WO2006120236A1

WO2006120236A1 - Decorative items

Info

Publication number: WO2006120236A1
Application number: PCT/EP2006/062256
Authority: WO
Inventors: Allan Norman Reardon; David Reardon; June Blackhouse
Original assignee: Allan Norman Reardon; David Reardon; June Blackhouse
Priority date: 2005-05-12
Filing date: 2006-05-11
Publication date: 2006-11-16
Also published as: GB0509764D0; WO2006120236B1; GB2441267A; GB2441267B; GB0724156D0

Abstract

An attachment (10) suitable for attaching an adornment such as a floral arrangement (32, 34) to a bottle (30) comprising a receptacle (12) for receiving the adornment (32, 34) and an attachment portion (14) which is resiliently deformable into engagement with a portion of the bottle (30). The attachment (10) is preferably a one-piece, injection molded plastics item. The attachment detachably secures the adornment (32, 34) to the bottle (30).

Description

Title: Decorative items

Description:

The present invention relates to decorative items and in particular, but not exclusively, to decorative items for bottles.

Bottles can be difficult to decorate owing to their shape. In certain circumstances, it is desirable to decorate bottles, e.g. when the bottle itself is being given as a gift or when the appearance of the bottle is to be improved or disguised, e.g. as a table decoration.

One way of decorating or disguising a bottle is by using flowers. A known attachment for attaching a flower to a bottle comprises a flower holder having an adhesive pad for securing the flower holder to the bottle. It is therefore possible, using the known attachment, to attach a flower to say, a bottle of wine or a box of chocolates for decorative purposes.

However, the known attachment suffers several drawbacks, including:

• Loss of adhesion when the sticking pad is repositioned (e.g. when the floral arrangement is re-positioned for aesthetic purposes).

• Loss of adhesion when the bottle is wet (e.g. with condensation when the bottle is refrigerated).

• The size and type of floral arrangement attachable to the bottle is limited by the properties of the sticking pad (e.g. the weight, size and configuration of the floral arrangement are limited by the adhesive strength of the sticking pad).

• The floral arrangement cannot be re-applied to a different bottle when the first bottle is discarded. The present invention aims to address one or more of the above problems by providing an improved packaging item.

Accordingly, a first aspect of the invention provides a decorative item for attaching an adornment to a gift item comprising a receptacle for receiving the adornment and an attachment portion which is resiliently deformable into attachment with a portion of the gift item.

A second aspect of the invention provides an attachment for attaching an adornment to a bottle comprising a receptacle for receiving the adornment and an attachment portion which is resiliently deformable into attachment around a portion of the bottle. The adornment can be a floral arrangement, or another item depending on the circumstances. The term "floral arrangement" is intended to include a single flower or a plurality of flowers with or without additional adornment e.g. vegetation and/or man-made decorations.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the receptacle and attachment portion are integrally formed. The packaging item may be manufactured by any suitable means, such as plastics injection-molding. Suitable plastics include polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylonitrilrbutadienestryene and polyurethane. The receptacle preferably has a side wall that at least partially surrounds a part of the adornment. A base may be provided in the receptacle on which the adornment is able to sit. In a preferred embodiment, the receptacle comprises a trough for receiving a part of the adornment. Because flower arrangements sometimes need watering, one or more drainage apertures may be provided in the receptacle.

The receptacle may be adapted to receive a water-retaining vessel, such as a vase. In one possible embodiment, the receptacle comprises a band for retaining an elongate, closed-ended tube for supporting a single flower. The tube may be partially water- filled and a diaphragm may be provided to inhibit egress of water.

Additionally or alternatively, the receptacle may be adapted to receive a piece of floristry foam (foamed plastics material for supporting a floral arrangement). Floristry foam is commonplace in the floristry trade and is used for setting flowers in a desired arrangement. One such type of floristry foam is sold in the UK under the trade mark "oasis" ^{R1 M}. The receptacle may have projections, e.g. ribs or spikes, arranged to engage with or pierce the floristry foam.

The attachment portion preferably comprises a pair of spaced-apart arms adapted to engage the gift item. The arms may be arcuate, e.g. defining a part- circle. Splayed ends or returns may be provided on the arms to facilitate engagement with the bottle.

Alternatively, the attachment portion may comprise an expandable band adapted to expand such that a part of the bottle to be inserted therethrough and to contract, when released, onto the bottle. The band may have a spring-loaded section, e.g. a concertina portion to impart hoop-resilience thereto.

It is intended that the packaging item be used for affixing adornments, such as floral arrangements to bottles or boxes. Potential applications of the invention include floral table arrangements and "gift sets" (e.g. whisky and thistle, chocolates and roses etc).

The invention is capable of being reapplied to bottles and therefore, advantageously, has the potential to be a reusable, rather than a disposable item.

The term "bottle" has been used herein, although changes to the design could readily be made such that an adornment could be connected to another item. Thus, a square-shaped fastener could be used to fasten an adornment to a box, for example. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to bottles.

Specific embodiments of the invention shall now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of attachment in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the attachment shown in Figure 1 attached to a bottle;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the attachment of Figure 1 shown with a

floral arrangement;

Figure 4 is a partial cross-section of Figure 4 on X-X;

Figures 5 and 5 a are perspective views of a second embodiment of attachment in accordance with the invention: and Figure 6 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of attachment in accordance with the invention.

Referring to Figure 1 , an attachment 10 is shown, which comprises a flower-holding receptacle 12 and an integrally formed fastener 14 for fastening the flower-holding receptacle to a bottle.

The flower-holding receptacle 12 has a mostly-cylindrical side wall 16 and a base 20. An inwardly-projecting part-cylindrical portion of the side wall 17 is provided adjacent to the fastener 14 to accommodate the bottle when in-situ.

Drainage apertures 22 are provided in the base 20 of the flower holding receptacle to enable water to drain from the receptacle 12 if necessary.

The attachment portion comprises a pair of spaced-apart, arcuate arms 24. The arms 24 are part-circular and extend beyond the midpoint of the bottle, i.e. through a total angle of more than 180°. The inner diameter defined by the anus 24 is slightly less than the outer diameter of a bottle to which the fastener is intended to fasten, which enables the fastener to grip the bottle securely when in- situ. The shape and size of the arms can be changed to correspond with other items or different sized bottles.

The end of each arm 24 is splayed outwardly as indicated at 26 to facilitate pushing the fastener onto the bottle. Integrally formed reinforcing ribs 28 are provided one at each of the junctions of the receptacle 12 and the fastener 14 in order to stiffen the arms 24 and the upper periphery of the flower-holding receptacle 12. The attachment 10 is injection molded from clear polyethylene as an integrally formed item.

Figure 2 shows how the attachment 10 can be clipped to a bottle 30.

Pushing the attachment 10 as indicated by arrow A towards the bottle 30 causes each arm 24 to splay outwardly as indicated by arrow B. As the ends of the arms pass the widest part of the bottle W, their resilience causes them to close against the bottle 30 and to clamp onto it.

Alternatively, the attachment 10 can be pushed down over the neck bottle as indicated by arrow C. The arms 24 will splay outwardly B as the fastener 14 expands over the neck and onto the body of the bottle 30.

Figure 3 shows how a suitably shaped block of floristry foam 32 can be inserted into the recess provided by the receptacle 12. The shape of the floristry foam corresponds substantially with the interior shape of the recess. Flower stems

34 can then be pushed into the floristry foam 32 to create a pleasing arrangement. Figure 4 shows a partial section on X-X of Figure 3, in which it can be seen that an inwardly-projecting barb 36 is integrally formed with the side wall 16 of the receptacle. The barb 36 is downwardly oriented such that the floristry foam

32 can slide past the barb 36 in one direction, but is inhibited from doing so in the opposite direction. When pushed past the barb 36, the floristry foam 32 deforms slightly in the vicinity of the barb 36 causing it to be securely retained thereby.

A spike 38 also projects upwardly from the base 20 of the receptacle 12. The spike 38 pierces the floristry foam 32 to assist in the retention of the foam. A second embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure 5, in which the resilient arms 24 of the fastener 14 of the first embodiment are replaced by a resiliently expandable band 40. The expandable band 40 comprises a pair of relatively rigid arcuate arm stubs 25 that project outwardly and away from the receptacle 12. The arcuate arm stubs 25 define a part-circle that corresponds approximately to the diameter of a bottle to which the attachment is intended to be attached. Extending from, and connecting, the ends of the arm stubs 25 is a resiliently deformable concertina portion 42. As can be seen in Figure 5a, the concertina portion 42 bridges the arm stubs 25 to form a generally semi-circular fastener when in a relaxed state. The concertina portion 42 can, however, be stretched (as shown in Figure 5) to fit around the body of a bottle. The clamping force exerted by the concertina portion 42 can be varied by changing parameters such as the length and thickness of the concertina portion as well as by changing the materials of manufacture. The concertina portion 42 may be integrally formed with the arm stubs 25 or it may be a separate item connected to the arm stubs 25.

Thus, the concertina portion 42 is capable of expanding in length as indicated by arrows D such that the band 40 can be expanded to fit around a bottle and released to clamp onto it securely. In all other respects, the construction of the embodiment shown in Figures 5 and 5 a is the same as that shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. Conveniently, the embodiments shown in any of Figures 1 to 5a permit a one piece construction, which is highly advantageous from a manufacturing point of view.

Figure 6 shows a third embodiment of the invention whereby the receptacle 12 is in the form of a collar 44 for receipt of a "test-tube" type flower vase 46. The collar 44 can be either a friction fit on the test-tube vase 46, or as shown in this example, the exterior of the test tube vase 46 can be provided with one or more outwardly projecting lugs 48 to limit the downward movement of the test tube vase 46 with respect to the collar 44. The test tube vase 46 has a separate elastomeric membrane 50 stretched onto the open end thereof to inhibit egress of water (not shown) from the test tube vase. A small slit 52 (or hole) is provided in the elastomeric membrane 50 such that flower stems can be inserted therethrough.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiments. For example the concertina portion 44 of the second embodiment may be replaced by a separate, possible detachable/interchangeable resilient member, such as a rubber or elastic band. The rubber or elastic band may be connected to the ends of the arm stubs 25 in any suitable manner, e.g. by hooking the rubber band

around hooks disposed on the ends of the arm stubs 25. The invention may be manufactured of any suitable material or combination of materials provided the attachment portion is resilient.

Claims

Claims:

1. A decorative item for attaching an adornment to a gift item comprising a receptacle for receiving the adornment and an attachment portion which is resiliency deformable into attachment with a portion of the gift item.

2. An attachment for attaching an adornment to a bottle comprising a receptacle for receiving the adornment and an attachment portion which is resiliently deformable into attachment around a portion of the bottle.

3. A decorative item or attachment as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the attachment with a portion of the gift item or around a portion of the bottle is a frictional engagement.

4. An attachment as claimed in claim 2, wherein the adornment is a floral arrangement.

5. A decorative item or attachment as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the receptacle and attachment portion are integrally formed with each other.

6. A decorative item or attachment as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the receptacle has a side wall that at least partially surrounds a part of the adornment.

7. A decorative item or attachment as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the receptacle has a base on which the adornment sits.

8. A decorative item or attachment item as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the receptacle has a recess for receipt of a part of the adornment.

9. A decorative item or attachment as claimed in claim 7, wherein the receptacle has one or more drainage apertures therein.

10. A decorative item or attachment as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the receptacle comprises one or more retaining projections extending from an inner wall of the receptacle.

11. A decorative item or attachment as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the attachment portion comprises a pair of spaced apart arms adapted to engage the gift item or bottle.

12. A decorative item or attachment as claimed in claim 11, wherein the arms are arcuate.

13. A decorative item or attachment as claimed in claim 12, wherein the arms define a part-circle.

14. A decorative item or attachment as claimed in any of claims 11, 12 or 13, wherein the arms have splayed ends to facilitate engagement with the gift item or bottle.

15. A decorative item or attachment as claimed in any of claims 1 to 14, wherein the attachment portion comprises a resiliency expandable band adapted to expand to enable it to be positioned around and grip a part of the gift item or bottle

16. A decorative item or attachment as claimed in claim 15, wherein the resiliently expandable band comprises a concertina portion.

17. A decorative item or attachment as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the packaging item is manufactured of an injection-molded plastics material.

18. A decorative item or attachment as claimed in claim 17, wherein the plastics material is one of the group comprising polyethylene, polypropylene and acrylonitrilrbutadienestryene.

19. A gift comprising a adornment attached to a bottle by a packaging item as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the adornment is a flower arrangement.

20. A decorative item or attachment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.