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(11) | EP 0 428 234 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Decorative collar for a flower |
| (57) A decorative collar for a flower is formed from a flat sheet (1) made of thin, elastic,
flexible material such as cardboard. An essentially sector-shaped cutout (2) is cut
from the flat sheet and extends from the peripheral edge of the sheet to a small opening
(3) situated in the center of the flat sheet. The diameter of that opening is smaller
than 5 mm and at least one cut (8) extends radially from the opening (3) to form flexible
fixing lips. The flexural strength of the sheet material and the maximum diameter
of the central opening are chosen so that a single design is suitable for flowers
with thick or thin stems. |
[0002] The consumer wishing to make a gift of a flower or a bunch of flowers often appreciates having the flowers or a single flower provided with a conical decorative collar which hangs round said flower and on which a decorative pattern and possibly a friendly message is printed. Such a decorative collar must be easy to place around a flower stem, and a single design must bd suitable for flowers with thick or thin stems, in other words, a thick stem must not be crushed by the decorative collar in such a way that the water supply to the flower is blocked, while the decorative collar placed on a thin stem must not slide down by itself.
[0003] A decorative collar meeting these conditions is according to the invention characterized in that it comprises a flat sheet made of thin, elastic, flexible material such as cardboard, a essentially sector-shaped cutout which is cut from the flat sheet and extends from the peripheral edge of the flat sheet to a opening situated in the centre of the flat sheet and having a diameter smaller than 5 mm, and at least one cut extending radially from the opening to form flexible fixing lips.
[0004] The combination of a certain flexural strength of the sheet material and a maximum diameter of the central opening is important for a good result. Measured by the two-point measuring method according to DIN standard 531219 the specific flexural strength must not be higher than 60 mNmm. With this measuring method a strip of flat sheet material is clamped at one side and a force is exerted on the opposite side. The specific flexural strength is then calculated from the formula:
in which:
S = specific flexural strength
F = force in newton
f = maximum bend of the strip of sheet material in mm
1 = length of the strip of sheet material in mm
b = width of the strip of sheet material in mm
[0005] As regards the lower limit of the flexural strength, measurements were carried out with a so-called Lorentze and Wettre apparatus by the static method, where a strip of sheet material 38 mm wide is clamped at one side and a force is exerted at a distance of 10 mm from the clamping place. With a bending angle of 150 the force is measured, which is a measure of the flexural strength. It must be at least 57 milliNewton.
[0006] US-A-2029043 discloses a flower support comprising an essentially circular disc made of celluloid or similar material, which disc is provided with a central opening surrounded by a star-shaped pattern of triangular slits and lips. The star-shaped pattern of triangular lips lying between the slits is bent out of the plane of the flat sheet. Due to the shape, thickness and type of the material, this disc is not suitable for forming a conical decorative collar which can be stuck by the florist or consumer on flower stems of widely differing cross-sectional dimensions without there being a risk of the stem being damaged or the collar easily sliding down the stem.
[0007] In principle, it should be possible to fix together overlapping sheet parts with a adhesive strip to form a conical collar, but it is more practical to provide the decorative collar itself with fixing means for fixing sheet parts together.
[0008] In order to ensure that the size of the cone can be adapted to the size of the flower for which the collar is intended, it is preferable for a tangentially projecting lip to be located at the radial end of one of the boundary edges of the cutout and for provision to be made in the connection between said lip and the remaining part of the sheet for a short incision which lies in line with the above-mentioned boundary edge, while in the outer periphery of the sheet at some distance from the other boundary edge of the cutout one or more short incisions running towards the centre of the sheet are made.
[0009] Another possibility is that one or more lips are provided in one of the boundary edges of the cutout, said lips fitting in a fixing manner into corresponding recesses in the other boundary edge of the cutout.
[0011] The invention will now be explained in greater detail with reference to the figures.
Figure 1 shows a top view of a first embodiment of a decorative collar according to the invention, in the flat position.
Figure 2 shows a top view of a second embodiment of a decorative collar according to the invention, in the flat position.
Figure 3 shows a view of a flower with a decorative collar according to Figure 1 placed around it.
[0012] The decorative collar shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a circular flat sheet 1 of thin cardboard or a similar elastic, flexible material. The sheet is provided with a sector-shaped cutout 2 extending from the peripheral edge to a small opening 3. One of the two faces of the sheet is provided with a decorative motif, and a message is printed on a projecting part. The cutout 2 is bounded by two edge strips 4 and 5. In the embodiment according to Figure 1, one edge strip 4 is provided with two lips 6, and the other edge strip 5 is provided with two recesses 7.
[0013] Figure 3 shows how a collar formed from the flat sheet according to Figure 1 is fitted around a flower: the lips 6 are each inserted through a recess 7 and slot firmly into the sheet material surrounding the recess 7. The flat sheet has become the shape of a cone in which the bottom side of the flower is accommodated. The flower stem projects through the collar at the central opening 3. Provision is made at this opening for a number of cuts 8 extending radially outward from the opening 3 to form fixing lips engaging on the stem. The flexural strength of the sheet material and the maximum diameter of the opening 3 are selected in such a way that the collar remains firmly in position on the flower stem without the stem being damaged in the case of a thick flower stem or the fitted collar sliding down by itself in the case of a thin flower stem.
[0014] It was found in experiments that the maximum specific flexural strength measured with a so-called two-point arrangement according to DIN 53121 must be a maximum of 60 mNmm and the diameter of the central opening must be smaller than 5 mm. In general, this diameter will be between 2 and 3 mm.
[0015] The invention according to Figure 2 differs from that according to Figure 1 in that the fixing means make it possible to fold the flat sheet conically with different cone apex angles. This means that the size of the cone can be adapted to the size of the flower. A tangentially projecting lip 9 is provided at the radial end of one of the boundary edges of the cutout, and a short incision 10 is made in the connection between said lip and the sheet. Two short incisions 11 running towards the centre of the sheet are also made in the outer periphery of the sheet. In the conically folded state the transition from the lip 9 to the remaining sheet material is pushed into one of the incisions 11, which produces a barbed effect.
1. Decorative collar for a flower, comprising a flat sheet (1) made of thin, elastic,
flexible material such as cardboard, an essentially sector-shaped cutout (2) which
is cut from the flat sheet and extends from the peripheral edge of the flat sheet
to a small opening (3) situated in the centre of the flat sheet and having a diameter
smaller than 5 mm, and at least, one cut (8) extending radially from the opening (3)
to form flexible fixing lips.
2. Decorative collar according to Claim 1, characterized in that the specific flexural
strength of the sheet material, measured by the two-point measuring method according
to DIN standard 53121, is no higher than 60 mNmm.
3. Decorative collar according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the force exerted
at a distance of 10 mm from a clamping point of a 38-mm wide flat strip and required
to bend said strip through a angle of 150 must be at least 57 mN.
4. Decorative collar according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by fixing
means for fixing sheet parts to one another to form a conical collar.
5. Decorative collar according to Claim 4, characterized in that a tangentially projecting
lip (9) is located at the radial end of one of the boundary edges of the cutout (2)
and provision is made in the connection between said lip and the remaining part of
the sheet for a short incision (10) which lies in line with the above-mentioned boundary
edge, and in that in the outer periphery of the sheet at some distance from the other
boundary edge of the cutout (2) one or more short incisions (11) running towards the
centre of the sheet are made.
6. Decorative collar according to Claim 4, characterized in that one or more lips
(6) are provided in one of the boundary edges of the cutout (2), said lips fitting
in a fixing manner into corresponding recesses (7) in the other boundary edge of the
cutout.
7. Flower provided with a conical or pyramidal decorative collar, which decorative
collar is formed from a flat sheet according to any of the preceding claims by connecting
the sheet parts to one another.