GB2333039A

GB2333039A - Display device for flowers

Info

Publication number: GB2333039A
Application number: GB9800469A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Linda Jane Griffiths
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-01-09
Filing date: 1998-01-09
Publication date: 1999-07-14
Also published as: GB9800469D0

Abstract

A display device for a spray or sheath of cut flowers comprises open recess 2 formed by arcuate base 9 and side walls 7, 8, 11, the recess tapering to stem-receiving neck 4. Flap 5 folds over, on living hinge 6, to secure the stems in the neck. Ribs 10, 17 locate the flowers. The device is of plastics, possibly transparent, or is biodegradable.

Description

DISPLAY DEVICE FOR FLOWERS This invention relates to a display device for flowers, such as a spray or sheath of flowers.

When purchasing a spray or sheath of flowers the florist either arranges the spray or sheath with securing the stems secured together with wire, for example, and when the spray is complete the florist inserts the spray within a cellophane bag usually having a white opaque backing to assist in enhancing the display of the flowers. The open end of the bag is then gathered around the stems of the flowers and tied with ribbon to secure the bag around cut ends or stems of the flowers, both securing the bag and for decorative purposes.

Alternatively, the spray or sheath may be constructed within the cellophane bag and when completed the cut stems of the flowers are gathered and secured by wire. The bag is then gathered around the flower stems and secured by decorative ribbons tied around the gathered end of the bag.

The major difficulties with such bags are that the bag is carried in the hand and the weight of the flower heads often caused the stems to bend and sometimes break; the spray of flowers can be difficult to insert in the bags with the flowers becoming damaged; the cut stems are exposed without water resulting in the display life of the flowers being considerably shortened; during display condensation occurs within the cellophane bag, caused by temperature differences between the inside and outside of the bag, often appears on the inside of the bag preventing the flowers from being seen from outside the bag; and when displayed, it is necessary for the spray or sheath to be laid out flat on a flat surface.

These difficulties are to some extent overcome by the careful attention to preparation by the florist but the major difficulties concern the condensation effect within the bag and display in an upright position when the wrapped spray is balanced on one stem which projects from the flowers.

The condensation effect has been reduced to some extent by the provision of holes located in the surface of the cellophane bag itself to allow air flow through the bag and therefor ventilate the bag.

However, this has not proven to be entirely successful and condensation within the bag remains a considerable problem.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a display device in which these difficulties are substantially eliminated.

According to the present invention there is provided a display device for displaying flowers comprising a body and an elongate recess in the body, the recess having a first end and a second end opposed to the first end having an open neck of reduced width relative to the width of the first end of the recess, at the opposed end said reduced width being for receiving cut stems of the flowers therein.

Preferably, a flap is pivotally connected with the neck for permitting the flap to be folded over the neck so as to cover cut stems of the flowers when located in the neck.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention the body has a base which is arcuate in a direction in which a longitudinal axis of the elongate recess extends.

Preferably, a plurality of ridges are located in the base to improve the rigidity of the base and to assist in locating flowers securely within the recess.

Preferably, the body comprises said base and a sidewall extending from said base to define said recess, and advantageously a flange extends outwardly from said side wall. Apertures may be provided in the flange through which ribbons or other decorative matter can be applied for decorative purposes and to both support flowers in the display device.

Conveniently, the flange may be provided with a plain outer edge which follows the contours of the outer peripheral edge of the recess within the body of the display device. Alternatively, the outer edge of the flange is ribbed, that is, is in a series of individual contiguous curves.

Conveniently, the body comprises a relatively thin layer of plastics material (for example 0.5mm gauge) such as PETG or UPVC, or biodegradable material all of which are preferably non-toxic as waste.

Conveniently, the biodegradable material is papier mache'. The body is preferably translucent but can be transparent or opaque.

In one alternative embodiment of a display device in accordance with the present invention the flap is hingedly connected to the neck along an outermost edge of a side wall of the neck.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view from above and one end of one display device in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view on a reduced scale of the display device of Fig. 1 with a flap folded over a neck of the device; Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of part of the display device with the flap in an open position; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment in accordance with the present invention.

Referring specifically to Figs. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings there is shown a display device comprising a body 1 in which there is located an elongate recess 2 closed at one end 3 and which tapers inwardly to a neck portion 4 to which is attached a flap 5. A pivotal interconnection 6 is located between the neck 4 and the flap 5 to allow the flap to pivot relative to the neck.

The recess 2 is provided with opposed side walls 7,8 which are integrally formed with a base 9 which is curved or arcuate as is seen in Fig.2. Ridges 10 located on the base 9 extend in the longitudinal direction of the recess with a slight outward spray effect. Flowers can be laid between the ridges 10 to provide improved lateral support for the flowers when located within the recess so that the flowers are supported against sliding movement within the display device in a direction towards the side walls 7, 8. The base 9 is also arcuate in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis.

An outer peripheral edge 16 of each side wall and a closed end wall 11, is provided with a flange 12 which extends outwardly a short distance from the side wall at approximately at 900 relative thereto. The flange 12 does not extend onto side walls 8a, 8b of the neck and flap but the side walls 7, 8 continue into the neck as shown at 8a, 8b. A further set of shorter ridges 14 extend in the longitudinal direction of the neck 4 and flap 5 at 15. The base 9 extends into the neck 4 and flap 5 to provide surface 17 in the neck 4 on which flowers rest in use of the display device.

The base surface 17 in the area of the neck 4 and also base surface 18 of the flap 5 are of a curved cross-section so that when the flap 5 is pivoted over the neck 4 the cut ends of the flowers are held firmly between the curved base surface 17 of the neck 4 and curved base surface 18 of the flap 5.

Base surface 17 of the neck and similarly base surface 18 of the flap 5 are attached by the integral pivot connection 6 and are curved in the longitudinal direction of the recess 2 immediately adjacent the pivotal interconnection 6 to provide a raised effect at the pivot connection as can be more readily seen in the side elevational view of Fig. 3 with the flap 5 in an opened out position. When the flap is pivoted about the pivotal connection 6 a continuous rounded end surface 20 is presented for the neck end of the display device.

The flange 12 is provided as shown in Fig. 1, with an outer edge 25 which comprises a plurality of individual contiguous curved portions 26. A D-shaped aperture 27 is located centrally of each curved portion 26 for receiving decorative ribbons (not shown) which are threaded through the apertures 27 and can be used also for supporting the flowers within the recess to prevent them falling out of the display device should that be turned upside down.

In an alternative embodiment which is shown in Fig. 4, the construction of the display device is similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and accordingly like parts bear like reference numerals. The following description relates to the differences between the two embodiments.

Accordingly, the curved portions 26 are omitted and the flange 12 is provided with a plane outer edge 28 so that the flange 12 is of a constant width all around the peripheral edge 16 of recess 2 in the direction in which the flange extends from the peripheral edge. The flange 12 in this embodiment extends also from an outermost edge 29 of the side walls 8a, 8b of the neck 4. Flanges 12 are similarly provided to extend in an outward direction from an outermost edge 30 of the side walls 8a, 8b on the flaps 5.

Apertures 31 may be provided in the side walls 8a, 8b of the neck 4 through which string or wire can be threaded, over the cut stems of the flowers, and subsequently tied, preferably beneath the neck to ensure that the cut ends of the flower stems which lie within the neck are securely held at the neck by the wire. The wire may be a ribbon and apertures 31 a square shaped opening.

When a spray of flowers has been arranged within the recess 2 of the display device with the cut ends of the stems of the flowers gathered together and located in the neck 4, the flap 5 is pivoted about the pivotal interconnection 6 and folded over to overlie the neck 4. With the flanges of the neck and the flanges of the flap laying in contact one against the other, the flap 5 is held in this position by a ribbon (not shown) which is tied around the neck and flap. The ribbon is preferably formed into a bow but may be otherwise secured to the display device, by staples for example, arranged to be passed through the ribbon and through the flanges 12. Further decoration can be stapled to the plain flanges 12 for both decorative purposes and also for ensuring that the spray of flowers laying within the recess is securely held within the recess. The staples themselves can be used directly on the flanges 12 to fix these together where they overlap at the neck of the display device.

In an alternatively embodiment the plain flanges can be provided with apertures therein for threading the ribbons through the apertures and for assisting in securing the ribbons to the display device.

In another alternative embodiment, with or without flanges 12, an aperture 32 is located in each side wall 8a, 8b of the flap so that when the flap is folded over the neck the side walls of the neck and flap move past each other to at least partially overlie one another until the apertures 31 in the side walls of the neck are aligned with the apertures 32 in the side walls of the flap. A tie in the form of a wire or ribbon is threaded through the aligned apertures on side walls 8a, 8b and thereby holds the flap and neck together at the same time as holding the cut stems of the flowers.

In the alternative embodiment just described the pivotal interconnection 6 is flat and in line with surfaces 17, 18 of the neck and flap, respectively.

A sponge 32 can be located in any of the embodiments described above to extend from the junction of the recess 2 and neck to the opposite end of the flap remote from the pivotal interconnection with the neck so that when arranging the flowers the cut stems are laid on the sponge portion at the neck 4. When the flap is folded over the neck, a sponge portion associated with the flap folds over onto the top of the cut stems thereby sandwiching the stems between the two portions of the sponge. The sponge is preferably soaked in water to provide a source of water for the stems, thereby improving the life of the flowers in the display device.

The pivotal interconnection 6 provides a straight edge once the flap is folded over and tied to the neck of the display device, thereby providing a surface on which the display device can be stood on end and rested against a wall, for example, with the straight connecting pivotal edge 6 providing sufficient stability to maintain the display device in that position.

The display device is conveniently made from a relatively thin (0.5mm gauge) layer of plastics material such as PETG or UPVC, or of a biodegradable material which are all non-toxic as waste for any of the embodiments disclosed.

There has thereby been disclosed in this specification a display device which enables a spray of flowers to be arranged within a recess within the display device. Once the decoration has been added to the display device and also the flap 5 has been pivoted to overlie the neck 4, the flowers are displayed in an open condition without covering and therefore totally eliminates the problem of condensation in addition to prolonging the display life of the cut flowers.

In any of the embodiments described herein the display device is typically 76.2cm (30") long from the closed end to the outermost end of the flap in an open condition. The closed end is 50.8cm (20") wide including the flange and the internal width of the base across the closed end 11 is 48.26cm (19"). The height of the side wall from the base 9 is 5.08cm (2"). The length of the side wall from the closed end of the recess to the neck is 45.72cm (18"). The width of the neck and flap is 7.62cm (3") with the length of the neck or the flap being 15.24cm (6"). The height of the side walls of the neck or flap is 2.54cm (1"). The square shaped aperture 31,32 in the neck and flap, respectively, is preferably 1.77cm (") square.

However, although the above refers to the display device being of a particular shape and size, the display device may be of any other suitable shape and can be larger or much smaller in dimensions than the embodiment just described above. Moreover, the width of the display device can be selected to be wider or narrower than the width of the embodiment of the display device disclosed herein.

The embodiment of the display device disclosed is required to have a closed end 3. However, the closed end can be omitted leaving an open end opposite to that end having the neck for aiding the viewing of flowers within the display device.

In any embodiment of a display device in accordance with the present invention the flap 5 may be hinged to the neck 4 along a outermost edge 29 of a side wall of the neck rather than transverse to the longitudinal axis of the neck. The biodegradable material is preferably papier mache'.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A display device for displaying flowers comprising a body and an elongate recess in the body, the recess having a first end and a second opposed to the first end having an open neck of reduced width relative to the width of the first end of the recess, at the opposed end said reduced width being for receiving cut stems of the flowers therein.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a flap pivotally connected with the neck for permitting the flap to be folded over the neck so as to cover cut stems of the flowers when located in the neck.
3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the body has a base which is arcuate in a direction in which a longitudinal axis of the elongate recess extends.
4. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a plurality of ridges are located in the base to improve the rigidity of the base and to assist in locating flowers securely within the recess against lateral movement thereof.
5. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the body comprises said base and a side wall extending from said base to define said recess.
6. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein a flange extends outwardly from said side wall.
7. A device as claimed in claim 6, wherein apertures are located in the flange for receiving ribbons or other decorative materials therein for decorative purposes and to support flowers in the display device.
8. A device as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the flange is provided with a plain outer edge which follows the contours of an outer peripheral edge of the side wall.
9. A device as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the outer edge of the flange is ribbed.
10. A device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the ribbing comprises a series of individual contiguous curves.
11. A device as claimed in any of claims 6 to 10, comprising apertures located in the flange for receiving ties or ribbons therein to support the flowers within the recess and for decorative purposes.
12. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, including a pivotal interconnection between the neck and the flap with the surfaces immediately adjacent the pivotal connection being curved so that when the flap is pivoted over the neck a rounded end is provided to the neck end of the display device.
13. A device as claimed in any preceding claims, wherein side walls defining the neck are each provided with an aperture therein, respectively, through which a tie can be threaded for tying and securing cut stems of flowers.
14. A device as claimed in claim 13, wherein side walls of the flap are each provided with an aperture which is arranged to be alignable with the aperture of each side wall of the neck respectively when the flap is folded over the neck.
15. A device as claimed in any preceding claims, wherein the display device is of a plastics material.
16. A device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the plastics material is PETG or UPVC.
17. A device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the display device is of a biodegradable material.
18. A device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the biodegradable material is non-toxic.
19. A device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the biodegradable material is papier mache'.
20. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the display device is translucent, transparent or opaque.
21. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first end is a closed end.
22. A device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 20, wherein the first end is open.
23. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the flap is arranged to be hingedly connected to the neck along an outermost edge of a side wall of the neck.
24. A display device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figs. 1 to 3; or Fig.4 of the accompanying drawings.