Planter design and construction

A functional and decorative furniture entity including a planter comprising in combination:

• A. a furniture piece support portion including:
• 1. at least two planar members consiting of rigid transparent plastic material;
• 2. each planar member having a U-shaped cradle-like cut-out in the upper edge thereof;
• 3. said planar members respectively having slots extending inwardly from edges thereof;
• 4. said planar members being matedly interconnected and interlocked by coaction between interengaged slots of two or more separate ones of said members positioned at an angle to one another;
• 5. said cradle-like cut-outs coacting, in assembled relationship of said members, to form an open top composite cradle for supporting a plant container;
• B. a removable plant container seated and supported in said composite cradle and adapted for at least partly containing therein a plant together with plant life supporting material, said plant container consisting of interconnected sides and a bottom formed of rigid transparent plastic material whereby that portion of a plant and its plant life supporting material are visible from the exterior;
• C. said composite cradle and said plant container having respectively interior and exterior shapes and dimensions to supportedly mate and engage the container in the cradle with the edges of the cradle forming members being in linear contact with the peripheral sides of said container over substantially the entire height thereof;
• D. said plant life supporting material including a soil mix adapted for containment therein of a plant root;
• E. said container being waterproof for containment of water therein;
• F. a hollow closed side filter box having perforations in the bottom side thereof and supported above the interior side of said bottom;
• G. a layer of charcoal chips on the bottom of said container;
• H. a layer of marble or the like chunks on said charcoal chips;
• I. said soil mix being on top of said marble layer;
• and
• J. means for controlling the amount of water within said container.

A composite functional and decorative furniture entity including in combination a furniture piece and a planter removably associated therewith comprising:

• A. a furniture piece planter support portion including:
• 1. at least two vertical planar members consisting of rigid transparent plastic material;
• 2. said planar members having horizontal flat upper edges;
• 3. each vertical planar member having a downward depending central U-shaped cradle-like cut-out in said upper edge, with a flat horizontal base edge in the cut-out, and horizontal flat edge portions external of said cut-out;
• 4. said planar members having slots extending inwardly respectively upwardly and downwardly from edges thereof;
• 5. said planar members being matedly interconnected and interlocked by coaction between interengaged slots of two or more separate ones of said planar members positioned at an angle to one another;
• 6. said cradle-like cut-outs coacting, in the so interconnected relationship of said members, to form an open top composite cradle with said flat base edges in the cut-out coacting to constitute a horizontal support surface;
• 7. a lower horizontal planar member having slots extending inwardly from the periphery thereof, said horizontal planar member being supportedly positioned on said horizontal support surface, with said slots therein matedly interengaging the side edges of said cut-outs for interconnection of said lower horizontal planar member with said vertical planar members, and constituting a planter support;
• B. said planter including a plant container removably seated and supported on said support surface in said composite cradle and adapted for at least partly containing therein a plant, together with plant life supporting material, said plant container consisting of interconnected sides and a bottom respectively formed of rigid transparent plastic material whereby that portion of a plant and its plant life supporting material are visible from the exterior;
• C. said composite cradle and said plant container having respectively interior and exterior shapes and dimensions to supportedly mate and engage the plant container in the composite cradle, with said side edges of the cut-outs being in positionment contact with the external sides of said container over substantially the entire height thereof;
• D. an upper horizontal planar member having a central opening therein of a size and shape corresponding to the open top of said composite cradle, and an outer peripheral edge supportedly mounted on said horizontal flat portions of said vertical planar members;
• E. said outer peripheral edge of said upper horizontal planar member and the upper edge of said plant container being substantially co-planar whereby portions of plants in said container can extend thereover, and can be at least in part supported thereby, and ends thereof drape downwardly therefrom.