also be considered when choosing an appropriate canopy integument material to allow an individual to control the relative humidity or shield the plant life from the temperature extremes of the external environment. Still other embodiment may feature no canopy integument at all choosing to expose the cultivated plant life to the external atmosphere. In such embodiments, the vertical reinforcement member may be truncated, existing entirely within the component blocks.
In some embodiments where water drainage or leaching would cause concern, damage, or would otherwise be unwanted, such as when the disclosed planter box is assembled on a rooftop or on a concrete floor of a warehouse, the planter box may include a water impermeable lining. In other embodiments, when such concerns do to exist, the soil and fertilizer may be filled in directly on top of the unmodified surface upon which the apparatus is assembled.
The multiple component block feature allows the disclosed planter box to be disassembled, transported, and/or modified quite easily without requiring the use of special tools or heavy equipment allowing the apparatus to be temporary and portable without compromising the strength and integrity provided by the vertical and longitudinal reinforcement features. Further, the individual component blocks are comparatively small allowing for assembly in even tight or relative inaccessible places. The presently disclosed apparatus provides individuals who would not be authorized or inclined to construct a comparably permanent structure access to an adaptable plant cultivation system.
This disclosure teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below:
A primary objective is to provide an expandable, portable, semi-permanent planter box for the cultivation of plant life in a controlled environment;
Another objective is to provide an expandable, portable, semi-permanent planter box for the cultivation of plant life in a controlled environment that is easily customizable in terms of size and shape;
A further objective is to provide an expandable, portable, semi-permanent planter box for the cultivation of plant life in a controlled environment that may be disassembled, transported, and reassembled without the use of special tools or heavy equipment;
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrates, by way of example, the principles of the presently described apparatus and method of use.
The accompanying drawings are diagrams that illustrate various exemplary implementations and are part of the specification. The illustrated implementations are proffered for purposes of example, not for purposes of limitation. Illustrated elements will be designated by numbers. Once designated, an element will be identified by the identical number throughout. Illustrated in the accompanying diagram drawings is at least one of the best mode embodiments of the present disclosure. In such drawings:
The above described drawings illustrate an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus in at least one of its preferred, best mode embodiments, which is further defined in detail in the following description. Those having ordinary skill in the art may be able to make alterations and modifications to what is described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Therefore, it must be understood that what is illustrated is set forth only for the purposes of example, and that it should not be taken as a limitation of the scope of the present apparatus or its method of use.
Described now in detail is the presently disclosed expandable, portable, semi-permanent planter box 100 for creating a controlled growing environment for the cultivation of plant life.
The canopy integument 140 may be constructed from a wide range of materials to assist in achieving and maintaining the preferred internal atmospheric qualities. For example, canopy integument 140 may be made of translucent plastic to provide the plant life within the maximum amount of sunlight exposure or it can be completely opaque to protect sensitive varieties of flora from the intensity of the midday sun. Similarly, whether the canopy integument 140 is made of impermeable plastic or loose knit canvas can have significant effects on the canopy integument's 140 ability to serve as buffer in regards to atmospheric qualities such as relative humidity and temperature.
The structural blocks 120,110 illustrated in
The definitions of the words or drawing elements described herein are meant to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structures, materials or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements described and its various embodiments or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim.
Changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalents within the scope intended and its various embodiments. Therefore, substitutions, now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art, are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. This disclosure is thus meant to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted, and also what incorporates the essential ideas.
The scope of this description is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that the named inventors believe that the claimed subject matter is what is intended to be patented.
