Self-watering smartpot made of recycled waste

Abstract

A climate adaptive smartpot made of recycled waste (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) has an insulated decorative outer layer. The smartpot (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) has a recycled waste plastic container (104, 304) as a middle part. The recycled waste plastic container (104, 304) has a plurality of water overflow holes (110, 210), and the bottom portion serves as a water reservoir (114). A platform (116) extends from the bottom portion of the recycled plastic container to a top of the plurality of water overflow holes (110, 210). The smartpot (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) has an inner porous felt bag (106, 306). A plurality of wicks (129, 529) is attached to a bottom of the porous felt bag at a first end (131, 531). A funnel (124, 424) is positioned between the recycled waste plastic container (104, 304) and the porous felt bag (106, 306).

Description

[0001] SELF- WATERING SMARTPOT MADE OF RECYCLED WASTE

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a smartpot made of recycled waste, and particularly relates to a climate-adaptive self- watering and decorative smartpot for balconies and urban built-up areas that continuously maintains an optimum temperature range and a moisture level in the root zone despite cyclical daily and monthly ambient temperature changes and human plant care habits.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0005] The development of multi-storeyed buildings in urban built-up areas has created a heat trap effect in cities due to the great increase in the surface area for heat absorption by extensive concrete structures. Concrete- a significant component of these structures-efficiently traps, absorbs, and retains a huge amount of heat which notably raises the ambient air temperature within and around urban homes.

[0006] Balconies are essentially one or two side open concrete boxes which further amplify the heat trap effect in an urban home, resulting in further increased ambient home temperatures.

[0007] On such urban balconies, plants evolutionarily accustomed to a standard and constant root zone temperature of around 22 degrees Celsius, consequently face consistent cyclic thermal stress due to the intensified heat within their microenvironment. This stress manifests as poor plant growth and premature death, exacerbated by direct exposure to solar radiation and hot air. Addressing this issue is crucial to sustain healthy plant life in urban balcony settings.

[0008] Further, the mismatch of human watering practices versus tree-determined water and nutrient needs may also be responsible for the death of the plants. Watering the plant at the surface of the soil (as is usual in a traditional pot) creates sharp moisture spikes concentrated mostly in the upper part of the root zone. These human-initiated soil moisture spikes are further mismatched in time to tree-determined moisture needs at its root tips. These lead to water and nutrients unavailability at time and place of maximum plant need, therefore wasting water and nutrients. Such daily water and nutrient shocks for most part of the year commonly result in poor growth and early plant death in traditionally potted plants kept in balconies.

[0009] Furthermore, the present world is facing the challenge of proper management of the enormous amount of plastic and textile waste. The severity of the plastic pollution exerts an adverse effect on the environment and total ecosystem. The plastic and textile waste include huge amounts of post-consumer waste of plastic containers, used clothing, PET bottles, multi-layered plastic (MLP) packaging, etc. Added to this problem, cities with trees and gardens face the challenge of disposing the leaf waste they generate. The urban leaf waste needs to be diverted away from the commonly employed disposal solution of burning them to avoid polluting air, water, and land.

[0010] Therefore, there is a need for an adaptive natural solution that passively and sustainably cools the root zone of balcony trees to the natural plant sustaining temperature and avoids global boiling and increasingly unprecedented and unbearable hot weather, and at the same time addresses the problems created by waste plastic, waste fabric and urban leaf waste. There are no integrated solutions exist to address all of the above problems.

[0011] SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0012] In an aspect, a self-watering smartpot made of recycled waste for balconies and urban built-up areas is disclosed. The smartpot made of recycled waste has an insulated decorative outer layer. The insulated decorative outer layer is made of recycled waste pre-coloured fabric. The smartpot made of recycled waste has a middle part, which is a recycled waste plastic container. The recycled waste plastic container has a plurality of water overflow holes. A bottom portion of the recycled waste plastic container below the plurality of water overflow holes is configured to serve as a water reservoir. There is a recycled waste plastic platform extending from the bottom portion of the recycled plastic container to a top of the plurality of water overflow holes. The smartpot made of recycled waste has an inner part that is a porous felt bag. The porous felt bag is placed above the platform to create an air gap between the bottom of the porous felt bag and a maximum water level in the water reservoir. A plurality of wicks is attached to a bottom of the porous felt bag at a first end. The plurality of wicks dip into the water till the bottom portion of the water reservoir at a second end. A funnel is positioned between the recycled waste plastic container and the porous felt bag. The water funnel extends from a top to a bottom of the recycled waste plastic container. The smartpot made of recycled waste reproduces the self-sufficient nurture conditions and natural growth dynamics organically available to a tree of a forest in a rootzone of a plant potted in the smartpot in balconies and urban built-up areas.

[0013] In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a carbon-negative, climatepositive, and climate-adaptive self-watering smart pot made of materials recycled from post-consumer waste.

[0014] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0015] The disclosed process will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying figures in which:

[0016] Fig. 1 illustrates a smartpot made of recycled waste, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

[0017] Fig. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the bottom portion of the smartpot, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

[0018] Fig. 3 illustrates an exploded view of the outer, middle and inner parts of the smartpot, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

[0019] Fig. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the funnel assembly, according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and

[0020] Fig. 5 illustrates an exploded view of the self-watering system, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Further, persons skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the figures by conventional symbols, and the figures may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the figures with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

[0021] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0022] For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the figures and specific language will be used to describe them. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Such alterations and further modifications to the disclosure, and such further applications of the principles of the disclosure as described herein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure relates are deemed to be a part of this disclosure.

[0023] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the disclosure and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.

[0024] The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such a process or a method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components preceded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices, other sub-systems, other elements, other structures, other components, additional devices, additional sub-systems, additional elements, additional structures, or additional components. Appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment”, “in another embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

[0025] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

[0026] Climate adaptive refers to taking action to prepare for and adjust to both the current and projected impacts of climate change.

[0027] Recycled refers to increase in life and usage of a product or its constituent materials and may or may not include a change in its form. It includes new application of old waste and may or may not cater to a different consumer than that of its initial usage.

[0028] Waste includes material that has been discarded after being considered unfit or devoid of its initial usage. Waste fabric includes pre-consumer waste textile or postconsumer waste clothing.

[0029] Pre-consumer waste textile includes pieces of fabric generated during manufacturing of finished textile products, including but not limiting to shirts, pants, and other clothing items.

[0030] Post-consumer waste clothing includes but not limited to discarded garments by a consumer after usage.

[0031] Waste plastic container includes but not limited to used paint buckets

[0032] The smartpot made of recycled waste is an insulated, triple-walled, evaporatively cooled, self-watering and air-pruning planter integrated with soil less media. The smartpot is made entirely of recycled post-consumer waste materials in distinctive decorative colours. The smartpot can replicate the forest floor in any balcony from 100% recycled materials. It recreates the natural nurturing dynamics of the forest floor, fostering optimal plant growth on any balcony. It encompasses the seven key elements of nature and is exclusively crafted from recycled waste.

[0033] 1. Constant cool temperature: Continuously maintains optimum temperature range in the rootzone despite cyclical and extreme daily or monthly ambient temperature changes.

[0034] 2. Water supply matched to plant’s diurnal and seasonal demand: Ensures the optimum quantum of water supply in rootzone as per the plant’s fluctuating and times diurnal and seasonal demand.

[0035] 3. Aerobic nutrient breakdown: Ensures high nutrient availability in rootzone by continuous aerobic processing and beneficiating of plant nutrients by aerobic biome in rich leafy soil medium.

[0036] 4. Space-optimised roots: Air prunes roots and promotes healthy root structure and growth within the specific space available for root zone.

[0037] 5. No water and nutrients wastage: Ensuring optimum usage of available water and nutrients resources for plant sustenance and growth.

[0038] 6. Circular design: Sustainably recycles and harnesses for plant growth all locally available materials and is climate adaptive.

[0039] 7. Built to last with low maintenance: Needs little human intervention to sustainably last for decades.

[0040] The smartpot reproduces the conditions required for plant growth found in forests. This is because it combines all the necessary conditions for plant growth and does the same using only recycled urban waste material. There are three essential components to nurturing a plant, namely optimal temperature, nutrient supply as per demand, and water supply as per demand. The disclosed smartpot provides all the three essential components.

[0041] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 1, the smartpot made of recycled waste 100 is an insulated triple walled pot and includes an outer layer made of a recycled waste pre-coloured fabric 102, a middle part as a a recycled waste plastic container 104 and an inner part having a porous felt bag 106 made of waste plastic. The porous felt bag 106 contains enriched soil-less media 108. The surface of the enriched soil-less media 108 has a layer of decorative balls 118 made from pre consumer waste textile or postconsumer waste clothing. The smartpot made of recycled waste 100 comprises a water reservoir 114 positioned at a bottom of the recycled waste plastic container 104. The recycled waste plastic container 104 comprises a plurality of water overflow holes 110 located at a height above the bottom of the waste plastic container in direct proportion to the volume of water stored in the water reservoir 114. A platform 116 made of recycled waste plastic is placed below the porous felt bag and creates an air gap 128 between the bottom of the porous felt bag and the maximum water level. The porous felt bag 106 comprises a plurality of wicks 129 wherein each of the plurality of wicks 129 is made of pre consumer waste textile or post-consumer waste clothing. A first end 131 of the plurality of wicks 129 is knotted together above and inside the bottom of the porous felt bag 106 and a second end reaches down to the bottom of the water reservoir 114. A water funnel 124 is positioned between the recycled waste plastic container 104 and the porous felt bag 106. The water funnel 124 extends from a top to a bottom of the recycled waste plastic container 104. A long shaft with a floater 120 at a first end, and a water level indicator 126 at a second end extending above a mouth of the funnel 124 is placed inside the water funnel to visibly mark the level of water in the water reservoir 114. The water funnel 424 extends from a top to a bottom of the waste plastic container. Fig. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the bottom section of the smartpot 200, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The smartpot 200 includes the platform 216 made of recycled waste plastic and is placed below the porous felt bag and create an air gap between the bottom of the porous felt bag. A plurality of water overflow holes 210 is located at a height above the bottom of the waste plastic container in direct proportion to the volume of water stored in the water reservoir.

[0043] Fig. 3 illustrates an exploded view of the outer, middle, and inner parts of the smartpot 300, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The smartpot 300 includes the outer layer which is a recycled waste pre-coloured fabric 302. The middle part of the smartpot 300 is a post-consumer waste plastic container 304. This forms the skeletal base of the smartpot 300. The inner part has a porous felt 306 made from recycled post-consumer waste PET bottles. The porous felt bag 306 contains enriched soil-less media 308 for a plant to grow.

[0044] Fig. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the funnel and its allied parts of the smartpot 400, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. A water funnel 424 is positioned between the waste plastic container and the porous felt bag. The water funnel 424 extends from a top to a bottom of the waste plastic container. A long shaft 422 with a floater 420 at a first end, and a water level indicator 426 at a second end extending above a mouth of the funnel 424 is placed inside the water funnel to visibly mark the level of water in the water reservoir.

[0045] Fig. 5 illustrates an exploded view of the plurality of wicks of the smartpot 500, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The porous felt bag comprises a plurality of wicks 529 wherein each of the plurality of the wicks is made of pre consumer waste textile or post-consumer waste clothing. The first end 531 of the plurality of the wicks 529 is knotted together above and inside the bottom of the porous felt bag to form a knot 521. The second end 517 of the plurality of wicks reaches down to the bottom of the water reservoir.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 1, the smartpot 100 is an insulated triple walled pot that maintains optimal temperature in plant root zone through combined use of insulation and evaporative cooling mechanism maintains optimal root zone temperature. The middle part of the smartpot 100 is a post-consumer recycled waste plastic container 104. This forms the skeletal base of the smartpot. The inner part is a porous felt bag 106 made from recycled post-consumer waste PET bottles. Plant root zones face exposure to solar radiation and hot ambient air which can lead them to go into thermal shock. The optimal temperature range for growth of a plant in forests is a root zone temperature of approximately 22°C. To enable reproduction and maintenance of optimal root zone temperature as per naturally beneficial conditions, the smartpot 100 enables insulation and evaporative self-cooling.

[0047] The outer layer 102 of the smartpot 100 having minimum 5 mm. thickness is made from recycled pre-coloured fabric 102 from post-consumer waste clothing. The recycled waste pre-coloured fabric layer 102 is wrapped around the smartpot 100 that is exposed to solar thermal radiation and hot ambient air to insulate the root zone from daily thermal shock cycles and to maintain optimum root zone temperature.

[0048] The decorative balls 118 on the surface of the enriched soil-less media 108 are knotted fabric balls having a minimum 10 mm diameter made from post-consumer waste clothing. The decorative balls 118 are layered above the top surface of the enriched soil-less media 108 that is exposed to solar thermal radiation and hot ambient air. The decorative balls 118, thereby insulate the root zone from daily thermal shock cycles and maintain optimum root zone temperature.

[0049] The porous felt bag 106 of the smartpot 100 is an evaporative-cooled self-watering container made from recycled post-consumer waste PET bottles lowers the root zone temperature and maintains it within optimum range.

[0050] The plurality of wicks 129 built into the porous felt bag 106 makes water available for evaporative cooling on demand to the plant roots. The plurality of wicks 129 integrated into the porous inner felt bag 106 lifts water via capillary action and surface tension mechanism from the water reservoir 114 below. Evaporation of the water from the porous surface of the porous felt bag 106 cools the enriched soil- less media 108 and the root zone via vaporisation heat loss, thus maintaining optimum root zone temperature.

[0051] Adequate supply of water is created and maintained by the self-watering mechanism through the plurality of wicks 129. An airgap 128 between the porous felt bag 106 and the water reservoir 114 prevents direct contact with water and any overwatering.

[0052] The bottom area inside the recycled waste plastic container 104 serves as a water reservoir 114. A funnel 124 made of recycled unsegregated post-consumer waste plastics extends from the top of the recycled waste plastic container 104 to the bottom. The bottom of the funnel 124 is partially cut to enable water passage and stability while protecting it from clogging. A long shaft passes through the funnel 124 and is coupled to a floater 126 at the bottom. The position of the floater 126 is indicative of the water level inside the reservoir 114. When the floater is visible from the mouth of the funnel 124, it means that the water level is sufficient. The floater 126 moves downward with a decrease in the water level. Once the floater 126 reaches the bottom it is indicative that the reservoir needs to be refilled. To avoid overfilling of the water reservoir that can lead to overwatering, holes 110 are drilled at adequate heights into the sides of the recycled waste plastic container 104 to allow the excess water to escape. The funnel 124, the floater 126, the holes 110, and the water reservoir 114 constitute an integrated system to avoid the water overflow.

[0053] The plurality of water wicks 129 attached to the porous felt bag 106 of the smartpot 100 dips into the water reservoir 114 to facilitate on demand supply of water to the roots. This allows the plant to self-water itself as per its needs using surface tension and capillary action. It protects the plant from irregular human watering cycles which create a supply gap in both timing and quantity versus the plant’s diurnal and seasonal demand.

[0054] The airgap 128 between the porous felt bag 106 and the water reservoir 114 allows controlled wi eking of water through the plurality of wicks 129 and thus eliminate the risk of waterlogging. The airgap 128 also exposes a large surface area of the porous felt bag 106 to air for evaporatively cooling the root zone. The porous felt bag 106 is a porous oxygen permeable container, made from recycled postconsumer waste PET bottles. To eliminate the possibility of the porous felt bag 106 getting wet, it is elevated on the platform 116 made of recycled unsegregated postconsumer waste plastics. The platform 116 extends from the bottom of the water reservoir 114 to above the height of the overflow holes 110 and prop the porous felt bag 106 above the water surface. The airgap 128 is essential to the functioning of both the self-watering mechanism and the evaporative cooling mechanism.

[0055] The enriched soil-less media 108 is a potting mixture having leaf compost, organic compost and vermicompost. Urban leaf compost creates a nutrient rich mixture which is a lightweight substitute for soil. Therefore, it is conducive to balconies since it does not have the risk of overburdening urban construction. The enriched soil-less media 108 has light weight and ensures that the plant's nutrition needs are met. The enriched soil-less media 108 is aerobic and spongy urban leaf compost. The porous felt bag 106 is oxygen permeable and acts as an aerobic inner part. The porous felt bag 106 along with the enriched soil-less media 108 mimics the conditions of the forest floor as decaying plant matter is a primary source of nutrients that the forest plants and trees have. The porous felt bag 106 along with the enriched soil-less media 108 further allows the plant to bottom-feed. Bottom feeding ensures that the plant can extract nutrients according to its need at its own pace.

[0056] The smartpot 100 of the present disclosure has various advantages. The smartpot is made entirely of recycled post-consumer waste materials in distinctive decorative colours. The colours last for lifetime. The insulation layer is easily washable and quickly dries. The insulation layer is hygienic and anti -microbial. It is 100% sustainable- made from only post-consumer waste. It has bottom-feed self-watering mechanism that feeds only required quantity of water to the plant roots like the underground mechanism in ground soil. This avoids plant death by over or under watering. It has a tank-full indicator, thus avoiding water spillage on floor. The user may fill water tank once a week, thus need not worry, and may save efforts and water. The smartpot does not need de-weeding. The smartpot keeps tree root-zone cool and insulated at optimum underground soil temperature throughout the day in the long and blistering city summers. It provides aerobic root zone for optimal health and growth of the plants. It air prunes roots and promotes healthy root structure and growth within the specific space available for root zone The smartpot is ultra-durable and uses outdoors-certified materials. The smartpot has light weight, so it is portable. The smartpot is compact, space saving and modular. The smartpot is fungus and mold proof. The smartpot is child and pet safe. All parts of the smartpot are made from 100% local urban post-consumer waste materials.

[0057] The figures and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts necessarily need to be performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples. Numerous variations, whether explicitly given in the specification or not, such as differences in structure, dimension, and use of material, are possible. The scope of embodiments is at least as broad as given by the following claims.

Claims

AIM:

1. A self-watering smartpot (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) made of recycled waste for balconies and urban built-up areas, the smartpot (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) comprising: an insulated decorative outer layer, wherein the insulated decorative outer layer comprises recycled waste pre-coloured fabric (102, 302); a middle part comprising a recycled waste plastic container (104, 304), wherein the recycled waste plastic container (104, 304) has a plurality of water overflow holes (110, 210); wherein a bottom portion of the recycled waste plastic container below the plurality of water overflow holes is configured to serve as a water reservoir (114); a platform (116) extending from the bottom portion of the recycled plastic container to a top of the plurality of water overflow holes (110, 210); an inner part comprising a porous felt bag (106, 306), wherein the porous felt bag (106, 306) is placed above the platform (116) to create an air gap (128) between the bottom of the porous felt bag (106) and a maximum water level in the water reservoir (114); a plurality of wicks (129, 529) attached to a bottom of the porous felt bag at a first end (131, 531), and the plurality of wicks (129, 529) dip into the water till the bottom portion of the water reservoir at a second end (517); a funnel (124, 424) positioned between the recycled waste plastic container (104, 304) and the porous felt bag (106, 306), and wherein the water funnel (124, 424) extends from a top to a bottom of the recycled waste plastic container (104, 304); and a shaft (422) placed inside the funnel (124, 424), wherein the shaft has a floater (120, 420) at a first end, and a water level indicator (126, 426) at a second end extending above a mouth of the funnel (124, 424), wherein the water level indicator (126, 426) is configured to visibly mark the level of water inside the water reservoir (114), wherein the smartpot made of recycled waste (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) is configured to reproduce self-sufficient nurture conditions andnatural growth dynamics organically available to a tree of a forest in a rootzone of a plant potted in the smartpot (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) in balconies and urban built-up areas.

2. The smartpot (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recycled waste pre-coloured fabric (102, 302) is pre-consumer pre-coloured waste textile or post-consumer pre-coloured waste clothing in a form of strips, wherein the strips are configured to provide insulation to the smartpot made of recycled waste (100, 200, 300, 400, 500).

3. The smartpot (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the porous felt bag (106, 306) is made of recycled waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles.

4. The smartpot (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the porous felt bag (106, 306) contains enriched soil-less media (108), wherein the enriched soil-less media (108, 308) comprises composted and recycled urban leaf waste, and composted and recycled household and wet organic waste.

5. The smartpot made of recycled waste (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) as claimed in claim 4, wherein a layer of decorative balls (118) made from recycled waste pre-coloured fabric is placed on a surface of the enriched soil-less media (108, 308).

6. The smartpot (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of water overflow holes (110, 210) is located at a height above the bottom portion of the recycled plastic container (104, 304) in direct proportion to a volume of water stored in the water reservoir (114).

7. The smartpot (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the platform (116) is made of recycled waste plastic.

8. The smartpot (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of the wicks (129, 529) is made of recycled pre-consumer pre-coloured waste textile or post-consumer pre-coloured waste clothing.

9. The smartpot (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first end (131, 531) of the plurality of the wicks (129, 529) is knotted together inside the bottom of the porous felt bag (106) and the second end (517) of the plurality of the wicks (129, 529) reaches down to the bottom ofthe water reservoir (114).

10. The smartpot (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the funnel (124, 424) is made of recycled waste plastic.