Patent Application
20210243973
This disclosure relates to automated apparatuses for watering and displaying vegetation.
Plant displays are typically stationary and fixed, making them infeasible to move around a store, warehouse, or other location. A need exists for a self-contained, mobile display stand for vegetation.
An embodiment of an apparatus for displaying and automatically watering vegetation, that can have a base portion, a support member coupled with the base portion and a bracket, a tray supported by the bracket, a container, at least one conduit in fluid communication with the container and configured to communicate a liquid from the container to the tray, and a pump that can have electronic circuitry configured to control an operation of the pump. In any embodiments, the apparatus the support member can extend generally upwardly away from the base portion. Further, the pump can be configured to pump a liquid from the container through the conduit to the tray to water at least one plant that can be supported by the tray.
In any embodiments of the apparatuses of any of the preceding paragraphs, the container can be removable from the base portion, the container can be configured such that a level of a liquid within the container can be seen without opening the container, and/or the container can be positioned within an enclosure of the base portion.
In any embodiments of the apparatuses of any of the preceding paragraphs, in any combination: the tray can have at least one channel extending in at least a first direction across the tray to provide the liquid to one or more plants supported by the tray; the tray can have a plurality of channels extending in a first direction and a second direction across the tray to provide the liquid to one or more plants supported by the tray, the second direction being approximately perpendicular to the first direction; the channel can have a plurality of spaced apart depressions; the channel can have a plurality depressions, wherein each of the depressions can be sized and configured to receive a potted plant; the apparatus can have two trays, or four trays, or more than four trays; the apparatus can have one or more racks supported by the support member; each of the one or more racks can be configured to support a plant; the tray can be removably supported by at least one bracket; the tray being removable from the at least one bracket without the use of tools; the tray can be removably supported by the bracket, the tray being removable from the bracket by only moving the tray away from the bracket; the apparatus further has a plurality of brackets and a plurality of trays; the apparatus further can further have a plurality of brackets supporting a plurality of trays; the bracket can have a first bracket portion and a second bracket portion, the first bracket portion extends in a first direction, and the second bracket portion extends in a second direction and supports a second tray, the second direction being opposite to the first direction; the bracket can have a first bracket portion extending in a first direction and a second bracket portion extending in a second direction, the second direction being opposite to the first direction, and the apparatus can have a tray supported on each of the first bracket portion and the second bracket portion; and/or the apparatus can have a plurality of brackets, wherein each of the plurality of brackets can be configured to support at least one tray; and/or the apparatus can have a plurality of brackets, wherein each of the plurality of brackets can be configured to support at least two trays.
In any embodiments of the apparatuses of any of the preceding paragraphs: the base portion can have a cabinet; the base portion can have a plurality of wheels configured to support the apparatus and permit the apparatus to be rolled; the base portion can have a cabinet having a door; and/or the base portion can have a viewing window in a portion of the base portion, wherein the viewing window can be aligned with the container to permit a viewing of a level of a liquid within the container.
In any embodiments of the apparatuses of any of the preceding paragraphs: the pump can have electronics that can have a processor and a machine-readable memory; the electronic circuitry of the pump can have a machine-readable memory storing executable instructions, the electronic circuitry being configured to activate the pump to provide a predetermined amount of the liquid from the container to the tray at a predetermined frequency, based on an actuation from a timer in communication with the other components of the electronics, based on an actuation of a button, switch, dial, or other input device, or otherwise, and/or upon the occurrence of a predetermined event when the apparatus is in an operable state; the predetermined event can include a level of the liquid in the tray reaching a predetermined value; the predetermined event can include a level of the liquid in the tray reaching an approximately zero value; the predetermined event can occur when the tray becomes substantially dry; the predetermined event can occur when a moisture level within one or more plants supported by the tray reaches a predetermined level; the apparatus can have a source of power in communication with at least the pump; the apparatus can have one or more batteries, an AC power source, a DC power source, and/or a solar panel; and/or the apparatus can further have a wireless communications device electronically coupled with the electronic circuitry.
In any embodiments of the apparatuses of any of the preceding paragraphs: the apparatus can have one or more sensors configured to determine a level of a liquid within the tray; the apparatus can have at least one sensor for each tray of the apparatus; and/or the liquid can be water.
An apparatus for displaying and automatically watering vegetation, that can have a base portion, a frame coupled with the base portion, one or more trays supported by the frame, each of the one or more trays that can have at least one channel, a refillable liquid container, at least one conduit in fluid communication with the container and configured to communicate a liquid from the container to one or more plants supported by the one or more trays, and a pump that can have electronic circuitry configured to control an operation of the pump. In any embodiments, during operation of the apparatus, the pump can be configured to automatically pump a liquid from the container through the conduit to the at least one channel of each of the one or more trays at a predetermined frequency or when a liquid level within the at least one channel of at least one of the one or more trays reaches a predetermined level.
Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
Described herein are novel devices, systems, and methods for displaying vegetation, wherein vegetation can be decorative plants, edible plants including herbs, flowers, or other plants. With reference to
Additionally, any embodiments of the apparatus 100 can further include a container 114, at least one conduit 116 in fluid communication with the container 114 configured to communicate a liquid from the container 114 to the tray 108, and a pump 120 to pump liquid from the container through the conduit. In any embodiments, the conduit 116 can be positioned within the base portion 102 and/or the support member 104 so that the conduit is mostly concealed from view. With reference to
The pump 120 can have electronic circuitry configured to control an operation of the pump. Further, the pump can be configured to pump a liquid from the container 114 through the conduit 116 to the tray 108 to water at least one plant that can be supported by the tray 108.
Some embodiments can include an apparatus for displaying and automatically watering vegetation, that can have a base portion 102, a frame coupled with the base portion 102, and one or more trays 108 supported by the frame. The apparatus can further have a refillable liquid container, at least one conduit 116 in fluid communication with the container 114 and configured to communicate a liquid from the container 114 to one or more plants supported by the one or more trays 108, and a pump 120 that can have electronic circuitry configured to control an operation of the pump 120. Each of the one or more trays 108 can have at least one channel to channel the liquid across the tray.
In any embodiments, during operation of the apparatus, the pump can be configured to automatically pump a liquid from the container 114 through the conduit 116 to the at least one channel of each of the one or more trays 108 at a predetermined frequency or when a liquid level within the at least one channel of at least one of the one or more trays 108 reaches a predetermined level. Additionally, any embodiments can have a timer that can be programmed to activate the pump at a desired time interval, or the pump can be actuated by a user by activating a push button, switch, dial, or other user input device.
The container 114 can be configured for holding and supporting a liquid therein, such as water, or water with other additives such as fertilizers and/or nutrients for the plants. In some embodiments, the container 114 can be positioned within an enclosure of the base portion. Additionally, the container 114 can be removable from the base portion 102 for refilling, exchanging, or otherwise. Further, in some embodiments, the pump 120 can be coupled with or integrated with the container, or can be a standalone pump device that can be positioned adjacent to, above, beside, or adjoined with the container. Additionally, in some embodiments, the container 114 can be configured such that a level of a liquid within the container 114 can be seen without opening the container 114 so that a user can quickly and easily determine whether or not the container 114 must be refilled, exchanged, or otherwise. Enabling quick and easy viewing of the liquid level within the container can also help determine the amount of liquid that is being consumed by the plants or otherwise used by the system to determine a necessary frequency of refilling the container. In any embodiments disclosed herein, the container can include a plurality of containers that can be configured to be in fluid communication with the conduit to provide a source of the liquid to the plants or other vegetation supported by the trays.
In any embodiments, the tray 108 can have at least one channel 130 extending in at least a first direction across the tray 108 (such as across a width of the tray) to provide the liquid to one or more plants supported by the tray 108. In other embodiments, the tray 108 can have a plurality of channels 130 extending in the first direction and a second direction across the tray 108 to provide the liquid to one or more plants supported by the tray 108, the second direction being approximately perpendicular to the first direction. Additionally, in any embodiments, though not in all embodiments, the channel 130 can have a plurality of spaced apart depressions 132 having a width and/or depth that is different than a width and/or depth of the channels. In some embodiments, the channel 130 can have a plurality of spaced apart depressions 132 that are sized and configured to receive a potted plant or other vegetation. For example without limitation, the depressions 132 can be sized and configured to support an individual or even a set of plastic pots or starter pots of any desired size or shape. In some embodiments, the depressions can be sized and configured to approximately match a size and shape of an individual or a set of plastic pots or starter pots so that the pots can be positioned within the depressions and so that a bottom portion of the pots can be within the channels to receive a liquid communicated via the channels from the container.
In any embodiments disclosed herein, the apparatus can have one tray, two trays, or four trays, or more than four trays, or from 2 to 4 trays, or from 2 to 6 trays, or otherwise. Additionally, in any embodiments, the apparatus can have one or more racks 140 supported by the support member, wherein each of the one or more racks 140 can be configured to support a plant, a hanging plant, a pot, or other items associated with the plants that are on display on the apparatus. For example, the apparatus can have four or six racks 140, six being shown.
Any of the trays 108 can be removably or non-removably supported by at least one bracket 110. In some embodiments, the tray 108 can be configured to be removable from the at least one bracket 110 without the use of tools. For example and without limitation, one or more of the trays 108 can be removable from the bracket 110 by only moving the tray 108 away from the bracket 110. In other words, the tray 108 can be removed from the bracket 110 simply by lifting the tray 108 away from the bracket 110.
Any embodiments of the apparatus can have a plurality of brackets 110 and a plurality of trays 108. Additionally, with reference to
In any embodiments, the base portion 102 can include a cabinet 150, such as, without limitation a cabinet made out of wood, aluminum, plastic, or otherwise. The cabinet 150 can be in openable enclosure for housing the container, the pump, and/or other items. For example, in some embodiments, the base portion 102 can have a cabinet 150 having a door 152. The door can have hinges or can be slidable along a track 154 supported by the cabinet 150. In some embodiments, the door or other component of the base portion 102 can be configured to permit a user to view a level of the liquid within the container without opening the enclosure or the container. For example, in some embodiments, the cabinet 150 can have a viewing window 156 in a portion of the cabinet 150, such as in a door 152 of the cabinet, wherein the viewing window can be aligned with the container 114 to permit a viewing of a level of a liquid within the container 114.
Additionally, in any embodiments, the base portion 102 can have a plurality of wheels 160 configured to support the apparatus and permit the apparatus to be rolled or otherwise moved easily across the floor. The wheels 160 can have brakes or other locking mechanisms to prevent the rolling of the wheels 160.
In any embodiments, the pump 120 can have electronic circuitry that can have a processor 170 and a machine-readable memory component or components 172. The machine-readable memory can store executable instructions. The electronic circuitry can be configured to activate the pump to provide a predetermined amount of the liquid from the container 114 to the one or more trays 108. For example and without limitation, the electronic circuitry can be configured to activate the pump to provide a predetermined amount of the liquid from the container 114 to the one or more trays 108 at a predetermined frequency (such as could be programmed with a timer) and/or upon the occurrence of a predetermined event when the apparatus is in an operable state. The predetermined event can include a level of the liquid in the tray reaching a predetermined value or level, for example an approximately zero value, or when the tray is only 5% full, or only 10% full. In other words, the predetermined event can occur when the tray becomes substantially dry, or when there is only a limited amount of the liquid in the tray. In other embodiments, the predetermined event can occur when a moisture level within one or more plants supported by the tray reaches a predetermined level (which can be determined by one or more sensors 190).
Any embodiments of the apparatus can have a source of power in communication with at least the pump. The source of power can include one or more batteries (such as battery 122 shown in
In any embodiments, the apparatus can have one or more sensors 190 configured to determine a level of a liquid within the tray, an amount of light received by the plants supported by the trays, or otherwise. The apparatus can have at least one sensor 190 for each tray of the apparatus.
While certain arrangements of the inventions have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the systems and methods described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the present inventions is defined only by reference to the appended claims.
Features, materials, characteristics, or groups described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment, or example are to be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described in this section or elsewhere in this specification unless incompatible therewith. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. The protection is not restricted to the details of any foregoing embodiments. The protection extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.
Furthermore, certain features that are described in this disclosure in the context of separate implementations can also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation can also be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations, one or more features from a claimed combination can, in some cases, be excised from the combination, and the combination may be claimed as a subcombination or variation of a sub combination.
Moreover, while operations may be depicted in the drawings or described in the specification in a particular order, such operations need not be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Other operations that are not depicted or described can be incorporated in the example methods and processes. For example, one or more additional operations can be performed before, after, simultaneously, or between any of the described operations. Further, the operations may be rearranged or reordered in other implementations. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in some embodiments, the actual steps taken in the processes illustrated and/or disclosed may differ from those shown in the figures. Depending on the embodiment, certain of the steps described above may be removed, others may be added. Furthermore, the features and attributes of the specific embodiments disclosed above may be combined in different ways to form additional embodiments, all of which fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Also, the separation of various system components in the implementations described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single product or packaged into multiple products.
For purposes of this disclosure, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features are described herein. Not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves one advantage or a group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
Conditional language, such as “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
Conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,” unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with the context as used in general to convey that an item, term, etc. may be either X, Y, or Z. Thus, such conjunctive language is not generally intended to imply that certain embodiments require the presence of at least one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z.
Language of degree used herein, such as the terms “approximately,” “about,” “generally,” and “substantially” as used herein represent a value, amount, or characteristic close to the stated value, amount, or characteristic that still performs a desired function or achieves a desired result. For example, the terms “approximately”, “about”, “generally,” and “substantially” may refer to an amount that is within less than 10% of, within less than 5% of, within less than 1% of, within less than 0.1% of, and within less than 0.01% of the stated amount. As another example, in certain embodiments, the terms “generally parallel” and “substantially parallel” refer to a value, amount, or characteristic that departs from exactly parallel by less than or equal to 15 degrees, 10 degrees, 5 degrees, 3 degrees, 1 degree, or 0.1 degree.
The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited by the specific disclosures of preferred embodiments in this section or elsewhere in this specification, and may be defined by claims as presented in this section or elsewhere in this specification or as presented in the future. The language of the claims is to be interpreted broadly based on the language employed in the claims and not limited to the examples described in the present specification or during the prosecution of the application, which examples are to be construed as non-exclusive.
The present application claims priority from U.S. Patent Application No. 62/972,258, filed on Feb. 10, 2020, titled VEGETATION DISPLAY STAND, the contents of which priority application is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth herein. The benefit of priority is claimed under the appropriate legal basis including, without limitation, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e). Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claim is identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the present application are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety and made a part of this specification.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62972258 | Feb 2020 | US |
