Patent Abstract:
An injection molded container such as a flower pot having an outer surface and an inner surface and an indentation of a shape and size corresponding to the shape and size of a design element member, the design element member and the container member adapted to easily engage one another and to be easily disengaged so as to provide at least one decorative element on the outside surface of the container which can be easily changed according to a selectable design scheme.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to the field of containers and more particularly to containers having a decorative feature on the outer surface thereof. 
         [0002]    Decorative flower pots and other types of containers are well known. For example, Guloy, U.S. Pat. Publ. 2005/0146073 describes such a flower pot wherein decorative flower pot having an outer peripheral surface with embossed decorations, formed by using a female mold cavity having walls and contours which have a desired embossed design. Other earlier flower pots are cited in U.S. Pat. Publ. 2005/0146073 including flower pots having a wrapping adhered thereto, having a sheet of material with printed and embossed patterns disposed thereon, and other cover type decorative elements and members. 
         [0003]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,702,919, to Weder, disclosed a method of forming a preformed flower pot having a cloth-like appearance suitable for use in the formation of flower pot covers, floral wrappings and ribbon materials. U.S. Pat. No. 6,645,408 to Weder disclosed methods for producing preformed, shape-sustaining flower pot covers and methods of wrapping floral groupings and flower pots with a sheet of polymeric material having a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of paper to provide a decorative cover for such floral groupings and flower pots. Weder, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,791 disclosed a decorative cover for a flower pot using a collar. Weder U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,599 disclosed a means for securing a decorative cover about a flower pot. 
         [0004]    GB pat. Appl. 2,273,029 to Tanner disclosed a flower pot having an interchangeable decorative tray ring which is screwed to the drain tray. U.S. Pat. No. 1,446,563 to Hughes disclosed a decorative covering for flower pots, bouquets, and the like. 
         [0005]    In certain circumstances people wish to change the appearance of a flower pot or other type container to match a particular décor, color scheme, or mood. With current and earlier types of flower pots and other containers, it is difficult to change the appearance and, even when the appearance is changed, it is at times difficult to obtain a clean and neat design appearance. 
         [0006]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a container which has an easily changeable appearance and when changed to have a clean and neat design appearance. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention addresses these needs in the art and comprises in one aspect an injection molded container which has one or more indented areas in its outside surface adapted to receive a design element having an outside surface of a different color and/or texture from the injection molded pot. The indented area or areas are formed when the container is molded and are of the same material as the rest of the container. 
         [0008]    In some embodiments an indented area comprises female holes which receive prongs on the reverse side of the design element. In other embodiments the design element is press fitted into the indented area. The design element can be any of a wide variety of shapes, colors, sizes, and surface textures. Examples of design elements include bands which fit around the circumference of a container in an indent which encircles the circumference, a button, a square, diamond, triangle, star, or any other desired shape which corresponds to the indented area of the container which, in turn, has the same shape as the design element. 
         [0009]    There can be any number of design elements. In the case of bands which encircle the circumference, usually there are no more than three bands and corresponding indented areas, but in some cases, especially with larger containers, there can be more than three. For disk shaped design elements, in some embodiments there is one corresponding indented area while in other embodiments there can be two or more such indented areas. For design elements of other shapes, any number of design elements and corresponding indented areas can be used. In some embodiments design elements of a plurality of shapes, sizes, colors, and surface textures can be used in one pot. In some embodiments the outer surface of one or more design elements can include indicia such as a company logo, a sports team insignia, initials of a person, by way of example. The design elements may, in some embodiments, include a reflective surface such as a mirror or an electronic element such as an LED or LCD so as to cause the design element to light up or flash. The design elements can be molded, for example by injection molding, or they can be formed by other methods, especially when they are made of materials other than plastic such as jute, rope, raffia, or metals. 
         [0010]    The container and design elements can be provided as a kit wherein various colors and/or textures of a particularly shaped design element are provided along with one or more containers having different colors and/or textures from each other and from the design elements. 
         [0011]    The method of injection molding the container is conventional, although the inclusion of indented areas is novel. 
         [0012]    In many embodiments of the invention, the container is in the form of, and useful as, a flower pot. 
         [0013]    In many embodiments the surface of the decorative element is flush or nearly flush with the surface of the container so that the appearance is smooth and flat. In these embodiments the depth of the indentation is the same or very close to the thickness of the decorative element. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a side perspective view of a flower pot container having a circular design element engaged in a corresponding indentation. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a side perspective view of the flower pot container of  FIG. 1  with the design element removed. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is another perspective view of the flower pot container of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of the flower pot container of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of through V-V of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a schematic view of a kit according to the invention comprising a plurality of design elements and a flower pot container having an indentation which corresponds to each of the design elements. 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a flower pot container having a band-shaped design element. 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the flower pot container of  FIG. 7  with the band removed. 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is a top view of a flower pot container of  FIG. 8 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  is a bottom view of a flower pot container embodiment of  FIG. 8  illustrating holes in the bottom of the pot. 
           [0024]      FIG. 11  is a third embodiment of a flower pot container wherein the indentation and the corresponding design element are rectangular wherein the design element is shown as removed. 
           [0025]      FIG. 12  is a side view of the flower pot container of  FIG. 11 . 
           [0026]      FIG. 13A  is a side perspective view of a flower pot container with decorative element separated. 
           [0027]      FIG. 13B  is a side perspective view of a flower pot container with a second embodiment of a decorative element separated. 
           [0028]    Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
           [0029]      FIG. 14  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a decorative element. 
           [0030]      FIG. 15  is a perspective view of a two-piece decorative element. 
           [0031]      FIG. 16  is a perspective view of an alternative two-piece decorative element. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0032]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , flower pot container  10  is illustrated with round button  13  having outside decorative surface  15 . The pot  10  has a bottom  25 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 2  illustrates the button decorative element  13  removed from pot  10 , having prongs  14  on the reverse side which is not exposed when the decorative element is engaged in the indented portion. The reverse side of the design element will be adjacent to the indented portion of the flower pot container. 
         [0034]      FIG. 3  illustrates the flower pot container of  FIG. 1  with the round indented portion  11  having holes  12  which correspond to the prongs  14  shown in  FIG. 2 . The decorative element can be pressed onto the outside of the flower pot container  10  indented area  11  so that the prongs  14  fit and engage with holes  12  and the decorative surface  15  of button  13  is exposed on the outside of pot  10 , forming a decorative feature of a flower pot container. In other embodiments the design element can be pressed into the indented area and is retained without the use of prongs and holes. 
         [0035]      FIG. 4  is a front view of the pot  10  with the button shaped decorative element  13  facing forward so that decorative surface  15  is visible. 
         [0036]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the pot  10  of  FIG. 4  illustrating decorative element  13  having decorative surface  15  and prongs  14  which fit within holes  12  in pot to retain the decorative element  13  in indented area  11 . The bottom  25  has holes  26 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 6  is a schematic view of a kit according to the invention comprising a plurality of design elements  13  and a flower pot container  10  having an indentation  11  with holes  12  which corresponds to each of the design elements  13 . Each of the design elements  13  is of a different color or surface texture  15  and are easily interchangeable to suit the design requirements of the user. In some alternative embodiments a removable or non-removable decorative sticker can be applied to the surface  15  of a design element  13 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment flower pot container  10 A having a band-shaped indentation  18  around the central circumference and a rim indentation  18 A around the top circumference. 
         [0039]    Design elements in the form of band  19  fit within the indentation  18 . Band  19  can be of any color or texture and in some embodiments can include a decorative sticker, which can be a removable or permanent decorative sticker, on its outer surface. 
         [0040]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the a flower pot container  10 A with the band  19  separated from indented area  18 . This embodiment includes a lip  21  which does not receive a band. 
         [0041]      FIG. 9  is a top view of a flower pot container of  FIG. 8 . 
         [0042]      FIG. 10  is a bottom view of a flower pot container  10 A illustrating holes in the bottom  25  of the pot, indented area  18  around the central circumference, and indented area  18 A around the upper circumference. 
         [0043]      FIG. 11  is a third embodiment of a flower pot container wherein the indentation  17  having holes  12  and the corresponding design element  16  are rectangular. 
         [0044]      FIG. 12  is a side view of the flower pot container  10  of  FIG. 11  showing design element  16  having prongs  14 . 
         [0045]      FIG. 13A  shows flower pot container  10  with a design element  13 A having loop and eye material such as “Velcro” on the side facing the pot. 
         [0046]      FIG. 13B  is similar to  FIG. 13A  except the design element  13 B has adhesive on the side facing the pot. In this embodiment the adhesive is not permanent such as would be the case with epoxy, but rather is semi-permanent in that the decorative element can be removed and replaced with another decorative element. 
         [0047]      FIG. 14  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a decorative element  19  in the form of a flat band  19  which has a male mating element at one end and a female mating element at the other end so that the element  19  can be wrapped around band  18  ( FIG. 10 ) and locked in place. The flat band embodiments of band  19  can be of any suitable material which can be bent and retains its shape, examples of which include tin and aluminum. 
         [0048]      FIG. 15  is a perspective view of a two-piece decorative element  19  with ends with mating ends so that the two pieces can be locked to each other and form a continuous band around indentation  18  ( FIG. 10 ). 
         [0049]      FIG. 16  is a perspective view of an alternative two-piece decorative element wherein projections which correspond to holes in indentation  18  ( FIG. 10 ) are included as the elements which cause the element  19  to be removably engaged to container  10 , 
         [0050]    The present invention, therefore, is well adapted to carry out the objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as others inherent therein. While the invention has been depicted and described and is defined by reference to particular preferred embodiments of the invention, such references do not imply a limitation on the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The invention is capable of considerable modification, alteration and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those ordinarily skilled in the pertinent arts. The depicted and described preferred embodiments of the invention are exemplary only and are not exhaustive of the scope of the invention. Consequently, the invention is intended to be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims, giving full cognizance to equivalents in all respects.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0