GB2127688A - Apparatus for providing a flower or like display - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a plurality of spherical plastic display means 3, each having a spherical hollow translucent body and a neck 7, arranged in clusters around an elongate support member 4 which can be used to connect with a superposed similar cluster, so that a floral or like display can be produced. Each display means 3 is formed from two hemispherical parts which are welded by ultrasonic welding along an equatorial seam line in order to form a smooth weld which is water-proof. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for providing a flower or like display Technical Field of the Invention The invention relates to apparatus for providing a flower or like display.

Background Art Flowers are often arranged in vases, but these are often single vessels in which bunches of flowers are placed by the stem to provide a display. Often such displays are not as aesthetic as the displayer would wish. Also, such vases usually are not suitable for displaying an individual flower.

Disclosure of Invention It is an object of the invention to seek to mitigate these disadvantages of the prior art.

According to the invention there is provided a display means including a body having a convex external surface and a neck leading to the interior of the display means comprising two parts with connecting portions whereby the two parts are secured together to form the display means.

The display means are preferably transparent.

The connecting portions may be complementary. This provides for ease of assembly.

The body may be substantially spherical and each part may be substantially hemi-spherical the neck protruding from one part. This provides for an aesthetic article which is relatively readily made.

Each part may be moulded from plastic material and the connecting portions may be welded together. This again provides for ease of construction.

The connecting portions may be connected together by ultrasonic welding. This provides a clean smooth join which is waterproof.

There may also be provided apparatus for providing a flower or like display comprising an array of a plurality of display means as hereinbefore defined, which display means are each secured to an elongate support member in a desired spatial relationship with respect to the member and so that when the apparatus is placed on a support surface with the longitudinal axis of the support member substantially at right angles to the plane of the support surface, the apparatus is stable.

The elongate support member may have a plurality of concave surface parts in each of which a body may be received.

The elongate support member may be formed of plastics material and may be secured with the display means by welding.

The welding may be ultrasonic welding.

The elongate support member may have one end which is free of the cluster of display means and the other end may be within the cluster and may have a hollow base, whereby the one end of an elongate member of another apparatus may be receivable in the other end for connecting two apparatuses together to form a tiered display.

The apparatus may include a connector adapted for mounting with the one end of the elongate support member and for connection with an electrical light bulb holder. This provides that the apparatus may be a lamp base.

The connector may be adapted by a sliding connection of the one end and by a screw attachment for connection with the electrical light bulb holder.

There may be three display means symmetrically disposed around the elongate support member at the same height thereon and inclined so that the longitudinal axis of each one may be inclined to the plane of a support surface in use.

There may be a fourth display means secured to the one end of the elongate member between the three display means.

A display means and apparatus embodying the invention are hereinafter described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of Drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an individual display means; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the display means of Fig. 1, exploded to show the separate parts; Fig. 3 is a view of one end of an elongate support member; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the support member of Fig. 3 taken on line A-A and looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of apparatus for providing a flower display, assembled with similar apparatus to provide a tiered flower display; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a connector for use with the apparatus according to the invention; and Fig. 7 is, to a smaller scale, a schematic view of the connector of Fig. 6 being mounted on the apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, apparatus 1 for providing a flower display, of which three 1, 1 a and 1 b arranged substantially vertically in tiers to provide a tiered array 2 are shown in Fig. 5 (like parts being designated by like reference numbers) comprises an array of a plurality of display means 3 each for holding a liquid, normally water in the embodiment shown, and an individual flower, the display means 3 being each secured to a central elongate support member 4 in a desired spatial relationship with respect to the support member 4. This arrangement is such that when the apparatus 1 is placed on a support surface with the longitudinal axis 5 of the support member 4 substantially at right angles to the plane of the support surface 6, the apparatus 1 is stable and any liquid in a display means is retained therein.

Each display means includes a body having a convex external surface so that it is substantially spherical, and a neck 7. Each display means is hollow for containing liquid and a flower and the neck 7, which is integral, has a flared or funnelshaped mouth 8. The neck 7 leads directly to the interior of the display means 3 for filling with water and for insertion of a flower. The display means are disposed to that their longitudinal axes 9 are inclined to the vertical in use.

Each display means 3 shown is injection moulded in two parts 10 and 11 which have complementary equatorial mating portions 1 2 which are rebated parts of the free equatorial edges so that when mated they provide smooth interior and exterior surfaces by welding, preferably by sonic welding. This provides a firm bond which is virtually invisible. The display means 3 is transparent and is formed from high molecular weight polystyrene in the embodiment shown.

An equatorial ornamentation 1 3 may be applied as desired.

The elongate support member 4 is a tube which is also injection moulded from high molecular weight polystyrene. The support member 4 is symmetrical about its longitudinal axis 5 and has at one end 14 a circumferential chamfer and adjacent the other end 1 5 concave surface parts 1 6 which are complementary to the convex surface parts of the display means 3 so that one display means 3 can be received in each part 16, the surfaces of the display means 3 and of the elongate member then being secured together by welding, preferably by sonic welding so that the polystyrene fuses and on resetting firmly bonds the parts 1 6 and 3 together, as in joining the parts 10 and 11 of the display means 3.

The support member 4 also has at the other end 1 5 a socket 1 7 with a chamfered lead-in or entry which is just wide enough to receive the one end 14 of an identical array 1 a to provide a tiered structure (Fig. 5).

The parts 1 6 are symmetrically disposed about the longitudinal axis 5 so that the apparatus presents a symmetrical array. The one end 14 projects beyond the spherical parts of the display means 3 sufficiently for it to be able to be connected with the other end 1 5 of the support member 4 of a similar array 1 a. The other end 1 5 of the support member 4 terminates in a higher, in use, plane than the lowest parts of the display means 3.

In use to erect an array like the one shown in Fig. 5, the display means 3 of each apparatus 1, 1 a and 1 b are, say, filled with water and a single flower (not shown) without a stem is placed on the water and the apparatuses are assembled as shown with the one end 14 of the elongate support member 4 of the apparatus 1 being received as a push fit in the other end 1 5 of the support-member 4 of the next succeeding, superposed apparatus 1 a, and so on. The water in each display means acts as a prism and enhances the beauty of the flower.

The assembled apparatuses can be used as a centerpiece for example on a dinner table.

It will be understood that there may be as many tiers as practicable, normally there being a fourth apparatus as the top tier (not shown in Fig. 5) which has a fourth or central display means 3 situated over the one end of the support member of that top apparatus.

Referring now to Figs. 6 and 7, there is shown an injection moulded plastics connector 20 which is bifurcated at one end 21 to provide a resilient connection which has a circular internal bore 22 of a diameter just sufficient to receive an end 14 of an elongate support member 4 with push fit so that the member 4 is gripped and the connector 20 is supported upright in use. There is a screw threaded connection 23 at the other end which can be used for connection with a light bulb fitment so that the apparatus can be used as a lamp base, such as for a table lamp. The connector 20 can be removed readily from the member 4.

However many tiers there are, the elongate support member 4 are aligned substantially vertically, in use, or stated another way the members 4 are aligned and in use extend substantially at 90 to a surface on which they are supported.

In another embodiment, an upper display means 3 such as the upper or central one supports an electrical connector socket such as of the bayonet kind, and an electrical lead such as flexible wire, flex or cord is led down through the hollow members 4 out of the flared end of the lower one (in use) and is connected to an electrical plug for insertion in a power point. The socket can then support a bulb and a shade or the like to provide visual display.

This is possible as the lower (in use) end 1 5 of the elongate support element is spaced from the surface 6, as shown in Fig. 5.

It will be understood that each apparatus may include as many or few display means as required or desired, and that any suitable plastics other than polystyrene may be used, for example an acrylic resin.

It will also be understood that the expression "sonic welding" includes ultrasonic welding.

Further, although a single flower display has been described with reference to the drawings, it will be understood that each display means can hold coloured liquid, sand, glass beads or shards, pebbles, leaves or stems of flowers which project from the neck, and the expression "flower or like display" used herein is intended to cover these arrangements. In every embodiment, the display means and apparatus provide a vase which is aesthetic and can be used in a variety of ways to display flowers or the like.

Claims (14)

1. A display means including a body having a convex external surface and a neck leading to the interior of the display means, comprising two parts with connecting portions whereby the two parts are secured together to form the display means.

2. A display means according to Claim 1, in which the connecting portions are complementary.

3. A display means according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the body is substantially spherical and each part is substantially hemi spherical, the neck protruding from one part.

4. A display means according to any preceding claim, each part being moulded from plastic material and the connecting portions being welded together.

5. A display means according to Claim 4, the connecting portions being connected together by ultrasonic welding.

6. A display means, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. Apparatus for providing a flower or like display, comprising an array of a plurality of display means according to any preceding claim, which display means are each secured to an elongate support member in a desired spatial relationship with respect to the member and so that when the apparatus is placed on a support surface with the longitudinal axis of the support member substantially at right angles to the plane of the support surface, the apparatus is stable.

8. Apparatus according to Claim 7, the elongate support member having a plurality of concave surface parts in each of which a body is received.

9. Apparatus according to Claim 8, the elongate support member being formed of plastics material and being secured with the display means by welding.

10. Apparatus according to Claim 9, the welding being ultrasonic welding.

11. Apparatus according to any of Claims 7 to 10, the elongate support member having one end which is free of the cluster of display means and the other end being within the cluster and having a hollow base, whereby the one end of an elongate member of another apparatus is receivable in the other end for connecting two apparatuses together to form a tiered display.

12. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 7 to 11, including a connector adapted for mounting with the one end of the elongate support member and for connection with an electrical light bulb holder.

13. Apparatus according to Claim 12, the connector being adapted by a sliding connection of the one end and by a screw attachment for connection with the electrical light bulb holder.

14. Apparatus according to any of Claims 7 to 13, there being three display means symmetrically disposed around the elongate support member at the same height thereon and inclined so that the longitudinal axis of each one is inclined to the plane of a support surface in use.

1 5. Apparatus according to Claim 11, in which there is a fourth display means secured to the one end of the elongate member between the three display means.

1 6. Apparatus for providing a flower or like display, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.