U.S. patent application number 10/697990 was filed with the patent office on 2004-07-08 for single station covering and fastening system.
Invention is credited to Fantz, Paul, Straeter, Joseph G., Weder, Donald E..
Application Number | 20040128950 10/697990 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32686458 |
Filed Date | 2004-07-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040128950 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Weder, Donald E. ; et
al. |
July 8, 2004 |
Single station covering and fastening system
Abstract
A method for forming a decorative cover about a flower pot
wherein a customer forms a sheet of material about the flower pot
utilizing a cover forming apparatus to provide the decorative cover
for the flower pot. The method may include automatically fastening
the decorative cover to the flower pot, and optionally
automatically placing a label on the covered flower pot.
Inventors: |
Weder, Donald E.; (Highland,
IL) ; Straeter, Joseph G.; (Bradenton, IL) ;
Fantz, Paul; (Imperial, MO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DUNLAP, CODDING & ROGERS P.C.
PO BOX 16370
OKLAHOMA CITY
OK
73113
US
|
Family ID: |
32686458 |
Appl. No.: |
10/697990 |
Filed: |
October 30, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10697990 |
Oct 30, 2003 |
|
|
|
10390371 |
Mar 17, 2003 |
|
|
|
10390371 |
Mar 17, 2003 |
|
|
|
10005005 |
Dec 4, 2001 |
|
|
|
10005005 |
Dec 4, 2001 |
|
|
|
09746384 |
Dec 21, 2000 |
|
|
|
6370840 |
|
|
|
|
09746384 |
Dec 21, 2000 |
|
|
|
09491003 |
Jan 25, 2000 |
|
|
|
6178727 |
|
|
|
|
09491003 |
Jan 25, 2000 |
|
|
|
09035473 |
Mar 5, 1998 |
|
|
|
6112500 |
|
|
|
|
09035473 |
Mar 5, 1998 |
|
|
|
08796099 |
Feb 5, 1997 |
|
|
|
5740656 |
|
|
|
|
08796099 |
Feb 5, 1997 |
|
|
|
08462342 |
Jun 5, 1995 |
|
|
|
5636502 |
|
|
|
|
08462342 |
Jun 5, 1995 |
|
|
|
08252876 |
Jun 2, 1994 |
|
|
|
5609009 |
|
|
|
|
08252876 |
Jun 2, 1994 |
|
|
|
08088692 |
Jul 7, 1993 |
|
|
|
5481850 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/399 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65B 25/026 20130101;
B65D 85/505 20130101; B65D 85/52 20130101; B65D 2203/12 20130101;
A01G 5/04 20130101; A47G 7/085 20130101; B65B 51/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
053/399 |
International
Class: |
B65B 025/02 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for forming a decorative cover about a flower pot
wherein a customer forms a sheet of material about the flower pot
utilizing a cover forming apparatus to provide a decorative cover
for the flower pot, the method comprising the steps of: providing a
sheet of material having an upper surface and a lower surface;
selling and delivering the sheet of material to a customer for use
by the customer in forming the sheet of material about a flower pot
utilizing a cover forming apparatus to provide a decorative cover
for the flower pot.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein in the step of providing a sheet
of material, the sheet of material comprises a material selected
from a group of materials consisting of paper, metal foil, cloth
(natural or synthetic), denim, burlap or polymer film or
combinations thereof.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein in the step of selling and
delivering the sheet of material to a customer for use by the
customer in forming the sheet of material about a flower pot
utilizing a cover forming apparatus, the method further comprises
the steps of: providing a platform having a support surface formed
thereon and an opening extending through the support surface, the
opening sized to receive the flower pot; placing the sheet of
material in a cover forming position over the opening and on the
support surface wherein the sheet of material, in the cover forming
position, is positioned over the opening; positioning the flower
pot in a position over the sheet of material and in a position
wherein the lower end of the flower pot is disposed generally above
and near the portion of the sheet of material which is above the
opening; forming a covered flower pot by moving the flower pot in a
direction which causes the lower end of the flower pot to engage a
portion of the sheet of material, the flower pot and portions of
the sheet of material passing through the opening causing the sheet
of material to contact or nearly contact both the outer peripheral
surface of the flower pot and the platform as the flower pot is
moved wherein the sheet of material is pressed about the outer
peripheral surface of the flower pot to form a decorative cover
about the flower pot, the decorative cover having an inner surface
facing the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and an
exposed outer surface; automatically applying a fastener about a
portion of the outer surface of the decorative cover of the flower
pot for fastening the decorative cover about the flower pot; and
removing the covered flower pot from the platform.
4. The method of claim 3 further comprising moving the platform to
a site where the flower pot is provided.
5. The method of claim 3 wherein in the step of automatically
applying a fastener, the fastener is selected from a group
consisting of elastic or non-elastic string, wire, thread, elastic,
ribbon, wire and tape.
6. The method of claim 3 wherein the fastener is applied about the
decorative cover of the flower pot to a portion of the decorative
cover which is above the platform.
7. The method of claim 3 wherein the fastener is applied about the
decorative cover of the flower pot to a portion of the decorative
cover which is below the platform.
8. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of removing the covered
flower pot from the platform is performed automatically.
9. The method of claim 3 wherein a label is applied to a portion of
the decorative cover secured about the flower pot.
10. A method for forming a decorative cover about a flower pot
wherein a customer forms a sheet of material about the flower pot
utilizing a cover forming apparatus to provide a decorative cover
for the flower pot, the method comprising the steps of: providing a
sheet of material having an upper surface and a lower surface;
selling and delivering the sheet of material to a customer for use
by the customer in forming the sheet of material about a flower pot
utilizing a cover forming apparatus and automatically applying a
fastener about a portion of the sheet of material to provide a
decorative cover for the flower pot, wherein the decorative cover
is secured about the flower pot by the fastener.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein in the step of providing a sheet
of material, the sheet of material comprises a material selected
from a group of materials consisting of paper, metal foil, cloth
(natural or synthetic), denim, burlap or polymer film or
combinations thereof.
12. The method of claim 10 wherein in the step of selling and
delivering the sheet of material to the customer, the fastener is
selected from a group consisting of elastic or non-elastic string,
wire, thread, elastic, ribbon, wire and tape.
13. The method of claim 10 wherein in the step of selling and
delivering the sheet of material to the customer, the fastener is
applied about a portion of the sheet of material at a position
above the flower pot.
14. The method of claim 10 wherein in the step of selling and
delivering the sheet of material to the customer, the fastener is
applied about a portion of the sheet of material at a position
about the flower pot.
15. A method for forming a decorative cover about a flower pot
wherein a customer forms a sheet of material about the flower pot
utilizing a cover forming apparatus to provide a decorative cover
for the flower pot, the method comprising the steps of: providing a
sheet of material having an upper surface and a lower surface to a
customer for use by the customer in forming the sheet of material
about a flower pot utilizing an automatic cover forming apparatus
to provide a decorative cover for the flower pot.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein in the step of providing a sheet
of material, the sheet of material comprises a material selected
from a group of materials consisting of paper, metal foil, cloth
(natural or synthetic), denim, burlap or polymer film or
combinations thereof.
17. The method of claim 15 wherein in the step of providing a sheet
of material to a customer for use by the customer in forming the
sheet of material about a flower pot utilizing an automatic cover
forming apparatus, the method further comprises the steps of:
providing a platform having a support surface formed thereon and an
opening extending through the support surface, the opening sized to
receive the flower pot; placing the sheet of material in a cover
forming position over the opening and on the support surface
wherein the sheet of material, in the cover forming position, is
positioned over the opening; positioning the flower pot in a
position over the sheet of material and in a position wherein the
lower end of the flower pot is disposed generally above and near
the portion of the sheet of material which is above the opening;
forming a covered flower pot by moving the flower pot in a
direction which causes the lower end of the flower pot to engage a
portion of the sheet of material, the flower pot and portions of
the sheet of material passing through the opening causing the sheet
of material to contact or nearly contact both the outer peripheral
surface of the flower pot and the platform as the flower pot is
moved wherein the sheet of material is pressed about the outer
peripheral surface of the flower pot to form a decorative cover
about the flower pot, the decorative cover having an inner surface
facing the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and an
exposed outer surface; automatically applying a fastener about a
portion of the outer surface of the decorative cover of the flower
pot for fastening the decorative cover about the flower pot; and
removing the covered flower pot from the platform.
18. The method of claim 17 further comprising moving the platform
to a site where the flower pot is provided.
19. The method of claim 17 wherein in the step of automatically
applying a fastener, the fastener is selected from a group
consisting of elastic or non-elastic string, wire, thread, elastic,
ribbon, wire and tape.
20. The method of claim 17 wherein the fastener is applied about
the decorative cover of the flower pot to a portion of the
decorative cover which is above the platform.
21. The method of claim 17 wherein the fastener is applied about
the decorative cover of the flower pot to a portion of the
decorative cover which is below the platform.
22. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of removing the covered
flower pot from the platform is performed automatically.
23. The method of claim 17 wherein a label is applied to a portion
of the decorative cover secured about the flower pot.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of copending U.S.
Ser. No. 10/390,371, filed Mar. 17, 2003; which is a continuation
of U.S. Ser. No. 10/005,005, filed Dec. 4, 2001, now abandoned;
which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/746,384, filed Dec. 21,
2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,370,840, issued Apr. 16, 2002; which is a
continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/491,003, filed Jan. 25, 2000, now
U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,727, issued Jan. 30, 2001; which is a
divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 09/035,473, filed Mar. 5, 1998, now
U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,500, issued Sep. 5, 2000; which is a
continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/796,099, filed Feb. 5, 1997, now
U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,656, issued Apr. 21, 1998; which is a
continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/462,342, filed Jun. 5, 1995, now
U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,502, issued Jun. 10, 1997; which is a
continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/252,876, filed Jun. 2, 1994, now
U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,009, issued Mar. 11, 1997; which is a
continuation-in-part of 08/088,692, filed Jul. 7, 1993, now U.S.
Pat. No. 5,481,850, issued Jan. 9, 1996.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for
placing a cover about an article, automatically applying a fastener
about the covered article and removing the covered article at a
single station, and more particularly, but not by way of
limitation, to such apparatus and methods wherein the article is a
potted plant.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a first sheet of material with one
end turned up and constructed in accordance with the present
invention.
[0004] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a second sheet of material with one
end turned up and constructed in accordance with the present
invention.
[0005] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the first and the
second sheets of material disposed adjacent each other.
[0006] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing bonding areas on the
surface of a first sheet or a second sheet which cause bonding of
the second sheet and the first sheet.
[0007] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a modified first and
second sheets of material.
[0008] FIG. 6 is another cross-sectional view of a modified first
sheet of material connected to a modified second sheet of
material.
[0009] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of still another modified
first sheet of material connected to a modified second sheet of
material.
[0010] FIG. 8 is another cross-sectional view of yet another
modified first sheet of material connected to a modified second
sheet of material.
[0011] FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view of a plurality of sheets of
material, constructed in accordance with the present invention
forming a continuous roll, the roll partially unrolled to reveal a
single sheet still attached thereto.
[0012] FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic view of a plurality of sheets of
material forming a continuous roll of material disposed in a
dispenser.
[0013] FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic view showing a roll of material
wherein the roll of material comprises a first and a second sheet
of material constructed in accordance with the present invention
disposed in a dispenser for dispensing the first and the second
sheets of material from the roll of material.
[0014] FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic view of a roll of material for
dispensing a first and a second sheet of material constructed in
accordance with the present invention from the roll of
material.
[0015] FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of a pad of first and
second sheets of material constructed in accordance with the
present invention.
[0016] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a
sheet of material of the present invention, and a flower pot
disposed upon the sheet.
[0017] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the sheet of material of
FIG. 14 shown partially wrapped about the flower pot.
[0018] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the sheet of material
wrapped about the flower pot.
[0019] FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a pre-formed decorative pot
cover.
[0020] FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a potted plant wrapped by a
sheet of material to form a covered potted plant.
[0021] FIG. 19 is a plan view of a sheet of material with a sheet
extension connected thereto constructed in accordance with the
present invention.
[0022] FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a flower pot having a
floral grouping disposed therein.
[0023] FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the sheet of material of
FIG. 19 formed into a pot cover with the sheet extension connected
thereto.
[0024] FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing the flower pot of FIG.
20 disposed in the pot cover of FIG. 21 with the sheet extension
formed about the floral grouping.
[0025] FIG. 23 is a plan view showing the upper surface of another
sheet of material with a sheet extension connected thereto
constructed in accordance with the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 24 is a partial sectional view showing the sheet of
material of FIG. 23 crimpingly formed about a flower pot and the
sheet extension formed about a floral grouping to provide a
protective covering.
[0027] FIG. 25 is a sectional view of a portion of the sheet of
material crimped to form an overlapping fold.
[0028] FIG. 26 is a plan view of a covering and fastening assembly
constructed in accordance with the present invention which applies
a band or fastener below a support surface.
[0029] FIG. 27 is a elevational view of the cover and fastening
assembly of FIG. 26.
[0030] FIG. 28 is a partial cross-sectional side elevational view
of the covering and fastening assembly of FIG. 26.
[0031] FIG. 29 is a plan view of another version of covering and
fastening assembly constructed in accordance with the present
invention which applies a band or fastener above an upper support
assembly.
[0032] FIG. 30 is a partial cross-sectional, front elevational view
of the covering and fasting assembly of FIG. 29.
[0033] FIG. 31 is a partial cross-sectional side elevational view
of the covering and fastening assembly of FIG. 30.
[0034] FIG. 32 is a plan view of another version of the present
invention using another fastener retraction system.
[0035] FIG. 33 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the
apparatus of FIG. 32.
[0036] FIG. 34 is a plan view of yet another version of a covering
and fastening assembly.
[0037] FIG. 35 is a plan view of the covering and fastening
assembly of FIG. 34 at a later operation phase.
[0038] FIG. 36 is an enlarged perspective view of the fastener
retraction assembly of FIG. 34.
[0039] FIG. 37 is a side view of another version of a covering and
fastening assembly of the present invention in which a sheet of
material is provided from a roll of material.
[0040] FIG. 38 is a plan view of another version of a covering and
fastening assembly of the present invention using another fastener
retraction system.
[0041] FIG. 39 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the
covering and fastening assembly of FIG. 38 shown in one stage of
operation.
[0042] FIG. 40 is a partial cross-sectional, side view of the
covering and fastening assembly of FIG. 38 shown in a stage of
operation subsequent to the stage shown in FIG. 39.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0043] The present invention comprises an apparatus for fastening a
cover to an article, such as a potted plant.
[0044] In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus comprises a
platform having an upper support surface formed thereon and at
least one opening extending through the upper support surface. The
upper support surface is adapted to support at least one sheet of
material in a cover forming position over the opening. The opening
is sized to accommodate a cover forming mold.
[0045] The apparatus further comprises a cover forming mold
disposed below the opening in the support surface. The cover
forming mold has contacting portions for contacting the sheet of
material. The opening and the cover forming mold are adapted for
receiving an article such as a flower pot having an upper end, a
lower end, an upper opening and an outer peripheral surface such
that when the article is moved in a pre-determined direction, such
as downward, the lower end of the article is caused to engage a
portion of the sheet of material disposed over the opening. The
article and portions of the sheet of material thus pass into the
cover forming mold causing the sheet of material to engage the
outer peripheral surface of the article and the contacting portions
of the cover forming mold as the article is moved. As this happens,
portions of the sheet contactingly engage or nearly engage the
outer peripheral surface of the article forming a cover about the
article and thereby forming a covered article. The cover of the
covered article then has an inner surface facing the outer
peripheral surface of the article and an exposed outer surface
adjacent the inner portion of the mold.
[0046] The apparatus further comprises a fastening device for
automatically applying a fastener about a portion of the outer
surface of the covered article. The fastening device comprises a
fastener retraction assembly for grasping and retracting the
fastener for clearing the fastener from the opening to allow
clearance for insertion of a pot or article into the opening. In an
alternate version, the apparatus may comprise a labeling assembly
for automatically applying a label to a portion of the outer
surface of the cover of the covered article, preferably after the
cover has been fastened to the article.
[0047] The sheet of material used in accordance with the present
invention is constructed from a material selected from a group of
materials described in greater detail below. The apparatus may
further comprise a securing assembly for releasably securing the
sheet of material in the cover forming position on the upper
support surface for generally immobilizing the sheet prior to the
forming step. The apparatus may further comprise a sheet feeder for
automatically placing a sheet of material on the support surface
and/or a pick and place assembly for picking up the article from an
article supply and for placing the article into the opening to form
the covered article. Additionally, the apparatus may further
comprise a removal assembly for automatically removing the covered
article from the opening of the platform.
[0048] The sheet of material is produced or otherwise obtained by a
supplier of materials and may be sold and delivered, either
directly or indirectly, to a customer (such as, but not limited to,
a grower, a wholesale distributor or a retail distributor). The
customer utilizes the sheet of material to provide a decorative
cover for a floral grouping or a decorative cover for a flower pot;
to form a preformed flower pot cover for covering a flower pot; to
provide a sleeve for wrapping or covering a floral grouping or a
flower pot; or to provide a ribbon material. The use of the sheet
of material to form a decorative cover for a floral grouping or a
flower pot will be described in more complete detail herein.
[0049] The present invention further comprises a method for
processing an article, such as a flower pot or potted plant. The
first step comprises providing at least one sheet of material which
has an upper and lower surface. The sheet of material may be
selected from a group of materials consisting of paper, metal foil,
cloth (natural or synthetic), denim, burlap or polymer film or
combinations thereof.
[0050] The next step comprises selling and delivering at least one
sheet of material to a customer for use by the customer in forming
the sheet of material about a flower pot utilizing a cover forming
apparatus to provide a decorative cover for the flower pot. The
customer may utilize an automatic cover forming apparatus to
provide a decorative cover for the flower pot.
[0051] The method may further comprise the steps of providing a
platform such as described above which has an upper support surface
formed thereon and at least one opening extending through the
support surface. The opening is sized exactly as described above
and has a cover forming mold disposed therein. Each cover forming
mold has contacting portions and is sized to receive an article
such as a potted plant which has an upper end, a lower end, an
opening, and an outer peripheral surface.
[0052] The next step comprises placing the sheet of material in a
cover forming position over the opening. The sheet of material, in
the cover forming position, is positioned over the cover forming
mold in the opening.
[0053] In the next step, a potted plant is covered with the sheet
of material by positioning the potted plant in a position over the
sheet of material and disposing the lower end of the pot generally
above and near the portion of the sheet of material which is above
the cover forming mold. The pot is moved in a direction which
causes the lower end of the pot to engage a portion of the sheet of
material. The sheet of material is thereby caused to contact or
nearly contact both the outer peripheral surface of the pot and the
contacting portions of the cover forming mold as the pot is moved.
The sheet is pressed about the outer peripheral surface of the pot
to form a cover about the pot. The cover has an inner surface
facing the outer peripheral surface of the pot and an outer surface
facing the interior of the mold.
[0054] Following this, a fastener is automatically applied about a
portion of the outer surface of the covered pot for fastening the
cover about the pot. Then, if a labeling assembly is included as a
component of the apparatus a label is automatically applied to a
portion of the outer surface of the cover of the covered pot for
labeling the covered pot. Finally, the covered pot is removed from
the opening. Alternatively, the step of automatically applying a
label may occur prior to the step of automatically applying a
fastener.
[0055] In an alternative embodiment, the step of placing a sheet of
material on the support surface may be performed automatically
using an automatic sheet feeding assembly. Also, the step of
forming a covered article may be performed automatically by using
an automatic pick and place assembly to pick up an article and
place it into the opening to form the covered article.
Additionally, the step of removing the covered article may further
comprise automatically removing the covered article from the
opening of the platform.
[0056] The machine may be located on any axis and may be portable
or stationary. The machine can use pre-cut sheets fed manually or
automatically with a dispenser which feeds a sized sheet from a
roll to the proper working position on the machine table. The
fastening apparatus may also tie the knot on a radius or on a
tangent to the object.
The Embodiments of FIGS. 1-3
[0057] Shown in FIG. 1 and designated therein by the general
reference numeral 10 is a sheet of material. The sheet of material
10 has a first end 12, a second end 14, a first side 16, a second
side 18, an upper surface 20 and a lower surface 22.
[0058] A closure bonding material 24 may be disposed on the upper
surface 20 of the sheet of material 10, alternatively, the sheet of
material 10 may be free of a closure bonding material. As shown in
FIG. 1, the closure bonding material 24, if present, may be
disposed adjacent the first side 16 of the sheet of material 10 and
[extends] extended between the first and the second ends 12 and 14
of the sheet of material 10 or it may be disposed on any other
portion of the sheet of material 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the
closure bonding material 24 is disposed on the upper surface 20 in
a strip of closure bonding material 24, although the closure
bonding material 24 also could be applied to the upper surface 20
of the sheet of material 10 in the form of spaced apart spots or
the closure bonding material 24 also could be disposed on the upper
surface 20 of the sheet of material 10 in any other geometric form
and in any pattern including covering the entire upper surface 20
of the sheet of material 10. In this last-mentioned instance, the
closure bonding material and the connecting bonding material would
be contained within the bonding material covering the sheet of
material 10. The term "spot" or "spots" includes any geometric
shape of spot including, but not limited to, what is commonly
referred to as strips.
[0059] The sheet of material 10 has a thickness in a range from
about 0.1 mil to about 30 mils. Preferably, the sheet of material
10 has a thickness in a range from about 0.1 mil to about 5
mils.
[0060] The sheet of material 10 may be any shape and a square or
rectangular shape is shown in FIG. 1 only by way of example. The
sheet of material 10 for example only may be square, rectangular,
circular or any other geometric shape such as heart shaped, for
example only.
[0061] The sheet of material 10 may be constructed of a single
layer of material or a plurality of layers of the same or different
types of materials. Any thickness of the sheet of material 10 may
be utilized in accordance with the present invention as long as the
sheet of material 10 is wrappable about an object, such as a plant
or flower pot, as described herein. The layers of material
comprising the sheet of material 10 may be connected together or
laminated or may be separate layers.
[0062] Shown in FIG. 2 is a second sheet of material 26. The second
sheet of material 26 has a first end 28, a second end 30, a first
side 32, a second side 34, an upper surface 36 and a lower surface
38. The second sheet of material 26, if used is preferably
constructed of paper. The term "paper" as used herein means treated
or untreated paper, corrugated paper or cardboard or any other form
of paper material.
[0063] Referring again to FIG. 1, the first sheet of material 10
has a length 40 extending between the first and the second sides 16
and 18 of the sheet of material 10. The first sheet of material 10
also has a width 42 extending between the first and the second ends
12 and 14 of the first sheet of material 10.
[0064] Referring again to FIG. 2, the second sheet of material 26
has a length 44 extending between the first and the second sides 32
and 34 of the second sheet of material 26. The second sheet of
material 26 has a width 46 extending between the first and the
second ends 28 and 30 of the second sheet of material 26. In a
preferred embodiment, the length 44 of the second sheet of material
26 is less than the length 40 of the first sheet of material 10 as
shown in FIG. 3 so that, when the first sheet of material 10 is
disposed adjacent the second sheet of material 26, a portion of the
first sheet of material 10 adjacent the first side 16 thereof
extends a distance beyond the first side 32 of the second sheet of
material 26, in a manner and for reason which will be described in
greater detail below.
[0065] The first sheet of material 10 has a thickness in a range
from about 0.5 mil to about 30 mils and preferably the thickness of
the first sheet of material is in a range from about 0.5 mil to
about 10 mils. The first sheet of material 10 is constructed of a
material which is flexible.
[0066] The second sheet of material 26 has a thickness in a range
from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mils and preferably in a range from
about 0.1 mil to about 10 mils. The second sheet of material 26 is
flexible, but relatively rigid compared to the first sheet of
material 10.
[0067] The second sheet of material 26 may be any shape and a
square or rectangular shape is shown in FIG. 2 only by way of
example. The second sheet of material 26 for example only may be
square, rectangular, circular or any other geometric shape.
[0068] The second sheet of material 26 may be constructed of a
single layer of materials or a plurality of layers of the same or
different types of materials. Any thickness of the second sheet of
material 26 may be utilized in accordance with the present
invention as long as the second sheet of material 26 is wrappable
about an object such as a flower pot, as described herein, and as
long as the second sheet of material 26 provides the rigidity
described herein or the absorbency described herein or both. The
layers of material comprising the second sheet of material 26 may
be connected together or laminated or may be separate layers.
[0069] In operation, when a second sheet of material 26 is desired
in addition to the first sheet of material 10, the second sheet of
material 26 is placed adjacent the first sheet of material 10 as
shown in FIG. 3. In this position, the lower surface 38 of the
second sheet of material 26 is disposed adjacent the upper surface
20 of the first sheet of material 10. The width 42 of the first
sheet of material 10 is about equal to the width 46 of the second
sheet of material 26 so that, when the first and the second sheets
of material 10 and 26 are disposed adjacent each other, the first
end 28 of the second sheet of material 26 is generally aligned with
the first end 12 of the first sheet of material 10, the second end
30 of the second sheet of material 26 is generally aligned with the
second end 14 of the first sheet of material 10, the second side 18
of the first sheet of material 10 is generally aligned with the
second side 34 of the second sheet of material 26 and the first
side 16 of the first sheet of material 10 extends a distance beyond
the first side 32 of the second sheet of material 26 so that the
closure bonding material 24 on the upper surface 20 of the first
sheet of material 10 is exposed and not covered by the second sheet
of material 26.
[0070] It should be noted that the first and the second sheets of
material 10 and 26 each could have virtually identical lengths 40
and 44. In this case, the second sheet of material 26 is disposed
on the first sheet of material 10 in such a manner that the second
side 34 of the second sheet of material 26 extends a distance
beyond the second side 18 of the first sheet of material 10 whereby
the first side 16 of the first sheet of material 10 is spaced a
distance from the first side 32 of the second sheet of material 26
thereby leaving the closure bonding material 24 on the first sheet
of material 10 exposed and not covered by the second sheet of
material 26. Multiple sheets of material 10 and 26 may be used.
Moreover, when multiple sheets of material 10 and 26 are used in
combination, the sheets of material 10 and 26 need not be uniform
in size or shape. Finally, it will be appreciated that the sheets
of material 10 and 26 shown in all embodiments herein are
substantially flat.
[0071] As noted earlier, the closure bonding material 24 may be
disposed on the upper surface of the first sheet of material 10.
The closure bonding material 24 may be applied as a strip or as
spots or other shapes. One method for disposing a closure 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, 1992 and which is hereby incorporated
herein by reference.
[0072] The first sheet of material 10 can be utilized alone or in
combination with the second sheet of material 26 to wrap a potted
plant or flower pot. The term "flower pot" refers to any type of
container used for holding a floral grouping or a potted plant.
Examples of flower pots used in accordance with the present
invention are clay pots, plastic pots, and the like. "Floral
grouping" as used herein means cut fresh flowers, artificial
flowers, a single flower 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 arrangement. The floral
grouping comprises a bloom or foliage portion and a stem portion.
However, it will be appreciated that the floral grouping may
consist of only a single bloom or only foliage (not shown). The
term "floral grouping" may be used interchangeably herein with the
term "floral arrangement".
[0073] The first sheet of material 10 or the second sheet of
material 26 may be constructed of a single layer of material or a
plurality of layers of the same or different types of materials.
Any thickness of the sheet of material 10 or 26 may be utilized in
accordance with the present invention as long as the sheet of
material 10 or 26 may be wrapped or formed about at least a portion
of a portion of a flower pot, 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 wrapped therein.
[0074] In a preferred embodiment, the first sheet of material 10 is
constructed from two polypropylene films (a 20".times.15" sheet of
Mobil 270 ABW white opaque film laminated to a 20".times.15" sheet
of Mobil 220 AB clear film) having a thickness in a range of from
less than about 1.0 mil to about 2.5 mils. The layers of material
comprising the first sheet of material 10 may be connected together
or laminated or may be separate layers.
[0075] The sheet of material 10 is constructed from any suitable
wrapping material that is capable of being wrapped about a flower
pot or floral grouping, as the case may be. Preferably, the sheet
of material 10 comprises paper (untreated or treated in any
manner), cellophane, foil, polymer film, fabric (woven or nonwoven
or synthetic or natural), burlap, or combinations thereof.
[0076] The term "polymer film" means a man-made polymer such as a
polypropylene or a naturally occurring polymer such as cellophane.
A polymer film is relatively strong and not as subject to tearing
(substantially non-tearable), as might be the case with paper or
foil.
[0077] The sheet of material 10 or 26 may vary in color. Further,
the sheet of material 10 or 26 may consist of designs or decorative
patterns which are printed, etched, and/or embossed thereon using
inks or other printing materials. An example of an ink which may be
applied to the surface of the sheet of material 10 or 26 is
described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,706 entitled "Water Based Ink On
Foil And/Or synthetic organic polymer" issued to Kingman on Sep.
15, 1992 and which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. In
addition, the sheet of material 10 or 26 may have various
colorings, coatings, flocking and/or metallic finishes, or other
decorative surface ornamentation applied separately or
simultaneously or may be characterized totally or partially by
pearlescent, translucent, transparent, iridescent or the like,
qualities. Each of the above-named characteristics may occur alone
or in combination and may be applied to the upper and/or lower
surface of the sheet of material 10 or 26. Moreover, each surface
of the sheet of material 10 or 26 may vary in the combination of
such characteristics. The sheet of material 10 or 26 itself may be
opaque, translucent or partially clear or tinted transparent.
[0078] The material supplier supplies at least one sheet of
material 10 to a customer, and desirably, the material supplier
supplies a plurality of sheets of material 10 to a customer. A
plurality of sheets of material 10 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 entire contents of which are hereby expressly
incorporated herein by reference. Optionally, the plurality of
sheets of material 10, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,447, issued
to Weder on Aug. 9, 1994, entitled "METHOD OF WRAPPING A FLORAL
GROUPING", the entire contents of which are hereby expressly
incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments of FIGS. 4-8
[0079] Referring now to FIG. 4, the bonding material 24 may be
applied to either the upper surface of a first sheet of material
10a or to the lower surface of a second sheet of material 26a of
material in a plurality of patches 48 for the purpose of bonding
the upper surface of the first sheet of material 10a to the lower
surface of the second sheet of material 26a.
[0080] Shown in FIG. 5 is a modified first sheet of material 10b
connected to a modified second sheet of material 26b. The first
sheet of material 10b is constructed exactly like the sheet of
material 10. The second sheet of material 26b is constructed like
the sheet of material 26 described in detail before and shown in
FIG. 2, except the second sheet of material 26b includes a bonding
material 60 disposed on a lower surface 38b of the second sheet of
material 26b. The bonding material 60 is in the form of a plurality
of spaced apart spots of bonding material 60, similar to that shown
in FIG. 4. The lower surface 38b of the second sheet of material
26b is bondingly connected to an upper surface 20b of the first
sheet of material 10b by way of the bonding material 60. Since the
bonding material 60 is in the form of a plurality of spaced apart
spots, a plurality of spaced apart spaces 62 (only one of the
spaces 62 being designated by reference numeral in FIG. 5) are
formed between the lower surface 38b of the second sheet of
material 26b and the upper surface 20b of the first sheet of
material 10b. The spaces 62 provide air gaps which form an
insulation when the first and the second sheets of material 10b and
26b are wrapped about a flower pot in a manner and for reasons like
that described herein.
[0081] Shown in FIG. 6 is a modified first sheet of material 10c
connected to a modified second sheet of material 26c. The first
sheet of material 10c is constructed exactly like the sheet of
material 10 shown in FIG. 1, except the first sheet of material 10c
includes a bonding material 64 disposed on an upper surface 20c of
the first sheet of material 10c. The bonding material 64 is in the
form of a plurality of spaced apart spots of bonding material 64,
similar to that shown in FIG. 5. A lower surface 38c of the second
sheet of material 26c is bondingly connected to the upper surface
20c of the first sheet of material 10c by way of the bonding
material 64. Since the bonding material 64 is in the form of a
plurality of spaced apart spots, a plurality of spaces 66 (only one
of the spaces 66 being designated by a reference numeral in FIG. 6)
are formed between the lower surface 38c of the second sheet of
material 26c and the upper surface 20c of the first sheet of
material 10c. The spaces 66 provide air gaps which form an
insulation when the first and the second sheets of material 10c and
26c are wrapped about a flower pot in a manner and for reasons like
that described herein in connection with FIG. 5.
[0082] Shown in FIG. 7 is a modified first sheet of material 10d
connected to a modified second sheet of material 26d. The first
sheet of material 10d is constructed exactly like the sheet of
material 10 shown in FIG. 1, except the first sheet of material 10d
includes a bonding material 68 on an upper surface 20d thereof. The
second sheet of material 26d is constructed exactly like the second
sheet of material 26 shown in FIG. 2, except the second sheet of
material 26d includes a plurality of spaced apart raised portions
70. The raised portions 70 may be formed by embossing the second
sheet of material 26d or forming corrugations in the second sheet
of material 26d or in any other manner desired in any particular
application.
[0083] The upper surface 20d of the first sheet of material 10d is
disposed generally adjacent a lower surface 38d of the second sheet
of material 26d or, more particularly, adjacent the raised portions
70 on the second sheet of material 26d. In this position, the
raised portions 70 are bonded to the upper surface 20d of the first
sheet of material 10d by way of the bonding material 68 to connect
the first sheet of material 10d to the second sheet of material
26d.
[0084] The spaced apart raised portions 70 on the second sheet of
material 26d form a plurality of spaces 72 between the first sheet
of material 10d and the second sheet of material 26d in a connected
position of the first and the second sheets of material 10d and 26d
for providing insulation when the first and second sheets of
material 10d and 26d are connected together and wrapped about a
flower pot in a manner like that described herein.
[0085] Shown in FIG. 8 is a modified first sheet of material 10e
connected to a modified second sheet of material 26e. The first
sheet of material 10e is constructed exactly like the sheet of
material 10 shown in FIG. 1, except the first sheet of material 10e
includes a plurality of spaced apart raised portions 74. The raised
portions 74 may be formed in the first sheet of material 10e by
embossing the first sheet of material 10e or forming corrugations
in the first sheet of material 10e or in any other suitable manner.
The second sheet of material 26e is constructed exactly like the
second sheet of material 26 shown in FIG. 2, except the second
sheet of material 26e includes a bonding material 76 disposed on a
lower surface 38e thereof.
[0086] In operation, an upper surface 20e of the first sheet of
material 10e is disposed generally adjacent the lower surface 38e
of the second sheet of material 26e or, more particularly, the
raised portions 74 on the first sheet of material 10e are disposed
adjacent the lower surface 38e of the second sheet of material 26e.
In this position, the first sheet of material 10e is bondingly
connected to the second sheet of material 26e by way of the bonding
material 76 on the second sheet of material 26e or, more
particularly, the bonding material 76 on the second sheet of
material 26e bondingly engages and bondingly connects to the raised
portions 74 on the first sheet of material 10e to connect the first
sheet of material 10e to the second sheet of material 26e. In this
connected position of the first sheet of material 10e and the
second sheet of material 26e, the raised portions 74 cooperate to
form a plurality of spaces 78. Between the first sheet of material
10e and the second sheet of material 26e. The spaces 78 cooperate
to provide an insulation when the first and the second sheets of
material 10e and 26e are wrapped about a flower pot in a manner and
for reasons like that described herein.
Embodiments of FIGS. 9-10
[0087] Referring now to FIG. 9, a plurality of individual sheets of
material 10f are connected linearly together to form a roll 80.
Preferably, the plurality of sheets of material 10f in the roll 80
are connected by perforations 82, as illustrated in FIG. 9. Such a
roll 80 permits one sheet of material 10f to be withdrawn from the
roll 80, then severed or disconnected from the roll 80.
Alter-natively, as shown in FIG. 10, the roll 80 may simply be
formed as a continuous roll 80 of wrapping material without
perforations, wherein a plurality of sheets of material 10f may be
removed from the roll 80 by unrolling a portion of the roll 80, and
using a separate cutting element (not shown) to sever the unrolled
portion of the roll 80 of material to form the sheet of material
10f. The roll 80 may also be contained within a dispenser 84, as
illustrated in FIG. 10. When the roll 80 is disposed in the
dispenser 84, a portion of the wrapping material is again unrolled,
and a serrated cutting edge 86 contained within the dispenser 84,
or a separate cutting element (not shown), severs the unrolled
portion of the wrapping material from the roll 80 to form a sheet
of material 10f. Any number of sheets of material 10f may form the
roll 80 as long as it is possible to withdraw at least one sheet of
material 10f from the roll 80 as described herein.
Embodiments of FIGS. 11-12
[0088] The first and the second sheets of material described herein
can be provided in the form of a roll of first and second sheets of
material wherein the first and the second sheets of material are
unrolled from the roll of first and second sheets of material and
the first and the second sheets of material are severed from the
roll either by perforations at spaced apart locations in the roll
or by cutting the first and the second sheets of material from the
roll. It also should be noted that additional sheets of material
may be combined with the first and the second sheets of material if
so desired in a particular application.
[0089] Shown in FIG. 11 is a roll of material 90 comprising a first
material 92 and a second material 94 with the second material 94
being disposed adjacent the first material 92. The first material
92 is constructed of any of the materials described before with
respect to the first sheet of material. The second material 94 is
constructed of any of the materials described before with respect
to the second sheet of material.
[0090] The roll of material 90 is disposed in a dispenser 96 having
an opening 98 through which the first and second materials 92 and
94 may be withdrawn from the roll of material 90. A cutting edge
100 is disposed on the dispenser 96 near the opening 98. The
cutting edge 100 may be a sawtooth type of edge, as shown in FIG.
11, or the cutting edge 100 may be any other type of edge or device
suitable for cutting a portion of the first and second materials 92
and 94 from the roll of material 90 and the cutting edge 100 may be
connected to the dispenser 96 or may be a separate component if
desired in particular application.
[0091] The roll of material 90 has a leading edge 102. In
operation, the leading edge 102 is gripped or a portion of the
first and/or the second materials 92, 94 are gripped and the first
and the second materials 92, 94 are unrolled and withdrawn from the
roll of material 90 in a direction 104. The first and the second
materials 92 and 94 are withdrawn or unrolled from the roll of
material 90 until a desired length of the first and the second
materials 92 and 94 have been withdrawn from the roll of material
90. In this position, a portion of the first and the second
materials 92 and 94 are disposed adjacent the cutting edge 100. The
first and the second materials 92 and 94 then are maneuvered to
pass the first and second materials 92 and 94 over the cutting edge
100 thereby severing a portion of the material extending a distance
from the leading edge 102 thereof from the roll of material 90. The
portion of the first and second materials 92 and 94 withdrawn from
the roll of material 90 and severed from the roll of material 90
comprise the first and the second sheets of material 92, 94 as
described herein.
[0092] The first and second materials 92 and 94 in the roll of
material 90 may be connected or unconnected. Further, the roll of
material 90 may comprise two rolls of material with one of the
rolls of material comprising the first material 92 and the other
roll of material comprising the second material 94. In this
last-mentioned embodiment, the first material 92 is withdrawn from
the first roll of material and the second material 94 is withdrawn
from the second roll of material about simultaneously so that the
first and second materials 92 and 94 are provided in a manner as
generally shown in FIG. 11 for severing from the first and second
rolls of material to provide the first and second sheets of
materials 92, 94 as described herein. The term "roll of material"
as used herein is intended to encompass two or more rolls in the
manner generally described.
[0093] Shown in FIG. 12 is a modified roll of material 90a
comprising a first material 92a and a second material 94a with a
leading edge 102a. The roll of material 90a is constructed exactly
like the roll of material 90 described before, except the roll of
material 90a is not disposed in a dispenser constructed like the
dispenser 96 shown in FIG. 11. Rather, the roll of material 90a is
supported on a generally mounted shaft 106. The first and the
second materials 92a and 94a are withdrawn from the roll of
material 90a in a manner like that described before in connection
with FIG. 11 until a predetermined length of the first and second
materials 92a and 94a have been withdrawn from the roll of material
90a. In this position, a portion of the first and the second
materials 92a and 94a are disposed under a knife edge 108. The
knife edge 108 is connected to an actuator 110 adapted to move the
knife edge 108 in a direction 112 and in a direction 114. When the
predetermined length of first and the second materials 92a and 94a
have been withdrawn from the roll of material 90a, the actuator 110
actuates to move the knife edge 108 in the direction 112 to a
position wherein the knife edge 108 severingly engages the first
and second materials 92a and 94a to severingly cut a portion of the
first and the second materials 92a and 94a from the roll of
materials 90a to provide the first and second sheets of material as
described herein. The actuator 110 may comprise a hydraulic or
pneumatic cylinder or a motor and gear arrangement or any other
form of arrangement suitable for moving the knife edge 108 in the
directions 112 and 114. After the knife edge 108 has cuttingly
severed the desired portion of the first and second sheets of
material 92a and 94a from the roll of material 90a, the actuator
110 is actuated to move the knife edge 108 in the direction 114 to
a storage position disposed a distance above the first and second
materials 92a and 94a as opposed to the cutting position previously
described.
Embodiment of FIG. 13
[0094] Shown in FIG. 13 is a pad 116 of first sheets of materials
designated by the reference numerals 10f, 10g, and 10h in FIG. 13
and a plurality of second sheets of material designated in FIG. 13
by the reference numerals 26f, 26g and 26h. The first sheets of
material 10f, 10g and 10h may be constructed like the sheet of
material 10 shown in FIG. 1 and described in detail before and the
second sheets of material 26f, 26g and 26h may be constructed like
the second sheet of material 26 shown in FIG. 2 and described in
detail before, or like any of the other first and the second sheets
of material described herein. The first and second sheets of
material 10f, 10g, 10h, 26f, 26g and 26h are connected in the form
of the pad 116 with a closure bonding material 24f, 24g and 24h
cooperating to connect the first sheets of material 10f, 10g and
10h in the form of the pad 116. The second sheets of material 26f,
26g and 26h may be connected to the respective first sheets of
material 10f, 10g and 10h or may be interleaved between the
adjacent first sheets of material 10f, 10g and 10h in the pad 116.
In the alternative, the second sheets of material 26f, 26g and 26h
may be connected to form the pad 116 with the first sheets of
material 10f, 10g and 10h being interleaved in the respective
second sheets of material 26f, 26g and 26h and/or connected
thereto. In operation, one of the first sheets of material 10f, 10g
or 10h along with the adjacent second sheets of material 26f, 26g
and 26h may be removed from the pad 116 and then placed in position
to be wrapped about the flower pot.
Embodiments of FIGS. 14-18
[0095] As noted above, the first sheet of material 10 or the first
sheet of material 10 and the second sheet of material 26 may be
used to provide a decorative cover for an object such as a flower
pot or a potted plant. To cover the object, the sheet or sheets may
be manually or automatically placed in a position to be formed
about the outer peripheral surface of the pot or potted plant as
described in more detail below. Or, the sheet or sheets may be
formed into a preformed cover which is then placed in a position to
receive the pot or potted plant.
[0096] Referring to FIG. 14, to form a sheet of material 10i into a
cover about a pot 140, the sheet of material 10i is disposed above
an opening in a platform. The pot 140 is then disposed upon an
upper surface 20i of the sheet of material 10i, so a lower end 142
of the pot 140 rests upon the portion of the upper surface 20i
which is over the opening. The pot 140 has an outer peripheral
surface 144 and an upper end 146. In one embodiment of a manual
application of the sheet of material 10i about the pot 140, the pot
140 is manually pushed in a direction into the opening covered by
the sheet of material 10i. The upper surface 20i of the sheet of
material 10i is caused to be pressed about the outer peripheral
surface 144 (FIG. 15) thereby engaging the outer peripheral surface
144 to form a cover 148 about the pot 140 as shown in FIG. 16. A
lower surface 22i of the sheet of material 10i thereby becomes an
outer surface 150 of the cover 148.
[0097] Another method for wrapping the sheet of material 10i about
the pot 140 for forming such a cover is shown in U.S. Pat. No.
4,733,521 entitled "Cover Forming Apparatus" issued to Weder et
al., on Mar. 29, 1988, which is hereby incorporated herein by
reference.
[0098] The cover 148 formed by wrapping the sheet of material 10i
about the flower pot 140 may be secured to the outer peripheral
surface 144 of the pot 140 by the use of one or more bonding
materials described herein. One particular method of securing the
cover 148 to the pot 140 is by applying a band about the pot 140 to
hold the covering in place such as is described 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, 1992 and which is hereby
incorporated herein by reference.
[0099] Alternatively, the sheet of material 10i may be preformed
into a cover 152 having an opening 154 as shown in FIG. 17. The
cover 152 is self-supporting by virtue of overlapping folds which
are bonded to each other, thereby forming a rigid structure. The
preformed cover 152 may be deposited into an opening in a table or
platform to support the cover 152. A potted plant 156 can then be
disposed into the opening 154 of the preformed cover 152, thereby
resulting in a covered potted plant 158 as shown in FIG. 18.
[0100] One method for forming such a preformed plant cover or pot
cover is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,182 entitled "Article Forming
System" issued to Weder et al., on Sep. 27, 1988, which is hereby
incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments of FIGS. 19-22
[0101] Referring to FIG. 19, as shown therein and designated by the
general reference numeral 10j is another sheet of material
constructed in accordance with the present invention. The sheet of
material 10j shown in FIG. 19 has an upper surface 12j, a lower
surface 14j (FIG. 21), a first end 16j, a second end 18j, a first
side 20j and a second side 22j. The ends 16j and 18j cooperate with
the sides 20j and 22j to define an outer peripheral surface 24j of
the sheet of material 10j. The outer peripheral surface 24j of the
sheet of material 10j is defined by perforations 26j, as shown in
FIGS. 19, 21 and 22.
[0102] As shown in FIGS. 19, 21 and 22, a sheet extension 28j is
connected to the outer peripheral surface 24j of the sheet of
material 10j. As shown in FIGS. 19 and 21, the sheet extension 28j
extends a distance outwardly from the outer peripheral surface 24j
of the sheet of material 10j. The sheet extension 28j has a first
end 30j, a second end 32j, a first side 34j and a second side 36j.
A portion of the sheet extension 28j extends a distance outwardly
from the first end 16j of the sheet of material 10j terminating
with the first end 30j of the sheet extension 28j. Another portion
of the sheet extension 28j extends a distance outwardly from the
second end 18j of the sheet of material 10j terminating with the
second end 32j of the sheet extension 28j. Yet another portion of
the sheet extension 28j extends a distance outwardly from the first
side 20j of the sheet of material 10j terminating with the first
side 34j of the sheet extension 28j. Still another portion of the
sheet extension 28j extends a distance outwardly from the second
side 22j of the sheet of material 10j terminating with the second
side 36j of the sheet extension 28j.
[0103] The sheet extension 28j cooperates with the sheet of
material 10j to define a generally square or rectangularly shaped
sheet with the perforations 26j being disposed in a central portion
of the sheet and defining the outer peripheral surface 24j of the
sheet of material 10j. Preferably, the sheet of material 10j and
the sheet extension 28j are unitary and formed from a single sheet
or plies or multiple sheets one on top of the other which may or
may not be laminated.
[0104] The sheet of material 10j and the sheet extension 28j are
constructed from any suitable flexible material that is capable of
being wrapped about a floral grouping and formed into the covering,
as described herein. Preferably, the sheet of material 10j and the
sheet extension 28j are constructed of a material selected from a
group of materials consisting of paper, metal foil, cloth (natural
or synthetic), denim, burlap or polymer film as defined above or
combinations thereof.
[0105] The sheet of material 10j and the sheet extension 28j have a
thickness in a range from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mils.
Preferably, the sheet of material 10j and the sheet extension 28j
have a thickness in a range from about 0.1 mil to about 5 mils.
[0106] The sheet of material 10j and the sheet extension 28j may be
any shape and a rectangular shape is shown in FIG. 19 only by way
of example. The sheet of material 10j and the sheet extension 28j
for example only may be square, rectangular, circular or any other
geometric shape such as heart shaped for example only.
[0107] The sheet of material 10; and the sheet extension 28j may be
constructed of a single layer of material or a plurality of layers
of the same or different types of materials. Any thickness of the
sheet of material 10j and the sheet extension 28j may be utilized
in accordance with the present invention as long as the sheet of
material 10j and the sheet extension 28j is wrappable about a
floral grouping and formable into the covering, as described
herein. The layers of material comprising the sheet of material 10j
and the sheet extension 28j may be connected together or laminated
or may be separate layers.
[0108] The covering of the present invention is particularly
constructed to be used with a pot 38j (FIG. 20). The pot 38j has a
top 40j, a bottom 42j with an opening through the top 40j forming a
receiving space 44j within the pot 38j. The pot 38j also has an
outer peripheral surface 46j. As shown in FIG. 20, the pot 38j is
generally cylindrically shaped. However, the pot 38j may be any
shaped as may be desired in a particular application.
[0109] A floral grouping 48j is disposed at least partially within
the receiving space 44 of the pot 38j, as shown in FIG. 20. The
floral grouping 48j has a stemmed end 50j and a bloom end 52j. In
one embodiment as shown in FIG. 20, material such as soil 54j is
disposed in the receiving space 44j and a portion of the stem end
50j extends into the soil 54j. The floral grouping 48j extends a
distance upwardly from the top 40j of the pot 38j terminating with
the bloom end 52j.
[0110] The sheet extension 28j is transparent, although a
decorative pattern also may be applied to the sheet extension
28j.
[0111] The sheet of material 10j with the sheet extension 28j
connected thereto is placed between a male and a female die or
other forming means and formed into a pot cover 56j (FIG. 21). As
shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the pot cover 56j has a top 58j, a closed
bottom 60j and a cover opening 62j (FIG. 21) formed through the top
58j and extending through the top 58j a distance toward the bottom
60j of the pot cover 56j providing a pot receiving space 64j (FIG.
21). The pot receiving space 64j is shaped and adapted to receive
the pot 38j.
[0112] The pot cover 56j has a plurality of overlapping folds 66j
(FIG. 21) with each of the overlapping folds 66j extending at
various distances and at various angles over an outer peripheral
surface 68j (FIG. 21) of the pot cover 56j extending between the
top 58j and the bottom 60j. The overlapping folds 66j extend at
various angles and over various distance over the outer peripheral
surface 68j.
[0113] The pot cover 56j includes a skirt 70j (FIGS. 21 and 22).
The skirt 70j extends from the top 40j of the pot 38j radially
outwardly with an outer peripheral surface of the skirt 70j being
formed by the outer peripheral surface 24j of the sheet of material
10j. The perforations 26j extend along the outer peripheral surface
of the skirt 70j formed by the outer peripheral surface 24j of the
sheet of material 10j.
[0114] The overlapping folds 66j may be connected or at least
partially connected. The connection of the overlapping folds 66j
may be accomplished by using heat sealing material and heat sealing
the overlapping folds or by adhesively or cohesively connecting the
overlapping folds.
[0115] The pot 38j is placed in the pot receiving space 64j and
positioned in the pot cover 56j such that the bottom 42j of the pot
38j is disposed generally adjacent the bottom 60j of the pot cover
56j. The pot cover 56j substantially encompasses the entire outer
peripheral surface 46j of the pot 38j including the bottom 42j. The
pot cover 56j extends from the bottom 42j to the top 40j of the pot
38j. The skirt 70j extends radially outwardly from the top 40j of
the pot 38j.
[0116] After the pot 38j has been placed in the pot cover 56j, the
sheet extension 28j is formed about the floral grouping 48j to a
position wherein the sheet extension 28j covers and encompasses a
substantial portion of the floral grouping 48j including the bloom
end 52j of the floral grouping 48j.
[0117] The sheet extension 28j preferably includes a bonding
material 72j (FIG. 19) disposed on the upper surface of the sheet
extension 28j and extending about the outer peripheral surface of
the sheet extension 28j. After the sheet extension 28j has been
formed about the floral grouping 48j, the ends of the sheet of
material 10j are bonded together to provide a closed end 74j (FIG.
22). The term "bonding material" as used herein is as defined
below.
[0118] The sheet extension 28j remains in a position extending
about the floral grouping 48j until it is desired to remove the
sheet extension 28j. The sheet extension 28j is removed from the
pot cover 56j by tearing along the perforations 26j separating the
sheet extension 28j from the pot cover 56j. The sheet extension 28j
then is removed from the floral grouping 48j leaving the pot cover
56j providing a decorative cover for the pot 38j.
[0119] In addition to the perforations 26j, the sheet extension 28j
also may include perforations extending between the perforations
261 and the outer peripheral surface of the sheet extension 28j to
further assist in the removal of the sheet extension 28j when it is
no longer desired to keep the sheet extension 28j extending about
the floral grouping 48j.
[0120] Shown in FIG. 23 and designated by the general reference
number 10k is a sheet of material constructed in accordance with
the present invention.
[0121] The sheet of material 10k includes a first end 12k, a second
end 14k, a first side 16k and a second side 18k. The sheet of
material 10k also includes an upper surface 20k (FIG. 23) and a
lower surface 22k (FIG. 24).
[0122] A connecting bonding material 24k is disposed on the upper
surface 20k of the sheet of material 10k. The sheet of material 10k
has an outer peripheral surface 26k. The connecting bonding
material 24k is disposed near and spaced a distance 28k from the
outer peripheral surface 26k of the sheet of material 10k and
extends generally circumferentially about the sheet of material
10k.
[0123] The sheet of material 10k shown in FIG. 23 is circularly
shaped and the connecting bonding material 24k extends in a
circularly shaped pattern over the upper surface 20k of the sheet
of material 10k. The sheet of material 10k may be any geometric
shape such as square or rectangular or heart shaped or
trapezoidally shaped or any other geometric shape. Further, the
connecting bonding material 24k may extend in any geometric pattern
over the upper surface 20k of the sheet of material 10k, and the
circularly shaped pattern is shown in FIG. 23 only by way of
example.
[0124] A sheet extension 25k is connected to the sheet of material
10k. The sheet extension 25k extends about the outer peripheral
surface 26k of the sheet of material 10k. The sheet extension 25k
extends outwardly from the sheet of material 10k terminating with
an outer peripheral surface 27k. The sheet extension 25k has an
upper surface 29k (FIG. 23) and a lower surface 31k (FIG. 24). The
upper surface 29k is disposed in a plane about coplanar with the
upper surface 20k of the sheet of material 10k and lower surface
31k is disposed in a plane about coplanar with the lower surface
22k of the sheet of material 10k.
[0125] The sheet extension 25k and the sheet of material 10k may be
integrally constructed of a single sheet of material or the sheet
extension 25k may be laminated to the sheet of material 10k. A
connecting bonding material 33k is disposed on the upper surface
29k of the sheet extension 25k. The connecting bonding material 33k
is disposed near and spaced a distance from the outer peripheral
surface 27k of the sheet extension 25k and extends generally
circumferentially about the sheet extension 25k.
[0126] The sheet extension 25k is shown in FIG. 23 as being
circularly shaped. The sheet extension 25k may be any geometric
shape such as a square or rectangular or heart shaped or
trapezoidally shaped or any other geometric shape and the geometric
shape of the sheet extension 25k may be the same as the geometric
shape of the sheet of material 10k or the sheet extension 25k may
have a geometric shape different from the geometric shape of the
sheet of material 10k. Further, although the sheet extension 25k is
shown in FIG. 23 as extending circumferentially about the outer
peripheral surface 26k of the sheet of material 10k, the sheet
extension 25k may extend only about a portion of the outer
peripheral surface 26k of the sheet of material 10k or the sheet
extension 25k may comprise segments with each segment extending
about a portion of the outer peripheral surface 26k of the sheet of
material 10k.
[0127] The sheet of material 10k and the sheet extension 25k may be
constructed of a single layer of material or a plurality of layers
of the same or different types of materials as described above. Any
thickness of the sheet of material 10k and the sheet extension 25k
may be utilized in accordance with the present invention as long as
the sheet of material 10k and the sheet extension 25k are wrappable
or formable about a flower pot or a floral grouping in the manners
described herein. The layers of material comprising the sheet of
material 10k and the sheet extension 25k may be connected together
or laminated or may be separate layers. A decorative pattern, such
as a color and/or an embossed pattern, and/or other decorative
surface ornamentation may be applied to the upper surface 20k
and/or the lower surface 22k of the sheet of material 10k or
portions thereof as described above.
[0128] A decorative pattern, such as a color and/or an embossed
pattern, and/or other decorative surface ornamentation may be
applied to the upper surface 29k and/or the lower surface 31k of
the sheet extension 25k or portions thereof as described above. The
sheet extension 25k also may be totally or partially clear or
tinted transparent material as described above.
[0129] The connecting bonding materials 24k and 33k are shown in
FIG. 23 as being applied to the upper surface 20k or the upper
surface 29k in the form of a circularly shaped strip. The
connecting bonding materials 24k or 33k may be applied in the form
of spots or spaced apart strips and the spots may be any geometric
pattern or any other type of pattern such as a logo for example.
Further, the connecting bonding materials 24k or 33k may include a
color to obscure the fact that the connecting bonding materials 24k
and 33k are disposed on the sheet of material 10k or the sheet
extension 25k.
[0130] Shown in FIG. 24 is a flower pot 30k having an upper end
32k, a lower end 34k and an outer peripheral surface 36k. An
opening 38k is formed through the upper end 32k of the flower pot
30k providing access to a retaining space 40k.
[0131] The retaining space 40k forms an inner peripheral surface
42k in the flower pot 30k. A bottom 44k of the flower pot 30k is
disposed at the lower end 34k and cooperates to enclose or
partially enclose the retaining space 40k. The flower pot 30k may
be any conventional, commercially available container well known in
the art.
[0132] Growing medium 43k is shown in FIG. 24 disposed in the
retaining space 40k and a floral grouping 47k is shown in FIG. 24
partially disposed in the growing medium 43k. A portion of the
floral grouping 47k extends a distance upwardly above the upper end
32k of the flower pot 30k.
[0133] The flower pot 30k is placed on the upper surface 20k of the
sheet of material 10k. More particularly, the bottom 44k of the
flower pot 30k is disposed on a central portion of the sheet of
material 10k. In this position, the connecting bonding material 24k
extends circumferentially about the flower pot 30k and the
connecting bonding material 24k is spaced a distance from the
flower pot 30k.
[0134] The sheet of material 10k then is formed about the flower
pot 30k to a position wherein the sheet of material 10k extends
about and encompasses substantially the entire outer peripheral
surface 36k of the flower pot 30k, including the bottom 44k. It
should be noted that the sheet of material 10k does not have to
cover the bottom 44k. In this position, a portion of the sheet of
material 10k is disposed adjacent the bottom 44k of the flower pot
30k and portions of the sheet of material 10k extend upwardly and
encompass the entire outer peripheral surface 36k of the flower pot
30k between the upper end 32k and the lower end 34k of the flower
pot 30k. In one embodiment, the portions of the sheet of material
10k extending over the outer peripheral surface 36k are spaced a
distance from the outer peripheral surface 36k of the flower pot
30k to provide a blossom type affect.
[0135] In this position, the portion of the sheet of material 10k
disposed near and about the connecting bonding material 24k is
crimped by bringing together portions of the sheet of material 10k
near and about the connecting bonding material 24k so that portions
of the sheet of material 10k near and about the connecting bonding
material 24k are disposed adjacent each other and the adjacent
portions of the sheet of material 10k are connected by way of the
connecting bonding material 24k thereby forming a plurality of
overlapping folds 45k in the portion of the sheet of material 10k
near and about the connecting bonding material 24k. The connected
overlapping folds 45k extend at various distances and at various
angles. The connected overlapping folds 45k (FIG. 24) in the area
near and about the portion of the sheet of material 10k containing
the connecting bonding material 24k is designated in FIG. 24 by the
reference numeral 46k and maybe referred to herein as the crimped
portion 46k (FIG. 24).
[0136] A typical section showing a portion of a typical overlapping
fold 45k is shown in FIG. 25. The adjacent portions of the sheet of
material 10k on the upper surface 20k are shown in FIG. 25 as being
connected while the adjacent portions of the sheet of material 10k
on the lower surface 22k are unconnected since no bonding material
is disposed on the lower surface 22k. It should be noted that
connecting bonding material also can be disposed on the lower
surface 22k for connecting adjacent portions of the lower surface
22k in the crimped portion 46k if desired and as described in more
detail below.
[0137] The crimped portion 46k extends circumferentially about the
upper end 32k of the flower pot 30k. The crimped portion 46k also
extends a distance inwardly from the upper end 32k of the flower
pot 30k toward a central portion of the retaining space 40k thereby
forming a ridge portion 48k extending circumferentially about the
flower pot 30k generally near the upper end 32k of the flower pot
30k. The crimped portion 46k and the ridge portion 48k thereof
cooperate to engage the upper end 32k of the flower pot 30k to
assist and cooperate in holding the sheet of material 10k formed
about the flower pot 30k to provide a decorative cover 50k (FIG.
24).
[0138] The crimped portion 46k when formed preferably causes
adjacent portions of the upper and lower surfaces 20k and 22k of
the sheet of material 10k to be brought together or positioned
adjacent each other. The crimped portion 46k and the other crimped
portions shown in the drawings are shown in an expanded form where
the portions of the lower surface 22k are not disposed adjacent
each other for the purpose of illustration and because this
expanded form may be desired in some applications.
[0139] Either before or after or during the forming of the crimped
portion 46k, the sheet extension 25k is formed about the floral
grouping 47k to a position wherein the sheet extension 25k
encompasses a substantial portion of the floral grouping 47k, as
shown in FIG. 24. The sheet extension 25k extends upwardly about
the floral grouping 47k with a portion of the sheet extension 25k
extending upwardly beyond the upper end of the floral grouping 47k
terminating with the outer peripheral surface 27k of the sheet
extension 25k and forming an open upper end. In this position of
the sheet extension 25k, portions of the sheet extension 25k near
the outer peripheral surface 27k (the open upper end) thereof are
brought into contact thereby bringing the connecting bonding
material 33k into contact and engagement with adjacent portions of
the sheet extension 25k for closing the sheet extension 25k about
or above an upper end of the floral grouping 47k.
[0140] In a preferred form, a line of perforations 53k (FIGS. 23
and 24) is formed between the sheet of material 10k and the sheet
extension 25k. The line of perforations 53k extends generally about
the outer peripheral surface 26k of the sheet of material 10k. The
sheet extension 25k encompasses the floral grouping 47k and
provides a protective covering for the floral grouping 47k to
protect the floral grouping 47k during shipment and/or storage.
When it is desired to remove the protective covering provided by
the sheet extension 25k, the operator tears the sheet extension 25k
along the line of perforations 53k thereby severing or separating
the sheet extension 25k from the sheet of material 10k so that the
sheet extension 25k can be removed from the sheet of material 10k
or, in other words, the protective covering may be removed from the
decorative covering by tearing along the line of perforations
53k.
[0141] The term "bonding material" when used herein means an
adhesive, preferably a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive.
Where 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 sonic sealable and vibratory sealable. The term
"bonding material" when used herein also means a heat sealing
lacquer which may be applied to the sheet of material and, in this
instance, heat, sound waves, or vibrations, also must be applied to
effect the sealing.
[0142] The term "bonding material" when used herein also means any
type of material or thing which can be used to effect the bonding
or connecting of the two adjacent portions of the material or sheet
of material to effect the connection or bonding described herein.
The term "bonding material" also includes ties, labels, bands,
ribbons, strings, tape, staples or combinations thereof. Some of
the bonding materials would secure the ends of the material while
other bonding material may bind the circumference of the wrapper.
Another way to secure the wrapping 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.
[0143] The term "bonding material" when used herein also means any
heat or chemically shrinkable material, and static electrical or
other electrical means, magnetic means, mechanical or barb-type
fastening means or clamps, curl-type characteristics of the film or
materials incorporated in the sheet of material which can cause the
material to take on certain shapes, and any type of welding method
which may weld portions of the sheet to itself or to the pot, or to
both the sheet itself and the pot.
[0144] The term "botanical item" when used herein means a natural
or artificial herbaceous or woody plant, taken singly or in
combination. The term "botanical item" also means any portion or
portions of natural or artificial herbaceous or woody plants
including stems, leaves, flowers, blossoms, buds, blooms, cones, or
roots, taken singly or in combination, or in groupings of such
portions such as bouquet or floral grouping.
[0145] The term "propagule" when used herein means any structure
capable of being propagated or acting as an agent of reproduction
including seeds, shoots, stems, runners, tubers, plants, leaves,
roots or spores.
[0146] The term "growing medium" when used herein means any liquid,
solid or gaseous material used for plant growth or for the
cultivation of propagules, including organic and inorganic
materials such as soil, humus, perlite, vermiculite, sand, water,
and including the nutrients, fertilizers or hormones or
combinations thereof required by the plants or propagules for
growth.
[0147] The term "band" when used herein means any material which
may be secured about an object such as a flower pot, such bands
commonly being referred to as elastic bands, rubber bands or
non-elastic bands and also includes any other type of material such
as an elastic or non-elastic string or elastic piece of material,
non-elastic piece of material, a round piece of material, a flat
piece of material, a ribbon, a piece of paper strip, a piece of
plastic strip, a piece of wire, a tie wrap or a twist tie or
combinations thereof or any other device capable of gathering the
sheet of material to removably or substantially permanently form a
crimped portion and secure the crimped portion formed in the sheet
of material which may be secured about an object such as the flower
pot. The band also may include a bow if desired in a particular
application.
[0148] The sheet of material used herein may further comprise at
least one scent (not shown). Examples of scents utilized herein
include (but are not limited to) floral scents (flower blossoms, or
any portion of a plant), food scents (chocolate, sugar, fruits),
herb or spice scents (cinnamon), and the like. Additional examples
of scents include flowers (such as roses, daisies, lilacs), plants
(such as fruits, vegetables, grasses, trees), foods (for example,
candies, cookies, cake), food condiments (such as honey, sugar,
salt), herbs, spices, woods, roots, and the like, or any
combination of the foregoing. Such scents are known in the art, and
are commercially available.
[0149] The scent may be disposed upon the sheet of material 10 by
spraying the scent thereupon, painting the scent thereupon,
brushing the scent thereupon, lacquering the scent thereupon,
immersing the sheet of material in a scent-containing liquid,
exposing the sheet of material to scent-containing gas, or any
combination thereof.
[0150] The scent may be contained within a lacquer, or other
liquid, before it is disposed upon the sheet of material 10. The
scent may also be contained within a dye, ink, and/or pigment (not
shown). Such dyes, inks and pigments are known in the art, and are
commercially available, and may be disposed upon or incorporated in
the sheet of material 10 by any method described herein or known in
the art.
Embodiments of FIGS. 26-28
[0151] In one version, the apparatus of the present invention
comprises a platform having an upper support surface formed thereon
and at least one opening extending through the upper support
surface. The upper support surface is adapted to support at least
one sheet of material in a cover forming position over the opening.
The opening is sized to accommodate a cover forming mold.
[0152] The apparatus further comprises a cover forming mold
disposed below the opening in the support surface. The cover
forming mold has contacting portions for contacting the sheet of
material. The opening and the cover forming mold are adapted for
receiving an article such as a flower pot having an upper end, a
lower end, an upper opening and an outer peripheral surface such
that when the article is moved in a pre-determined direction, such
as downward, the lower end of the article is caused to engage a
portion of the sheet of material disposed over the opening. The
article and portions of the sheet of material thus pass into the
cover forming mold causing the sheet of material to engage the
outer peripheral surface of the article and the contacting portions
of the cover forming mold as the article is moved. As this happens,
portions of the sheet contactingly engage or nearly engage the
outer peripheral surface of the article forming a cover about the
article and thereby forming a covered article. The cover of the
covered article then has an inner surface facing the outer
peripheral surface of the article and an exposed outer surface
adjacent the inner portion of the mold.
[0153] The apparatus further comprises a fastening device for
automatically applying a fastener about a portion of the outer
surface of the covered article. In an alternate version, the
apparatus may comprise a labeling assembly for automatically
applying a label to a portion of the outer surface of the cover of
the covered article, preferably after the cover has been fastened
to the article.
[0154] The sheet of material used in accordance with the present
invention is constructed from a material selected from a group of
materials described in greater detail below. The apparatus may
further comprise a securing assembly for releasably securing the
sheet of material in the cover forming position on the upper
support surface for generally immobilizing the sheet prior to the
forming step. The apparatus may further comprise a sheet feeder for
automatically placing a sheet of material on the support surface
and/or a pick an place assembly for picking up the article from an
article supply and for placing the article into the opening to form
the covered article. Additionally, the apparatus may further
comprise a removal assembly for automatically removing the covered
article from the opening of the platform.
[0155] Referring now to FIGS. 26-28, a portion of a covering and
fastening assembly designed in accordance with the present
invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 170. The
covering and fastening assembly 170 is mounted upon a framework
(not shown) which may be mobile or stationary. The covering and
fastening assembly 170 comprises an upper platform 172 which has an
upper support surface 174 and an opening 176.
[0156] A sheet of material (such as the second sheet of material 26
in FIG. 2) is manually placed upon the upper support surface 174
generally over an opening 176 in the upper support surface 174. The
sheet of material may be obtained from a stack of sheets such as
shown in FIG. 13, or may be obtained from a sheet dispenser such as
shown in FIGS. 10-12 and discussed above. In one alternate version
of the invention, the sheet of material may be automatically fed
from a sheet feeding apparatus (not shown). Automatic sheet feeding
devices are well known in the art. Examples of such sheet feeding
machines are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,805 issued to Herbert et
al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,331 issued to Sardella, and U.S. Pat. No.
5,090,676 issued to Matsumo et al. An automatic sheet feeding
machine, if used, is detachably connected to the framework of the
apparatus of the present invention.
[0157] In a preferred version of the invention, a cover former (not
shown) is detachably mounted in each opening 176. Examples of cover
formers contemplated in accordance with the present invention are
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,521 as discussed above, and are
hereby incorporated herein by reference.
[0158] An article or potted plant or pot such as pot 140 may be
delivered to the apparatus manually or automatically. When the
operation is manual, the pot 140 or a potted plant such as the
potted plant 156 is disposed above the sheet of material and is
pushed downward into the opening 176, through the cover former
disposed therein, forming the sheet of material into a cover 180
about the potted plant.
[0159] Alternatively, the potted plant 156 may be deposited into
the cover forming position by a pick and place machine (not shown)
which is an apparatus for grasping an article from a plurality of
stored articles, delivering the article to the correct position
above a sheet of material and then automatically depositing the
article into the opening 176, and disengaging from the article once
the article is deposited into the opening 176. Such pick and place
machines are familiar to persons of ordinary skill in the art of
object pickup and placement.
[0160] Once the pot 140 or potted plant 156 has had the cover 180
applied thereabout, a fastening assembly 182 serves to apply a
fastener 184 about the cover 180 which has been applied about the
pot 140 or potted plant 156. Examples of fastening machines include
tying machines such as those commercially available from Saxmeyer,
Bunn, Felins, and Cyclops.
[0161] The fastening assembly 182 is mounted upon the mobile or
stationary framework.
[0162] In the embodiment represented in FIGS. 26-28, the fastening
assembly 182 is constructed to apply a fastener or band to the
covered article or pot in a plane beneath the upper support surface
174. The fastening assembly 182 comprises a tie arm 186 having a
tie end 188 and a pivot end 190, a tie arm shaft 192, a knotter
head 194, a rocker plate 196 and a vertical rod 198 mounted to a
lower support assembly 200. A string, tie, wire, or other type of
band or fastener 184 is drawn through the knotter head 194 and
engaged with the tie end 188 of the tie arm 186. The fastener 184
is looped outside of the vertical rod 198 as shown in FIG. 26 which
serves as a fastener retraction assembly so that the stress of the
fastener 184 upon the cover 180 is relieved so as not to tear the
cover 180. The tie arm 186 is rotated by the tie arm shaft 192 in a
direction 202 when the tie arm shaft 192 is rotated in a direction
204 by a drive motor (not shown) of the fastening assembly 182.
[0163] An optional labeling apparatus (not shown) is a separate
unit which can be mounted and removed from the main framework of
the covering and fastening assembly 170. Such labeling devices are
known by persons of ordinary skill in the label applying art and
are commercially available. The label (not shown) is applied to the
side of the cover 180 of the potted plant 156 before or after the
fastener 184 is applied about the cover 180. The label may be an
adhesive label or may be applied as an ink jet, or even by
stamping. As the covered potted plant is recovered from the opening
176 after the fastener 184 has been applied and knotted, the
knotted fastener 184 slips off the vertical rod 198 and holds the
cover 180 about the pot 140 or potted plant 156.
Embodiments of FIGS. 29-31
[0164] Referring now to FIGS. 29-31, an alternative covering and
fastening assembly is generally designated by the reference numeral
170a. The covering and fastening assembly 170a is exactly the same
as the covering and fastening assembly 170 except that it is
modified to apply a fastener 184a to a cover 180a in a plane above
an upper support surface 174a. A tie arm 186a is supported by a tie
arm shaft 192a above the upper support surface 174a. The fastener
184a is looped about a set of studs 206a-d which serve as a
fastener retraction assembly and which function to relieve the
stress of the fastener 184a as it is applied about the cover 180a.
The studs 206a-d are reciprocatingly mounted in an upper support
assembly 172a so that the studs 206a-d can be retracted into the
upper support assembly 172a to allow the fastener 184a to grasp the
cover 180a. The studs 206a-d can be controlled electrically,
pneumatically, hydraulically or by another power source.
Embodiments of FIGS. 32-33
[0165] Referring now to FIG. 32, a covering and fastening assembly
is designated by the reference numeral 170b. The covering and
fastening assembly 170b is exactly like the covering and fastening
assembly 170a of FIGS. 29-31 except that instead of using a
plurality of studs 206a-d to function as a fastener retraction
assembly, the covering and fastening assembly 170b uses a fastener
retraction assembly 208 comprising a first retraction unit 210 and
a second retraction unit 212.
[0166] The first retraction unit 210 comprises a first grasping arm
214 having a grasping end 216 for catching and holding a portion of
a fastener 184b. The second retraction unit 212 comprises a second
grasping arm 218 having a grasping end 220 for catching and holding
a portion of the fastener 184b different from the portion of the
fastener 184b held by the first grasping arm 214. The first
retraction unit 210 and the second retraction unit 212 may be
automatically controlled and may comprise pneumatically or
hydraulically controlled pistons.
[0167] In operation, the first grasping arm 214 grasps a portion of
the fastener 184b and the second grasping arm 218 grasps another
portion of the fastener 184b. The first grasping arm 214 is
retracted in a direction 222 and the second grasping arm 218 is
retracted in a direction 224 until the fastener 184b is retracted
to a position as shown in FIG. 32 in which the fastener 184b is
drawn away from an opening 176b in an upper support surface 174b
whereby the opening 176b is available for an article or pot to be
deposited therein. Once a pot or article has been deposited into
the opening 176b to form a cover 180b substantially as described
above for the covering and fastening assembly 170a, the first
grasping arm 214 and the second grasping arm 218 are caused to
release the fastener 184b whereby the fastener 184b engages the
circumference of the cover 180b about the pot or article and holds
the cover 180b thereabout. The covered pot or article can the be
removed from the covering and fastening assembly 170b.
Embodiment of FIGS. 34-36
[0168] Referring now to FIG. 34, another version of the covering
and fastening assembly of the present invention is designated by
the general reference numeral 170c. The covering and fastening
assembly 170c is exactly like the covering and fastening assembly
170b of FIGS. 32-33, except that instead of using a pair of
retraction units 210 and 212, as a fastener retraction assembly, a
fastener retraction assembly 230 is alternatively comprised of a
U-shaped retraction arm 232 attached to a cylinder 234 (FIG. 36).
The retraction arm 232 comprises a first grasping prong 236 having
a grasping end 238 and a second grasping prong 240 having a second
grasping end 242. The retraction arm 232 is attached to a rod 244
which is reciprocatingly disposed within the cylinder 234.
[0169] In operation, the rod 244 is advanced in direction 246 until
the grasping ends 238 and 242 catch the fastener 184c. Once the
retraction arm 232 has grasped the fastener 184c, the rod 244 is
reciprocatingly retracted by the cylinder 234 in direction 248
until the fastener 184c has been retracted a distance sufficient to
clear an opening 176c in the upper support surface of the covering
and fastening assembly 170c as shown in FIG. 35. The covering and
fastening assembly 170c is at that point prepared to proceed in the
operation of applying a cover to a pot or article disposed in the
opening 176c. After the pot has been disposed into the opening 176c
and a cover formed thereabout, the fastener 184c is released from
the fastener retraction assembly 230.
Embodiment of FIG. 37
[0170] Referring now to FIG. 37, a covering and fastening assembly
is designated by the general reference numeral 170d. The covering
and fastening assembly 170d is exactly any of the covering and
fastening assemblies 170, 170a, 170b, or 170c except that the sheet
of material is supplied from a roll of material substantially as
described above in the embodiment of FIG. 12.
[0171] Shown in FIG. 37 is a roll of material 250 resting on a
shaft 252 supported by a support assembly 254. A clutch assembly
256 which is driven by a drive assembly (not seen) such as a motor
advances a portion of the roll of material 250 under an idler
roller 258 until the portion of the roll of material 250 is
advanced a predetermined length. A knife edge 260 which is
connected to an actuator 262 serves to sever the portion of the
sheet from the roll of material 250. The sheet is then ready to be
used to be formed as a cover about a flower pot.
In Operation
[0172] In operation, the present invention comprises providing a
covering and fastening assembly such as the one designated by the
reference numeral 170c in FIGS. 34-36. In the first operational
step, a sheet of material 10 is placed on an upper support surface
174c in a cover forming position over the opening 176c. There
placed, the sheet of material 10 is positioned over the cover
former (not shown) mounted within the opening 176c.
[0173] In the next step, the article, or in the preferred
embodiment the pot 140 containing a plant is removed from a storage
position. The pot 140 is positioned over the sheet of material 10
and the potted plant is disposed generally above and near the
portion of the sheet of material 10 which is above the cover-former
mounted in the opening 176c. Then, the pot 140 is moved in a
direction through the cover former toward a lower support assembly
(not shown, but similar to the lower support assembly 200 shown in
FIGS. 27-28) which causes the lower end of the pot 140 to engage a
portion of the sheet of material 10. The pot 140 and portions of
the sheet of material 10 pass through the cover former causing the
sheet of material 10 to contact or nearly contact both the outer
peripheral surface 144 of the pot 140 and the contacting portions
of the inner perimeter of the cover former. The sheet of material
10 is thereby pressed about the outer peripheral surface 144 of the
pot 140 thereby forming the cover 180 about the pot 140 and
retaining the covered pot 140 in the opening 176c. The pot 140 is
advanced through the cover former opening until the lower end 142
of the pot 140 rests on or nearly rests on the lower support
assembly. The band or fastener 184c is automatically applied about
a portion of the outer surface of the cover of the covered potted
plant by the fastening apparatus whereby the cover 180 is
fasteningly secured about the pot 140. In the next step, the
covered potted plant is removed.
[0174] The method may comprise the optional step of manually
arranging portions of the cover 180 and the exposed portions of the
plant so that the cover 180 and potted plant are attractively and
optimally arranged prior to the fastening step.
[0175] The method may also comprise the additional step of engaging
an automatic labeling device (not shown) wherein a label (not
shown) is automatically applied to a portion of the outer surface
of the cover 180 of the pot 140. The label may be applied to the
outer peripheral surface of the cover 180 or the label may be
applied to the bottom (not shown) of the cover 180 through an
opening in the lower support assembly 200.
Embodiments of FIGS. 38-40
[0176] Referring now to FIGS. 38-40, another version of the
covering and fastening assembly is designated by the general
reference numeral 170e. The covering and fastening assembly 170e is
exactly the same as the assembly 170a in FIGS. 29-31 except in the
construction of the mechanism for retracting and releasing the
fastener. The covering and fastening assembly 170e comprises an
upper support assembly 172e having an upper support surface 174e
which has an opening 176e. A pot 178e having a cover 180e is shown
in the opening 176e. A fastener 184e is looped about a first
retraction pin 270 and a second retraction pin 272 the first
retraction pin 270 is stationarily mounted upon the upper support
surface 174e. Similarly, the second retraction pin 272 is
stationarily mounted upon the upper support surface 174e. The pot
178e is supported by a pot base cup 274 which is supported on a
base plate 276. The base plate 276 is mounted on a reciprocating
piston 278 which can be manually or automatically caused to urge
the base plate 276 and pot base cup 274 in an upward direction 280
or a downward direction 282.
[0177] The fastener assembly 170e further comprises a pin stripping
assembly 286. The function of the pin stripping assembly 286 is to
strip the fastener 184e from the first and second retraction pins
270 and 272 after the fastener 184e has been tied to allow the tied
fastener 184e to engage and bind the cover 180e about the pot 178e.
The pin stripping assembly 286 comprises a first stripper 288 and a
second stripper 290. The first stripper 288 strips the fastener
184e from the first retraction pin 270. The second stripper 290
strips the fastener 184e from the second retraction pin 272. Each
stripper 288 and 290 is disposed about the first and second
retraction pins 270 and 272, respectively, in such a manner that
the strippers 288, 290 is able to reciprocatingly slide up and down
the first and second retraction pins. Each first and second
retraction pin 270 and 272 has a stop. One such stop is shown in
FIGS. 39 and 40 and is designated by the reference numeral 292. The
stop 292 functions to prevent the stripper 288 from sliding too far
down the first retraction pin 270. The stop 292, if present, may be
adjustable. Each stripper 288 and 290 has an arm 294 and 296,
respectively.
[0178] The pin stripping assembly 286 further comprises a support
frame 298 which is connected to the base plate 276 via a support
arm 300. Connected to the upper end of the support frame 298 is a
first stripper lifting post 304 which has an upper end 306 and a
second stripper lifting post 308, also which has an upper end (not
shown).
[0179] The pin stripping assembly 286 further comprises a first pot
restraint 310 connected to the support frame 298 and a second pot
restraint 312 also connected to the support frame 298. The first
and second pot restraints 310 and 312 function to prevent the pot
178e from leaning in the direction of the first and second
retraction pins 270 and 272 when tension is applied by the fastener
184e to the side of the pot 178e which is opposite the first and
second retraction pins 270 and 272.
[0180] In operation, the pin stripping assembly 286 is activated
when the base plate 276 is urged upwardly in direction 280. The
base plate 276 is lifted by the reciprocating piston 278 a
predetermined distance 314. At this point, the upper end of the pot
178e has been "ejected" or elevated to a position at least
partially beyond the opening 176e in the upper support surface 174e
in order to facilitate removal of the covered pot from the covering
and fastening assembly 170e.
[0181] FIG. 39 shows the pot orientation before the base plate 276
is lifted and FIG. 40 shows the pot orientation after the base
plate 276 is lifted a distance 314 in direction 280. During the
process of lifting the base plate 276 to eject the covered pot
178e, each stripper lifting post 304 and 306 is elevated and each
engages, respectively, the arms 294 and 296 of strippers 288 and
290. When, for example, first stripper lifting post 304 is
elevated, the upper end 306 engages arm 294 of the first stripper
288, causing the first stripper 288 to be slidingly elevated
upwardly along the first retraction pin 270 and causing the
fastener 184e to be released from the first retraction pin 270. The
action is repeated for the portion of the fastener 184e which is
engaged by the second retraction pin 272. The pin stripping
assembly 286 can then be moved downwardly in direction 282 in
preparation of repeating the process.
[0182] It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art
that each of the covering and fastening assemblies discussed herein
above may be outfitted with means for enabling the apparatus to be
mobile, for example, with wheels or casters. It will also be
understood that each of the covering and fastening assemblies may
be used with a labeling apparatus for applying a label to the
covered pot. Each covering and fastening system may also be used in
conjunction with an automatic sheet feeding apparatus.
[0183] 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.
* * * * *