US1970265A - Artificial flower - Google Patents

Description

F. ZElMET ARTIFICAL FLOWER Aug. 1.4, 1934.

Fued oct. 23', 1931 Patented Aug. 14, 1934 UNITEos'r-Arl-:s PATENT oFFlcls 1,970,265 Anmromr. FLOWER Frank zeimet, chicago, nl., signoria Ad Seidel & Sons, Chicago, Ill., a. copartnership consisting of Ludwig A. Seidel and Walter F. Seidel Application October 23, 1931, Serial No.V 570,593 i 4 Claims.

This invention relates to* ornamental articles.

The primary object of the invention is to pro-1 vide new and improved ornamental articles, such as artificial ilowers and the like,-and a new and improved method for making such articles.

Another object of the invention is to provide ornamental articles, such as articial owers, foliage, and the like, which are made from composite sheets of material and which are dyed various colors to resemble natural ilowers. l

Another object is to provide an ornamental article, such as an artiiicial flower, which is made from relatively clear, transparent material of the type which is commonly known as regenerated V cellulose, the regenerated cellulose being compressed to maken composite sheet from which the articles are made.

A further object is to provide ornamental articles which are made from a composite sheet composed of several individual sheets which are treated, hdyed, and cut to the desired shape to make an ornamental andattractive article. 1

Numerous other objects and advantages will be vapparent throughout the progress of the following specication. y

The accompanying drawing illustrates a selected embodiment of the invention and the views therein are as follows: Fig. l is a detail perspective view of one of the ornamental articles which, in the present lnstance, represents a blooming plant.

Fig. 2 is a detail plan View of one of the leaves showing the manner in which various parts constituting the ornamental article yare, formed to represent the original article. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of one of the leaves `showing the manner in which the stem mayv be attached to the leaf and also showing the brightness, glossiness, or shinyness of the leaf. v

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on the line 4-4 oi. Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view showing the manner in which the stems are attached tothe leavea Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view on the line 64B I or Fig. 1.

Fig. 'l is a detail sectional 'view of a' different kind of a newer showing the in which the Y blossom is connected'to the stem.

The ornamental article which, in the embodiment shown, is an. articial ilower, comprises a stem 1 made up of an outer tubular section 2 into which inner reinforcing members or wires 3 are arranged. The outer portion 2 is preferably-a wrapping of suitable paper, cloth, or other material wound around the supporting stays or wires 3, Fig. 6` The flowers or blossoms 4 comprise a plurality of petals 5 and the pistils 6. Each blossom 4 is fixed to the stem l by providing an enlargement underneath the blossom as indicated 'en at '1 and an upper bead 8, the blossom being fixed between the enlargement or lower bead 'I and the enlargement or u'pper bead 8. In Eig. 6 the retaining wire 3 'is wound around as indicated at 9 and extends above the base of the blossom. while 65 in Fig. 'l a bead isiixed to the end of the wire 3 and the wire is wound around the bottom of the blossom, as indicated at 10. I

Leaves 11 are fastened to auxiliary stems `12 which. are fastened to the main stem 1. The stems 12 comprise a wire. 13 which'may be covered with wound silk as indicated at 14,4 Fig. 5, the free end of the wire passing through a hole 15 in the leaf and then returning on the opposite side of the leaf. Suitable material 16 is wound 75 around the stems 12 where thefree end of the wire joins, as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

The petals 5 and the leaves l1 are made from a composite sheet 17 as indicated in rig.- 4. The composite sheetcomprises' a plurality of rsepa- 30 rate sheets 18 which are fastened together inl a manner to be later explained. Inthe prese 4"t embodiment shown, the composite sheet 17 cornprises six separate and independent layers of material 18. The sheets or layers 18 are pref- 85 erably made of clear, transparent material which is commercially known as regenerated cellulose. In making a composite sheet, sixlayers of regenerated cellulose '18 are held together and immersed in a dye solution which solution is gq) preferably at a temperature of to 120. The six sheets are held in overlapping or-stackeol formation and all of them dipped in the' solution for a. period ranging from two to ilve minutes. The six sheets, after they are removed from the gg dye solution, are -wrung out like a rag, then shaken out and hung up to remove the wrinkles therefrom. After the six stacked sheets are suifciently dried, they are then dampened and nattened out at which time they will beready to we cut. In the cutting operation the composite sheet, comprising the six stacked individual sheets, is put in a die and cut to the desired ic and configuration depending upon the articie being made. The composite sheet,which is ccm- 105 posed of six stacked sheets, when cut, will io a single homogeneous highly colored shiny article. The phenomena caused by. they above de scribed operation provides leaves, petals, or other ornamental articles which contain a particular il@ brightness, shininess, and particular color combination. While the colorings of the dye vary for making different articles, there will be present a sort of a mother-of-pearl hue. In other Words, if pink owersare made, the predominating color will be pink but there will be a clear, shiny mother-of-pearl cast on the petals. Also,

. in making the leaves, which leaves are generally colored green, the predorninating color is green but there is a transparency to the leaves and the mother-of-pearl cast is present. lIn practice, articles, such as leaves and petals, have been made from aA single sheet of materal, such as regenerated cellulose, but it has been found that the resultant article will be too clear, will not color correctly, and will not cut properly in the die. While it is desirable that the article be translucent or even relatively transparent, it is more desirable that the articles have a particular `color to imitate the natural article but with a particular cast or hue. The particular cast or hue of the articles is striking particularly when an artificial light shines upon them.

By making the article in the composite form, a certain clearness exists, a particular hue or cast is obtainable, and the imitative characteristics of the article are purely representative of the'real article which it is intended to reproduce artificially. When it is desired to have relatively clear green transparent articles or leaves, the dye is omitted from the bath, in other words, no coloring is inserted in the solution in which the composite sheet is dipped.

The dye solution can be practically any liquid dye, the strength of which is varied depending upon the amount of coloring matter desired in the finished article. However, it is preferable that the liquid solution be at a temperature ranging somewhere between 110 to 120 and that the time of immersion be anywhere from two to five minutes. In cases where it is desired to have the articles, such as petals and leaves, left transparent, the stacked sheets forming the composite sheet, are dipped into hot water the temperature of which is the same as the dye solution ranging from 110 to 120. It has been found that the stacked sheets, forming a composite sheet, will form a practically homogeneous article, which homogeneous article,

when cut, fails to reveal the laminations. However, if the dies permit, several composite sheets may be cut at the same time. In actual practice ten of these composite sheets have been cut at the same time and the ten composite sheets were easily and readily separable but the individual sheets composing the laminated sheets would not separate.

In dipping the six sheets to form a composite sheet, the sheets are held in position just like a stack of six ordinary sheets of paper would be held. Evidently the sticking or adhering qualities of the individual regenerated cellulose sheets are such that the dipping and drying action causes them to adhere tightly together. While it is herein mentioned that six sheets have been used to form Ithe composite or laminated sheet,

two to more than six.

It is known that regenerated cellulose will burn but by putting a small quantity of salt in the dye solution or the hot water depending on whether or not the articles are to be colored, it is found that the composite sheet will not burn, at any rate it will not burn nearly as fast as it would if the salt were eliminated.

.As shown in the drawing and particularlyin j Figs. 1 and 6, a plurality of leaves or petals 19 are arranged in rosette formation beneath the blossom 4, and this rosette arrangement is held between the bottom of the blossom and the bead .theleaves are attached to the stem and the manner in which the blossom petals are fastened to the stem provides an article which, While not only 4highly attractive and ornamental, manages to sustain its yoriginal shape, appearance and beauty regardless of variations in temperature.

Changes may be made in lthe form, construction, and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages, and the right is hereby reserved to make all such changes as fairly fall within the scope of the following claims.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. An artificial flower comprising a stem, a blossom made of laminated regenerated cellulose and connected to said stem, a second stem connected to the rst stem, a leaf made of laminated regenerated cellulose and having a hole therein, said second stem passing through said hole for holding the' leaf to the second stem.

2. An artificial flower comprising a stem,.a blossom having its petals made of laminated sheets of .relatively clear regenerated cellulose and connectedto said stem, a second stem connected to the first stem, a leaf made of laminated sheets of relatively clear regenerated cellulose ll.4 An article of manufacture artificially representing a flower or foliage including a unit of tinted laminated regenerated cellulose marginally congurated in accordance with the outline of the fiower or foliage to be represented, the laminated structure having a tint corresponding with the ower or foliage to be represented and imparting -a mother-of-pearl appearance to the surface of the article.

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