Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to the wetting of
potted plants with water or with a feeding liquid,
hereinafter called the wetting liquid, and is particularly
concerned with a plant supporting and watering device which
can be used both to support the potted plant and to ensure
automatic and controlled wetting of the soil in the pot
over an extended period of time, as when the house occupant
must leave for a few days or even weeks.
In accordance with the present invention, there is
provided a plant supporting and watering device of the
above mentioned type, which is extremely simple in structure
and efficient in properly wetting the soil of a potted plant
in a controlled manner. Because of its structure, the
appearance of the device according to the invention can be
very attractive since the true purpose of the device,
namely to wet the potted plant, is not revealed to the
eyes. In addition, the device according to the addition
may be used as any standard support or prop for the potted
plant.
As hereinafter broadly claimed, the device according
to the invention is of th~-type comprising a hollow stick having a Yen-
tidal axis, an upper end and a lower end. The stick defines a
tank for holding a wetting liquid and has a filling aperture
at the upper end. A flow control device is mounted at the
lower end of the stick, this control device having a passage
through which the wetting liquid held in the tank may flow
by gravity into the soil to be wetted. Means are provided
into the control device for adjustable opening the passage
and thus control the outflow of liquid. A hollow tip is
also provided for allowing the stick to be driven into the
pot soil. This hollow tip is mounted onto the control
device and comprises a plurality of apertures to allow the
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wetting liquid Flowing through the passage of the control
device to reach the soil to be wetted.
In accordance with the invention, the above device
is improved in that its control device consists of a solid
5 plug having a vertical axis, an upper extremity connected
to the lower end of the stick and a lower extremity connected
to the tip. The passage in the control device extends Verdi-
gaily through the plug and consists in a small, hollow deform-
able tube snugly fitted into a through-hole vertically extend-
in in the solid plus. In addition, the means for adjustablyopening the passage consists of a bolt thread ably mounted
into a threaded hole intersecting the passage in such a manner
as to pinch the deformable tube.
Preferably, the bolt has a very large, external head
making it easily operable without tool.
In use, adjustment of the outflow of wetting liquid
through the passage can be very easily and precisely obtained
by mere pinching of the wall of the plastic tube inside the
vertical through-hole, using the thread able bolt to do so.
In this regard, this particular technique which allows drops
adjustment of the outflow of liquid independently of the column
of liquid contained in the tank above the passage, is very
similar to the technique used by the medical doctors and
nurses for adjusting the outflow of pouches containing blood
or serum to be injected drop wisely to a patient.
In accordance with preferred embodiment of the invent
lion, the tank-defining stick may be made of a material which
is transparent or at least translucent so -that the level of
the wetting liquid be easily ascertained. The outer wall of
the stick may be suitably calibrated such as by means of equal-
lye spaced outwardly projecting rings so that the stick, gent
orally, may be given the outer shape of a bamboo pole, adding to the
';J3l3
attractiveness of the device.
Preferably, the hollow stick may be made of
plurality of separate parts connectable end to end in
a tight and rigid manner. This makes the plant supporting
and watering device according to the invention easier
to transport or package.
Other features and advantages of the invention
will become apparent to those skilled in the art from
the following, non restrictive description of a preferred
embodiment thereof, having reference to the appended
drawings wherein:
fig. 1 is a side elevation Al view of a plant
supporting and watering device made according to the
teaching of the present invention;
fig. 2 is an exploded, prospective view on
an enlarged scale, of the liquid distribution end of
the device; and
fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view
of the liquid distribution and shown in fig. 2.
The plant supporting and watering device accord-
in to the invention as shown in the accompanying drawings,
comprises an elongated stick 1 which may advantageously
have the look of a bamboo pole with outwardly projecting
ring-like bulges 3. The stick is hollow so as to define
inwardly a tank (figs. 2 and 3) for containing a wetting
liquid poured into the tank 5 through a filling aperture
6 provided at the upper, top end of the stick 1.
As will be gathered, if the stick 1 is made
of transparent or at least translucent plastic material,
the level of the wetting liquid in the tank 5 will be
visible from the outside while the bulges 3, appropriately
distributed, may be used to indicate the number of days
supply in the tank 5. Of course, the stick 1 may simply
be a tube of constant cross-section with either calibrate
'Yo-yo
in lines to replace the bulges 3 or outward rings formed
on the outer of the cylindrical tube.
As will also be gathered, the stick 1 after
it has been driven into a plant pot (fugue), can act
as a support or prop for the potted plant.
A flow control device 31 is mounted at the
lower end of the stick 1. The control device 31 consists
of a cylindrically shaped, solid plug 33 having a vertical
axis, an upper extremity 35 and a lower extremity 37.
A passage 39 extends vertically through the plug 33,
preferably in a central position, to allow the wetting
liquid held in the tank to flow by gravity into the soil
to be wetted. As shown in the drawings, the passage
39 consists in a small, hollow tube 49 made of deformable
material such as plastic. This tube 49 is snugly fitted
into a through hole 51 vertically extending in the solid
plug 33.
The control device 31 also comprises means
41 for adjustable opening or closing the passage 39 and
thus allowing control of the outflow of liquid through
the passage 39. As better shown in fig. 3, these means
41 advantageously consist of a bolt 43 thread ably mounted
into a threaded hole 45 extending inside the plug 31
in such a manner as to intersect the hole 51 containing
the tube 49 defining the passage 39. The bolt 43 Advent-
juicily has a large external, head 47 making it easily
operable in a manual manner.
As clearly shown in fig. 2, the upper and lower
extremities 35 and 37 of the plug advantageously have
a diameter smaller than the diameter of the central port
lion of the plug 33 thrush extends the threaded
hole 45, to facilitate connection of the plug 33 the
lower end of the stick 1 and to the upper end of a tip
7 that will be described hereinafter by mere insertion
of one inside the other.
To allow the stick 1 and the plug 33 to be
driven in an easy manner into the pot soil and simulate-
nuzzle to provide a regular distribution of the wetting
liquid flowing through the passage 39 into the soil to
be wetted, a hollow tip 7 is mounted onto the control
device 31. The tip 7 has a tubular upper part 10 of
any desired length and a lower part 11 which is conical
in shape and is provided with a plurality of apertures
to allow the wetting liquid to reach the soil to be wetted.
The aperture 17 preferably consist in slots extending
in vertical planes passing through the vertical axis
of the hollow stick 1.
In use, adjustment of the outflow of wetting
liquid through the passage is obtained by threading the
bolt 43 inwardly or outwardly in the intersecting hole
45. Indeed, such a threading results is a pinching or
unpinching of the wall of the tube 49 defining the passage
39 (see fig. 3), which intern results in a precise adjust-
mint of the diameter of the passage 39.
The particular adjustment of the bolt 43 across the passage 39 will of course depends on the size of
the pot with which the watering device is used. In very
large pot, one may allow continuous flow for predetermined
amplitude but, usually, the passage 39 will be restricted
in such a manner as to allow drops of wetting liquid
to flow only.
As Shannon fig. 1, the hollow stick 1 may be
made of a plurality of parts aye, 13b and 13c connected
end to end in a tight manner. To provide this connection,
use can be made of plugs substantially similar to the
plug 33, except for the bolt 43 and threaded hole 45.
