Plant cover/wrap system

Abstract

 A cover/wrap system for flower pots 10 and the like allows the use of any sheet 14 of material to cover a pot and be held in place by a sleeve 16. A transparent sleeve can be used, and colored or patterned material will decorate the pot; and, if the material is subject to moisture damage, an inner sleeve 32 acts as a moisture barrier. The sleeve can be set down, the sheet of material placed over the sleeve, and the pot simply placed on the sheet of material. The pot will sink into the sleeve and will urge the sheet of material around the pot, then hold the material in place.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates generally to flower pot decorations, and is more particularly concerned with a flower pot cover, or wrapping system, and a method for utilizing the cover or wrap.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention provides a covering for a flower pot having an outer peripheral surface comprising: a sheet of material having a base with at least two segments, each segment having a first end and a second end, the first end of each segment being connected to the base and each segment extending outwardly from the base terminating with the opposite second end, each segment having a first side and a second side, the first side of each segment being spaced a distance from the second side of the adjacent segment whereby a notch is formed between each pair of adjacent segments, the segments being folded upwardly from the base to a position wherein the first side of each segment is spaced a predetermined distance from the second side of the adjacent segment and in this position the first side of each segment being connected to the second side of the adjacent segment, the base substantially covering the bottom of the flower pot when the flower pot is positioned on the base and the segments extending upwardly and covering a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot when the flower pot is positioned on the base.

[0003] In another aspect, the present invention provides a cover adapted to provide a decorative cover for a flower pot having an upper end, a lower end, a bottom and an outer peripheral surface, comprising: a sheet of material adapted to substantially cover the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot; and a sleeve having an upper end with an opening extending therethrough, the flower pot with the sheet of material on the outer peripheral surface thereof being disposed in the opening in the sleeve, and the sleeve covering a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot, the sheet of material being disposed between the sleeve and the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and the sleeve engaging the sheet of material and holding the sheet of material against the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot whereby the sheet of material is held in place extending over the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot for providing a decorative cover for the flower pot.

[0004] In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a cover adapted to provide a decorative cover for a flower pot having an upper end, a lower end, a bottom and an outer peripheral surface, comprising: a sheet of material adapted to substantially cover the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot; an inner sleeve having an upper end with an opening extending therethrough, the flower pot being disposed in the opening in the inner sleeve and the inner sleeve covering a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot; and an outer sleeve having an upper end with an opening extending therethrough, the sheet of material being disposed about the inner sleeve and the inner sleeve with the sheet of material disposed thereabout being disposed through the opening in the outer sleeve with the outer sleeve covering a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and the outer sleeve covering a substantial portion of the inner sleeve with a sheet of material being disposed between the outer sleeve and the inner sleeve, the outer sleeve engaging the sheet of material and holding the sheet of material against the inner sleeve.

[0005] In another aspect, the present invention provides a method comprising: providing a sheet of material; providing a flower pot having an upper end, a lower end, a bottom and an outer peripheral surface; providing a sleeve having an upper end with an opening extending therethrough adapted to be received over the flower pot and covering a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot when received over the flower pot; placing the sheet of material over the upper end of the sleeve; placing the flower pot generally over the upper end of the sleeve and generally over the sheet of material; and lowering the flower pot into the opening in the sleeve until the flower pot is placed generally within the opening in the sleeve with the sleeve covering a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and with the sheet of material substantially covering the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and being disposed generally between the sleeve and the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot with a portion of the sheet of material extending beyond the upper end of the sleeve and outwardly from the upper end of the flower pot, the sleeve engaging the sheet of material and holding the sheet of material against the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and providing a decorative cover for the flower pot, the sleeve engaging and holding the sheet of material against the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and providing the sole means for holding the sheet of material in position about the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot.

[0006] In another aspect, the present invention provides a method comprising: providing a sheet of material; providing a flower pot having an upper end, a lower end, a bottom and an outer peripheral surface; providing an outer sleeve having an upper end with an opening extending therethrough adapted to be received over the flower pot and covering a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot when received over the flower pot; providing an inner sleeve having an upper end with an opening extending therethrough adapted to be received over the flower pot and covering a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot when received over the flower pot; placing the inner sleeve about the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot whereby the inner sleeve covers a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and the flower pot is disposed in the opening in the inner sleeve; placing the sheet of material over the opening in the outer sleeve; placing the flower pot with the inner sleeve disposed thereon generally over the opening in the outer sleeve; and lowering the flower pot with the inner sleeve placed thereon into the opening in the outer sleeve until the flower pot is disposed generally within the opening in the outer sleeve and the outer sleeve covers a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and the outer sleeve covers a substantial portion of the inner sleeve with the sheet of material being disposed generally between the outer sleeve and the inner sleeve, the sleeve engaging and holding the sheet of material against the inner sleeve and providing the sole means for holding the sheet of material in position about the inner sleeve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 is an exploded view illustrating the cover/wrap system of the present invention in conjunction with a generally conventional flower pot.

[0008] Figure 2 is an elevational view showing the system of Figure 1 assembled.

[0009] Figure 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged cross-sectional view taken substantially along a radius of the device shown in Figure 2 of the drawings.

[0010] Figure 4 is a plan view showing an alternate form of sheet of material for use with a system as shown in Figure 1.

[0011] Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing a modified form of the invention.

[0012] Figure 6 is a partial sectional, partial elevational view illustrating one way to form a flower pot cover using the modified sheet of material shown in Figure 4.

[0013] Figure 7 is a side elevational view of a flower pot cover formed using the sheet of material shown in Figure 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and to those embodiments of the invention here presented by way of illustration, Figure 1 shows a generally conventional flower pot designated at 10, the flower pot 10 having a thicker rim 11 and a substantially frustoconical body portion 12. Those skilled in the art will understand that flower pots such as the pot 10 are frequently formed of terra cotta or other clay materials, and tend to be not particularly attractive for indoor use. It is therefore pots of this type that are normally covered by metal foil, perhaps with ribbons or the like for decoration.

[0015] In accordance with the present invention, a piece of sheet of material designated at 14 is utilized to cover the pot 10. As here shown, it is contemplated that the sheet of material 14 might be substantially circular, and might include a plurality of stripes or other printed design generally designated at 15. Furthermore, the sheet of material 14 will generally be a relatively flimsy material, for example a polyethylene film having a thickness in the vicinity of one mil. Polyethylene is mentioned only by way of example, and it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that polypropylenes, polyethers, various vinyls, and the like can be used equally well. While printability of the material is desirable, it will also be understood that the sheet of material 14 might be solid white and of a translucent nature, or might be dyed, either as a solid color or a marbleized, moire or swirled pattern. Both to place the sheet of material 14 and to retain the sheet of material 14, there is a frustoconial sleeve generally designated at 16. The sleeve 16 is preferably transparent, and may be made of polystyrene or other inexpensive material. The upper, or larger diameter of the sleeve which is designated at 18 is sized to receive the pot 10 adjacent to the rim 11, while the lower end, and smaller diameter of the sleeve 16 designated at 19 is designed to receive the lower, or base portion of the pot 10 designated at 13.

[0016] With the above discussion in mind, attention is directed to Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings. While the sheet of material 14 is illustrated as substantially circular, it will be readily noted that virtually any other shape of material can also be used, the primary equipment being to have the sheet 14 large enough to cover the pot 10 substantially completely. Any additional material will extend beyond the pot 10 to cover the dirt, plant roots and stems, and the like, and is a matter of individual taste and decorating intent. It will therefore be understood that one can select a particular piece of sheet of material 14 to comport with the decorating scheme, and the sheet of material 14 can be somewhat casually laid across the end 18 of the sleeve 16. The pot 10 can then be placed over the sheet of material 14 and dropped into the sleeve 16. Since the sheet of material 14 is quite flexible, the sheet of material will pleat as necessary and fill the space between the sleeve 16 and the pot 10.

[0017] Once the pot 10 has been received completely within the sleeve 16 as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the sheet of material 14 can be further shaped if desired. By way of example, the material may be pulled upwardly as shown in Figure 2, or half the material may be pulled up and the other half pulled down to achieve a different appearance. It will be understood, nevertheless, that this "shaping" will be done with little more than the brush of a hand and will not be particularly time consuming.

[0018] With the selected sheet of material 14 in place over the pot 10 as is illustrated in Figure 2, it will be realized that a very attractive design has been achieved with a total investment of time of no more than a matter of seconds. By selections of inexpensive materials for the sheet of material 14 and the sleeve 16, the entire assembly can be very inexpensive to provide.

[0019] Shown in Figure 4 is a modified sheet of material 14a. The sheet of material 14a may be somewhat heavier than discussed in conjunction with Figures 1, 2, and 3. The sheet of material 14a may be constructed of paper, foil, metalized paper, plastic material or virtually any other sheet of material desired for use as a flower pot cover.

[0020] The sheet of material 14a has a generally circularly shaped base 20 which corresponds to the size and shape of the flower pot 10 shown in Figure 1. It should be noted that, although the base 20 has been shown as being generally circularly shaped in Figure 4, the base could be any other shape such as square, rectangle, polygon or any other shape to conform to the shape of the bottom of the flower pot on which the cover made from the sheet of material 14a is to be used.

[0021] The sheet of material 14a has four segments 21, the four segments being designated in Figure 4 by the respective numerals 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d. Each of the segments 21 is generally trapezoidal shaped and has opposite ends 22 and 24 and opposite sides 26 and 28. The opposite ends and the opposite sides of the segments 21 are designated with identical reference numerals, except the reference numerals as shown in Figure 4 are followed by the respective letter designations "a", "b", "c", and "d" for the respective segments 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d. A generally triangularly shaped notch 30 is formed between each pair of segments 21 so that the side 28 of one of the segments 21 is spaced a distance from the side 26 of the adjacent segment 21. The respective notches are designated in Figure 4 with the reference numeral 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d. The segments 21 are shaped and sized so that when the segments are folded upwardly from the base 20, a portion of the side 28 of each of the segments generally overlap a portion of the adjacent segment 21 generally along the side 26 thereof.

[0022] Using the sheet of material 14a, the sheet of material is positioned over the upper end 18 of the sleeve 16 (shown in Figure 1) with the base 20 being disposed generally over and encompassing the upper end 18 of the sleeve 16. In this position of the sheet of material, the flower pot 10 is lowered into the sleeve 16. As the pot 10 is lowered in the sleeve 16, the segments 21 are folded upwardly about the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot 10 in a manner similar to that described before with respect to the sheet of material 14. However, rather than requiring the pleating as discussed above in conjunction with Figures 1 and 2, the notches 30 provide sufficient relief so that the sheet of material will not be appreciably pleated. As the flower pot 10 is covered by the sleeve 16, the segments 21 will be urged upwardly and the adjacent edges 28 and 26 of adjacent segments 21 will be slightly overlapped and the entire outer peripheral surface of the flower pot 10 will be covered by the sheet of material 14a with the base 20 covering the lower end or bottom 13 of the flower pot 10 and the segments 21 each extending upwardly over a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot 10.

[0023] It will therefore be understood by those skilled in the art that a quite different appearance can be achieved on the flower pot 10 since various papers, heavy plastics, metalized papers, or plastics can be utilized, and even a heavy foil can be utilized, the speed of assembly of the plant cover/wrap system renders the system much more economical than the conventional, prior art systems.

[0024] In the system discussed hereinabove, it is contemplated that the sheet of material 14 or 14a will be resistant to moisture. It will be understood, however, that one might occasionally wish to utilize a sheet of material that cannot tolerate the moisture that will be present on the outside surface of the flower pot 10. By way of example, one might use painted or printed material on which the colors are not fast, or might utilize very fine fabrics or the like for an exceptionally luxurious appearance. For such an arrangement, the apparatus shown in Figure 5 will be utilized. In Figure 5, the pot is again designated at 10 with the rim 11, pot portion 12 and bottom 13. In Figure 5 it will be seen that there is an inner sleeve 32 covering the pot portion 12 of the flower pot 10. Next to the inner sleeve 32 is the sheet of material designated at 24; and, to hold the sheet of material 24 in place, there is an outer sleeve 25.

[0025] As shown in Figure 5, it will be seen that the bottom 36 of the flower pot 10 is also covered by a bottom portion 38 of the inner sleeve 32. Thus, the entire pot portion 12 of the flower pot 10 is covered by the inner sleeve 32 to prevent the passage of moisture from the pot 10 to the fabric 24. Similarly, as here shown the sleeve 35 includes a bottom portion 38. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the bottom portion 39 can be omitted, but the flower pot 10 would then be resting on the fabric 24. This may not be objectionable since the inner sleeve 32 includes the bottom portion 38 to protect the fabric 24 from moisture.

[0026] In using the system shown in Figure 5 of the drawings, it will be understood that the system will be substantially the same as that discussed above. The outer sleeve 35 will have the sleeve material 34 placed thereover. One will then place the flower pot 10 into the inner sleeve 32; and, the covered flower pot can then be set into the outer sleeve 35, allowing the sheet of material 34 to be pleated as necessary to fill the space between the inner sleeve 32 and the outer sleeve 35. It will further be understood that a substantially circular piece of sheet of material such as the material 14 can be utilized, or a heavier, notched piece of sheet of material such as the sheet of material 14a can be utilized in the arrangement in Figure 5 of the drawings.

[0027] It will therefore be seen that the present invention provides a very quick and easy flower pot cover/wrap system that can be used with inexpensive sheets of material can be printed with various designs, or be a solid color, and can even be transparent if such an effect is desired. Through the use of the sleeve 15, installation of the sheet of material such as the material 14 will be very quick, taking only a few seconds for compete covering of the pot such as the flower pot 10. Heavy sheets of material can be used by utilizing the arrangement shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, and delicate fabrics and the like can be utilized by using the inner sleeve 32 in conjunction with the outer sleeve 16 or 35.

[0028] Shown in Figure 6 is one system which may be used for forming a flower pot cover using the segmented sheet of material shown in Figure 4. As shown in Figure 6, the sheet of material 14a is positioned generally above a female mold 40 having a mold opening 42 in a position wherein the base 20 of the sheet of material 14a is positioned generally over the female mold opening 42 and the segments 21 each extend outwardly therefrom. A male mold 44 is connected to a cylinder rod of a hydraulic cylinder 46. The male mold 44 is shaped to be matingly disposed in the female mold 40.

[0029] In operation, the hydraulic cylinder 46 is actuated to move the male die 44 in the downward direction 48 to a position wherein the lower end of the male die engages the base 20 of the sheet of material 14a. The male die 44 further is moved in the downward direction pushing the base 20 and the segments 21 connected thereto into the female mold 40. As the sheet of material 14a is pushed into the female mold the segments are formed in an upward direction extending generally upwardly from the base 20. As mentioned before, the segments 21 are shaped so that, when the segments have been moved in the upward direction and the male mold 44 is matingly disposed in the female mold 40, a portion of the side 28 of each of the segments 21 overlap an adjacent portion of the side 26 of the adjacent segment. The sides 28 and 26 of each of the segments 21 are connected to form the decorative cover 50 as shown in Figure 7. The overlapping edges 26 and 28 may be sealingly connected by heat sealing when the cover is formed from a heat sealable material such as polypropylene for example. In other instances, it may be necessary to connect the overlapping sides 26 and 28 by adhesively connecting the overlapping portion of the sides 26 and 28 of each of the segments 21.

[0030] Changes may be made in the construction of the various part, elements, and assemblies described herein and changes may be made in the steps or the sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A covering for a flower pot having an outer peripheral surface comprising:
   a sheet of material having a base with at least two segments, each segment having a first end and a second end, the first end of each segment being connected to the base and each segment extending outwardly from the base terminating with the opposite second end, each segment having a first side and a second side, the first side of each segment being spaced a distance from the second side of the adjacent segment whereby a notch is formed between each pair of adjacent segments, the segments being folded upwardly from the base to a position wherein the first side of each segment is spaced a predetermined distance from the second side of the adjacent segment and in this position the first side of each segment being connected to the second side of the adjacent segment, the base substantially covering the bottom of the flower pot when the flower pot is positioned on the base and the segments extending upwardly and covering a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot when the flower pot is positioned on the base.

2. The covering of claim 1 wherein the connection of the first end of each segment to the base is defined further as providing the only connection between the segments and the base.

3. The covering of claims 1 or 2 wherein the first side of each segment is defined further as being spaced a predetermined distance from the second side of the adjacent segment throughout the entire length of the adjacent segment extending between the first and the second ends of the adjacent segments.

4. The covering of claim 3 wherein the first side of each segment is defined further as being connected directly and only to the second side of the adjacent segment.

5. The covering of any one of the preceding claims wherein each segment is about trapezoidally shaped.

6. The covering of any one of the preceding claims wherein the base is about circularly shaped.

7. The covering of any one of the preceding claims wherein a portion of each segment near the first side thereof overlaps a portion of the adjacent segment near the second side of the adjacent segment.

8. A cover adapted to provide a decorative cover for a flower pot having an upper end, a lower end, a bottom and an outer peripheral surface, comprising:
   a sheet of material adapted to substantially cover the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot; and
   a sleeve having an upper end with an opening extending therethrough, the flower pot with the sheet of material on the outer peripheral surface thereof being disposed in the opening in the sleeve, and the sleeve covering a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot, the sheet of material being disposed between the sleeve and the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and the sleeve engaging the sheet of material and holding the sheet of material against the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot whereby the sheet of material is held in place extending over the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot for providing a decorative cover for the flower pot.

9. The cover of claim 8 wherein a portion of the sheet of material extends above and outwardly from the upper end of the sleeve and beyond the upper end of the flower pot.

10. The cover of claim 8 wherein the sheet of material extends over the entire outer peripheral surface of the flower pot.

11. The cover of any one of claims 8 through 10 wherein the sheet of material comprises a flat sheet that is gathered to be received within said sleeve.

12. The cover of any one of claims 8 through 11 wherein the sheet of material further comprises a base and at least two segments, each segment having a first end and a second end with the first end of each segment being connected to the base and each segment extending outwardly from the base terminating with the second end of the segment, the segments being folded upwardly from the base to extend about the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot with the first side of each segment being disposed near the second side of an adjacent segment when the segments are folded upwardly from the base to extend about the flower pot.

13. The cover of any one of claims 8 through 12 wherein the sleeve includes a bottom closing the lower end of the sleeve and covering the bottom of the flower pot when the flower pot is placed in the sleeve.

14. A cover adapted to provide a decorative cover for a flower pot having an upper end, a lower end, a bottom and an outer peripheral surface, comprising:
   a sheet of material adapted to substantially cover the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot;
   an inner sleeve having an upper end with an opening extending therethrough, the flower pot being disposed in the opening in the inner sleeve and the inner sleeve covering a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot; and
   an outer sleeve having an upper end with an opening extending therethrough, the sheet of material being disposed about the inner sleeve and the inner sleeve with the sheet of material disposed thereabout being disposed through the opening in the outer sleeve with the outer sleeve covering a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and the outer sleeve covering a substantial portion of the inner sleeve with a sheet of material being disposed between the outer sleeve and the inner sleeve, the outer sleeve engaging the sheet of material and holding the sheet of material against the inner sleeve.

15. The cover of claim 14 wherein a portion of the sheet of material extends above and outwardly from the upper end of the sleeve and beyond the upper end of the flower pot.

16. The cover of claim 14 wherein the sheet of material extends over the entire outer peripheral surface of the flower pot.

17. The cover of any one of claims 14 through 16 wherein the sheet of material comprises a flat sheet that is gathered to be received within said sleeve.

18. The cover of any one of claims 14 through 17 wherein the sheet of material further comprises a base and at least two segments, each segment having a first end and a second end with the first end of each segment being connected to the base and each segment extending outwardly from the base terminating with the second end of the segment, the segments being folded upwardly from the base to extend about the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot with the first side of each segment being disposed near the second side of an adjacent segment when the segments are folded upwardly from the base to extend about the flower pot.

19. A method comprising:
   providing a sheet of material;
   providing a flower pot having an upper end, a lower end, a bottom and an outer peripheral surface;
   providing a sleeve having an upper end with an opening extending therethrough adapted to be received over the flower pot and covering a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot when received over the flower pot;
   placing the sheet of material over the upper end of the sleeve;
   placing the flower pot generally over the upper end of the sleeve and generally over the sheet of material; and
   lowering the flower pot into the opening in the sleeve until the flower pot is placed generally within the opening in the sleeve with the sleeve covering a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and with the sheet of material substantially covering the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and being disposed generally between the sleeve and the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot with a portion of the sheet of material extending beyond the upper end of the sleeve and outwardly from the upper end of the flower pot, the sleeve engaging the sheet of material and holding the sheet of material against the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and providing a decorative cover for the flower pot, the sleeve engaging and holding the sheet of material against the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and providing the sole means for holding the sheet of material in position about the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot.

20. A method comprising:
   providing a sheet of material;
   providing a flower pot having an upper end, a lower end, a bottom and an outer peripheral surface;
   providing an outer sleeve having an upper end with an opening extending therethrough adapted to be received over the flower pot and covering a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot when received over the flower pot;
   providing an inner sleeve having an upper end with an opening extending therethrough adapted to be received over the flower pot and covering a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot when received over the flower pot;
   placing the inner sleeve about the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot whereby the inner sleeve covers a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and the flower pot is disposed in the opening in the inner sleeve;
   placing the sheet of material over the opening in the outer sleeve;
   placing the flower pot with the inner sleeve disposed thereon generally over the opening in the outer sleeve; and
   lowering the flower pot with the inner sleeve placed thereon into the opening in the outer sleeve until the flower pot is disposed generally within the opening in the outer sleeve and the outer sleeve covers a substantial portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and the outer sleeve covers a substantial portion of the inner sleeve with the sheet of material being disposed generally between the outer sleeve and the inner sleeve, the sleeve engaging and holding the sheet of material against the inner sleeve and providing the sole means for holding the sheet of material in position about the inner sleeve.

Drawing