How a Self-Watering Flowerpot Design Works
A 1947 patent for a flowerpot design that uses a built-in reservoir to keep plant soil consistently moist.
Original patent title: “Flowerpot”
A 1947 patent for a flowerpot design that uses a built-in reservoir to keep plant soil consistently moist. Granted to VINCENT J SEDLON in 1950 with 21 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
The patent describes a flowerpot structure featuring a hollow base that acts as a water reservoir. A porous or absorbent material connects the reservoir to the soil above, allowing water to move upward through capillary action. This ensures the plant receives a steady supply of moisture without the need for constant surface watering.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover electronic or sensor-based irrigation systems.
- Does not cover pots that rely solely on gravity-fed top-down watering.
- Does not cover hydroponic systems that lack soil-based growing mediums.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The use of a passive capillary wick system to regulate soil moisture levels without requiring any moving parts or electricity.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Self-watering indoor planters
Herb garden kits for kitchens
Window box reservoirs
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This design addressed the common problem of plant death due to inconsistent manual watering. It represents an early step in consumer-focused horticultural convenience, influencing how indoor gardening products are designed today.
Filed
March 5, 1947
Granted
July 4, 1950
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Many modern home and garden companies like Lechuza and various private-label manufacturers of indoor gardening equipment build upon the core principles of reservoir-based irrigation.
Market impact
This patent helped establish the category of passive self-watering containers, which are now a standard feature in the home gardening market for indoor plants and small-scale urban agriculture.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
The patent describes a flowerpot structure featuring a hollow base that acts as a water reservoir. A porous or absorbent material connects the reservoir to the soil above, allowing water to move upward through capillary action. This ensures the plant receives a steady supply of moisture without the need for constant surface watering.
The clever bit
The use of a passive capillary wick system to regulate soil moisture levels without requiring any moving parts or electricity.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover electronic or sensor-based irrigation systems.
- Does not cover pots that rely solely on gravity-fed top-down watering.
- Does not cover hydroponic systems that lack soil-based growing mediums.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
27/40
Moderately cited
Claim breadth
0/20
Narrow claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
0/20
Older than 20 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$20K – $63K
Midpoint $40K · expired or expiring · industry ×2.2
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Wilberschied, C. F. (1950). How a Self-Watering Flowerpot Design Works (U.S. Patent No. 2,514,269). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2514269/streptomycin
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
Embed
Add this patent to your site
Drop this plain-English patent card into any blog post or article — free, no signup. It always links back to the full breakdown here.
<div data-patentlens-widget data-patent-number="US2514269"></div> <script src="https://patentbrief.org/embed.js" async></script>
Stay in the loop
Get a weekly digest of new patents.
One email per week. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Keep exploring
Related patents you should know
US 4683195 · 1987
How to Make Billions of Copies of a DNA Segment
This patent describes the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), a method to rapidly create many copies of a specific piece of DNA or RNA, enabling its detection and analysis.
Cetus Corp
US 8697359 · 2014
How to Edit Genes in Human Cells Using an Engineered CRISPR System
This patent describes an engineered CRISPR-Cas9 system for precisely cutting DNA in eukaryotic cells to change how genes work, opening the door for gene editing in complex organisms.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
US 7657849 · 2010
How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works
Apple's 2010 patent describes unlocking a device by dragging a specific graphical image across the touchscreen along a predefined path, a gesture that became iconic with the original iPhone.
Apple Inc
US 4733665 · 1988
How Doctors Implant a Permanent Stent Using a Balloon
This patent describes the method for placing a permanent, expandable wire mesh tube inside a blood vessel or other body tube using a balloon-tipped catheter to widen it and keep it open.
Expandable Grafts Partnership
US 4965188 · 1990
How to Make Many Copies of a DNA Piece with Heat
This patent describes the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method, a technique to make millions of copies of a specific DNA segment using a heat-resistant enzyme and repeated temperature changes.
Cetus Corp
US 4235871 · 1980
How to Encapsulate Active Materials in Lipid Bubbles Efficiently
This patent describes a method for trapping biologically active substances inside tiny, multi-layered fat bubbles called liposomes, using a specific water-in-oil emulsion and gel-forming process to improve how much material gets captured.
Individual
More to explore
More in Consumer Electronics
US 7657849 · 2010 · Apple Inc
How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works
US 7479949 · 2009 · Apple Inc
How Touchscreens Understand Your Finger Swipes and Scrolls
US 4528643 · 1985 · FPDC Inc
How Stores Make Custom Products On-Demand with Remote Approval
US 7469381 · 2008 · Apple Inc
How Touchscreens Show and Snap Back When You Scroll Past an Edge
New to patents?
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How a Self-Watering Flowerpot Design Works cover?
A 1947 patent for a flowerpot design that uses a built-in reservoir to keep plant soil consistently moist.
Who owns patent US 2514269?
VINCENT J SEDLON owns this patent, granted in 1950.
When does this patent expire?
This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely.
What is patent US 2514269 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 21 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This design addressed the common problem of plant death due to inconsistent manual watering. It represents an early step in consumer-focused horticultural convenience, influencing how indoor gardening products are designed today.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover electronic or sensor-based irrigation systems.
Patent monitoring