SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACCESSORIZING A CONTAINER

Abstract

A container and accessory system comprising a bottom, at least one wall, and at least one accessory. The exterior of the wall is comprised of a plurality of holes. The accessory has a face and a peg which is configured to be insertable into the holes to allow the accessory to be removably attached to the container. This allows accessories to be attached to and removed from the container without disturbing the contents of the container.

Claims

1. A container and accessory system comprising; a container comprising a bottom and at least one wall defined by an interior surface and an exterior surface, wherein the exterior surface is comprised of at least one hole; an attachable accessory having a face and at least one peg sized to be insertable into the hole.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one wall is a hollow structure defined by the interior surface and the exterior surface.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of holes has an inner surface that is substantially the same diameter as the peg.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the peg comprises a shaft portion coupled to the face and a compressible lip portion distal to the face, wherein the shaft diameter is approximately the diameter of each of the plurality of holes and the lip diameter is slightly larger than the diameter of each of the plurality of holes.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the wall is substantially solid between the interior surface and the exterior surface, and wherein the hole has an inner surface that is substantially the same diameter as the peg, and extends at least partially into the wall.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the container is a box.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the container is a plant pot.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the container has at least one drain.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of holes is arranged in a pattern.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the pattern has an outer perimeter, and the outer perimeter has a desired shape.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the shape of the holes and the pegs are circular, triangular, square, hexagonal, octagonal, or dodecagonal.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of holes extends through the exterior surface and interior surface of the wall.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the container has a soil line, and wherein the plurality of holes are above the soil line.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the accessory further comprises a decorative layer that can be adhered to the face.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the face is substantially flat.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the decorative layer is an adhesive label that can be written on.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the accessory further comprises another container.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the accessory further comprises a plant nutrient.

19. A method of decorating a container having a bottom, and at least one wall defined by an interior surface and an exterior surface, the method comprising the acts of: forming at least one hole in the exterior surface of the wall; providing an attachable accessory having a face and at least one peg; sizing the peg to be insertable into the hole.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the accessory is another container.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present specification will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention;

[0017] FIG. 2a is a front view of an accessory in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention;

[0018] FIG. 2b is a perspective view of an accessory in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention;

[0019] FIG. 3a is a cutaway view of a solid wall of a container in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention;

[0020] FIG. 3b is a cutaway view of a hollow wall of a container in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention;

[0021] FIGS. 4a and 4b are side views of alternative forms of the peg of an accessory in accordance with embodiments of the invention;

[0022] FIG. 5 is a cutaway view of the wall of a container with an accessory peg inserted into the hole in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention;

[0023] FIGS. 6a and 6b are perspective views of various containers in accordance with embodiments of the invention;

[0024] FIG. 6c a perspective view of multiple containers connecting as accessories in accordance with embodiments of the invention.

[0025] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a container and accessories in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention;

[0026] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a container and accessories in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In the following description, and for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects of the invention. It will be understood, however, by those skilled in the relevant arts, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, known structures and devices are shown or discussed more generally in order to avoid obscuring the invention. In many cases, a description of the operation is sufficient to enable one to implement the various forms of the invention, particularly when the operation is to be implemented in software. It should be noted that there are many different and alternative configurations, devices and technologies to which the disclosed inventions may be applied. The full scope of the inventions is not limited to the examples that are described below.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 1 an isometric view of an embodiment of a container 10 for a container and accessory system is shown generally at 10. The container comprises at least one wall 13 defined by an interior surface 14 and an exterior surface 16. The exterior surface can be comprised of a plurality of holes 18.

[0029] The container and accessory system also include an accessory as shown in FIG. 2a-2b and shown generally at 20. The accessory is comprised of a top or face 22 and a peg 24. The peg 24 of the accessory 20 and the holes 18 of the container 10 are configured such that the peg 24 is insertable into the hole 18 to allow the accessory 20 to be removably attached to the container 10. This allows for an accessory 20 to be changed without damaging or disturbing anything in the container 10, such as a plant.

[0030] Referring now to FIGS. 3a and 3b, The holes 18 extend at least partially into the wall 13. In one or more embodiments the hole can be a partial hole 32, or it can be a through hole 34. In one or more embodiments the wall exterior surface 16 can comprise a combination of partial holes 32 and through holes 34. The wall 13 can have varying densities, such as solid, hollow, baffled, or the like. FIG. 3a shows the wall 13 as a solid wall 36. FIG. 3b shows the wall 13 as a hollow wall 38. The hole 18 can have an inner surface 35, or it can have no inner surface 37.

[0031] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5. The accessory peg can comprise a shaft 42. The shaft 42 can have substantially the same diameter as the hole 18, or it can be smaller. The shaft 42 can be straight (FIG. 4a) or it can have a lip 44 (FIG. 4b). The lip can be distal to the face and can be compressible. The lip 44 can be of a slightly larger diameter than the diameter of the hole 18, making the accessory more secure on the container wall, but still removable.

[0032] Referring now to FIGS. 2a and 2b, the accessory face can be a multitude of decorative and/or useful items, shapes, sizes, and objects, such as a label or message holder, a sticker label, a writable label, a magnetic picture holder, a picture clip, letters, shapes, 2D objects, 3D objects, a saucer and the like. The accessory can have 1 peg, or it can have multiple pegs. In a particular embodiment, the accessory 20 can be another container 10. One container 10 may have at least one wall 13 having holes 18 and another wall having pegs 24. The pegs 24 of the wall 13 of one container 10 are configured to fit into the holes 18 of the wall 13 of another container 10. A single wall 13 of a given container 10 may have both holes 18 and pegs 24.

[0033] Referring now to FIG. 6a, The container can further comprise a bottom 60. The container bottom 60 can have one or more drains 19. Drains in the bottom are useful for draining liquid especially if the container is used for a plant pot since plants require that water drain out and away from the roots. Drains 19 are also useful for accepting accessories, especially if that accessory is a saucer 62 (FIG. 6b) or another container 10 (FIG. 6c). Stackable and/or attachable containers are especially useful in organizing other items, such as when used as a drawer organizer or the like. In these embodiments, a second container 11 would be considered the face 22 of the accessory 20. Multiple containers 10, 11 may be attached to each other to form a structure of connected containers. In a particular embodiment, the peg 24 couples to the base container 10 by inserting into a hole 18 and will also couple to the accessory container 11 by inserting into a hole 18 on a face 16 of the accessory container.

[0034] The plurality of holes 18 can make a grid-like pattern (FIG. 1). The grid-like pattern can have an outer perimeter, and the outer perimeter can have a desired shape, such as a wave), a circle, a square, a letter, and the like. The holes 18 can be confined to a certain area of the container, such as, in the case of a plant pot, above a soil line or they may be spread across the wall. The holes 18 and pegs 24 can be any shape, such as circular, triangular, square, hexagonal, octagonal, dodecagonal, slotted, tab, or the like.

[0035] In closing, it is to be understood that although aspects of the present specification are highlighted by referring to specific embodiments, one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that these disclosed embodiments are only illustrative of the principles of the subject matter disclosed herein. Therefore, it should be understood that the disclosed subject matter is in no way limited to a particular methodology, protocol, and/or reagent, etc., described herein. As such, various modifications or changes to or alternative configurations of the disclosed subject matter can be made in accordance with the teachings herein without departing from the spirit of the present specification. Lastly, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, which is defined solely by the claims. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to those precisely as shown and described.

[0036] Certain embodiments are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the methods and devices described herein. Of course, variations on these described embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described embodiments in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.