US3866351A

US3866351A - Potted plant display devices

Info

Publication number: US3866351A
Application number: US364007A
Authority: US
Inventors: Barnell L Cobia
Original assignee: GREEN ISLAND INTERNATIONAL Inc
Current assignee: GREEN ISLAND INTERNATIONAL Inc
Priority date: 1973-05-25
Filing date: 1973-05-25
Publication date: 1975-02-18
Anticipated expiration: 1992-02-18
Also published as: CA993657A

Abstract

A display device for potted plants includes a molded plastic receptacle for the potted plants and an underlying molded plastic tray. The receptacle has a reservoir area for excess water and an internal weir structure with an overflow outlet and passage for conveying excess water to the tray therebelow. The tray has risers adapted to fit into the tapering structure that provides weir and overflow passages. The pots are supported on spaced supports that elevate the pots above the bottom wall of the receptacle and provisions are made to provide uniformly oriented vertically extending capillary passages by means of a structure that cooperates with the molded plastic supports in defining the passages. Various arrangements for providing the capillary passages from molded parts are shown.

Description

[ Feb. 18, 1975 POTTED PLANT DISPLAY DEVICES [75] Inventor: Barnell L. Cobia, Winter Garden,

Fla.

[73] Assignee: Green Island International, Inc.,

Winter Garden, Fla.

[22] Filed: May 25, 1973 [2]] Appl. No.: 364,007

[52] US. Cl. 47/38.l {51] Int. Cl AOIg 27/00 [58] Field of Search 47/38, 38.1, 1.2, 34

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 665,502 l/l90l Boggs 47/38.1 1,623,720 4/1927 Ellis 47/38 3,676,953 7/1972 Delognc 47/38.l

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 699,880 12/1940 Germany 1,168,485 12/1958 France 603,978 10/1934 Germany Primary Examiner-Robert E. Bagwill Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Roger L. Martin, Esq.

57 ABSTRACT A display device for potted plants includes a molded plastic receptacle for the potted plants and an under lying molded plastic tray. The receptacle has a reservoir area for excess water and an internal weir structure with an overflow outlet and passage for conveying excess water to the tray therebelow. The tray has risers adapted to fit into the tapering structure that provides weir and overflow passages. The pots are supported on spaced supports that elevate the pots above the bottom wall of the receptacle and provisions are made to provide uniformly oriented vertically extending capillary passages by means of a structure that cooperates with the molded plastic supports in defining the passages. Various arrangements for providing the capillary passages from molded parts are shown.

17 Claims, 19 Drawing Figures PATENIEBF 3.866351 snm'aurs 1 POTTED PLANT DISPLAY DEVICES This invention relates to display devices for potted plants and more particularly to display devices that are made of molded plastic materials.

Live plants which are commonly found in the marketplace and which are suitable for the indoor growth by the purchaser are usually marketed in growing pots that are either made of porous material such as clay or of molded synthetic plastic materials such as polystyrene and polypropylene to mention but a few of the synthetic materials commonly used for such purposes. Both types of growing pots lack the decorative features which are considered compatible with the decor of many retail display and household living areas. Hence the use of displaydevices that tend to obscure the growing pots from view has become common practice. Such display devices, sometimes called planters and jardinieres," usually have a receptacle which is adapted to receive and support the potted plant and which has side walls that tend to hide the growing pot from view and thus present a more decorative surrounding for the potted plant.

The growing pots used for containing the soil have a drainage opening that is usually found in the bottom wall of the pot and the receptacle for the growing pot serves the added function of providing a reservoir area for excess water that is used in watering the plants. The receptacles of the more conventional display devices make no provisions for supporting the growing pot above the bottom wall of the receptacle. Because of this, one frequently encounters an accumulation of excess water in the receptacle and which basically sets up a water table that encompasses the root system of the plant in the growing pot. This leads to root deterioration and frequently to the ultimate demise of the growing plant.

Various prior art suggestions have been made with the thought in mind of providing a display device which would avoid setting up a water table in the soil of the growing pot and simultaneously incorporate selfwatering features. All of these prior art suggestions provide some type of means for supporting the growing pots spacedly above the bottom wall of the receptacle so that the water collects in the intervening reservoir area without setting up a water table in which the plant roots are immerged. To provide a self-watering feature, the prior art has suggested the use of absorbent materials and wicks as a means for drawing the water from the reservoir area to the bottom of the supported growing pot but the use of wicks and absorbent materials that provide the desired capillary action have not foundplay devices the prior art trend has been to provide special structural features which enable the wick or absorbent material to project through the drainage openings in the bottom wall of the plastic growing pot so as to provide a direct delivery of the water to the soil. Such is unnecessary of course with the porous clay-type growing pots since such pots readily absorb water through physical contact with the absorbent materials wide acceptance in the marketplace. It has been found that the humus and other potting materials has a tendency to become entangled with the fibers of the absorbent materials and wicks so that it is difficult to clean the display receptacle. Additionally, much of the potand in turn distribute the water to the contained potting material.

A general object of the invention is to provide improved display devices for potted plants. One particular object of the invention is to provide a display device that incorporates self-watering features and which can be readily cleaned to remove humus and other soil particles that become dislodged from the growing pots. Yet another object is to provide a display device for potted plants which embodies features that avoid prolonged and unnecessary immersion of the plant roots in the growing pot due to over watering. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a self-watering display device for potted plants which may be made from molded plastic materials. Another object is to embody in a potted plant display device a reservoir overflow arrangement so that excess water in the reservoir can flow to a separate receptacle or underlying tray without carrying particles of soil or dirt onto the visible side wall areas of the growing pot receptacle. Still a further object is to provide such a device which is inexpensive to manufacture and readily assembled by the user.

The display device in accord with the invention has a molded plastic receptacle in which the plant pot is housed and forms a water reservoir area that overlies the bottom wall of the receptacle. The plant pot is supported spacedly above the bottom wall on a molded plastic structure and means which includes this molded plastic structure is located in the reservoir to provide a plurality of uniformly oriented vertically extending capillary passages that terminate at the upper surface of the plastic structure on which the plant pot is supported. The support for the plant pot may be integrally molded with the bottom wall structure of the receptacle or be provided as a separately molded component and certain aspects of the invention, as will be subsequently seen, have to do with the provision of a separate component that cooperates with the support in forming the capillary passages. Other aspects of the invention however rely on the structure of the support to provide the capillary passages.

Other aspects of the invention contemplate a display device which is equipped with an underlying tray for the plant pot receptacle and the receptacle is equipped with an overflow passage that enables excess water to be conveyed to the underlying tray. The overflow passage is located in the reservoir area and confined between the peripheral walls of the receptacle for the plant pot. This is accomplished by providing an internal weir structure that is integrally molded with the bottom wall of the plastic structure and which terminates at its upper end in the overflow outlet. The walls of the weir structure are inclined to facilitate molding procedures and the arrangement provides a tapering passage for conveying overflow water from the reservoir to the underlying tray and facilitates the use of molded protuberances in the tray structure to fit in the passageway in a manner such as to form a frictional locking arrangement between the receptacle and underlying tray.

The novel features which are believed to becharacteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a display device embodying the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device seen in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken generally along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 2 and shows in broken lines a conventional growing pot as received in one of the compartments of the display device;

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the display device seen in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the underlying tray structure shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 inclusive;

FIG. 6 is a transverse elevational sectional view through the tray as seen along the lines 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view through the tray as seen along the lines 7-7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view of one of the growing pots supports together with adjacent structure that cooperates in forming the capillary passageways, the view being generally seen along the lines 8-8 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is an elevational sectional view as taken along the lines 99 of FIG. 8, with a fragment of a growing pot resting on the support being depicted in broken lines; 1

FIG. 10 is a plan view similar to that shown in FIG. 8 but shows a modified arrangement for providing the potted plant support and capillary passageways;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken generally along the lines 11-11 of the modified arrangement shown in FIG. 10, with a fragment of a growing pot resting on the support being depicted in broken lines;

FIG. 12 is a plan view similar to that shown in FIG. 8 and which illustrates yet another modified arrangement for providing a potted plant support and capillary passageways;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the lines 13-13 of the modified arrangement shown in FIG. 12, with a fragment ofa growing pot resting on the support being depicted in broken lines;

FIG. 14 is a plan view similar to that shown in FIG. 8 and which shows yet another modified arrangement for providing a potted plant support and capillary passageways;

FIG. 15 is 'a sectional view taken generally along the lines 15-15 of the modified arrangement shown in FIG. 14, with a fragment of a growing pot resting on the support being depicted in broken lines;

FIG. 16 is a plan view similar to that shown in FIG. 8 and shows yet another modified arrangement for providing the potted plant support and capillary passageways;

FIG. 17 is a view taken generally along the lines 17-17 of the modified arrangement shown in FIG. 16,

- with a fragment of a growing pot resting on the support being depicted in broken lines;

FIG. 18 is a plan view similar to that shown in FIG. 8 and shows still another modified arrangement for providing a potted plant support and capillary passageways;

FIG. 19 is a side elevational view of the modified arrangement seen in FIG. 18 with certain parts broken away, the view also depicting in broken lines a growing pot resting on the support.

Reference is first made to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 through 9 inclusive and wherein the potted plant display device is generally depicted at 10. The device includes a molded plastic receptacle 11 and a molded plastic tray 12 that underlies the receptacle II in the assembled device 10. The molded plastic receptacle 11 is adapted to house a growing pot 16 for a potted plant and has a water reservoir area 20 that overlies the horizontally oriented bottom wall 15 of the receptacle. The receptacle is equipped with overflow outlets as will be subsequently seen and the underlying tray structure is adapted to receive the overflow water from the reservoir area.

The receptacle 11 in the embodiment illustrated is designed to receive three potted plants for display purposes but it will be apparent that theprinciples of the invention may be embodied in display devices that are designed to house one or more plant pots. Receptacle 11 has spaced apart opposite side walls 13 and spaced apart opposite end walls 14. These walls are integrally joined together and to the horizontal bottom wall 15 in the molding process by which they are formed.

Walls

13 and 14, as in conventional display devices of the nature contemplated, rise sufficiently high enough to generally obscure the growing pot 16 from view, as is generally evident in FIG. 3.

Receptacle 11 has a pair of weirs 17 that are spaced apart and molded integral with the bottom wall structure 15 and located in the space between the

peripheral walls

13 and 14 of receptacle 11. Each of the weirs rises above wall 15 and defines a narrow transversely extending overflow outlet 18 from the reservoir area 20. In the embodiment illustrated, the receptacle 11 is equipped with two weirs 17 that are positioned to divide the receptacle 11 into three compartments that are generally designated at 19. These weirs 17 are offset from both the side walls 13 and end walls 14 of the receptacle 11 as seen in FIG. 3 and each is hollow to provide a passage 26 that communicates with the overflow outlet in the weir structure so as to receive and deliver the overflow water from the reservoir area to the underlying tray 12.

The tray 12 has spaced apart opposite side walls 21 and spaced apart opposite end walls 22 and these

walls

21 and 22 are integrally joined to the bottom wall structure 23 in the process of molding the tray as generally seen in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. The bottom wall 23 is equipped with exteriorly located longitudinally extending narrow side shoes 24 adjacent the end walls 22 in the molded structure and these shoes rest upon the supporting surface for the display device 10. The bottom wall 23 of the tray 12 has a pair of transversely spaced and hollow truncated conical risers (designated at 25) that are associated with each of the weirs 17 in the structure of the receptacle. Each pair of risers 25 is adapted to fit in the tapering passage 26 of the overlying weir structure 17 of the assembled display device 10 and frictionally engage the weir structure in the discharge opening 27 of the passage so as to provide a locking arrangement that maintains the tray and receptacle in the assembled condition. The risers or protuberances 25 from wall 23 are of course spaced apart to avoid fully obstructing the discharge opening 27 of passage 26. As best seen in FIG. 3, the opposite side walls 28 of the weirs converge together as they rise to the overflow outlet 18 and the opposite end walls 29 of the weirs 17 conform to the contour of the truncated risers 25. This provides an arrangement where the passage 26 tapers from the discharge opening 27 to the overflow outlet thereabove and enables a pair of risers or protuberances 25 to snuggly fit in and frictionally engage the weir structure in the discharge opening 27.

Like the weir structure 17, the risers 25 are hollow and at the bottom of each pair of risers 25 the tray 12 is provided with an oblong shoe 31 that rests upon the supporting surface for the tray in a manner similar to shoes 24.

Each compartment 19 is equipped in the illustrated embodiment with four substantially rigid plastic support components 35 that are spaced apart and molded integral in the bottom wall to provide a means for supporting the growing pot of a potted plant housed in the compartment spacedly above the bottom wall structure 15.

The conventional molded plastic growing pots l6 normally have four drainage openings and the supports are spaced apart to adequately carry out their intended function in the areas of these openings. Other arrangements may, of course, be used.

Each of these support components 35 are adapted and so-equipped with a removable open ended hollow sleeve component 36 as to provide a plurality of uniformly oriented and vertically extending parallel capillary passages 37, the walls defining the passages which by capillary action draw water from the bottom wall of the receptacle upwardly to the bottom wall 38 (see FIG. 9) of the growing pot 39 housed in the compartment. The plastic growing pots commonly used, as those skilled in the art are well aware, are equipped with one or more drainage openings in the bottom wall such as that depicted at 40 in FIG. 9 and the growing pot supporting structures 35 are spaced apart in the bottom wall structure of the receptacle so as to provide an upper surface 41 that is arranged to contact the bottom wall 38 of the pot 39 in the approximate area of at least one of the drainage openings 40 so that one or more of the capillary passages provided at the supporting surfaces will be aligned with the drainage opening and hence be in the position to deliver water to the potting material contained in the pot and which normally projects through the drainage openings sufficiently far enough to make contact with the capillary openings at the supporting surface of the supports and thus capable of absorbing the water delivered by the capillaries. The need for providing special structure to provide capillaries that extend through the drainage openings has been found unnecessary.

As best seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, the supports 35 have a generally cylindrical contour in the embodiment illustrated and wherein the vertically oriented peripheral wall 42 is equipped with a plurality of laterally spaced arcuate channels which extend vertically between the bottom wall 15 of the receptacle and the upper surface 41 of the support. The sleeve on the other hand is equipped with a cylindrical inner wall 43 and in the assembled capillary structure snuggly fits on the support in a coaxial arrangement so that the inner wall 43 frictionally engages the peripheral wall 42 between the channels 44. The walls 43 and 44 accordingly define the capillary passages 37 in the assembly. The sleeves are preferably substantially rigid and made from molded plastic material so as to be readily removed from the supports for purposes of cleaning out clogged passages and to facilitate a proper orientation of the sleeve on the support structure which will provide an inlet opening 45 adjacent the bottom wall 15 for each capillary and an outlet opening 46 that is located at the perimeter of the upper surface 41. The bottom wall 15 is equipped with three spacer elements 47 that are integrally molded in the bottom wall in a circumferentially spaced arrangement with respect to the axes of the sleeve and support so as to provide stops that are located below and contacted by the sleeve when it is inserted on the support. These stops also serve to maintain an entranceway for the water in the reservoir to pass between the lower end of the sleeve and the bottom wall to the inlet openings 45 of the capillaries.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 through 3 inclusive, the opposite end walls 14 of the receptacle are provided with inclined channels 49 that serve as inlet spouts for receiving water that is poured into the reservoir. In the normal use of the display device the reservoir is filled by pouring water down the channels until such time as the water overflows the weirs l7 and passes via the overflow outlets l8 and passageways 26 into the tray structure 12. This overflow water of course can be readily observed by the plant caretaker and of course indicates that an adequate amount of water has been added to the receptacle. When the soil in the growing pots is dry at the time the reservoir is filled, there is a time lag between the time of overflow through the overflow outlets 18 and the time the water is absorbed in the soil to the point that there is surface moisture at the top of the growing pot. During this time lag, the level of the water in the reservoir will recede to the point at which there is practically no water table in the growing pot and in some instances to the point at which the level of the water in the reservoir is well below the upper surfaces 41 of the support components. Thereafter as the water evaporates from the soil and is dissipated through the plant structure, water is continuously fed to the growing pots through the capillary passages and which are designed to have a capillary rise that will provide water at the outlet openings 46 by capillary action so long as water is available at the inlets 45.

Other cooperating structural arrangements may be used to provide the capillary passages and reference is now made to a modified embodiment of this aspect of the invention shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. In this embodiment the supports 52 for the growing pot 53 are molded integral with the bottom wall 15 of the receptacle but the vertically extending peripheral wall 54 of each support has a cylindrical contour. The inner wall 55 of the hollow open ended sleeve 56 however is provided with parallel and vertically extending arcuate channels 57. Like the prior embodiment, the sleeve 56 is coaxially mounted on the cylindrical support 52 and is adapted and arranged so that the peripheral wall 54 frictionally engages the inner wall 55 between the laterally spaced channels 57 and provides in the assembly a plurality of uniformly oriented and vertically extending capillary passages 58. As in the prior embodiment, wall 15 is provided with spaced stop elements 59 that are integrally molded with the wall structure and located below the sleeve so that when the sleeve 56 is inserted on the support 52 the lower end of the sleeve engages and contacts the stop 59 while the upper end of the sleeve 56 falls inthe plane of the upper surface 60 that is arranged for contact with the bottom wall 61 of the supported growing pot 53.

The arrangement depicted in FIGS. 10 and 11 functions in a manner similar to that depicted in FIGS. 8 and 9 in that the sleeve 56 and support 52 cooperate in forming the vertically extending capillary passages 58 and provide an arrangement where the inlet openings 62 of the passages are located adjacent the bottom wall while the outlet openings 63 of the capillaries are located at the perimeter of the upper surface 60, so that water transported to the upper surface 60 by capillary action can pass into contact with potting material (not shown) in the area of the drainage opening 64 of the supported pot 53.

The arrangements depicted in FIGS. 8 through 11 inclusive provide an arrangement where the parts forming the capillaries can be readily molded and assembled and disassembled by an individual to remove obstructions such as dirt and soil that might otherwise clog up the passages.

Reference is now made to the arrangements shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 for providing the support and capillary passages. In this instance each support 70 for the growing pot designated at 67 is provided by a group of upright molded plastic elements 68 that are integrally molded with the bottom wall 15 of the receptacle and laterally spaced one from the other in the group in an arrangement such as to provide a plurality of uniformly oriented and vertically extending capillary passages 69. These passages 69 are defined by the confronting portions of the peripheral walls 71 of the elements 68 and which are seen in FIG. 13 as extending from the bottom wall 15 to the upper surface 72 that contacts the bottom wall of the pot and is formed by the coplanar arrangement of the upper end extremities 74 of the plas' tic elements 68. The elements are spaced apart in a parallel arrangement between the bottom wall 15 and upper surface 72 so that as the water recedes in the reservoir the space between the elements in the proximity of the bottom wall 15 can serve as inlet openings 75 for the water which is then transferred by capillary action upwardly in the grouped element arrangement to the outlet openings 76 of the passages. The arrangement depicted in FIGS. 12 and 13 has the advantage that the need for a sleeve or other cooperating structure which must be molded separately in order to form the passages is unnecessary.

Reference is now made to the modified arrangements shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. In this arrangement the molded plastic support 79 are molded separately and apart from the structure of the receptacle. The support shown in the embodiment comprises a molded plastic cylindrical section 80 that is equipped with a plurality of uniformly arranged holes 81 that are spaced apart in a parallel arrangement with the axis of the cylindrical section 80. The holes 81 open at the opposite ends 82 and 83 of the cylindrical section 80 and the lower end 83 of section 80 is equipped with a radially extending flange 84 that in turn is provided with spaced depending legs 85. The flange and legs are molded integral with section 80 and as seen in FIG. 15, the bottom wall 15 of the receptacle is provided with a circular recess 86 that serves as a well for collection of residual amounts of water as the reservoir is emptied. The surface 87 at the lower end of section 80 faces the bottom wall 17 in the arrangement and is spaced apart therefrom by the supporting legs that rest upon the wall structure. As in the previous embodiments the upper surface 88 of the support contacts the bottom wall 89 of the growing pot 90 in the area of the drainage opening 91 so that the pot is supported spacedly above the bottom wall. The holes 81 in the cylindrical section 80 of course provide a plurality of uniformly oriented and vertically extending capillary passages 92 and are arranged in the assembly such that the water is admitted at the inlets 93 and passes up through the section 80 by capillary action to the passage outlets 94. This embodiment has the advantage that the supports 80 can be removed from the receptacle to facilitate cleaning.

Reference is now made to the modified arrangement shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 and wherein each support component 96 is formed by a plurality of flat, planar, plastic plate-like elements 97 that are molded integral with the bottom wall 15 in an upright parallel arrangement in which the plates are spaced apart in a face to face arrangement that defines a plurality of vertically extending planar-type capillary passages 98. The upper edges 99 of the plates provide an upper surface in the support structure 96 which contacts the bottom wall 101 of the growing pot 102 in the area of the drainage opening 103. The plate-like elements 97 are spaced apart in parallel planes and the arrangement provides an inlet opening 104 in the proximity of the bottom wall 15 of the receptacle when the water recedes in the reservoir area and which of course is then transported upwardly between the plates by capillary action to the outlet openings provided by the plate at the upper surface of the supporting structure. This arrangement, like the arrangement depicted in FIGS. 12 and 13, has the advantage that both the capillary passages and supports are formed by one molding process.

Reference is now made to the modified arrangement shown in FIGS. 18 and 19. In this arrangement each of the support components 108 are molded integral with the bottom wall 15 of the receptacle and are shown in the form of an upright vertically extending cylindrical end element 109 in which the vertically oriented peripheral wall 110 is provided with a plurality of laterally spaced vertically extending V-shaped channels 111. These channels 111 extend between the upper supporting surface 112 for the growing pot 113 and the bottom wall 15 of the receptacle. The peripheral wall 110 in this instance is surrounded by a flexible sleeve 114 that snuggly fits on the support as seen in the drawings. The sleeve may be made of rubber tubing or of suitable plastic materials. The peripheral wall 110 surrounded by the flexible sleeve 1 14 presents an inner wall surface 115 that frictionally engages the peripheral wall 110 between the channels and thus cooperates in providing a plurality of vertically extending and uniformly oriented capillary passages 116 in a manner similar to that depicted in FIGS. 8 and 9. The lower end ofthe flexible sleeve 1 14 in the arrangement depicted is slightly offset from the bottom wall 15 so that the water in the reservoir can gain access to the inlet openings 117 of the passages and thus be transported to the outlet openings 1 l8 thereabove. The supports are arranged in a manner similar to that previously indicated and thus arranged so that the upper surface 112 contacts the bottom wall 119 of the pot 120 in the areaof the drainage opening From the previous description it will be apparent that capillary passages can be obtained for the purposes intended by molding procedures and have considerable advantage over arrangements that use wicks and absorbent materials. Furthermore, by the use of internally located weirs, one avoids the collecting of dirt and other particles at the exterior of the receptacle.

While only certain preferred embodiments of this invention have been shown and described by way of illustration, many modifications will occur to those skilled in the art and it is, therefore, desired that it be understood that it is intended herein to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed as new and what it is desired to secure by Letters Pat. of the United States is:

1. In a potted plant display device the improvement comprising a molded receptacle of water impervious plastic for housing a plant pot and which has a water reservoir with an underlying horizontally oriented bottom wall, and means in the reservoir defining a plurality of uniformly oriented vertically extending capillary passages, said means including a molded support of water impervious plastic that is supported by and rises above said bottom wall for supporting a plant pot housed in the receptacle spacedly above said bottom wall, said molded plastic support having an upper surface that is arranged to contact the bottom wall of a plant pot supported thereon, and each of said capillary passages having inlet and outlet openings that are respectively located at said underlying bottom wall and said upper surface, said improvement further comprising a molded tray of water impervious plastic for containing water and which underlies said underlying bottom wall, and said receptacle having an overflow outlet located over said tray and spacedly above said upper surface.

2. The improvement in accord with claim 1 where said underlying bottom wall and said molded support of water impervious plastic are integrally molded together.

3. The improvement in accord with claim 1 where said molded support of water impervious plastic rests on said underlying wall.

4. The improvement in accord with claim 1 where said receptacle has spaced apart opposite end walls that are molded integrally with said underlying bottom wall, where said overflow outlet is located in the space between said opposite side walls and between said end walls, and where said receptacle has a weir structure that rises above said underlying bottom wall and defines said overflow outlet.

5. The improvement in accord with claim 4 where said weir structure is molded integral with said underlying bottom wall and defines a passage that communicates with said overflow outlet for receiving overflow water from the reservoir and delivering said overflow water to the tray.

6. The improvement in accord with claim 5 where said tray has a bottom wall, where the passage defined by said weir structure has a discharge opening which is located over the bottom wall of the tray and beneath said overflow outlet, where the passage defined by said weir structure tapers from its discharge opening to said overflow outlet, and where said tray has means rising above the bottom wall of the tray and frictionally engaging the weir structure of the receptacle in the passage defined thereby.

7. The improvement in accord with'claim 6 where the means rising above the bottom wall of the tray comprises spaced protuberances that frictionally engage said weir structure in said discharge opening.

8. 'In a potted plant display device the improvement comprising a molded receptacle of water impervious plastic for housing a plant pot and which has a water reservoir with an underlying horizontally oriented bottom wall, and means in the reservoir defining a plurality of uniformly oriented vertically extending capillary passages, said means including a molded support of water impervious plastic that is supported by and rises above said bottom wall for supporting a plant pot housed in the receptacle spacedly above said bottom wall, said molded plastic support having an upper surface that is arranged to contact the bottom wall of a plant pot supported thereon, and each of said capillary passages having inlet and outlet openings that are respectively located at said underlying bottom wall and said upper surface, said molded plastic support having a vertically oriented peripheral wall that extends between said upper surface and said underlying horizontally oriented bottom wall, and said means defining the capillary passages including sleeve means frictionally engaging said molded plastic support and having an inner wall that surrounds said peripheral wall and therewith defines said vertically extending capillary passages therebetween.

9. The improvement in accord with claim 8 where said sleeve means is a substantially rigid molded plastic element.

10. The improvement in accord with claim 9 where said underlying bottom wall has an integrally molded plastic stop element located below and in contact with said sleeve means.

11. The improvement in accord with claim 8 where said peripheral wall has a plurality of vertically extending channels.

12. The improvement in accord with claim 11 where said channels are arcuate in cross section.

13. The improvement in accord with claim 8 where said inner wall has a plurality of vertically extending channels.

14. The improvement in accord with claim 13 where said channels are arcuate in cross section.

15. In a potted plant display device the improvement comprising a molded receptacle of water impervious plastic for housing a plant pot and which has a water reservoir with an underlying horizontally oriented bottom wall, and means in the reservoir defining a plurality of uniformly oriented vertically extending capillary passages, said means including a molded support of water impervious plastic that is supported by and rises above said bottom wall for supporting a plant pot housed in the receptacle spacedly above said bottom wall, said molded plastic support having an upper surface that is arranged to contact the bottom wall of a plant pot supported thereon, and each of said capillary passages having inlet and outlet openings that are respectively located at said underlying bottom wall and said upper surface, said molded plastic support comprising a plurality of elongated upright plastic elements that are integrally molded with said underlying bottom wall, and said elements being laterally spaced from one another in a cooperating arrangement to define said vertically extending capillary passages.

16. In a potted plant display device the improvement comprising a molded receptacle of water impervious plastic for housing a plant pot and which has a water reservoir with an underlying horizontally oriented bottom wall, and means in the reservoir defining a plurality of uniformly oriented vertically extending capillary passages, said means including a molded support of water impervious plastic that is supported by and rises above said bottom wall for supporting a plant pot housed in the receptacle spacedly above said bottom wall, said molded plastic support having an upper surface that is arranged to contact the bottom wall of a plant pot supported thereon, and each of said capillary passages having inlet and outlet openings that are respectively located at said underlying bottom wall and said upper surface, said molded plastic support comprising a plurality of flat planar plastic plate-like elements that are spaced apart in parallel and in a face to face cooperating arrangement to define said vertically extending capillary passages.

17. In a potted plant display device the improvement comprising a molded receptacle of water impervious plastic for housing a plant pot and which has a water reservoir with an underlying horizontally oriented bottom wall, and means in the reservoir defining a plurality of uniformly oriented vertically extending capillary passages, said means including a molded support of water impervious plastic that is supported by and rises above said bottom wall for supporting a plant pot housed in the receptacle spacedly above said bottom wall, said molded plastic support having an upper surface that is arranged to contact the bottom wall of a plant pot supported thereon, and each of said capillary passages having inlet and outlet openings that are respectively located at said underlying bottom wall and said upper surface, said molded plastic support having a lower surface which faces and is spaced from said underlying horizontally oriented bottom wall, said vertically extending capillary passages having opposite ends and communicating with the exterior of said molded plastic support at said opposite ends and through said upper surface and said lower surface respectively, and said molded plastic support having support means resting on said underlying bottom wall below said lower su rface.

Claims

7. The improvement in accord with claim 6 where the means rising above the bottom wall of the tray comprises spaced protuberances that frictionally engage said weir structure in said discharge opening.

8. In a potted plant display device the improvement comprising a molded receptacle of water impervious plastic for housing a plant pot and which has a water reservoir with an underlying horizontally oriented bottom wall, and means in the reservoir defining a plurality of uniformly oriented vertically extending capillary passages, said means including a molded support of water impervious plastic that is supported by and rises above said bottom wall for supporting a plant pot housed in the receptacle spacedly above said bottom wall, said molded plastic support having an upper surface that is arranged to contact the bottom wall of a plant pot supported thereon, and each of said capillary passages having inlet and outlet openings that are respectively located at said underlying bottom wall and said upper surface, said molded plastic support having a vertically oriented peripheral wall that extends between said upper surface and said underlying horizontally oriented bottom wall, and said means defining the capillary passages including sleeve means frictionally engaging said molded plastic support and having an inner wall that surrounds said peripheral wall and therewith defines said vertically extending capillary passages therebetween.

17. In a potted plant display device the improvement comprising a molded receptacle of water impervious plastic for housing a plant pot and which has a water reservoir with an underlying horizontally oriented bottom wall, and means in the reservoir defining a plurality of uniformly oriented vertically extending capillary passages, said means including a molded support of water impervious plastic that is supported by and rises above said bottom wall for supporting a plant pot housed in the receptacle spacedly above said bottom wall, said molded plastic support having an upper surface that is arranged to contact the bottom wall of a plant pot supported thereon, and each of said capillary passages having inlet and outlet openings that are respectively located at said underlying bottom wall and said upper surface, said molded plastic support having a lower surface which faces and is spaced from said underlying horizontally oriented bottom wall, said vertically extending capillary passages having opposite ends and communicating with the exterior of said molded plastic support at said opposite ends and through said upper surface and said lower surface respectively, and said molded plastic support having support means resting on said underlying bottom wall below said lower surface.