US2486109A

US2486109A - Flower pick

Info

Publication number: US2486109A
Application number: US567097A
Authority: US
Inventors: Brutocao Angelo; Brutocao Louis; Brutocao Leonard
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1944-12-07
Filing date: 1944-12-07
Publication date: 1949-10-25
Anticipated expiration: 1966-10-25

Description

Oct. 25, 1949. A. BRUTOCAO ET AL FLOWER PICK Filed Dec. 7, 1944 A. Dru'rocao L. Drutocao L.brur ocuo Patented Oct. 25, 1949 FLOWER PICK Angelo Brutocao, Louis Brutocao, and Leonard Brutocao, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application December 7, 1944, Serial No. 567,097

8 Claims.

This invention relates to flower picks.

In the florist business the use of stiff picks for setting up various floral arrangements is a conmon practice which facilitates work of this kind. Up to the present time two general types of picks have been known. A wooden pick used in conjunction with a length of wire which is fastened to the floral pieces by winding the wire. A more recent type of construction is a metal pick which may be channelled for strength and which includes projecting tabs that can be clinched over the stems, etc., of the flowers. This latter type of construction however required the use of a special instrument for clinching purposes in order to obtain substantial grip on the stems.

Both of these structures have obvious disadvantages. In the first case the winding of wire constitutes a substantial amount of work and therefore the process is slow. In the second case the necessity for using a machine to effect clinching requires a specialized operation while it is also necessarily slow because of the fact that the instrument has to be employed each time. The present invention clearly avoids the disadvantages of the prior art and provides a simple flower pick which in use will have all the advantages of these other structures. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a simple metal flower pick which may be quickly applied to stems and the like of flowers and will secure them in firm gripping engagement merely by simple use of the thumb and fingers of the user.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pick of this kind which is particularly simple in construction and which therefore can be manufactured at a comparatively low cost.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pick of this kind which when attached to the stems of flowers and the like will provide a substantial reinforcement.

With these and other objects in view, the invention generally comprises a pick formed from a short length of sheet metal channelled for strength to form a shank and having adjacent its upper end an integral strip of metal projecting laterally on each side of the shank and at an incline to the vertical axis of the shank, the said strip preferably including a toothed portion and being capable of spiral winding around the stem of flowers and the like.

The invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a pictorial illustration of a short stemmed flower with a pick of the present invention attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial perspective illustration of the flower pick.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken through an alternative form of binding strip to show the use of teeth along the upper edge instead of the lower edge as shown in Fig. 2.

Figs. 6 and '7 represent transverse sections taken through picks to illustrate a varied channelled formation that may be used.

Referring to the drawings A indicates the flower pick as a whole which is preferably produced from metal, and formed with a shank it which is preferably of thin metal channelled for reinforcing purposes. This may be channelled in any suitable way and may have a channel formation such as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The lower end of the shank is generally pointed as at l I while the upper end has integrally attached thereto a strip of metal l2 which is disposed at an incline to the longitudinal axis of the shank Ill. The strip i2 is preferably toothed as indicated at l3 having a toothed portion offset from the plane of the strip l2 so as to project at a suitable angle thereto. The teeth preferably project from the lower edge of the strip l2 but may be formed to project from the upper edge thereof such as shown in Fig. 5 and may also project at right angles to strip [2 if desired.

The strip I2 projects on each side of the shank I!) in the arms [4 and I5, the arm l5 preferably being shorter than the arm it although the arm [5 might, if desired, be of substantially the same length.

The pick thus formed provides a readily handled article which does not require any special mechanism or the like to apply it. It is only necessary for instance to dispose a stem of a flower or the like [6 along the channelled portion of the shank l0 and by twisting the binding strip l2 around the stem, the strip spirals around the stem both above and below the point of attachment of this strip to the shank l0 and due to the natural spiraling of this strip it will be readily turned into firm engagement with the stem wherein the toothed portions act as a gripping means preventing axial movement of the pick relatively to the stem ill and firmly holding the pick to the stem. Moreover, it should be noted that the stem is firmly held both above and below the upper extremities of the pick.

Consequently it will be understood that by merely applying a pick to a stem and quickly twisting the arms l4 and 15 of the strip l2 the pick is quickly and firmly attached and the strip assumes a spiral formation immediately upon twisting due to its inclination to the longitudinal axis of the pick.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In a flower pick of the class having a shank adapted to align with and embrace the stem of a flower; a binding strip connected to said shank adjacent one of its extremities, the longitudinal axis of said binding strip extending at an incline to the longitudinal axis of said shank and being windable to spirally surround the stem of a flower aligned with said shank and firmly retain it in fixed relation thereto.

2. In a flower pick of the class having a shank adapted to align with and embrace the stem of a flower; a binding strip integrally connected to said shank adjacent one of its extremities, the longitudinal axis of said binding strip extending at an incline to the longitudinal axis of said shank and being windable to spirally surround the stem of a flower aligned with said shank and retain it in flxed relation thereto, said binding strip having stem engaging means projecting therefrom designed to engage in the stem of a flower when said strip is wound around said stem.

3. In a flower pick of the class having a shank adapted to align with and embrace the stem of a flower; a binding strip integrally connected to said shank adjacent one of its extremities, the longitudinal axis of said binding strip extending at an incline to the longitudinal axis of said shank and being windable to spirally surround the stem of a flower aligned with said shank and firmly retain it in fixed relation thereto, said binding strip having a plurality of teeth extending from at least one longitudinal edge thereof designed to extend into the stem of a flower when said strip is wound around said stem.

4. In a flower pick of the class having a shank adapted to align with and embrace the stem of a flower; a binding strip connected to said shank at one of its extremities, the longitudinal axis of said binding strip extending at an incline to the longitudinal axis of said shank and being windable to spirally surround the stem of a flower aligned with. said shank and retain it in fixed relation thereto.

5. In a flower pick of the class having a shank adapted to align with and embrace the stem of a flower; a binding strip connected to said shank at one of its extremities, the longitudinal axis of said binding strip ex ending at an incline to the longitudinal axis or" said shank and being windable to spirally surround the stem of a flower aligned with said shank and retain it in fixed relation thereto, said binding strip having a plurality of teeth extending from at least one longitudinal edge thereof designed to extend into the stem of a flower when said strip is wound around said stem.

6. In a flower pick of the class having a shank adapted to align with and embrace the stem of a flower; a binding strip connected to said shank at one of its extremities, the longitudinal axis of said binding strip extending at an incline to the longitudinal axis of said shank and being windable to spirally surround the stem of a flower aligned with said shank and retain it in fixed relation thereto, said binding strip extending on either side of said shank, one portion of said binding strip being adapted to extend from one side of said shank beyond the end of said shank adjacent to which said strip is connected, said above mentioned portion being longer than the remaining portion of said binding strip that extends from the opposite side of said shank.

'7. In a flower pick of the class having a shank adapted to align with and embrace the stem of a flower; a binding strip integrally connected to said shank adjacent one of its extremities, the longitudinal axis of said binding strip extending at an incline to the longitudinal axis of said shank and being windable to spirally surround the stem of a flower aligned with said shank and retain it in fixed relation thereto, said. binding strip extending on either side of said shank, one portion of said binding strip being adapted to extend from one side of said shank beyond the end of said shank adjacent to which said strip is connected, said above mentioned portion being longer than the remaining portion of said bind ing strip that extendsdrom the opposite side of said shank, said binding strip having a plurality of teeth extending from at least one longitudinal edge thereof designed to extend into the stem of a flower when said strip is wound around said stem.

8. In a flower pick of the class having a shank adapted to align with and embrace the stem of a flower; a binding strip connected to said shank at one of its extremities, the longitudinal axis of said binding strip extending at an incline to the longitudinal axis of said shank and being windable to spirally surround the stem of a flower aligned with said shank and retain it in fixed relation thereto, said inclined binding strip extending on either side of said shank, one portion of said binding strip being adapted to extend from a side of said shank beyond the end of said shank to which said strip is connected, said above mentioned portion being longer than the remaining portion of said binding strip that extends from the opposite side of said shank.

ANGELO IBRUTOCAO. LOUIS BRUTOCAO. LEONARD BRUTOCAO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 391,050 I-Iiller Oct. 16, 1888 500,469 Burbank June 27, 1893 1,990,407 Kamrass Feb. 5, 1935 2,2i9,567 Reichelt July 15, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 759,897 France Dec. 6, 1933