Abstract:
A method and apparatus for automatically wrapping a sheet of material about a bouquet of flowers. A sheet of material having spaced apart defined first and second portions is placed against a support member, such as a prepared table top, and the bouquet is positioned on the sheet with the first and second portions of the sheet extending on right and left sides, respectively, of the bouquet. The first sheet portion is then moved in a path to at least partially encompass the bouquet, and the second sheet portion is moved in a path to at least partially encompass the bouquet and to extend over part of the first sheet portion. The two sheet portions may be secured together by a bonding material, or the first and second portions of the sheet of wrapping material can themselves act as a bonding material by application of appropriate heat sealing, sonic welding, vibratory welding, and similar methods. A stiff wrap ring form may be positioned suspended over the sheet of material, and the bouquet inserted in the wrap ring form. The stem portion of the bouquet may be tightly wrapped by a separate wrapping operation.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates generally to wrapping floral groupings, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a method and apparatus for wrapping a bouquet of botanical items automatically.  
         BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART  
         [0003]    Wrapping floral groupings, such as bouquets, is an old art. The wrapping protects the floral grouping, maintains the floral grouping in a relatively high moisture environment, makes the floral grouping more attractive, and protects the person giving or receiving the floral grouping by shielding the person or their clothing from excess moisture, color or pollen transfer, and damage from thorns and the like. However, in the past, the wrapping of floral groupings to form, for example, a bouquet has been done manually. A florist would select or cut a sheet of wrapping material, place the floral grouping with the stems toward one corner, bring the two corners adjacent the stem corner together in an overlapping fashion, and then secure, or not, as desired, the overlapping portions of the sheet of material together.  
           [0004]    There are many disadvantages to manually preparing wrapped floral groupings. The manual process is very time consuming, thereby adding expense to the final product. The resulting wrapped floral grouping may vary considerably in aesthetic value, depending upon the skill and experience of the person doing the wrapping. Even experienced wrappers may not wrap the floral grouping with the proper shape and size, so that the floral grouping may not be secure within the wrapping. Additionally, while the main part of the floral grouping may be adequately wrapped and protected, the stem area of the wrapping does not wrap the stems tight enough and may allow the stems to protrude through the stem end of the wrapping which makes the floral presentation unsightly and, again, can injure a person or damage a person&#39;s clothing. Even after a successful or adequate manual wrap, problems arise in attempting to band the wrap or otherwise affix the wrap upon itself. Handling the unbanded or unfastened wrap is awkward and may require two people, one to hold the wrap in place and the other to band or fasten the overlapping corners of the wrap.  
           [0005]    There is therefore a clear need in the art for a method and apparatus for automatically wrapping floral groupings which provides consistent wrapping of proper shape and size and which can, optionally, prepare a tight wrap of the stem portion of the floral grouping, and/or band or fasten the wrapping, resulting in an aesthetically pleasing floral presentation absent all of the disadvantages resulting from the aforementioned manual wrapping method. The present invention fulfills that need.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    Definitions  
           [0007]    The material which comprises the sheet of material S is preferably selected from the group of materials consisting of: man-made organic polymer films; fibers or fabric (woven or non-woven, synthetic or natural); metallic and non-metallic foils; paper (coated or uncoated, treated or untreated); cellulose (including cellophane); leather; burlap; “dead fold” or semi-rigid sheet materials including, but not limited to, “dead-fold” plastic sheets, wire laminated flexible sheet material, waxed sheet material, starched or sugared sheet material; and laminates; or combinations thereof. The sheet of material S used with the bouquet wrapping apparatus may employ materials having adhesives or cohesives on both sides of the sheet S, an adhesive on one side and a cohesive on the other side or a cohesive or adhesive on only one side of the sheet S with no adhesive or cohesive on the other side of the sheet S. The sheet S may be a heat sealable material which can be sealed with heat devices. The sheet S may be a weldable film which can be welded with heat or welded sonically or with a vibratory welding means.  
           [0008]    “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 which add to the aesthetics of the overall floral grouping. The floral grouping has a stem and a bloom end.  
           [0009]    The term “botanical item”, as 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 bouquets or floral groupings.  
           [0010]    For convenience, the term “bouquet” will be used hereinafter to substitute for the term “floral grouping”. Therefore, when the term “bouquet” is used, what is meant is “floral grouping” as defined above.  
           [0011]    The term “bonding material” as used herein includes adhesives, preferably pressure sensitive adhesives, or cohesives. Where the bonding material is a cohesive, a compatible cohesive material must be placed on the adjacent surface for bondingly contacting and bondingly engaging with the first-mentioned 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, or generated, to effect the seal. The term “bonding material” as used herein also means a heat sealing lacquer which may be applied to the sheet of material and, in this instance, heat also must be applied, or generated, to effect the sealing. The term “bonding material” as used herein 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 labels, bands, ribbons, strings, tape, staples or combinations thereof.  
           [0012]    Discussion  
           [0013]    The present invention overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of manually wrapping bouquets, as is done in the prior art, by providing a method and apparatus for automatically wrapping a sheet of material about a bouquet. A sheet of material having spaced apart defined first and second portions is placed against a support member, such as a prepared table top, and the bouquet is positioned on the sheet with the first and second portions of the sheet extending on right and left sides, respectively, of the bouquet. The first sheet portion is then moved in a path to at least partially encompass the bouquet, and the second sheet portion is moved in a path to at least partially encompass the bouquet and to extend over part of the first sheet portion. Such automatic operation insures proper size and shape for the wrapping material and also assures consistency from one bouquet to another.  
           [0014]    In another aspect of the invention, the two sheet portions are secured together by a bonding material, or the first and second portions of the sheet of wrapping material can themselves act as a bonding material by application of appropriate heat sealing, sonic welding, vibratory welding, and similar methods. Alternatively, or additionally, the wrapped bouquet may be elastically or nonelastically banded.  
           [0015]    In another aspect of the invention, the stem portion of the bouquet is tightly wrapped by a separate wrapping operation.  
           [0016]    In yet a further aspect of the invention, a member defining a wrap ring form may be positioned suspended over the sheet of material, and the bouquet inserted in the wrap ring form. The wrapping process is then performed, and the wrap ring form provides a stiff bouquet encompassing structure about which the sheet of material can be wrapped for improved consistency of shape and size of the finished wrapped product. This is due to the ability of the stiff wrap ring form to accommodate the necessary tension forces applied to the sheet by the wrapping machine, especially at the end of the wrap cycle. Such forces might otherwise crush the bouquet. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]    The invention will now be described having reference to the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1 is a plan view of the bouquet wrap machine according to the present invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1A shows a partial cross sectional view of the pinch clamp for holding and manipulating one corner of the sheet of wrapping material;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1B is a left elevation view of the pinch clamp shown in FIG. 1A;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 is a side elevation view taken along the lines  2 - 2  in FIG. 1 showing the components of the right hand wrap unit assembly;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 is a side elevation view taken along the lines  3 - 3  in FIG. 1 and showing the components of the left hand wrap unit assembly;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 3A is a partial right end view of the left hand wrap unit assembly of FIG. 3.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 4 is an end view of the wrap ring member, in both open and closed positions, taken along the lines  4 - 4  in FIG. 1, with some parts removed so as not to obscure the wrapping function;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 5 is a right elevation view of the wrap ring member shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 6 is a plan view, in partial cross section, of the bouquet stem wrapping unit;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the stem wrapping unit;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 8 is an end elevation view of the stem wrapping unit taken along the lines  8 - 8  in FIG. 1;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 9A is a side elevation view of the slide assembly shown in phantom in FIG. 1; and  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 9B is a bottom plan view of the slide assembly shown in FIG. 9A. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0031]    [0031]FIG. 1 is a plan view of the bouquet wrapping apparatus showing a portion of a supporting surface or machine top  53  which is mounted on a machine frame (not shown), and various subassemblies of the apparatus that are mounted on the machine top  53 .  
         [0032]    A right hand wrap unit assembly  1  is generally positioned and operable from the right hand side of the bouquet to be wrapped. A sheet of wrapping material S of preselected size is positioned and clamped to machine top  53  adjacent each of the four corners of the sheet. In FIG. 1, a portion of the sheet S and a portion of the machine top  53  are removed so as to be able to view some of the components of the right hand wrap unit assembly  1  which, in its initial position, lies below the level of top surface of machine top  53 .  
         [0033]    A left hand wrap unit assembly  2  is shown in phantom lines in FIG. 1 to be positioned below the sheet S and, in its initial position, also at a level below the top surface of machine top  53 , as is the initial position of the right hand unit  1 . An elongated slat  53   b  is provided in machine top  53  to permit left hand wrap unit assembly  2  to move therethrough and manipulate corner S 2  of the sheet S.  
         [0034]    A stem wrapper unit assembly  3  is positioned adjacent the stem end of a bouquet to be wrapped, and a fixed clamp assembly  4  functions to clamp the corner S 4  in position as shown in the upper right hand corner of the sheet S in FIG. 1.  
         [0035]    A wrap ring form assembly  5 , available in different sizes depending upon the size of bouquet to be wrapped, is positioned adjacent the corner S 4  of sheet S, the wrap ring  50  being shown in the closed position in FIG. 1.  
         [0036]    A slide assembly  23 , also shown in phantom in FIG. 1, is mounted beneath the machine top  53  and serves the function of moving the right hand unit  1  away from the wrapped bouquet at the end of the wrapping cycle.  
         [0037]    The bouquet wrap apparatus of FIG. 1 is a self contained machine for use with a preselected size sheet S of plastic film, clear or colored, painted or unpainted, printed or unprinted. The sheets S may be pre-cut sheets, or automatically dispensed from a roll dispenser which feeds a sheet of desired size to the proper working position on the machine top  53 .  
         [0038]    The basic operation of the apparatus is as follows. The sheet S is held down at or adjacent each corner by a hold down mechanism for each corner, yet to be described in detail. It is sufficient at this point in the description to simply indicate that the four corners of sheet S are held or clamped by pinch clamp  11  on corner S 1 , vacuum cup  29  at corner S 2 , pinch clamp  40  at corner S 3 , and fixed clamp plunger  48  at corner S 4 . The wrap ring support member  50  of the wrap ring assembly  5  then opens, as best seen by the phantom lines in FIG. 4, to accept a bundled bouquet with the stems of the bouquet directed to the corner S 3  of the sheet S, and with the stems confined within a U-shaped stem holder  44 . The bloom end of the bouquet is positioned within the wrap ring support member  50 .  
         [0039]    With the sheet clamped at all four corners and the wrap ring support member  50  closed, the right hand wrap unit assembly  1  rises to pull corner S 1  of the sheet of material up and around the bouquet to a position greater than 180° about the periphery of the bouquet, with the pinch clamp  11  coming to rest adjacent the periphery of the wrap ring support member  50  and toward the rear of the machine top  53 . This completes the first part of the wrap cycle.  
         [0040]    At, after, or before completion of the first part of the wrap cycle, the left hand wrap unit assembly  2  carries the corner S 2  of the sheet of material up and about the bouquet to be wrapped and comes to rest with the suction cup  29  adjacent the periphery of wrap ring support member  50  toward the front of machine top  53 . This second part of the wrap cycle obviously causes the corner S 2  to overlap the sheet of material by a substantial amount so that the portion of material between the outer surface of the sheet adjacent corner S 1  and the inner surface of the sheet adjacent corner S 2  is sufficient to provide a large overlapping contact area and, if desired, adequate adhesion or coadhesion between the two facing surfaces. The left hand wrap unit assembly  2  manipulates the corner S 2  in a path so as to first overlap the sheet adjacent corner S 1 , but spaced therefrom, and then make contact between the overlapping sheet portions.  
         [0041]    After completion of the second part of the wrap cycle by left hand wrap unit assembly  2 , the stem wrap unit assembly  3  operates to tightly wrap the corner S 3  of the sheet of material tightly about the stem portion of the bouquet.  
         [0042]    After adhesion, coadhesion, heat sealing, sonic sealing, vibratory sealing, elastic banding, nonelastic banding, or the like to keep the wrapped bouquet secure, all sheet clamps are released, wrap ring support member  50  is opened, slide unit  23  operates to push the right hand wrap unit assembly  1  away from machine top  53 , and both right and left hand wrap unit assemblies  1  and  2  retract to beneath machine top  53 . The operator then removes the wrapped bouquet, stems first, from the U-shaped stem holder  44 , completing the cycle.  
         [0043]    The operation of the right hand wrap unit assembly  1  will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1, 1A,  1 B, and  2 . A C-shaped rocker arm  6  having an H-shaped cross section is confined to move along the periphery of a circular path the center of which is the center of an imaginary circle having a segment of its periphery defining the C-shape of the rocker arm  6 . In its initial position, rocker arm  6  is located beneath machine top  53  as shown by solid lines in FIG. 2. The ends  6   b  and  6   c  of rocker arm  6  are cut at an angle so as to not interfere with the sheet of material positioned on machine top  53 . A pair of rollers  6   d  and  6   e  confine the movement of rocker arm  6  to the aforementioned circular path by rolling against the circular outer periphery  6   f  and the circular inner surface  6   a , respectively. Aiding in confining the rocker arm  6  to its circular path are a number of rocker support clips  22  each having a tab (not shown) which slidably fits within one of the edge slots on either side of the rocker arm  6 , the slots defined by the H-shaped cross section of rocker arm  6 .  
         [0044]    A right hand unit angle mount  21  supports the entire mechanism of right hand wrap unit assembly  1 . Angle mount  21  mounts the operational parts of right hand wrap unit assembly  1  on its vertically oriented portion, and the horizontal portion of angle mount  21  is securely affixed to the end of slide  27 , so that right hand wrap unit assembly  1  can be moved to the right (in FIG. 1) after completion of the wrap cycle.  
         [0045]    Fixed to the angle mount  21  is a pivot pin  18   a  about which rocker cylinder pivot standoff  18  is positioned to locate rocker cylinder  55  spaced from other components of right hand wrap unit assembly  1  and permit rocker cylinder  55  to pivot about pin  18   a . Rocker cylinder  55  is shown as a pneumatic or hydraulic piston cylinder which reciprocates a piston shaft  55   a  having its distal end pivoted about pivot pin  17   a  and spaced from rocker arm  6  by a rocker arm standoff  17 . Pivot pin  17   a  is fixed to the far right hand end of rocker arm  6  as shown in FIG. 2. Operation of rocker cylinder  55  causes shaft  55   a  to either pull or push against pivot pin  17   a  and effect the movement of rocker arm  6  along the aforementioned circular path. In the fully closed position of piston shaft  55   a , rocker arm  6  will have the position shown by dashed lines in FIG. 2.  
         [0046]    For ease in discussing the operation of the various active elements of the invention, the term “cylinder” as used hereinafter will refer to a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder or any other mechanism which is capable of applying reciprocal motion to an object. Each of these types of elements are depicted in the drawings as pneumatic cylinders.  
         [0047]    Before operation of cylinder  55  to raise the right hand wrap unit assembly  1 , the corner S 1  of sheet S is clamped by a pinch clamp  11 , the details of which are best seen in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The side view of the pinch clamp  11  in FIG. 1A shows a right hand clamp arm  10  affixed to right hand cushion cylinder head  9  (see FIG. 1) which, in turn, is fixed to the end of piston shaft  56   a  and cushion cylinder slide rods  16 . The end of pinch clamp  11  is flattened to form an upper jaw  11   c . The free end of clamp arm  10  is narrowed and flattened to form a lower jaw  10   c  of the pinch clamp  11 . A slot  10   a  near the end of clamp arm  10  permits the vertically oriented thinned portion of pinch clamp  11  to move within slot  10   a  (FIG. 1B). Pinch clamp  11  itself is pivoted about pin  11   a  fixed to clamp arm  10  and has a slot  11   b  angled with respect to a cooperating slot  10   b  in clamp arm  10 . A pin  12   a  passes through slots  10   b  and  11   b  and is fixed to each side of a U-shaped clamp actuator  12 . A tab  12   b  of actuator  12  is reciprocated by action of a clamp cylinder  62 . As tab  12   b  is reciprocated, actuator  12  reciprocates and causes the jaws  10   c  and  11   c  to open and close depending upon whether the movement of actuator  12  is to the right or left in FIG. 1A. In the open position of clamp  11 , a sheet S can be moved into its predetermined position for clamping, and at the beginning of the wrap cycle, cylinder  62  operates to close jaws  10   c  and  11   c  to clamp the corner S 1  of the sheet of material therebetween.  
         [0048]    With the material clamped by pinch clamp  11 , cylinder  55  is operated to retract piston  55   a  into cylinder  55 . This pulls pin  17   a  to the left in FIG. 2 and moves rocker arm  6  in a circular path as previously described.  
         [0049]    Near the left end of rocker arm  6  a pivot pin  8   a  passes through a swing gear guard  14 , a pinion gear  8 , and a solid angle piece referred to hereinafter as a swing block  7 , all of such components being fixed to rocker arm  6  by the pivot pin or screw  8   a . A right hand swing cylinder  57  is fixed to the approximate center of rocker arm  6  by screws  57   a  and carries a rack  20  at the end of the piston shaft  57   b . The rack  20  has a system of teeth which mesh with and cooperate with the teeth of pinion gear  8  affixed or keyed to swing block  7 , such that movement of the piston shaft  57   b  effects rotation of pinion gear  8  by the reciprocal motion of rack  20  at the appropriate times in the wrap cycle. Thus, when cylinder  55  retracts piston shaft  55   a , pivot pin or screw  8   a  begins to rise in the path illustrated in FIG. 2, resulting in a swinging movement of the elements connected to rocker arm  6 , including cylinder  56  and, in turn, right hand clamp arm  10  with the corner S 1  of the sheet material being clamped thereto.  
         [0050]    At the beginning of the operation of right hand wrap unit assembly  1 , cylinder  57  is not activated and has its piston  57   b  fully retracted. This permits right hand cushion cylinder  56  to lie relatively flat beneath the machine top  53  and extending to the left in FIG. 2. As cylinder  55  retracts piston  55   a , swing block  7  which supports cushion cylinder  56  moves upwardly as rocker arm  6  follows its circular path.  
         [0051]    At a prescribed position of the rocker arm  6 , swing cylinder  57  begins to force piston  57   b  outwardly rotating pinion gear  8 , by the action of rack  20 , in a clockwise direction as seen in FIG. 2. Since pinion gear  8  is fixed or keyed to swing block  7 , right hand cushion cylinder  56  rotates clockwise as well, pivoting about pin or screw  8   a . In this manner, the corner S 1  of the sheet of material is first brought upwardly and then the sheet begins to wrap about the bouquet with the interior portion of the sheet forming around wrap ring support member  50 .  
         [0052]    This contact of the sheet of material with support member  50 , in effect, limits the upward movement of the sheet of material so that the diameter of the swing of wrap unit assembly  1  must necessarily be reduced; otherwise, the corner S 1  would slip out of pinch clamp  11 , or it would tear. This is accomplished by the operation of cylinders  56  and  57 , the former causing the radius of the swing movement to directly decrease as a result of the retraction of piston  56   a  into cushion cylinder  56  and telescopic retraction of cushion cylinder slide rods  16  within cushion cylinder fixed rods  15 . Telescoping rods  15 ,  16  provide strength and stability to the operation of cushion cylinder  56 . Operation of cylinder  57  brings the right hand clamp arm  10  down into position against the far side of wrap ring support member  50 , i.e. to a position greater than 180° about the periphery of the bouquet, to complete the first part of the wrap cycle.  
         [0053]    Toward the end of the first part of the wrap cycle, or after completion thereof, as desired, the left hand wrap unit assembly begins to function (see FIG. 3).  
         [0054]    At the start of the next part of the wrap cycle, the left hand wrap unit assembly  2  is entirely located beneath the machine top  53 . Pneumatic cylinders  58 ,  59 , and  60  are in their retracted positions, and suction cup  29  is located substantially level with the top of machine top  53 .  
         [0055]    The left hand wrap unit assembly  2  is comprised primarily of a pair of C-shaped swing arms, a main swing arm  30  and a secondary swing arm which has a stub portion  31  extending to a cushion arm  32  having the vacuum cup  29  attached to the free end thereof. Secondary swing arm stub portion  31  is pivotally attached to cushion arm  32  by a pivot member  31   a , and relative pivotal movement between these two members is effected by the operation of cushion cylinder  60 .  
         [0056]    [0056]FIG. 3 a  shows the end of cushion arm  32  having a conical shaped roller  34  rotatable about a roller mount screw  35  on one side thereof, and a vacuum cup holder  33  with vacuum cup  29  positioned on the opposite side. A vacuum pump (not shown) is connected to vacuum cup  29  after the sheet of material S is in position on machine top  53  and the wrapping procedure is ready to begin. In operation, a vacuum is applied to vacuum cup  29  to hold the corner S 2  of the sheet of material in place even before the actuation of the right hand wrap unit assembly  1 .  
         [0057]    At the appropriate time in the wrapping sequence, cylinder  58  is actuated to extend its cylinder and the rack  58   a  attached thereto. Cylinder  58 , by screws  58   d , is mounted to left hand swing arm mounting bracket  53   b  which is attached to the bottom of machine top  53 . As rack  58   a  moves outwardly from cylinder  58 , a pinion gear  58   b  fixed or keyed to the left end of main swing arm  30  begins to rotate about its shaft  58   c . This causes the entire left hand wrap unit assembly  2  to begin swinging upwardly about the pivot member  58   c , resulting in the vacuum cup  29  carrying corner S 2  of the sheet of material up and about the bouquet to be wrapped.  
         [0058]    It will be appreciated that the inner surface of the corner S 2  of the sheet of material may have an adhesive or coadhesive which will adhere to the outer surface of the corner S 1  of the sheet of material in the overlapping area of the final configuration. Accordingly, it is not advisable to drag the material across previously wrapped material, since premature attachment of the overlapping portions of the material would occur. Positioning the main and secondary swing arms  30 ,  31 ,  32  so as to have the fullest extent possible keeps the corner S 2 , and the adjacent portion of the sheet material, well away from the previously wrapped portion.  
         [0059]    As the left hand wrap unit assembly  2  rises and brings corner S 2  over the previously wrapped portion of the bouquet, at a prescribed position cylinder  59 , mounted to the main swing arm  30  by screws  59   b , begins to push rack  59   a  outwardly. As it does, pinion gear  59   b , fixed or keyed to the left end of secondary swing arm stub portion  31 , begins to rotate about shaft  59   c . This reduces the diameter of the swing arm movement and begins to bring the corner S 2  of the sheet of material closer to the partially wrapped bouquet, such action providing the same benefits as that previously described in connection with the radius-reducing action of the right hand wrap unit assembly  1 . In the instant case, however, an additional feature is provided in the form of conical roller  34  which is shaped and positioned to meet with and roll against the conforming conical surface of wrap ring support member  50  near the completion of the wrap cycle.  
         [0060]    Just before the completion of the wrap cycle, cylinder  60  extends to move the free end of cushion arm  32  closer to support member  50  so that roller  34  can positively and firmly roll against support member  50 . Also, the last movement of the free end of cushion arm  32  brings the sheet of material into intimate contact with the previously partially wrapped bouquet so that the two portions of the overlapping sheet of material can be adhered to one another without dragging the material across itself at the end of the wrapping procedure.  
         [0061]    [0061]FIGS. 4 and 5 will now be described, these figures showing the wrap ring assembly  5  in more detail. FIG. 4 is a view taken along the lines  4 - 4  in FIG. 1 except that some components have been removed from what actually would be viewed from that location so as not to obstruct the operation of the wrapping cylinder actuator  70  which is best seen in FIG. 4.  
         [0062]    As previously indicated, at the beginning of the first portion of the wrap cycle, the wrap ring support member  50  opens up to allow a bouquet to be inserted with the bloom end oriented toward the wrap ring support member  50 . Wrap ring support member  50  comprises two halves  50   a  and  50   b , the bottoms of which are connected to a wrap ring linkage  51  by hinges  73 . Also mounted on wrap ring linkage  51  is the cylinder portion of a wrap ring cylinder  66  having a cylinder piston shaft  69  reciprocating within wrap ring cylinder  66 . Mounted to the end of piston shaft  69  is an elongated pivot rod  74  which provides a pivot axis for the two links  71  which have their upper ends pivoted to a common pivot axis at pivot rod  74  and their lower ends separately pivotable about pivot pins  75  at the upper ends of a pair of standoffs  72  welded or otherwise fixed to the respective wrap ring support member halves  50   a  and  50   b.    
         [0063]    As can be seen in FIG. 4, the solid lines show the wrap ring support member  50  in a closed position due to the fact that the wrap ring cylinder piston shaft  69  is fully extended from wrap ring cylinder  66 . When cylinder piston shaft  69  is retracted into wrap ring cylinder  66 , pivot rod  74  is moved downwardly, and ultimately standoffs  72  assume a substantially vertical position as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 4. In this condition, the wrap ring support member  50  is in its fully open position. Also shown in dashed lines in FIG. 4 is the position of the two wrap ring support member halves  50   a  and  50   b  in the fully open position.  
         [0064]    Below machine top  53  is a ring pin receiver  49  upon which is mounted a number of electrical microswitches  76   a - 76   d . Each microswitch is operated by the pushing of an associated switch button  77   a - 77   d  on each microswitch.  
         [0065]    A wrap ring pin  52  is fixed to the wrap ring linkage  51  and has a length which is predetermined by the size of the wrap ring support member  50 . That is, the invention is able to accommodate a variety of sizes of bouquets to be wrapped, and for each size wrap, in order to obtain the optimum wrapping for a pleasing appearance and security, the wrap ring support member  50  must be a different size as well. By way or example, and without limitation, the wrap ring support member  50  may accommodate bouquets having a bloom diameter of 4″, 5″, 6″ and 8″. For a 4″ bouquet, the wrap ring pin  52  would be of a length sufficient to only operate button  77   a  on microswitch  76   a . This sets the electrical circuit which operates the left hand and right hand wrap unit assemblies  1  and  2  so as to establish the required path and timing and to manipulate the sheet of material S in an optimum manner to produce a secure and pleasing wrapped bouquet product. The effects of operating one or more of microswitches  76   a - 76   d  will be explained later.  
         [0066]    When wrap ring assembly  5  is removed and another sized wrap ring assembly is to be substituted, lock-down screw  51   a  is loosened, wrap ring linkage  51  is grasped, and the assembly  5  is raised withdrawing pin  52  from sleeve  49   a . The replacement assembly  5  is then installed by inserting its pin  52  into sleeve  49   a  and tightening screw  51   a . In the embodiment illustrated, if the replacement assembly  5  is for wrapping a 5″ bouquet, the pin  52  would be of a length to operate microswitches  76   a  and  76   b . For a 6″ bouquet, microswitches  76   a - 76   c  are operated, and for an 8″ bouquet, all microswitches  76   a - 76   d  are operated. An appropriate circuit (not shown) is responsive to the four different electrical responses to set up the required path and timing which are optimum for the different sized bouquets to be wrapped.  
         [0067]    As can be appreciated by reference to FIG. 5, the wrap ring support member  50  is supported suspended above the machine top  53  to permit a sheet of material S to slide between wrap ring linkage  51  and the top surface of machine top  53 . Wrap ring linkage  51  is rigidly held in the suspended position by means of a manual lock-down screw  51   a  which is screwed into machine top  53  until wrap ring linkage  51  is clamped securely against a spacer washer  51   b  which surrounds pin  52 . Wrap ring pin  52  is further secured into cooperative relationship with switch buttons  77   a - 77   d  by means of sleeve  49   a  which has an inside diameter just slightly larger than the outside diameter of pin  52 . Sleeve  49   a  is also secured to the machine top  53 .  
         [0068]    [0068]FIG. 5 also best shows the operation of the sheet clamp  4  which comprises a fixed clamp cylinder  61  screwed into a fixed clamp cylinder mount  47  attached to the bottom of machine top  53 . An opening  53   a  is provided in the machine top  53  so as to permit piston plunger  48  of the fixed clamp  4  to reciprocate within cylinder  61 . Upon extension of the piston plunger  48  upwardly (in FIG. 5), the sheet of material will be clamped against the bottom of wrap ring linkage  51  to hold the sheet of material in place during the entire wrapping operation. Cylinder  61  is de-energized at the conclusion of the wrap cycle so that the completely wrapped bouquet can be easily removed from the assembly.  
         [0069]    FIGS.  6 - 8  show the operation of the stem wrapper unit assembly  3 . FIG. 6 is the view from the top of the apparatus, FIG. 7 is a side elevation view, and FIG. 8 is an end view as would be seen by the stem portion of the bouquet to be wrapped. Basically, the stem wrapper unit assembly  3  comprises a motor  68  (turning at 154 RPM) driving a gear assembly  46 ,  37  which rotates a half cylinder shaped stem wrapper  36 , and a moving pinch clamp assembly  40  which extends within the center of wrapper  36 .  
         [0070]    Before the beginning of the wrap cycle, moving pinch clamp assembly  40  is retracted to the left as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 7 by the action of wrapper clamp slide cylinder  64  pushing its piston  64   a  out of the cylinder  64 . Also, wrapper clamp cylinder  63  has its piston  63   a  retracted as shown in solid lines in FIG. 7, which pulls to the left the tab of a wrapper clamp actuator  43 , thereby opening the jaws of pinch clamp  40 . The operation of cylinder  63  and moving pinch clamp assembly  40  is very similar to that described in connection with FIG. 1 where the operation of cylinder  62  was detailed. Accordingly, no additional operating functions are necessary to be explained at this juncture except to indicate that the cylinder  63  is mounted to a wrapper clamp cylinder mount  41  which, itself, reciprocates axially of wrapper  36  by the action of wrapper clamp slide cylinder  64 . Accordingly, cylinder  64  operates to move the entire pinch clamp assembly  40  toward and away from the edge of the sheet S, while cylinder  63  operates to close and open the jaws of pinch clamp  40 .  
         [0071]    Thus, before the wrap cycle begins, cylinder  64  has its piston shaft  64   a  extended to move the wrapper clamp cylinder mount  41  to the left (in FIG. 7), and cylinder  63  has its piston shaft  63   a  withdrawn so as to pull wrapper clamp actuator  43  to the left, opening the jaws of pinch clamp  40 . After a sheet of material S is placed on machine top  53  and the corner S 3  is slipped over the edges of wrapper  36 , cylinder  64  is actuated to move the wrapper clamp arm  42  and wrapper clamp cylinder mount  41  to the right, resulting in the pinch clamp  40  positioned with its opened jaws receiving corner S 3  of the sheet of material. Subsequently, cylinder  63  is actuated to extend its piston shaft  63   a  to cause wrapper clamp actuator  43  to close the jaws of pinch clamp  40  and clamp the corner S 3  of the sheet of material in place.  
         [0072]    [0072]FIG. 8 shows an optional stem wrapper safety cover  45  which is hinged at  45   a  by any manner of hinging to machine top  53 . In this way, the operation of the stem wrapping unit  3  can be completed without exposure of the rotating cylinder wrapper  36  which could be a threat to the safety of the operator.  
         [0073]    After the sheet of material S is deposited on the surface of machine top  53 , the jaws of pinch clamp  40  clamp the corner S 3  into position, the wrap ring support member  50  opens and the bouquet of flowers to be wrapped is placed on the top of sheet S with the stems contained within the U-shaped stem holder  44 . The cover  45  is then closed, and the operator initiates the wrapping cycle. At the appropriate point in the wrapping cycle, gear assembly  46  rotates wrapper gear  37  to, in turn, rotate the cylindrical-shaped wrapper  36  in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 8.  
         [0074]    In FIG. 8, the position of wrapper  36  is shown in the orientation just prior to the wrapping operation. After the first and second halves of the wrapping cycle are completed by the left hand and right hand wrap unit assemblies  1  and  2 , or just prior to such completion, cylinder  36  beings to rotate counterclockwise as seen in FIG. 8.  
         [0075]    A relatively strong leaf spring  78  is mounted at one of its ends by leaf spring mount  79  to the inside surface of wrapper  36 . Leaf spring  78  is pretensioned to apply a force upwardly at its left free end as shown in FIG. 8. Leaf spring  78 , however, is prevented from having its left end move upwardly by the provision of a stop  80  also mounted to the inside surface of wrapper  36  diametrically opposite spring mount  79 . This construction permits the leaf spring  78  to be pushed in a counterclockwise direction when the force against it, during the wrapping operation, exceeds its spring force tending to push it against stop  80 .  
         [0076]    When the stems of the bouquet to be wrapped are placed in U-shaped stem holder  44 , the stems at the bottom of the bouquet rest against the top surface of leaf spring  78 , since the bottom of the U-shaped stem holder  44  is located beneath leaf spring  78 . At the appropriate time, near or after the sheet of material S is wrapped around the bouquet, motor  68  begins to rotate to, in turn, rotate stem wrapper  36  in a counterclockwise direction. With the stems of the bouquet captured between the walls of U-shaped stem holder  44 , leaf spring  78  applies a strong spring force against the sheet of material to press it tightly against the stem portion of the bouquet. Since the bouquet itself is being held stationary, and since the sheet of material has been fully wrapped around the bouquet, stem wrapper  36  adds security to the wrapped bouquet by pressing the wrapping tightly against the stem portion of the bouquet. If the portion of the sheet of material has an adhesive coating on it at the location of wrapper  36 , the leaf spring  78  will create overlapping folds which maintain their pressed condition due to the adhesive and to the applied pressure by leaf spring  78  as wrapper  36  rotates about the stem portion of the bouquet.  
         [0077]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the stem wrapper  36  rotates two times about the stem portion of the bouquet and comes to a stop in the same position as its starting position to allow the bouquet to be easily removed from the apparatus by raising the stem wrapper cover  45  and simply removing the bouquet by an upward movement, stems first. Of course, by this time, i.e. after completion of the number of turns that wrapper  36  makes, cylinder  63  retracts its piston shaft  63   a , and cylinder  64  extends its piston shaft  64   a  to release the sheet of material from moving clamp jaws  40 . Before or after removal of the bouquet from the apparatus, the wrap may be maintained about the bouquet or floral grouping using an elastic or nonelastic band, a decorative tie, adhesives and cohesives, ribbons, ribbons with adhesive, bows, stickers which can be decorative and/or informative or simply plain, tapes, heat sealing, sonic sealing and welding, wire ties, tie wraps, curl film, dead-fold plastic ties, dead-fold wrapping material in part or in whole, or other banding and/or bonding material.  
         [0078]    Prior to removal of the completely wrapped bouquet, the left and right hand wrap unit assemblies  1  and  2  will still be in the vicinity of the wrap ring support member  50  with corners S 1  and S 2  still being held by jaws  11  and suction cup  29 .  
         [0079]    Suction cup  29  can be easily released by simply relieving the negative pressure applied to suction cup  29  and retracting the left hand wrap unit assembly in the reverse order of operating cylinders  58 ,  59 , and  60  described. However, the jaws  11  of the right hand wrap unit assembly, even though released, may still interfere with the sheet of material if the sheet material is much larger than the bouquet being wrapped leaving a large skirt portion extending beyond the wrap ring support member  50 . To prevent interference of the right hand wrap unit assembly with the sheet of material of the wrapped bouquet at the completion of the wrapping cycle, a slide subassembly  23  is provided. This assembly is screw mounted to the bottom side of the machine top  53  and is shown in phantom lines in FIG. 1 as it would be viewed from the top of the apparatus, is shown from the side in FIG. 9A, and is shown from the bottom as in FIG. 9B.  
         [0080]    The slide subassembly  23  basically comprises a slide member  27 , similar to that of a furniture drawer slide, and an actuator. The slide member  27  itself is comprised of a U-shaped outer channel member  27   a  and a U-shaped inner channel member  27   b  which slides within the outer channel  27   a  in a manner known in the furniture art. Appropriate bearings (not shown) may be provided to assist in reducing the friction in the extension and retraction directions of the slide movement.  
         [0081]    In the instant case, the outer slide member  27   a  is fixed and mounted to the underside of machine top  53  by slide mount spacers  26 , slide mounts (forward and rear)  28 , and bolts and nut combinations  28   a.    
         [0082]    At the free end of the moveable slide member  27   b , a slide cylinder rod mount  24  is rigidly mounted by means of a bolt  24   a  passing through a hole in right hand unit angle mount  21  and through a moveable slide member spacer  25 . For security, a second bolt  24   b  is shown to secure right hand unit angle mount  21  to the distal end of moveable slide member  27   b.    
         [0083]    The entire slide assembly  27  is mounted at an angle to the longitudinal direction of right hand unit angle mount  21 , the angle being chosen to move the clamp  11  away from the wrapped bouquet and along a line which would pass through the location of pinch clamp  11  and would lie against the surface of the wrapped conical-shaped bouquet. Since clamp  11  comes to rest at the end of the wrapped cycle on the far side of wrap ring support member  50 , the direction of movement of the entire right hand wrap unit assembly by the action of slide  27  is substantially in line with the material lying on the far side of the bouquet.  
         [0084]    Also mounted to the bottom of machine top  53 , and taking advantage of the mounting screws already provided for fixing the fixed slide member  27   a  to the bottom of machine top  53 , is a slide cylinder  65 . Cylinder  65  actuates a piston  65   a  which has its operating end attached to slide cylinder rod mount  24 . It can be appreciated that all of the elements of the right hand wrap unit assembly  1  are mounted on right hand unit angle mount  21  which is rigidly mounted to the end of moveable slide member  27   b . Therefore, as piston  65   a  moves out of and into cylinder  65 , the entire right hand wrap unit assembly  1  moves away and toward the machine top  53 . As with all of the other elements which move during the wrapping process, the timing of the slide movement is electronically controlled to be effective at the appropriate time in the wrap cycle.  
         [0085]    The timing of the complete wrap cycle will now be described. It should be appreciated that, prior to the start of the operation, the appropriate sized wrap ring support member  50  will have been chosen so as to select the appropriate number of microswitches  76   a - 76   d  that will be activated by pin  52  which thereby sets the proper electrical parameters and timing for the ensuing operations.  
         [0086]    First, a preselected sized sheet of plastic film, clear or colored, painted or unpainted, printed or unprinted, adhesive coated or not, is selected from a stack of pre-cut sheets or automated with a dispenser which feeds a sheet from a roll to the proper working position on the machine top  53 . With the sheet in place, an operator pushes a start button (not shown). The sheet of material S is then clamped at all four corners S 1 -S 4  by extending and closing pitch clamp  11  at corner S 1 , by applying negative pressure to the suction cup  29  at corner S 2 , by movement of pinch clamp assembly  40  toward the sheet of material and then clamping the material at corner S 3 , and by actuating cylinder  61  to cause plunger  48  to press corner S 4  against the bottom of wrap ring linkage  51 . At substantially the same time, cylinder  66  retracts to open wrap ring support member  50  so as to be able to receive a bouquet of flowers. Thus, with the appropriate sized wrap ring support member  50  in place, the stem wrapper cover  45  is opened and a bouquet is placed with the flowers in the wrap ring  50  and the stems in the stem holder  44  in stem wrapper unit assembly  3 .  
         [0087]    The operator then closes cover  45  over the stems and pushes another button (not shown) to start the wrapping cycle.  
         [0088]    The wrap ring assembly  5  closes by the extension of cylinder  66  and the right hand wrap unit assembly  1  carries the right hand side of the film sheet to wrap around the bouquet and wrap ring support member  50  from right to left. Then, the left hand wrap unit assembly  2  carries the left side of the film sheet to wrap from left to right, and finally the stem wrap unit  3  tightens the wrapping of the stems of the bouquet. At the conclusion of the wrap cycle, the corner clamps are released in the manner previously described, slide subassembly  23  slides right hand wrap unit assembly  1  away from the wrapped bouquet, the right and left hand wrap unit assemblies  1 ,  2  retract to their initial position, and the operator lifts cover  45  and removes the wrapped bouquet, stems first, by pulling the wrapped stem portion away from wrap ring support member  50 , thereby pulling the bloom end of the wrapped bouquet through the closed wrap ring support member  50  with the sheet of material S sliding by the outer periphery of support member  50 , completing the cycle.  
         [0089]    Preferably, after clamping the sheet of material, the corners S 1  and S 2  are held in slight tension by cylinders  56  and  60  to approximately one half to one pound tension.  
         [0090]    The wrap ring support member  50  is specifically designed to have a truncated conical shape and an average diameter of approximately 4″, 5″, 6″, and 8″. This allows wrapping the cone of the film material tightly without damaging or crushing the bouquet and automatically sets up the required path of the right hand and left hand wrap unit assemblies  1 ,  2 . That is, for a larger diameter bouquet to be wrapped, the extent of the movement of the racks which swing the left and right hand wrap unit assemblies  1 ,  2  about the bouquet, is greater than it would be for a smaller diameter bouquet. These movement and timing functions, which result in corresponding mechanical movement functions, can be controlled by a central processor or any type of electromechanical timing element. Such electronic and electromechanical timing devices are well known in various arts, including washing machines, VCRs, and the like, and no discussion of the operation of such devices is deemed necessary or warranted in this description.  
         [0091]    The specific arrangement described herein is merely one example of a preferred embodiment of the invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the construction and in 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. For example, with a mathematical analysis of the desired path for a particular size bouquet, a cam or gear system could be designed to force the sheet clamps  11  and  29  to follow a prescribed path without having to operate a series of actuators during movement of the right and left hand wrap unit assemblies  1  and  2 . Further, an automatic bonding unit can be employed to bond the overlapped area of the sheet. For example roller  34  could be heated or vibrated to effect bonding between itself and the rigid wrap ring support member  50 . Optionally, an automatic bonding unit could be employed to place an elastic or nonelastic band about the wrapped bouquet. Accordingly, the invention is to be interpreted only as to the scope of the appended claims.