Abstract:
Described herein are containers with tear-aways. The tear-aways make the containers easier to open. Containers described herein include pots with a closed bottom and an open top. These pots may be cylindrical, conical, rectangular, or any other shape. The pots may be made with a variety of materials, such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) which is very dense and hard to tear. Tear-aways may be placed in various positions on a pot such that portions of the pot adjacent to the tear-aways may be separated from each other with ease. Tear-aways may also include hardened ends configured to be pulled.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present technology pertains to containers, and more specifically to containers with tear-aways. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Containers are commonly used to store or transport objects such as plants. Containers that hold plants, commonly known as pots, are traditionally made of terracotta but today are typically made of plastic. In many cases, relatively resilient materials such as high-density polyethylene, a petroleum (HDPE) based polyethylene thermoplastic, is used in the production of containers. 
         [0003]    Occasionally, items in containers must be removed. For example, plants are often repotted into larger or smaller pots. Different sized pots are required to fit a plant&#39;s root system. When removing a plant from a pot, a worker may accidently break a plant. Some workers may use utility knives to quickly open a pot. However, this method may increase an employer&#39;s potential liability. Thus, a better container is needed in the art. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or can be learned by practice of the herein disclosed principles. The features and advantages of the disclosure can be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features of the disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or can be learned by the practice of the principles set forth herein. 
         [0005]    In embodiments described herein, containers with tear-aways are described. For example, pots made from various materials, such as HDPE, may include tear-aways allowing a user to quickly and easily remove a plant from a pot. For instance, pots may be made using reconstituted paper, resin, polymers (e.g., HDPE), etc. By using tear-aways, users will not be at risk of injuring themselves with a knife. Further, users will break fewer plants since they will not need to pull a plant out of a pot. In some embodiments, tear-aways may include, or be completely made of a material other than the non-tear-away portions of the pot (e.g., a foreign material may be co-molded or co-extruded) during the manufacturing process. In any case, as described herein, pots may be designed to remove a plant from an opening, however it would be beneficial to make the opening of a pot wider to remove its contents. 
         [0006]    Containers described herein include pots with a closed bottom and an open top, such that a plant may extrude from an open side of a pot. Pots may be of different shapes. For example, some pots may be cylindrical in shape, meaning they have a circular enclosed end (e.g., a base), with a cylindrical shaped portion extending from the circular enclosed end, while the end opposite from the circular enclosed end does not enclose a pot. Similarly, a pot may be rectangular in shape such that one wall of the rectangular-shaped pot is open, such that a plant may extrude from the opening. In some embodiments, a pot may be conical in shape, such that the bottom end of a container that is enclosed has a smaller diameter than the opposite end that is not enclosed. Of course, bottom and top are relative terms. However, as use herein, top refers to the generally open side of a pot that is typically in the direction of plant growth outside of soil. As used herein, bottom refer to the generally closed side of the pot, often used to rest the pot of a surface, and often supports soil and a plant above the bottom. Various embodiments and shapes of pots will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the embodiments described herein and the accompanying figures. Further, while in many embodiments only one container is described, more than one may be connected and tear-aways may extend across more than one container, to allow for the opening of many containers. 
         [0007]    Further, as will be described below in additional detail, the term “tear-aways” refers to a portion of a container configured to separate portions of that container. Tear-aways are typically weaker portions of a container than non-tear-away portions. For instance, a tear-away may be a perforated strip of plastic on the side of a pot, such that when it is pulled the pot is split such that a plant may easily be removed. In some embodiments, a tear-away may be portions of a container that are relatively thinner than other portions of the container, such that they are easier to tear compared to thicker portions of the container. 
         [0008]    Disclosed herein are containers, and methods to create containers, that comprise at least one tear-away. Disclosed are pots made of plastics, paper, rubbers, resins, or some other material (or combination thereof) that comprise tear-aways configured to allow a user to easily open a pot and remove a plant. 
         [0009]    As will be described in greater detail below, a container may have one or more tear-aways. A container may include two or three tear-aways that extend from one end of a container to another. Some cylindrical or conical containers may have tear-aways extend around the circumference of the container. In some embodiments, containers may have tear-aways that extend in a spiral fashion along a container. 
         [0010]    Further, tear-aways may include a portion of plastic configured be pulled in order to remove at least a portion of the respective tear-away. For instance, a tear-away may have a hard tab at an end of the tear-away configured such that a user may easily pull the tear-away. As described herein, tabs may extend beyond an open side of a container (e.g., a side of a container from which a plant may extrude). In some embodiments, a tear-away may include a loop that may easily be pulled by a user. In some embodiments, a tear-away may be reinforced compared to areas of a pot that are not reinforced such that the tear-away may be removed with less force. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and other advantages and features of the disclosure can be obtained, a more particular description of the principles briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only example embodiments of the disclosure and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the principles herein are described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  illustrates an example container with tear-aways; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  illustrates an example container with tear-aways; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  illustrates an example container with tear-aways; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  illustrates an example container with tear-aways; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  illustrates an example container with a tear-away that extends around the circumference of a container; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  illustrates an example container with a tear-away that extends around the circumference of a container; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  illustrates an example container with a tear-away; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  illustrates an example container with a tear-away; 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  illustrates an example container with a tear-away; 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  illustrates an example container; 
           [0022]      FIG. 11  illustrates an example container with a tear-away that extends from the top of the side of a wall of a container through the enclosed end of the container; 
           [0023]      FIG. 12  illustrates an example container; 
           [0024]      FIG. 13  illustrates an example container with a tear-aways; 
           [0025]      FIG. 14  illustrates an example rectangular-shaped container with a tear-aways; 
           [0026]      FIG. 15  illustrates an example method embodiment of creating a container with tear-aways; and 
           [0027]      FIG. 16  illustrates an example method embodiment of removing a plant from a container comprising tear-aways. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0028]    Various embodiments of the disclosure arc discussed in detail below. While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations can be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. 
         [0029]    Containers described herein allow a user to easily remove a plant from that container. The containers include tear-aways which allow users to separate portions of a container. In response to separating the portion of the container, a plant may be removed easily and without breaking. 
         [0030]      FIG. 1  illustrates an example container  100  with tear-aways  110 ,  120 ,  130 . In some embodiments described herein, tear-aways  110 ,  120 ,  130  comprise tabs  115 ,  125 ,  135  that when pulled with a particular amount of force detach at least a portion of a tear-away, thus separating (or bifurcating) at least a two portions of a container. Tabs  115 ,  125 ,  135  may be positioned at a distal end of a tear-away  110 ,  120 ,  130 , such that when a tab  115 ,  125 ,  135  is pulled at least a portion, if not all, of the tear-away  110 ,  120 ,  130  is detached from the container  100 . 
         [0031]    In some embodiments, a tear-away  130  may be a strip wherein a center portion  140  of the strip is thicker than the two edge portions  142 ,  144  of the strip. For instance, a tear-away may have a center portion  140  with the same thickness as the non-tear-away portions of a container  150 , with two edge portions  142 ,  144  that are thinner than both the center portion  140  of the tear-away and the non-tear-away portions of a container  150 . 
         [0032]    In some embodiments, the center portion  140  of a tear-away may be reinforced, relative to the non-tear-away portions of a container  150 , such that it is easier to pull away. In some embodiments, a tear-away  110  may be a strip wherein the two edges portions  142 ,  144  of the strip are perforated, or scored in a manner such that when a distal end of a tear-away (e.g., tabs  115 ,  125 ,  125 ) are pulled at least a portion of a tear-away  110  is separated from a container  100 . In some embodiments, a tear-away may have more than two edge portions. For instance, the distal end of a strip opposite from the end configured to be pulled may be an edge portion. 
         [0033]    In some embodiments, tear-aways  110 ,  120 ,  130  may be easier to tear in one direction than another. For instance, a tab  115 ,  125 ,  135  may easily be pulled down such that the tear-away is removed from the open side of the container  100  downward, however, more force would be required for roots of a plant to cause a tear-away  115 ,  125 ,  135  to separate from a container  100  by pushing against the inner walls of a container. In some embodiments, this may be accomplished by configuring scores, or perforations, in a manner such that a tear-away  110 ,  120 ,  130  created by the scores/perforations is much easier to pull and separate from non-tear-away portions of a container  150  than if they were to be pulled in the opposite (wrong) direction. Whatever the type of tear-away  110 ,  120 ,  130 , in various embodiments tear-aways  110 ,  120 ,  130  are fabricated in the same fabrication process used to create the container  100  itself. 
         [0034]      FIG. 2  illustrates an example container  200  with tear-aways  210 ,  220 ,  230 . In some embodiments, tear-aways  210 ,  220 ,  230  may be configured such that when the tear-aways  210 ,  220 ,  230  are at least partially removed, a space may be created between the inner-walls of a container  200  and the contents of the container. In embodiments described herein, at least a portion of the contents of a container may be forced against at least a portion of the inner surface of a container  200 . In some embodiments, portions of the content of the container may apply a substantially equal amount of pressure to the inner surfaces of a container. For instance, the tear-aways  210 ,  220 ,  230  may be configured such that after the tear-aways are pulled, a potted plant would be easy to remove since there is a gap between the plant and/or soil and the inner wall of the container  200 . 
         [0035]    In some embodiments, a container  200  may be configured such that when the tear-aways  210 ,  220 ,  230  are at least partially separated from the walls of a container  200 , the walls of the container  200  may lay substantially flat in comparison with a bottom portion  260 , or base, of a container. 
         [0036]      FIG. 3  illustrates an example container  300  with tear-aways  310 ,  320 . Similar to  FIG. 1 , container  300  is configured to open, or at least create space within the container  300  to making the contents of container  300  easier to remove, since less pressure is put on the contents of the container when the tear-aways  310 ,  320  are at least partially separated from the container  300 .  FIG. 4  similarly illustrates an example container  400  with tear-aways  410 ,  420 . As with  FIG. 2 , in some embodiments, tear-aways  410 ,  420  may be at least partially removed by pulling tabs  415 ,  425  away from the inside of a container  470 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 5  illustrates an example container  500  with a tear-away  510 . Similar to the tabs  415 ,  425  in  FIG. 4 , for example, tear-away  510  comprises a tab  515  in the shape of a loop. Tabs  515 , as used herein, may refer to a hardened portion of material at a distal end of a tear-away  510 . Tabs  515  may have various shapes and sizes, such as rectangles, circles, circles with holes in them (i.e., loops), etc. 
         [0038]    As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , in some embodiments a tear-away  510  may extend around surface of a container  500  (e.g., the circumference of a cylindrical or conical container, or the walls of a rectangular shaped container), such that the container&#39;s top  500 A and bottom  500 B are bifurcated allowing the contents of the container to be removed with ease. 
         [0039]      FIG. 6  illustrates an example container  600  with a tear-away  610  that extends around the circumference of the container  600 . In some embodiments, tear-away  610  may be substantially perpendicular to the base, or enclosed end, of a container  600  (as well as a top, or open side of a container  600 ). Of course, in some embodiments a tear-away  610  may extend around the sides of a container  600  above the base at an angle that is not precisely parallel to the base of the container  600 . Note that although tear-away  610  is completely separated from the top  600 A and bottom  600 B portions of container  600 , in some embodiments a portion of the tear-away  610  may still be attached to a container  600  after it is pulled. For example, a tear-away  610  may have two ends—one with a tab  615  for pulling, and one without a tab  625 . The end of the tear-away without a tab  625  may stay connected to a container  600  in some embodiments, or the tear-away  610  may be completely removed from the container  600 . 
         [0040]      FIG. 7  illustrates an example container  700  with a tear-away  710 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , a tear-away  710  may also include a single thin, or perforated, portion of material configured to make portions  712 ,  714  of container  700  easier to separate (e.g., the portions  712 ,  714  may be separated with less force than if the tear-away  710  was absent). It should be noted that a tear-away  710  that is a thin portion of the container may be implemented in various directions as the containers shown in  FIGS. 1-6 , among others. 
         [0041]    In some embodiments, tear-away  710  is configured in a spiral manner such that portions  712 ,  714  of the container  700  are separated from each other, while the container  700  technically remains in one piece (although it may then be unfit for being a container).  FIG. 8  illustrates an example container  800  with a tear-away  810  wherein the walls of container  800  are removed in a spiral manner as tear-away  710  is used to disconnect portions  812 ,  814  of container  800 . 
         [0042]      FIG. 9  illustrates an example container  900  with a tear-away  910 . As illustrated, in some embodiments, portions of a container  900  may be separated via a tear-away  910  such that the container  900  may be split in half. For instance, a container  900  may comprise at least one hinge  920  that keeps portions  900 A,  900 B of a container  900  connected on at least one side. For example,  FIG. 10  illustrates an example container  1000  with separated portions  1000 A,  1000 B. In some embodiments, a tear-away  910  such as shown in  FIG. 9  may be completely removed from a container  1000  as shown in  FIG. 10 . Alternatively, in some embodiments a tear-away may remain connected after separating a container  1000 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , in some embodiments a tear-away may be used to separate portions  1000 A,  1000 B of a container  1000  wherein one of the side walls may be bent such that the portions  1000 A,  1000 B each comprise half of the container  1000  (minus any removed tear-away portions). 
         [0043]      FIG. 11  illustrates an example container  1100  with a tear-away  1110  that extends from the top of the side of a wall of container  1100  through the enclosed end (e.g., base) of the container  1120 , and in some embodiments up an opposing side wall of container  1100 . Herein, although the side walls of a round container such as  1100  may be considered the same wall in some embodiments, for the purposes of explanation an opposing portion of the wall of a cylindrical or conical container may also be referred to as an opposing side wall. 
         [0044]      FIG. 12  illustrates an example container with  1200  with separated portions  1200 A,  1200 B. In this example, a tear-away such as tear-away  1110  shown in  FIG. 11  may have been removed from container  1200 , bifurcating it into two separated portions  1200 A,  1200 B. While only one tear-away may be used to separate container  1200  into two portions  1200 A,  1200 B, it should be understood that multiple tear-aways may be used to separate a container  1200 . Further, a container  1200  may be separated into more than two portions  1200 A,  1200 B. Multiple tear-aways may be used in combination. For instance, one tear-away may extend around the circumference of a container while one or more additional tear-aways may extend perpendicularly relative to the enclosed end of a container. 
         [0045]      FIG. 13  illustrates an example container  1300  with a tear-aways  1310 ,  1320  comprising tabs  1315 ,  1325  located near an enclosed end  1330 , or base, of the container  1300 . Such a configuration allows a user to place a container  1300  on its base and pull a tear-away  1310 ,  1320  upwards, towards a user&#39;s upper body. Of course, in some embodiments a first portion of the tear-aways  1310 ,  1320  may be configured to be removed by pulling in one direction, while a second portion of the tear-aways  1310 ,  1320  are configured to be removed by pulling in a different, or opposite direction. 
         [0046]    In some embodiments, a tab  1315  may be flush with the surface of a container  1300 . In such a case, a tab  1315  may not catch onto a loose object accidently causing the tab  1315  to be pulled. As described above, although the tab  1315  in  FIG. 13  is in the shape of a loop, a tab may be any shape, such as a rectangle, square, circle, etc. In some embodiments, a tear-away  1310  is a strip and comprises a tab  1315  that is wider than the strip. 
         [0047]      FIG. 14  illustrates an example rectangular-shaped container  1400  with a tear-aways  1410 ,  1420 . As should be noted, containers  1400  need not be conical or cylindrical. For example, a container comprising tear-aways  1410 ,  1420  may be rectangular in shape, elliptical, pentagonal, etc. In some embodiments, various versions of tear-aways described herein may be implemented using a container of any shape, such as shown in  FIG. 14 . For example, a rectangular container  1400  may comprise a tear-away that extends around the sides of container  1400  parallel to the container&#39;s enclosed end, such as in the manner shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 . Similarly, one wall or edge of a rectangular shaped container  1400  may be configured to act as a hinge in such a manner as shown in  FIG. 9  and  FIG. 10 . 
         [0048]      FIG. 15  illustrates an example method embodiment  1500  of creating a container with tear-aways. There are a variety of methods which may be used to create containers out of numerous materials, such as hardened paper, rubber or plastic (e.g., HDPE, etc.), and as such this disclosure will not go in depth into the various method used to create these containers. Also, it should be understood that example method embodiments are shown for example only. Additional or fewer steps may be added or removed from the method embodiments shown herein. In addition, at least portions of the described method diagram shown in  FIG. 15  may be performed in a different order, in parallel, or not performed at all. 
         [0049]    As shown, method  1500  begins at block  1510 , where a material such as a resin or HDPE is placed into a mold. The mold may be formed in such a manner that perforations are placed in the material to create tear-aways. Similarly, the mold may be formed in such a manner that some areas of the material are thinner than others, creating one or more tear-aways. 
         [0050]    At block  1520 , the material is heated. As described in embodiments herein, the heating allows the material to be malleable such that tear-aways may be inserted. At block  1530 , the material is air-blown to assume the shape of the mold, such that the tear-aways become a part of the finished container. 
         [0051]      FIG. 16  illustrates an example method embodiment  1600  of removing a plant from a container comprising tear-aways. As with  FIG. 15 , additional or fewer steps may be added or removed from the method embodiments shown herein. In addition, at least portions of the described method diagram shown in  FIG. 16  may be performed in a different order, in parallel, or not performed at all. 
         [0052]    Method  1600  begins at block  1610 , where at least one tear-away is at least partially removed from a container comprising at least one tear-away. As described herein, tear-aways may come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and tear-aways may include tabs or other material configured to allow a user to grip a distal end of a tear-away. At block  1620 , in response to the tear-away being at least partially removed, a space is created between an inner surface of a container and the contents of that container. For example, the contents of a container may include a plant and/or soil. At block  1630 , the contents of the container are removed, which may include a plant and/or soil. 
         [0053]    Although a variety of examples and other information was used to explain aspects within the scope of the appended claims, no limitation of the claims should be implied based on particular features or arrangements in such examples, as one of ordinary skill would be able to use these examples to derive a wide variety of implementations. Further, although some subject matter may have been described in language specific to examples of structural features and/or method steps, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to these described features or acts. For example, such functionality can be distributed differently or performed in components other than those identified herein. Rather, the described features and steps are disclosed as examples of components of systems and methods within the scope of the appended claims.