Abstract:
A pot cover constructed such that a decoration can be included on the pot cover and the integrity of the decoration is maintained because the configuration of the pot cover does not result in the formation of arbitrary overlapping folds. The configuration of the pot cover allows a flower pot to be covered while the integrity of the decoration, such as a design or pattern, printed on each segment is maintained so that a decoration is presented throughout the outer peripheral surface of the formed pot cover.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/243,517, filed Sep. 12, 2002, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/861,829, filed May 21, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,304, issued Feb. 25, 2003, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/206,563, filed May 22, 2000, the contents of each hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates generally to covers for providing decorative coverings for flower pots, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a pot cover formed from a sheet of material folded so as to cause decoration on one portion of the sheet of material to be registered with decoration on another portion of the sheet of material whereby the decoration provided on the sheet of material is minimally distorted upon forming the sheet of material into the flower pot cover.  
           [0004]    2. Brief Description of the Related Art  
           [0005]    Pre-formed flower pot covers formed of a flexible sheet of material have been used for many years to enhance the aesthetic appearance of a potted plant. Such covers are generally formed between a pair of dies. In this process, a plurality of randomly oriented or arbitrary overlapping folds are formed in the sheet of material.  
           [0006]    While the overlapping folds cooperate to provide structural strength to keep the preformed shape of the flower pot cover, they make it impossible to display a design on the cover wherein the design is not mutilated or distorted because arbitrary portions of the designs are covered by the overlapping folds.  
           [0007]    To this end, a need has long existed for a flower pot cover which has a design printed thereon wherein the integrity of the design is maintained throughout the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot cover. It is to such a cover that the present invention is directed.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The present invention is directed to a pot cover which is made in such a manner that a decoration can be included on the pot cover and the integrity of the design can be maintained in the pot cover because the configuration of the pot cover does not result in the formation of arbitrary overlapping folds. The configuration of the pot cover of the present invention allows a flower pot to be covered while the integrity of the decoration, such as a design or pattern, printed on each segment is maintained so that a decoration is presented throughout the outer peripheral surface of the formed pot cover.  
           [0009]    Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and appended claims. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pot cover constructed in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line  2 - 2  of FIG. 1.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the sheet of material used to form the pot cover of FIG. 1.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of another version of a sheet of material for forming a pot cover in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a pot cover constructed in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of a sheet of material used to form the pot cover of FIG. 5.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a forming jig used to form the flower pot covers of the present invention.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a pot cover constructed in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a pot cover constructed in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]    Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, a flower pot cover  10  constructed in accordance with the present invention is shown therein. The pot cover  10  is formed of a generally square-shaped, flexible sheet of material  12  shown in FIG. 3. The pot cover  10  includes a substantially closed, planar bottom  14 , a sidewall  16 , an open upper end  18 , and an object opening  20 . The sidewall  16  further has a base portion  22  and a skirt portion  24 .  
         [0020]    The base portion  22  is formed to include a preselected number of overlapping folds  26  and a corresponding number of panel sections  28  which are substantially free of folds, creases, and score lines. By forming the panel sections  28  to be substantially free of folds, creases or score lines, the outer surface of each of the panel sections  28  is smooth and thus printed matter or decorative designs maybe provided on the sheet of material  12  so as to be displayed on the panel sections  28  whereby the printed matter and decorative designs are displayed without being substantially distorted or mutilated by numerous folds or creases.  
         [0021]    More specifically, the overlapping folds  26  of the base portion  22  include a first fold  30  and a corresponding second fold  32 . The first and second folds  30  and  32  cooperate to form a substantially Z-shaped configuration, as best shown in FIG. 2. The first fold  30  is substantially vertically oriented along the length of the sidewall  16  while the second fold  32  is angled relative to the length of the sidewall  16  at an angle ranging from about 5 degrees to about 60 degrees. The overlapping folds  26  provide mechanical strength to the base portion  22  for enabling the base portion  22  to stand upright on the closed bottom  14  of the base portion  22 . In this manner, the base portion  22  of the flower pot cover  10  has sufficient mechanical strength to stand upright about a flower pot without the necessity of mechanically connecting the base portion  22  to a flower pot, other than the connection normally provided when the lower end of a flower pot engages the bottom  14  of the flower pot cover  10  when the flower pot cover  10  is disposed about a flower pot. Thus, the overlapping folds  26  permit relatively thin sheets (films) of material to be utilized to form the flower pot cover  10 .  
         [0022]    The skirt portion  24  includes four petal-like portions  34 . Each flared petal-like portion  34  terminates with a pointed end which is formed by one of the four corners of the square-shaped sheet of material  12 . Further, each flared petal-like portion  34  extends a distance upwardly from the base portion  22  terminating with the pointed end of the flared petal-like portion  34 . The flared petal-like portions  34  are spaced apart circumferentially about the skirt portion  24  with the flared petal-like portions  34  being spaced apart at about ninety degree intervals  
         [0023]    The object opening  20  of the flower pot cover  10  is shaped and sized to receive a flower pot  36  (FIG. 8). When the flower pot  36  is disposed in the object opening  20  of the flower pot cover  10 , the base portion  22  substantially encompasses the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot  36  extending generally between the upper and the lower ends of the flower pot  36  with the upper end of the base portion  22  being disposed generally near the upper end of the flower pot  36  and the closed bottom  14  of the flower pot cover  10  extends across and encompasses the lower end of the flower pot  36 . When the flower pot cover  10  is disposed about the flower pot  36 , the skirt portion  24  of the flower pot cover  10  extends a distance upwardly from the upper end of the flower pot  36  and the pot cover  10  extends generally circumferentially about the upper end of the flower pot  36 .  
         [0024]    Referring now to FIG. 3, the sheet of material  12  is characterized as having an upper surface  38  and a lower surface  40 . The lower surface  38  is illustrated as being provided with a decoration  42 . More particularly, the decoration  42  is selectively provided on only the portions of the sheet of material  12  which form the panel sections  28  of the pot cover  10  when formed. In addition, the decoration  42  is provided on the sheet of material  12  such that one portion of the decoration, such as portion  42   a , will register with another portion of the decoration, such as portion  42   b , upon formation of the pot cover  10  whereby the decoration  42  extends continuously from one panel section  28  to an adjacent panel section  28  without substantially mutilating the decoration  42 , as shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 4 illustrates another sheet of material  12   a  which can be utilized to form the flower pot cover  10 . The sheet of material  12   a  is similar to the sheet of material  12  with the exception that a decoration  44  is provided throughout the sheet of material  12   a , not only on the portions of the sheet of material  12   a  which form the panel sections  28  of the pot cover  10 . However, like the decoration  42  of the sheet of material  12 , the decoration  44  is provided on the sheet of material  12   a  such that the decoration portions are in register upon formation of the flower pot cover  10  whereby the decoration  44  extends from one panel section  28  to the adjacent panel section  28  without being substantially mutilated.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of a pot cover  10   a  formed from a sheet of material  12   b . The pot cover  10   a  is substantially identical to the pot cover  10  described above with the exception of the use of the sheet of material  12   b . As best shown in FIG. 6, the sheet of material  12   b  is similar to the sheet of material  12   a  with the exception that a decoration  46  is provided only on the portions of the sheet of material  12   b  which form the panel sections  28  of the pot cover  10   a . However, unlike the decoration  44  of the sheet of material  12   a , all parts of the decoration  46  are formed in register with the portion of the sheet of material  12   b  which forms the panel sections  28  of the flower pot cover  10   a . As such, various portions of the decoration  46  are not required to be registered with one another in the forming process. However, because the decoration  46  is formed on the panel sections  28 , the decoration  46  extends from one panel section  28  to the adjacent panel section  28  without being substantially distorted, as shown in FIG. 5.  
         [0027]    To form the pot covers  10  and  10   a , either the upper surface  38  or the lower surface  40  or both the upper surface  38  and the lower surface  40  of the sheet of material  12 , 12   a , or  12   b  is adapted to be bondable so that when portions of the bondable surface are brought into bondable contact, such portions are bondably connected. The overlapping folds  26  are formed by overlapping portions of the bondable surface and bringing such overlapping portions into bondable engagement or contact. In this manner, the overlapping folds  26  are fixed in the pot covers  10  and  10   a . When an overlapping fold  26  is formed with a portion of the sheet of material  12  during the forming of the pot covers  10  and  10   a , portions of the upper surface  38  are overlapped and brought into bondable contact or engagement and, with respect to the same overlapping fold  26 , portions of the lower surface  40  also are overlapped and brought into bondable contact or engagement.  
         [0028]    As mentioned before, at least one of the upper and the lower surfaces  38  and  40  is prepared to form a bondable surface which is adapted to be bonded to portions of a similar bondable surface when bondably contacted with a similar bondable surface portion. Thus, in those instances when only the lower surface  40  is prepared to form a bondable lower surface  40 , the overlapping portions of the bondable lower surface  40  are brought into bondable contact during the forming of the pot covers  10  and  10   a  and such overlapping portions are bonded to form the overlapping folds  26 . The corresponding overlapping portions of the upper surface  38  are not bonded. Similarly, in those instances when only the upper surface  38  is prepared to form a bondable upper surface  38 , the overlapping portions of the bondable upper surface  38  are brought into bondable contact during the forming of the pot covers  10  and  10   a  and such overlapping portions are bonded to form the overlapping folds  26 . The corresponding overlapping portions of the lower surface  40  are not bonded. Finally, in those instances when both the upper and the lower surfaces  38  and  40  are prepared to form bondable upper and lower surfaces  38  and  40 , the overlapping portions of the upper and the lower surfaces  38  and  40  forming each overlapping fold  26  are brought into bondable contact during the forming of the flower pot cover  10  and such overlapping portions of the upper and the lower surfaces  38  and  40  are bonded to form the overlapping folds  26 .  
         [0029]    It has been found to be necessary only to prepare one of the upper and the lower surfaces  38  or  40  to form a bondable surface so the pot covers  10  and  10 a are formed from the sheets of material  12 ,  12   a , or  12   b  have sufficient mechanical strength to retain their formed shape in accordance with the present invention. However, it should be noted that preparing both the upper and the lower surfaces  38  and  40  to form bondable surfaces provides additional mechanical strength which may be desired in some applications and particularly in those applications where the additional mechanical strength is needed to enable the formed article to maintain or retain its formed shape. Such additional strength may be desired either because of the particular shape of the article or the particular thickness or characteristics of the particular film forming the sheets of material  12 ,  12 , or  12   b . Various techniques are utilized to prepare the sheet of material with at least one bondable surface in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0030]    One technique for preparing the bondable surfaces is to utilize polyvinyl chloride film to form the sheet of material which is heat sealable. When utilizing a processed organic polymer heat sealable film, the upper and the lower surfaces  38  and  40  of the sheet of material are bondable surfaces and the sheet of material must be heated during the forming of the article or, more particularly, the forming of overlapping folds  26 . Thus, in this instance, the term “bondable contact” or “bondable engagement” means contacting engagement and the application of the required amount of heat to effect heat sealable bonding of the contacting surfaces.  
         [0031]    It should be noted that a light activated adhesive also is suitable for use in preparing the bondable surface in accordance with the present invention. In this instance, heating elements would not be necessary; however, means for lighting the areas to be bonded would be necessary which might be effected by utilizing a light source during the forming of the pot covers  10  and  10   a . In this instance, the term “bondable contact” or “bondable engagement” means contacting engagement and the applications of sufficient light to effect the bond.  
         [0032]    Another technique for preparing the bondable surfaces is to utilize a non-heat sealable film to form the sheet of material and to apply a heat sealable coating to either the upper surface  38  or the lower surface  40  or both. Heat sealable adhesives are commercially available. The term “bondable contact” or “bondable engagement” as used in this instance means contacting engagement and the application of the required amount of heat to effect heat sealable bonding of the contacting surfaces. The heat sealable coating also can be a heat sealable lacquer, a pressure sensitive adhesive which also requires heat to effect the bond, or a non-melt adhesive.  
         [0033]    An additional technique for preparing the bondable upper and lower surfaces  38  or  40  is to utilize a non-heat sealable film to form the sheet of material and to apply a contact adhesive or cohesive coating to either the upper surface  38  or the lower surface  40  or both. Contact adhesives, as well as cohesives are commercially available. The term “bondable contact” or “bondable engagement” in this instance means contacting engagement sufficient to effect the adhesive or cohesive bond between the contacted surfaces.  
         [0034]    The pot covers  10  and  10   a  are formed initially using a folding jig  50 , illustrated in FIG. 7. The folding jig  50  is sized according to the size of pot cover  10  or  10   a  desired to be formed and includes a form  52 , a plurality of clips  54  fixed to a lower portion of the form  52  in a spaced relationship about the circumference of the form  52 , and a pedestal  56  which is pivotally supported by a base  57 . The form  52  further has a series of alignment marks  58 .  
         [0035]    In use, a sheet of material, such as the sheet of material  12 , is placed on top of the forming jig  50  so as to center the sheet of material  12  on the top of the forming jig  50  and to align the four corners of the sheet of material  12  with the four clips  54 . Next, one of the corners of the sheet of material  12  is folded downward so as to align the corner of the sheet of material  12  with the corresponding alignment mark  58 . With the corner of the sheet of material  12  aligned with the alignment mark  58 , the corner of the sheet of material  12  is positioned in the corresponding clip  54  to secure the corner of the sheet of material  12  to the forming jig  50 .  
         [0036]    Next, the oppositely disposed corner of the sheet of material  12  is folded downward and a slight tension is applied on the sheet of material  12  to remove any wrinkles in the sheet of material  12 . The corner of the sheet of material  12  is aligned with the corresponding alignment mark  58 . After aligning the corner of the sheet of material  12  with the alignment mark  58 , the corner of the sheet of material  12  is positioned in the corresponding clip  54  to secure the corner of the sheet of material  12  to the forming jig  50 .  
         [0037]    The third and fourth corners of the sheet of material  12  are next folded down, aligned with their corresponding alignment marks  58 , and positioned in their corresponding clips  54  as described above for the first and second corners of the sheet of material  12 .  
         [0038]    The portions of the sheet of material  12  extending directly above the clips  54  form four semi-flat sections with four flaps being formed between these semi-flat sections. The next step in the forming process is to rotate one of the flaps in a counterclockwise direction and pull it snug so as to remove all wrinkles in the flap. Once the flap is fully rotated against the forming jig  50 , a crease is pressed into the most outward fold of the flap. The flap is then rotated 180° in a clockwise direction where a bonding material, such as an adhesive or double-sided tape, is applied to the flap. With the bonding material applied, the flap is rotated back 180° in a counterclockwise direction where the corresponding portions of the decoration  42  are registered with one another and the flap is bondingly connected to the adjacent portion of the sheet of material  12 . This step is then repeated for the remaining three flaps whereupon the pot cover  10  is ready to be removed from the forming jig  50 .  
         [0039]    With the pot cover  10  removed from the forming jig  50 , the flaps may be secured further by placing the pot cover  10  on a flat support surface and rotating it so that so that the inside fold of one of the flaps is lying flat on the support surface. The inside fold is then pressed and secured with a bonding material in a manner similar to that described above for the outside fold of the flap. This step is repeated for each of the remaining three flaps.  
         [0040]    Upon forming the pot covers  10  and  10   a  as described above, the overlapping folds  26  may be further secured by taking the pot cover  10  or  10   a  and placing it between a heated male and a female mold (not shown). The male mold is brought into mating engagement with the female mold thereby heat sealing the overlapping folds  26 .  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 8 illustrates another version of a pot cover  70  constructed in accordance with the present invention. The pot cover  70  is illustrated as being formed from the sheet of material  12   a  illustrated in FIG. 4 and is substantially similar to the pot cover  10  described above with the exception that the overlapping folds  26  of the pot cover  70  are not bonded or otherwise connected. Thus, the primary purpose of the overlapping folds  26  is not to provide structural integrity to the pot cover  70 . Instead, the overlapping folds  26  substantially control the shape of pot cover  70  upon the sidewall  16  being formed about a flower pot or other plant container by an individual or a forming device. Further, the unconnected folds  26  facilitate shipping and storage of the pot cover in that the pot cover  70  is positionable in a substantially relaxed or flatted condition, as shown in FIG. 4.  
         [0042]    In use, a pot such as the one designated in FIG. 8 by reference numeral  36  is disposed on the planar bottom  14  of the pot cover  70 . The sidewall  16  of the pot cover  70  is then formed about the pot  36  such that the pot  36  is substantially covered by the sidewall  16 . Typically, the pot  36  contains a plant or floral grouping  37  which extends a distance above the upper end of the pot  36 . After the pot  36  has been covered by the sidewall  16 , the sidewall  16  is secured to the pot  36  with a securing member  72 . The securing member  72  is shown in FIG. 8 to be an elastic band. However, it will be appreciated that the securing member may also include ties, labels, ribbons, strings, tapes (including single or double-sided adhesive tapes), staples or combinations thereof.  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment of a pot cover  80 . The pot cover  80  is substantially similar to the pot cover  10  with the exception that the pot cover  80  includes a lower portion  82  and an upper portion  84 . The lower portion  82  comprises a portion of the sidewall  16  which has a plurality of overlapping folds, such as fold  86 , which are connected by a bonding material. The upper portion  84  comprises a portion of the sidewall  16  wherein the folds  86  are unbonded or unconnected, thus the upper portion  84  of the sidewall  16  is left substantially unbonded, resulting in the upper portion  84  of the sidewall  16  having a more billowy or fluted appearance in comparison to the flatter appearance of the bonded lower portion  82 .  
         [0044]    In use, a pot such as the one designated in FIG. 9 by reference numeral  36  is disposed on the planar bottom  14  of the pot cover  80  and into the lower portion  82  of the sidewall  16 . The upper portion  84  of the sidewall  16  of the pot cover  80  is then formed about the pot  36  such that the pot  36  is substantially covered by the sidewall  16 . After the pot  36  has been covered by the sidewall  16 , the upper portion  84  of the sidewall  16  is secured to the pot  36  with a securing member  88 . The securing member  88  is shown in FIG. 9 to be an elastic band. However, it will be appreciated that the securing member  88  may also include ties, labels, ribbons, strings, tapes (including single or double-sided adhesive tapes), staples or combinations thereof.  
         [0045]    The sheets of material  12 ,  12   a ,  12   b  used in accordance with the present invention may be constructed from a material selected from the group of materials consisting of paper (treated or untreated), foil, polymer film, fabric (natural or synthetic, woven or nonwoven), or burlap or combinations or laminations thereof.  
         [0046]    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.  
         [0047]    The sheets of material  12 ,  12   a , and  12   b  or other embodiments described herein may vary in color, and may be opaque, translucent or partially clear or tinted transparent. The sheets of material described herein may be constructed of a single layer of material or a plurality of layers of the same different types of materials. Any thickness of the sheet of material may be utilized in accordance with the present invention as long as the sheet of material is formable into a pot cover with a skirt, as described herein. The layers of material comprising the sheet of material may be connected together or laminated or may be separate layers, and the layers of material comprising the sheet of material need not be uniform in shape or composition.  
         [0048]    As noted above, the sheet of material 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 may be utilized in accordance with the present invention as long as the sheet of material may be formed into a flower pot cover, 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.  
         [0049]    The decorations  42 , 44 , and  46  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 sheets of material described herein 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 decorations  42 ,  44 , and  46  described herein 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 sheets of material described herein. Moreover, each decoration described herein may vary in the combination of such characteristics.  
         [0050]    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 material 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.  
         [0051]    The sheet of material used herein may further comprise at least one scent (not indicated in the figures). 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), or 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.  
         [0052]    The scent may be disposed upon the sheet of material  12  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.  
         [0053]    The scent may be contained within a lacquer, or other liquid, before it is disposed upon the sheet of material. 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  12  by any method described herein or known in the art.  
         [0054]    The term “floral grouping” where 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”.  
         [0055]    From the above description, it is clear that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the invention. While a presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will be readily understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished within the spirit of the invention disclosed.