GB2137588A - A package for flowers - Google Patents

Abstract

In a bag for carrying flowers the walls (10) of the bag are provided with transverse stiffeners (1, 2, 3, 4) which can be pressed into a plane together with the walls of the bag. On the other hand, when the opening of the bag is gathered by a drawstring 5, 6 the stiffeners form an angular support which holds open the conical lower part of the bag and thus keeps the flowers from getting crushed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A package for flowers This invention relates to a package for flowers which at its upper part is formed into an open bag, the sides of which are provided with stiffeners below its upper edge at the same time as the upper edge is provided with an organ or organs in order to purse up the part of the bag located above the stiffeners and to form a carrying organ.

Packing of flowers in retail sale packages is mainly done by wrapping them in paper. Normally, the flowers are wrapped in more than one wrapping paper. Besides protection, layers of wrapping paper normally function as heat insulation during the cold seasons and provide sufficient stiffness of the wrap per and make it possible to carry even heavy potted plants from the top without causing pressing of the wrapper because of the weight of the plant.

Printed sheets of paper are often used as wrapping paper. In multilayerwrappers, so-called silk-paper is often used as the innermost layer, the following layer consists of a sufficient amount of printed paper and on the top there is the wrapping paper itself.

Packing takes place so that the flower or flowers are lengthways placed on one or several sheets of paper and are rolled around so that the paper is wrapped around the flowers in a somewhat conical form.

Tape, rubber bands and string are used when tying the wrapper. The upper part is pursed up and folded after which the fold is normally tied with a string so that also a loop for carrying is formed.

Sometimes also translucent thin paper is used, whereby wrapping takes place in the same way as has been explained above, as well as plastic bags and boxes made of EPS.

Wrapping of flowers in paper is a slow and complicated method and thus requires more personnel and as the sales is strongly concentrated on certain seasons, this has created a great problem to retail dealers. In addition, packing requires a lot of space for papers and during the season work often has to be done in small facilities like back rooms of flower shops.

The problem with packing flowers in an ordinary plastic bag is that the flower tends to fall because the bottom of the bag is broad, and when the bag is being carried the sides of the bag press against the flower and may damage it as they do not stay in a raised position. Furthermore, a plastic bag cannot provide any kind of isolation during cold seasons.

Only plants can be carried in it.

When using boxes made of heat isolating cell polystyren (EPS), the problem is that they require a lot of space when empty, added to the fact that they are relatively expensive.

When comparing packing in flower shops to other fields of trade, it is obvious that the former is far behind regarding packing material and its complexity. E.g self-service principle cannot at all be taken into consideration in flower shops.

There is thus a need for a generally improved package for flowers.

According to the present invention there is pro vided a package for flowers which at its upper part is formed into an open bag, the sides of which are provided with stiffeners below its upper edge, with the upper edge being provided with an organ or organs to purse up the part of the bag located above the stiffeners and to form a carrying organ in which the sides are stiffened so that under storing they can be pressed substantially into one plane side by side and on top of each other and in use, and when the opening of the package is pursed up, the sides hold the package in an open position, whereby a space for flowers is formed inside the sides.

The most important advantage of the invention is that flowers can be packed quicker, the need for packing facilities diminishes, different packing mate rial is not necessary, packing becomes simpler, self-service principle can be taken into use. The package does not press the flower or flowers when they are carried, it also makes it possible to make the package heat isolating and such that it requires less space for storing.

The invention will now be described in more detail in the following while referring to the accompanying drawings in which some inventive packages are presented in different scales.

Figure 1 presents the packages empty and flat.

Figure2 presents an axiometric picture of the package when it is open.

Figure 3 presents the packing phase.

Figure 4a presents the packages from one side closed.

Figure 4 b presents the package from the other side and closed.

Figure 4 c presents the package from above and closed.

Figure 5 presents another form of application, empty and pressed into a plane.

Figure 1 presents the inventive package in the form it is during storing and transportation pressed to a plate. The package is a kind of a bag in which the sides 7 and the bottom 8 are closed and the upper edge 9 is open. The package is made of an elastic thin plastic membrane 10, e.g. PVC-membrane or a heat isolating honeycomb plastic membrane or a combination of membranes whereby between two elastic plastic membranes there is a soft heat isolating material, e.g. polyester wadding. The bag is made by seaming using known methods.

Packing of a potted plant takes place so that the mouth of the package is opened and the bag is rolled or its sides are pressed down according to Figure 3, whereby the flower 11 can be placed in while the package leans against a table 12. The edges of the bag 9 are lifted up whereby the flower which is to be packed goes into the package quickly and without getting damaged.

The same principle can be applied to the packing of cut flowers but also other methods can easily be applied depending on the size and form of the flowers.

The upper part of the package has four stiffeners 1, 2, 3, 4 which make the opening of the bag form something like a square when open. The opening of the bag is pursed up by pulling the tightening bands 5,6 which at the same time function as carrying loops 13 after closing as is shown in Figures 4 a and 4 b. When required the tightening bands can be tied together in order to support sufficient closing. When the opening of the bag has been pursed up, the stiffeners 1, 2, 3,4 prevent the package from becoming pressed down when it is carried from the carrying loop formed by the tightening bands, so that the package does not damage the flower or flowers. The tightening bands are located inside a seamed fold at the opening of the bag. The fold has openings 15 for getting the bands out.The stiffeners 1, 2,3,4 are fastened to the inside or outside of the bag with a seam or other corresponding method.

In some applications, the whole conical lower part which, of course, most suitably always is a truncated cone in fact, can be made of such stiff membranes or plates 10 that they replace the stiffeners 1, 2, 3, 4.

The plates are joined together at corresponding joints with the help of thinnings orto these seamed or glued thin flexible strips of e.g. plastic.

According to another application presented in Figure 5 the upper part of the package above the stiffeners 1,2,3 and 4 is provided with extensions 16 and 17. They are formed by e.g. cutting pieces off of membrane 10 under manufacture or simply by making an opening cut on the membrane 18, 19.

When the membrane is of double material a channel corresponding to channel 14 for a possible tightening on carrying band is also now formed at the opening of the package. However, the package is profitably closed so that one or both of the extensions 16 is winded around the broader extensions 17 after these have been pursed up and probably folded and then tying the other or the remaining extension 16 around the resulting lever. The folding of the broad extension or extensions closes the package very tightly.

Four pieces are presented as the most suitable number of stiffeners, but the number can be different, even two, if e.g. the stiffeners are made of flexible and suitably pre-strained material which tends to bend side 10 but can still be pressed to a plane for transportation. This can be suitably accomplished so that a pre-strained stiffener is attached to the inside of side 10 whereas on the outside there is a non- or less strained stiffener.

One way of removing a flower or flowers from the package is that after opening the bag is pressed down around the flower as presented in Figure 3.

The conical shape and the stiffeners of the package and the carrying loop formed by the tightening bands give the package its characteristic shape. It is clear that the invention is not restricted to the presented application examples but that other constructions can be presented according to the accompanying patent claims.

Claims (10)

1. A package forflowers which at its upper part is formed into an open bag, the sides of which are provided with stiffeners below its upper edge, with the upper edge being provided with an organ or organs to purse up the part of the bag located above the stiffeners and to form a carrying organ in which the sides are stiffened so that under storing they can be pressed substantially into one plane side by side and on top of each other and in use, and when the opening of the package is pursed up, the sides hold the package in an open position, whereby a space for flowers is formed inside the sides.

2. A package according to claim 1, in which provided with four stiffeners placed in pockets formed in the side surfaces or seamed, glued or otherwise fastened to them so that the side surface can be bent at the ends of the stiffeners.

3. A package according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which each stiffener is made of a stiff plastic band including thinning at the bending point of the side of the package.

4. A package according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper edge contains a channel for the pursing organ which is placed in two parts around the opening of the bag and is fastened on the edges of the side halves and formed as a ring running around the whole opening or at least as one band.

5. A package according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper edge is provided with extensions one or several of which can be used to purse up the other extensions and hold them in that position whereby they also form a carrying organ.

6. A package according to any one of the preceding claims, in which its sides are made of membranes which are joined together at the edges with a continuous or sectional seam.

7. A package according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sides of the package are made with double air spaces or with soft material between them.

8. A package according to claim 7, wherein at least the sides of the conical lower part are made of thin plates which have been joined together with the help of thinner isthmuses between the plates.

9. A package according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the stiffeners are made different so that the inside of the side half includes a stiffener or stiffeners with a greater preliminary pulling strain.

10. A package for flowers, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 or Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.