Patent Publication Number: US-2013248387-A1

Title: Container for decorative grass containing a liner with natural grass tuft

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE STATEMENT 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 13/494,348, filed Nov. 21, 2012, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 13/017,461, filed Jan. 31, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,381, issued Jun. 26, 2012; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 12/425,174, filed Apr. 16, 2009, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 12/152,999, filed May 19, 2008, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 11/027,216, filed Dec. 29, 2004, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/715,581, filed Nov. 11, 2003, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/315,426, filed Dec. 10, 2002, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/800,407, filed Mar. 5, 2001, now abandoned; which is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 09/533,878, filed Mar. 22, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,401, issued Sep. 25, 2001; which is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/343,925, filed Jun. 30, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,601, issued May 23, 2000; which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/093,954, filed Jul. 23, 1998. 
     The entire contents of each of the above-referenced patents and patent applications are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) relates generally to liners, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a container for decorative grass. 
     2. Brief Description of the Related Art 
     Strips of sheet material formed into tufts have been used for many years. More specifically, material known as decorative grass has been used in fruit baskets, Easter baskets, picnic baskets and other containers and receptacles for decorative and cushioning purposes. The decorative grass of the prior art has been produced by numerous methods and from a variety of materials such as polymeric materials, paper, cellophane or the like. Typically, such materials are cut and shredded to produce individual segments having predetermined dimensions. 
     A problem associated with decorative grass is that it can easily fall out of the container in which it is disposed or cling to other objects, and therefore is inconvenient to clean up and to dispose of. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a basket having a liner constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) disposed therein. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the liner of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  3 - 3  in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  a perspective view of another embodiment of a liner constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the liner of  FIG. 5  shown disposed in a basket. 
         FIG. 7  is a partially cutaway, elevational view of another embodiment of a liner constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) shown disposed in a container. 
         FIG. 8  is a partially cutaway, perspective view of a basket constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) shown with a quantity of decorative grass disposed therein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Before explaining at least one embodiment of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) in detail, it is to be understood that the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components or steps or methodologies set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     Unless otherwise defined herein, technical terms used in connection with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) shall have the meanings that are commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Further, unless otherwise required by context, singular terms shall include pluralities and plural terms shall include the singular. 
     All patents, published patent applications, and non-patent publications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the level of skill of those skilled in the art to which this presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) pertains. All patents, published patent applications, and non-patent publications referenced in any portion of this application are herein expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual patent or publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. 
     All of the articles and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the articles and methods of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the articles and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept, spirit and scope of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and concept of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) as defined by the appended claims. 
     As utilized in accordance with the present disclosure, the following terms, unless otherwise indicated, shall be understood to have the following meanings: 
     The use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one,” but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more,” “at least one,” and “one or more than one.” The use of the term “or” in the claims is used to mean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or the alternatives are mutually exclusive, although the disclosure supports a definition that refers to only alternatives and “and/or”. Throughout this application, the term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the inherent variation of error for the device, the method being employed to determine the value, or the variation that exists among the study subjects. For example but not by way of limitation, when the term “about” is utilized, the designated value may vary by plus or minus twelve percent, or eleven percent, or ten percent, or nine percent, or eight percent, or seven percent, or six percent, or five percent, or four percent, or three percent, or two percent, or one percent. The use of the term “at least one” will be understood to include one as well as any quantity more than one, including but not limited to, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100, etc. The term “at least one” may extend up to 100 or 1000 or more, depending on the term to which it is attached; in addition, the quantities of 100/1000 are not to be considered limiting, as higher limits may also produce satisfactory results. In addition, the use of the term “at least one of X, Y and Z” will be understood to include X alone, Y alone, and Z alone, as well as any combination of X, Y and Z. The use of ordinal number terminology (i.e., “first”, “second”, “third”, “fourth”, etc.) is solely for the purpose of differentiating between two or more items and is not meant to imply any sequence or order or importance to one item over another or any order of addition, for example. 
     As used in this specification and claim(s), the words “comprising” (and any form of comprising, such as “comprise” and “comprises”), “having” (and any form of having, such as “have” and “has”), “including” (and any form of including, such as “includes” and “include”) or “containing” (and any form of containing, such as “contains” and “contain”) are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. 
     The term “or combinations thereof” as used herein refers to all permutations and combinations of the listed items preceding the term. For example, “A, B, C, or combinations thereof” is intended to include at least one of: A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC, and if order is important in a particular context, also BA, CA, CB, CBA, BCA, ACB, BAC, or CAB. Continuing with this example, expressly included are combinations that contain repeats of one or more item or term, such as BB, AAA, MB, BBC, AAABCCCC, CBBAAA, CABABB, and so forth. The skilled artisan will understand that typically there is no limit on the number of items or terms in any combination, unless otherwise apparent from the context. 
     As used herein, the term “substantially” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance completely occurs or that the subsequently described event or circumstance occurs to a great extent or degree. For example, the term “substantially” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance occurs at least 90% of the time, or at least 95% of the time, or at least 98% of the time. 
     Referring now to the drawings, and more specifically to  FIG. 1 , a liner  10  constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is shown disposed in a container, such as a basket  12 . The basket  12  has an upper end  14 , a lower end  16 , and an outer surface  18 . An opening  19  is formed in the basket  12 , with a portion of the basket opening  19  intersecting the upper end  14  of the basket  12  forming an inner surface  20 . The basket opening  19  is sized and shaped to receive a plurality of objects  22 , such as candies or Easter eggs, for display. It will be appreciated that the liner  10  described below is not limited to being used with Easter baskets, but can be used to line fruit baskets, picnic baskets, as well as other containers and receptacles. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the liner  10  includes a waterproof backing  24 , a porous covering  26 , a seed carrier  28  ( FIG. 3 ) interposed between the backing  24  and the covering  26 , and a plurality of seeds  30  ( FIG. 3 ) embedded in the seed carrier  28 , such that upon germination, the seeds  28  will sprout through the porous covering to form a soft, natural, cushioning tuft  32 . The liner  10  is sufficiently flexible so that the liner  10  can be easily manipulated to substantially conform to the interior contour of the basket  12 . 
     The seeds  30  can be any seed or a combination of seeds. However, winter wheat seeds have been found to be a suitable seed in that winter wheat seeds tend to sprout within about three to four days after being exposed to moisture, and produce a thin dark green blade. In addition, such blades are relatively rigid enabling them to remain substantially erect up to a height of about three to four inches and thereby provide a soft, natural, protective cushion for objects displayed in the basket  12 . Rye seeds are also preferable seeds for the purpose of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). 
     Alternatively, plant material that is capable of being stored for long periods of time in a dry condition and which becomes rejuvenated upon exposure to moisture can be implanted in the seed carrier  28 . An example of such a plant is  selaginella lepidophylla , or more commonly referred to as the dinosaur plant. The seed carrier  28  is fabricated of a material capable of holding moisture to the seeds  30  to foster germination and subsequent growth. Any material capable of holding the seeds and retaining moisture may be utilized. For example, the seed carrier  28  may be fabricated of a sponge material, a tissue, a cloth, a gel, soil, or the like. 
     The backing  24  serves as a barrier to prevent moisture in the seed carrier  28  from leaking into the basket  12 . To this end, the backing  24  is constructed of a flexible, waterproof sheet of material, such as a polymer film. The term “polymer film” as used herein means a synthetic polymer such as a polypropylene or a naturally occurring polymer such as cellophane. The backing  24  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 backing  24  may be utilized in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). 
     The covering  26  serves to hold the seeds  30  in position and permit the seeds  30  to emit their sprouts. The covering  26  can be any suitable porous sheet material, such as cloth with a course weave or with openings formed therein, or a piece of film or paper or other flexible material provided with openings  34  to permit the seeds to emit their sprouts. 
     In assembly, the seed carrier  28 , together with the seeds  30 , is encased between the backing  24  and the covering  26  with the seeds  30  positioned to permit the sprouts of the seeds  30  to grow up through the openings  34  of the covering  26 . The backing  24  and the covering  26  are secured to one another along the periphery in a suitable fashion such as by bonding the backing and the covering together with an adhesive or stitching. 
     In an assembled condition, the backing  24  defines a lower surface  36  of the liner  10  and the covering  26  defines an upper surface  38 . Further, the liner  10  is illustrated herein as having a square configuration. However, it will be appreciated that the liner  10  can be formed into any other desired geometric shape, such as circular, triangular, or rectangular. 
     The backing  24  and the covering  26  of the liner  10  may vary in color. Further, each may consist of designs which are printed, etched, and/or embossed. In addition, the backing and the covering may have various colorings, coatings, flocking and/or metallic finishes, or be characterized totally or partially by pearlescent, translucent, transparent, or the like, qualities. Each of the above-named characteristics may occur alone or in combination. Moreover, each of the backing  24  and the covering  26  may vary in the combination of such characteristics. 
     A bonding material  40  may be disposed on the lower surface  36  of the liner  10 . The bonding material  40  covers substantially the entire lower surface  36  of the liner  10 . The bonding material  40  is disposed on the lower surface  36  of the liner  10  by spraying or painting it thereupon. 
     The bonding material  40  imparts sufficient adhesion to permit the liner  10  to be disposed in the basket opening  19  with the lower surface  36  of the liner  10  disposed adjacent the inner surface  20  of the basket  12  so that the bonding material  40  on the lower surface  36  of the liner  10  contacts the inner surface  20  of the basket  12  for connecting the liner  10  to the inner surface  20  of the basket  12 . The bonding material  40  also causes the liner to conform to the contour of the inner surface  20  of the basket  12 . That is, the lower surface  36  of the liner  10  adheres to the inner surface  20  of basket  12  and it adheres to overlapping portions of itself. In this manner, a customized fit of the liner to the inner surface  20  of the basket  12  is obtained. The liner  10  is preferably sized to that when the liner  10  is placed inside the basket  12 , the liner  10  covers substantially the entire inner surface  20  of the basket  12 . 
     The term “bonding material” when used herein means an adhesive, frequently a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive or any adhesive/cohesive combination, having adhesive qualities (i.e., qualities of adhesion or adhesion/cohesion, respectively) sufficient to effect the connection between the lower surface  36  of the liner  10  brought into engagement with the basket  12 , a box or other container. It will be appreciated that both adhesives and cohesives are well-known in the art, and both are commercially available. 
     The bonding material  40  may also comprise at least one strip of bonding material  40  extending over the lower surface  36  of the liner  10 . Alternatively, the bonding material  40  may comprise at least one spot of bonding material  40  extending over the lower surface  36  of the liner  10 . The bonding material  40  may comprise a variety of designs, both geometric and fanciful (for example, hearts, flowers, slogans, and the like). The bonding material  40  may also comprise a variety of colors. 
     The bonding material  40  on the lower surface  36  of the liner  10  may be covered with at least one release strip (not shown). The release strip is used to protect the bonding material  40  before the lower surface  36  of the liner  10 , and the bonding material  40  thereon, is disposed adjacent the inner surface  20  of the basket  12 . 
     A plurality of liners  10  can be stacked and formed into a pad. Also, the liners  10  can be formed into a roll of material. In this instance, an elongated liner would be perforated so as to define individual liners, rather than cut completely, so that the individual liners  10  remain connected to one another and yet can be easily separated from an adjacent liner when desired. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 4 , the liner  10  is shown disposed in the basket  12 . The seeds  30  are activated by exposing the seed carrier  28  to moisture. The seed carrier  28  can be exposed to moisture in any suitable fashion, such as submerging the entire liner  10  in a body of water or applying water to the porous covering  26  only. The liner  10  is next positioned in a container, such as the basket  12 , so as to line the interior surface  20  of the container. After several days the seeds  30  will emit their sprout from the covering  26  whereby the soft, natural, cushioning tuft  32  is formed in the basket  12 . In the alternative to placing the liner  10  in the basket  12  immediately after the seed carrier  28  has been exposed to moisture, the liner  10  can be set aside to permit the seeds  30  to sprout prior to the liner  10  being positioned in the basket  12 . 
     In positioning the liner  10  in the basket  12 , the liner  10  is placed through the basket opening  19  in the upper end  14  of the basket  12  with the lower surface  36  of the liner  10  disposed adjacent the inner surface  20  of the basket  12 . The liner  10  is shaped to substantially conform to the contour of the inner surface  20  of the basket  12 . Unless the liner  10  is precisely sized to fit the inner surface  20  of the basket  12 , overlapping folds (not shown) are formed in the liner  10 . The overlapping folds extend at different angles and over different lengths. 
     In the case where the liner  10  is provided with the bonding material  40 , the release strip (not shown) is removed from the lower surface  36  of the liner  10 . Then, the liner  10  is placed through the basket opening  19  in the upper end  14  of the basket  12  with the lower surface  36  of the liner  10  having the bonding material  40  thereon disposed adjacent the inner surface  20  of the basket  12 . The liner  10  is spread over the inner surface  20  of the basket  12  to permit the bonding material  40  on the lower surface  36  of the liner  10  to contact the inner surface  20  of the basket  12 , bondably connecting the liner  10  to the inner surface  20  of the basket  12 . The connections of the liner  10  to like portions thereof due to the formation of the overlapping folds and to the inner surface  20  of the basket  12  produce a customized fit of the liner  10  to the inner surface  20  of the basket  12 . 
       FIG. 5  shows another embodiment of a liner  50  constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). The liner  50  is similar in construction to the liner  10  described above, with the exception that the liner  50  is shown to have a circular configuration and a central opening  51  extending therethrough. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates the liner  50  disposed in a container, such as a flower pot  52 . The central opening  51  of the liner  50  provides the advantage of allowing the liner  50  to be inserted into the flower pot  52  so as to line the interior surface of the flower pot  52  while maintaining the bottom of the flower pot  52  unobstructed. As such, use of the liner  50  facilitates the positioning of a floral holding material, such as a block  54  of floral foam, which is adapted to support a floral grouping  56 . The term “floral grouping” is used herein to mean cut and fresh flowers, artificial flowers, a single flower, other fresh and/or artificial plants, or other floral materials. The term “floral grouping” may also include other secondary plants and/or ornamentation which add to the aesthetics of the overall floral grouping. 
     The liner  50  is positioned in the flower pot  52  to line the interior walls of the flower pot  52 . The seeds of the liner  50  will emit their sprouts whereby a natural tuft  58  is provided in the flower pot  52 . The tuft  58  will accentuate the aesthetics of the floral grouping  56 . It will be appreciated that other objects such as Easter eggs, potted plants, or toys can be accentuated by the tuft  58  of the liner  50 . 
       FIG. 7  shows another embodiment of a liner  60  disposed in a flower pot  62 . The liner  60  includes a preformed liner portion  64  which is sized and shaped to be received in the flower pot  62 . The liner portion  64  is fabricated of a polymeric material which is thermal or vacuum formed or injection or blow molded so as to have a substantially rigid quality. The liner portion  64  can be formed to have an internal annular groove  66 , preferably near the upper end thereof. The annular groove  66  is adapted to receive an insert  68  which is similar in configuration to the ring-shaped liner  50  shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . The inserts  68  are secured in the groove  66  whereby the inserts  68  may be periodically removed and a new insert positioned within the groove  66  when desired. Again, the natural tuft of the insert  68  will serve to accentuate the aesthetics of a floral grouping disposed in the liner  60  or to support objects disposed in the liner  60 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , a container, such as a basket  70 , is shown with a quantity of decorative grass  72  disposed therein. As mentioned above, decorative grass, also known as Easter grass, is well known and has been produced by numerous methods and from a variety of materials such as polymeric materials, paper, cellophane or the like. Typically, such materials are cut and shredded to produce individual segments having predetermined dimensions. As also mentioned above, a problem associated with decorative grass is that it can easily fall out of the container in which it is disposed or cling to other objects, and therefore is inconvenient to clean up and to dispose of. 
     To overcome this problem, the interior of the basket  70  is coated with a bonding material  74 . As such, when the decorative grass  72  is disposed in the basket  70  in contact with the interior surface of the basket  70 , the decorative grass  72  is caused to bondably connect to the interior surface of the basket  70 . By connecting the decorative grass  72  to the interior surface of the basket  70 , the decorative grass  72  is prevented from falling out of the basket  70 . 
     The bonding material  74  may be applied to the interior surface of the basket in a conventional manner. In addition, a release strip may be applied to the bonding material  74  to protect the bonding material  74  prior to placing the decorative grass  72  in contact with the bonding material  74 . 
     From the above description it is clear that the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is well adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). While presently preferred embodiments of the inventive concept(s) have been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will be 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 inventive concept(s) disclosed and as defined in the appended claims.