Plant husbandry – Receptacle for growing medium – With shipment package
Utility Patent
1999-06-21
2001-01-02
Carone, Michael J. (Department: 3643)
Plant husbandry
Receptacle for growing medium
With shipment package
C047S072000, C208S423000
Utility Patent
active
06167653
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a combination shipping and display container for various types of plants, including flowering plants, and more specifically is directed to an inexpensive, hollow, bottomless container used to ship and display seed balls containing plants of the above-mentioned types formed of an elongate strip of a printable material.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As flowers and plants are often sent to individuals for various reasons, such as birthdays and anniversaries, it is necessary to place the plants within a container that protects the plants during shipment. In many cases, the plant to be shipped includes a seed ball. The seed ball is formed of an amount of soil bound about the roots of the plant by a breathable material, such as a piece of burlap. The seed ball enables the plant to survive the time period during which the plant is in transit.
In order to protect the seed ball during shipment, the seed ball is positioned within a container suitable for enclosing and preventing damage to the seed ball. Normally, these containers take the form of rigid flower pots that are used to display the plant after delivery as well as to protect the plant during shipment. However, due to the weight of a flower pot, containers of this type significantly increase the overall weight of the plant to be shipped. This increases the cost of shipping the plants to a point where the cost of sending a plant to someone becomes undesirably expensive.
Therefore, it is desirable to develop a container for the shipment of a plant including a seed ball that is lightweight, but able to protect the seed ball during shipment, and that also may be used as an attractive display container for the plant after the delivery of the plant.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a hollow, bottomless shipping and display container which is capable of displaying printed material on the container in the form of a pre-printed sleeve positioned about the exterior of the container, or preprinted cards inserted between the sleeve and the exterior of the container.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hollow, bottomless shipping and display container for a seed ball that is lightweight in order to reduce the costs of shipping a seed ball using the container.
It is still further object of the invention to provide a hollow, bottomless shipping and display container for a seed ball that is inexpensive to manufacture.
A hollow, bottomless shipping and display container for seed balls includes a number of side walls connected to one another and defining a passage extending through the container into which the seed ball is placed. Each side wall includes a pair of ridges outwardly extending from the top and bottom edges of each side wall that define a rectangular channel extending along the exterior of each side wall of the container.
A sleeve formed of a resilient, printable material is positioned within the channel along each side wall. The sleeve is formed of an elongate, rectangular strip that includes a number of wall sections and a closure tab at one end. The wall sections and tab are separated by fold lines extending across the strip perpendicular to the sections. The dimensions of each wall section generally correspond to the dimensions of the channel extending around the container such that, when the sleeve is positioned on the container, the closure tab overlaps the wall section opposite the tab on the sleeve, retaining the sleeve on the container. The sleeve also rests on the lower ridge of each side wall, allowing an individual to place preprinted cards, such as business cards, in the space between the sleeve and the side wall.
The container does not require a bottom surface as the seed ball is compressed within the passage by the side walls, creating frictional forces between the container and seed ball sufficient to hold the seed ball within the container. During shipment, the container and seed ball are wrapped in a water resistant enclosure and placed within a box dimensioned to conform to the shape of the exterior. When the container is used to display the plant contained within the seed ball, the bag forming the exterior of the seed ball extends outwardly over and frictionally contacts the edge of each side wall. These frictional forces cooperate with the frictional forces between the side walls and the seed ball to retain the seed ball within the container when the container is used to display the plants.
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Andrus Sceales Starke & Sawall LLP
Carone Michael J.
Gellner Jeffrey L.
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