Plant pot

© Patent holder (s):

Desch Plantpak BV in Waalwijk.

<img file="NL2011042C2_D0001.tif" />

Patent granted:

05.01.2015 © Patent issued:

14.01.2015 * 72) Inventor (s):

Cornells Antonius Waqué in Oostzaan.

© Authorized representative:

Ir. JMG Dohmen cs in Eindhoven.

© Plant pot.

The invention provides a plant pot comprising a bottom, a standing wall adjoining the bottom and a stiffened flanged edge at the top of the standing wall. The converted edge has a downwardly directed edge part as well as a converted edge part which connects the standing wall and the downwardly directed edge part. The plant pot is provided with a profile at least on the converted edge part.

LC 2011042

This patent has been granted regardless of the enclosed result of the prior art research and written opinion. The patent corresponds to the documents originally filed.

Short designation: Plant pot

Description

The present invention provides a plant pot comprising a bottom, a bottom wall adjoining standing wall and a stiffened bent edge at the top of the standing wall, which bent edge has a downwardly directed edge portion as well as a bent edge portion which comprises the standing wall and the downwardly facing edge portion. interconnects. Such a plant pot is described in U.S. publication US 6134832. Such plant pots, when used in which the plant pots are filled with substrate in which a plant grows, must be suitable for being picked up on the converted edge part or to be hung on it in case the plant pot is a hanging pot. In order to give the plant pot an increased stiffness at the top edge, which is necessary to prevent substantial deformation of the plant pot at the above load on it, the top edge has been converted at the described plant pot. Where the term "converted" is mentioned above or below, this term is not used to refer to a previous typesetting operation, but is merely referring to the form resulting from a hypothetical conversion. In the present case, that shape is essentially that of an inverted U-shape, in which the two downwardly directed legs of the inverted U-shape are defined by the downwardly directed edge part and (part of) the upright wall, while the body part of the inverted U- shape, which connects the two downwardly facing legs of the inverted U-shape, is determined by the bent edge part. Furthermore, the plant pot according to US 6134832 is provided on the inside of the converted top edge at regular intervals with radial partitions which provide additional resistance to deformation of the converted top edge and thus of the plant pot as a whole.

The object of the invention is to provide a plant pot whose converted top edge has improved stiffness properties. To this end, the plant pot according to the invention is characterized in that the plant pot is provided with a profiling at least on the flanged edge part. With the help of such profiling, the stiffness of the flanged edge can be increased. This property can be used by providing a plant pot that is stiffer at the same weight, or by providing a lighter plant pot with the same stiffness. In the latter case, the plant pot can be made with thinner wall parts, which can lead to a shorter cycle time during the injection molding process with which the plant pot can be produced.

The effect of the profiling is particularly relevant if the profiling extends over at least most of the length of the flanged edge.

The stiffness of the folded edge also benefits if the profiling is also provided on the standing wall and / or on the downwardly directed edge part.

It has been found favorable that the profiling is at least partly thread-like. The wire form is not intended here to express that the wire form should have a certain cross section. The aim is to express the elongated shape of the profiling.

Preferably, the cross-section of the wire form is such that the width of the wire form, viewed in cross-section, decreases towards the surface of the flanged edge on which the profiling is provided. In this way a good connection and thus a force transmission of the profiling to the converted edge can be realized.

An improved use of material can be obtained further if the height of the wire form extends over the length of the profiling. A limited height can thus be chosen where, relatively speaking, the effect of the profiling on the stiffness is the smallest.

It can be advantageous if the profiling is provided on the inside of the folded edge. The profiling is thus hidden from view.

The maximum height of the profiling is preferably twice the thickness of the flanged edge portion or the downward-facing edge portion at the positions where the profiling is provided on the flanged edge portion or the downward-facing edge portion.

In order to keep the stiffness the same in all directions, it is preferred that the profiling is provided in a regular pattern along the length of the folded edge. Such a pattern can, for example, be winding or wavy.

In order to increase the resistance to deformation of the plant pot, it is preferred that the profiling comprises stiffening parts, preferably wire-like, which enclose an angle with the longitudinal direction of the flanged edge. In particular, resistance is thus offered against deforming an initially round plant pot into an oval shape.

The stiffening parts are particularly effective if the angle is between 30 degrees and 60 degrees.

The same advantage is relevant if the stiffening parts are at least partly arc-shaped.

According to a further preferred embodiment, adjacent stiffening parts connect V-shaped to each other, the V-shaped connections being provided on the side of the standing wall.

To further increase the rigidity, it is also preferred that the flanged edge between the standing wall and the downwardly directed edge part is provided with radially extending partitions. The partitions are preferably spaced at regular intervals. Preferably, the pitch in the regular pattern of the baffles is equal to the pitch in the regular pattern of the stiffening members.

The advantages of the invention, at least insofar as they relate to the production process of the plant pot, are particularly apparent if the plant pot is an injection molded product.

The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the description of a preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the following figures:

Figure 1 shows a plant pot according to the invention in bottom view;

Figure 2 shows a vertical cross-section in perspective bottom view of the top edge of the plant pot according to Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows a perspective bottom view of a part of the flanged top edge according to Figure 1.

Plant pot 1 according to figure 1 relates to a injection-molded plastic product and comprises a bottom 2 with a centrally located raised bottom part 3 in which a number of openings 4 are provided through which excess water can escape from plant pot 1. An upright, outwardly inclined wall 5 adjoins the circumference of the circular bottom 2. At the top of this upright wall 5, the plant pot 1 is provided with a stiffened flanged edge 6. The invention now focuses in particular on the embodiment of this stiffened bent edge 6.

As clearly visible in figure 2, the bent edge 6 has a downwardly directed edge part 7 as well as a bent edge part 8. Together with the top part of the standing wall 5, the downwardly directed edge part 7 and the bent edge part 8 form an inverted U-shape. The flanged edge part 8 runs flat and at least substantially parallel to bottom 2. The downwardly directed edge part 7 has a slightly convex shape and a slightly thickened end 9.

On the inside of the flanged edge 6 it is provided with a profiling 10 which extends both over (the upper part of standing wall 5), the flanged edge part 8 and (the upper part of) the downwardly directed edge part 7. The profiling is filamentary and consists of arcuate and filamentary stiffening parts 11a, 11b which are provided in a regular pattern over almost the entire circumference of the bent edge 6. This pattern is interrupted at hook engagement points 14 with which the plant pot can be suspended as a hanging pot. The height of the wire form is equal to the thickness of the flanged edge part 8. The width of the wire form decreases in the direction of the underlying flanged edge part 8 or in the direction of the downwardly directed edge part 7.

In order to further increase the stiffness, the flanged edge 6 is further provided at regular intervals with radially extending partitions 12, as already known per se from the prior art. Pairs of stiffening parts 11a and 11b extending between two adjacent partitions 12 join V-shaped on the side of standing wall 5. Tangents at the center of the arcuate stiffening parts 11a, 11b enclose an angle 13 of approximately 90 ° with each other. Pairs of stiffening members 11a, 11b provided with bulkhead 12 on opposite sides are mirror symmetrical to bulkhead 12 and together form an arc of approximately 150 °, although that arc is at the location of the associated bulkhead 12 interrupted.

The free ends of the stiffening parts 11a, 11b have a decreasing height and width. The maximum height of the wire-like stiffening parts 11a, 11b is approximately 1.5 mm.

By using profiling 10, the thickness of the walls of the flanged edge 6 can be made thinner, for instance typically 0.2 mm thinner, with the same stiffness. Although the profiling 10 itself naturally also requires material, there is a net material saving, but moreover plant pot 1 can be produced with a shorter cycle time during injection molding.