# US 7,406,799 B1 · Reversible hanging plant support

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- Number: US 7,406,799 B1
- Document ID: US7406799B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 11/306,942
- Filed: 2006-01-17
- Granted: 2008-08-05
- Earliest claimed: 2004-06-14
- Inventors: John D Stouffer; Terry Ray Rock
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7406799B1

## CPC

- A47G 7/047: {Devices for suspending flower-pots by wires or the like (A47G7/042 and A47G7/045 take precedence)}
- A47G 2007/048: {Flower tables, stands or hangers with means for automatically rotating the plant pot}
- A47G: HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT (book-ends A47B5/00; knives B26B)

## Abstract

A system for supporting a household plant includes an electric circuit for selectively moving the plant having a battery and a direct current motor for moving the plant. The motor control is by a first controllable switching device to connect the battery to the motor with a first polarity to cause the plant to move in a first direction, or a second controllable switching device to connect the battery to the motor with a second polarity opposite the first polarity to cause the plant to move in a second direction. A controller selectively enables either the first or second switching devices while leaving the other disabled and in conjunction with a light sensing device and analog comparison circuit precludes actuation of either switching device if inadequate growth promoting light is sensed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of suspending a plant to distribute light from a source around the plant to ensure the application of uniform growth promoting light about the entire periphery of the plant, comprising the steps of:
suspending a motor driven plant hanger from a fixed elevated member;
suspending the plant from beneath the plant hanger;
sensing for the intensity of growth promoting light by periodically enabling a light intensity comparison circuit for a short time interval, and disabling the light intensity comparison circuit for a longer time interval between an enabled time interval and a successive enabled time interval, whereby the light intensity comparison circuit spends most of the time in a current conserving sleep mode;
periodically incrementing the angular position of the plant relative to the plant hanger;
suspending periodic incrementation when the sensed light intensity falls below a predetermined threshold; and
resuming periodic incrementation when the sensed light intensity exceeds the predetermined threshold.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of suspending a plant according to claim 1, including the additional steps of summing the angular increments, and reversing the angular sense of the periodic increments when the sum of angular increments reaches a predetermined value.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of suspending a plant according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined value is on the order of one complete revolution.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method of suspending a plant according to claim 2, including the additional step of commencing the summing anew each time the angular sense of the periodic increments is reversed.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of suspending a plant according to claim 1, including the additional steps of initializing a counter with a desired number of angular incrementations, decrementing the counter by one each time the angular position of the plant is incremented and reversing the angular sense of the periodic angular increments when the counter reaches zero.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of suspending a plant according to claim 1, wherein the step of periodically incrementing comprises rotating of the plant a minimum of 15 degrees every twelve hours of sensed growth promoting light.