Abstract:
A device and method for helping a floral designer create a floral arrangement that is well balanced in its distribution of flowers and greens. The device includes a three-dimensional foam structure that has a plurality of different levels. Each of the different levels is of a different size, thereby creating an overall tapered foam structure. Areas of equal size are demarcated on each of the different levels. The areas of equal size are evenly distributed around a plurality of different levels. The demarcation of the various equal sized areas are created either by using an external grid work that lay over the foam structure or shaping the foam into protrusions on each level. Using the equal sized areas as a distribution grid, a floral designer can quickly and easily place flowers and greens throughout the three-dimensional foam structure in a manner that is evenly distributed and well balanced.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     In general, the present invention relates to devices and methods that are used to retain floral arrangements on bouquets, table centerpieces and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to partitioned bases that retain flowers and help a floral designer create a balanced floral arrangement.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     Cut flowers and greens have been used as decorations for many centuries. As is well known, most cut flowers and greens remain alive and beautiful for a significant period of time if they are placed in water while being displayed. As such, most all cut flowers are typically displayed in a vase or some other container that is designed to hold both the flowers and a volume of water that surrounds the cut stems of the flowers.  
         [0005]     If the cut flowers are to be transported, such as with a bridal bouquet, then the flowers are typically placed in a water permeable synthetic foam. The foam retains water and exposes the water to the cut ends of the flowers without allowing water to flow freely and splash or drip from the bouquet.  
         [0006]     Over the years, the art of floral design has developed into a sophisticated art form. In floral design, flowers and greens are placed in arrangements according to their color, size, flower type and shape. However, in order to create an aesthetically pleasing arrangement, flowers and greens must be set into a designed arrangement so that both the flowers and greens remain erect, oriented and properly spaced. Flowers and greens are not just randomly combined and displayed. Rather, great care is taken to place each flower and each green into a particular position that enhances the beauty of the overall display.  
         [0007]     To help a floral designer maintain a sense of balance in a floral design, there have been developed many types of grids. Grids are structures that are placed over vase openings or over a block of synthetic foam that contains a plurality of evenly spaced openings. By placing a flower or two into each opening in a grid, a floral designer can be assured that the flowers in the display are evenly distributed. Prior art grid structures for floral designs are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,452 to Matteucci, entitled Floral Arranging Aid.  
         [0008]     A problem with prior art grid structures for floral arrangements is that they are only two-dimensional. The grid covers the open end of a vase or similar structure. However, in many floral arrangements, flowers are arranged on a three-dimensional foam base. Often sections of synthetic foam are cut into complex three-dimensional shapes and are used to support flowers at various positions and heights. Since prior art grid structures cannot be used on such three-dimensional floral arrangement bases, a floral designer must be careful to evenly arrange the flowers in the display. This adds significantly to the amount of time it takes a floral designer to create a professional appearing design.  
         [0009]     A need therefore exists in the art for a floral arrangement grid structure that is three-dimensional, thereby enabling a person to quickly create floral arrangements on three-dimensional bases. This need is met by the present invention as described and claimed below.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     The present invention is a device and method for helping a floral designer create a floral arrangement that is well balanced in its distribution of flowers and greens. The device includes a three-dimensional foam structure that has a plurality of different levels. Each of the different levels is of a different size, thereby creating an overall tapered foam structure.  
         [0011]     Areas of equal size are demarcated on each of the different levels. The areas of equal size are evenly distributed around a plurality of different levels. The demarcation of the various equal sized areas are created either by using an external grid work that lay over the foam structure or shaping the foam into protrusions on each level. Once the foam structure is demarcated into equal areas, a floral designer can insert flowers and greens into the foam structure. Using the equal sized areas as a distribution grid, a floral designer can quickly and easily place flowers and greens throughout the three-dimensional foam structure in a manner that is evenly distributed and well balanced. Accordingly, the time required to create a three-dimensional floral display is greatly reduced.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of exemplary embodiments thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention assembly shown in conjunction with elements of a floral arrangement;  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the embodiment of the present invention assembly shown in  FIG. 1 , further including a selection of possible support structures that can be used as part of the assembly;  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is a fragmented cross-sectional view of the grid work engaging the tray within the assembly of the present invention; and  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention floral arrangement assembly.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]     Although the present invention device and method can be used to create any three dimensional floral display, such as a table centerpiece or the like, the present invention is particularly well suited for retaining cut flowers in a hand-held bouquet. Accordingly, the present invention is described in an application where it is used to hold flowers in a bouquet in order to set forth the best mode contemplated for the invention.  
         [0018]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an embodiment of the present invention floral display assembly  10  is shown in conjunction with a plurality of cut flowers and greens  12 . The display assembly  10  has a bouquet handle  14 . The bouquet handle  14  supports a three-dimensional foam structure  16 . In the shown embodiment, the three-dimensional foam structure  16  consists of a plurality of stacked disks of foam, that vary in diameter on each level. This creates a stepped “wedding cake” shaped foam structure.  
         [0019]     A grid work  20  is disposed over the foam structure  16 . The grid work  20  conforms to the exterior shape of the foam structure  16 . The grid work  20  is comprised of a plurality of interconnected vertical elements  21  and horizontal elements  22 . The various vertical elements  21  and horizontal elements  22  lay over the different vertical surfaces and horizontal surfaces of the foam structure  16 . This divides the foam structure  16  into a plurality of equally spaced grid squares  24  on all surfaces.  
         [0020]     Since the grid work  20  divides the three-dimensional foam structure  16  into squares, a floral designer can insert flowers and greens  12  into the foam structure  16  within each of the grid work squares  24 . By placing an equal number of flowers and/or greens  12  in each of the grid work squares  24 , the floral designer can be ensured that the flowers and greens  12  are evenly distributed around the entire bouquet.  
         [0021]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , it can be seen that the foam structure  16  lay in a small plastic tray  26 . The tray has a side wall  28  that enables the tray  26  to hold a small volume of water without dripping. In this manner, if ever the foam structure  16  is over saturated with water, the tray  26  can retain the excess water and prevent the arrangement from dripping.  
         [0022]     The tray  26  has a connector mechanism  30  on its bottom surface. The connector mechanism  30  enables the tray  26  to be selectively attached to a variety of different types of supports  32 . One of the supports  32  that can be used is a bouquet handle  14 , such as that previously shown in  FIG. 1 . Other types of supports  32  include, a free standing support  34 , that enables the floral arrangement to stand as a table centerpiece. Supports, such as spike supports  36 , can be used that enable the floral arrangement to be inserted into a filled pot or other such display structure. In any case, the support  32  for the tray  26  can be selectively varied depending upon the selected application of the floral display as a bouquet, centerpiece, pot decoration or the like.  
         [0023]     There are many different types of connector mechanisms  30  that can be used to interconnect the bottom of the tray  26  to the various supports. Connector mechanisms that require a simple manual manipulation of the tray  26  relative the support  32  to open and close are preferred over connections that utilize screws and require tools. Any known connector mechanism can be adapted for use as part of the present invention.  
         [0024]     A plurality of prongs  40  extend upwardly from the inside of the tray  26 . The three-dimensional foam structure  16  can be pressed down onto the prongs  40 , where the prongs  40  help retain the foam structure  16  in place.  
         [0025]     The three-dimensional foam structure  16  can be a single piece of molded foam or can be separate pieces of foam that are stacked atop one another. If separate pieces of foam are used, the prongs  40  extending upwardly from the tray  26  help retain the various layers of foam together in the proper stacked configuration.  
         [0026]     The grid work  20  is preferably a molded plastic structure that passes over the three-dimensional foam structure  16  and engages the tray  26 . The grid work  20  is configured to fit over the three-dimensional foam structure  16 , wherein the grid work  20  conforms to the various contours of the foam structure  16 . The grid work  20  serves two purposes. First, the grid work  20  demarcates the surfaces of the three-dimensional foam structure  16  into equally spaced squares  24 . The grid work squares  24  are present both on the vertical surfaces and the horizontal surfaces of the three-dimensional foam structure  26 . Accordingly, flowers and greens can be evenly distributed both laterally and vertically in the three-dimensional foam structure  16  by placing even numbers of flowers and greens into the foam through each of the grid work squares  24 .  
         [0027]     The second purpose of the grid work  20  is to retain the foam structure  16  in place. The three-dimensional foam structure  16 , when saturated with water and pierced with flowers, can become quite heavy. The grid work  20  mechanically engages the tray  26 , thereby enveloping the three-dimensional foam structure  16  and ensuring that the three-dimensional foam structure  16  does not separate from the tray  26 .  
         [0028]     Referring briefly to  FIG. 3 , it can be seen that a groove  42  is formed on the exterior of the wall  28  of the tray  26 . A protrusion  44  is formed on the interior of the grid work  20  that passes into the groove  42 . As such, the grid work  20  snaps into place around the tray  26 . The use of such an interconnection is merely exemplary and it should be understood that the grid work  20  can engage the tray  26  using threaded connections, frictional fit connections or snap engagement connections.  
         [0029]     Returning to  FIG. 2 , it will be understood that to utilize the present invention floral arrangement assembly  10 , the grid work  20  is separated from the tray  26  and a new three-dimensional foam structure  16  is placed on the tray  26 . The grid work  20  is then placed over the three-dimensional foam structure  16  and locked to the tray  26 . The three-dimensional foam structure  16  is then saturated with water. Once wet, a floral designer can insert various flowers and greens into the three-dimensional foam structure  16 , using the grid work squares  24  to help space the floral arrangement.  
         [0030]     A proper support attachment  32  can then be added to the bottom of the tray  26  depending upon whether the floral arrangement will be used as a bouquet, a centerpiece or for some other purpose.  
         [0031]     Once the floral arrangement has served its purpose, the flowers and greens can be pulled from the three-dimensional foam structure  16  and discarded. The grid work  20  can then be separated from the tray  26  and the used foam structure  16  can be discarded. A new three-dimensional foam structure  16  can be placed onto the tray  26  and the floral arrangement assembly  10  can be used again to support a different floral arrangement.  
         [0032]     In the embodiments of  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the three-dimensional foam structure  16  has a wedding cake shape consisting of stacked disk-shaped sections. Such a configuration is simple but provides only a limited number of surfaces in which flowers and greens can be inserted. More complex floral arrangements can be made using more complex three-dimensional foam structures. Referring to  FIG. 4 , one such complex embodiment is shown. In the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , a three-dimensional foam structure  50  is shown, wherein each layer  51  is configured like a cog. As such, each layer  51  in the three-dimensional foam structure  50  has a plurality of square cog teeth protrusions  52  that symmetrically protrude from a central hub. As such, flat surfaces are exposed at the top and sides of each of the cog teeth protrusions  52 , wherein each of these exposed surfaces lay in a different plane. The various cog teeth protrusions  52  on each level of the three-dimensional foam structure  50  are staggered. As such, the cog teeth protrusions  52  on adjoining layers of the three-dimensional foam structure do not align in common planes. Accordingly, differently oriented planes are present on each level of the three-dimensional foam structure  50 . This enables a floral designer to place flowers and greens at a variety of different angles on each level  51  of the three-dimensional foam structure  50 .  
         [0033]     In the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , each level  51  of the three-dimensional foam structure  50  is physically shaped into a variety of square cog projections  52 . The square cog projections  52  demarcate the foam structure  50  into a plurality of evenly spaced square surfaces. Accordingly, a grid work is not necessary to help a floral designer evenly space flowers and greens. Rather, a floral designer need only place the same number of flowers or greens into each surface of each square cog projection  52  in order to ensure that the flowers and greens are evenly distributed throughout the three-dimensional foam structure  50 .  
         [0034]     In the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , large areas of foam material are provided that are demarcated into smaller squares using an external grid work. In the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , the foam material itself is formed into a variety of square surfaces. In both embodiments, the various square surfaces are used to position various flowers and greens into the three-dimensional foam structure. By placing the same number of flowers and/or greens into each square surface, a floral arrangement can quickly be made where the flowers and greens are uniformly distributed.  
         [0035]     It will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention device and method described and illustrated herein are merely exemplary and a person skilled in the art can make many variations to the embodiments shown without departing from the scope of the present invention. All such variations, modifications and alternate embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.