IP Library Granted Patent US 8,371,066
Granted Patent B2
US 8,371,066 · App. 10/547,144 · Granted Feb 12, 2013

Water storage device for growing a lawn surface

Inventor: Bernard Mathy (Bellignat, FR)
Assignee: PRM
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,371,066
App. No.
10/547,144
Granted
Feb 12, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

The invention relates to a device comprising a trough ( 2 ) with a base wall ( 4 ) and side walls ( 5 ), said trough ( 2 ) designed to contain a liquid and a tray ( 3 ) for placing in the trough ( 2 ), for supporting a growing substrate with at least one well ( 15 ), the bottom of which communicates with the liquid in the trough ( 2 ) each of which has an adjacent breaking zone ( 7, 12 ), the cutting of which permits the device to be divided up.

Claims (22)

1. A device with a store of water for growing a lawned surface, comprising:

a trough having a bottom wall, side walls, and a plurality of sections, so as to allow said trough to contain a liquid; and

a tray having a plurality of sections fitting into the trough, each section being configured to support a growing substrate while nested within said trough, and having at least one well with a bottom surface, the well communicating with the liquid contained in the trough, each section of the tray including a substantially flat portion surrounding a relatively upper portion of the at least one well,

wherein the trough includes a frangible region between the sections and delimited by vertical partitions extending from the bottom wall, and the tray includes a frangible region between the sections and delimited by ribs traversing the tray and extending from said substantially flat portion over a lesser height than said partitions, said tray including a different geometry from said trough via at least a differences between respective positions and extents of said partitions and said ribs on said trough and said tray,

wherein the vertical partitions and ribs create boundaries along the frangible regions of the trough and the tray respectively, the boundaries of the trough and the tray being in continuous alignment across and entire width of the tray,

wherein the partitions and the ribs are disposed in substantial vertical alignment with each other, the frangible regions of the trough and the tray are disposed in substantial vertical alignment with each other, and a severing of the frangible regions divides the sections of the tray and trough from the device, wherein the trough has, in the side walls, a shoulder placed at a height equal to that of the partitions, and against which a periphery of the tray rests, and wherein at least one notch is made in a peripheral rim of the trough.

2. The device with a store of water as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the bottom wall of the trough makes an angle of less than 90° with one of the side walls of the tray when said one of the side walls is disposed in said trough.

3. The device with a store of water as claimed in one of claim 1 , wherein the sections of the trough have a square shape exhibiting two frangible regions connecting middles of two opposite sides of the trough.

4. The device with a store of water as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one clip is fitted over the upper part of the wall, the clip resting against the tray.

5. The device with a store of water according to as claimed in claim 1 , wherein slots are pierced in a bottom wall of the well.

6. The device with a store of water as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the frangible regions of the tray are supported by the by the partitions of the trough at an area of the substantial vertical alignment between the partitions and the ribs.

7. The device with a store of water as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the substantially flat portion surrounding the well includes a greater surface area than a bottom surface of the well, said tray including a different geometry from said trough additional to said partitions and ribs via at least a presence of said substantially flat portion.

8. A device with a store of water for growing a lawned surface, comprising:

a trough having a bottom wall, side walls, and a plurality of sections, so as to allow said trough to contain a liquid, and

a tray having a plurality of sections fitting into the trough, each section being configured to support a growing substrate while nested within said trough and having at least one well with a bottom surface, the well communicating with the liquid contained in the trough, each section of the tray including a substantially flat portion surrounding a relatively upper portion of the at least one well,

wherein the trough includes a frangible region between the sections and delimited by vertical partitions extending from the bottom wall, and the tray includes a frangible region between the sections and delimited by ribs traversing the tray and extending from said substantially flat portion over a lesser height than said partitions, said tray including a different geometry from said trough via at least a differences between respective positions and extents of said partitions and said ribs on said trough and said tray,

wherein the vertical partitions and ribs create boundaries along the frangible regions of the trough and the tray respectively, the boundaries of the trough and the tray being in continuous alignment across and entire width of the tray,

wherein the partitions and the ribs are disposed in substantial vertical alignment with each other, the frangible regions of the trough and the tray are disposed in substantial vertical alignment with each other,

wherein the trough has a shoulder disposed entirely at an interior of the side walls and at a height below the side walls and substantially equal to that of the partitions, and against which a periphery of the tray rests, a periphery the substantially flat portion of the well of the tray resting against the internal shoulder, and

wherein a severing of the frangible regions divides the sections of the tray and trough from the device at the height of the shoulder and partitions wherein the trough has, in the side walls, a shoulder placed at a height equal to that of the partitions, and against which a periphery of the tray rests, and wherein at least one notch is made in a peripheral rim of the trough.

9. The device with a store of water as claimed in claim 8 , wherein said at least one notch crosses through an upper part of the side walls of the trough above the internal shoulder.

10. The device with a store of water as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the substantially flat portion surrounding the well includes a greater surface area than a bottom surface of the well, said tray including a different geometry from said trough additional to said partitions and ribs via at least a presence of said substantially flat portion.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 21, 2005
From: MATHY, BERNARD
To: PRM
Reel/Frame 017252/0369 →
Priority Claims (1)
FR 03 02289 · Feb 25, 2003 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20070130828A1 · Jun 14, 2007