US20030196379A1 - Method of using a conical floral sleeve - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of using a floral sleeve sized to fit a flower pot, or a floral grouping, the sleeve generally having a conical shape and having a bonding material disposed thereon for connecting the sleeve to a pot disposed within the sleeve or connected via a banding element to a pot disposed within the sleeve.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/279,812, filed Oct. 23, 2002, which is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 09/614,317, filed Jul. 12, 2000, which is a continuation in part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/468,579, filed on Dec. 21, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,050 issued on Nov. 20, 2001; which is a continuation in part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/162,479, filed Sep. 28, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,524 issued on Apr. 11, 2000; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/872,772 filed Jun. 10, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,194 issued on Sep. 29, 1998; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/701,818, filed Aug. 23, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,103 issued on Apr. 7, 1998; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/220,852, filed Mar. 31, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,851 issued on Nov. 12, 1996. Each of these applications is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.[0001]
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
• This invention generally relates to sleeves, and more particularly, sleeves used to contain floral groupings and media, or used to wrap flower pots containing floral groupings and/or media containing floral groupings, and methods of using same.[0002]
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a sleeve constructed in accordance with the present invention.[0003]
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sleeve of FIG. 1 opened, and having a pot disposed therein.[0004]
• FIG. 3 is an elevational view of another sleeve constructed in accordance with the present invention.[0005]
• FIG. 4 is an elevational view of another sleeve constructed in accordance with the present invention.[0006]
• FIG. 5 is an elevational view of another sleeve constructed in accordance with the present invention.[0007]
• FIG. 6 is an elevational view of another sleeve constructed in accordance with the present invention.[0008]
• FIG. 7 is an elevational view of another sleeve constructed in accordance with the present invention.[0009]
• FIG. 8 is an elevational view of another sleeve constructed in accordance with the present invention.[0010]
• FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the sleeve of FIG. 8 opened, and having a pot disposed therein.[0011]
• FIG. 10 is an elevational view of another sleeve constructed in accordance with the present invention.[0012]
• FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a plurality of sleeves of FIG. 10 disposed in a pad.[0013]
• FIG. 12 is an elevational view of another sleeve constructed in accordance with the present invention.[0014]
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
• Shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and designated therein by the[0015]general reference numeral10 is a flexible preformed conical sleeve (hereinafter referred to simply as a “sleeve”). Thesleeve10 is initially formed in a flattened condition as a flexible flat collapsed piece of material which is openable in the form of a cone or sleeve which has a closed bottom, or a closed bottom having drainage holes or a partially or completely open bottom. Thesleeve10 may be truncated at its lower end and may be open or closed by a seal. Prior to shipment to the user, or prior to use by the user, the sleeve may be expanded into an opened configuration. Thesleeve10 is preferably tapered outwardly from the lower end toward a larger diameter at its upper end. In its flattened state thesleeve10 preferably has an overall trapezoidal or modified trapezoidal shape, and when opened is substantially conical or frusto-conical in the truncated embodiment. It will be appreciated, however, that thesleeve10 may comprise variations on the aforementioned shapes, as long as thesleeve10 functions in accordance with the present invention in the manner described herein.
• More particularly, the[0016]sleeve10 of FIGS. 1 and 2 has anupper end12, and alower end14, and in its flattened state has afirst side16 and asecond side18 and afirst panel20 and asecond panel22. Thesleeve10 has an opening23 at theupper end12 and is generally closed at thelower end14. Thesleeve10 also has a non-linearupper edge24 in theupper end12. Thesleeve10 also has an innerperipheral surface26 which, when thesleeve10 is opened, defines and encompasses aninner retaining space28 as indicated in FIG. 2.
• [0017]Sleeve10 has anangle30 in thelower end14 betweenfirst side16 andsecond side18. Preferably, theangle30 is between 14° and 40° when thesleeve10 is in the flattened condition. More preferably, theangle30 is between 16° and300, and more preferably between 16° and 24°.Sleeve10 further comprises abonding material32 disposed on a portion of the innerperipheral surface26 in a position such that when apot34 is disposed within theinner retaining space28, thebonding material32 can be used to attach thesleeve10 to anouter surface36 of thepot34. As indicated in FIG. 2, in a preferred embodiment, thesleeve10 with theangle30 is sized such that when thepot34 is disposed within theinner retaining space28, at least a portion of the non-linearupper edge24 is positioned near anupper rim38 of thepot34. Furthermore, when thepot34 is placed within thesleeve10, a portion of thesleeve10 near thelower end14 generally is folded under and concealed beneath thepot34 as indicated in FIG. 2. Thelower end14 may have a space therein for forming a fluid reservoir.
• In an alternate embodiment, the invention comprises a sleeve[0018]10a(FIG. 3) having afirst side16awhich comprises afirst side gusset40ahaving aninner fold42aand asecond side18awhich comprises asecond side gusset44ahaving aninner fold46a.
• In an alternate embodiment, as noted earlier and as shown in FIG. 4, a sleeve[0019]10bis similar tosleeve10 except sleeve10bhas a truncated lower end14bwith an imaginary angle30blikeangle30 inSleeve10. Sleeve10bmay have a gusset48 in the lower end14bfor enabling the lower end14bto fit more closely to apot34 without having to fold and conceal as much of the lower end14bbeneath thepot34 as is required withsleeve10. Sleeve10balso has abonding material32 disposed thereon in the same manner assleeve10.
• In yet another embodiment of the invention, a[0020]sleeve10c(FIG. 5) may comprise a truncatedlower end14clike sleeve10b, and may further comprise afist side16chaving afirst side gusset40chaving aninner fold42cand asecond side18chaving asecond side gusset44chaving an inner fold46c, and having abonding material32c. Thelower end14cmay also have agusset48cor may be free of a gusset in thelower end14c.
• In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 6, a[0021]sleeve10d, similar tosleeve10, and having abonding material32d, has anangle30dwhich is between 80° and 100°, and is preferably 85° to 95°, and most preferably about 90°.Sleeve10dmay be modified in the manner ofsleeves10a-10cin accordance with the present invention.
• Any of the sleeves described herein may be constructed without a bonding material disposed thereon, as described below.[0022]
• The non-linear upper edge of the sleeves contemplated herein may have a variety of patterns. FIGS.[0023]1-6 and8-9 show sleeves10-10dand10fhaving non-linear upper edges24-24dand24f, respectively, any of which alternatively may be wavy, sinusoidal, scalloped, crenulate, crenelate, zigzagged, or toothed, in any regular or irregular pattern as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,809, FIGS.26-31, the specification and drawings of which are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
• The invention further contemplates a sleeve having an upper detachable portion such as[0024]sleeve10eshown in FIG. 7.Sleeve10eis constructed in a manner similar to any of sleeves10-10d, including having abonding material32e, exceptsleeve10ecomprises alower portion50 and anupper portion52. Theupper portion52 is detachable from thelower portion50 via a detaching elements such asperforations54 formed in any non-linear pattern contemplated elsewhere herein, or even in a straight linear pattern. The term “detaching element” as used generally herein, means any element or device or combination of elements, or features, such as, but no limited to perforations, tear strips, weakened areas, zippers, and any other devices or elements of this nature known in the art, or any combination thereof, which enable the tearing away or detachment of one object from another. Therefore, while perforations are shown and described in detail herein, it will be understood that tear strips, zippers, or any other “detaching element” known in the art, or any combination thereof, could be substituted therefore and/or used therewith. Preferably, theupper portion52 is sized to substantially surround and encompass a floral grouping, andlower portion50 is sized to contain and enclose apot34.
• The invention further contemplates a sleeve such as a[0025]sleeve10fshown in FIG. 8, which is similar tosleeve10 but which is constructed without a bonding material disposed thereon for securing thesleeve10fin a position about thepot34.Sleeve10fhas anupper end12f, alower end14f, afirst side16f, asecond side18f, afirst panel20f, asecond panel22f, a non-linearupper edge24fand anangle30fin thelower end14fbetweenside16fandside18f. Theangle30fis similar to angles30-30band30ddescribed elsewhere herein.Sleeve10fcan be applied aboutpot34 as shown in FIG. 9 wherein abanding element60 is disposed about thesleeve10fto secure thesleeve10fabout thepot34. A portion of thelower end14fis folded beneath thepot34 as indicated in FIG. 9.
• Shown in FIG. 10 is a sleeve[0026]10gwhich is similar tosleeve10ein FIG. 7 in that sleeve10ghas a lower portion50g, an upper sized to surround a floral grouping portion52gand a detaching element such as perforations54g. Sleeve10gfurther comprises asupport portion62 which is detachable from upper portion52gviaperforations64 and which may haveapertures66 for enabling the sleeve log to be supported from a support device such as a wicket (not shown) but which is well known by a person of ordinary skill in the art. A plurality of sleeves10gmay be stacked together to form apad68 as shown in FIG. 11 and which may be supported on a support assembly such as a wicket or on a belt worn by a floral worker, for example in a greenhouse or plant warehouse or packaging or shipping facility. Shown in FIG. 12 is another embodiment of the invention, a sleeve10hwhich has asupport portion62hdetachable from alower portion50hvia a detaching element such asperforations54h. Thesupport portion62his generally not sized to surround a floral grouping and in fact, is generally removed from thelower portion50hbefore thelower portion50hof the sleeve10his disposed about a pot, in a manner known in the art.
• Any of the sleeves[0027]10-10hdescribed herein may be modified so that the bonding material32-32eis replaced with a banding element such as bandingelement60 for securing the sleeve10-10eabout a pot. The banding element may be, for example, a rubber or elastic band, a string, a ribbon, a collar, a wire, a band or another banding device known to a person of ordinary skill in the art. The bandingelement60 may be preconnected to the sleeves described herein before application of the sleeve about the pot or it may be applied, either manually or automatically after the pot is disposed within the sleeve.
• The sleeves[0028]10-10hare constructed from material which is flexible, semi-rigid, rigid, or any combination thereof. The sleeve10-10hmay be constructed of a single layer of material or a plurality of layers of the same or different types of materials. Any thickness of the material may be utilized as long as the material functions in accordance with the present invention and is expandable to an open position as described herein. The layers of material comprising the sleeves10-10hmay be connected together or laminated or may be separate layers. Such materials used to construct the sleeves10-10hare described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,637, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Any thickness of material may be utilized in accordance with the present invention as long as the sleeves10-10hmay be formed as described herein, and as long as the sleeves10-10hmay contain at least a portion of a pot or potted plant or a floral grouping, as described herein. Additionally, an insulating material such as bubble film, preferable as one of two or more layers, can be utilized in order to provide additional protection for the item, such as a floral grouping, contained therein.
• Generally however, the material from which the sleeves[0029]10-10hare constructed preferably has a thickness in a range from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mils. Often, the thickness of the sleeves10-10eare in a range from about 0.5 mil to about 10 mils. Preferably, the sleeves10-10hhave a thickness in a range from about 1.0 mil to about 5 mils.
• In one embodiment, the sleeves[0030]10-10hmay be constructed from a sheet comprising two polypropylene films. The material comprising the sleeves10-10hmay be connected together or laminated or may be separate layers. In alternative embodiments, the sleeves10-10hmay be constructed from only one of the polypropylene films.
• The sleeves[0031]10-10hare constructed from any suitable material that is capable of being formed into sleeves10-10hand wrapped about apot34 and a floral grouping (not shown) disposed therein. Preferably, the material comprises untreated or treated paper, metal foil, polymer film, non-polymer film, woven or nonwoven fabric, synthetic or natural fabric, cardboard, fiber, cloth, burlap, or laminations or combinations thereof.
• The term “polymer film” means a man-made polymer such as a polypropylene or a naturally occurring polymer such as cellophane. A polymer film is relatively strong and not as subject to tearing (substantially non-tearable), as might be the case with paper or foil.[0032]
• The material comprising the sleeves[0033]10-10hmay vary in color and may consist of designs or decorative patterns which are printed, etched, and/or embossed thereon using inks or other printing materials. An example of an ink which may be applied to the surface of the material is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,706, and which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
• In addition, the material may have various colorings, coatings, flocking and/or metallic finishes, or other decorative surface ornamentation applied separately or simultaneously or may be characterized totally or partially by pearlescent, translucent, transparent, iridescent, neon, or the like, qualities. The material may further comprise, or have applied thereto, one or more scents. Each of the above-named characteristics may occur alone or in combination and may be applied to the upper and/or lower surface of the material comprising the sleeves[0034]10-10h. Moreover, portions of the material used in constructing the sleeve may vary in the combination of such characteristics. The material utilized for the sleeves10-10hmay be opaque, translucent, transparent, or partially clear or tinted transparent. Any portion of the sleeves10-10h, or the entire sleeves10-10hmay have a design, pattern or decoration printed thereon.
• The term “floral grouping” as used herein means cut fresh flowers, artificial flowers, a single flower or other fresh and/or artificial plants or other floral materials and may include other secondary plants and/or ornamentation or artificial or natural materials which add to the aesthetics of the overall floral grouping. The floral grouping comprises a bloom or foliage portion and a stem portion. Further, the floral grouping may comprise a growing potted plant having a root portion (not shown) as well. However, it will be appreciated that the floral grouping may consist of only a single bloom or only foliage, or a botanical item (not shown), or a propagule (not shown). The term “floral grouping” may be used interchangeably herein with both the terms “floral arrangement” and “potted plant”. The term “floral grouping” may also be used interchangeably herein with the terms “botanical item” and/or “propagule.”[0035]
• The term “growing medium” when used herein means any liquid, solid or gaseous material used for plant growth or for the cultivation of propagules, including organic and inorganic materials such as soil, humus, perlite, vermiculite, sand, water, and including the nutrients, fertilizers or hormones or combinations thereof required by the plants or propagules for growth.[0036]
• The term “botanical item” when used herein means a natural or artificial herbaceous or woody plant, taken singly or in combination. The term “botanical item” also means any portion or portions of natural or artificial herbaceous or woody plants including stems, leaves, flowers, blossoms, buds, blooms, cones, or roots, taken singly or in combination, or in groupings of such portions such as bouquet or floral grouping.[0037]
• The term “propagule” when used herein means any structure capable of being propagated or acting as an agent of reproduction including seeds, shoots, stems, runners, tubers, plants, leaves, roots or spores.[0038]
• In accordance with the present invention as described previously, a bonding material[0039]32-32eis disposed on a portion of the sleeves10-10erespectively to assist in holding the sleeves10-10eto thepot34 therein when such apot34 is disposed within the sleeves10-10e. Asecond bonding material56 may be applied to anupper end58 ofsleeve10efor sealing theupper portion52 of thesleeve10eafter thepot34 has been disposed therein, for example as shown in FIG. 7.
• It will be understood that the bonding material[0040]32-32eor56 may be disposed as a strip or block on a surface of the sleeves10-10e. Further, the bonding material32-32eor56 may be disposed as spots, or in any other geometric, non-geometric, asymmetric, or fanciful form, and in any pattern including covering either the entire innerperipheral surface26 of the sleeves10-10e. The bonding material32-32eor56 may be covered by a cover or release strip which can be removed prior to the use of the sleeves10-10e. The bonding material32-32eor56 can be applied by means known to those of ordinary skill in their art. One method for disposing a bonding material32-32eor56 in this case an adhesive, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,809, which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
• The term “bonding material” when used herein means an adhesive, frequently a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive. When the bonding material is a cohesive, a similar cohesive material must be placed on the adjacent surface (e.g. on the outer surface of the pot) for bondingly contacting and bondingly engaging with the cohesive material. The term “bonding material” also includes materials which are heat sealable and, in this instance, the adjacent portions of the material must be brought into contact and then heat must be applied to effect the seal. The term “bonding material” also includes materials which are sonic sealable and vibratory sealable. The term “bonding material” when used herein also means a heat sealing lacquer or hot melt material which may be applied to the material and, in this instance, heat, sound waves, or vibrations, also must be applied to effect the sealing.[0041]
• Alternatively, a cold seal adhesive may be utilized as the bonding material or means. The cold seal adhesive adheres only to a similar substrate, acting similarly as a cohesive, and binds only to itself. The cold seal adhesive, since it bonds only to a similar substrate, does not cause a residue to build up on equipment, thereby both permitting much more rapid disposition and use of such equipment to form articles and reducing labor costs. Further, since no heat is required to effect the seal, the dwell time, that is, the time for the sheet of material to form and retain the shape of an article, such as a flower pot cover or flower pot, is reduced. A cold seal adhesive binds quickly and easily with minimal pressure, and such a seal is not readily releaseable. This characteristic is different from, for example, a pressure sensitive adhesive.[0042]
• Any of the sleeves described herein may also be equipped with one or more drainage holes in a lower portion thereof or ventilation holes (not shown) or can be made from permeable or impermeable materials.[0043]
• Preferably the sleeves[0044]10-10hare sized to contain and conform to one of a variety of standard sizes ofpots34 known to those of ordinary skill in the art, such as 3 inch, 4 inch, 4½ inch, 6 inch, and 8 inch pots and others. As noted above, the sleeves10-10hmay be used to contain a plant and a growing medium without the use of apot34.
• It will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that equipment and devices for forming sleeves such as sleeves[0045]10-10hare well known to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, further discussion of the construction of the sleeves described herein is not deemed necessary.
• In another embodiment, any of sleeves[0046]10-10hmay be supported by a support assembly commercially available and known by one of ordinary skill in the art, such as a wicket or staples for shipment, storage, or assembly of the sleeve10-10h.
• The[0047]sleeves10a,10bor10ccontemplated herein may have more than one side gusset,40a,44a,40cor44c, orbottom gusset48bor48cfor example as shown in FIG. 5 in U.S. Ser. No. 09/360,865, the specification of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The present invention further contemplates sleeve embodiments comprising a plurality of gussets in each side of the sleeve and/or in the bottom of the sleeve.
• The configuration of the[0048]bottom gusset48bor48corside gussets40a,44a,40cand44cshown in thesleeves10a,10band10cof FIGS.3-5 are not the only configurations contemplated for the present invention. Any gusset which functions in accordance with the present invention may be used.
• Each side gusset[0049]40a,44a,40c, or44cdescribed herein comprises one or more areas of excess material which may have the form of a pleat which extends from thelower end14aor14cto theupper end12aor12c, of thesleeve10aor10c, respectively. Preferably the surfaces of the internal facing surfaces of thegussets40a,44a,40cor44care substantially unconnected to each other along their lengths.
• The side gussets[0050]40a,44a,40cand44ccontemplated herein may be constructed in such a way that each side gusset40a,44a,40cand44cextends completely from thelower end14aor14cof thesleeve10aor10cto theupper end12aor12cof thesleeve10aor10c, respectively. Alternatively,sleeve10aor10cmay comprisegussets40a,44a, or40cor44c, respectively, which extend from theupper end12aor12conly part of the distance toward thelower end14aor14cor from thelower end14aor14cto only part of the distance toward theupper end12aor12c.
• It will generally be desired to use the sleeves[0051]10-10has covering for apot34, especially when thepot34 contains a plant or floral grouping.
• The term “pot” as used herein refers to any type of container or vase used for holding a floral grouping or plant. Examples of pots, used in accordance with the present invention include, but not by way of limitation, clay pots, wooden pots, plastic pots, pots made from natural and/or synthetic fibers, or any combination thereof. The pot is adapted to receive a floral grouping in the retaining space. The floral grouping may be disposed within the pot along with a suitable growing medium described in further detail below, or other retaining medium, such as a floral foam. It will also be understood that the floral grouping, and any appropriate growing medium or other retaining medium, may be disposed in the sleeves[0052]10-10hwithout apot34 or other container. The sleeves described herein may be formed in a manner well known in the art by advancing two separate webs, one or two webs preformed in the form of a tube, or a single web folded double and sealing the longitudinal sides and bottom of the two facing panels then cutting the sleeve thus formed from the webs or web. Machines which can form sleeves from such single webs or pairs of webs are well within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art.
• It should be further noted that various other features of the versions of the present invention described herein such as closure bonding areas, support extensions, handles, additional perforations, drainage holes, ventilation holes, combinations of material may be used alone or in combination as elements of any of the embodiments described above herein.[0053]
• The sleeves[0054]10-10hmay comprise a portion of a plant package as shown for example in FIG. 2, which additionally comprises apot34 disposed within the sleeves10-10h, thepot34 may have a floral grouping disposed therein and wherein the pot assembly is substantially surrounded and encompassed by the sleeve10-10hor a portion thereof. Alternatively, the plant package may comprise only the sleeves10-10h, a plant, and a medium for containing the plant.
• These embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the scope and extent of the claimed invention but are only intended to exemplify various embodiments of the invention contemplated herein.[0055]
• Changes may be made in the construction and the operation of the various components, elements and assemblies described herein or in the steps or the sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.[0056]

Claims (12)

What is claimed is:

1. A method of covering a pot having an outer peripheral surface, a bottom and an upper rim, comprising the steps of:

providing a preformed flexible sleeve comprising a closed lower end, a first panel, a second panel, a first side and a second side and having a conical shape with an angle between the first side and the second side wherein the angle is less than 90° or the preformed flexible sleeve having a frustoconical shape which is tapered from the upper end to a truncated closed lower end and having an imaginary angle of less than 90°, said preformed flexible sleeve sized to cover the pot and the performed flexible sleeve having a non-linear upper edge;

disposing the pot within the preformed flexible sleeve, wherein a portion of the inner peripheral surface of the preformed flexible sleeve is positioned adjacent the pot;

securing the preformed flexible sleeve to the outer peripheral surface of the pot via a banding element such that the preformed flexible sleeve surrounds and encompasses the outer peripheral surface of the pot; and

wherein said portion of the inner peripheral surface of the preformed flexible sleeve is positioned about the pot such that the preformed flexible sleeve is secured about the pot.

2. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the preformed flexible sleeve is initially provided in a flattened condition.

3. The method ofclaim 1 wherein at least a portion of the upper nonlinear edge of the preformed flexible sleeve is positioned near the upper rim of the pot.

4. The method ofclaim 1 comprising the additional step of folding a portion of the closed lower end of the preformed flexible sleeve beneath the bottom of the pot after the pot is disposed within the preformed flexible sleeve.

5. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the reformed flexible sleeve further comprises a detachable upper portion which is detachable via perforations.

6. The method ofclaim 5 wherein the detachable upper portion is sized to substantially surround and encompass a floral grouping disposed within the pot.

7. The method ofclaim 5 wherein the detachable upper portion further comprises an adhesive or cohesive bonding material disposed thereon for sealing an upper end of the detachable upper portion.

8. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the angle or imaginary angle is between about 140 and 40°.

9. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the angle or imaginary angle is between about 16° and 30°.

10. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the banding element is further defined as a rubber or elastic band, a string, a ribbon, a collar, a wire, or a band.

11. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the step of securing the preformed flexible sleeve is done either manually or automatically.

12. A plant package comprising a preformed flexible sleeve and a pot, the pot disposed within the preformed flexible floral sleeve, the plant package produced by the method ofclaim 1.

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