US20050108939A1 - Decorative sleeve cover formed of a polymeric material having a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth - Google Patents

Abstract

Flexible materials having a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth suitable for use in the formation of decorative flower pot covers and flower pots are disclosed. The flexible materials include polymeric materials, paper and laminates thereof.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 10/698,090, filed Oct. 31, 2003, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/202,048, filed Jul. 23, 2002; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/638,585, filed Aug. 15, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,463,717, issued Oct. 15, 2002; which is a divisional of application U.S. Ser. No. 09/143,732, filed Aug. 29, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,324,813, issued Dec. 4, 2001; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/098,898, filed Jun. 17, 1998, now abandoned; which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional application U.S. Ser. No. 60/050,867, filed Jun. 26, 1997; the contents of each of which are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
• Not applicable.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention relates to material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof, and more particularly but not by way of limitation, to flower pot covers, floral wrappings, ribbon materials made from polymeric materials, paper and laminates thereof. In one aspect, the present invention relates to methods for producing decorative flower pot covers and methods of wrapping floral groupings and flower pots with a sheet of polymeric material, a sheet of paper and laminates thereof having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof to provide a decorative cover for such floral groupings and flower pots. In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to a flower pot formed of polymeric material, paper and laminates thereof wherein the flower pot is provided with a cloth appearing finish.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sheet of material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof constructed in accordance with the present invention.
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet of material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof ofFIG. 1, the sheet of material having a bonding material disposed along one edge thereof.
• FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sheet of material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof ofFIG. 2, the sheet of material having a floral grouping disposed thereon.
• FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the floral grouping ofFIG. 3 being wrapped with the sheet of material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof ofFIG. 2 by one method of wrapping.
• FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a decorative cover for the floral grouping formed from the sheet of material ofFIG. 2 wherein the decorative cover formed from the sheet of material has a conical configuration.
• FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a decorative cover formed from the sheet of material ofFIG. 2 wherein a floral grouping is wrapped with the sheet of material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof by a second method of wrapping so that the decorative cover formed from the sheet of material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof has a substantially cylindrical configuration.
• FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a decorative cover positioned about a flower pot wherein the decorative cover is formed from the sheet of material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof ofFIG. 1.
• FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a flower pot cover former and band applicator apparatus having the sheet of material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof ofFIG. 1 disposed above an opening of the flower pot cover former and band applicator apparatus and having a flower pot disposed above the sheet of material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof.
• FIG. 9A is a perspective view of a sheet of material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof wherein an acrylic heat sealable lacquer is disposed on at least one surface thereof.
• FIG. 9B is a perspective view of a flexible sheet of laminated material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof.
• FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a preformed pot cover formed from the sheet of material ofFIG. 9A, or the flexible sheet of laminated material ofFIG. 9b.
• FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the preformed pot cover ofFIG. 10 having a flower pot disposed therein.
• FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional view of a male and female mold having the sheet of material ofFIG. 9A or the flexible sheet of laminated material ofFIG. 9bdisposed therebetween for forming the preformed pot cover ofFIG. 10.
• FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a floral sleeve formed from a sheet of material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof.
• FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the floral sleeve ofFIG. 13 disposed about a floral grouping.
• FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a floral sleeve having a cinching member wherein the floral sleeve is formed from a sheet of material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof.
• FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the floral sleeve ofFIG. 15 disposed about a floral grouping.
• FIG. 17 is a side view of a sleeve having a detachable portion wherein the sleeve is formed from a sheet of material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof.
• FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the sleeve ofFIG. 17 having a flower pot disposed therein.
• FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a flower pot disposed in the sleeve ofFIG. 17 wherein an upper portion of the sleeve has been removed to provide a decorative cover having a skirt.
• FIG. 20A is a perspective view of ribbon material having a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof.
• FIG. 20B is a perspective view of ribbon material formed of a sheet of material having an acrylic lacquer on at least one surface thereof.
• FIG. 20C is a perspective view of a laminated polymeric ribbon material wherein one layer of the laminate is formed from the sheet of material ofFIG. 1.
• FIG. 2ais a perspective view of a flower pot cover formed from the sheet of material ofFIGS. 1, 9aor9bhaving a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof, the flower pot having a drain opening formed in the bottom thereof.
• FIG. 21bis a perspective view of a flower pot formed from the sheet of material ofFIGS. 1, 9aor9bhaving a cloth-appearing finish on a surface thereof, the flower pot having a plurality of drain openings formed in a side wall near the corner end thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONDescription of FIGS.1-9
• Referring now toFIGS. 1 and 2, designated generally by thereference numeral10 is a sheet of material having a cloth-like finish or appearance. That is, at least one surface of the sheet ofmaterial10 has been modified to provide a matte or textured finish simulating the appearance of cloth. The terms “cloth-like finish”, “cloth-like appearance” or “cloth-appearing finish” may be used interchangeably with the terms “finish simulating the appearance of cloth” and “cloth-appearing textured or matte finish”. The modification of the sheet ofmaterial10 to provide the sheet of material with a cloth-appearing textured or matte finish can be accomplished in several ways. For example, a matte finish can be provided by printing a desired pattern on the sheet of material and thereafter laminating a matte material, such as a translucent polymeric film, over the printed pattern. To further enhance the cloth-like appearance of the sheet ofmaterial10, the matte material may or may not have a plurality of spatially disposed holes extending therethrough. A matte or textured finish can also be produced by printing a sheet of material with a matted (i.e. dull finish) ink, by lacquering at least one surface of the sheet of material with a dull finish lacquer or a matting lacquer, by embossing the sheet of material to provide an embossed pattern simulating the weave or texture of cloth, or by embossing and printing the sheet of material to provide embossed and printed patterns wherein the embossed and printed patterns may be in registry, out of registry or wherein a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are in registry and a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are out of registry. In addition, a matte or textured finish capable a providing the sheet of material with a cloth-like appearance can be achieved by extruding a polymeric resin onto a matted or textured chill roll or by laminating a second sheet of material to the sheet of polymeric material.
• The sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance has anupper surface14, alower surface16, and an outerperipheral edge18. Thelower surface16 is matted or textured as described above to provide the sheet ofmaterial10 with a cloth-like appearance. The outerperipheral edge18 of the sheet ofmaterial10 includes afirst side20, asecond side22, athird side24, and afourth side26. A bonding material27 (FIG. 2) may be disposed on at least a portion of one or both surfaces of the sheet ofmaterial10, such as theupper surface14 thereof as shown and as further illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,364, entitled “WRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING WITH SHEETS HAVING ADHESIVE OR COHESIVE MATERIAL APPLIED THERETO”, issued to Weder on Jan. 26, 1999, the specification of which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
• The sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance may be employed to provide a decorative cover for a floral grouping (FIGS. 3 through 6) or a decorative cover for a flower pot (FIG. 7); or it may be employed to form a preformed flower pot cover for covering a flower pot (FIGS. 10 and 11); or it may be employed to provide a sleeve for wrapping or covering a floral grouping (FIGS. 13 through 16) or a flower pot (FIGS. 17 through 19); or it may be employed to provide a ribbon material (FIG. 20A through 20c); or it may be employed to form a flower pot (FIG. 21). The use of the sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance to form a decorative cover for a floral grouping or a flower pot, or to form a sleeve for a floral grouping or a flower pot, or to form a preformed flower pot cover, or as a ribbon material, or to form a flower pot will be described in more complete detail herein.
• As noted above, the sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance can be utilized to form a decorative cover for a floral grouping or a flower pot. The term “flower pot” as used herein refers to any type of container for holding a floral grouping, or a plant, or even another pot-type container. Examples of flower pots and/or pot type containers include, but are not limited to, clay pots, wooden pots, plastic pots, pots made from natural and/or synthetic fibers, or any combination thereof. Such flower pots and/or pot-type containers are provided with a retaining space for receiving a floral grouping. The floral grouping may be disposed within the retaining space of the flower pot 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 in some cases the floral grouping, and any appropriate growing medium or other retaining medium, may be disposed in a sleeve formed from the sheet ofmaterial10 if the sleeve is adapted to contain a medium.
• “Floral grouping” as used herein will be understood to include 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. Further, the floral grouping may comprise a growing potted plant having a root portion 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, or a propagule. The term “floral grouping” may be used interchangeably herein with the term “floral arrangement”. The term “floral grouping” may also be used interchangeably herein with the terms “botanical item” and/or “propagule.”
• The term “growing medium” when used herein will be understood to include 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.
• The term “botanical item” when used herein will be understood to include a natural or artificial herbaceous or woody plant, taken singularly or in combination. The term “botanical item” also includes 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 bouquets or floral groupings.
• The term “propagule” when used herein will be understood to include any structure capable of being propagated or acting as an agent of reproduction including seeds, shoots, stems, runners, tubers, plants, leaves, roots or spores.
• In the embodiments shown in the drawings, the sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance is square. It will be appreciated, however, that the sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance can be of any shape, configuration or size as long as the sheet ofmaterial10 is sufficiently sized and shaped to wrap and encompass a floral grouping or a flower pot. For example, the sheet ofmaterial10 may have a rectangular, round, oval, octagonal or asymmetrical shape. Further, multiple sheets of the material10 may be used in a single circumstance to provide a decorative cover or sleeve for a floral grouping or a flower pot. Moreover, when multiple sheets of the material10 having a cloth-like appearance are used in combination, the sheets ofmaterial10 need not be uniform in size or shape. Finally, it will be appreciated that the sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance shown herein is a substantially flat sheet except for the texturing, matting, embossing, flocking, application of a foamable lacquer or foamable ink, or other treatments and techniques employed to provide the sheet ofmaterial10 with the desired texture or matting so that the sheet ofmaterial10 has the appearance of cloth.
• The term “sheet of material” as used herein is to be understood to include a sheet of polymeric film, a sheet of expanded core polymeric film, a sheet of paper, combinations and laminations of polymeric films and paper, laminations of expanded core polymeric film and paper, laminations of polymeric film and expanded core polymeric film, or sheets or laminations of any other types of material which are capable of being modified or treated to provide such laminations or sheets of material with a cloth-like appearance on a surface thereof.
• Any thickness or stiffness of the sheet ofmaterial10 may be utilized in accordance with the present invention as long as the sheet ofmaterial10 can be modified to provide the sheet ofmaterial10 with a cloth-like appearance and the sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance can be wrapped about at least a portion of a floral grouping or a flower pot, as described herein. Generally, the sheet ofmaterial10 will have a thickness in a range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 ml, and more desirably a thickness in a range of from about 0.5 mil to about 2.5 mil.
• The terms “polymer film”, “polymeric film” and “polymeric material” when used herein will be understood to refer to a synthetic polymer such as a polypropylene, a naturally occurring polymer such as cellophane, an extruded polymeric material having an expanded core such as extruded polypropylene having an expanded core and combinations thereof, including but not limited to, laminated materials. The extruded polymeric material having an expanded core (which is sometimes referred to herein as an expanded core polymeric material) will generally have a thickness in the range of from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil, more desirably in the range of from about 0.6 mil to about 1.25 mil. “Extruded polymeric material having an expanded core” as used herein refers to any extrudable polymeric material in which the core is expanded during extrusion, such as by incorporation of a blowing agent in the polymeric resin which is being extruded.
• The sheet ofmaterial10 may also be constructed, in whole or in part, from a cling material. “Cling material” when used herein includes any material which is capable of connecting to the sheet of material and/or itself upon contacting engagement during the wrapping process and is wrappable about an item whereby portions of the cling material contactingly engage and connect to other portions of another material, or, alternatively, itself, for generally securing the material wrapped about at least a portion of a flower pot. This connecting engagement is preferably temporary in that the material may be easily removed, i.e., the cling material “clings” to the flower pot.
• The cling material is constructed, and treated if necessary, from polyethylene such as Cling Wrap made by Glad®, First Brands Corporation, Danbury, Conn. The thickness of the cling material will, in part, depend upon the size of sleeve and the size of the flower pot in the sleeve, i.e., generally, a larger flower pot may require a thicker and therefore stronger cling material. The cling material will range in thickness from about 0.1 mil to about 10 mil, and preferably from about 0.5 mil to about 2.5 mil and most preferably from about 0.6 mil to about 2 mil. However, any thickness of cling material may be utilized in accordance with the present invention which permits the cling material to be modified as hereinbefore described to provide the cling material with a cloth-like appearance.
• The term “paper” as used herein is to be understood to include, but not be limited to, a felted sheet of usually vegetable fibers laid down on a fine screen from a water suspension, paper board, papier-mache, cardboard, wallpaper, newsprint and the like.
• In one embodiment, a sleeve may be constructed from two sheets of material e.g. two sheets of polypropylene film or a sheet of polypropylene film and a sheet of paper, wherein at least a lower or outer surface of one of the sheets of material is modified as hereinbefore described to provide at least one of the sheets of material with a cloth-like appearance. The sheets of material employed to produce the sleeve may be connected together or laminated or may be separate layers. In an alternative embodiment, the sleeve may be constructed from only one sheet of polypropylene film or paper having a cloth-like appearance.
• The sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance may vary in color. Further, the sheet ofmaterial10 may include other decorative patterns or designs in addition to the matting, texturing, flocking, application of flammable lacquers or foamable inks, or embossing employed to impart the cloth-like appearance to the sheet ofmaterial10.
• As illustrated inFIG. 3, the sheet ofmaterial10 has awidth30 extending generally between thefirst side20 and thesecond side22, respectively, sufficiently sized whereby the sheet ofmaterial10 can be wrapped about and encompass a floral grouping or a flower pot. The sheet ofmaterial10 has alength32 extending generally between thethird side24 and thefourth side26, respectively, sufficiently sized whereby the sheet ofmaterial10 extends over a substantial portion of the floral grouping when the sheet ofmaterial10 has been wrapped about the floral grouping in accordance with the present invention, as described in detail herein. The sheet ofmaterial10 may also be wrapped about a flower pot to substantially wrap and cover the flower pot in accordance with the present invention.
• A plurality of sheets ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance may be connected together to form a roll as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,976, issued to Weder et al. on Oct. 24, 1995, entitled “MATERIAL AND ADHESIVE STRIP DISPENSER”, the specification of which is hereby expressly incorporated in its entirety herein by reference.
• FIGS. 3-5 illustrate the use of the sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance in wrapping afloral grouping34 to provide a decorative cover36 (FIG. 5) for thefloral grouping34 wherein thedecorative cover36 has an openupper end38 and alower end40. The sheet ofmaterial10 may optionally have the strip ofbonding material27 disposed upon theupper surface14, thelower surface16 or both, such as the strip ofbonding material27 disposed along at least a portion of theupper surface14 of the sheet ofmaterial10 so as to be disposed substantially adjacent thefourth side26 thereof substantially as shown inFIGS. 3 and 4. Further, the sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance can be provided either as an individual sheet or from a pad or roll of material.
• Thebonding material27, if present, may have a backing or release strip (not shown). The backing or release strip may be left applied for a period of time to thebonding material27, after it is disposed on a surface of the sheet ofmaterial10 prior to its use as a wrapping material, to protect the bonding qualities of the bonding strip. In operation, an operator may dispose the sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance on a support surface (not shown) such that thelower surface16 of the sheet of material10 (which has been modified to provide the sheet ofmaterial10 with a cloth-like appearance) is in contact with the support surface.
• Referring more specifically toFIGS. 3-5, thefloral grouping34 is placed upon theupper surface14 of the sheet ofmaterial10 in a diagonal orientation. Thefloral grouping34 has an upper bloom orfoliage portion42 and alower stem portion44. The sheet ofmaterial10 is then wrapped about thefloral grouping34 by the operator (FIGS. 4 and 5), the operator overlapping a portion of the sheet ofmaterial10 over another portion of the sheet ofmaterial10. That is, for example, the operator places thefirst side20 of the sheet ofmaterial10 over thefloral grouping34, as shown inFIG. 4. The operator continues to roll thefloral grouping34 and the sheet ofmaterial10 in the direction toward thesecond side22 of the sheet ofmaterial10 until theupper surface14 near thesecond side22 firmly engages thelower surface16 of the sheet ofmaterial10, wherein thefloral grouping34 is substantially encompassed by the sheet ofmaterial10, and wherein thebonding material27 contacts the sheet ofmaterial10 to provide thedecorative cover36 having a cloth-like appearance which substantially encompasses and surrounds a substantial portion of thefloral grouping34.FIG. 5 shows thefloral grouping34 wrapped in a conical fashion to provide thedecorative cover36 for thefloral grouping34 which has the appearance of being made of a cloth material. When thefloral grouping34 is wrapped in a conical fashion, thebloom portion42 of thefloral grouping34 is exposed near the openupper end38 of thedecorative cover36, and thestem portion44 of thefloral grouping34 is exposed near thelower end40 of thedecorative cover36.
• In another embodiment, illustrated inFIG. 6, the sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance is utilized to wrap thefloral grouping34 in a cylindrical fashion. Thefloral grouping34 is disposed upon the sheet ofmaterial10 approximately parallel to thethird side24 of the sheet ofmaterial10. The sheet ofmaterial10 is wrapped generally about thestem portion44 of thefloral grouping34 to a position wherein thethird side24 of the sheet ofmaterial10 generally overlaps thefourth side26 of the sheet ofmaterial10 in a cylindrical fashion. It should be noted that the sheet ofmaterial10 may be wrapped a plurality of times about thestem portion44 of thefloral grouping34 before the overlapping of thethird side24 and thefourth side26 of the sheet ofmaterial10. As before, the portion of the sheet ofmaterial10 near thethird side24 is disposed generally adjacent another portion of the sheet ofmaterial10 and the two adjacent portions then are brought into contact where they may be bondingly engaged, thereby securing the sheet ofmaterial10 generally about thefloral grouping34 so as to provide adecorative cover36afor thefloral grouping34 which has the appearance of being fabricated of cloth.
• In another version of the invention, the sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance may be used to wrap a flower pot or pot-type container, as noted above. Shown inFIG. 7 is a flower pot designated by thereference numeral50 having an openupper end52, abottom end54, an outerperipheral surface56, aninner retaining space58 within which may be disposed a growing medium. Theflower pot50 may contain a botanical item, such as aplant60, which has anupper portion62 comprising blooms or foliage or both.
• The sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance may be wrapped about theflower pot50 by any one of numerous methods used to wrap sheets of material about flower pots to form decorative pot covers for flower pots, such as adecorative cover61 having a cloth-like appearance disposed about theflower pot50 illustrated inFIG. 7. The sheet ofmaterial10 may, for example, be formed by hand about the outerperipheral surface56 of theflower pot50 to produce thedecorative cover61 which has the appearance of being fabricated of cloth. Thedecorative cover61 can then be secured about theflower pot50 by a bonding material or by anelastic band64 such that the openupper end52 of theflower pot50 remains substantially uncovered by thedecorative cover61 substantially as shown inFIG. 7.
• Referring now toFIG. 8, a flower pot cover former andband applicator apparatus66 for forming the sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance into thedecorative cover61 for theflower pot50 ofFIG. 7 is illustrated. The flower pot cover former andband applicator apparatus66 includes aband applicator68 and a flower pot cover former70. The flower pot cover former andband applicator apparatus66 has asupport platform72 with anopening74 formed therein. A band, such aselastic band64, is disposed circumferentially about theopening74 in thesupport platform72.
• Thelower surface16 of the sheet of material10 (which has been modified to provide the sheet ofmaterial10 with a textured or matted surface simulating cloth) is positioned on anupper surface76 on thesupport platform72 such that the sheet ofmaterial10 is positioned over theopening74 in thesupport platform72. Theflower pot50 is positioned above the sheet ofmaterial10 and is moved in adirection78 into theopening74 of the flower pot cover former andband applicator apparatus66. As theflower pot50 is moved into theopening74, the sheet ofmaterial10 is pressed about the outerperipheral surface56 of theflower pot50 thereby forming thedecorative cover61 about theflower pot50. The decorative cover61 (which has a cloth-like appearance) is then secured about theflower pot50 by theelastic band64. Theflower pot50 having thedecorative cover61 secured thereto is then moved in adirection80 out of theopening74 in thesupport platform72.
• Theelastic band64 can be applied manually or automatically such as by the method shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,599, entitled “MEANS FOR SECURING A DECORATIVE COVER ABOUT A FLOWER POT”, issued to Weder on Apr. 21, 1993 which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. Theband64 can also be applied as a tie using a method such as described in “Single Station Covering and Fastening System”, U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,009, issued to Weder et al. on Mar. 11, 1997, the specification of which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. The sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance can also be applied automatically about theflower pot50, for example, by methods shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,521 entitled “COVER FORMING APPARATUS” issued to Weder et al. on Mar. 29, 1988, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,721, entitled “COVER FORMING APPARATUS HAVING PIVOTING FORMING MEMBERS”, issued to Weder et al. on Mar. 8, 1994, both of which are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
• Instead of securing thedecorative cover61 about theflower pot50 via theband64, thedecorative cover61 formed from the sheet ofmaterial10 having a cloth-like appearance may be secured to theflower pot50 by the use of one or more bonding materials. For example, theupper surface14 of the sheet ofmaterial10 may have a bonding material such as thebonding material27 disposed upon a portion thereof. When the sheet ofmaterial10 is disposed about theflower pot50, at least a portion of theupper surface14 of the sheet ofmaterial10 contacts the outerperipheral surface56 of theflower pot50 and is thereby bonded and held about theflower pot50 via the bonding material.
• The bonding material may cover a portion of theupper surface14 of the sheet ofmaterial10, or the bonding material may entirely cover theupper surface14 of the sheet ofmaterial10. The bonding material may be disposed on theupper surface14 of the sheet ofmaterial10 in the form of a strip or in the form of spaced-apart spots. One method for disposing a bonding material on the sheet ofmaterial10 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,637, entitled “Method For Wrapping A Floral Grouping”, issued to Weder, et al. on May 12, 1992, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
• The term “bonding material” when used herein refers to an adhesive, frequently a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive or any adhesive/cohesive combination having adhesive qualities (i.e., qualities of adhesion or adhesion/cohesion, respectively) sufficient to cause the attachment of a portion of the sheet ofmaterial10 to itself, to afloral grouping34, or to aflower pot50. Since the bonding material may comprise either an adhesive or an adhesive/cohesive combination, it will be appreciated that both adhesives and cohesives are known in the art, and both are commercially available. When the bonding material is a cohesive, a similar cohesive material must be placed on the adjacent surface 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 sonically sealable and vibratory sealable. The term “bonding material” when used herein also includes 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.
• The term “bonding material” when used herein also includes any type of material or thing which can be used to effect the bonding or connecting of the two adjacent portions of the sheet ofmaterial10 to effect the connection or bonding described herein. The term “bonding material” may also include ties, labels, bands, ribbons, strings, tapes (including single or double-sided adhesive tapes), staples or combinations thereof. Some of the bonding materials would secure the ends of the material while other bonding materials may bind the circumference of a cover, or a sleeve, or, alternatively and/or in addition, the bonding materials would secure overlapping folds in the material and/or sleeve. Another way to secure the cover and/or sleeve is to heat seal the ends of the material to another portion of the material. One way to do this is to contact the ends with an iron of sufficient heat to heat seal the material.
• Alternatively, a cold seal adhesive may be utilized as the bonding material. 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 releasable. This characteristic is different from, for example, a pressure sensitive adhesive.
• The term “bonding material” when used herein also includes any heat or chemically shrinkable material, and static electrical or other electrical materials, chemical welding materials, magnetic materials, mechanical or barb-type fastening materials or clamps, curl-type characteristics of the film or materials incorporated in material which can cause the material to take on certain shapes, cling films, slots, grooves, shrinkable materials and bands, curl materials, springs, and any type of welding method which may weld portions of the material to itself or to the pot, or to both the material itself and the pot.
• The sheet ofmaterial10 can also be provided with a coating of acrylic heat sealable lacquer disposed on at least one surface thereof so that the sheet ofmaterial10 can be formed into a decorative preformed flower pot cover in the same manner as described herein with reference toFIGS. 10 and 11; or into a flower pot as hereinafter described with reference toFIG. 21.
Description of FIGS.9-12
• Referring now toFIGS. 10 and 11, shown therein is a decorative preformedflower pot cover110 constructed from a flexible sheet ofmaterial112 having a cloth-like appearance (FIG. 9A) or a flexible sheet oflaminated material112a(FIG. 9B). It should be understood that the sheet offlexible material112 employed to form the decorative preformedflower pot cover110 can be any of the materials having a cloth-like appearance hereinbefore defined with reference to the sheet ofmaterial10. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 9A, the sheet offlexible material112 used in the construction of the decorative preformedflower pot cover110 is a sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114 having anupper surface116 and alower surface118. The thickness of the sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114 can vary widely and will generally depend on the characteristics of the articles being formed using the expandedcore polymeric film114. In most instances, however, the sheet of expandedcore polymeric material114 will have a thickness in the range of from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil, more desirably in the range of from about 0.6 mil to about 1.25 mil. A coating of an acrylicheat sealable lacquer120 can be disposed on at least one of the upper andlower surfaces116 and118, respectively, of the sheet of expandedcore film114.
• As previously stated, the modification of the sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114 to provide the sheet offlexible material112 with the desired matte or textured finish can be accomplished by printing a desired pattern on the sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114. A matte or textured finish can also be produced by printing a sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114 with a matted (i.e. dull finish) ink, by lacquering at least one surface of the sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114 with a dull finish lacquer or a matting lacquer, by embossing the sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114 to provide an embossed pattern simulating the weave or texture of cloth, or by embossing and printing the sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114 to provide embossed and printed patterns wherein the embossed and printed patterns may be in registry, out of registry or wherein a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are in registry and a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are out of registry. In addition, a matte or textured finish capable a providing the sheet offlexible polymeric film114 with a cloth-like appearance can be achieved by extruding a polymeric resin onto a matted or textured chill roll to produce the sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114. When the sheet offlexible material112 is formed into the decorative preformedflower pot cover110, a plurality of overlapping folds122 are formed and at least a portion of the overlapping folds122 are connected to adjacently disposed portions of the decorative preformedflower pot cover110 via the acrylicheat sealable lacquer120.
• As shown inFIGS. 10 and 11, the decorativepreformed pot cover110 has anupper end125, alower end126, and an outerperipheral surface128. Anopening130 intersects theupper end125, forming an innerperipheral surface132 which defines and encompasses a retainingspace133 within which aflower pot134 containing afloral grouping136 may be disposed in a manner well known in the art.
• In another embodiment, a flexible sheet oflaminated material112a(FIG. 9B) is used in the construction of the decorative preformedflower pot cover110. It should be understood that the decorativepreformed pot cover110 can also be formed of a laminate of the sheet ofmaterial10 and a sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114aoralaminate of the sheet ofmaterial10 and/or a laminate of a sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114aand a sheet of substantially waterimpervious polymeric film120a. In the embodiment shown, the flexible sheet oflaminated material112aincludes a sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114ahaving anupper surface116a, and a lower surface188a, and a sheet of substantially waterimpervious polymeric film120a. At least one surface of the sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114aor substantially waterimpervious polymeric film120ais modified to provide the flexible sheet oflaminated material112awith the desired cloth-like appearance. To provide the flexible sheet oflaminated material112awith a matte or textured finish so that the flexible sheet oflaminated material112ahas a cloth-like appearance, a pattern may be printed on the sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114aand thereafter a matte material such as a sheet of substantially waterimpervious polymeric film120a, which is desirably translucent, is laminated to the sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114aso as to be disposed over the printed pattern. To further enhance the cloth-like appearance of the flexible sheet oflaminated material112a, the matte material (i.e. the sheet of translucent substantially waterimpervious polymeric film120a) may or may not have a plurality of spatially disposed holes extending therethrough.
• The thickness of the sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114aand the sheet of substantially waterimpervious polymeric film120acan vary widely, as can the flexible sheet oflaminated material112aas long as same can used in the construction of the decorative preformedflower pot cover110. Generally, however, the sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114awill have a thickness in the range of from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil, and more desirably from about 0.6 mil to about 1.25 mil, and the substantially waterimpervious polymeric film120awill have a thickness in a range of from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil, and more desirably from about 0.6 mil to about 1.25 mil. The substantially waterimpervious polymeric film120acan be laminated to the sheet of expandedcore polymeric material114awith a colored adhesive so as to impart a desired color to the flexible sheet oflaminated material112a. While the thickness of the laminated sheet offlexible material112acan vary widely, and will generally depend on the thickness of the sheet of expandedcore polymeric film114aand the thickness of the substantially waterimpervious polymeric film120a, desirable results can be obtained where the flexible sheet oflaminated material112ahas a thickness in the range of from about 1.5 mil to about 2.5 mil.
• As previously stated, the decorative preformedflower pot cover110 may be constructed of the sheet of flexible material112 (FIG. 9A), or from the flexible sheet oflaminated material112a(FIG. 9B), or from the sheet of material10 (FIG. 1); and the decorative preformedflower pot cover110 so formed will have a plurality of overlapping folds122 formed therein, at least a portion thereof being connected. If desired, the decorative preformedflower pot cover110 can be formed of a plurality of sheets of the same and/or different types of material.
• The method and apparatus employed to form the preformed flower pot cover is substantially identical whether one uses one or more sheets of the flexible material112 (FIG. 9A), or one or more flexible sheets of thelaminated material112a(FIG. 9B), or one or more sheets of material10 (FIG. 1) or a combination of such sheets of material. Thus, only the formation of the preformedflower pot cover110 using a sheet of theflexible material112 ofFIG. 9 will be described in detail hereinafter.
• The decorative preformedflower pot cover110 may be formed using aconventional mold system140 comprising amale mold142 and a female mold144 having amold cavity146 for matingly receiving the male mold142 (FIG. 12). The sheet offlexible material112 is positioned between the male andfemale molds142 and144, respectively. Movement of themale mold142 in thedirection148 and into themold cavity146 forces the sheet offlexible material112 to be disposed about the portion of themale mold142 disposed in themold cavity146 of thefemale mold146 and thereby forms the sheet ofmaterial112 into the preformed decorative flower pot cover110 (FIGS. 10 and 11). Further, in accordance with the present invention, the decorative preformedflower pot cover110 constructed from the materials described herein above, may have a bonding material disposed upon a portion thereof.
• Methods for forming such preformed decorative pot covers are well known in the art. Two methods of forming such covers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,182, entitled “ARTICLE FORMING SYSTEM” issued to Weder et al. on Sep. 27, 1998, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,721, entitled “COVER FORMING APPARATUS HAVING PIVOTING FORMING MEMBERS”, issued to Weder et al. on Mar. 8, 1994, each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Description of FIGS.13-19
• Shown inFIG. 13 is a decorative cover designated therein by thegeneral reference numeral160 which is a flexible bag orsleeve162 of unitary construction having a cloth-like appearance in accordance with the present invention. Thesleeve162 may be used as adecorative cover160 for a floral grouping or a flower pot. Thesleeve162 initially is a flexible flat collapsed piece of material which is openable in the form of a tube or sleeve. Such sleeves are well known in the floral industry. Further, in accordance with the present invention, at least a portion of one surface, preferably an outerperipheral surface164 of thesleeve162, has been modified to provide thesleeve162 with a cloth-like appearance, as previously described herein. Thesleeve162 has anupper end166, alower end168 and the outerperipheral surface164. Thesleeve162 may be tapered outwardly from thelower end168 toward a larger diameter at itsupper end166. In its flattened state thesleeve162 generally has an overall trapezoidal or modified trapezoidal shape, and when opened is substantially frusto-conical to coniform. It will be appreciated, however, that thesleeve162 may have variations on the aforementioned shapes or may have significantly altered shapes such as square or rectangular, wherein thesleeve162 when opened has a cylindrical form, as long as thesleeve162 functions in accordance with the present invention in the manner described herein. The sleeve162 (or any other sleeve disclosed herein) may have an angular or contoured shape.
• Thesleeve162 has anopening170 at theupper end166 and may be open at thelower end168, or closed with a bottom at thelower end168. Thesleeve162 also has an innerperipheral surface172 which, when thesleeve162 is opened, defines and encompasses aninner retaining space174. When thelower end168 of thesleeve162 is closed, a portion of thelower end168 may be inwardly folded to form one or more gussets (not shown) for allowing the lower portion of theinner retaining space174 to be expandable, for example, for receiving a circular bottom of a pot or growing medium.
• Thesleeve162 is generally frusto-conically shaped, but thesleeve162 may be, by way of example but not by way of limitation, cylindrical, frusto-conical, a combination of both frusto-conical and cylindrical, or any other shape, as long as thesleeve162 functions as described herein as noted above. Further, thesleeve162 may have any shape, whether geometric, non-geometric, asymmetrical and/or fanciful as long as it functions in accordance with the present invention. Thesleeve162 may also be equipped with drain holes (if having a closed bottom) or side ventilation holes (not shown), or can be made from gas permeable or impermeable materials.
• The material from which thesleeve162 is constructed is the same as previously described above for the sheet ofpolymeric material10 having a cloth-like appearance, or the sheet offlexible material112 or the flexible sheet oflaminated material112a. Any thickness of material may be utilized in accordance with the present invention as long as thesleeve162 may be formed as described herein, is provided with a cloth-like appearance, and as long as the formedsleeve162 may contain at least a portion of a flower pot 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.
• InFIG. 14 thesleeve162 is illustrated having a cloth like appearance provided on the outerperipheral surface164 of thesleeve162. Afloral grouping176 is disposed within theinner retaining space174 of thesleeve162. Generally, an upper orbloom portion178 of thefloral grouping176 is exposed near theopening170 of thesleeve162 and a lower orstem portion180 of thefloral grouping176 is exposed near thelower end168 of thesleeve162. Either end of thesleeve162 may be closed about thefloral grouping176. Generally, a portion of thesleeve162 is tightened about a portion of thestem portion180 of thefloral grouping176 for holding thedecorative cover160 about thefloral grouping176. For example, thesleeve162 may be held by a tie182 tied about thesleeve162 such as is shown inFIG. 14. Other methods for binding thesleeve162 may be employed such as the bonding methods and materials described elsewhere herein. For example, as shown inFIG. 15, adecorative cover160ais shown which includes asleeve162ahaving a cloth-like appearance and acinching tab184 having abonding material186 disposed upon a surface thereof. Thecinching tab184 can be used to gather portions of thesleeve162atogether about thestem portion180 of thefloral grouping176 as shown inFIG. 16 for holding thesleeve162atightly about thefloral grouping176.
• Similarly, it may generally be desired to use thesleeve162 as a decorative cover for a flower pot (not shown). The flower pot will generally contain a botanical item or plant. The flower pot can be deposited into theopen sleeve162 in a manner well known in the art, such as manually wherein thesleeve162 is opened by hand and the flower pot deposited therein.
• As noted above, a bonding material may be disposed on a portion of thesleeve162 or any sleeve described herein to assist in holding thesleeve162 to the flower pot when the flower pot is disposed within thesleeve162 or to assist in closing theupper end166 of thesleeve162 or adhering thesleeve162 to the flower pot after the flower pot has been disposed therein, as will be discussed in further detail below.
• It will be understood that the bonding material, if present, may be disposed as a strip or block on a surface of thesleeve162. The bonding material may also be disposed upon either the outerperipheral surface164 or the innerperipheral surface172 of thesleeve162, as well as upon the flower pot. Further, the bonding material may be disposed as spots of bonding material, or in any other geometric, non-geometric, asymmetric, or fanciful form, and in any pattern, including covering either the entire innerperipheral surface172 and/or outerperipheral surface164 of thesleeve162 and/or the flower pot. The bonding material may be covered by a cover or release strip which can be removed prior to the use of thesleeve162 or flower pot. The bonding material can be applied by methods known to those of ordinary skill in their art. One method for disposing a bonding material, in this case an adhesive, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,637, entitled “METHOD FOR WRAPPING A FLORAL GROUPING”, issued to Weder et al. on May 12, 1993, which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
• As noted above, a bonding material may be disposed on at least a portion of the innerperipheral surface172 of the sleeve162 (or any other sleeve described herein), or, alternatively, the bonding material may be disposed on the outer peripheral surface of a flower pot contained within thesleeve162, while thesleeve162 may be free of the bonding material. In a further alternative, the bonding material may be disposed both on at least a portion of the flower pot as well as upon at least a portion of the innerperipheral surface172 of thesleeve162. In addition, a portion of the bonding material may also be disposed on the outerperipheral surface164 of thesleeve162 as well. It will be understood that the bonding material may be disposed in a solid section of bonding material. The bonding material, when present, is disposed on thesleeve162 and/or flower pot by any method known in the art.
• Certain versions of sleeves described herein may be used in combination with a preformed pot cover. For example, a preformed pot cover may be applied to the pot, then the covered pot wrapped or disposed within a sleeve. Either the cover or the sleeve, or both, may have a cloth-like appearance. Examples of sleeves which may be used in this invention are shown in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,979, entitled “SLEEVE HAVING A DETACHABLE PORTION FORMING A SKIRT AND METHODS”, issued to Weder on May 6, 1997, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Equipment and devices for forming sleeves are commercially available, and well known in the art.
• Shown inFIGS. 17 and 18 is another embodiment of adecorative cover160bwhich includes a sleeve having a cloth-like appearance constructed in accordance with the present invention and designated by thegeneral reference numeral162b. Thesleeve162bhas a “detaching” element in predetermined areas for detaching a portion of thesleeve162b. Thesleeve162bgenerally initially is a flexible flat collapsed piece of material which is openable in the form of a tube or sleeve. Thesleeve162bis constructed of the same material and in the same way as described previously herein and may be described exactly the same as the other sleeves described herein except for the additional elements described hereinafter.
• Thesleeve162bhas anupper end166b, alower end168b, and an outerperipheral surface164b. Thesleeve162bhas anopening170bat theupper end166bthereof, and thesleeve162bmay be open at thelower end168bor closed with a bottom at thelower end168b. In a flattened state, thesleeve162bhas afirst side171 and asecond side173. Thesleeve162balso has an innerperipheral surface172bwhich, when thesleeve162bis opened, defines and encompasses aninner retaining space174bas shown inFIG. 18. When thelower end168bof thesleeve162bhas a closed bottom, a portion of thelower end168bmay be inwardly folded to form one or more gussets (not shown) for permitting a circular bottom of an object such as apotted plant176bto be disposed in theinner retaining space174bof thelower end168bof thesleeve162b.
• As shown inFIGS. 17 and 18, thesleeve162bis demarcated into anupper portion188 and alower portion190. Thelower portion190 of thesleeve162bis generally sized to contain theflower pot176b. Theupper portion188 of thesleeve162bis sized to substantially surround and encompass aplant192 contained in theflower pot176bdisposed within thelower portion190 of thesleeve162b. Thesleeve162bis demarcated into theupper portion188 and thelower portion190 by a detachingelement194 for enabling the detachment of theupper portion188 of thesleeve162bfrom thelower portion190 of thesleeve162b. In the present version, the detachingelement194 is a plurality of generally laterally-oriented or alternatingly diagonally-oriented perforations which extend circumferentially across the outerperipheral surface164bof thesleeve162bfrom thefirst side171 to thesecond side173.
• In a preferred embodiment, as shown inFIGS. 17 and 18, thelower portion190 of thesleeve162bfurther includes abase portion196 and askirt portion198. Thebase portion196 constitutes that part of thelower portion190 which, when theflower pot176bis placed into thelower portion190, has an innerperipheral surface172bwhich is substantially adjacent to and surrounds an outerperipheral surface199 of theflower pot176b. Theskirt portion198 constitutes that part of thelower portion190 which extends beyond an openupper end201 of theflower pot176band adjacent at least a portion of theplant192 contained within theflower pot176band which is left to freely extend at an angle, inwardly or outwardly, from thebase portion196 when theupper portion188 of thesleeve162bis detached from thelower portion190 of thesleeve162bby actuation of the detachingelement194.
• In theintact sleeve162b, theskirt portion198 has an upper peripheral edge congruent with the detachingelement194 which is connected to a lower peripheral edge, also congruent with the detachingelement194, of theupper portion188 of thesleeve162b. InFIGS. 17 and 18, the upper peripheral edge of theskirt portion198 is congruent with a series of alternatingly diagonally-oriented lines of perforations which together form a zig-zag and constitute the detachingelement194. Theupper portion188 of thesleeve162bmay also have anadditional detaching element200 indicated as a plurality of vertical perforations for facilitating removal of theupper portion188 and which are disposed more or less vertically therein extending between the detachingelement194 of thesleeve162b.
• Theupper portion188 of thesleeve162bis thereby separable from thelower portion190 of thesleeve162bby tearing theupper portion188 along both the detachingelement200 and the detachingelement194, thereby separating theupper portion188 from thelower portion190 of thesleeve162b. Thelower portion190 of thesleeve162bremains disposed as thebase portion196 about theflower pot176band as theskirt portion198 about theplant192 forming adecorative cover202 as shown inFIG. 19 which substantially surrounds and encompasses theflower pot176band theplant192 contained therein. An outerperipheral surface164bof thelower portion190 of thesleeve162b, for example, the base andskirt portions196 and198, may be modified to provide thelower portion190 of thesleeve162bwith a cloth-like appearance, while theupper portion188 is left unmodified or is printed with a design. When theupper portion188 is detached, thelower portion190 of thesleeve162bremains about theflower pot176band thereby forms adecorative cover202 about theflower pot176bwhich has the appearance of a cloth decorative cover.
• “Detaching element” as used herein, includes any element, or combination of elements, or features, such as, but not by way of limitation, perforations, tear strips, zippers, and any other devices or elements of this nature known in the art, or any combination thereof. Therefore, while perforations are shown and described in detail herein, it will be understood that tear strips, zippers, or any other “detaching elements” known in the art, or any combination thereof, could be substituted therefor and/or used therewith.
• In a general method of use ofsleeve162bas a decorative cover for a flower pot, an operator provides asleeve162b, and theflower pot176bhaving aplant192 disposed in a growing medium contained within theflower pot176b. The operator then disposes theflower pot176bhaving theplant192 contained therein into thesleeve162bby opening thesleeve162bat itsupper end166band assuring both that theopening170btherein is in an open condition, and that the innerperipheral surface172bof thesleeve162bis somewhat expanded outward as well, as shown inFIG. 18. The operator then manually or automatically disposes theflower pot176binto theopening170bin thesleeve162b, theflower pot176bbeing disposed generally through theupper portion188 of thesleeve162binto generally thelower portion190 of thesleeve162b, theflower pot176bremaining in thelower portion190 of thesleeve162b, permitting thesleeve162bto substantially surround and tightly encompass theflower pot176b. It will be understood that alternatively, thesleeve162bmay be provided with an extension (not shown), and thesleeve162bmay be disposed on rods or wickets, and theflower pot176bmay be disposed in thesleeve162beither before or after thesleeve162bhas been removed from the wickets.
Embodiments of FIGS.20A-20C
• Referring now toFIG. 20A, designated generally by thereference numeral210 is a ribbon material having a cloth-like appearance for forming decorative bows and for wrapping items. That is, at least one surface of a web of material (not shown) is modified to provide a matte ortextured finish212 simulating the appearance of cloth. The modification of the web of material (not shown) to provide theribbon material210 with a matte ortextured finish212 can be accomplished in several ways. For example, theribbon material210 having the matte ortextured finish212 can be produced by printing a web of material with a matted (i.e. dull finish) ink, by lacquering at least one surface of the sheet of material with a dull finish lacquer or a matting lacquer, by embossing the sheet of material to provide an embossed pattern simulating the weave or texture of cloth, or by flocking the sheet of material, or by application of a foamable lacquer or foamable ink to the sheet of material, or by embossing and printing the sheet of material to provide embossed and printed patterns wherein the embossed and printed patterns may be in registry, out of registry or wherein a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are in registry and a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are out of registry. In addition, when the ribbon material is a polymeric ribbon material, a matte ortextured finish212 capable of providing the sheet ofpolymeric material210 with a cloth-like appearance can be achieved by extruding a resin onto a matted or textured chill roll. Thereafter, the web of material having a cloth-like appearance can be cut in a conventional manner to provide a polymeric ribbon material having a cloth-like appearance.
• Any material capable of being textured or otherwise modified to provide the material with a cloth-like appearance can be employed in the formulation of theribbon material210. For example, the material employed to produce theribbon material210 can be a polymeric film, both synthetic and naturally occurring, paper, laminations of polymeric film, laminations of polymeric film and paper, or any other material which is capable of being modified or treated to provide theribbon material210 with a cloth-like appearance on a surface thereof. When the ribbon material is polypropylene film or paper, or a laminated polypropylene film and paper, theribbon material210 often has a thickness in a range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil, and more desirably in a range of from about 0.5 mil to about 2.5 mil; whereas, when theribbon material210 is formed of an expanded core polymeric film, theribbon material210 has a thickness in a range of from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil.
• Referring now toFIG. 20B, designated generally by thereference numeral220 is another embodiment of a ribbon material for forming decorative bows and for wrapping items. Theribbon material220 is a laminate formed from an expandedcore polymeric film222 having a thickness in a range of from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil and a polymeric film orpaper224 having a thickness in a range of from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil. When thepolymeric film224 is laminated to the expandedcore polymeric film222 it may be desirable to use a colored adhesive so as to impart a desired color to theribbon material220. If desired, theribbon material220 may be treated or otherwise processed to provide theribbon material220 with a matte ortextured finish226 simulating the weave or knit of cloth so that theribbon material220 has a cloth-like appearance similar to theribbon material210 hereinbefore described with reference toFIG. 20A. That is, a matte ortextured finish226 simulating cloth can be printed on the expandedcore polymeric film222, and thereafter the polymeric film or paper224 (which in this case may be a matte material of translucent polymeric film) is laminated to the polymeric film orpaper224 to provide theribbon material220 with a cloth-like appearance. To further enhance the cloth-like appearance of theribbon material220, the polymeric film orpaper224 may or may not have a plurality of spatially disposed holes extending therethrough. The matte ortextured finish226 can be produced by printing the polymeric film orpaper224 laminated to the expandedcore polymeric film222 with a matted (i.e. dull finish) ink, by lacquering at least one surface of the polymeric film orpaper224 with a dull finish lacquer or a matting lacquer, by flocking the polymeric film orpaper224, by application of a foamable lacquer or foamable ink to the polymeric film orpaper224, by embossing the polymeric film orpaper224 to provide an embossed pattern simulating the weave or texture of cloth, or by embossing and printing the polymeric film orpaper224 to provide embossed and printed patterns wherein the embossed and printed patterns may be in registry, out of registry, or wherein a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are in registry and a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are out of registry. In addition, a matte ortextured finish226 capable of providing theribbon material220 with a cloth-like appearance can be achieved by extruding the resin used to produce the expandedcore polymeric film222 and\or the resin used to produce the polymeric film orpaper224 onto a matted or textured chill roll.
• Referring now toFIG. 20C, designated generally by thereference numeral230 is another embodiment of a ribbon material for forming decorative bows and for wrapping items. Theribbon material230 is formed of a polymeric film orpaper232 having anupper surface234, alower surface236 and a thickness in the range of from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil. An acrylicheat sealable lacquer238 is applied to at least one of the upper andlower surfaces234 and236 of the polymeric film orpaper232, such as thelower surface236 of the polymeric film orpaper232 and theupper surface234 of the polymeric film orpaper232 is desirably modified to provide theribbon material230 with a matte ortextured finish240 simulating the appearance of cloth. The modification of the polymeric film orpaper232 to provide theribbon material230 with a cloth-like appearance can be accomplished in several ways. For example, theribbon material230 having the matte ortextured finish240 can be produced by printing a web of polymeric material or paper with a matted (i.e. dull finish) ink, by lacquering at least one of theupper surface234 or thelower surface236 of the polymeric film orpaper232 with a dull finish lacquer or a matting lacquer, by flocking the polymeric film orpaper232, by application of a foamable lacquer or foamable ink to the polymeric film orpaper232, by embossing the polymeric film orpaper232 to provide an embossed pattern simulating the weave or texture of cloth, or by embossing and printing the polymeric film orpaper232 to provide embossed and printed patterns wherein the embossed and printed patterns may be in registry, out of registry or wherein a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are in registry and a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are out of registry. In addition, a matte ortextured finish240 capable of providing thepolymeric film232 with a cloth-like appearance can be achieved by extruding a polymeric resin onto a matted or textured chill roll. Thereafter, thepolymeric film232 having a cloth-like appearance can be cut in a conventional manner to provide the ribbon material280.
• Any polymeric film or paper capable of being textured or otherwise modified to provide the polymeric film or paper with a cloth-like appearance can be employed in the formulation of theribbon material230. For example, the polymeric film orpaper232 employed to produce theribbon material230 can be polypropylene film and the polypropylene film orpaper232 is desirably provided with a thickness in a range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil, and more desirably in a range of from about 0.5 mil to about 2.5 mil.
Description of FIGS.21aand21b
• Referring now toFIGS. 21aand21b, shown therein is aflower pot250 formed in accordance with the present invention. Theflower pot250 is constructed of a sheet of material having a cloth-like appearance similar to the sheet ofmaterial10 or the sheet of laminated material herein before described. Any suitable material can be employed in the construction of theflower pot250 as long as the material is capable of being modified and/or textured so that theflower pot250 appears to be fabricated of cloth. The thickness of the material used in the construction of theflower pot250 can vary widely and will generally depend on the structural integrity desired in the flower pot. Generally, however, the sheet of material and/or the sheet of laminated material will have a thickness of at least about 5 mil, and more desirably at least about 15 mil. If desired, a coating of an acrylic heat sealable lacquer can be disposed on at least one of an upper surface or lower surface of the sheet of material having a cloth-like appearance or on at least one of an upper surface or lower surface of a sheet of laminated material having a cloth-like appearance.
• Theflower pot250 has anupper end252, alower end254 and an outerperipheral surface256, anopening258 intersects theupper end252, forming an innerperipheral surface260 which defines a retainingspace262 within which may be disposed a growing medium and a botanical item, such as a plant. If desired, a floral support medium, such as floral foam, may be used in place of the growing medium to support a floral grouping within the retainingspace262 of theflower pot250.
• Theflower pot250 may include one or more apertures in the lower theend254 thereof, such as theaperture264 as shown inFIG. 21a; or a plurality ofapertures266 as shown inFIG. 21b. It should be noted that theflower pot250 can be constructed without any apertures, or theflower pot250 can be constructed so as to containapertures264 and266. In addition, theflower pot250 may be constructed with or without a rim disposed about theupper end252 of theflower pot250, such as therim268 shown inFIGS. 21aand21b.
• Theflower pot250 can be formed using any conventional method known in the art. For example, theflower pot250 can be formed using the method hereinbefore described for forming a preformed flower pot cover; or theflower pot250 can be formed using a male mold and forming the sheet of material about the male mold in such a manner that theflower pot250 maintains its shape; or theflower pot250 may be formed by hand.
• When forming theflower pot250 using a male and a female mold, the sheet of material employed to form theflower pot250 is desirably provided with a bonding material on at least a portion thereof or with a coating of heat sealable lacquer on at least one surface thereof so that when the sheet of material is formed into theflower pot250, theflower250 so produced retains it shape without the requirement of bands and the like.
• 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.

Claims (72)

1. A plant package comprising:

a sleeve formed of a flexible material having at least a portion of one surface thereof modified to provide the sleeve formed therefrom with a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof, the sleeve having an inner retaining space;

a flower pot having an outer peripheral surface; and

wherein the flower pot is disposed in the inner retaining space of the sleeve whereby the sleeve substantially surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and provides a decorative cover for the flower pot wherein the decorative cover has the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof.

2. The plant package ofclaim 1 wherein the sleeve is formed from flexible material selected from the group consisting of paper and paper/polymeric film laminates.

3. The plant package ofclaim 1 wherein the flexible material has a thickness in a range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil.

4. The plant package ofclaim 1 wherein the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided on at least a portion of one surface of the flexible material by at least one of printing, embossing, flocking, applying a foamable lacquer, applying a foamable ink, applying a matting lacquer, applying a matted ink, and combinations thereof.

5. The plant package ofclaim 4 wherein the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided by a printed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface of the flexible material and an embossed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface of the flexible material.

6. The plant package ofclaim 5 wherein the printed and embossed patterns are in registry with one another.

7. The plant package ofclaim 5 wherein the printed and embossed patterns are out of registry with one another.

8. The plant package ofclaim 5 wherein at least a portion of the printed pattern is in registry with the embossed pattern, and at least a portion of the printed pattern is out of registry with the embossed pattern.

9. The plant package ofclaim 1 wherein the sleeve is provided with a closed lower end.

10. A sheet of paper wrappable about a flower pot or a floral grouping to provide a decorative cover, the sheet of paper having a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof such that upon wrapping the sheet of paper about the flower pot or floral grouping the decorative cover so produced has a cloth-like appearance.

11. The sheet of paper ofclaim 1 wherein the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface of the sheet of paper is provided by at least one of printing, embossing, lacquering, texturing, applying a matte finish, laminating, flocking and combinations thereof.

12. The sheet of paper ofclaim 10 wherein the sheet of paper has a thickness in the range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil.

13. The sheet of paper ofclaim 12 wherein the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided by a printed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface of the sheet of paper and an embossed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface of the sheet of paper.

14. The sheet of material ofclaim 13 wherein the printed and embossed patterns are in register with one another.

15. The sheet of material ofclaim 13 wherein the printed and embossed patterns are out of register with one another.

16. The sheet of material ofclaim 13 wherein at least a portion of the printed pattern is in register with the embossed pattern, and at least a portion of the printed pattern is out of registry with the embossed pattern.

17. A decorative preformed flower pot cover having a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof, the decorative preformed flower pot cover comprising:

a base having a closed lower end, an open upper end and a retaining space, the base of the decorative preformed flower pot cover having a plurality of overlapping folds of which at least a portion are permanently connected;

a decorative border extending outwardly from the open upper end of the base; and

wherein the decorative preformed flower pot cover is formed of a sheet of paper and wherein at least a portion of one surface of the sheet of paper is textured or modified so as to provide a texture of appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth so that at least a portion of one surface of the decorative preformed flower pot cover formed therefrom is provided with a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth.

18. The decorative preformed flower pot cover ofclaim 17 wherein the sheet of paper has a thickness in the range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil.

19. The decorative preformed flower pot cover ofclaim 17 wherein a substantial portion of the overlapping folds in the base of the decorative preformed flower pot cover extend over different distances and at various and arbitrary angles.

20. The decorative flower pot cover ofclaim 17 where in the decorative border of the decorative preformed flower pot cover is substantially free of permanently connected overlapping folds.

21. The decorative preformed flower pot cover ofclaim 17 wherein the sheet of paper is further provided with printed patterns, embossed patterns, and combinations thereof in addition to the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth.

22. The decorative preformed flower pot cover ofclaim 17 wherein the sheet of paper is printed with a matted ink to provide the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth.

23. The decorative preformed flower pot cover ofclaim 17 wherein the sheet of paper is printed with a foamable ink to provide the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth.

24. A sleeve for containing a flower pot having a plant disposed therein wherein the sleeve is provided with texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof, the sleeve comprising:

a lower portion generally sized to contain the flower pot, the lower portion comprising:

a base portion having an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface, the inner peripheral surface of the base portion being substantially adjacent to and surrounding an outer peripheral surface of the flower when the flower is disposed in the sleeve and at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the base portion being provided with a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth, and

a skirt portion attached to the base portion and extending beyond an open upper end of the flower pot and adjacent at least a portion of the plant disposed in the flower pot when the flower pot is disposed in the sleeve;

an upper portion connected to the skirt portion of the lower portion and sized to substantially surround and encompass the plant disposed in the flower pot when the flower pot is disposed in the sleeve, the upper portion being detachable from the skirt portion of the lower portion via a plurality of perforations whereby, upon detachment of the upper portion of the sleeve from the lower portion, the base portion of the lower portion of the sleeve remains in a position surrounding the flower pot and the skirt portion of the lower portion of the sleeve freely extends at an angle from the base portion of the lower portion of the sleeve; and

wherein the sleeve is formed of a sheet of paper having at least a portion of one surface thereof textured or modified to provide a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth such that at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the base portion of the lower portion of the sleeve formed therefrom is provided with the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth.

25. The sleeve ofclaim 24 wherein at least a portion of one surface of the skirt portion of the lower portion of the sleeve is provided with the appearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth.

26. The sleeve ofclaim 25 wherein at least a portion of one surface of the upper portion of the sleeve is provided with the appearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth.

27. The sleeve ofclaim 24 wherein the sheet of paper has a thickness of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil.

28. A sleeve for containing a flower pot having a plant disposed therein wherein the sleeve is provided with a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof, the sleeve comprising:

a lower portion generally sized to contain the flower pot, the lower portion comprising:

a base portion having an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface, at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the base portion being provided with a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth; and

a skirt portion attached to the base portion and extending beyond an open upper end of the flower pot;

an upper portion connected to the skirt portion of the lower portion, the upper portion being detachable from the skirt portion of the lower portion via a plurality of perforations whereby, upon detachment of the upper portion of the sleeve from the lower portion, the base portion of the lower portion of the sleeve remains in a position surrounding the flower pot and the skirt portion of the lower portion of the sleeve freely extends at an angle from the base portion of the lower portion of the sleeve; and

wherein the sleeve is formed of paper having at least a portion of one surface thereof modified to provide a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth such that at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the base portion of the lower portion of the sleeve formed therefrom is provided with the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth.

29. The sleeve ofclaim 28 wherein the modification to provide the sheet of paper with the texture or appearance of cloth is selected from the group consisting of printing with a matted ink, lacquering with a matting lacquer, printing with a foamable ink, lacquering with a foamable lacquer, flocking, and combinations thereof.

30. The sleeve ofclaim 28 wherein at least a portion of one surface of the upper portion of the sleeve is provided with the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth.

31. A plant package produced from a sheet of paper wherein at least a portion of one surface of the plant package is modified or textured to provide at least a portion of the plant package with an appearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth, the plant package comprising:

a flower pot having a floral grouping disposed therein;

a sleeve formed of a sheet of paper having at least a portion of one surface thereof textured or modified so as to provide the sheet of paper with an appearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth, the sleeve having an outer peripheral surface and an inner peripheral surface, at least a portion of at least one of the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve being textured or modified to provide at least a portion of such surface with an appearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth, and wherein the sleeve further comprises:

a base portion sized to contain the flower pot; and

a skirt portion extending beyond an open upper end of the flower pot; and

wherein the flower pot is disposed within the inner retaining space of the sleeve such that the flower pot is substantially surrounded and encompassed by the base portion of the sleeve and the skirt portion of the sleeve freely extends at an angle from the base portion of the sleeve.

32. The plant package ofclaim 31 wherein the outer peripheral surface of the base portion of the sleeve is provided with an appearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth, and wherein at least one surface of the skirt portion of the sleeve is provided with an appearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth.

33. The plant package ofclaim 31 wherein the paper from which the sleeve is constructed is characterized as having a thickness in a range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil.

34. The plant package ofclaim 31 wherein the paper from which the sleeve is constructed is further provided with a printed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface thereof.

35. The plant package ofclaim 34 wherein the paper from which the sleeve is constructed is further provided with an embossed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface thereof.

36. The plant package ofclaim 35 wherein the printed pattern and the embossed pattern are in register with one another.

37. The plant package ofclaim 35 wherein the printed pattern and the embossed pattern are out of register with one another.

38. A method for wrapping a floral grouping with a sleeve having an appearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a floral grouping having a bloom portion and a stem portion;

providing a sleeve formed of paper, at least a portion of the sleeve being provided with an appearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth;

disposing the floral grouping into the sleeve; and

binding the sleeve about the floral grouping by tightening a portion of the sleeve about a portion of the stem portion of the floral grouping for holding the sleeve about the floral grouping, thereby forming a decorative cover for the floral grouping.

39. The method ofclaim 38 wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the sleeve is provided with a bonding material disposed on a portion of an outer peripheral surface of the sleeve for securing the sleeve about the floral grouping.

40. The method ofclaim 38 wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the sleeve is provided with a bonding material disposed on a portion of an inner peripheral surface of the sleeve for securing the sleeve about the floral grouping.

41. The method ofclaim 38 wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the sleeve is provided with a bonding material disposed on portions of an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface of the sleeve.

42. The method ofclaim 38 wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the sleeve is further provided with a printed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface thereof in addition to the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth.

43. The method ofclaim 42 wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the sleeve is further provided with an embossed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface thereof.

44. The method ofclaim 43 wherein at least a portion of the printed pattern and the embossed pattern are in registry with one another.

45. The method ofclaim 43 wherein at least a portion of the printed pattern and the embossed pattern are out of register with one another.

46. The method ofclaim 38 wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the sleeve is further provided with an embossed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface thereof in addition to the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth.

47. The method ofclaim 38 wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided by at least one of printing, embossing, lacquering, texturing, matting, flocking and combinations thereof.

48. A method for providing a decorative cover for a flower pot, the method comprising the steps of:

provided a flower pot having an outer peripheral surface;

providing a sheet of paper having an upper surface and a lower surface, at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet of paper being textured or modified to provide at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet of paper with an appearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth; and

forming the sheet of paper about the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot to provide the decorative cover, at least a portion of one surface of the decorative cover being provided with the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth.

49. The method ofclaim 48 wherein, in the step of providing the sheet of paper, at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the paper is further provided with an embossed pattern, a printed pattern, or embossed and printed patterns which enhance the aesthetic characteristics of the paper having an appearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth.

50. The method ofclaim 49 wherein at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the paper is further provided with embossed and printed patterns, and the embossed and printed patterns are in register with one another.

51. The method ofclaim 49 wherein at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the paper is further provided with embossed and printed patterns, and the embossed and printed patterns are out of register with one another.

52. The method ofclaim 49 wherein at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the paper is further provided with embossed and printed patterns, and a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are in register with one another and another portion of the embossed and printed patterns are out of register with one another.

53. The method ofclaim 48 wherein, in the step of provided the sheet of paper, the paper has a thickness in the range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil.

54. A method for providing a decorative cover for a floral grouping, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a floral grouping;

providing a paper material having an upper surface and a lower surface, at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the paper material being printed, embossed, lacquered or combinations thereof to provide the paper material with an appearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth; and

wrapping the paper material about at least a portion of the floral grouping to provide the decorative cover, at least a portion of one surface of the decorative cover being provided with the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth while maintaining structural and mechanical characteristics of the paper material from which the decorative cover is formed.

55. The method ofclaim 54 wherein, in the step of providing the paper material, at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the paper material is further provided with an embossed pattern, a printed pattern, or embossed and printed patterns which enhance the aesthetic characteristics of the paper material having the appearance or texture simulating the appearance and texture of cloth.

56. The method ofclaim 55 wherein at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the paper material is further provided with embossed and printed patterns, and the embossing and printed patterns are in register with one another.

57. The method ofclaim 55 wherein at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the paper material is further provided with embossed and printed patterns, and the embossed and printed patterns are out of register with one another.

58. The method ofclaim 55 wherein at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the paper material is further provided with embossed and printed patterns, and a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are in register with one another and a portion of the embossed and printed patterns are out of register with one another.

59. The method ofclaim 54 wherein, in the step of providing a paper material, the paper material has a thickness in the range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil.

60. A method for providing a decorative preformed flower pot cover having a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth, the method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one sheet of paper having an upper surface, a lower surface, at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the paper being textured or modified to provide a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth, while maintaining the mechanical and structural characteristics of the paper material from which the sheet of paper is formed; and

forming the sheet of paper into a preformed flower pot cover comprising:

a base having a closed lower end, an open upper end, an outer peripheral surface, an inner peripheral surface and a retaining space, the base of the decorative preformed flower pot cover having a plurality of overlapping folds of which at least a portion are permanently connected so that the decorative preformed flower pot cover may be substantially flattened and then unflattened to assume the original shape of the decorative preformed flower pot cover;

a decorative border which extends outwardly from the open upper end of the base, the decorative border having an outer peripheral surface and an inner peripheral surface; and

wherein at least a portion of one of the outer peripheral surface of the base, the outer peripheral surface of the decorative border and the inner peripheral surface of the decorative border of the decorative preformed flower pot cover is provided with the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth.

61. The method ofclaim 60 wherein, in the step of forming the sheet of paper into a preformed flower pot cover, a substantial portion of the overlapping folds in the base of the decorative preformed flower pot cover extend over different distances and at various and arbitrary angles.

62. The method ofclaim 60 wherein, in the step of forming the sheet of paper into a preformed flower pot cover, the decorative border of the decorative preformed flower pot cover is substantially free of permanently connected overlapping folds.

63. The method ofclaim 60 wherein, in the step of providing the at least one sheet of paper, the at least one sheet of paper comprises:

a sheet of paper having an upper surface and a lower surface, at least a portion of the lower surface of the paper being printed, embossed, lacquered or combinations thereof so as to provide a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth; and

an acrylic heat sealable lacquer disposed on at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the paper whereby, upon forming the sheet of paper material into the decorative preformed flower pot cover, at least a portion of the overlapping folds formed in the base of the decorative preformed flower pot cover are connected via the acrylic heat sealable lacquer.

64. The method ofclaim 63 wherein at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the paper is further provided with at least one of a printed pattern, an embossed pattern and combinations thereof in addition to the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth.

65. The method ofclaim 64 wherein the paper is further provided with printed and embossed patterns on at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces thereof, and the printed and embossed patterns are in registry with one another.

66. The method ofclaim 64 wherein the paper is further provided with printed and embossed patterns on at least a portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces thereof, and the printed and embossed patterns are out of registry with one another.

67. A method for providing a decorative flower pot, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a sheet of paper having an upper surface and a lower surface, at least a portion of the lower surface of the sheet of paper textured or modified to provide at least a portion of the lower surface of the sheet of paper with an appearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth; and

forming the sheet of paper into a flower pot having an upper end, a lower end, an outer peripheral surface, an opening intersecting the upper end and forming an inner peripheral surface which defines a retaining space, the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot corresponding to the lower surface of the sheet of paper such that at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot is provided with an appearance or texture of cloth.

68. A flower pot formed of a paper material, the flower pot comprising:

a bottom, an outer peripheral surface which cooperates with an open upper end to define a retaining space, at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface being textured or modified to provide the flower pot with an appearance or texture simulating cloth.

69. The flower pot ofclaim 68 further comprises a rim extending about the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot at a position substantially adjacent the open upper end thereof.

70. The flower pot ofclaim 68 further comprises at least one drain hole positioned in the bottom of the flower pot.

71. The flower pot ofclaim 70 further comprising at least one drain hole positioned through a sidewall of the flower pot such that the at least one drain hole is near a lower end of the flower pot.

72. The flower pot ofclaim 68 further comprising at least one drain hole positioned through a sidewall of the flower pot such that the at least one drain hole is near a lower end of the flower pot.

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