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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to garden displays.
2, DESCRIPTIOhi OF THE RELATED ART
Along with the aging baby boom hss come a rebirth in the lode of gardening.
Many
gardeners enjoy their hobby with spacious flower beds and gardens in the yard
around the house.
However, people living in apartments or other relatively high density
residences often cannot be
provided a garden plot and are often forced to rent plots in other places to
have a garden. Those
traveling to tend their plots cannot enjoy seeing their gardens from home.
Some apartment tenants
use a number contained plants on a table, a bench or the floor on a balcony,
for example, to grow
their favorite garden varieties. However, to some avid gardeners, this is
cumbersome and
generally undesirable.
It is an object the present invention to provide an improved garden display
device.
~D SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one of its zspectt, the present invention provides a garden display dovica
compricin~ a
horsing having a plurality of open display wells for receiving contained
plants therein, the display
wells being vertically spaced from one another.
ZS
Preferably, drain means is provided for draining fluids from the wells. The
well s are
preferably laterally staggered relative to one another, such as in a stepped
arrangement. The
drain means may include a drain opening at near one end of the well and a
vhannel joined to the
oparing to deliver fluids ~m the wells to a designated exit region, either
outside the display
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device or in a collection receptacle within the display device.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit for
forming a garden
display device with a plurality of display wells in stepped relationship to
one another, comprising a
pair of side panels, a rear pass!, a front panel, a plurality of intermediate
front panels and a
plurality of bottom panels, and a set of instructions for attaahuing the
panels together to form a
housing having a plurality of open display wells for receiving contained
plants therein, the display
wells being vcrNcalJy spaced from one another and drain nneans for draining
fluids from the
display wells.
In still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit for
forming a
g~den display devices with a plurality of display wells in stepped
relationship to one another,
comprising a set of instructions for preparing a pair of side panels, a rear
papal, a front panel, a
plurality of intermediate from panels and a plurality of bottom panels, and a
plurality of fasteners,
the instructions including a number of steps for fastening the panels together
to form a housing
having a plurality of optn display wells for receiving contained plants
therein, the display wells
being vertio~ly spaced from one another and drain means for draining fluids
from the display
wells.
BRIEF 17ESCRIPTIOhI OF 'THE DRAWINGS
Several prefarred embodiments of the present invention will be provided, by
way of
example only, with rcfcrenec to the appended drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a front perspective view ofa garden display devicc_
Figure 2 is a roar perspective view of the device of figure 1;
Figure 3 is a top plan view of the device of figure 1;
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Figure 4 is a front view of the device of figure 1;
Figure 4a is an end view of one portion of the device as shown in Fgure 4;
Figure 4b is a side view of the portion of figure 4a;
Fi,Qure 5 is a right hand side view of the device of figure l;
Figure 6 is a rear side view of the device of figure l;
Figure 7 is a bottom plan view of the device of figure I ;
Figure 8 is an exploded view of the garden display device of figuro 1;
Figure 8a is a plan view of another portion of the device of figure 1;
Figure 8b is a side view of the portion shown in figure 8a; and
Figuro 8c is a fragmentary sectional view of another portion of the device of
figure I.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBiJDIMENTS
Referring to the figures, there is provided a garden display device 10
comprising a housing
12 having a plurality of open display wells 14, 1 b and 18 for receiving
contaazted plants therein,
the display wells being vertically spaced from one another- The housing is
farmed by twn step-
shaped side panels 20 which am attached to a rear panel 22. A number of
horizontal bQtto111
panels 24 extend between the side panels, togeth~tr with a front pantl 26 and
a pair of intermediate
front panels 26a, 2bb. Below the front panel 26 is an access door 28 which is
hinged thereto by
hinges 30 to allow access to a storage chamber 31 below the wells. A clasp 32
is provided for
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holding the access door in its closed position as viewed in figure 1 and this
clasp may be lockable
ns is known to those skilled in the art.
It can be seen with this arrangement that the wells 16 are laterally staggered
relative to
one another, such as i n a stepped arrarrgemeat.
A drain assembly 40 is provided for each well and is provided in the form of a
drain
opening 42 located midway along the wall 24 whicli is joined to a drain lobo
assembly 44 which is
directed to an opening z2a in the rear panel. Also provided is a rear shelf
assembly 34 which is
l p fastened to the upper end of the rear panel with braces 34a and , if
desired, ornamental trim 34b.
The drain tube assembly includes a drain line for each display well, each
drain line
including an inclined section 44a, joined to err upright sectioza 444 emptying
into a collection
channel 44c and joined together by elbows and three way interconnection
sleeves arc known to
these skilled in the art. The inclined and upright portions may either be a
rigid PVC type plastic
tubing oz a flexible hose, the latter bring illustrated, for example, at 44d
in figure 8b. Here, the
hose 44d is expanded over a flanged sleeve 44e which is anchozed i~a the
bottozzr panel. Other less
flexible hoses may also be used.
In use, the device I O is assembled as shown in the figures. 'The panels may
be fabricated
firm a a range of materials, such as "One good side" Fir, marine veneered
plywood, any of the
quality woods, plastic sheeting, waterproofed particle board or the like. The
panels can be
fastened together using conventional fasteners, such as wood screws or nails,
appropriate for the
tx<aterials u9ed for the panels. 'flee Wells themselves may be made water
proof to prevent water
from seeping through the seams into the storage chamber below. This may be
achieved, if
desired, by a liner placed in the well with a hole to litre up with the drain,
t~ shown in clashed lines
at 50 in figure 2. Once assembled, the de,rice may then be used to locate
contained plants such as
potted plants. Alternatively, the wells may be used as beds themselves, while
garden tools,
ftitilizCrs and accesBOziBS may be conveniently stored in the storage chamber
below and accessible
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tttrough the access door 18.
The device 10 may be provided as an assembled unit is the manner illustrated
or,
ahernaiively, is kit form. Ia the latter case, the kit may either include
instructions to prepare the
required panels or simply include the panels themselves, in both cases with
the required fastening
hardware or a list for the purchase thereof by the user.
The kit may be provided with the panels shown heieinabovc or instructions to
cut and pre-
drill the panels to apprnpriatc dimensions. The instructions may include steps
to attach the side
panels to each of the rear and front panels using a flange 80 with a pair of
threaded nut-bo)t
arrangements. Next , the intermediate front panels and the bottom panels arc
fastened in place.
The access door may then be attached to the front panel by hinges 30 and the
drain hose assembly
installed as reduired. It will be understood, however, that the drain hose may
not be necessary
from certain embodiments, that is where other provisions are made to collect
the water, such as
individual water tipbt basins in the display wells.
1f desired, the chamber tnay be provided with a pardon panel in dashed lines
at 52 in
tgurt 4, in order to separate the storage section of a section curying a drip
pan. Alternatively, a
box structure can be provided to cover the drip pan. In this case, the box
structure can be
providad with three holes drilled to accommodate the hoses. If desired, the
hosts may be secured
to the box structure by way of a 'header' clamp, the latter allowing the hose
to sit on the top of the
water collector, <ts shown at 47a.
Furtl~r details of the device may be seen in Appendix One.
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