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Title:
A PLANTER APPARATUS AND A SUPPORT FRAME THEREOF
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2019/090431
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
A planter apparatus and a method of arranging a plurality of plant pots in a common planter container, wherein a planter container and a support frame are disclosed. When each inserted plant pot is pushed downwardly within a corresponding pot receiving aperture, two diametrically opposed portions of each pot sidewall that are substantially aligned with co-vertices of a corresponding elliptic pot receiving aperture are deflected inwardly towards each other as a result of a force exerted by the corresponding inner perimeter of the support frame on each pot sidewall at these two portions, and two other diametrically opposed portions of each sidewall aligned with vertices of the corresponding elliptic pot receiving aperture are deflected outwardly away from each other in response to the inward deflection of the pot sidewall, whereby the plant pot geometry becomes elliptic matching the corresponding aperture geometry of the support frame.

Inventors:
BIERHUIZEN RODNEY (CA)
Application Number:
PCT/CA2018/051420
Publication Date:
May 16, 2019
Filing Date:
November 09, 2018
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation   Help
Assignee:
SUNRISE GREENHOUSES LTD (CA)
International Classes:
A01G9/02; A01G9/00; A01G9/029; A01G9/20; A47G7/02
Domestic Patent References:
WO2008042086A12008-04-10
Foreign References:
US3009603A1961-11-21
US20130291436A12013-11-07
US8782950B22014-07-22
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
BERESKIN & PARR LLP/S.E.N.C.R.L., S.R.L. (CA)
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS:

1 . A planter apparatus for receiving a first plant pot holding a plant and soil, the first plant pot having a first pot geometry, the planter apparatus comprising: a. a planter container having a lower end, an upper end spaced longitudinally above the lower end and a sidewall extending upwardly from the lower end to the upper end and at least partially bounding a container interior, the upper end being open to provide access to the container interior; and b. a support frame positionable towards and to at least partially cover the upper end of the container, the support frame having a first inner perimeter, the first inner perimeter at least partially bounding a first pot receiving aperture having a first aperture geometry, the first aperture geometry being different than the first pot geometry, the first aperture geometry being configured such that when the first plant pot is inserted into the first pot receiving aperture the first plant pot is deformed so that the first pot geometry matches the first aperture geometry whereby the first plant pot at least partially bears against the first inner perimeter, and thus the first plant pot is held in place.

2. The planter apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the planter apparatus further comprises the first plant pot holding the plant and soil.

3. The planter apparatus of claim 2, wherein a. the first plant pot comprises a pot lower end, a pot upper end spaced longitudinally above the pot lower end and a pot sidewall extending upwardly from the pot lower end to the pot upper end, the pot lower end being at least partially closed, the pot lower end and the pot sidewall at least partially bounding a pot interior for holding the plant and soil, the pot upper end being open to provide access to the pot interior, the pot sidewall having a region called an aperture interface band spaced longitudinally above the pot lower end, the aperture interface band having a region called a primary bearing portion and another region called a secondary bearing portion spaced apart from the primary bearing portion around a perimeter of the pot sidewall at the aperture interface band; and b. the first aperture geometry is configured such that when the first plant pot is inserted into the first pot receiving aperture i. the pot lower end passes generally freely through the first pot receiving aperture, ii. the first plant pot initially contacts the first inner perimeter at the primary bearing portion, iii. the first inner perimeter exerts an inward force on the pot sidewall at the primary bearing portion as the first plant pot and thus the aperture interface band moves further downwardly relative to the first inner perimeter, the inward force deflecting the pot sidewall inwardly towards the pot interior at the primary bearing portion, the primary bearing portion remaining in contact with the first inner perimeter, and iv. the pot sidewall at the secondary bearing portion is deflected outwardly from the pot interior towards the first inner perimeter as a result of the pot sidewall deflecting inwardly towards the pot interior at the primary bearing portion, the primary bearing portion remaining in contact with the first inner perimeter, whereby

A. the first pot geometry matches the first aperture geometry, and

B. the first plant pot is held in place by the pot sidewall bearing against the first inner perimeter at least at the primary bearing portion.

4. The planter apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first aperture geometry is further configured such that the pot sidewall at the secondary bearing portion is deflected outwardly from the pot interior towards the first inner perimeter until reaching and bearing against the first inner perimeter while the primary bearing portion is still in contact with the first inner perimeter, whereby a. the first pot geometry matches the first aperture geometry, and b. the first plant pot is held in place by the pot sidewall bearing against the first inner perimeter at least at the primary bearing portion and the secondary bearing portion.

The planter apparatus of claim 4, wherein a. the primary bearing portion comprises two diametrically opposed primary bearing sub-portions; and b. the secondary bearing portion comprises two diametrically opposed secondary bearing sub-portions, each secondary bearing sub-portion being spaced apart from each primary bearing sub-portion around the perimeter of the pot sidewall at the aperture interface band such that i. when the primary bearing sub-portions contact the first inner perimeter, the primary bearing sub-portions of the pot sidewall are deflected inwardly towards each other and the secondary bearing sub-portions of the pot sidewall are deflected outwardly away from each other, and thus

A. the first pot geometry matches the first aperture geometry, and

B. the first plant pot is held in place by the pot sidewall bearing against the first inner perimeter at least at the two primary bearing sub-portions and the two secondary bearing sub- portions.

The planter apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first inner perimeter is closed and thus the first aperture geometry is a closed geometry.

The plant apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first aperture geometry is further configured such that after the first pot geometry matches the first aperture geometry the pot sidewall bears against the first inner perimeter along substantially all the perimeter of the pot sidewall at the aperture interface band.

8. The planter apparatus of claim 7, wherein a. the first pot geometry is generally circular, the pot lower end having a pot lower end diameter, the pot sidewall having an aperture interface band diameter at the aperture interface band corresponding to a dimeter of an imaginary circle bounded by the pot sidewall on a plane generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction cutting the pot sidewall at the aperture interface band when the pot sidewall is not deformed; and b. the first aperture geometry is generally elliptic, the first aperture geometry having a minor axis and a minor diameter defined as a distance between co-vertices of the first aperture geometry along the minor axis, the minor diameter being larger than the pot lower end diameter but smaller than the aperture interface band diameter, the first aperture geometry having a major axis and a major diameter defined as a distance between vertices of the aperture geometry along the major axis, the major diameter being larger than the aperture interface band diameter, such that when the first plant pot is inserted into the first pot receiving aperture i. the pot lower end passes generally freely through the first pot receiving aperture; ii. the primary bearing sub-portions bear against the first inner perimeter at generally the co-vertices of the first aperture geometry; iii. the first inner perimeter exerts the inward force on the primary sub- bearing portions from generally the co-vertices of the first aperture geometry along the minor axis and thus the primary bearing sub- portions are deflected inwardly towards each other along the minor axis; iv. the secondary bearing sub-portions are deflected outwardly away from each other along the major axis; and v. the secondary bearing sub-portions bear against the first inner perimeter at generally the vertices of the first aperture geometry; whereby

A. the first pot geometry changes from generally circular to generally elliptic and thus matches the first aperture geometry; and

B. the first plant pot is held in place by the pot sidewall bearing against the first inner perimeter along substantially all the perimeter of the pot sidewall at the aperture interface band.

9. The planter apparatus of claim 8, wherein a ratio of the major diameter to the minor diameter of the first aperture geometry is configured such that a. when the primary bearing sub-portions are deflected inwardly towards each other along the minor axis and the secondary bearing sub-portions are deflected outwardly away from each other along the major axis, the first plant pot deforms elastically.

10. The planter apparatus of claim 9, wherein the ratio of the major diameter to the minor diameter of the first aperture geometry is between about 1 .15 to 1 .35.

1 1 . The planter apparatus of claim 8, wherein a ratio of the major diameter to the minor diameter of the first aperture geometry is configured such that a. when the primary bearing sub-portions are deflected inwardly towards each other along the minor axis and the secondary bearing sub-portions are deflected outwardly away from each other along the major axis, the first plant pot deforms plastically but does not fracture.

12. The planter apparatus of claim 1 1 , wherein the ratio of the major diameter to the minor diameter of the aperture geometry is between about 1 .15 to 1 .35.

13. The planter apparatus of any one of claims 2 to 12, wherein a. the planter apparatus further comprises a second plant pot for holding a plant in soil, the second plant pot having a second pot geometry; and b. the support frame further comprises a second inner perimeter at least partially bounding a second pot receiving aperture for receiving the second plant pot, the second pot receiving aperture having a second aperture geometry.

14. The planter apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a water reservoir received within the container interior.

15. The planter apparatus of claim 13, wherein the lower end of the planter container is closed and the container interior comprises a water reservoir for receiving water.

16. The planter apparatus of claim 14 or 15, further comprising at least one water transport device for independently transporting water from the water reservoir to the first and the second plant pots.

17. The planter apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one water transport device comprises at least one capillary wick.

18. The planter apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one capillary wick comprises a first capillary wick extended from the lower end of the first plant pot to the water reservoir and a second capillary wick extended from the lower end of the second plant pot to the water reservoir.

19. The planter apparatus of any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein the support frame comprises an outer frame positionable towards and to at least partially cover the upper end of the container, the outer frame having an outer frame inner perimeter bounding a frame space, the support frame further comprising a first pot holding sub frame and a second pot holding sub frame, the first pot holding sub frame and the second pot holding sub frame being located within the frame space, the first pot holding sub frame and the second pot holding sub frame being attached together, each of the first pot holding sub frame and the second pot holding sub frame being attached to the outer frame, the first pot holding sub frame comprising the first inner perimeter at least partially bounding the first pot receiving aperture and the second pot holding sub frame comprising the second inner perimeter at least partially bounding the second pot receiving aperture.

20. The planter apparatus of any one of claims 2 to 12, wherein a. the first plant pot comprises a plurality of plant pots, each plant pot having a plant in soil, each plant pot having a pot geometry; and b. the support frame comprises an outer frame positionable towards and to at least partially cover the upper end of the container, the outer frame having an outer frame inner perimeter bounding a frame space, the support frame further comprising a plurality of pot holding sub frames, each pot holding sub frame of the plurality of pot holding sub frames having a pot holding sub frame outer perimeter, a pot holding sub frame inner perimeter and at least one neighboring pot holding sub frame, each pot holding sub frame being attached to the outer frame through at least a first region on its outer perimeter and to the at least one neighbouring pot holding sub frame through at least a second region on its outer perimeter, each pot holding sub frame inner perimeter at least partially bounding a pot receiving aperture for receiving a plant pot from the plurality of plant pots, each pot receiving aperture having an aperture geometry not conforming in shape with each pot geometry.

21 . The planter apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a water reservoir received within the container interior.

22. The planter apparatus of claim 20, wherein the lower end of the planter container is closed and the container interior comprises a water reservoir for receiving water.

23. The planter apparatus of claim 21 or 22, further comprising a plurality of water transport devices for independently transporting water from the water reservoir to the plurality of plant pots.

24. The planter apparatus of claim 23, wherein the plurality of water transport devices comprise a plurality of capillary wicks.

25. The planter apparatus of claim 24, wherein each capillary wick of the plurality of capillary wicks extends from the lower end of each plant pot of the plurality of plant pots to the water reservoir.

26. The planter apparatus of any one of claims 20 to 25, wherein a. regions within the frame space bounded by the outer frame inner perimeter and each pot holding sub frame outer perimeter are closed and made of a liquid impermeable material; and b. the outer frame sealably couples to the opening provided by the upper end into the container interior whereby when the support frame is positioned towards the upper end of the planter container and the plurality of plant pots are inserted into the plurality of pot receiving apertures the container interior is substantially sealed.

27. The planter apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 26 wherein the support frame is removably coupleable to the planter container.

28. The planter apparatus of claim 27, wherein a. the planter container further comprises a ledge positioned towards the upper end, the ledge projecting laterally inwardly from the sidewall towards the container interior; and b. the support frame is removably coupled to the planter container by resting against the ledge.

29. The planter apparatus of claim 27, wherein a. the planter container further comprises an engagement member positioned towards the upper end, the engagement member projecting laterally inwardly from the sidewall towards the container interior, the engagement member comprising a groove; and b. the support frame comprises a detent removably received by the groove of the engagement member.

30. The planter apparatus of claim 27, wherein a. the sidewall flares laterally outwardly as the sidewall extends upwardly from the lower end to the upper end, the sidewall comprising an inner surface facing the container interior, the inner surface having a region called a support frame resting band towards the upper end and spaced longitudinally away from the lower end, the support frame resting band bounding an area within the container interior located longitudinally below and in fluid communication with the opening provided by the upper end into the container interior, the area bounded by the support frame resting band having a dimension, the opening provided by the upper end having an upper end opening dimension, and b. the support frame has a support frame outer dimension, the support frame outer dimension being smaller than the upper end opening dimension and larger than the dimension of the area bounded by the support frame resting band such that the support frame passes into the interior container from the opening provided by the upper end and removably couples to the planter container by resting against the support frame resting band.

31 . The planter apparatus of claims 1 to 30, wherein the support frame has an outer geometry, the outer geometry conforming to a geometry of the opening provided by the upper end into the container interior.

32. The planter apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 31 , wherein the planter container is generally circular.

33. The planter apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 32, wherein the support frame is made of a plastic with high stiffness.

34. A method of arranging a plurality of plant pots in a common planter container, each plant pot of a plurality of plant pots having a pot geometry, the method comprising: a. providing the common planter container, the planter container having a lower end, an upper end spaced longitudinally above the lower end and a sidewall extending upwardly from the lower end to the upper end and at least partially bounding a container interior, the upper end being open to provide access to the container interior; b. providing a support frame positionable towards and to at least partially cover the upper end of the container, the support frame comprising a plurality of inner perimeters, each inner perimeter at least partially bounding a pot receiving aperture for receiving a corresponding plant pot of the plurality of plant pots, each pot receiving aperture having an aperture geometry different than the corresponding pot geometry; c. providing the plurality of plant pots; d. positioning the support frame towards the upper end of the planter container; e. inserting each plant pot of the plurality of plant pots in a corresponding pot receiving aperture of the support frame; and f. pushing each inserted plant pot downwardly until each inserted plant pot deforms and thus the pot geometry of each inserted plant pot matches the aperture geometry of the corresponding pot receiving aperture whereby each inserted plant pot is held in place and suspended within the container interior.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the pot geometry of each plant pot of the plurality of plant pots provided at step c) is generally circular.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the plurality of plant pots provided at step c) contains plants in soil.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the aperture geometry of each pot receiving aperture of the support frame provided at step b) is generally non-circular.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the non-circular geometry is generally elliptic.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein at step f) when each inserted plant pot is pushed downwardly within the corresponding pot receiving aperture, two diametrically opposed portions of each pot sidewall that are substantially aligned with co-vertices of the corresponding elliptic pot receiving aperture are deflected inwardly towards each other as a result of a force exerted by the corresponding inner perimeter on each pot sidewall at these two portions, and two other diametrically opposed portions of each sidewall aligned with vertices of the corresponding elliptic pot receiving aperture are deflected outwardly away from each other in response to the inward deflection of the pot sidewall, whereby the pot geometry becomes elliptic matching the corresponding aperture geometry.

40. The method of any one of claims 34 to 39, further comprising g. providing a water reservoir within the container interior.

41 . The method of claim 40, further comprising h. providing a plurality of water transport devices within the container interior for independently transporting water from the water reservoir to each inserted plant pot.

42. The method of claim 41 , wherein the plurality of water transport device comprises a plurality of capillary wicks, each wick extended from each inserted plant pot into the water reservoir.

Description:
TITLE: A PLANTER APPARATUS AND A SUPPORT FRAME THEREOF

RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

[0001 ] The present application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application no. 62/584, 194 filed on November 10, 2017, entitled Planter Apparatus and a Support Frame Thereof, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] This disclosure generally relates to a planter apparatus. More specifically, this disclosure relates to a support frame of a planter apparatus that includes a number of pot receiving apertures for receiving plant pots and holding and/or suspending the plant pots within an interior of a planter container of the planter apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] Miel et al. (U.S. Patent No. 8,782,950 B2) generally discloses a garden pot assembly comprising a pot having an open upper end and a separator tray snap-fitted into the open upper end of the pot. The separator tray has a plurality of spaced-apart plant pot receiving openings formed therein, each of which are adapted to receive and support a plant pot therein. The bottom of the pot has a unique structure including a central hub and a plurality of radially extending stand-offs extending outwardly therefrom to the periphery of the bottom wall. The pot or container may be circular, oval, rectangular or square in shape.

[0004] Leithold (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0288640 A1 ) generally discloses a plant bowl for accommodating more than one plant. It has a side wall which extends rectilinearly from the base of the plant bowl to the open border of the latter, and also has a lid-like insert or attachment which is retained in the vicinity of the border and in which are provided a plurality of (more than one) openings, of which the diameter is dimensioned for accommodating in each case one plant pot. This plant pot is particularly suitable for the simple and quick arrangement of a number of plants preferably by theme, e.g., of herbs according to recipes, but also, just as well, for the arrangement of decorative plants.

[0005] Trabka (U.S. Patent No. 6,901 ,700 B2) generally discloses a combination pot that includes an outer pot, one or more inner pots and a support frame to support the inner pots in the outer pot. The support frame has a main frame structure and one or more basket supports. The basket supports are connected to the main frame structure and extend downward into the interior of the outer pot. The size and shape of the basket supports are similar to the size and shape of the inner pots. To create the combination pot, filler soil is partially filled into the interior of the outer pot. The support frame is then positioned in the outer pot. The remainder of the filler soil is filled in around the support frame. Next, filler plants are planted in the filler soil. Finally, the inner pots having plant soil and decorative plants are inserted into the basket.

SUMMARY

[0006] The following summary is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of the applicant's teaching, but not to define or delimit any invention.

[0007] According to some aspects of this disclosure, a planter apparatus for receiving a first plant pot, having a first pot geometry and holding a plant and soil, comprises: a planter container and a support frame. The planter container includes a lower end, an upper end spaced longitudinally above the lower end and a sidewall extending upwardly from the lower end to the upper end and at least partially bounding a container interior. The upper end is open to provide access to the container interior. The support frame is positionable towards and to at least partially cover the upper end of the container. The support frame includes a first inner perimeter. The first inner perimeter at least partially bounds a first pot receiving aperture having a first aperture geometry. The first aperture geometry is different than the first pot geometry. The first aperture geometry is configured such that when the first plant pot is inserted into the first pot receiving aperture the first plant pot is deformed so that the first pot geometry matches the first aperture geometry. Whereby, the first plant pot at least partially bears against the first inner perimeter, and thus the first plant pot is held in place. [0008] In some examples, the planter apparatus further comprises the first plant pot holding the plant and soil.

[0009] In some examples, the first plant pot comprises a pot lower end, a pot upper end spaced longitudinally above the pot lower end and a pot sidewall extending upwardly from the pot lower end to the pot upper end. The pot lower end is at least partially closed. The pot lower end and the pot sidewall at least partially bound a pot interior for holding the plant and soil. The pot upper end is open to provide access to the pot interior. The pot sidewall has a region called an aperture interface band spaced longitudinally above the pot lower end. The aperture interface band has a region called a primary bearing portion and another region called a secondary bearing portion spaced apart from the primary bearing portion around a perimeter of the pot sidewall at the aperture interface band. The first aperture geometry is configured such that when the first plant pot is inserted into the first pot receiving aperture: the pot lower end passes generally freely through the first pot receiving aperture; the first plant pot initially contacts the first inner perimeter at the primary bearing portion; the first inner perimeter exerts an inward force on the pot sidewall at the primary bearing portion as the first plant pot, and thus the aperture interface band, moves further downwardly relative to the first inner perimeter; the inward force deflects the pot sidewall inwardly towards the pot interior at the primary bearing portion; the primary bearing portion remains in contact with the first inner perimeter; and the pot sidewall at the secondary bearing portion is deflected outwardly from the pot interior towards the first inner perimeter as a result of the pot sidewall deflecting inwardly towards the pot interior at the primary bearing portion while the primary bearing portion is remaining in contact with the first inner perimeter. Whereby, the first pot geometry matches the first aperture geometry, and the first plant pot is held in place by the pot sidewall bearing against the first inner perimeter at least at the primary bearing portion. [0010] In some examples, the first aperture geometry is further configured such that the pot sidewall at the secondary bearing portion is deflected outwardly from the pot interior towards the first inner perimeter until reaching and bearing against the first inner perimeter while the primary bearing portion is still in contact with the first inner perimeter. Whereby, the first pot geometry matches the first aperture geometry, and the first plant pot is held in place by the pot sidewall bearing against the first inner perimeter at least at the primary bearing portion and the secondary bearing portion.

[001 1 ] In some examples, the primary bearing portion comprises two diametrically opposed primary bearing sub-portions. The secondary bearing portion comprises two diametrically opposed secondary bearing sub-portions. Each secondary bearing sub- portion is spaced apart from each primary bearing sub-portion around the perimeter of the pot sidewall at the aperture interface band such that when the primary bearing sub-portions contact the first inner perimeter, the primary bearing sub-portions of the pot sidewall are deflected inwardly towards each other and the secondary bearing sub-portions of the pot sidewall are deflected outwardly away from each other. Thus, the first pot geometry matches the first aperture geometry, and the first plant pot is held in place by the pot sidewall bearing against the first inner perimeter at least at the two primary bearing sub- portions and the two secondary bearing sub-portions.

[0012] In some examples, the first inner perimeter is closed and thus the first aperture geometry is a closed geometry. [0013] In some examples, the first aperture geometry is further configured such that after the first pot geometry matches the first aperture geometry the pot sidewall bears against the first inner perimeter along substantially all the perimeter of the pot sidewall at the aperture interface band.

[0014] In some examples, the first pot geometry is generally circular. The pot lower end has a pot lower end diameter, and the pot sidewall has an aperture interface band diameter at the aperture interface band corresponding to a dimeter of an imaginary circle bounded by the pot sidewall on a plane generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction cutting the pot sidewall at the aperture interface band when the pot sidewall is not deformed. The first aperture geometry is generally elliptic. The first aperture geometry has a minor axis and a minor diameter defined as a distance between co-vertices of the first aperture geometry along the minor axis. The minor diameter is larger than the pot lower end diameter but smaller than the aperture interface band diameter. The first aperture geometry has a major axis and a major diameter defined as a distance between vertices of the aperture geometry along the major axis. The major diameter is larger than the aperture interface band diameter, such that when the first plant pot is inserted into the first pot receiving aperture: the pot lower end passes generally freely through the first pot receiving aperture; the primary bearing sub-portions bear against the first inner perimeter at generally the co-vertices of the first aperture geometry; the first inner perimeter exerts the inward force on the primary sub-bearing portions from generally the co-vertices of the first aperture geometry along the minor axis and thus the primary bearing sub-portions are deflected inwardly towards each other along the minor axis; the secondary bearing sub-portions are deflected outwardly away from each other along the major axis; and the secondary bearing sub-portions bear against the first inner perimeter at generally the vertices of the first aperture geometry. Whereby, the first pot geometry changes from generally circular to generally elliptic and thus matches the first aperture geometry. The first plant pot is held in place by the pot sidewall bearing against the first inner perimeter along substantially all the perimeter of the pot sidewall at the aperture interface band.

[0015] In some examples, a ratio of the major diameter to the minor diameter of the first aperture geometry is configured such that when the primary bearing sub-portions are deflected inwardly towards each other along the minor axis and the secondary bearing sub- portions are deflected outwardly away from each other along the major axis, the first plant pot deforms elastically. In these examples, the ratio of the major diameter to the minor diameter of the first aperture geometry can be between about 1 .15 to 1 .35.

[0016] In some examples, a ratio of the major diameter to the minor diameter of the first aperture geometry is configured such that when the primary bearing sub-portions are deflected inwardly towards each other along the minor axis and the secondary bearing sub- portions are deflected outwardly away from each other along the major axis, the first plant pot deforms plastically but does not fracture. In these examples, the ratio of the major diameter to the minor diameter of the aperture geometry is between about 1 .15 to 1 .35. [0017] In some examples, the planter apparatus further comprises a second plant pot for holding a plant in soil. The second plant pot has a second pot geometry. The support frame further includes a second inner perimeter at least partially bounding a second pot receiving aperture for receiving the second plant pot. The second pot receiving aperture has a second aperture geometry. [0018] In some examples, the planter apparatus comprises a water reservoir received within the container interior.

[0019] In some examples, the lower end of the planter container is closed and the container interior comprises a water reservoir for receiving water. [0020] In some examples, the planter apparatus comprises at least one water transport device for independently transporting water from the water reservoir to the first and the second plant pots.

[0021 ] In some examples, the at least one water transport device comprises at least one capillary wick.

[0022] In some examples, the at least one capillary wick comprises a first capillary wick extended from the lower end of the first plant pot to the water reservoir and a second capillary wick extended from the lower end of the second plant pot to the water reservoir.

[0023] In some examples, the support frame comprises an outer frame positionable towards and to at least partially cover the upper end of the container. The outer frame has an outer frame inner perimeter bounding a frame space. The support frame further comprises a first pot holding sub frame and a second pot holding sub frame. The first pot holding sub frame and the second pot holding sub frame are located within the frame space. The first pot holding sub frame and the second pot holding sub frame are attached together. Each of the first pot holding sub frame and the second pot holding sub frame are attached to the outer frame too. The first pot holding sub frame comprises the first inner perimeter at least partially bounding the first pot receiving aperture. The second pot holding sub frame comprises the second inner perimeter at least partially bounding the second pot receiving aperture. [0024] In some examples, the first plant pot comprises a plurality of plant pots. Each plant pot has a plant in soil, and each plant pot has a pot geometry. The support frame comprises an outer frame positionable towards and to at least partially cover the upper end of the container. The outer frame has an outer frame inner perimeter bounding a frame space. The support frame further comprises a plurality of pot holding sub frames. Each pot holding sub frame of the plurality of pot holding sub frames has a pot holding sub frame outer perimeter, a pot holding sub frame inner perimeter and at least one neighboring pot holding sub frame. Each pot holding sub frame is attached to the outer frame through at least a first region on its outer perimeter and to the at least one neighbouring pot holding sub frame through at least a second region on its outer perimeter. Each pot holding sub frame inner perimeter at least partially bounds a pot receiving aperture for receiving a plant pot from the plurality of plant pots. Each pot receiving aperture has an aperture geometry not conforming in shape with each pot geometry.

[0025] In some examples, the planter apparatus comprising a plurality of water transport devices for independently transporting water from the water reservoir to the plurality of plant pots.

[0026] In some examples, the plurality of water transport devices comprises a plurality of capillary wicks.

[0027] In some examples, each capillary wick of the plurality of capillary wicks extends from the lower end of each plant pot of the plurality of plant pots to the water reservoir.

[0028] In some examples, regions within the frame space bounded by the outer frame inner perimeter and each pot holding sub frame outer perimeter are closed and made of a liquid impermeable material. The outer frame sealably couples to the opening provided by the upper end into the container interior, whereby when the support frame is positioned towards the upper end of the planter container and the plurality of plant pots are inserted into the plurality of pot receiving apertures the container interior is substantially sealed.

[0029] In some examples, the support frame is removably coupleable to the planter container. [0030] In some examples, the planter container comprises a ledge positioned towards the upper end. The ledge projects laterally inwardly from the sidewall towards the container interior. The support frame is removably coupled to the planter container by resting against the ledge.

[0031 ] In some examples, the planter container comprises an engagement member positioned towards the upper end. The engagement member projects laterally inwardly from the sidewall towards the container interior. The engagement member comprises a groove. The support frame comprises a detent removably received by the groove of the engagement member. [0032] In some examples, the sidewall flares laterally outwardly as the sidewall extends upwardly from the lower end to the upper end. The sidewall comprises an inner surface facing the container interior. The inner surface has a region called support frame resting band towards the upper end and spaced longitudinally away from the lower end. The support frame resting band bounds an area within the container interior located longitudinally below and in fluid communication with the opening provided by the upper end into the container interior. The area bounded by the support frame resting band has a dimension. The opening provided by the upper end has an upper end opening dimension. The support frame has a support frame outer dimension. The support frame outer dimension is smaller than the upper end opening dimension and larger than the dimension of the area bounded by the support frame resting band such that the support frame passes into the interior container from the opening provided by the upper end and removably couples to the planter container by resting against the support frame resting band.

[0033] In some examples, the support frame has an outer geometry. The outer geometry conforms to a geometry of the opening provided by the upper end into the container interior.

[0034] In some examples, the planter container is generally circular.

[0035] In some examples, the support frame is made of plastic.

[0036] According to some aspects of this disclosure, a method of arranging a plurality of plant pots, each having a pot geometry, in a common planter container comprises: providing the common planter container, the planter container having a lower end, an upper end spaced longitudinally above the lower end and a sidewall extending upwardly from the lower end to the upper end and at least partially bounding a container interior, the upper end being open to provide access to the container interior; providing a support frame positionable towards and to at least partially cover the upper end of the container, the support frame comprising a plurality of inner perimeters, each inner perimeter at least partially bounding a pot receiving aperture for receiving a corresponding plant pot of the plurality of plant pots, each pot receiving aperture having an aperture geometry different than the corresponding pot geometry; providing the plurality of plant pots; positioning the support frame towards the upper end of the planter container; inserting each plant pot of the plurality of plant pots in a corresponding pot receiving aperture of the support frame; and pushing each inserted plant pot downwardly until each inserted plant pot deforms and thus the pot geometry of each inserted plant pot matches the aperture geometry of the corresponding pot receiving aperture. Whereby, each inserted plant pot is held in place and suspended within the container interior.

[0037] In some examples, the pot geometry of each pot of the provided plurality of pots is generally circular.

[0038] In some examples, the provided plurality of pots contains plants in soil.

[0039] In some examples, the aperture geometry of each pot receiving aperture of the provided support frame is generally non-circular.

[0040] In some examples, the non-circular aperture geometry of each pot receiving aperture is generally elliptic.

[0041 ] In some examples, when each inserted plant pot is pushed downwardly within the corresponding pot receiving aperture, two diametrically opposed portions of each pot sidewall that are substantially aligned with co-vertices of the corresponding elliptic pot receiving aperture are deflected inwardly towards each other as a result of a force exerted by the corresponding inner perimeter on each pot sidewall at these two portions. Two other diametrically opposed portions of each sidewall aligned with vertices of the corresponding elliptic pot receiving aperture are deflected outwardly away from each other in response to the inward deflection of the pot sidewall. Whereby, the pot geometry becomes elliptic matching the corresponding aperture geometry.

[0042] In some examples, the method comprises providing a water reservoir within the container interior.

[0043] In some examples, the method comprises providing a plurality of water transport devices within the container interior for independently transporting water from the water reservoir to each inserted pot.

[0044] In some examples, providing the plurality of water transport device comprises providing a plurality of capillary wicks, each wick extended from each inserted pot into the water reservoir. [0045] According to some aspects of this disclosure, a kit for arranging and assembling a plurality of plant pots, each having a pot geometry, in a common planter container comprises: the common planter container, and a support frame. The planter container has a lower end, an upper end spaced longitudinally above the lower end and a sidewall extending upwardly from the lower end to the upper end and at least partially bounding a container interior. The upper end is open to provide access to the container interior. The support frame is positionable towards and to at least partially cover the upper end of the container. The support frame comprises a plurality of inner perimeters. Each inner perimeter at least partially bounds a pot receiving aperture for receiving a corresponding plant pot of the plurality of plant pots. Each pot receiving aperture has an aperture geometry different than the corresponding pot geometry.

[0046] In some examples, the kit comprises the plurality of plant pots.

[0047] In some examples, the support frame is removably coupleable to the planter container. [0048] In some examples, the planter container comprises a ledge positioned towards the upper end. The ledge projects laterally inwardly from the sidewall towards the container interior. The support frame is removably coupled to the planter container by resting against the ledge.

[0049] In some examples, the planter container comprises an engagement member positioned towards the upper end. The engagement member projects laterally inwardly from the sidewall towards the container interior. The engagement member comprises a groove. The support frame comprises a detent removably received by the groove of the engagement member.

[0050] In some examples, the sidewall flares laterally outwardly as the sidewall extends upwardly from the lower end to the upper end. The sidewall comprises an inner surface facing the container interior. The inner surface has a region called support frame resting band towards the upper end and spaced longitudinally away from the lower end. The support frame resting band bounds an area within the container interior located longitudinally below and in fluid communication with the opening provided by the upper end into the container interior. The area bounded by the support frame resting band has a dimension. The opening provided by the upper end has an upper end opening dimension. The support frame has a support frame outer dimension. The support frame outer dimension is smaller than the upper end opening dimension and larger than the dimension of the area bounded by the support frame resting band such that the support frame passes into the interior container from the opening provided by the upper end and removably couples to the planter container by resting against the support frame resting band.

[0051 ] In some examples, the kit comprises a water reservoir receivable within the container interior. [0052] In some examples, the kit comprises a plurality of water transport devices for independently transporting water from the water reservoir to the plurality of plant pots.

[0053] In some examples, the plurality of water transport devices comprises a plurality of capillary wicks.

[0054] In some examples, each capillary wick of the plurality of capillary wicks is mountable to each plant pot such that each capillary wick extends from the lower end of each plant pot of the plurality of plant pots to the water reservoir.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] The drawings included herewith are for illustrating various examples of systems, apparatuses, and methods of the present specification and are not intended to limit the scope of what is taught in any way. In the drawings:

[0056] Figure 1 is a perspective view of one example planter apparatus;

[0057] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of another example planter apparatus;

[0058] Figure 3 is a top view of one example support frame usable with a plantar apparatus;

[0059] Figure 4 is a top view of another example support frame usable with a plantar apparatus; [0060] Figure 5 is a schematic representation of one example of plant pots arranged with their axes parallel to a longitudinal axis of a planter container;

[0061 ] Figure 6 is a schematic representation of one example of plant pots arranged with their axes inclined relative to a longitudinal axis of a planter container; [0062] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional schematic representation of one example planter apparatus including a planter container, a support frame and plant pots inserted into pot receiving apertures of the support frame;

[0063] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional schematic representation of another example planter apparatus including a planter container, a support frame and plant pots inserted into pot receiving apertures of the support frame;

[0064] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional schematic representation of an example planter apparatus including a planter container, water within an interior of the planter container, a support frame, plant pots of different size, and capillary wicks extended from the plant pots into the water; [0065] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional schematic representation of another example planter apparatus including a planter container, a water reservoir within an interior of the planter container, a support frame, plant pots of similar size and capillary wicks extended from the plant pots into the water reservoir;

[0066] Figure 1 1 A is a perspective view of a plant pot and a sub-frame of a support frame showing the plant pot and the sub-frame in a pre-insertion position;

[0067] Figure 1 1 B is a perspective view of the plant pot and the sub-frame of Figure 1 1A showing the plant pot inserted into the sub-frame in an intermediate position between the pre-insertion position and a final position;

[0068] Figure 1 1 C is a perspective view of the plant pot and the sub-frame of Figure 1 1 A showing the plant pot retained by the sub-frame in the final position;

[0069] Figure 12 is a schematic representation of yet another example support frame usable with a plantar apparatus; [0070] Figure 13 is a schematic representation of yet another example support frame usable with a plantar apparatus;

[0071 ] Figure 14 is a schematic representation of yet another example support frame usable with a plantar apparatus; and [0072] Figure 15 is a side view of an example plant pot and a sub-frame of a support frame showing a shoulder portion of the plant pot resting against the sub-frame.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0073] Various apparatuses, systems, or methods will be described below to provide an example of an embodiment of the claimed subject matter. No embodiment described below limits any claim and any claim may cover apparatuses, systems, or methods that differ from those described below. The claims are not limited to apparatuses, systems, or methods having all of the features of any one apparatus, system, or method described below or to features common to multiple or all of the apparatuses, systems and method described below. It is possible that an apparatus, system, or method described below is not an embodiment of any claim. Any subject matter disclosed in an apparatus, system, or method described below that is not claimed in this document may be the subject matter of another protective instrument, for example, a continuation patent application, and the applicants, inventors or owners do not intend to abandon, disclaim or dedicate to the public any subject matter by its disclosure in this document. [0074] Planter apparatuses (also referred to as planters) can be used to display a variety of plants. In some examples, a planter may be used to hold and display multiple plants that can be arranged in a visually pleasing arrangement. In most known planters, the planter apparatus includes a relatively large outer pot or container (i.e. a container that is larger than required to accommodate any single plant included in the planter) that is visible to an observer. The container can be configured to rest on the ground or other similar surface, to rest on a table, window sill or the like and/or to be supported on a stand or other support platform. The plants displayed in a planter may be of a single variety, or may include two or more different types of plants arranged together. [0075] Optionally, a planter may be configured so that when viewed by an observer, substantially the entire upper end of the planter, and any soil or underlying portions of the planter container, are visually obscured by the foliage, leaves and other portions of the plants in the container. For example, the plants in a planter may be relatively closely spaced, and may be configured so that the foliage of one plant abuts and/or partially overlaps the foliage of other plants, creating a generally visually continuous canopy of foliage covering the upper end of the container. This may help provide a visually desired appearance for the planter.

[0076] Conventional planter containers may have a generally enclosed bottom and an upwardly extending sidewall that define an interior configured to hold soil, and a generally open top or upper end through which the interior can be accessed. The container can be filled with a suitable amount of soil and then one or more plants may be planted in the soil. This can allow a variety of different plants to be arranged in the planter container, but can be a time consuming and relatively labour-intensive process to complete, as each plant is generally individually handled and planted. This process can also be messy, as soil from the container may tend to spill outside the container, and/or foul the outer surfaces of the container during the planting operation. Dirty containers may not be suitable for display to prospective planter purchasers, and therefore additional cleaning steps may be performed to remove any spilled dirt. [0077] Planting different types of plants in the same soil-filled container may also make it difficult to provide each plant with its desired growing conditions. For example, different types of plants may have different requirements for moisture content, soil pH, nutrient and fertilizer application and the like. Planting the plants in the same container of soil may subject all of the plants to the same growing conditions, which may not be beneficial to some of the plants.

[0078] Optionally, instead of providing a quantity of soil for direct planting of plants, a planter apparatus may be configured so that the planter container is adapted to receive plurality of individual, smaller plant pots, each of which contains one or more plants planted in soil. The plant pots may be the pots that were used as the individual plants were grown, or may be any suitable container into which a plant has been planted (e.g. rooted in soil). To help accommodate the plurality of individual plant pots, the planter apparatus can include a support frame, or a placer, that can be positioned inside the larger planter container. The support frame, or the placer, can include one or more sub-frames that are configured to receive and optionally retain an individual plant pot. A support frame may include any desired number of sub-frames, including two, three, four, five or more sub- frames.

[0079] Preferably, the support frame can be configured to help retain the individual plant pots within the planter container. This may help keep the plant pots in a desired position when the planter container is transported (such as to a retail outlet and/or to a user's house), bumped into or otherwise jostled. It may also help keep the individual plant pots in their desired locations relative to each other, which may help preserve their relatively close spacing.

[0080] In some embodiments, the support frame can be configured to receive the plant pots with at least a slight interference fit, such that the plant pots are held in place generally by the frictional forces exerted between the plant pots and the support frame. This may help simple assembly of the planter apparatus, and may eliminate the need to provide external fasteners, adhesives of the like to help keep the plant pots in position. This may also help facilitate removal of one or more of the individual plant pots from the support frame, such as for inspection, replacement, to provide access to the underlying interior of the planter container and the like.

[0081 ] In some known devices used to hold multiple plant pots, the portions of the device that are intended to receive and/or contact the plant pots have substantially the same shape/geometry as the plant pots. For example, a device that is intended to hold a standard plant pot (a pot that is generally frusto-conical in configuration and has a generally round cross-sectional shape at any given height/elevation) will include a generally round or circular opening.

[0082] However, as a generally frusto-conical plant pot is inserted into a generally circular opening it may tend to be subjected to a generally constant, inwardly acting hoop stress around its perimeter. As this inwardly directed stress increases, for example as the plant pot is continued to be forced downwardly into the circular opening, the sidewalls of the plant pot may buckle, crack or otherwise become damaged. In such devices, inserting a plant pot with enough force to provide an interference fit, but not so much force as to crack the plant pot (or the holding device) can be challenging. A similar outcome can arise if the support device and plant pot have the same, but non-circular shapes (i.e. a frusto- square pyramidal pot being inserted into a square support device and the like).

[0083] As an improvement over such devices, a support frame as described herein can be configured so that the sub-frames for holding the individual plant pots are configured to have a different shape/geometry than the pots they are intended to hold. For example, the support frame for holding a standard, frusto-conical plant pot (having a circular cross-sectional shape) may include sub-frames that have non-circular cross- sectional shapes. For example, the sub-frames may be generally arcuate, elliptical-type shapes, such as an oval. In such a configuration, the engagement between the outer surface of the plant pot and the sub-frame is not continuous around the entire perimeter of the plant pot during the initial insertion process. Instead, one or more sub-portions of the plant pot may contact the sub-frame while other portions of the plant pot remain spaced from the sub-frame.

[0084] In these embodiments, the stresses exerted on the plant pot can be at least partially absorbed by elastic (or possibly plastic) deflection of the plant pot, and the plant pot may tend to flex and change its shape to conform to the shape of the sub-frame it is contacting as it is pressed into the sub-frame. This may help provide a desired interference fit/ engagement between the plant pot and the sub-frame, while helping to reduce the likelihood of the plant pot cracking or otherwise being damaged. When assembling a planter container of this nature, the deflection of the plant pot may help provide some leeway and feedback to an operator, indicating that the plant pot has engaged and is pressing against the sub-frame and increasing the time and insertion distance between the point of first contact between the plant pot and the sub-frame and the cracking of the plant pot.

[0085] Also, the plant pot may be formed from at least partially resilient material, such as plastic, such that if the plant pot is elastically deformed it may tend to return to its original shape. This resiliency may tend to help the plant pot exert an outward force on the sub-frame while the plant pot is in place. This outward, reaction force exerted by the plant pot may help increase the friction between the plant pot and the sub-frame and may help retain the plant pot within the sub-frame.

[0086] Optionally, the plurality of plant pots can be relatively closely spaced with each other when supported by the support frame, so that so that the foliage of one plant abuts and/or partially overlaps the foliage of other plants, creating a generally visually continuous canopy of foliage covering the upper end of the container. This may visually obscure the upper end of the planter container, as well as the upper ends of the individual plant pots and the support frame use to hold the plant pots. Obscuring the upper end of the planter apparatus in this manner may make it difficult for a user to visually distinguish a planter apparatus as disclosed herein from conventional, soil-filled planters (i.e. those without a plurality of internal plant pots). To help facilitate holding the individual plant pots in this manner, the sub-frames may be closely spaced together, and optionally adjacent sub-frames may be in contact with each other. [0087] Optionally, the planter apparatus may include a common water source or reservoir that can supply water to the individual plans pots. This may help facilitate caring for the plants in the planter apparatus, as a user may simply monitor the contents of the common reservoir, and fill and/or re-fill it as needed, as opposed to having to individually monitor and refill multiple, individual plant pots. In some embodiments, the interior of the planter container itself may be configured to hold water and may function as the reservoir. Alternatively, a separate water container may be inserted inside the interior of the visible planter container to function as the reservoir.

[0088] Water from the reservoir may be transferred to the individual plant pots via any suitable system, including an active transfer system or a passive transfer system. Some examples of active transfer systems may include pumps and the like that can transfer water to the individual plant pots at a user-specified frequency. A passive transfer system may include a gravity driven flow, an absorbent wick or other capillary transfer mechanism or the like. Some passive systems, such as a wick and/or capillary-based transfer systems may operate on an on-demand type of delivery that is driven by a moisture gradient between the soil and the reservoir. That is, as the soil dries it may tend to draw more water via the wick, whereas if the soil is relatively moist it may tend to draw less water (or no water). In some embodiments, using wicks of this nature may make the water delivery generally automatic and self-regulating for a given plant pot. This may help each plant pot draw a desired amount of water from the common reservoir, and optionally draw a different amount of water than another one of the plant pots.

[0089] Optionally, when the support frame and individual plant pots are assembled together, they may cover substantially the entire upper end of the planter container, and in some embodiments may substantially seal the upper end of the planter container in a generally watertight manner. This may help prevent water from spilling out of the planter container if it is tilted or knocked over (for example during transport). Sealing the upper end of the container may also help reduce evaporation of water contained within the water reservoir. This may help reduce the frequency that the planter apparatus needs to be watered by the user. Optionally, one or more of the plant pots can be removed from the support frame to permit inspection of the interior of the container and/or to add water to the reservoir. Alternatively, a separate reservoir filling port may be provided.

[0090] Referring to Figure 1 , an exemplary planter apparatus 100 is shown. In this embodiment, the planter apparatus 100 includes a planter container 120 and a support frame 1 10. In this embodiment, the planter container 120 includes a lower end 124, an upper end 126 spaced longitudinally above the lower end 124 and a sidewall 122 extending generally upwardly from the lower end 124 to the upper end 126. The sidewall 122 at least partially bounds a container interior 121 . The upper end 126 is open to provide access to the interior 121 . In the example illustrated, the lower end 124, the sidewall 122 and the upper end 126 are integrally formed. In other embodiments, these may be separate pieces attached and secured together. The planter container 120 may be made of any materials known in the art, such as metal, plastic, wood, ceramic, etc., and may be generally round or frusto-conical as shown, or may have any other suitable shape.

[0091 ] In some embodiments, the lower end 124 may be closed so that the lower end 124 also partially bounds the interior 121 . The lower end 124 may be generally solid such that matter such as a liquid, e.g., water, or a solid such as soil/dirt, may be contained within the interior 121 without exiting the interior 121 from the lower end 124. Alternatively, the lower end 124 may be at least partially open, or include at least one opening (such as a drainage opening). In some embodiments, the lower end 124 may be fully open while in some other embodiments the lower end 124 may be partially open or openable. For example, when a drain hole that can be capped by a plug exists on an otherwise closed lower end 124, the lower end 124 can be said to be partially open or openable. In these embodiments, the interior 121 may also contain any matters, as discussed above, without letting the contained matters to exit the interior 121 through the lower end 124.

[0092] Optionally, the planter container 120 may be configured to rest on a surface, e.g., a floor (not shown). Alternatively, the planter container 120 may be hung from a structure, e.g., a post vertically located above the floor (not shown).

[0093] In the illustrated embodiment, the planter container 120 has a generally circular geometry. In other words, if a plane 101 generally orthogonal to the longitudinal axis 121 of the planter container 120 cuts the planter container 120, and its sidewall 122, the sidewall 122 has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape taken in the plane 101 . In other embodiments, the planter container 120 may have any other geometries, shapes and/or cross sections, e.g., rectangle, square, oval, etc. In the example illustrated, the sidewall 122 flares generally outwardly as the sidewall 122 extends upwardly from the lower end 124 towards the upper end 126. In other words, the planter container 120 is in the shape of an inverted frustum of a cone, i.e. the planter container 120 is frusto-conical. The diameter of the planter container 120 in the vicinity of the upper end 126, i.e. opening diameter of the planter container 120, can be preferably between 4 inches to 20 inches. Alternatively, it can be less than 4 inches or more than 20 inches.

[0094] Referring still to Figure 1 , in the illustrated embodiment, the support frame 120, or as alternatively can be called, the placer 120, includes an outer perimeter 1 1 1 , a top surface 1 13 extended inwardly from the outer perimeter 1 1 1 and a sidewall 1 15 extended generally downwardly from the outer perimeter 1 1 1 . The support frame 1 10 also includes two sub-frames 1 16, each having an inner perimeter 1 14 that is closed and helps define a respective pot receiving aperture 1 12. In this embodiment, the top surface 1 13 is generally solid and extends from the outer perimeter 1 1 1 to the sub-frames 1 16, such that the sub-frames 1 16 are integrally formed with the top surface 1 13 and the pot receiving apertures 1 12 are cut-outs on the top surface 1 13. In other examples, the inner perimeters 1 14 need not be entirely continuous, and may include one or more gaps or open regions (i.e. portions recessed outwardly from the perimeter shown), while still at least partially bounding the pot receiving apertures 1 12. [0095] In this embodiment, the support frame 1 10 is positioned towards the upper end 126 of the planter container 120. An underside of the surface 1 13 (not shown) rests against a top surface of the sidewall 122 (not shown) in the vicinity of the upper end 126, i.e. opening of the planter container 120, and at least a portion of the sidewall 1 15 of the support frame 1 10 may be in contact with or touch a portion of the sidewall 122 of the planter container 120 in the vicinity of the opening of the planter container 120. The support frame 1 10 partially covers the upper end 126.

[0096] In this embodiment, the support frame 1 10, or the placer 1 10, is generally circular. In other words, the outer perimeter 1 1 1 of the support frame 1 10 traces a circle in a plane that is parallel to the plane 101 . In other examples, the support frame 1 10 may have different shapes, but is generally shaped to be complimentary/compatible to a corresponding planter container 120. That is, the shape of the support frame 1 10 may at least partially depend on the shape of the planter container 120 or the shape of the opening of the planter container 120. Similarly, the overall dimension of the support frame 1 10, e.g., diameter of the outer perimeter 1 1 1 (also referred to as the outer dimension or diameter of the support frame 1 10), may at least partially depend on, e.g., the opening diameter of the planter container 120 or the dimeter of the planter container 120 in the vicinity of the upper end 126, as discussed below.

[0097] Each pot receiving aperture 1 12 is configured for receiving a plant pot, such as plant pot 230 as shown in Figure 2, and holding the received plant pot. When the support frame 1 10 is positioned toward the upper end 126 of the planter container 120, the plant pots may be supported and/or suspended, within the interior 121 of the planter container 120 such that the bottom of each plant pot (see lower end 234 of the plant pot 230 in Figure 2) is suspended above (and spaced apart from) the lower end 124 of the planter container 120. In this arrangement, the bottoms or lower ends of the plant pots are exposed and can be accessed by water supply systems, to help facilitate drainage and ventilation and the like. In the illustrated example, the support frame 1 10 includes two sub- frames 1 16 defining two pot receiving apertures 1 12. In other examples, including those disclosed herein, the support frame 1 10 may include more than 2 sub-frames 1 16 and more than two pot receiving apertures 1 12. [0098] Preferably, each pot receiving aperture 1 12 is configured to have an aperture geometry or shape (taken in a relevant plane) that is different than the geometry or shape of a plant pot that is associated with the planter apparatus 100 and is intended to be inserted in and received by the pot receiving aperture 1 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the support frame 1 10 is configured for receiving circular plant pots (i.e. pots that have a generally circular cross-sectional shape taken in, e.g., plane 502 of Figure 5), and the pot receiving apertures 1 12 preferably have non-circular geometries.

[0099] In the illustrated embodiment, the geometry of each pot receiving aperture 1 12 is elliptic such that the apertures 1 12 have a generally elliptical cross-sectional shape in a plane parallel to plane 101 and have respective similar major and minor dimeters (see, e.g., minor diameter 372a and major diameter 373a in Figure 3). Accordingly, the pot receiving apertures 1 12 are configured to receive two circular plant pots of similar size. In other examples, as discussed below, the apertures 1 12 may have different sizes and geometries, e.g., ellipses having different major and/or minor diameters, or any other known shapes, e.g. rectangle, square, etc. In some embodiments, if the plant pots are not circular, the apertures 1 12 may have circular geometries. The apertures 1 12 are shown as being of substantially the same size in this embodiment, but may be different sizes (such as shown in the embodiments of Figures 3 and 4).

[00100] In use, as a result of this mismatch in shape or geometry between the plant pots and the pot receiving apertures 1 12, when inserting a plant pot into the pot receiving aperture 1 12, the inner perimeter 1 14 exerts substantially unequal or unbalanced inward forces around the perimeter of the plant pot, and the locations where forces are applied to the plant pot may change as the plant pot is inserted further into the sub-frame 1 16. These relatively concentrated inward forces exerted at different locations around the perimeter of the plant pot may cause the plant pot to deflect inwardly in the direction of the exerted forces, and may cause non-loaded portions of the plant pot to deflect outwardly. For example, in reaction to this inward deflection of portions of the plant pot sidewall, other portions of the sidewall of the plant pot may deflect outwardly in a direction generally orthogonal to the direction of the inward forces, i.e. inward deflection. Overall, this sequence of deflections or deformations may cause the geometry of the plant pot to generally match the geometry of the pot receiving aperture 1 12, such that when the plant pot is fully inserted into a respective sub-frame there is generally continuous contact between the plant pot and sub-frame around the entire perimeter of the plant pot. This in turn may result in the plant pot bearing against the inner perimeter 1 14, at least in part due to the resilient nature of the plant pot and/or the soil therein exerting reactive forces on the inner perimeter 1 14, and being retained securely in place by the pot receiving apertures 1 12 (as discussed in more detail below in relation to pot holder apparatus 200).

[00101 ] To hold the plant pot in place by deforming the plant pot, the support frame 1 10 may need to be made of a material that is stiffer than the material making the plant pot, i.e. having a higher stiffness. In other words, the support frame should be able to make the plant pot to deform without being deformed itself in response to the reactive forces exerted by the plant pot on the support frame 1 10. For example, the support frame 1 10 may be made of a metal, wood, plastic, etc. that are stiffer than the plant pot, or material making the plant pot.

[00102] In some embodiments, when the plant pots are inserted into the pot receiving apertures 1 12, and the support frame 1 10 is positioned towards the upper end 126 of the planter container 120, the support frame 1 10 seals the opening of the planter container 120 such that if any matter, liquid and/or solid, is contained within the interior 121 , it cannot exit the container 120 through the upper end 126. In other embodiments, as discussed below, the support frame may not seal the opening of the planter container 120. [00103] To seal the planter container 120, the support frame 1 10 may have a detent (not shown) extending radially inwardly from the sidewall 1 15, and the planter container 120 may have a corresponding engagement member, e.g., a groove (not shown) cut on the sidewall 122 in the vicinity of the upper end 126, for engaging the detent of the support frame 1 10. That is, the support frame 1 10 may be secured to the planter container 120 through snap fitting. Alternatively, the support frame 1 10 may be secured to the planter container 120 through other methods known in the art, such as force fitting, e.g., by the support frame 1 10 having a diameter that is slightly smaller than the opening diameter of the planter container 120, or by threaded engaging the sidewall 122. Further, a sealing member, e.g., an O-ring, may be placed between each plant pot and each pot receiving aperture 1 12 such that any matter within the interior 121 may not exit the planter container 120 through, e.g., any gaps that may exist between a plant pot and a corresponding pot receiving aperture. In addition, the top surface 1 13 may be liquid impermeable.

[00104] Referring now to Figures 2 and 1 1A-1 1 C, another exemplary planter apparatus 200 is shown. Like elements are referred to using like reference numerals, incremented by 100. To avoid repetition, like elements are not discussed in as much detail as discussed above in relation to the planter apparatus 100. Accordingly, unless otherwise stated below, all the teachings in relation to the planter apparatus 100, its features and/or components may apply to the planter apparatus 200 as well.

[00105] In this embodiment, the planter apparatus 200 includes a planter container 220, a number of plant pots 230 and a support frame 210. Similar to the planter container 120, the planter container 220 includes a lower end 224, an upper end 226 and a sidewall extending generally upwardly from the lower end 224 to the upper end 226 for at least partially bounding a container interior 221 . Similar to the planter container 120, the planter container 220 is generally in the shape of an inverted frustum of a cone, i.e. has a circular cross section.

[00106] In this embodiment, the planter apparatus 200 includes three plant pots 230a, 230b, 230c. In other embodiments, the planter apparatus 200 may have more or less than three plant pots depending on the number of plant pots, or variety of plants, a user desires to hold within the planter container 220. Each plant pot 230 includes a lower end 234, an open upper end 236 spaced longitudinally above the lower end 234 and a sidewall 232 extending generally upwardly from the lower end 234 to the upper end 236. The sidewall 232 at least partially bounds a pot interior 231 , e.g., for holding a plant in soil. Each plant pot 230 has a region on its sidewall 232 called an aperture interface band 233 that is engaged by pot receiving apertures of the support frame 210 as discussed in more detail below. The aperture interface band 233 runs along the sidewall 232 between an aperture interface band lower end 235 and aperture interface band upper end 237. Both the aperture interface band lower end and upper end 235, 237 are intermediate the lower end 234 and upper end 236 of the pot 230. The lower end 234 of the pot 230 may be generally solid such that matter such as a liquid, e.g., water, or a solid such as soil/dirt, may be contained within the interior 231 without exiting the interior 231 from the lower end 234. Alternatively, the lower end 234 may be at least partially open, or include at least one opening (such as a drainage opening), as, e.g., discussed in relation to planter container 120.

[00107] Each plant pot 230 has a pot geometry. In this embodiment, plant pots 230a, 230b, 230c are circular. Each lower end 234 has a lower end diameter 283. Each upper end 236 has an upper end diameter 285. Size of each plant pot 230 is smaller than the planter container 220, i.e. both the lower end diameter 283 and the upper end diameter 285 of the plant pots 230 can be smaller than the opening diameter of the planter container 220. Each plant pot 230 may be made of a material, such as a plastic, that can undergo a predetermined amount of elastic deformation and/or plastic deformation without fracturing, as discussed below. Each plant pot 230 may already hold a plant in soil.

[00108] Referring still to Figures 2 and 1 1A-1 1 C, the support frame 210, or the placer 210, includes a number of pot holding sub-frames 216. In this embodiment, the support frame 210 includes three pot holding sub-frames 216a, 216b, 216c. In other embodiments, the support frame 210 may have less than three or more than three pot holding sub-frames 216, e.g., based on the number of plant pots 230 that a user desires to be held within the planter container 220. Each pot holding sub-frame 216 includes an outer perimeter 218 and an inner perimeter 214 spaced radially apart from the outer perimeter 218. A top wall 217 and a bottom wall 219, spaced longitudinally apart from the top wall 217, extend between the inner perimeter 214 and outer perimeter 218. Three pot holding sub-frames 216a, 216b, 216c are securely attached together on their outer perimeters 218a, 218b, 218c. The overall dimension of the support frame 210 may depend at least in part on the opening dimension of the planter container 220, as discussed below.

[00109] In this embodiment, each inner perimeter 214 is closed, and defines and bounds a pot receiving aperture 212. In other embodiments, inner perimeters 214 may not be fully closed and they may partially bounds the pot receiving apertures 212. In the illustrated embodiment, each pot receiving aperture 212 has an aperture geometry. Similar to the planter apparatus 100, the aperture geometries do not match the pot geometries. In this embodiment, pot receiving apertures 212a, 212b, 212c have elliptic geometries. In other embodiments, apertures 212 may have other geometries not conforming to the pot geometries. In the illustrated embodiment, the size of the pot receiving apertures 212b and 212c are generally similar while the size of the pot receiving aperture 212a is larger than the apertures 212b, 212c. Accordingly, apertures 212b, 212c are configured for receiving smaller plant pots, e.g., plant pots 230b and 230c, while aperture 212a is configured for receiving a bigger plant pot, e.g., 230a. In other embodiments, apertures 212 can be of similar size and/or geometries or have different sizes and/or geometries configured for receiving plant pots 230 having different sizes and/or geometries as well.

[001 10] In the illustrated embodiment, each pot receiving aperture 212 is configured such that its minor diameter, defined as a distance between its co-vertices 270 along its minor axis 271 , is larger than lower end diameter 283 of a corresponding plant pot 230. For example, the minor diameter of the pot receiving aperture 212a is larger than the lower end diameter of the plant pot 230a. This way, in use, the plant pot 230 can be inserted into and pass through the pot receiving aperture 212, relatively freely, with less interference between the lower end 234 of the plant pot 230 and the inner perimeter 214 of the pot receiving aperture 212, as best shown in Figures 1 1A and 1 1 B. [001 1 1 ] In this embodiment, the pot receiving aperture 212 is further configured such that the minor diameter of the pot receiving aperture 212 is smaller than the diameter of the plant pot 230 at the aperture interface band lower end 235, as best shown in Figure 1 1 B. Accordingly, in use, when the plant pot 230, e.g., 230a, is inserted into the pot receiving aperture 212, e.g. 212a, firstly, the lower end 234 of the plant pot 230 passes through the aperture 212. Thereafter, when, during the downward travel of the plant pot 230 within the aperture 212, the aperture interface band lower end 235 reaches the inner perimeter 214, the plant pot 230 may stop and might not move further downward due to gravity only. At this point, there may be contact between at two diametrically opposed portions 280 (hereinafter called "primary bearing sub-portions") of the aperture interface band 233 and corresponding, opposing portions of the sub-frame 216. For example, each primary bearing sub-portion 280 may be aligned with a co-vertex 270 of the aperture 212. With the pot 230 in the position of Figure 1 1 B, there is contact between the primary bearing sub-portions 280 and the sub-frame 216, while other portions of the pot 230 (such as the secondary bearing sub-portions 281 ) remain spaced from the sub-frame 216. On aggregate, the primary bearing sub-portions can be one example of a "primary bearing portion" of the aperture interface band 233. In some embodiments, the aperture interface band lower end 235 is located 1 cm above the lower end 234 of the plant pot 230. In other embodiments, the aperture interface band lower end 235 maybe located at other distances from the lower end 234 of the plant pot 230. [001 12] For the pot holding sub-frame 216 to securely retain the inserted plant pot 230, as discussed above, a user may not rely on gravity solely and may exert a downward force on the plant pot 230 to push the plant pot 230 further downwardly into the aperture 212, as best shown in Figure 1 1 C. By doing so, the inner perimeter 214 may exert generally inward forces on the sidewall 232 at the primary bearing sub-portions 280 of the aperture interface band 233. As a result of these inward forces, the sidewall 232 may deflect inwardly towards the interior 231 of the pot 230 at the primary bearing sub-portions 280. In other words, the inner perimeter 214 exerts inward forces in the direction of the minor axis 272 of the aperture 212 on the sidewall 232 of the plant pot 230 at primary bearing sub-portions 280. Accordingly, the sidewall 232 at the primary bearing sub-portions 280 that are aligned with co-vertices 270 of the aperture 212 deflects inwardly. That is, the two diametrically opposed primary bearing sub-portions 280 of the sidewall 232 move towards the interior 231 of the pot 230, i.e. the primary bearing sub-portions 280 move towards each other.

[001 13] The inward deflection of the pot 230 may mean that the pot 230 is compressed at least in one direction, e.g. along the minor axis 272 of the pot receiving aperture 212. Further, the inward deflection may mean that the matter within the interior 231 of the pot 230 is compressed as well. In response to the compression, at least in part due to resilient nature of the pot 230 and the matter, e.g., soil, within the pot 230, the pot 230 and the matter within the pot 230 may expand in another direction. Accordingly, at least in the illustrated embodiment, the sidewall 232 of the plant pot 230 may deflect outwardly at two other diametrically opposed portions 281 of the aperture interface band 233 of the sidewall 232 (hereinafter called "secondary bearing sub-portions") towards the inner perimeter 214 of the pot receiving aperture 212, as best shown in Figure 1 1 C. The secondary bearing sub-portions may be circumferentially spaced apart from the primary bearing sub-portions and may be generally in alignment with vertices 271 of the aperture 212. Thus, the sidewall 232 deflects outwardly at the secondary bearing sub-portions 281 along the major axis 273 of the aperture 212 towards the inner perimeter 214. On aggregate, the secondary bearing sub-portions 281 can be called a "secondary bearing portion" of the aperture interface band 233. [001 14] After the above-discussed sequence of inward and outward deflections, the pot geometry may conform to the aperture geometry, as best shown in Figure 1 1 C. In other words, the circular plant pot 230 may now be elliptic since the circular pot 230 is compressed along the minor axis 272 of the aperture 212 at its primary bearing sub- portions 280 and expanded along the major axis 273 of the aperture 212 at its secondary bearing sub-portions 281 . That is, after the deflections, the distance between the primary bearing sub-portions 280 is less than the distance between the secondary bearing sub- portions 281 , while, before the deflections, the distance between the primary bearing sub- portions 280 and the secondary bearing sub-portions 281 were generally similar and identical to the diameter of the circle bounded by the aperture interface band 233 in a plane, e.g., parallel to plane 502 shown in Figure 5, intersecting the sidewall 232 at the aperture interface band 233.

[001 15] In the illustrated embodiment, the pot receiving aperture 212 is configured such that its major diameter, i.e. the distance between vertices 271 along its major axis 273, is almost equal to the distance between secondary bearing sub-portions 281 on the sidewall 232 after the outward deflection of the sidewall 232. That is, upon outward deflection of the sidewall 232, secondary bearing sub-portions 281 may reach and become in contact with the inner perimeter 214 of the aperture 212, as best shown in Figure 1 1 C. In other words, before further pushing the plant pot 230 downwardly within the aperture 212, a gap 206 exists between secondary bearing sub-portions 281 on the sidewall 222 of the plant pot 230, while after pushing the plant pot 230 downwardly, and the sequence of deflections, discussed above, happening, the secondary bearing sub-portions 281 may become in contact with the inner perimeter 214 of the aperture 212 and the gap 206 may be at least partially, and optionally entirely, eliminated.

[001 16] Further, during the outward deflection of the sidewall 232, the primary bearing sub-portions 280 may still remain in contact with the inner perimeter 214 of the aperture 212, as best shown in Figure 1 1 C. Accordingly, in this embodiment, after pushing the plant pot 230 downward into the pot receiving aperture 212, which results in deflecting the sidewall 232 of the plant pot 230 and the pot geometry conforming to the aperture geometry, the plant pot 230 can be securely retained by the pot receiving aperture 212 of the pot holding sub-frame 216 through the sidewall 232 of the plant pot 230 bearing against the inner perimeter 214 at least at the primary bearing sub-portions 280 and secondary bearing sub-portions 281 .

[001 17] In some embodiments, even though the pot geometry may conform to the aperture geometry after the series of inward and outward deflections, the aperture 212 may be configured such that the plant pot 230 is retained in place by only its primary bearing portion bearing against the inner perimeter 214. In other words, the secondary bearing sub- portions 281 may deflect outwardly towards the inner perimeter 214 but may not reach the inner perimeter 214 as the major diameter of the aperture 212 may be greater than the distance between the secondary bearing sub-portions 281 even after the outward deflection. In other embodiments, the minor and major diameters of the aperture 212, and/or the ratio of the major to minor diameter, is configured such that after the inward and outward deflections of the plant pot 230, substantially the entirety of the sidewall 232 at the aperture interface band 233 may bear against and touch the inner perimeter 214 (as best seen in Figure 1 1 C), rather than the at least the primary bearing portion and/or the secondary bearing portion bearing against the inner perimeter 214. In some embodiments, the major diameter of the aperture 212 is configured to be equal or smaller than the upper end diameter 285 of the plant pot 230 to firmly support the plant pot 230 and to not allow the plant pot 230 falling into the planter container 220 by its upper end 236 passing through the aperture 212, as best seen in Figures 1 1 B and 1 1 C. [001 18] In some embodiments, the ratio of the major to minor diameter is configured such that upon insertion into the aperture 212 the plant pot 230 may undergo elastic deformation but not plastic deformation. In other examples, the ratio of the major to minor diameter is configured such that upon insertion into the aperture 212, the plant pot 230 may undergo plastic deformation but may not fracture.

[001 19] To hold the plant pot in place by deforming the plant pot, the pot holding sub- frame 216, and thus the support frame 210, may be made of a material that has a higher stiffness than the material making the plant pot 230. In other words, the pot holding sub- frames 216, should be able to deform the plant pot 230 without being deformed themselves in response to the reactive forces exerted by the plant pot 230 on the pot holding sub- frames 216. For example, the support frame 210 may be made of a metal, a wood, a plastic, etc. that are stiffer than the plant pot. In some examples, the pot holding sub-frame 216 may be made of a stiff plastic through an injection molding process. In some examples, the pot holding sub-frame 216 may be made of PLA using a 3D printer. In some examples, the support frame may be made of a plastic that is flexible but still stiffer than the plant pot 230. Alternatively, any other known stiff material and manufacturing techniques may be used.

[00120] Referring to Figures 2 and 15, in some embodiments, the plant pot 230 can include a shoulder portion 275 on the sidewall 232 positioned towards the upper end 236. In these embodiments, the aperture interface band upper end 237 may be generally proximate to, and/or may coincide with a lower downward facing abutment surface 276 of the shoulder portion 275. In these embodiments, in addition to the plant pot 230 being held in place by frictional forces exerted between the plant pot 230 and the sub-frame 216, as described herein, the lower end 276 of the shoulder portion 275 can rest on top wall 217 of the sub-frame 216. This may help prevent the plant pot 230 from slipping through the sub- frame 216 into the planter container 220. This may also help in positioning the plant pot 230 within the sub-frame 216, as the shoulder275 and abutment face 276 can function as an alignment member and a stop member. For example, aligning the lower end 276 of the shoulder portion 275 in parallel with top wall 217 of the sub-frame 216 may help align the longitudinal axis of the plant pot 230, e.g., axis 531 a in Figure 5, with the longitudinal axis of the planter container 220, e.g. axis 521 in Figure 5 such that the pot 230 is in a desired orientation relative to the sub-frame 216. This may also help facilitate inserting the pot 230 to a desired depth, as engagement between the abutment surface 276 and sub-frame 216 may help limit the downward travel of the pot 230 through the sub-frame 216. This may provide tactile feedback to user during the assembly process.

[00121 ] Referring again to Figures 2 and 1 1A-1 1 C, in some embodiments, the plant pots 230 may be inserted into the pot receiving apertures 212 when the support frame 210 is not yet positioned towards the upper end 226 of the planter container 220. In other words, a user can insert the plant pots 230 into apertures 212 first and then position the support frame 210 that is already holding plant pots 230 towards the upper end 226 of the planter container. In other examples, the support frame 210 can be positioned first towards the upper end 226 of the planter container 220, and then the plant pots 230 can be inserted into the pot receiving apertures 212.

[00122] Referring still to Figures 2 and 1 1A-1 1 C, in some embodiments, the support frame 210 may be positioned towards the upper end 226 of the planter container 220 and remain in place by resting against an interior surface of the sidewall 222, i.e. surface of the sidewall 222 facing towards the interior 221 of the container. The region on the interior surface of the sidewall 222 that the support frame 210 rests against can be called a support frame resting band 223 of the sidewall 222. As discussed above, in some embodiments, the sidewall 222 flares outwardly from the lower end 224 to the upper end 226, i.e. tapers inwardly from the upper end 226 towards the lower end 224. Accordingly, the diameter of a circle bounded by the sidewall 222 at the upper end 226 (i.e. the opening diameter of the planter container 220) in a plane parallel to, e.g., plane 101 (shown in Figure 1 ) is larger than the diameter of the circle bounded by the sidewall 222 in a plane parallel to, e.g., plane 101 intersecting the sidewall 222 at, e.g., a stop point 227 on the support frame resting band 223 located below the upper end 226. In these embodiments, the support frame 210 can be configured such that overall dimension of the support frame 210 (i.e. the outer dimension or diameter) is smaller than the opening diameter of the planter container 220 but larger than the diameter of the planter container at, e.g., the stop point 227 (the diameter of the area or circle bounded by the support frame resting band 223 at the stop point 227). Accordingly, the support frame 210 can rest against the sidewall 222 without further sliding downwardly into the interior 221 at the stop point 227. In some embodiments, the stop point 227 may be located 1 cm below the upper end 226 of the planter container 220. In other embodiments, the stop point 227 may be located at other distances below the upper end 226 of the planter container 220.

[00123] In some embodiments, a ledge may extend laterally inwardly from the sidewall 222 towards the interior 221 of the planter container 220. In these embodiments, the support frame 210 may rest against the ledge (not shown). In some other embodiments, the ledge may further include a groove and the support frame 210 may include a corresponding detent receivable by the groove. Accordingly, in these embodiments, the support frame 210 may both rest against the ledge and be releasably secured to the planter container 220 through, e.g., snap-fitting between the detent and groove. For aesthetic purposes, as discussed further below in relation to Figures 7 and 8, the support frame 210, regardless of how it is retained by the planter container 220, can be placed within the planter container 220 in a location intermediate the upper end 226 and lower end 224, e.g., location of the stop point 227, so that the support frame 210 and the plant pots 230, i.e. upper ends 236 of plant pots 230, may be hidden when viewed from the outside.

[00124] Referring still to Figure 2, in this embodiment, the planter apparatus 200 may optionally include water transport devices 240 extending from the lower ends 234 of the plant pots 230 into the interior 221 of the planter container 220. The interior 221 of the planter container 220 may hold an amount of water if the lower end 224 is closed or at least partially openable, e.g., by having a plugged drain hole, as discussed above in relation to the planter container 120 and illustrated in Figure 9. Alternatively, a water reservoir, as discussed below in relation to Figure 10, may be placed within the interior 221. The water transport device may be a capillary wick that can selectively transport water to the interior 231 of each pot 230 according to the need of plants therein through the capillary principle known in the art. The wick 240 may be made of cotton, a porous paper, etc. The wick 240 may be in communication with the interior 231 of plant pot 230 through a drain hole that exists at the lower end 234 of the plant pot 230. The wick 240 may have different diameters and lengths depending on the distance between the bottom 234 of plant pot 230 and the water within the planter container 220 and the amount of water a plant within the pot 230 needs. In one example, the wicks 240 may have a length of 1 10 mm and a diameter of 3 mm, although other lengths and diameters are also possible. [00125] Referring now to Figure 3, an exemplary support frame 310 is shown. The support frame 310 may be used with any planter apparatus, including those disclosed herein such as planter apparatuses 100, 200. The support frame 310 can be generally similar to the support frame 210. Accordingly, to avoid repetition its similar features are not discussed in as much detail. [00126] In this embodiment the support frame 310 includes three pot holding sub- frames 316a, 316b, 316c. In other embodiments, the support frame 310 may have more or less than 3 sub-frames, depending at least in part on the number of plant pots the support frame 310 is intended to receive. Pot holding sub-frame 316a, 316b, 316 may be made of a stiff plastic, metal, wood, etc. , as discussed herein. Each pot holding sub-frame 316a, 316b, 316c includes an outer perimeter 318a, 318b, 318c, respectively, and an inner perimeter 314a, 314b, 314c, spaced radially apart from the outer perimeter 318a, 318b, 318c, respectively. In this embodiment, pot holding sub-frames 316a, 316b, 316c are integrally formed and connected to each other. Each pot holding sub frame is connected to two other pot holding sub frames. In other embodiments, pot holding sub-frames 316a, 316b, 316c may be formed separately and may then be secured to each other, e.g., through welding, soldering, etc. of regions of each outer perimeter 318a, 318b, 318c to adjacent regions of outer perimeters of other pot holding sub-frames.

[00127] Each inner perimeter 314a, 314b, 314c bounds and defines a pot receiving aperture 312a, 312b, 312c for receiving and holding/suspending a plant pot, e.g., plant pots 230a, 230b, 230c, in a planter container, e.g., planter container 220, when the support frame 310 is positioned towards an open upper end of the planter container. Each pot receiving aperture 312a, 312b, 312c has an aperture geometry. In this embodiment, pot receiving apertures 312 have non-circular geometries. Preferably, pot receiving apertures 312 may have elliptic geometries configured for receiving circular pots. In other examples, pot receiving apertures 312 may have other geometries that do not conform to the geometry or shape of the plant pots the pot receiving apertures 312 are intended to receive. In this embodiment, the elliptic geometry has two vertices 371 and two co-vertices 370. The elliptic geometry has a minor diameter defined as a distance between co-vertices 370 along a minor axis 372. The elliptic geometry has a major diameter defined as a distance between vertices 371 along a major axis 373.

[00128] Referring now to Figure 4, another exemplary support frame 410 is shown. The support frame 410 may be used with any planter apparatus, including those disclosed herein such as planter apparatuses 100, 200. Features of the support frame 410 that are similar to those of other support frames disclosed herein are not discussed below. In other words, unless otherwise stated, support frame 410 may include all the features of other support frames discussed herein, e.g., aperture geometry may be non-circular, elliptic, etc. The support frame 410 includes an outer frame 450 and three pot holding sub-frames 416a, 416b, 416c. In other examples, the support frame 410 may have more or less than three pot holding sub-frames depending at least in part on the number of plant pots the support frame 410 is about to receive.

[00129] In this embodiment, the outer frame 450 is generally circular in shape although, in other embodiments, depending on the shape of a planter container that is about to receive the support frame 410, the outer frame 450 may be of other shapes, e.g., oval, rectangle, square, etc. In the illustrated embodiment, the outer frame 450 includes an outer perimeter 451 and an inner perimeter 452 spaced radially apart from the outer perimeter 451 . The support frame 410 may removably couple to a planter container. For example, the outer perimeter 451 may rest against a sidewall of a planter container. In some embodiments, the outer perimeter 451 may have threads to engage corresponding threads on an interior of the sidewall of the planter container. In some embodiments, the outer frame 450 may also include a bottom wall 453 extended between the outer perimeter 451 and inner perimeter 452 that may rest against a ledge projected inwardly from the sidewall of the planter container, as discussed above. The dimension of the outer frame 450, i.e. the outer dimension of the support frame 410 or diameter of a circle bounded by the outer perimeter 451 , may at least in part depend on opening dimeter of the planter container that receives the support frame 410, as discussed above in relation to support frames 1 10, 210, 310.

[00130] The inner perimeter 452 bounds and defines a frame space 454. Pot holding sub-frames 416a, 416b, 416c are within the frame space 454. In the example illustrated, outer frame 450 and each pot holding sub-frame 416a, 416b, 416c are formed separately and then connected to each other although in other embodiments they may be formed integrally. In this embodiment, each pot holding sub-frame is connected to the outer frame 450 and two other pot holding sub-frames. Each pot holding sub-frame is connected to the outer frame 450 through welding, soldering, etc. of a region on its outer perimeter 418 to a region on the inner perimeter 452 of the outer frame 450. Each pot holding sub-frame is connected to two other pot holding sub-frames through welding, soldering, etc. of two regions on its outer perimeter 418 to adjacent regions on outer perimeters of other pot holding sub-frames. In this embodiment, regions within the frame space 454 bounded by the outer perimeters 418a, 418b, 418c and/or outer perimeters 418a, 418b, 418c in conjunction with the inner perimeter 452 are open. In other embodiments, said regions may be closed and covered with a liquid impermeable material (e.g., surface 1 13 of the support frame 1 10 discussed above).

[00131 ] Referring now to Figures 5 and 7, a method of inserting a plant pot into an aperture of a support frame for holding the plant pot in a planter container is discussed in relation to planter apparatus 700. In this embodiment, as discussed above, a user may provide a planter container, e.g., planter container 720, a support frame, e.g., support frame 710, and a desired number of plant pots, e.g., 730a, 730b. The planter container 720 can be similar to other planter containers disclosed herein, e.g., planter container 120, 220. The support frame 710 can be similar to other support frames disclosed herein, e.g., support frame 1 10, 210, 310, 410. The plant pots 730a, 730b can be similar to plant pots 230a, 230b, 230c or any other plant pots disclosed herein. Optionally, a plant may be potted in soil in each plant pot 730a, 730b.

[00132] Thereafter, the plant pot 730a, 730b may be inserted into apertures of the support frame 710 that is already positioned towards an upper end of the planter container 720. Alternatively, the plant pots 730a, 730b may be inserted into apertures of the support frame 710 before positioning and coupling the support frame 710 towards and to the upper and of the planter container 720. In this embodiment, the support frame 710 is configured such that the plant pots 730a, 730b can be inserted along insertion axes that are generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the planter container. As best shown in Figure 5, insertion axis 531 a of the plant pot 530a, which can be analogized to the plant pot 730a, and insertion axis 531 b of the plant pot 530b, which can be analogized to the plant pot 730b, are parallel to the longitudinal axis 521 of the planter container 520, which can be analogized to the planter container 720.

[00133] For the support frame 710 to securely retain the inserted plant pots, procedures discussed above in relation to planter apparatuses 100, 200 may be followed. In other words, the plant pots may be pushed downwardly into the apertures of the support frame 710 until the plant pots deform and their geometries match and conform to the geometries of pot receiving apertures, i.e. until the sidewalls of the plant pots bear against the inner perimeters of the pot receiving apertures. As best seen in Figure 7, support frame 710 is located within the planter container 720, i.e. below the upper end of the planter container 720, such that it may not be in the line of sight of a spectator looking at the planter container 720 from the outside. Foliage of the plants within each pot may further help in hiding the support frame 710 and the upper ends of the plant pots 730a, 730b.

[00134] Referring now to Figures 6 and 8, another method of inserting a plant pot into an aperture of a support frame for holding the plant pot in a planter container is discussed in relation to planter apparatus 800. In this embodiment, as discussed above, a user may provide a planter container, e.g., planter container 820, a support frame, e.g., support frame 810, and a desired number of plant pots, e.g., 830a, 830b. The planter container 820 can be similar to other planter containers disclosed herein, e.g., planter container 120, 220, 720. The support frame 810 can be similar to other support frames disclosed herein, e.g., support frame 1 10, 210, 310, 410. The plant pots 830a, 830b can be similar to plant pots 230a, 230b, 230c or any other plant pots disclosed herein. Optionally, a plant may be potted in soil in each plant pot 830a, 830b.

[00135] Thereafter, the plant pot 830a, 830b may be inserted into apertures of the support frame 810 that is already positioned towards an upper end of the planter container 820. Alternatively, the plant pots 830a, 830b may be inserted into apertures of the support frame 810 before positioning and coupling the support frame 810 towards and to the upper and of the planter container 820. In the example illustrated, the support frame 810 is configured such that the plant pots 830a, 830b can be inserted along insertion axes that intersect a longitudinal axis of the planter container at non-zero angles. As best shown in Figure 6, insertion axis 631 a of the plant pot 630a, which can be analogized to plant pot 830a, intersects the longitudinal axis 621 of the planter container 620, which can be analogized to planter container 820, at angle 633a. Insertion axis 631 b of the plant pot 630b, which can be analogized to plant pot 830b, intersects the longitudinal axis of the planter container 620 at angle 633b. As best can be seen from Figure 8, the support frame 810 may have a dome-shaped cross section to accommodate above-discussed insertion angles.

[00136] For the support frame 810 to securely retain the inserted plant pots, procedures discussed above in relation to planter apparatuses 100, 200 may be followed. In other words, the plant pots may be pushed downwardly into the apertures of the support frame 810 until the plant pots deform and their geometries match and conform to the geometries of pot receiving apertures, i.e. until the sidewalls of the plant pots bear against the inner perimeters of the pot receiving apertures. Again, as best seen in Figure 8, support frame 810 is located within the planter container 820, i.e. below the upper end of the planter container 820, such that it may not be in the line of sight of a spectator looking at the planter container 820 from the outside. Foliage of plants within each pot may further help in hiding the support frame 810 and the upper ends of the plant pots 830a, 830b.

[00137] Referring now to Figure 9, another exemplary planter apparatus 900 is illustrated. Planter apparatus 900 and its features and/or components may be similar to any other planter apparatus and features and/or components thereof disclosed herein. In this embodiment, lower end 924 of the planter container 920 may be closed to contain water 960. The support frame 910 is configured to receive plant pots of different size. For example, as can be seen, plant pot 930b is bigger than plant pots 930a, 930c. The planter apparatus 900 may include water transport devices 940, e.g., a wick described above, extended from a bottom of each plant pot 930a, 930b, 930c into water 960 within the interior 921 of the planter container 924.

[00138] Referring now to Figure 10, another exemplary planter apparatus 1000 is illustrated. Planter apparatus 1000 and its features and/or components may be similar to any other planter apparatus and features and/or components thereof disclosed herein. The planter apparatus 1000 includes a water reservoir 1050 containing water 1060 placed in the interior 1021 of the planter container 1020. The support frame 1010 of the planter apparatus 1000 may have a dome-shaped cross section similar to the support frame 810 of the planter apparatus 800 so as to be able to receive at least a plant pot 1030a, 1030c along an insertion axis intersecting the longitudinal axis of the planter container 1020 at a non-zero angle. As demonstrated, plant pot 1030b may be inserted along an axis generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the planter container 1020 while plant pots 1030a, 1030c may be inserted along axes that are not parallel to the longitudinal axis of the planter container. Similar to the planter apparatus 900, the planter apparatus 1000 may also include water transport devices 1040 extended from a bottom of each plant pot 1030a, 1030b, 1030c into water 1060 contained within the water reservoir 1050.

[00139] Referring now to Figure 12, another exemplary support frame 1210, or placer 1210, is illustrated. In this embodiment, the support frame 1210 includes three sub-frames 1216a, 1216b and 1216c. Similar to other support frames described herein, each sub- frames 1216a, 1216b, 1216c includes an outer perimeter 1218 and an inner perimeter 1214 spaced radially apart from the outer perimeter 1218. Each inner perimeter 1214 bounds a pot receiving aperture 1212 having an aperture geometry not conforming to the geometry of a plant pot, e.g. plant pot 230a, that is intended to be inserted into the aperture 1212.

[00140] In the illustrated embodiment, apertures 1212a, 1212b, 1212c have generally elliptic geometries. Each elliptic geometry has a minor diameter 1290 defined as a distance between co-vertices 1270 and a major diameter 1291 defined as a distance between vertices 1271 . In the illustrated embodiment, minor diameters 1290a, 1290b, 1290c are generally equal although, in other embodiments, such as those disclosed herein, they may be different. In the illustrated embodiment, major diameters 1291 a, 1291 b, 1291 c are also generally equal although, in other embodiments, such as those disclosed herein, they may be different. In the illustrated embodiment, the outer dimension of the support frame 1210 is generally indicated at 1299. As discussed herein, the outer dimension 1299 may at least in part depend on the opening dimension/diameter of the planter container, e.g., planter container 220, that is intended to receive the support frame 1210. [00141 ] Referring still to Figure 12, in the illustrated embodiment, the ratio of the major diameter 1291 to minor diameter 1290 can be preferably between 1.15 to 1 .35. For example, the ratio of the major diameter 1291 to minor diameter 1290 can be 1.33. In other embodiments, the ratio of the major diameter 1291 to minor diameter 1290 may be more than 1 .35 or less than 1 .15. In one embodiment, the major diameter 1291 can be 60 mm and the minor dimeter 1290 can be 45 mm. In other embodiments, the minor diameter 1290 and the major diameter 1291 can have other dimensions. In one embodiment, the outer dimension 1299 can be approximately 4 inches while, in other embodiments, such as those disclosed herein, the outer dimension 1299 may be less or more than 4 inches. For example, the outer dimension 1299 can be 98.43 mm. [00142] Referring now to Figure 13, another exemplary support frame 1310, or placer 1310, is illustrated. In this embodiment, the support frame 1310 includes four sub-frames 1316a, 1316b, 1316c, and 1316d. Similar to other support frames described herein, each sub-frames 1316a, 1316b, 1316c, 1316d includes an outer perimeter 1318 and an inner perimeter 1314 spaced radially apart from the outer perimeter 1318. Each inner perimeter 1314 bounds a pot receiving aperture 1312 having an aperture geometry not conforming to the geometry of a plant pot, e.g. plant pot 230a, that is intended to be inserted into the aperture 1312.

[00143] In the illustrated embodiment, apertures 1312a, 1312b, 1312c, 1312d have generally elliptic geometries. Each elliptic geometry has a minor diameter 1390 defined as a distance between co-vertices 1370 and a major diameter 1391 defined as a distance between vertices 1371 . In the illustrated embodiment, minor diameters 1390a and 1390c are generally equal. Major diameters 1391 a and 1391 c are generally equal while minor diameters 1390b and 1390c are also generally equal. In the illustrated embodiment, major diameters 1391 b and 1391 d are generally equal while minor diameter 1390 b and 1390d are also generally equal. In the illustrated embodiment, the outer dimension of the support frame 1310 is generally indicated at 1399. As discussed herein, the outer dimension 1399 may at least in part depend on the opening dimension/diameter of the planter container that is intended to receive the support frame 1310. For example, the planter support 1310 may be positioned towards an upper end of a planter container having a square or a circular cross-section on a plane, e.g., plane101 , generally orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the planter container, e.g. axis 121 . The opening dimension of such planter container, e.g. lengths of the square or diameter of the circle defined by the sidewall of the planter container on a plane generally orthogonal to the longitudinal axis intersecting the sidewall towards the upper end of the planter container, can be greater than or equal to the outer dimension 1399 of the support frame 1310.

[00144] Referring still to Figure 13, in the illustrated embodiment, the ratio of the major diameter 1391 a to minor diameter 1390a can be preferably between 1 .15 to 1 .35. For example, the ratio of the major diameter 1391 a to minor diameter 1390a can be 1 .19. In other embodiments, the ratio of the major diameter 1391 a to minor diameter 1390a may be more than 1 .35 or less than 1 .15. In one embodiment, the major diameter 1391 a can be 95 mm and the minor dimeter 1390a can be 80 mm. In other embodiments, the minor diameter 1390a and the major diameter 1391 a can have other dimensions. In the illustrated embodiment, the ratio of the major diameter 1391 b to minor diameter 1390b can be preferably between 1 .15 to 1 .35. For example, the ratio of the major diameter 1391 b to minor diameter 1390b can be 1 .28. In other embodiments, the ratio of the major diameter 1391 b to minor diameter 1390b may be more than 1 .35 or less than 1 .15. In one embodiment, the major diameter 1391 b can be 59 mm and the minor dimeter 1390b can be 46 mm. In other embodiments, the minor diameter 1390b and the major diameter 1391 b can have other dimensions. In one embodiment, the outer dimension 1399 can be approximately 6 inches while in other embodiments, such as those disclosed herein, the outer dimension 1399 may be less or more than 6 inches. For example, the outer dimension 1399 can be 167.5 mm.

[00145] Referring now to Figure 14, another exemplary support frame 1410, or placer 1410, is illustrated. In this embodiment, the support frame 1410 includes three sub-frames 1416a, 1416b and 1416c. Similar to other support frames described herein, each sub- frames 1416a, 1416b, 1416c includes an outer perimeter 1418 and an inner perimeter 1414 spaced radially apart from the outer perimeter 1418. Each inner perimeter 1414 bounds a pot receiving aperture 1412 having an aperture geometry not conforming to the geometry of a plant pot, e.g. plant pot 230a, that is intended to be inserted into the aperture 1412. [00146] In the illustrated embodiment, apertures 1412a, 1412b, 1412c have generally elliptic geometries. Each elliptic geometry has a minor diameter 1490 defined as a distance between co-vertices 1470 and a major diameter 1491 defined as a distance between vertices 1471 . In the illustrated embodiment, minor diameters 1490a and1490b are generally equal and smaller than minor diameter 1490c although, in other embodiments, such as those disclosed herein, they may be different. In the illustrated embodiment, major diameters 1491 a and 1491 b are generally equal and smaller than major diameter 1491 c although, in other embodiments, such as those disclosed herein, they may be different. In the illustrated embodiment, the outer dimension of the support frame 1410 is generally indicated at 1499. As discussed herein, the outer dimension 1299 may at least in part depend on the opening dimension/diameter of the planter container, e.g., planter container 220, that is intended to receive the support frame 1410.

[00147] Referring still to Figure 14, in the illustrated embodiment, the ratio of the major diameter 1491 a to minor diameter 1490a can be preferably between 1 .15 to 1 .35. For example, the ratio of the major diameter 1491 a to minor diameter 1490a can be 1 .28. In other embodiments, the ratio of the major diameter 1491 a to minor diameter 1490a may be more than 1 .35 or less than 1 .15. In one embodiment, the major diameter 1491 a can be 58.78 mm and the minor dimeter 1490a can be 45.82 mm. In other embodiments, the minor diameter 1490a and the major diameter 1491 a can have other dimensions. In the illustrated embodiment, the ratio of the major diameter 1491 c to minor diameter 1490c can be preferably between 1 .15 to 1 .35. For example, the ratio of the major diameter 1491 c to minor diameter 1490c can be 1 .19. In other embodiments, the ratio of the major diameter 1491 c to minor diameter 1490c may be more than 1 .35 or less than 1 .15. In one embodiment, the major diameter 1491 c can be 95 mm and the minor dimeter 1490c can be 80 mm. In other embodiments, the minor diameter 1490c and the major diameter 1491 c can have other dimensions. In one embodiment, the outer dimension 1499 can be approximately 6 inches while in other embodiments, such as those disclosed herein, the outer dimension 1499 may be less or more than 4 inches. For example, the outer dimension 1499 may be 132.15 mm.

[00148] While the above description provides examples of one or more apparatuses, articles, systems or methods, it will be appreciated that other apparatuses, articles, systems or methods may be within the scope of the accompanying claims, e.g., any other planter apparatus that includes any permutations or combinations of features and/or components disclosed herein, e.g., support frames 1 10, 210, 310, 410, 710, 810, 910, 1010, 1210, 1310, 1410 in relation to any planter apparatuses disclosed herein, e.g., planter apparatus 100, 200, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000.