WATERING DEVICES

Abstract

A watering device for mounting in a container P includes a sealing portion for mounting against a container wall around an aperture in the container wall, retaining means for holding the sealing portion in position against the container wall, a fluid distribution portion receiving portion for holding a fluid distribution portion at a location outside of a container on which the device is mounted and a flow channel portion for providing a fluid flow path from an interior of a container P in which the watering device is mounted to the fluid distribution portion receiving portion.

Claims

1. A watering device for mounting in a container comprising a sealing portion for mounting against a container wall around an aperture in the container wall, retaining means for holding the sealing portion in position against the container wall, a fluid distribution portion receiving portion for holding a fluid distribution portion at a location outside of a container on which the device is mounted and a flow channel portion for providing a fluid flow path from an interior of a container in which the watering device is mounted to the fluid distribution portion receiving portion.

2. A watering device according to claim 1 which comprises a piece of wicking material disposed in the fluid distribution portion receiving portion as a fluid distribution portion.

3. A watering device according to claim 1 which comprises a valve for adjustably controlling the flow through the fluid flow path.

4. A watering device according to claim 1 in which the sealing portion is arranged to be placed against an outside surface of the container wall.

5. A watering device according to claim 1 in which the sealing portion comprises a resilient material ring portion.

6. A watering device according to claim 1 in which the retaining means comprises a clamping member for clamping against a container wall on an opposite side to that against which the sealing portion is arranged to seal.

7. A watering device according to claim 6 in which the clamping member comprises a clamping flange portion for contacting with the container wall against which it is to be clamped.

8. A watering device according to claim 6 in which the retaining means comprises a joining portion for joining the sealing portion to the clamping portion, preferably where the joining portion is arranged for passing through an aperture in a container wall.

9. A watering device according to claim 8 in which the clamping member and sealing portion are threadingly engageable via the joining portion.

10. A watering device according to claim 8 in which the clamping member defines a bore which accepts the joining portion.

11. A watering device according to claim 10 in which the clamping member defines at least one clamping member fluid passage from the exterior of the clamping member into the bore.

12. A watering device according to claim 8 in which the joining portion comprises a joining portion fluid passage for leading fluid through the watering device with an inlet port at one end of the fluid passage and an outlet port at the other end of the fluid passage.

13. A watering device according to claim 12 in which the clamping member defines at least one clamping member fluid passage from the exterior of the clamping member into the bore and the inlet port provides a fluid communication path between the bore of the clamping member and the joining portion fluid passage when the joining portion is located in the bore of the clamping member.

14. A watering device according to claim 12 which comprises a valve for adjustably controlling the flow through the fluid flow path and in which the valve is arranged to control flow in the joining portion fluid passage.

15. A watering device according to claim 1 in which the fluid distribution portion receiving portion comprises a wicking material receiving slot.

16. A watering device according to claim 1 in which the fluid distribution portion receiving portion comprises an outlet pocket into which an outlet feeding fluid to the fluid distribution portion feeds.

17. A watering device according to claim 16 in which the fluid distribution portion receiving portion comprises a wicking material receiving slot and the outlet pocket has a surrounding wall with a distal edge that extends into the wicking material receiving slot, such that when a piece of wicking material is located in the slot the distal edge presses into the wicking material.

18. A watering device according to claim 1 in which the fluid distribution portion receiving portion comprises a retaining strip which is movably mounted on the remainder of the watering device and arranged to be moveable between an open position allowing the introduction of a piece of wicking material and a closed position for holding the wicking material in position.

19. A watering device according to claim 1 in which the watering device further comprises a porous ceramic element for controlling flow through the fluid flow path.

20. A watering device according to claim 19 wherein the porous ceramic element comprises a ceramic disc.

21. A watering device according to claim 19 wherein the porous ceramic element is removable from a remainder of the watering device by a user.

22. A watering device according to claim 19 wherein the porous ceramic element is retained in a housing, said housing being removable from a remainder of the watering device by a user.

23. A watering device according to claim 19 wherein the watering device further comprises a filter element for filtering water before reaching the porous ceramic element.

24. A watering device according to claim 23, wherein the porous ceramic element is retained in a housing, said housing being removable from a remainder of the watering device by a user and with said filter element being removably retained in the housing.

25. A watering device for mounting in a container comprising a sealing portion for mounting against a container wall around an aperture in the container wall, a joining portion for passing through the aperture in a container wall and joining the sealing portion with a clamping portion for holding the sealing portion in position against the container wall.

26. A watering device assembly comprising a watering device according to claim 1 mounted on a container with the sealing portion sealing against a wall of the container around an aperture provided in the container.

Description

[0086] FIGS. 1 to 3 show a watering device arrangement which comprises a watering device W mounted in a plant pot P. When the watering device W is mounted in a plant pot P in this way the resulting watering device arrangement may be used to water plants by burying or partially burying the watering device arrangement in earth in which the plants to be watered are growing and filing the plant pot P with water. As will be explained further below, water from the plant pot P is released by the watering device into the surroundings in a controlled manner.

[0087] The watering device arrangement may, for example, be provided in a flower bed or fruit/vegetable bed whether this be directly in the ground or raised bed and similarly may be provided in earth used for growing plants where this is provided in some kind of container. Once assembled and used in this way, the watering device arrangement works in an analogous way to a traditional olla watering pot.

[0088] If desired a user may provide a lid or cover over the plant pot P in use. The material of the plant pot P is unimportant, although the use of a non-porous pot may prove preferable in at least some cases.

[0089] The watering device W is designed to be mounted in an aperture (or hole) in the plant pottypically, but not necessarily in the base of the plant pot. The watering device arrangement will typically work most effectively if the aperture in which the watering device is mounted is the only hole in the plant pot P at a level below which water is to be filled in the plant pot P. But again this is user choice. In some instances a plant pot with two or more apertures might be provided with a corresponding number of watering devices Wone to be fitted in each aperture which is at or below the waterline in use.

[0090] Further the present type of watering device W might be mounted in a container which is something other than a plant pot as mentioned in the introduction and the same benefits obtained. Besides plant pots other suitable containers can include buckets, Tupperware containers, Aluminium foil containers, large yoghurt pots, ice cream containers and so on. It will be appreciated that a suitable hole may be made in a container to accept the watering device, if required. For simplicity the remainder of the description refers to the situation where the watering device W is mounted/for mounting in a plant pot.

[0091] More detail of the watering device W will now be described with reference to

[0092] FIGS. 1 to 3 as well as FIGS. 4, which shows the watering device W when not mounted in a pot and FIG. 5 which is an exploded view of most of the parts of the watering device W.

[0093] The watering device W comprises a sealing portion 1 which is arranged to seal against a wall of the pot P1 around an aperture P2 provided in the pot wall P1. The watering device W further comprises retaining means 2 for holding the sealing portion 1 in position against the pot wall P1.

[0094] In the present embodiment, the sealing portion 1 comprises a plate portion 11 and a resilient material sealing ring portion 12 which is mounted on the plate portion 11 and is arranged for sealing against the pot wall P1 around an aperture P2 in the pot wall P1 when the watering device is mounted in a plant pot P as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. The sealing ring portion 12 may be provided to the consumer as a separate component to the plate portion 11, or may be provided pre-joined to the plate portionsay joined via adhesive or say produced as a co-moulded component.

[0095] In the present embodiment, the retaining means 2 comprises a joining portion 3 and a clamping portion 4. The joining portion 3 in the present embodiment is joined with the plate portion 11 of the sealing portion 1 and is arranged for passing through the aperture P2 in a plant pot when mounted as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. In the present embodiment the joining portion 3 and the plate portion 11 are formed as a single piecespecifically a plastics material moulded component.

[0096] The joining portion 3 is arranged as a hollow tubular portion in particular, a threaded stem portion 31. A bore 32 is provided within the hollow tubular portion 31 and a water inlet port 33 provides a water flow path through the side wall of the joining portion 3 and into the joining portion bore 32.

[0097] The clamping portion 4 is arranged to be mounted onto the joining portion 3 and clamp against the opposite side of a pot wall P1 than the sealing portion 1 when the watering device W is mounted in a pot P as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0098] The clamping portion 4 comprises a main body portion 41 and a clamping flange portion 42. The main body portion 41 defines a clamping portion main bore 43. At least one and preferably a plurality of grooves 42a are provided in a face 42b of the clamping flange portion 42. The face 42b is arranged to sit against a pot wall P1 when the watering device W is mounted in a pot P as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and the grooves 42a act as water passage portions providing a water flow path into clamping portion main bore 43.

[0099] As mentioned above the joining portion 3 comprises a threaded stem portion 31. The main bore 43 of the clamping portion 4 comprises a complementarily threaded portion 44 which is arranged to threadingly engage with the joining portion 3 so that the clamping portion 4 may be tightened onto the joining portion 3. For completeness it is noted that these complimentary threads are respectively on the external wall of the stem portion 31 and the internal wall of the main bore 43.

[0100] The main body portion 41 may be provided with at least one gripping portion 45 to assist a user in turning the clamping portion 4 during mounting. The at least one gripping portion 45 may comprise a series of recesses and projections 45a and/or a plurality of projecting web portions 45bboth are provided in the present embodiment. The clamping portion 4 may be provided as a moulded plastics material part.

[0101] In mounting the watering device W on a pot P, the joining portion 3 may be fed through an aperture P2 in a pot P so that the sealing portion 1, and in particular the sealing ring portion 12, abuts the pot wall P1 from one side, and the clamping portion 4 is threaded onto the joining portion and screwed into clamping contact with the opposite side of the pot wall P1.

[0102] In this embodiment, the sealing portion 1 is arranged to be provided outside of the pot P and the clamping portion 4 inside of the pot P and this is considered a preferable arrangement leading to a straightforward construction especially with regards to provision of and control of a flow path through the device. However, one could envisage alternative arrangements where the sealing portion is arranged to be provided inside of the pot P and a suitable retaining means is provided to hold it in positionwhich might again include a corresponding joining portion and a clamping portion.

[0103] The watering device W comprises a needle valve 5 for controlling the flow rate of water through the watering device W. The needle valve 5 comprises a threaded needle stem 51 which is received in the bore 32 of the joining portion 3. The bore 32 of the joining portion includes an internal threaded portion 34 which is complementary to thread 52 provided on the needle stem 51. The needle stem 51 comprises a user operable knob 53 towards one end and a needle portion 54 at the other end. The knob 53 comprises a series of recesses and projections 53a to assist user grip. The threaded needle stem 51 may be provided as a moulded plastics material part.

[0104] An outlet port or orifice 35 is provided in the joining portion 3 from the bore 32 to the exterior and the needle portion 54 is arranged to control flow through the outlet port 35. In this embodiment the outlet port 35 passes through the sealing portion 1. In particular, the outlet port 35 is formed in the plate portion 11 of the sealing portion 1.

[0105] The threaded needle stem 51 is moveable by a user between different states in which the needle portion 54 obscures the outlet port 35 to greater and lesser extent. The threaded needle stem 51 together with the joining portion 3 can be considered to form the needle valve 5.

[0106] FIG. 2 shows the threaded needle stem 51 in a first position and FIG. 3 shows the threaded needle stem 51 in a second position in which the outlet port 35 is less obscuredthe valve 5 is more openthan in the first position. The user can move between these different states by turning the needle stem 51 relative to the joining portion 3 using the knob 53. As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, the clamping portion flange portion 42 includes indication markings 42c to indicate to a user the direction in which the knob 53 should be turned to increase or decrease flow rate.

[0107] When the watering device W is mounted in a pot P and the pot P is filled with water, water can pass from the interior of the pot P through the grooves 42a in the underside of the clamping portion 4 and into the main bore 43 of the clamping portion 4. From here water can pass through the inlet port 33 in the joining portion 3 into the bore 32 of the joining portion 3. Then flow out of the bore 32 of the joining portion 3 is controlled by the needle valve 5in particular the interaction between the needle portion 54 and the outlet port 35.

[0108] The watering device W includes a piece of wicking material 6 when complete. The piece of wicking material 6 is shown in position in FIGS. 1 to 4 (though only part of it is shown in FIG. 4). The wicking material 6 is omitted from FIG. 5 for clarity. The wicking material 6 acts as a fluid distribution portiontaking fluid (typically water) from the outlet port 35 and causing it to flow away from the outlet port 35 into the surrounding earth. The wicking material is typically a piece of textile material, say woven textile material, which is selected to provide good wicking properties. The wicking material may comprise laminated capillary matting.

[0109] The wicking material 6 may be selected to have a length that is significantly longer than a typical dimension of a pot with which the watering device W is to be used. The piece of wicking material 6 may have a length which is at least twice the length of the diameter of the wall of the pot P in which the watering device W is mounted.

[0110] The watering device W comprises a wicking material receiving portion 7 in which the wicking material is mountable on the remainder of the watering device W. The fluid flow path through the watering device leads to the wicking material receiving portion 7the outlet port 35 leads to the wicking material receiving portion 7. In the present embodiment the wicking material receiving portion 7 is provided on the sealing portion 1. The plate portion 11, joining portion 3, and wicking material receiving portion 7 may be provided as moulded plastics material part.

[0111] As best seen for example in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, the wicking material receiving portion 7 comprises retaining strip portion 71 which defines a slot 72 for receiving the wicking material 6. In the present embodiment the slot 72 is formed between the plate portion 11 and the retaining strip portion 71.

[0112] The wicking material receiving portion 7 further comprises an outlet pocket 73 into which the outlet port 35 feeds. The outlet pocket 73 has a surrounding wall 74 with a distal edge 74a that extends into the wicking material receiving slot 72, such that when a piece of wicking material 6 is located in the slot 72 the distal edge 74a presses into the wicking material 6.

[0113] This can help form a seal against the ingress of dirt/debris into the outlet pocket 73 and hence can help against blocking of the fluid low path through the device. It can also create a low level vacuum or reduced pressure region in the outlet pocket 73 as liquid is wicked away by the wicking material 6 to help maintain flow through the watering device W. This can act against the effects of surface tension/meniscus effects which can inhibit flow at the very low rates that are typically observed in use of the present kind of device.

[0114] The retaining strip 71 defines an aperture 75 that is aligned with the outlet pocket 73. The size and shape of the aperture 75 in the strip 71 are the same as that defined by the distal edge 74a of the surrounding wall 74 of the outlet pocket 73. In the present embodiment the outlet pocket 73 and the aperture are both circular, and the diameter of the aperture 75 is the same as the internal diameter of the outlet pocket 73.

[0115] The aperture can help in securing the wicking material 6 in position. The wicking material 6 can tend to deform into the aperture 75 in the strip 71, which can provide resistance to sliding of the wicking material 6 out of the slot 72.

[0116] At least one guiding portion 76 may be provided in the wicking material receiving portion 7 for guiding the insertion of the end of piece of wicking material 6 towards the spacing between the retaining strip 71 and the distal edge 74a of the surrounding wall 74 of the outlet pocket 73, when it is being mounted into the wicking material receiving portion 7. In the present embodiment two sets of guiding portions 76 are providedone each side of the outlet pocket 73facilitating insertion of the wicking material 6 from either side of the slot 72. Each set of guiding portions 76 comprises a respective plurality of ribs 76a with an inclined edge forming a ramp leading to the distal edge 74a of the surrounding wall 74 of the outlet pocket 73 (see FIG. 5).

[0117] These ribs 76a project from the plate portion 11 of the sealing portion 1 in the present embodiment.

[0118] FIG. 6 schematically shows an alternative watering device W without a piece of wicking material in place in the device. The alternative watering device of FIG. 6 is the same as the watering device of FIGS. 1 to 5 in most respects and detailed description of those parts in common is omitted. The alternative watering device of FIG. 6 differs from the watering device of FIGS. 1 to 5 in that a modified form of wicking material receiving portion 7 is provided.

[0119] It has been found that with the wicking material receiving portion 7 of the device of FIGS. 1 to 5 it can be difficult for a user to locate a piece of wicking material in the receiving slot 72. Thus in the alternative watering device of

[0120] FIG. 6 a modified form of retaining strip 71 is provided that is hingedly mounted on the remainder of the watering device W and arranged to move between an open position (as shown in FIG. 6) allowing the introduction of a piece of wicking material and a closed position (not shown) for holding the wicking material in position.

[0121] A first end 71a of the retaining strip 71 is pivotally mounted on the main body of the sealing portion 1specifically on the plate portion 11. A second end is provided with a catch portion 71b which is arranged to releasably engage with a keeper portion 77 which is provided on the main body of the sealing portion 1specifically on the plate portion 11. The material of the retaining strip 71 and/or of the catch portion 71b is sufficiently resilient to allow the catch portion 71b to ride over the keeper portion 77 into a latched position for holding the retaining strip 71 in the closed position.

[0122] In this closed position the piece of wicking material 6 is clamped in position between the retaining strip 71 and the surrounding wall 74 of the outlet pocket 73.

[0123] It has been found that the needle valve 5 of the above embodiments may be susceptible to clogging with dirt and/or debris inside the pot. Thus, in an further alternative watering device W shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 the needle valve 5 is replaced by a porous ceramic flow regulator 9. The remainder of the device has similarities to that described in relation to FIGS. 1 to 6 above but some constructional differences. The differences are described below whilst description of those parts in common is omitted or abbreviated.

[0124] In the further alternative watering device W shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, there again is a sealing portion 1 and retaining means 2 which comprises a joining portion 3 and a clamping portion 4 but the arrangement is reversed from that of the device shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, in that the sealing portion 1 is arranged to be provided inside the container P as shown in FIG. 7 and the clamping portion 4 is arranged to be provided outside the container P.

[0125] The sealing portion 1 again comprises a plate portion 11 and a resilient material sealing ring portion 12 is arranged for sealing against the pot wall P1 around an aperture P2 in the pot wall P1 when the watering device is mounted in a plant pot P as shown in FIG. 7. Again the sealing ring portion 12 may be provided to the consumer as a separate component to the plate portion 11, or may be provided pre-joined to the plate portionsay joined via adhesive or say produced as a co-moulded component.

[0126] The joining portion 3 in the present embodiment is again joined with the plate portion 11 of the sealing portion 1 and is arranged for passing through the aperture P2 in a plant pot when mounted as shown in FIG. 7. In the present embodiment the joining portion 3 and the plate portion 11 are formed as a single piecespecifically a plastics material moulded component.

[0127] The joining portion 3 is again arranged as a hollow tubular portion in particular, a threaded stem portion 31. A bore 32 is provided within the hollow tubular portion 31. In this embodiment in use water flows into an end of and through this bore 32.

[0128] The clamping portion 4 is again arranged to be mounted onto the joining portion 3 and clamp against the opposite side of a pot wall P1 than the sealing portion 1 when the watering device W is mounted in a pot P as shown in FIG. 7.

[0129] The clamping portion 4 again comprises a main body portion 41 and a clamping flange portion 42. The main body portion 41 defines a clamping portion main bore 43. In this embodiment in use water flows out of the bore of the threaded stem portion 31 and into the clamping portion main bore 43.

[0130] The main bore 43 of the clamping portion 4 again comprises a complementarily threaded portion 44 which is arranged to threadingly engage with the joining portion 3 so that the clamping portion 4 may be tightened onto the joining portion 3. For completeness it is noted that again these complimentary threads are respectively on the external wall of the stem portion 31 and the internal wall of the main bore 43.

[0131] The wicking material receiving portion 7 in the further alternative watering device W shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is the same as the wicking material receiving portion of the alternative watering device W shown in FIG. 6 except that it is provided on the clamping portion 4 rather than the sealing portion 1. Thus further description of the wicking material receiving portion 7 is omitted.

[0132] As alluded to above, the main difference between the further alternative watering device W of FIGS. 7 and 8, and those further above is that the needle valve 5 is replaced by a porous ceramic flow regulator 9.

[0133] In the present embodiment, the ceramic flow regulator 9 is a ceramic disc located in a support housing 8. The support housing 8 is threadingly engageable with a threaded seat 13 provided on the plate portion 11 of the sealing portion 1. The ceramic disc 9 is provided upstream of the joining portion bore 32. The ceramic disc 9 can therefore control, ie regulate, the flow of water into the joining portion bore 32 and hence through the watering device.

[0134] A foam filter 10 is provided in the support housing 8 upstream of the ceramic disc 9. The foam filter 10 has been found to prevent large debris from coming into contact with the ceramic disc 9, thereby reducing the risk of the ceramic disc pores becoming blocked.

[0135] However, smaller dirt particles may pass through the foam filter 10. Thus it is useful to be able to obtain access to and clean the ceramic disc 9, and particularly convenient if this can be done by a user without the need to remove the pot P from the watering location.

[0136] Therefore, the support housing 8 is removable by a user, that is to say the support housing 8 can detach from the plate portion 11.

[0137] Together the support housing 8, ceramic disc 9 and foam filter 10 form a removable cartridge that can be removed from the remainder the watering device, say when installed in a container or pot P. This can facilitate cleaning and/or replacement.

[0138] The support housing 8 comprises a housing body 81 and an annular retaining member 82 for retaining the ceramic disc 9 in the housing body 81. In the present embodiment this annular retaining member 82 also retains the foam filter 10, in particular in this case the annular retaining member 82 houses the foam filter 10. The annular retaining member 82 and foam filter 10 together form a removable sub-cartridge within the support housing cartridge mentioned above.

[0139] The annular retaining member 81 is threadingly engaged with the housing body 81. Complimentary threads are provided on an external wall of the retaining member 82 and an internal wall of the housing body 81.

[0140] An O-ring 83 is provided between the support housing 8 and the plate portion 11. A further O-ring 84 is provided between the ceramic disc 9 and the support housing 8. These O-rings seal between the support housing 8 and the plate portion 11, thus helping ensure that water flowing into the support housing 8 passes through the ceramic disc 9.

[0141] The housing body 81 in this embodiment is generally annular. It has a plate engaging portion 81a, and ceramic element receiving portion 81b, and filter receiving portion 81c. The filter receiving portion 81c is arranged to be upstream of the ceramic element receiving portion 81b and comprises at least one aperture for allowing water to flow into the interior of the housing body 81. In the present embodiment the filter receiving portion 81c has respective aperture 81c at its upstream and downstream ends and apertures 81c in its side walls. The filter receiving portion 81c is basket like. These features allow retention of the filter whilst encouraging water flow into and through the support housing 8.

[0142] The annular retaining member 82 has respective apertures 82 at its upstream and downstream ends and apertures 82 in its side walls. These features allow retention of the filter 10 whilst encouraging water flow into the interior of the annular retaining member 82 and through the annular retaining member 82. A lip 82a is provided around the periphery of the aperture 82 at the upstream end of the annular retaining member 82 to assist in retaining the foam filter 10 in the annular retaining member 82.

[0143] In use water from the container can flow into the interior of the support housing 8, through the foam filter 10 and to the ceramic disc 9. Here flow is regulated by the porosity of the ceramic disc 9, and the water at the allowed rate can flow into the bore 32 of the joining member 3 and onwards to the wicking material receiving portion 7. Then with the device fully assembled for operation water can be distributed into the surroundings via the wicking material as in the devices mentioned above.

[0144] As mentioned the ceramic disc 9 is arranged to control the fluid flow rate through the watering device W. The fluid flow rate through the ceramic disc 9 may be selected by varying the pore size and percentage porosity, the percentage by volume of the component occupied by the pores, of the ceramic disc 9. The fluid flow rate through the ceramic disc 9 may be increased, for example, by increasing the pore size and/or increasing the percentage porosity. In one example, the pore size is 1 um and the percentage porosity is roughly 40-50%.

[0145] In an alternative watering device not shown in the Figures, the ceramic element has a conical shape. In this or other alternatives the ceramic element may engage a remainder of the device directly, thus removing the need for a support housing. In yet other alternatives a support housing may be provided without the present basket like filter receiving structureand rather say just a circular recess to accept a foam filter elementor further still provided with no filter receiving portion.

[0146] Overall the present type of watering devices can allow the user to create an effective, and controllable, watering device arrangement whilst making use of an everyday object (which otherwise might be discarded).