Abstract:
A brace for invisibly supporting flowers and other decorative floral elements in the center of an opening of a vase of any circumference.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     (not applicable) 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
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     NAMES OF PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX 
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     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to an apparatus for invisibly positioning and stabilizing flower stems or other vertical decorative elements in vases of any diameter. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     As complicated as our lives have become, we still turn to flowers to express ourselves. Flowers mark milestone events, tell us of the seasons and make our homes more beautiful, inside and out. Flowers come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. So do the vases which hold them. Vases can be tall, short, narrow, wide, glass, terra cotta, glazed or painted. Flowers arranged in vases evoke infinitely many moods and attitudes. To the Japanese, arranging flowers is a highly disciplined art, requiring years of formal schooling. 
     This may be out of reach for most people who appreciate flowers but do not necessarily want to invest the time to study this art. They either pay a professional florist or improvise with what they have on hand. Florists stock a variety of vases, flowers and flower-stabilizing accessories. They have an eye for knowing which color goes where. They have the tools to keep the arrangement looking professional. Arranging flowers yourself is less expensive, but does not always look professional. The vase might be too wide for the number of flowers, and the flowers fall to the perimeter of the vase. Certain flowers shift position, changing the overall shape of the arrangement. In this art, what is needed is a way for a person without special training to create a professional and stable flower arrangement, regardless of the size of the vase. 
     I have created a two-part brace that selectively and invisibly attaches to the sidewalls of a vase opening of any circumference. The first part comprises a lower ring of transparent material. The ring can be a polygon with any number of sides. It can also be a circle. In a preferred embodiment, the lower ring has eight sides. In this preferred embodiment, every other side of the polygonal ring has a spool installed thereon. Each of these four spools is wound with, and dispenses, clear adhesive tape. The tape is coated with adhesive on an underside, which faces down toward a bottom of the vase, and a non-adhesive top side. A length of tape is pulled radially away from the lower ring and affixed to the sidewall of the vase. 
     The lower ring is suspended over the opening of a vase. The vase is selected to be a larger diameter than the lower ring. In the preferred embodiment, each of the four lengths of tape is pulled to dispense a length of tape long enough to reach just over an edge of the opening of the vase. If the opening of the vase represents a clock, there would be tape radiating from 3 o&#39;clock, 6 o&#39;clock, 9 o&#39;clock and 12 o&#39;clock. In this way, the tape holds the lower ring over the center of the vase. When the tape is deployed in this way, the lower ring creates grid lines which subdivide the opening of the vase into five compartments: a center compartment, and four peripheral compartments within the opening of the vase. The grid is preferably centered within and coplanar with, the opening of the vase. 
     The second part comprises an upper ring. This upper ring has a diameter larger than the lower ring but smaller than the opening of the vase. The upper ring has a lower surface, which has adhesive dots disposed thereon, and an upper surface, which is free of adhesive. The adhesive dots secure the upper ring to the non-adhesive side of the tape crossing the opening of the vase. The number of adhesive dots corresponds to the number and radial position of the deployed tape. For example, if there is tape radiating from a 3 o&#39;clock, 6 o&#39;clock, 9 o&#39;clock and 12 o&#39;clock positions, there will be 4 adhesive dots affixed to the underside of the upper ring at those same positions. Placing the upper ring on the lower ring in this way creates additional grid lines, thereby subdividing the opening of the vase into a total of nine compartments. Changing the number of spools will change the number of total compartments created by the vase brace. Preferably, the upper ring is a floret shape, but it may be designed in alternative shapes such as a star, a circle, oval or any other shape that has a general diameter between the lower ring and the perimeter of the vase. 
     Preferably, the lower ring, the spools and the upper ring are made of a transparent thermoplastic, but other transparent materials can be used. Preferably, the tape is transparent as well, to make the vase brace nearly invisible. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a vase brace attached to a flower vase. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a vase brace attached to a flower vase, with flowers supported therein. 
         FIG. 3  is a close-up perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a vase brace attached to a flower vase, with flowers supported therein. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective and exploded view of a preferred embodiment of a lower ring, an upper ring, spools, upper ring adhesive and adhesive tape. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a lower ring, an upper ring, spools and adhesive tape. 
         FIG. 6A  is a perspective view of a first alternate embodiment of a lower ring. 
         FIG. 6B  is a perspective view of a second alternate embodiment of a lower ring. 
         FIG. 7A  is a perspective view of a first alternate embodiment of an upper ring. 
         FIG. 7B  is a perspective view of a second alternate embodiment of an upper ring. 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of a vase brace attached to a flower vase. The lower ring is present but not shown in this view. 
         FIG. 9  is a top view of a preferred embodiment of a vase brace attached to a flower vase. 
         FIG. 10  is a close-up perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a vase brace attached to a flower vase, without flowers. 
         FIG. 11  is a close-up perspective view of a vase brace having a preferred lower ring embodiment and a first alternative upper ring embodiment. 
         FIG. 12  is a close-up perspective view of a vase brace having a preferred lower ring embodiment and a second alternative upper ring embodiment. 
     
    
    
     REFERENCE NUMERALS 
     
         
           1  Vase brace, preferred embodiment 
           10  Opening of vase 
           20  Lower ring, preferred embodiment 
           22  Lower ring, first alternate embodiment 
           24  Lower ring, second alternate embodiment 
           30  Upper ring, preferred embodiment 
           32  Upper ring, first alternate embodiment 
           34  Upper ring, second alternate embodiment 
           40  Spool 
           50  Adhesive tape 
           60  Upper ring adhesive dot 
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a vase brace as it would be used in a typical flower vase. Flower vases have a bottom, which can be circular, polygonal or irregular in shape. Rising from and joined to the bottom is at least one sidewall. A vase with a circular or irregular bottom will have one sidewall rising therefrom. A vase with a polygonal bottom will have multiple sidewalls joined to each other and rising from the bottom. All sidewalls have a top edge not connected to anything and defining an opening of the vase. The opening of the vase will also be circular, polygonal or irregular in shape. Regardless of the shape, the opening of the vase will have a center and a diameter. 
     A preferred embodiment of the lower ring  20  comprises an octagon with spools  40  of adhesive tape set on every other side of the octagon. In the example shown, there are four spools  40 . It is possible to include more or fewer spools depending on the user&#39;s design choice. Here, the four spools  40 , dispense lengths of transparent adhesive tape  50  across the vase opening  10 . The lengths of adhesive tape  50 , upper ring  30  and lower ring  20  together subdivide the vase opening  10  into nine compartments. Each compartment can support flower stems or other decorative floral elements. Adding more spools would create more, and smaller, compartments. Affixed to and depending to an underside of each upper ring  30  is an adhesive dot  60 . In this illustration there are four adhesive dots, one for each length of adhesive tape. The adhesive dots are strong enough to secure the upper ring to the lower ring, but weak enough to be removed when the arrangement is dismantled.  FIG. 10  shows the vase brace in a vase without flowers. 
       FIG. 8  shows how the vase brace appears from the side. An upper ring is visible above the level of the opening of the vase. In a preferred practice, the spools of adhesive tape are pulled long enough to cross the opening of the vase, but with slack, thereby suspending the lower ring below the level of the vase when viewed from the side. The adhesive tape is can be pulled more tautly if the user chooses to make the lower ring visible. 
       FIGS. 2 and 3  show flowers inserted into the compartments of the vase brace. The rigid rings  20 ,  30  and semi-rigid adhesive tape  50  support the stems in an upright position.  FIGS. 4, 5, 6A and 6B  show a close-up view of several embodiments of the lower and upper rings, as they would be seen without a vase.  FIGS. 4 and 5  show the preferred embodiments of the lower  20  and upper  30  rings.  FIG. 6B  shows a second alternate embodiment  24  of the lower ring, a square. In the preferred and second alternate embodiments, the spools  40  can only slide laterally along the short sides of the octagon or square they cannot further shift.  FIG. 6A  shows a first alternate embodiment wherein the lower ring  22  is a circle. As circles have no sides, the spools can be moved therearound to dispense lengths of adhesive tape in the direction of the user&#39;s choosing. This allows the user to customize the size and position of compartments for a particular arrangement.  FIGS. 7A and 7B  show two alternate shapes for the upper ring.  FIGS. 11 and 12  show how those alternate upper rings appear when assembled into a completed vase brace. 
     Preferably, the upper ring and the lower ring are manufactured from a transparent and rigid thermoplastic material. The diameter can be varied by those of ordinary skill in the art, but is preferably 0.31 cm. The width of the spools and the adhesive tape they dispense can also be varied by those of ordinary skill in the art but is preferably 0.62-1.27 cm. The width of the spool should be the same as the width of the adhesive tape.