Multi-Aperture Plant Pot Base for Ebb-and-Flood Substrate Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plant pot and tray systems are poorly suited for ebb and flow watering, fail to provide complete contact between the pot base and substrate, and do not allow for efficient floor flooding, leading to uneven water uptake and cumbersome plant movement.
Innovation Solution
A plant pot and tray combination featuring a non-contoured base with multiple apertures and flat sides, paired with a tray having dividers that define receptacles with central apertures, allowing for almost complete contact between the pot base and substrate, facilitating ebb and flow watering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a contoured base with limited apertures is used, then structural integrity is maintained, but contact area with substrate is reduced and water uptake becomes uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The base is segmented into multiple apertures distributed across its surface, allowing water to reach the substrate through multiple contact points simultaneously. This segmentation increases the total contact area while maintaining uniform water distribution across the pot base.
Solution Approach 2:
The base transitions from a uniform contoured surface to a non-contoured surface with strategically placed apertures. This local modification creates multiple water contact zones without compromising overall structural integrity, enabling both maximum contact area and uniform water uptake.
2Measurement precision
If individual pots are watered using drip irrigation, then water delivery precision is improved, but time consumption increases and setup complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple individual pot watering systems are merged into a single floor flooding system. The tray combines multiple receptacles that can simultaneously receive water from a floor flooding source, allowing multiple plants to be watered at once without requiring individual drip irrigation lines for each pot.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray system serves multiple functions: it holds multiple pots, distributes water uniformly across all pots through floor flooding, and eliminates the need for individual drip irrigation setup. This multi-functionality reduces both time and complexity compared to individual drip irrigation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If pots are designed with rounded sides and flat sides for receptacle engagement, then positioning stability is improved, but adaptability for floor flooding is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The pot base is segmented with multiple apertures that extend through the bottom surface. This segmentation maintains the flat base design needed for stable receptacle engagement while simultaneously enabling floor flooding by allowing water to pass through to the substrate below.
Solution Approach 2:
The pot base design serves multiple functions: it provides a flat surface for stable positioning in the receptacle, supports the plant, and simultaneously allows floor flooding water to reach the substrate through the apertures. This eliminates the need to choose between stability and flooding adaptability.
4Ease of operation
If a tray with receptacles is used to hold pots, then ease of movement is improved, but contact between pot base and substrate is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The tray and pot base contact function are merged. The tray's receptacles are designed to hold pots while the pot base simultaneously contacts the substrate through apertures. This combination allows easy movement of the entire tray-unit while maintaining substrate contact for water uptake.
Solution Approach 2:
The pot base transitions from a single-plane contact surface to a multi-dimensional contact system with apertures extending through the bottom. This allows the pot to maintain contact with the substrate through the tray structure, effectively adding a vertical dimension to the contact interface while preserving ease of movement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables uniform water uptake and efficient ebb and flow watering, minimizing water waste and simplifying plant movement by ensuring complete contact between the pot base and substrate.
Implementation Method 1
enables uniform water uptake and efficient ebb and flow watering
Data Source
AI summary
A plant pot and tray system, the system comprising: a plurality of plant pots, each plant pot comprising a bottom, which includes a plurality of apertures, a lower step extending outwardly and upwardly from the bottom, four sides extending upwardly from the lower step, an upper step extending outwardly from the sides, a rim extending outwardly from the upper step, a slot in opposing sides of the rim and a reinforcing block on the upper step adjacent to each slot; and a tray, the tray comprising a plurality of receptacles, the plurality of receptacles defined by a base, a raised lip above the base, which defines a central aperture in each receptacle, at least one of four sides that extend upwardly from the base, and a central divider that extends upwardly from the base.