Abstract:
A flower shipping and arranging container comprising a planer flexible card having defined therein a number of apertures for receiving flower stems there through. The flower shipping and arranging container also includes sheet material wrapped around the flexible card so as to create a hollow pocket between the sheet material and a front surface of flexible card thereby creating a protected environment for the flowers.

Description:
[0001]     The present application claims the benefit of previously filed U.S. Provisional Application 60/595,391 filed Jun. 29, 2005 under the title FLOWER SHIPPING AND ARRANGING CONTAINER by OTTO BULK. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention relates to containers for flowers and particularly relates to a container which can be used for both shipping and arranging a bunch of flowers.  
       BACK GROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Generally flowers are grouped together by variety or name and packaged in groups of a predetermined number and bound together at the bottom portion of the stems and wrapped in cellophane. This is the prior art method for arranging a number of cut flowers and to date is the most common and efficient method for grouping flowers together. The difficulty with wrapping flowers in cellophane is the flowers do not come in the same shape or form and require certain elements in place in order to maintain their quality. The different shapes of flowers are determined by the bloom on the top of the flower, for example, some flowers bloom in the horizontal direction, whereas other bloom more predominantly in the vertical direction. This makes the requirements of floral packaging and transportation more difficult, particularly when flowers with a vertical bloom are being packaged using simple wrap cellophane as is currently done. Flowers with a horizontal bloom packaged in the current manner are often damaged and become unsaleable. Therefore, it is desirable to have a method of packaging cut flowers, particularly those that predominantly bloom in the horizontal direction that preserves and protects the bloom of the flower during shipping and handling.  
         [0004]     The present invention is particularly useful for packaging of long stem flowers having little or no leaf, in particular varieties like Gerberas, Anthuriums, Arum Lilies and the like but can also be used with other varieties.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     A flower shipping and arranging container comprising a planer flexible card having defined therein a number of apertures for receiving flower stems there through. The flower shipping and arranging container also includes sheet material wrapped around flexible card so as to create a hollow pocket between the sleeve and a front surface of flexible card thereby creating a protected environment for the flowers. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]     The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the following drawings in which:  
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a front schematic elevational view of the flexible card used with the present invention, a flower shipping and arranging container.  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is a front schematic elevational view of the flexible card together with flowers being positioned therein.  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  is a front schematic elevational view of the flexible card together with all of the flowers in the arrangement or grouping mounted on the card together with a binding on the stems of the flowers.  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  is a front schematic perspective view of the present invention flower shipping and arranging container showing the flexible card together with flowers mounted therein, together with the sheet material mounted around the card.  
         [0011]      FIG. 5  is a rear schematic elevational view of the back surface of the flexible card showing the flower stems projecting there through and a binding.  
         [0012]      FIG. 6  is a schematic representation of other flexible card shapes that are possible, including circular, square, rectangular, triangular, hexagonal and oval.  
         [0013]      FIG. 7  is a schematic flow diagram for a system of packaging flowers. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0014]     The present invention a flower shipping and arranging container shown generally as  100  in  FIGS. 1 through 5  includes a flexible card  102  having apertures  104  defined therein. The apertures preferably taking the shape of an oblong slot as shown  FIG. 1 . The flexible card  102  having a left edge  106 , right edge  108 , a bottom edge  110  and a top edge  112  in this particular embodiment. Flexible card  102  further includes a front surface  114  and a back surface  158  shown in  FIG. 5 . Flexible card  102  further includes a card hanger hole  116  and a location for a label or price slot  118 . The card hanger hole located below the top edge  112  for vertically hanging the card on display.  
         [0015]     The flexible card  102  preferably includes a moisture resistant coating denoted as wax coating  146  in  FIG. 1 . The coating may be any type known to resist moisture including but not limited to wax, and plastic coatings.  
         [0016]     Flowers  120  are placed through apertures  104  defined in flexible card  102  as shown in  FIG. 2 , wherein stems  122  of flowers  120  located through apertures  104 . Flexible card  102  can be made of any suitable material include paper and cardboard sheets, plastic sheet material and any other suitable sheet material.  
         [0017]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a grouping of flowers can be created as shown in  FIG. 3 , in which a number of flowers  120  are placed onto flexible card  102  with stems  122  projecting through flexible card  102  and having a bind  130  near the bottom of stems  122 . The bind  130  including any material suitable for holding together stems  130  until container  100  is opened and the flowers  120  removed.  
         [0018]     A sheet material  152  is wrapped around flexible card  102  in such a manner that flexible card is concavely bowed  160  to produce a hollow pocket  150  housing flowers  120  therein. In other words, pocket  150  is created between front surface  114  of flexible card  102  and sheet material front surface  154 . Hollow pocket  150  is created by placing sheet material  152  in tension around flexible card  102 , such that the tension forces on sheet material  152  concavely bow  160  flexible cards  102 . Sheet material  152  makes contact with flexible card  102  at left edge  106  of flexible card  102  and right edge  108  of flexible card  102 . Sheet material  152  may also make contact with back surface  158 . By placing sheet material  152  in tension, right edge  108  is pulled toward left edge  106  and flexible card  102  is bowed concavely to form hollow pocket  150 , thereby providing for a protective area in which flowers  120  are housed during shipping and future handling.  
         [0019]     It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that once sheet material  152  is removed from flexible card  102 , the flower arrangement created on flexible card  102  can be used as a display presentation of the flowers. Sheet material  152  may be made of any suitable material, including but not limited to plastic, clear plastic, clear plastic film, mylar, cellophane, wax paper, other suitable sheet materials etc.  
         [0020]     Hollow pocket  150  created by sheet material  152  and flexible card  102 , effectively create a protective pocket in which the flowers are securely held and not damaged by either impinging upon each other and/or impinging upon other objects.  
         [0021]     Flexible card  102  preferably has a coating applied to front surface  114  to ensure moisture and humidity resistance.  
         [0022]     In an alternate embodiment, a system of packaging flowers is depicted in  FIG. 7  schematically in flow diagram style. It uses the flower shipping and arranging container shown generally as  100  in  FIGS. 1 through 5 . The system of packaging flowers includes as depicted in  FIG. 7 :  
         [0023]     Coating flexible card stock with a wax coating— 302 .  
         [0024]     Die cutting card stock to produce flexible cards of desired shape— 304 .  
         [0025]     Die cutting apertures in flexible cards to receive flower stems there through— 306 .  
         [0026]     Placing flower stems through apertures in the flexible card with flower bloom mounted adjacent the front surface of the flexible card— 308 .  
         [0027]     Wrapping sheet material around the flexible card, such that the front surface is concavely bowed thereby forming a protective hollow pocket between the sheet material and the front surface of the flexible card in which to house the flowers— 310 .  
         [0028]     It should be apparent to persons skilled in the arts that various modifications and adaptation of this structure described above are possible without departure from the spirit of the invention the scope of which defined in the appended claim.