Novelty moisture detector for plants

[0001] This application claims benefit of 60/587,890 filed on Jul. 15, 2004.

[0002] The present invention relates to detectors for use in detecting moisture in potting media for plants. Moisture detectors of this type are well known and several different types are available. Some operate by detecting changes in the electrical resistance or capacitance of the soil near a plant as the level of moisture changes, and indicate, with lights or in other ways, that the level of moisture is inadequate. The user then knows to water the plant.

[0003] Furthermore, novelty moisture detectors are also well known. These include detectors with bodies in the form of frogs or other creatures.

[0004] Batteries or solar cells connected to rechargeable batteries may be used to power these detectors. It is important to know when the batteries are no longer delivering sufficient voltage to operate the detector. A detector with a dead battery gives the same signal as one indicating sufficient moisture, even when the soil is dry.

[0005] Thus, there remains a need for improvements in moisture detectors, regardless of type, that inform the user that the battery power is low.

[0006] According to its major aspects and briefly recited, the present invention is a detector for detecting moisture in potting media, including soil, for plants. The detector includes a body formed to represent a creature that has eyes. The body carries a processor and a battery. At least one probe for insertion into soil extends from the body and sends an electrical signal to the processor to indicate a level of moisture in the soil proximate to the probe. At least one eye of the body includes at least one light emitting diode (LED) that lights up when the probe is inserted into soil and insufficient moisture is detected. Where sufficient moisture for the particular plant is detected, the LED does not light. Furthermore, when no light is being emitted from the detector, a user may confirm that the battery is sufficiently powered to operate the processor by pressing the eye having the LED. Upon depression of the eye, the LED lights provided that the battery has sufficient power to operate the processor.

[0007] An important feature of the present invention is the use of the same LED to indicate moisture level and to indicate battery strength. The advantage of this feature is that one component can serve both purposes.

[0008] Another important feature of the present invention is the combination of the body in the form of a creature and the use of LED carried in at least one of the eyes. It is common when first looking at a creature of whatever type to look at the eyes. Here the eyes carry the information the user wants to know. When the eyes light up in response to detection of low moisture level, they attract the user's attention even more. Furthermore, when used in a garden, a creature having lighted eyes deters birds and other animals from interfering with the plant.

[0009] Still another feature of the present invention is the use of the same LED to indicate insufficient moisture and sufficient battery, as opposed to using a separate test for battery strength. This feature eliminates a variable when trouble-shooting the detector. Specifically, if there is insufficient battery strength to light the particular LED during normal detector operation, then the LED will fail to light when the user presses the eye carrying the LED.

[0010] These and other features and their advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art of plant moisture detector design from a careful reading of the Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments accompanied by the following drawings.

[0016] The present is a novel moisture detector for use in detecting moisture in potting media or soil in the proximity of plants. It detects and indicates whether the level of moisture in soil is sufficient or insufficient for the plant. The detector may be used with potted plants or those planted in flowerbeds, for example. When used in a garden, the detector deters birds and other small animals from interfering with the plant.

[0017] The moisture detector is shaped in the form of a creature, that is, an animal having at least one eye or an equivalent to an eye, such as an antenna, rather than being formed in the shape of a plant or inanimate object. The creature is also of a type that is commonly found out of doors, most preferably associated with gardens, and is small animal, such as a frog, toad, turtle, rabbit, bird, or insect. The creature may be realistically presented or fancifully presented. It is important that the body of the present detector be in the shape of a creature having at least one eye.

[0018] Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1, 2 and 3A and 3B illustrate a moisture detector in the form of a frog and generally indicated with reference number 10. FIG. 1 shows detector 10 with its probes 12 inserted into the soil 14 next to a plant 16 planted in a flowerpot 18. FIG. 2 shows a frontal view of detector 10 as shown in FIG. 1 out of flowerpot 18. FIG. 2 also shows that detector 10 has a body 20 formed to look like a frog. Shown in phantom lines within body 20 is the approximate location of a processor 22 and a battery 24.

[0019] As illustrated schematically in FIGS. 3A and 3B, processor 22 is an electrical device, preferably an integrated circuit, that is able to receive signals from probes 12, compare them to a standard level that has been selected by the user to represent the boundary between a sufficient level of moisture and an insufficient level for a given plant. In the event the moisture level detected is below this selected level, processor 22 will cause power from battery 24 to flow to LED 28 at eye 26, thus lighting up eye 26, to alert the user that there is insufficient moisture in the soil.

[0020] Processors capable of determining whether the moisture in adjacent soil is sufficient can be found in a number of devices. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,413 issued to Lyczek, U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,162 issued to To, and published US patent application US 2002/0066305 issued to Hutchinson et al, incorporated herein by reference. The moisture detectors described in these patents also have probes but operate using sensing techniques such as the electrical capacitance or resistance of the soil (but do not have the important additional features of the present invention). The probes may be active, generating a signal, or passive, from which a signal can be extracted by processor 22 by sending an electrical or other signal to probes 12 and evaluating the signal that returns. In an alternative embodiment, a single probe may be used with the conductive elements being separated by a nonconductive insulator.

[0021] From the front of detector 10 (see FIG. 2), eyes 26 of body 20 are visible. When probes 12 are inserted into soil 14, they will detect the level of moisture in their proximity and will intermittently send a signal to processor 22 inside body 20. Processor 20 will evaluate that signal, comparing it to the selected signal level, to ascertain whether it indicates a sufficient level of moisture in the adjacent soil. If the level is sufficient, processor 22 does nothing. If, however, the level is insufficient, processor 22 causes the LED 28, carried in at least one of the eyes 26 of body 20, to light, thereby indicating to the user that soil 14 near detector 10 needs water.

[0022] Also, as illustrated in FIG. 3B, at least one eye 26 of the creature operates as a switch to allow the user to test the strength of the power source, here battery 24. The user touches eye 26 (see FIGS. 2 and 3B) to close the circuit to battery 24. Eye 26 can be a capacitive switch or a mechanical switch. A mechanical switch would be biased to the off position by a spring 30 so that it returns to the off position when the user removes his finger. The touching of eyes 26 bypasses processor 22 momentarily and causes electrical current from battery 24 (if the battery is not already dead) to flow directly to LED 28 in eye 26 and thus to indicate that battery 24 is good (i.e., has sufficient strength).

[0023] FIGS. 4A-4D illustrate other embodiments of the present invention, namely those with different bodies such as a ladybug 40 (FIG. 4A), an insect 50 (FIG. 4B), a turtle 60 (FIG. 4C) and a bunny 70 (FIG. 4D). All operate in the same manner, by looking at the eyes of the respective creature to see if one or more of them are lit, and if not lit, then the eye that is the battery check switch is pressed to see if it lights. If not, the batteries are changed and the probe is reinserted into the soil, allowed to stabilize, and then the battery check eye is performed again to see if there is now sufficient battery power to light the creature's eyes. The battery check should now result in the eye lighting, since there are fresh batteries in the body, and the detector should then be able to inform the user that there is sufficient moisture in the soil by not lighting. If, on the other hand, the eye lights, there is insufficient moisture and the use may proceed to water the adjacent soil.

[0024] It is intended that the scope of the present invention include all modifications that incorporate its principal features, and that the scope and limitations of the present invention are to be determined by the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. It also should be understood, therefore, that the inventive concepts herein described are interchangeable and/or they can be used together in still other permutations of the present invention, and that other modifications and substitutions will be apparent to those skilled in the art of lamp manufacture from the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.