NL1038053C2

NL1038053C2 - Tree container and assembly of a tree container and a tree.

Info

Publication number: NL1038053C2
Application number: NL1038053A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Engelbertus Andreas Helvoirt
Original assignee: Helvoirt Groep B V Van
Priority date: 2010-06-18
Filing date: 2010-06-18
Publication date: 2012-01-09
Also published as: WO2011159147A1

Description

Title: Tree container and assembly of a tree container and a tree

The invention relates to a tree container suitable for placement on a substantially flat rooftop.

Placing trees on rooftops can serve many purposes. The more 5 classical purpose is to make a rooftop garden. In such a garden, a collection of trees placed on the rooftop is intended to give a user of the garden the impression that the rooftop garden is a regular garden created in the natural soil - on a ground floor. In such an application, the trees can be 10 held on the rooftop by many different means. An example of such a means is a tree container plainly consisting of a bucket. A tree can be put in such a container using regular ground soil that provides the tree with nutrients. A tree in such a situation generally is watered by -rain falling on the 15 soil.

Since in a rooftop garden, generally a substantial recreational space is needed for the user, the space left for placing trees often is limited. As a result, the number of 20 trees placed on the rooftop is also limited, and there are only few limitations to the weight of the container. Neither are there many limitations to the design of the container with regard to maintenance. Since a rooftop garden is intended to be frequented by users it is often easily accessible. As a 25 result, it is not a big problem if during a hot period, for instance, the soil of the tree runs dry. In such a case, users of the rooftop garden can easily water the tree by hand.

1038053 2

More recently, a new and different purpose for placing trees on rooftops has originated. This purpose has been developed in the search for a solution to the improve air quality in the built environment, wherein one of the biggest problems is the 5 presence of fine dust particles exhausted by for instance factories and petrol cars. As is already known, trees can be used as filters to extract these fine dust particles from the air. In experiments with large collections of trees positioned along busy roads, this has proven to be a working principle.

10 In the streets of a city center packed with buildings, however, there is often no space available for placing a collection of trees that is large enough to function as an efficient air filter. Such space however is available on a lot of rooftop surfaces, for instance of office buildings. The 15 inventor has taken up the idea of using these surfaces for placing a collection of trees that is intended to act as an air filter as described above.

The main problem associated with placing a collection of trees 20 onto an arbitrary rooftop surface, is that rooftop surfaces generally are not intended for such use. The main function of a rooftop is to keep the inside of a building dry and to also keep it at a certain temperature. In general, rooftops are not able to carry a large weight. A dutch standard for the bearing 25 capability of a rooftop for instance is only 50 kg per square meter. If one wants to place a collection of trees on a rooftop, such a limited bearing capability poses many limitations to the way this objective is achieved. Herein, one should also take into account that the bearing capability of 30 each rooftop is different. Further, in addition to the limitations with regard to the bearing capability, there are also limitations with regard to stability and safety. The trees should remain in place during all weather conditions, also for instance during heavy winds. Another important aspect 3 is that the trees should be placed such that they can remain on the roof without too much maintenance.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a 5 solution to the above problems related to placing trees on rooftops.

The above objective is achieved by a tree container suitable for placement on a substantially flat rooftop, comprising a 10 substantially conical container body having a top part and a with respect to the top part relatively wide supporting surface, wherein the container body in its top part has a root space for receiving the roots of a tree, wherein the container body further comprises a substantially closed water reservoir, 15 as well as at least one supply channel connecting the water reservoir with the root space, wherein at the exterior of the container body a collecting gutter is formed and the container body further comprises at least one water-passing channel connecting the collecting gutter to the water reservoir, 20 wherein at the exterior of the container body a runoff surface is formed that extends between the top part of the container body and the collecting gutter, wherein the runoff surface in a direction away from the upper end of the container body towards the collecting gutter slopes down in the direction of 25 the supporting surface.

The tree container according to the invention provides an elegant solution to the problems associated with placing and holding a tree on a rooftop. First of all, by means of the 30 root space, the tree container can perform the basic function of holding a tree. In additions, by means of the runoff surface, the collecting gutter, the water-passing channel and the water reservoir, the tree container is able to efficiently collect and hold a quantity of rain water. By means of the 35 supply channel, it can in addition supply this water to the 4 tree placed in the root space. As such, the tree container is self sufficient with respect to the supply of water to the tree. Also, thus, there is not need to provide tube-based watering systems that as a potential source of Legionella 5 bacteria are unwanted in buildings. Further, by the water reservoir being substantially closed, the evaporation of water from the tree container during use is relatively low. As a result, substantially all water collected and held by the tree container can be used by the tree and also, the need for 10 additional watering of the tree by hand is minimized. Also, by the reservoir being substantially closed, the water reservoir is not easily soiled by leaves and dirt. This minimizes the need for maintenance. By having a supporting surface, the tree container can further be easily placed without the need to 15 provide attachment means at the rooftop. After placement, the container further has optimal stability due to the conical shape of the container body. Also, due to the relatively wide supporting surface, the weight of the tree and tree container assembly is distributed over a relatively large area, and the 20 pressure exerted on the rooftop surface is thus limited. A very beneficial aspect is further that due to the sloping shape of the runoff surface, which forms a relatively large part of the outside of the container body, the tree container according to the invention is relatively insensible to wind 25 loads.

In addition to providing a solution to the objective described above, a tree container according to the invention also provides a solution to another big problem in the built 30 environment, being that sewer systems only have limited draining capacity. As a result, during heavy rain, floods can occur in the street. The tree container according to the invention provides a solution to this problem by providing storage for rain water. By having a large collection of tree 35 containers according to the invention placed on city roofs, 5 the size of this storage can be substantial. Due to the resulting storage of large quantities of water, the rain water load on the city sewer system can be reduced to a great •extent. In addition, the otherwise drained rain water stored 5 in the tree containers can be now put to advantage by being supplied to the trees.

Furthermore, the tree container according to the invention also provides a solution to the so-called heat stress problem.

10 This concerns the fact that the inner city can become too hot by buildings absorbing too much energy from sun rays. By placing a collection of trees on the rooftops of these buildings, the absorption of too much heat by the buildings is reduced, by the trees being able to act as reflection means.

15 Further, the air temperature directly above the buildings can be reduced, by the energy-absorbing evaporation process taking place in the leaves (or needles) of the trees.

In a preferred embodiment, the root space and the water 20 reservoir are centrally positioned with respect to the

supporting surface, and the water reservoir extends below the root space and above a relatively large part of the supporting surface. As such, the water reservoir adds to the stability of the plant container when filled with water. Also, thus, the 25 height of a water column contained by the reservoir during use is kept to a minimum. As a result, the weight of water contained by the reservoir and thus the weight of the plant container as a whole is distributed over a relatively large I

area, and the pressure exerted on the rooftop surface can be j 30 kept to a minimum.

Further, preferentially, the tree container is provided with a supply means that is adapted to bring water trough the supply channel from the water reservoir to the root space. A 35 practical solution to achieve this is by means of capillary 6 action. Such a means facilitates the supply of water to the tree from the water reservoir, without the tree having to grow roots into the reservoir.

5 In again a preferred embodiment, the container body comprises an overflow channel that runs between an inflow opening in a side wall of the water reservoir to an outflow opening that is provided in the supporting surface. As such, the overflow channel forms a security measure that prevents the tree 10 container from becoming too heavy by collecting too much water. Thus, the weight exerted by the tree container remains limited and is automatically controlled.

In a very practical embodiment, the side surface of the water 15 reservoir comprises a part that is inclined with respect to the bottom surface of the reservoir. In that case, an overflow channel can be created by making a channel in the container body, for instance by drilling, wherein the channel is connected to the water reservoir by an opening provided in the 20 inclined part of the reservoir side surface. The other opening of the channel can then be positioned in the supporting surface, for instance. Such a situation makes it possible to create an overflow channel with an inflow opening that can be more accurately positioned in vertical direction with respect 25 to the bottom surface of the water reservoir than in the case that the hole was drilled from the side. That way, the capacity of the water reservoir can be accurately tuned, and thus adapted to the bearing capability of the rooftop that the tree container is placed on. This tuning can for instance take 30 place at the site where the tree container is used.

In a preferred embodiment, the container body is made from a foam-like material such as expanded polystyrene (EPS) or polyurethane (PUR). Such a material provides enough stiffness 35 to the container body to carry a tree placed in the container, 7 while still being lightweight. Further, such material prevents the roots of a tree used with the container from freezing, and facilitates that a collection of tree containers can act as a layer of isolation for the rooftop they are placed on. In 5 addition, the manufacturing of a substantially solid body made from one of the above materials has been found by the inventor to provide a more lightweight tree container than for instance the manufacturing a hollow body out of plastic plates by means of a vacuum forming process.

10

In another preferred embodiment, the supporting surface is provided with at least one recess forming a through going channel from one side of the plant container to a second side. Such a recess can act as a ventilation channel that 15 facilitates airflow between the container body and a rooftop surface the container is placed on. Having such airflow prevents the occurrence of moisture problems inside the rooftop construction by having too much isolation.

20 Preferentially, the tree container comprises linking means for linking multiple tree containers to each other. In a practical embodiment, such linking means are formed as a protrusion and a recess formed at the sides of the container body, wherein each of the protrusions fits into one of the recesses, in such 25 a way that at least a part of the outer surface of a protrusion can be in contact with the inner surface of a surrounding recess. The container body can have multiples of such protrusions and recesses. The linking of multiple tree container by such means provides additional stability to the 30 individual containers, by preventing them for instance to fall over.

In another preferred embodiment, the container body as seen from above has such a shape that a multitude of tree 35 containers according to the invention can be put side to side 8 in such a way that as seen from above, the sides of the individual plant containers can be tightly joined up. As a result, rain water falling on the group of containers can be collected efficiently. In order to make this possible in a way 5 that the tree container as a whole remains relatively stable, the container body as seen from above could have the shape of a square, an equilateral triangle, or an equilateral hexagon.

In again a preferred embodiment, the container body at an 10 exterior surface is provided with a reflective layer. As a result, the energy absorbed by the container from sun rays is relatively low, and the tree container in that way helps to keep the rooftop surface cool.

15 In another preferred embodiment, the tree container comprises a root space cover that is adapted to substantially close off the top opening of the root space, while having a trunk opening for letting the trunk of a tree placed in the tree container to go through the root space cover. Such a cover 20 prevents weeds from being received in and growing inside the root space. As such, the root space cover helps to keep the maintenance necessary for holding a collection of trees on a rooftop relatively low.

25 In a practical embodiment, the container body is composed of a supporting plate and an upper body that is placed on top of the supporting plate, wherein the water reservoir is formed as a recess in the top surface of the supporting plate, and wherein the top surface of the water reservoir is formed by a 30 bottom surface of the upper body. With such a configuration, the manufacturing of the container body is not complicated by having to manufacture solid bodies with internal cavities.

In a further practical embodiment, thé upper body of the 35 container body as described above is composed of mutually 9 identical segments that are positioned side by side with neighboring faces touching, wherein the water-passing channels are formed in the neighboring faces. This facilitates the manufacturing of the water-passing channels as recesses in 5 each of the identical segments, without having to generate holes by drilling, for instance.

It should be noted that the container according to the invention is not just suitable to be used with trees. The 10 container can also be used with plants in general. Further, also the context of placing trees on substantially flat rooftops should not be construed as limiting. Many other applications may exist in which certain characteristics of a container according to the invention can prove to be 15 beneficial. The surface on which the container is to be placed does not necessarily need to be a rooftop, nor does it necessarily need to be flat.

In the following, the invention will be explained in greater 20 detail with reference to the figures, in which equal or similar parts are indicated by the same reference numbers, and in which: figure 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a tree container according to the invention; 25 figure 2 -shows a cross section of the tree container of figure 1; figure 3 shows another cross section of the tree container of figure 1; figure 4 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of a 30 tree container according to the invention;

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a tree container according to the invention in the form of a tree container 1. Figure 2 shows a cross section of the tree 35 container 1 depicted in Figure 1.

10

In the following, the tree container 1 is described in the context of being placed on a rooftop surface that is substantially flat, i.e. horizontally orientated. The tree 5 container 1 is supposed to be placed on the rooftop in an orientation as depicted in figure 2, wherein the rooftop surface is supposed to be located at the bottom side of the figure. Geometrical references such as "upper" and "lower", "top" and "bottom", "horizontal" and "vertical", etc. should 10 be understood as relating to this depicted orientation.

The tree container 1 comprises a container body 2 that, in the embodiments shown, has the form of substantially conical body 2. As such, the container body 2 comprises a relatively wide 15 base part 19 and an upper part 20 with inclined sides 9. Furthermore, the container body 2 comprises a supporting surface 3 for resting on the rooftop surface. In the embodiments shown, the supporting surface 3 is formed by the base surface 3 of the conical body 2, also being the bottom 20 surface 3 of the base part 19. As seen from above, the container body 2 is substantially square, and the height of the conical body 2 as compared to the width of its base is relatively small. In the embodiments shown, this height-to-width ratio is about one third.

25

At its upper end 23, the container body 2 comprises a root space 4 for receiving the roots of a tree. In the embodiments shown, the root space 4 is formed as a cylindrically shaped recess 4 in a top surface 23 of the container body 2. The root 30 space 4 has a bottom surface 31 and a side surface 32.

Further, the top surface 23 is formed such that the conical body 2 has a shape as if it were topped off. The top surface 23 of the container body 2 and the bottom surface 31 of the root space 4 are flat and are orientated in parallel to the 11 supporting surface 3. The root space 4 at its upper end is open .

The container body further comprises a water reservoir 5 for 5 holding a quantity of water, as well as at least one supply channel 6 connecting the water reservoir 5 with the root space 4. The supply channel 6 is intended for supply of water from the water reservoir 5 to the root space 4. The water reservoir 5 is formed in the base part 19 of the container body 2, and 10 as such is positioned below the root space 4. Further, the water reservoir 5 is covered by the upper part 20 of the conical body 2 and as such is substantially closed. Further, in side view, the water reservoir,5 as compared to the height of the conical body 2 is relatively flat. In horizontal 15 direction, the water reservoir 5 runs in parallel to the supporting surface 3. As such, the water reservoir 5 extends along a relatively large part of the base surface 3.

At the exterior of the container body 2 a collecting gutter 7 20 is formed for collecting rain water. The collecting gutter 7 is positioned at the base of the pyramidical body 2. As such, the collecting gutter 7 has an overall square shape. Further, the container body 2 comprises four water-passing channels 8 connecting the collecting gutter 7 to the water reservoir 5.

25 The water-passing channels 8 are intended for passing rain water from the collecting gutter 7 to the water reservoir 5. The water-passing channels 8 are located in the corners of the upper body 20 of the container body 20. A cross section of the tree container 1 that shows the inside of a water-passing 30 channel 8 is given in Figure 3.

At the exterior of the container body a runoff surface is formed that extends between the upper end 23 of the container body 2 and the collecting gutter 7. In a direction away from 35 the upper end 23 of the container body 2 towards the 12 collecting gutter 7, the runoff surface 9 slopes down in the direction of the supporting surface 3.

In Figure 2, among other things, supply means 10 are shown 5 that are adapted to bring water from the water reservoir 5 to the root space 4 by capillary action. In the embodiment shown, these means are formed by pieces of cloth, which are depicted as curly lines, that run from the water reservoir 5, through the supply channel 6, to the root space 4.

10

It will be clear to a person skilled in the art that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the examples discussed in the foregoing, but that several amendments and modifications thereof are possible without deviating from the 15 scope of the present invention as defined in the attached claims. While the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the figures and the description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary only, and not restrictive. The present invention 20 is not limited to the enclosed embodiments.

1038053

Claims

Tree container (1) suitable for placement on a substantially flat roof, comprising a substantially tapered container body (2) with a top part (23) and a supporting surface 5 (3) that is relatively wide with respect to the top part (23), wherein the container body (2) in the top portion (23) has a root space (4) open at its top for receiving the roots of a tree, the container body (2) further comprising a substantially closed water reservoir (5), as well as at least one supply channel (6) connecting the water reservoir (5) to the root space (4), a collecting channel (7) being formed on the outside of the container body (2) and the container body (2) furthermore having at least one passage channel ( 8) comprises connecting the collecting trough (7) to the water reservoir (5), a drain surface (9) being formed on the outside of the container body (2) extending between the top portion (23) of the container body (2) and the collection trough (7), wherein the discharge surface (9) gradually descends in a direction from the top portion (23) of the container body (2) to the collecting trough (7) in the direction of the supporting surface (3), the container body (2) ) has such a shape that a plurality of boom containers (1) can be placed side by side in such a way that the sides of the individual boom containers (1) closely match each other when viewed from above.

2. Tree container (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the root space (4) and the water reservoir (5) are centrally positioned with respect to the supporting surface (3), and the water reservoir (4) extends below the root space (4) and above a relatively large portion of the support surface (3). 1038053

Tree container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the tree container (1) is furthermore provided with supply means (10) which are adapted to remove water via the at least one supply channel 5 (6) from the water reservoir via capillary action. 5) to bring to the root space (4).

Tree container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the container body (2) further comprises an overflow channel 10 (11) and the water reservoir (5) has a side wall (26), the overflow channel (11) having an inflow opening (24) and has an outflow opening (25), wherein the inflow opening (24) is provided in the side wall (26) of the water reservoir (5), and the outflow opening (25) is provided in the supporting surface 15 (3).

5. Tree container (1) according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the side wall (26) of the water reservoir (5) has an oblique side (27), the oblique side (27) and the bottom of the water reservoir under a stand on the corner.

Tree container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the container body (2) is made of polystyrene or polyurethane foam. 25

Tree container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the supporting surface (3) is provided with at least one recessed portion (15).

Tree container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the container body (2) has a protrusion (16) and a notch (17), the protrusion (16) fitting into the notch (17).

Tree container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the container body (2) is shaped in plan view as a square, an equilateral triangle or an equilateral hexagon. 5

10. Tree container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the container body (2) is made of a base material, and an outer surface (9) of the container body (2) is provided with a coating that has a higher reflective capacity than the basic material.

11. Tree container (1) as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein the tree container (1) further comprises a root space cover (18) that is suitable for the top part (23) of the container body (2).

12. Tree container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the container body (2) consists of a support plate (19) and an upper body (20) placed thereon, the water reservoir (5) being formed as a recess (5) in the top (29) of the support plate (19) and wherein the bottom surface (30) of the upper body (20) forms the ceiling (30) of the water reservoir (5).

Tree container (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the upper body (20) is composed of a plurality of mutually identical segments (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d).

A tree container (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the container body (2), viewed from above, has the shape of a square, a triangle, or a hexagon.

15. Assembly of a tree container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims and a tree. 1038053