Patent Abstract:
A foldable pot cover provides a foldable die cut pattern which can be imprinted on its exterior surfaces with any of a number of designs. The pot cover is formed from a die cut pattern which can be folded into overlapping flaps and tabs which are folded and interlocked to define a generally trapezoidal pot cover which can receive a variety of different pot sizes and types and resists moisture. The die cut pattern forming the pot cover can be of a universal shape but formed in a variety of different sizes to accommodate different sized potted plants.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a cover for receiving a potted plant. 
     Potted plants are frequently covered for use directly in the home with foil or polymeric film preshaped into a size into which a pot will fit. Although such covers for conventional plastic pots or clay pots allow the homeowner to display the potted plant without the expense of replanting the plant in an expensive decorative flower pot, such foil and plastic covers are not particularly attractive. Also, such covers are typically preformed to an existing inexpensive flower pot and cannot be removed or used for a variety of different sized flower pots. 
     Accordingly, there exists a need for a pot cover which is durable, can be employed for a variety of pot sizes and shapes, and yet provide a quality decorative container for displaying live plants in a home or business environment. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The pot cover of the present invention satisfies these needs by providing a foldable die cut pattern which can be imprinted on its exterior surfaces with any of a number of designs to provide the purchaser with a selection of decorative pot covers to conform to the décor of the location in which a plant will be displayed. It achieves this goal by utilizing a relatively inexpensive paperboard which is laminated on at least one side with a polymeric film and printed on its exterior with a decorative design. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pot cover is formed from a die cut pattern which can be folded into overlapping flaps and tabs which are folded and interlocked to define a generally trapezoidal pot cover which can receive a variety of different pot sizes and types and resists moisture. The die cut pattern forming the pot cover can be of a universal shape but formed in a variety of different sizes to accommodate different sized potted plants. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pot covers can be shipped prior to assembly to a retail establishment, such as a nursery, florist, or mass merchandise outlet and either assembled by the merchant or provided with assembly instructions for the purchaser. The pot covers can also be preassembled by the manufacturer and shipped in stacked relationship to the retail merchant. Regardless of the manner in which they are provided to the customer, the pot covers are durable, attractive and provide the consumer with a wide selection of sizes and decorative patterns. The cover defines a container which also can be used to hold fresh flower arrangements, gifts, gourmet foods, candy, or other gift items. 
     These and other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description thereof together with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a die cut pattern for forming a pot cover of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an illustration of the pot cover shown during a first step of assembly; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the pot cover shown in a second step of assembly; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a pot cover shown in a third step of assembly; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a pot cover shown in a fourth step of assembly; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a pot cover shown in a fifth step of assembly; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a pot cover shown in a sixth step of assembly; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a pot cover shown in a seventh step of assembly; and 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a completed pot cover embodying the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring initially to  FIGS. 1 and 9 , there is shown a pot cover  1  embodying the present invention, which is formed from a die cut pattern  4  made of a suitable paperboard material. In one embodiment, the material is a C1S (coated one side) SBS (solid bleached sulfate) about 14 point to about 22 point paperboard laminated with a polyethylene film of from about 0.005 to about 0.0075 inches thick. The material forming the die cut pot cover  1  can be poly-coated on both sides and, as seen in  FIG. 1 , the interior side of the pot cover is shown, which is always poly-coated. The opposite surface of the die cut pattern forming the outer surface of the pot cover is printed with decorative indicia  2 , which can be any type of design. The printing can have a holiday theme, such as Christmas decorations, photographic scenes, a Valentine&#39;s Day theme, and any decorative pattern or style desired. Thus, the use of a die cut pattern for forming the pot cover  1  allows one side of the material to be printed with practically any desired indicia  2  including foil, textured foil and the like. The resultant, generally trapezoidal pot cover  1 , as seen in  FIG. 9 , has a relatively large rectangular top opening  3  which allows the easy insertion of a pot therein. By providing the generally trapezoidal sides of the pot cover  1 , a unique design appearance is provided by the pot cover which further enhances its aesthetic appearance. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a die cut pattern or form  4  for a pot cover  1  embodying the present invention. The pattern integrally includes a generally square base  10 , having a first side panel  12  integrally extending therefrom with two generally triangular side flaps  14  and  16 . An end flap  18  integrally extends from side  12  and includes outwardly extending tabs  20  and  22 . On the opposite side of base  10  is a second integral side  26  extending from base  10  and integrally including triangular flaps  30  and  32  and an outwardly extending top flap  28 . Flap  28  also includes outwardly extending tabs  34  and  36  for locking the pot cover in an assembled position as described below. Each of the flaps  18  and  28  also include a slot  24  and  38 , respectively, for providing a gripping handhold. 
     Additional side panels  40  and  56  integrally extend from base  10  in a direction orthogonal to side panels  12  and  26 . Panel  40  integrally includes triangular flaps  42  and  44  on opposite sides, which adjoin and are integrally coupled to flaps  14  and  30 . Side  40  includes an outwardly extending end flap  46 , which includes laterally extending tabs  52  and  54  coupled to the generally rectangular flap  46  by angled corners  48  and  50 . On the opposite side of base  10  is a similar side panel  56  integrally bordered by triangular flaps  58  and  60 , which integrally adjoin flaps  16  and  32 , respectively. Extending outwardly from side  56  is a generally rectangular flap  62  having outwardly extending tabs  68  and  70  with angled corners  64  and  66 , respectively. The integral triangular flaps  14 ,  42 ;  16 ,  58 ;  30 ,  44 ; and  32 ,  60  form a foldable web between the sides  12 ,  26  and  40 ,  56 , as seen in the assembly steps illustrated in  FIGS. 3-8 . 
     The phantom lines shown in  FIGS. 1-8  represent fold lines for the assembly process, which can either be manual or can be machine assembled if desired. The assembly (i.e., folding) process is shown in  FIGS. 2-8  in which first the end flaps  46  and  62  are folded over onto sides  40  and  56 , respectively, in the direction of arrow A in  FIG. 2 . The inner surfaces of flaps  46  and  62  may, if desired, be adhesively attached to the inside of sides  40  and  56 . Such step may, however, be unnecessary with the interlocking flaps and tabs holding the pot cover in an assembled state. The outer surfaces of the panels and flaps shown in  FIG. 1  are identified in the remaining drawing figures with the same number incremented by a single digit. Thus, for example, in  FIG. 2 , the outer surface of flap  62  is identified as  63 . 
     Next, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the adjacent triangular panels  14 ,  42 ,  16 ,  58 ,  32 ,  60 ,  30 , and  44  are deflected inwardly as shown by arrow B in  FIG. 3 . 
     This process is continued, as illustrated by arrow B in  FIG. 4 , until the sides  40  and  56  are substantially vertical, as shown in  FIG. 5 . The outer surface  57  of panel  56  is imprinted with an indicia  2 , as shown in  FIG. 9 , as are the remaining external surfaces of the pot cover  1 . With the sides  40  and  56  substantially in the position shown in  FIG. 5 , the sides  12  and  26  are then folded inwardly, as indicated by arrow D in  FIG. 6 , such that with the tabs  68 ,  70 ,  52 , and  54  project inwardly from sides  40  and  56  and lie adjacent triangular flaps  58 ,  60 ; and  42 ,  44 , respectively. 
     Next, the end flaps  18  and  28  are folded over, as shown by arrow D in  FIG. 6 , and tabs  34  and  36  and  20  and  22  are tucked over tabs  52 ,  54 ,  68 , and  70 , respectively, and under flaps  46  and  62 , as seen in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , to interlock the edges of the pot cover to a completely assembled position as shown in  FIG. 9 . The outer surface  13  of panel  12  likewise is imprinted with indicia  2  as are the remaining outer surfaces, including the outer surfaces  47  of flap  46 ,  63  of flap  62 , surface  19  of flap  18  and surface  29  of flap  28 . Thus, the exposed surfaces of pot cover  1  which are visible, including the outer surfaces of the cover itself, and the inner surfaces of the flaps which are exposed when looking downwardly from the top edge of the cover are decoratively imprinted. The indicia  2  can be printed in any commercially known manner. The slots  24  and  38  in flaps  18  and  28 , respectively, provide handholds for lifting the cover and plant if a potted plant is to be moved. 
     Thus, by providing interlocking tabs  52 ,  54 ,  68 , and  70  with tabs  20 ,  22  and  34 ,  36  folded over and under flaps  46  and  62 , respectively, the top edges of the pot cover interlock. By providing the V-shaped notches  80 ,  82 ,  84 , and  86  between adjacent triangular panels  14 ,  42 ;  44 ,  30 ;  32 ,  60 ; and  16 ,  58 , respectively, clearance is provided for the interlocking tabs and flaps to allow the ready assembly of the pot cover. Handholds  24  and  38  are interior of the pot cover and, therefore, are relatively unobtrusive and do not detract from the ornamental appearance of the resultant pot cover when assembled as seen in  FIG. 9 . 
     The pot cover  1  is preferably made to accommodate standard sized pots, such as 4″, 6″, and 8″ pots, although any desirable size can be employed. For a 6″ pot, for example, the square bottom  10  was approximately 4½″ on each side while the sides had a height of approximately 5¼″ and a width at the top of 6″. The overlapping and interlocking flaps  18 ,  28 ,  46  and  62  extended downwardly into the pot cover approximately 2½″. For different sized pots, these dimensions will be varied proportionally. Although the poly-coated paperboard, which is film covered on one or both sides and printed with a decorative design on the exterior surface, is preferred, other foldable, interlocking materials could be employed. 
     It will become apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications to the preferred embodiment of the invention as described herein can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1