US 4,060,934 AGranted

Water tender

OwnerLeonard L. Skaggsinventor

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Abstract

An automatic water tender is disclosed which waters a plant in accordance with the amount of moisture which has evaporated or has been transpired from the plant. The apparatus comprises a support base upon which a horizontal pivot shaft is pivotally mounted. A cantilever platform is rigidly mounted to the pivot shaft and a counter weight is mounted to the pivot shaft opposite to the cantilever platform. A plant container is supported by the cantilever platform, which contains the plant to be watered. The plant container on the platform is counter-balanced about the pivot shaft by the counter weight. A fluid reservoir is mounted on the support base in an elevated position with respect to the plant container. A valve means is mounted on the fluid reservoir and is operatively connected to the pivot shaft, for controllably conducting fluid from the reservoir to the plant container in response to the pivotal motion which the pivot shaft undergoes when the counter weight overbalances the platform. In this manner, the plant in the container is automatically watered after a predetermined loss of weight of water by the plant through evaporation and plant transpiration.

An automatic plant watering apparatus, comprising:

a support base;
a horizontal pivot shaft pivotally mounted on said support base;
a cantilever platform rigidly mounted to said pivot shaft;
a counter weight mounted to said pivot shaft opposite to said cantilever platform;
a plant container supported by said cantilever platform containing a plant to be watered, counter-balanced about said pivot shaft by said counter weight;
a fluid reservoir mounted on said support base in an elevated position with respect to said plant container;
valve means mounted on said fluid reservoir, operatively connected to said pivot shaft, for controllably conducting fluid from said reservoir to said plant container in response to the pivotal motion which said pivot shaft undergoes when said counter weight overbalances said platform;
an actuating lever rigidly mounted to said pivot shaft on a first end, with a second end being said operative connection to said valve means;
a valve seat of said valve means having a lower threaded shank portion which engages a corresponding threaded portion in the bottom of said reservoir, forming an opening through which the fluid in said reservoir may drain;
a flapper valve of said valve means having one end pivotally mounted to said valve seat, for sealably engaging said opening in said seat by the natural force of gravity;
a weight mounted on said flapper valve, for pressing said flapper valve tightly against said seat, thereby closing said valve means;
a funicular connection between said flapper valve and said actuating lever, being said operative connection between said valve and said pivot shaft;
a rocker lever, pivotally mounted on top of said fluid reservoir;
said funicular connection passing through an opening in the top of said reservoir and connecting to a first end of said rocking lever;
a second funicular connection between a second end of said rocking lever and said second end of said actuating lever to provide an operative connection between said valve means and said pivot shaft is made;
a manifold fluid distribution block mounted in said valve means, being a circular hollow tube fastened to a circular hole in the bottom of said valve seat, having outlet ports in the side thereof through which delivery tubes may be inserted, each conducting fluid to one of a plurality of plants;
whereby a plurality of plants may be automatically watered by sensing the weight loss of water which has been evaporated and transpired from the plant in said plant container.

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Abstract

Claims1