DISPLAY APPARATUS FOR POTTED PLANTS

• US 3,841,023 A
• Filed: 06/12/1973
• Issued: 10/15/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Floral Marketing Equipment Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Richard A. Carlyon Jr
• Inventors: Carlyon, Richard A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bagwill, Robert E.
• Application Number:
  US05/369,301
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 47/34.12,38,39,14.16,1.2 239/17,20
• US Class Current: 47/82
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/023 Multi-tiered planters

Abstract

A marketing apparatus is provided for displaying potted plants, and which is in the form of a tier of display dishes supported on a reservoir base, the display dishes being separated vertically from one another by interposed tubular spacers. The potted plants are supported and displayed around the periphery of each display dish. A reservoir is formed in the base, and a pump is provided for circulating the water from the reservoir to the top display dish to cause the water to flow down through the dishes in the tier so as to irrigate the potted plants supported by the dishes. Each dish fills from the bottom up to a particular depth before the water drains to the next lower dish, so that the plants in the individual pots are watered thoroughly and completely without problems of splashing dirt or wetting the foliage. A timer is provided to cause the pump to operate and initiate the irrigating process at particular times, for example, after store hours.

Claims

1. Display apparatus for potted plants and the like, comprising:

a base forming a reservoir for irrigating water;

a plurality of display dishes for supporting and displaying potted plants;

means for supporting said dishes in spaced coaxial relationship as a tier on said base and over said reservoir;

a pipeline extending upwardly from the reservoir to the top of the tier;

a pump mounted in said reservoir and coupled to said pipeline for pumping irrigating water from the reservoir up through the pipeline to the uppermost dish of the tier to permit water from the reservoir to fill the uppermost dish to a predetermined depth; and

drainage means including a plurality of stand-pipe drain members mounted in respective ones of said display dishes for causing the irrigating water to pass down from each display dish to the next lower display dish at a relatively high rate after a particular depth of the irrigating water in each display dish has been achieved, and including further means for completely draining the irrigating water from each display dish at a relatively low rate, ultimately to cause the irrigating water to be returned to the reservoir.

2. The display apparatus defined in claim 1, and which includes a clock unit connected to said pump for controlling the times at which said pump is activated.

3. The display apparatus defined in claim 1, and which includes a sock filter member mounted on the outlet of the drain member in the lowermost display dish.

4. The display apparatus defined in claim 1, in which each of said stand-pipe drain members is removably mounted in a hole in the bottom of a corresponding display dish, and each includes a first drainage hole for draining the irrigating water from the corresponding display dish at the relatively high rate after the irrigating water has achieved said predetermined depth, and a second drainage hole for completely draining the irrigating water from the corresponding display dish at the relatively low rate at the termination of an irrigation cycle.

5. The display apparatus defined in claim 1, and which includes a fountain mounted in said reservoir, and a separate pump for circulating water from the reservoir through said fountain to aerate the water.

6. The display apparatus defined in claim 1, and which includes an enclosing housing for the display and potted plants therein.

7. The display apparatus defined in claim 6, and which includes heating means for heating the irrigating water in the reservoir so as to create hothouse conditions within the housing.

8. The display apparatus defined in claim 4, in which each of said stand-pipe drainage members has a tubular configuration and includes a cup-shaped cap and a tubular mesh screen extending from the bottom of the cap to filter the irrigating water entering the drainage holes in the drain member.