Automatic watering device for plants

• US 4,825,591 A
• Filed: 06/23/1988
• Issued: 05/02/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Joon H. Han
• Original Assignee: Joon H. Han
• Inventors: Han, Joon H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Richard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sam, Charles H.
• Application Number:
  US07/210,500
• Time in Patent Office: 313 Days
• Field of Search: 47/48.5, 47/67, 47/79, 248/27.8, 248/211-213, 248/220.2, 137/406, 137/403, 137/408, 137/419, 137/421, 137/424, 222/58, 222/79, 141/15
• US Class Current: 47/67
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 27/003 Controls for self-acting watering devices

Abstract

A watering device for plants includes a plant container which is balanced on a vertical moving rod by a spring and a water reservoir tank is operatively associated with the plant container so that as the plant container becomes lighter due to a loss of water, the spring member disposed at the opposite end of the vertical moving rod from the plant container actuates a valve in the water reservoir tank and transfers water from the water reservoir tank to the plant container until a balance is again achieved, and when the balance is reached, the valve in the water tank is again closed.

Claims

1. An automatic watering device for plants adapted to suspend from a wall or a ceiling which comprises:

a plant container,

a water reservoir tank adapted to contain a supply of water, the water reservoir tank including a cylinder standing on the bottom thereof, said water reservoir tank containing transfer means for conveying water from said water tank said plant container,

spring means disposed within said cylinder, said spring means being provided with a hanger at the top end thereof for being suspended from the wall or the ceiling,

a vertical moving rod including a elongated slot disposed in the middle portion thereof, said vertical moving rod connected to the bottom end of said spring means at the top end and to said plant container,

a supporting plate connected to the bottom of said water reservoir tank, said supporting plate having a rectangular groove disposed in the middle portion thereof for slidably receiving said vertical moving rod and a horizontal, rectangular aperture disposed in the lower portion thereof,

a rectangular, movable plate, disposed within said horizontal, rectangular aperture, operatively fixed to said vertical moving rod by a bolt and a nut through said elongated slot for adjusting the balance of the plant container with water and moving within said rectangular aperture when the vertical moving rod moves up and down, said rectangular moving plate having a connecting member for associating with an adjusting nut,

valve means having a screwed rod for mating with an adjusting wheel nut connected to said connecting member, said valve means operatively associated with said transfer means for controlling the conveyance of water from said water reservoir tank to said plant container, and

whereby, upon the loss of water from the plant container, the vertical moving rod is caused to move up, the rectangular moving plate moves up within the horizontal, rectangular aperture, and the connecting member is caused to push a valve rod up so that the valve means opens to permit water to flow through the transfer means to the plant container until the balance is re-established causing the valve means to close.

2. The automatic watering device of claim 1, wherein the transfer means is an aperture provided in the bottom of the water reservoir tank and conduit means extending from said aperture to the plant container, said valve means being adapted to open and close said aperture depending on the up and down moving balance of the vertical moving rod.

3. The automatic watering device of claim 1, wherein the plant container is provided with a hanging member for hanging to the bottom end of the vertical moving rod.

4. The automatic watering device of claim 1, wherein the spring means is operatively connected to a valve for biasing the valve to close a drain hole disposed in the bottom of the water reservoir tank.

5. The automatic watering device of claim 1, wherein the adjusting wheel nut is screwed along the valve rod for substantially closing the valve when the automatic watering device is operated at the first time.

6. The automatic watering device of claim 4 wherein the drain hole is adapted to receive a drain pipe for draining water form the water reservoir tank to the plant container.