Abstract:
This invention relates generally to a method and package for shipping and handling fresh cut floral arrangements where fragile flower blooms cover the top and sides of the arrangement.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates generally to an apparatus for preassembling a floral arrangement on a plate and a packaging method that allows for inserting the arrangement into shipping carton, shipping the arrangement and removal from the shipping carton without damage to the fragile flowers on the exterior of the arrangement. More specifically it refers to assembling and shipping floral arrangements wherein the sides and top are covered with fragile flower blossoms. 
         [0003]    2. Prior Art 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,572 Harris 1990 disclosed a flower container with a water-containing absorbent foam block receiving flower stems and a block of sealant foam above the absorbent foam with a plastic shell over the flowers in a shrink wrap relation. The package includes a u-shaped insert which holds the container in place. This system is limited in that the flowers must be individually inserted, the boxes and film are expensive to make and time consuming to use and the sealant foam must be removed when the shipment arrives at its destination for additional water to sustain the flower life. Flower stems can only be inserted from the top of the container and the sides of the container need to be free of flowers to allow the stabilizing liner to press securely against the container to hold it in an upright position during shipping. 
         [0005]    The use of foam blocks to provide the floral arranger a base to inset flower stems to create a particular arrangement is an industry standard, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,929 to O&#39;Connell 1977. These systems work well where assembly is at the final destination, but not if shipping a final arrangement is required. The use of moisture absorbing blocks presoaked to prevent stenosis during shipping is also a well known industry technique for cut flower shipments, see U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,688 Keating 2001. 
         [0006]    Several floral arrangements can not be produced in bulk at a wholesaler or e-commerce marketer and shipped to retailers or consumers due to the difficulty in protecting the flowers on the exterior during shipping and while removing from a standard shipping container. The resolution of this problem has to date been to assemble these fragile arrangements at a retail outlet and hand carry them either by or to the final consumer. 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0007]    An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method of using same for creating floral arrangements with fragile flowers on the periphery and providing for secure retention of them during shipping. 
         [0008]    A further object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent floral foam pad firmly attached to a plate in which the flowers stems may be inserted creating a floral cake appearance. 
         [0009]    A further object is to provide a plate that may be mounted on a pedestal. 
         [0010]    A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method of using same for removing fragile floral arrangement from shipping container without damage to the fragile flowers on the periphery of the arrangement. 
         [0011]    The present invention, in its several embodiments, meets the above mentioned objectives. 
         [0012]    Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and accompanying drawings. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof, and in which are shown, by way of illustration, a specific embodiment in which the invention may be practiced. This embodiment will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice this invention, and be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawings, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    In order that the invention may be more fully understood it will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying exemplary drawings in which: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of the package components; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a top view of a plate assembly; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a front elevational view of a plate assembly; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a cross-section view taken on line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged fragmentary cross section view taken from area  5  on  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a top view of a package liner, for use with a pedestal, shown in the flat prior to forming; 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a top view of a package liner, for use without a pedestal, shown in the flat prior to forming; 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is a side view of a plate assembly mounted on a pedestal in a closed package liner; 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is a side view of a plate assembly in a closed package liner; 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  is a front perspective view of a closed liner with plate assembly inside being removed from shipping carton 
       
    
    
     REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       [0024]    The same reference numbers are used to refer to the same or similar parts in the various views.
     12 —package     14 —cage     16 —plate     18 —pedestal     20 —foam block     22 —liner     24 —carton     26 —finger slots     28 —overlapping tongue slit     30 —cage retainer channel snap     32 —cage retainer ring snap     34 —cage bars     36 —cage top outside ring     38 —plate assembly     40 —cage top inside ring     42 —liner assembly without pedestal     44 —cage top bars     46 —liner assembly with pedestal     48 —liner in flat for pedestal     50 —liner in flat for no pedestal     52 —fold lines—bottom     54 —fold lines top     56 —pedestal mounting well     58 —pedestal mounting post     60 —flower     62 —outer diameter of plate     64 —block retaining well     66 —cage retainer channel     68 —liner bottom     70 —liner side walls     72 —plate retainer slot     74 —liner top     76 —cage retainer ring   
 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0058]    A preferred embodiment of package  12  will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying  FIGS. 1 through 10 . 
         [0059]    It will be understood that package  12  is intended to solve the shipping problems created by the inability to secure floral displays that have numerous flowers  60  on the top and sides of the arrangement. One such arrangement is in the form of a cake with flowers simulating icing, making it very difficult to handle or ship from a centrally located facility to remote locations without damage to the fragile blooms. 
         [0060]    Package  12  includes plate assembly  38  as shown in  FIGS. 2-5 . It is assembled from components as follows: cage  14 , plate  16  and optionally pedestal  18 , all of which can be made from a lightweight plastic. The final component is foam block  20  that can be made from hydrophilic floral foam such as AQUAFOAM® from Syndicate Sales, Inc. in Kokomo, Ind. 
         [0061]    Foam block  20  is placed in block retaining well  64  which is concentric with the top surface of plate  16  as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . Block retaining well  64  is formed by the concentric U shaped cage retainer channel  66  that extends upward from top surface of plate  16  and has an internal cage retainer channel snap  30  on the inside diameter of its outside wall. 
         [0062]    Cage  14  is then attached to plate  16  by inserting cage retainer ring snap  32  into cage retainer channel  66 . Cage  14  is formed with an annular ring as its base of cage retainer ring snap  32 , with cage bars  34  extending upward from cage retainer ring snap  32  base to cage top outside ring  36 . Top outside ring  36  is connected to top inside ring  40  by cage top bars  44 . Cage  14  firmly secures foam block  20  to plate  16 . 
         [0063]    Cylindrical foam block  20  and its circumscribing cage  14  are of smaller diameter and height, respectively, than the outside diameter  62  of plate  16  and the space between the top surface of plate  16  and the under side of liner top  74 . This clearance is such that the distal ends of flowers  60  that have been inserted into foam block  20  do not touch liner side walls  70  or liner tops  74  when plate assembly  38  is centered on closed liner bottom  68 . 
         [0064]    If the floral arrangement is to be elevated, pedestal mounting post  58  which is concentrically located on the distal end of pedestal  18  can be inserted into pedestal mounting well  56  that is concentrically located on the under surface of plate  16 . Pedestal  18  can be omitted if it is to be installed after shipping to utilize a smaller carton  24  or if the floral arrangement is to be displayed without elevation. 
         [0065]    Foam block  20  can be saturated with water or a combination of water and nutrients or water, nutrients and fungicides after plate assembly  38  has been constructed. Flowers may be inserted into top and sides of foam block  20  in a known manner creating a floral arrangement that creates an illusion of a cake with floral frosting or other difficult to handle or ship arrangements. 
         [0066]    Liner  22  is shown in  FIGS. 6 ,  7 ,  8  and  9 . It is made from a rectangular cardboard sheet with fold lines  52  located such that when the cardboard sheet is folded at ninety-degree angles on lines  52 , a U-shaped box structure is created with liner bottom  68  and liner sidewalls  70 . Liner bottom  68  is then of sufficient length and width as to slip-fit into carton  24 . Plate retainer slots  72  are cut through liner sidewalls  70  at a sufficient height to engage outer diameter of plate  16 . Plate retainer slots  72  are of sufficient length and width as to firmly engage outside diameter and thickness of plate  16  and restrain sidewalls  70  from touching distal ends of flowers  60  inserted into periphery of foam block  20 . Liner  22  also has top fold lines  54  located at such a height that when liner tops  74  are folded inward at 90 degree angles they overlap and do not touch the distal ends of flowers  60  inserted into top surface of foam block  20 . Finger slots  26  are cut through liner tops  74  and are used to pull overlapping liner tops  74  together causing them to interlock at overlapping tongue slits  28 . Overlapping tongue slits  28  are located at the centers of the distal ends of liner  22 . When overlapping tongue slits  28  are seated as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , they are of sufficient depth from the distal ends as to prevent liner side walls  70  from touching distal ends of flowers  60  inserted into side walls of foam block  20 . They are brought together in an interlocking manner by aligning opposing slits  28  and leading one side under and the other side over the opposing liner tops  74  and squeezing finger slots  26  between the thumb and fingers as shown in  FIG. 10  until they are firmly seated. 
         [0067]    Liner  22  interlocked over plate assembly  38  with fragile floral arrangement installed can then be easily slipped into shipping carton  24  forming package  12 . Package  12  can then be shipped with contents firmly held in moist and secure environment to remote locations without fear of damage to the fragile exterior of the floral arrangement. When package  12  arrives at its destination, liner  22  can be easily removed from shipping carton  24  by opening top of carton  24  and lifting with finger slots  26  in liner tops  74 , transferring the lifting forces to liner bottom  68 . Interlocked liner tops  74  prevent liner sidewalls  70  from collapsing into fragile flowers  60 . After removal from carton  24 , liner tops  74  interlocks can be reversed and liner  22  unfolded away from plate assembly  38 , leaving floral arrangement mounted in display ready fashion. 
         [0068]    While this invention has been described with reference to two illustrative embodiments, it will be understood that this description is not limiting as to size, scale or construction materials. Rather, the scope of this invention is defined by the following claims.