Collapsible Planter Assembly for Stable Mobility Without Soil Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current planters for urban and small-space gardening lack mobility, ease of transport, and versatility, often requiring complex and heavy structures that are difficult to move without damaging plants, and do not allow for easy assembly or disassembly without tools.
Innovation Solution
A portable, collapsible, and reusable planter assembly comprising a container and cage that allows for simultaneous upwards and downwards plant growth, with a nesting configuration for easy transport and storage, and can be easily rearranged to maximize sunlight exposure and protect plants from adverse conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a stable complex structure is used to support soil and plants, then the structure provides proper support for plant growth, but the structure becomes difficult or impossible to move without removing soil and plant components
Solution Approach 1:
The planter is divided into separate modular components: a base portion and a planter portion that can be detached from each other. This segmentation allows the planter to be disassembled for easy transport while maintaining structural stability when assembled, directly resolving the contradiction between stability and mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The planter incorporates a removable and reconfigurable design where the planter portion can be detached from the base portion. This dynamic configuration enables the structure to transition between a stable assembled state for plant growth and a disassembled state for easy transport, eliminating the need to remove soil and plants.
2Weight of moving object
If individual flats or arrays of individual planters are used to reduce soil volume, then the planting structure becomes lighter, but the structures are not modular or easily movable
Solution Approach 1:
The planter is divided into separate modular components: a base portion and a planter portion that can be detached from each other. This segmentation allows the planter to be disassembled for easy transport while maintaining structural stability when assembled, directly resolving the contradiction between stability and mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The base portion is designed to be reusable and can support multiple planter portions. This universal design allows a single base to accommodate different planter configurations and plant types, enhancing modularity and versatility while keeping the overall system lightweight and movable.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a planter is designed for placement on a flat surface, then the planter is stable for plant growth, but the planter is not capable of easy transport to and from locations with sunlight
Solution Approach 1:
The planter is divided into separate modular components: a base portion and a planter portion that can be detached from each other. This segmentation allows the planter to be disassembled for easy transport while maintaining structural stability when assembled, directly resolving the contradiction between stability and mobility.
4Ease of operation
If an apparatus is designed to be collapsible and nested for transport, then the apparatus becomes easy to store and transport, but the apparatus may lack structural support for plant growth when assembled
Solution Approach 1:
The planter is divided into separate modular components: a base portion and a planter portion that can be detached from each other. This segmentation allows the planter to be disassembled for easy transport while maintaining structural stability when assembled, directly resolving the contradiction between stability and mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The planter portion is designed to nest within or alongside the base portion when disassembled, creating a compact storage configuration. This nesting design enables easy transport and storage while the same components form a structurally sound assembly capable of supporting plant growth when put together.
Data Source
AI summary
The apparatus disclosed allows a user to easily garden in a reduced area or confined space with limiting yard or space to garden. The apparatus comprises a collapsible and portable planter that allows for growth of plants upwards and downwards, the planter being collapsible for shipping and transport from one location to another, and further providing a hardware component to elevate oneself or items from a ground surface. The planter is placed upon a support frame, the support frame being collapsible into a relatively flat or two-dimensional structure easy to carry. The planter can be removably placed upon the support frame. Further, the planter and support frame together as the apparatus can be picked up and moved as desired by a user. Embodiments of the apparatus are simply designed to allow a user easy set-up, assembly, and use.