WO2016096916A1

WO2016096916A1 - Foldable flower vase and blank for folding such a vase

Info

Publication number: WO2016096916A1
Application number: PCT/EP2015/079885
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rick PAPAVOINE
Original assignee: Aavee Producties
Priority date: 2014-12-15
Filing date: 2015-12-15
Publication date: 2016-06-23
Also published as: NL2013983B1

Abstract

Foldable flower vase, comprising a bottom face (2) and two side walls (3) which are kept apart by the bottom face, with each of the side walls comprising two concave edges, which faces are made of a liquid-tight material, and wherein the vase can be folded into at least one unfolded form, in which it extends substantially in one plane, and at least one folded-up form, in which a space is enclosed by the bottom face and the side walls, wherein the side walls are at least partly connected to each other at the concave edges (5), wherein the cross section of the space parallel to the bottom face, viewed from the bottom face upwards, increases in surface area,characterized in that the sides of the side walls opposite the bottom face are some distance apart, creating an opening (4) which is adjacent to that edge of the side walls which faces away from the bottom face. The invention further relates to a blank for producing a vase according to one of the preceding claims after folding and connecting the sheet, comprising at least one bottom face and two side walls with concave edges, via which the side walls can be connected to each other.

Description

Foldable flower vase and blank for folding such a vase

The present invention relates to a foldable flower vase and to a blank for folding such a vase.

Foldable flower vases are in widespread use because of their low manufacturing costs and resultant low purchasing costs, and because of the opportunity they provide to serve as a means for promotional activities. The known foldable flower vases come in various embodiments. A known embodiment relates to a vase with a bottom face and two side faces which have been fused together at all the edges or to the bottom face. One of the side faces is provided with a slot via which flowers can be introduced. Other embodiments comprise a bottom face and at least four side faces, in which case two side faces are folded away inwards over folding edges which leads to a flat structure in the folded position. Yet other embodiments resemble carrier bags and have handles which can be used to carry the vase. However, the basic construction can always be traced back to a bottom face and a few side faces which are connected to each other by means of fusing or gluing. Often, these vases can be folded in such a manner that they are flat in the folded position and consequently take up little space. In addition, these vases are often made from a plastic, such as polypropene, which benefits their durability and liquid-tightness.

However, the fact that the abovementioned vases are foldable does not benefit the structural rigidity. Often the current foldable flower vases are not dimensionally stable, as a result of which the latter vases will at least partly collapse when placed on a surface. In addition, the current foldable vases are not very suitable for flowers because either the opening has been made too small in order thus to retain as much structural rigidity as possible or the vase is in the form of a conventional carrier bag and thus serves best as a transport means, but consequently does not have an ideal shape to ensure that a bouquet stands upright. Moreover, the current embodiments of the foldable flower vase which also serve as a transport means, have handles which cannot be folded away, as a result of which there is a risk that something or someone gets caught, leading to the vase being knocked over. The international patent application WO 2007/039899 A2 shows a flexible and foldable vase consisting of a bottom face and two side walls made of polyester and polyethylene. The side walls each have two partly concave edges which are connected to each other by fusing. The illustrated vase initially narrows towards the top and subsequently widens.

International patent application WO 2005/030597 Al discloses a container for holding liquids which is made of a flexible plastic material which substantially extends in one plane in its folded position. Due to its specific shape, the container will assume a cylindrical shape when it is filled, as a result of which it can readily be handled despite its wall being flexible.

Patent US 4 850 509 A describes foldable containers of different shapes and sizes, all of which can readily be unfolded without additional means and are suitable for containing liquids. To this end, each of the containers comprises a non-rectangular bottom face which, in its unfolded position, keeps two side faces apart, thus creating different variants of the known so-called stand-up pouch. However, the side walls have no concave edges and the side walls are not connected to each other. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vase which at least partly overcomes the abovementioned drawbacks or provides an alternative to the prior art.

To this end, the invention proposes a foldable flower vase which comprises a bottom face and two side faces which are kept apart by the bottom face, with each of the side walls comprising two concave edges and the faces being made of a liquid-tight material. In addition, the vase can be folded into at least one unfolded form, in which it extends substantially in one plane, and at least one folded-up form, in which a space is enclosed by the bottom face and the side walls, wherein the side walls are at least partly connected to each other at the concave edges, wherein the cross section of the space parallel to the bottom face, viewed from the bottom face upwards, increases in surface area. The vase mentioned here is characterized by the fact that the sides of the side walls opposite the bottom face are some distance apart, creating an opening which is adjacent to that edge of the side walls which faces away from the bottom face. An advantage of the present invention is the fact that the use of concave edges results in a structure which can both withstand a pressure load and consequently retain its shape and offers a sufficiently large opening to place a bouquet of flowers in it. In addition, only a minimal amount of material and a minimal number of connections are required to achieve these advantages, since the invention only comprises a bottom face and two side faces.

In a further embodiment, the invention comprises side walls which are provided with at least one handle, but preferably two handles for lifting up the vase, wherein the handle is preferably formed by an opening in the side walls. This also makes the vase suitable for transporting flowers, both in a hand and, for example, on the handlebars of a bicycle. By designing the handles as an opening in the side walls, it is possible to construct the vase from a single piece of material. It is also conceivable for the present invention to comprise two parts which are foldable with respect to each other along a folding line which is provided for this purpose and substantially extends in the direction parallel to the opening of the vase. The distinct parts are characterized by an upper part, which corresponds to that part of the side walls which adjoins the opening and which possibly offers space for an opening which serves as a handle, and a lower part, which corresponds to that part of the side walls which adjoins the bottom face. In this case, the edges of the upper part of the side walls which adjoin the folding line may be of concave design, as a result of which the side walls, viewed from the folding line, decrease in width. The advantage of this construction is twofold. On the one hand, folding the upper part of the side walls away in the direction of the bottom face produces a double wall construction which provides greater rigidity, as a result of which the vase retains the desired vase shape more efficiently. On the other hand, the edges of the upper part of the side walls will converge with the edges of the lower part of the side walls due to the fact that the edges of the upper part of the side walls which adjoin the folding line are concave and the folding line substantially extends in the direction parallel to the opening of the vase. Consequently, the risk of something becoming caught behind the folded side walls and thus the risk of the vase toppling over is reduced. In yet a further embodiment of the invention, the bottom face is formed in such a way that it can be enclosed by two circular arches which, together, form at most a part of a full circle. The arcuate bottom face is better able to absorb the pressure forces of the side walls at right angles to the circular arch. As a result thereof, the side walls more readily remain apart in the unfolded position and the vase is able to stand of its own accord, even if no liquid is poured into it.

In yet a further embodiment, the invention comprises an indication for the intended water level of the vase. This is a level which is, for example, indicated by a line and corresponds to an amount of water which is sufficient to feed flowers and also provides stable support. If the indicated level is exceeded, the vase becomes top-heavy, leading to a risk of toppling over.

The vase according to the present invention may be made from a single layer of material, but it is also possible to use several layers in an embodiment. This not only results in an increased rigidity, but also offers the possibility to assign various functionalities to the layers. Thus, an inner layer provided with an imprint may be used, a transparent, optionally colored, middle layer and an outer layer which serves as protection and which may be (silky) glossy or matt.

The present invention also relates to a blank for producing a vase according to one of the preceding embodiments after folding and connecting the blank, comprising at least one bottom face and two side walls with concave edges, via which the side walls can be connected to each other. In a preferred embodiment, the blank is characterized by the fact that the two side walls extend on opposite sides of the bottom face.

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the following figures, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective side view of an embodiment of a vase in a transport position according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a perspective side view of an embodiment of a vase in a display position according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 shows a blank of an embodiment of a vase in non-folded and non- connected position. Fig. 1 shows a perspective side view of an embodiment of a foldable flower vase 1 in the unfolded form, comprising a bottom face 2, which keeps the side walls 3 apart, as a result of which an opening 4 is produced on the top side, opposite the bottom face. Both the bottom face 2 and the side walls 3 are made of a liquid-tight material. Each of the side walls 3 has two concave edges 5, via which the side walls 3 are connected to each other. In this embodiment, an upper part of the side wall 6 and a lower part of the side wall 7 can be distinguished, separated by a folding line 8. Fig. 1 specifically shows an embodiment of a foldable flower vase 1 in a transport position. This position is characterized by the fact that an upper part of the side wall 6 extends towards the top side. In the transport position, it is easy to transport flowers by means of the handles 9 which are provided for the purpose in the form of an opening in the side walls 3.

Fig. 2 also shows a perspective side view of an embodiment of a foldable flower vase 1 in unfolded form. This time, the vase is shown in a presentation position. This position is characterized by the fact that an upper part of the side wall 6 extends towards the bottom face 2. In the presentation position, handles 9 are folded away downwards, against the side walls 9. Fig. 3 shows a blank of an embodiment of a foldable flower vase 1, which is characterized by a bottom face 2 which can be enclosed by two circular arches 10 which, together, form at most a part of a full circle, and two side walls 3 which extend on opposite sides of the bottom face 2. Each of the side walls 3 has two concave edges 5 via which the side walls 3 can be connected to each other.

Many variants are conceivable in addition to the illustrated embodiment, all of which are considered to fall within the scope of protection of the following claims.

Claims

1. A foldable flower vase, comprising:

- a bottom face; and

- two side walls which are kept apart by the bottom face, with each of the side walls comprising two concave edges;

- which faces are made of a liquid-tight material, and

- wherein the vase can be folded into:

at least one unfolded form, in which it extends substantially in one plane, and - at least one folded-up form, in which a space is enclosed by the bottom face and the side walls, wherein the side walls are at least partly connected to each other at the concave edges, wherein the cross section of the space parallel to the bottom face, viewed from the bottom face upwards, increases in surface area, characterized, in that the sides of the side walls opposite the bottom face are some distance apart, creating an opening which is adjacent to that edge of the side walls which faces away from the bottom face.

2. The foldable flower vase as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the side walls are provided with at least one handle for lifting up the vase.

3. The foldable flower vase as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the handle is formed by an opening in the side wall.

4. The foldable flower vase as claimed in one of the preceding claims, comprising an upper part, which corresponds to that part of the side walls which adjoins the opening, and a lower part, which corresponds to that part of the side walls which adjoins the bottom face, wherein the upper part is foldable with respect to the lower part along a folding line which is provided for the purpose.

5. The foldable flower vase as claimed in Claim 4, characterized in that the edges of the upper part of the side walls which adjoin the folding line are concave, as a result of which the side walls, viewed from the folding line, decrease in width.

6. The foldable flower vase as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the folding line extends substantially in the direction parallel to the opening of the vase.

7. The foldable flower vase as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the handle is situated in the upper part of the side wall.

8. The foldable flower vase as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bottom face can be enclosed by two circular arches which, together, form at most a part of a full circle.

9. A blank for producing a vase as claimed in one of the preceding claims by means of folding and connecting, comprising at least one bottom face and two side walls with concave edges via which the side walls can be connected to each other.

10. The blank as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the side walls extend on opposite sides of the bottom face.