PACKAGING OF HORTICULTURAL PRODUCTS FOR TRANSPORT
An improved method and system for packaging horticultural products for transport is provided. An insert, which may be frusto-conical in shape, comprising a first and second open end is inserted into a larger vessel such that a watertight seal is formed between the first open end and the opening of the vessel. The insert thus defines a space between a sidewall of the insert and a sidewall of the vessel, and a space below the second open end of the insert above the base of the vessel. The space may be partially filled with a liquid in a volume such that when the vessel and insert is tipped or inverted, the liquid is retained within the space defined in the vessel. Also provided is a carrying case, which may be manufactured from paperboard or cardboard, for transporting the vessel and insert.
1. Technical Field
The present application relates generally to an improved system and method of packaging horticultural products for transport.
2. Description of the Related Art
Horticultural products, such as cut flowers and potted plants, are often transported over large distances and/or up to several days before they reach the consumer. Even after the horticultural products are received by the distributor or retailer from the grower, the products may still require repackaging and must be once again transported to the consumer, whether the consumer purchases the product at a retail outlet and transports the product home him- or herself, the distributor ships the product to a retailer, or the retailer ships the product to the consumer. Even the last leg in the horticultural product's journey from the grower to the ultimate consumer may require long haul transport from the retailer to the consumer. Horticultural products are generally perishable goods that require proper environmental conditions even during transport, and in particular water, to keep the products fresh. The inclusion of water in a packaging system, however, increases the risk of spillage, and couriers and other delivery services may be reluctant to transport packages with a known risk of spillage. Thus, the inclusion of water in such packaging has hitherto generally required the packager to ensure that any vessels containing liquid are capable of forming a substantially watertight seal around the stems of the packaged plants.
In addition, hitherto the secure packaging of horticultural products, in particular cut flowers and other plants, for shipping to the consumer generally requires the consumer to unpack the plants upon receipt, locate a vase or other vessel to hold the plants, and to spend time arranging the plants in the vessel. The expenditure of effort or time in arranging the plants may prove an annoyance or be unenjoyable to some recipients of cut plants.
In drawings which illustrate by way of example only embodiments of this application,
Where cut plants, such as flowers, are required to be packaged with water for transportation, various means for enclosing the cut end of the plant stem in water have been provided to minimize the risk of water spillage. For example, it is generally known to insert the stem end into a small vial containing water and sealed with a rubber or plastic cap. The cap is provided with a hole or slit for receiving the stem, and thereby provides a substantially watertight seal to prevent significant leakage of water from the vial. However, this solution often requires a separate vial for each stem end to be kept in water; the more stems inserted through each cap, the less snug the fit between the cap and the stems may be. Another solution requires the cut end of each stem, or groups of stems, to be encased in a small foam piece impregnated with water. The foam may be shaped like an envelope or pouch, or may alternatively be provided as a flat piece to be folded around the stem ends. The foam piece may then be secured by elastic bands or some other binding. Again, this solution often requires multiple pieces if the floral or plant arrangement to be packaged contains multiple stems. In any event, once the cut plants are unpacked for display, for example by the ultimate recipient, the recipient must remove each of the vials or foam pieces and arrange the plants in a vessel such as a vase.
Other solutions may include the use of compressible foam or a similarly compressible material to seal the opening of a vessel containing water, and inserting the cut stem ends of the plants though the foam or other material and into the water. These solutions require selection of appropriate foam or other material with an appropriate compressibility factor that is sufficiently water-impermeable, and holes or slits cut in the foam or other material to admit the stems, again such that the seal around each stem, and between the foam and the vessel opening, is substantially watertight. Further, if the recipient wishes to add more water to the vessel, either the entire piece of foam or other material must be removed, or one or more individual stems from the foam must be removed so that water can be added. This potentially destroys the watertight seal when the foam piece or stem is replaced, as the overall contours of the foam or other material may have been altered by handling. In addition, if the foam or other material is sized to receive specific stem sizes, it may not be reusable for other plants.
Therefore, in accordance with the embodiments described below, an apparatus, assembly and method are provided for packaging horticultural products for transport. In particular, the horticultural products may be cut plants such as flowers, comprising stems. For ease of reference, the description below may refer to cut flowers, but it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be used with other plants or horticultural products.
In one embodiment, an insert 100 as shown in
The first, open end 130 may be provided with a lip 140 which, when viewed in the perspective view of
The second, open end 110 may be defined in a variety of ways. Three examples are provided in
The insert 100 may be manufactured from a variety of materials, including but not limited to plastics, metal, wood, composites, laminates, and even paper or cardboard. The selection of appropriate material is within the ability of the person skilled in the art, who will appreciate that certain qualities of tensile strength or compressibility may be desirable, particularly if an interference or similar mechanical fit on the vessel, shown in
Turning to
It can be seen from the examples of
The amount of liquid 220 added to the vessel 200a, 200b may be selected so as to minimize spillage when the vessel-insert assembly is tipped. Referring to
Further, the volume of liquid added to the vessel 200a, 200b may be such that even when the vessel is tipped at an angle, as shown in
Thus, the insert 100 may be used with any appropriate vessel 200a, 200b, such as a vase, as follows: the vessel 200a or 200b, or another vessel suitable for floral or other horticultural arrangements and for holding liquid is provided. An insert 100 is also provided, having a lip 140 or other sealing mechanism to provide a substantially watertight seal between the first end 130 of the insert 100 and the opening of the vessel 200a, 200b. The vessel 200a, 200b may be provided with cooperative elements at or near its opening to cooperate with the sealing mechanism on the insert 100 to provide the seal. The vessel 200a, 200b and the insert 100 are assembled to provide a vessel-insert assembly. Alternatively, a single vessel with an integral insert—i.e., an integral vessel-insert assembly—may be provided, such that there is no need for any sealing mechanism at the first end 130 of the insert and/or the opening of the vessel.
Water, or any other suitable liquid, is poured to the vessel-insert assembly. The liquid may be instead be added to the vessel 200a, 200b, prior to assembly of the vessel-insert assembly, after which the insert 100 may be installed on the vessel. The liquid may be added so that the volume of liquid does not result in spillage through the open ends of the insert 100 when the vessel-insert assembly is tipped, rotated or inverted. To facilitate the addition of liquid in the correct amount, a marking may be provided on the exterior or the interior of the vessel 200a, 200b to allow the user to gauge when sufficient liquid has been added. If the liquid is added to the vessel 200a, 200b before the insert 100 is installed, a marking on the interior of the vessel 200a, 200b may be sufficiently visible by the user. In a further embodiment, shown only in
The horticultural product, such as cut flowers, greenery, grasses, and other plants and decorative features may then be inserted the vessel-insert assembly so that the cut ends of any stems 210 are submerged in the liquid 220 in the vessel 200a, 200b. If the insert 100 is provided with a second end 110 such as the base 160 of
With the vessel-insert assembly described above, a means for arranging, displaying and packaging a cut floral or other plant arrangement is provided that minimizes the risk of spilling when the arrangement is transported to the consumer or other recipient. The vessel-insert assembly may both be manufactured of comparatively inexpensive and lightweight materials to provide cost-effective means of packaging the arrangement. Because the insert 100 is useful in preventing liquid seepage or spillage, even if the vessel-insert assembly is tipped, the vessel-insert assembly is suitable for courier delivery or other modes of shipping, even if the assembly contains water or another liquid. Further, the foregoing embodiments do not require the use of a watertight seal around the stems of the cut plants themselves or the insertion of foam or other materials for holding the stems in place. The vessel-insert assembly is thus reusable with different horticultural arrangements, regardless of stem size of the plants, and regardless of any thorns, bumps, leaves, or other irregularities that would interfere with prior art solutions involving the use of foam, rubber sealing caps, or other means for providing a watertight seal around the plant stems. Further, there is no need to package each stem or groups of stems separately in vials or other water-retaining devices to preserve the horticultural arrangement through the delays of shipping; the vessel-insert assembly, with liquid and horticultural arrangement, can be quickly assembled.
The foregoing vessel-insert assembly, because it may be manufactured to resemble vases or other containers that purchasers may use to display floral and other horticultural arrangements in homes and offices, also provides a convenient display for use at retail locations. Horticultural arrangements can be displayed in the vessel-insert assemblies, with water, either sitting upright on a table or counter, or alternatively displayed tilted at an angle in a specialized display such as a floral wagon. If no more than the maximum volume of water or other liquid is provided in the vessel-insert assemblies, there may be a reduced risk of liquid spillage due to careless customers jostling or knocking over an arrangement. In addition, a purchaser wishing to purchase a selection of cut plants from a retailer may simply select the desired plants from the display, and insert them into the vessel-insert assembly him- or herself.
While the inserts 100 and vessels 200a, 200b may be manufactured specifically to fit together, inserts 100 may also be shaped and manufactured to fit other shapes of vases and containers—effectively, to retro-fit existing vessels to provide vessel-insert assemblies. The inserts 100 may be manufactured in a variety of sizes and shapes. To increase the range of vessel sizes that an insert 100 may fit, the first end 130 of the insert and/or the lip 140 may be provided with an annular foam or rubber layer that may be compressed to fit slightly different opening diameters of vessels. This foam or rubber, while it may operate to provide a substantially watertight or seepage-resistant seal between the insert 100 and the vessel, is not used to provide a watertight seal around the individual stems of the horticultural arrangement.
To facilitate transport of a horticultural arrangement in the vessel-insert assembly of
The four sidewalls 320, 322 and 340, 342 thus define an interior of the carrying case 300. At least one of these sidewalls 340, 342 may be provided with a further flap 350, which may be folded inwards towards the interior of the carrying case 300. The flap 350 may be provided with a cutaway portion 355, shown in further detail in
The carrying case 300 may be manufactured from a single, die-cut piece of cardboard, such as corrugated cardboard, single or double-wall, or paperboard.
Adjacent the sidewalls 320, 322, there may be provided additional flanges or flaps 370, 372, 374, and 376. These flanges may be foldable along score lines differentiating the flanges from the sidewalls 320, 322, and may be provided with a contour generally matching the vessel-insert assembly to be packaged in the carrying case 330. These flanges may extend substantially from the base portion 310 to the approximate height of the sidewalls 320, 322; the sidewalls 320, 322 may have a similar height to the sidewalls 340, 342, which are generally sized so that the ends of the sidewalls 340, 342 distal from the base portion 310 are at, or slightly higher, than the vessel-insert assembly to be packaged in the carrying case.
The carrying case 300 may be assembled by folding each of the sidewalls 320, 322, 340, 342 from the base portion to define the interior of the case 300. The vessel-insert assembly, containing liquid and the horticultural arrangement, may be placed o the base portion 310. The flanges 370, 372, 374, 376 may then be folded towards the vessel-insert assembly to assist in retaining the assembly in position in the case 300. Each of the flaps 350, 360 may then be folded so that their cutaways 355, 365 encircle the stems of the horticultural arrangement; some stems of the arrangement may be inserted in the slits 367, 357. The flaps 350, 360 may be mechanically locked into position by inserting the tabs 358 in the corresponding slots 368. The shape of the tabs may be wider than the slots 368 to enhance the locking function of the tabs 358. The handle portions 330, 332 may then be bent towards each other, and held together by the user holding the handle portions together using the handle apertures 334.
The carrying case 300 thus does not require adhesives, staplers, or other fasteners to retain its shape. Fasteners may be used to enhance the rigidity of the assembled carrying case 300, but the carrying case 300 may be sufficiently sturdy through use of the locking tabs and slots 358, 368 and by holding the handle portions 330, 332 together. The size of the case 300, defined by the area of the base 310, the height of the sidewalls 320, 322, 340, 342 and the handle portions 330, 332, may be determined according to the size of vessel-insert assembly and horticultural arrangement to be packaged therein. Other suitable materials may be selected by the person skilled in the art, although cardboard provides a sufficiently sturdy and lightweight packaging.
The carrying case can thus be easily assembled to provide a convenient case for carrying the vessel-insert assembly described above. The carrying case 300 is easily disassembled once received at its final destination, at which point the recipient need only separate the handle portions 330, 332 and the flaps 350, 360 to reveal the intact horticultural arrangement, already set up for display in the vessel-insert arrangement. The recipient may add additional water or other liquid, if desired, but otherwise, if the arrangement is packaged with water in the vessel-insert assembly, the recipient need take no further steps to prepare the plants for display; there is no need to locate a vase or other container for the arrangement, nor any need to remove individual vials or other attachments on the cut ends of the stem. The carrying case 300 also assists in reducing the likelihood of tipping or spilling during transit. The case 300 as illustrated in
The foregoing description provides illustrative examples of the present invention and is not meant to limit the scope of the subject matter described herein. Many variations will be apparent to those knowledgeable in the field, and such variations are within the scope of the invention as described and claimed, whether or not expressly described.
Claims
1. An assembly for holding a horticultural product, the assembly comprising:
- a vessel comprising at least a base and a sidewall, said base and sidewall defining a vessel interior;
- an insert component disposed in an opening of the vessel, the insert component comprising a sidewall defining a first open end disposed proximal to the opening of the vessel and a second open end disposed in the vessel interior and spaced from the base of the vessel, the sidewall of the insert component defining a space in the vessel interior between said sidewall and the sidewall of the vessel, the insert component being joined to the vessel proximal to the opening of the vessel in a substantially watertight join, the insert component thus providing for passage of at least one stem of the horticultural product therethrough to the vessel interior; and
- a volume of liquid contained in the vessel, wherein the volume of liquid is selected such that an upper level of the liquid remains below the second open end of the insert component.
2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the insert component is integral with the vessel.
3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the insert component is joined to the vessel using a sealing mechanism.
4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the sealing mechanism comprises a lip disposed around a perimeter of the first open end, the lip being adapted to mechanically lock around a perimeter of the vessel opening.
5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the second open end comprises a smaller perimeter than the first open end.
6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the insert component is substantially frusto-conical in shape.
7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the insert component is manufactured from polystyrene.
8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the insert component further comprises, at the second open end, a base comprising a plurality of intersecting slits for receiving the at least one stem of the horticultural product.
9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the horticultural product comprises a plurality of cut plants, each comprising a stem.
10. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a carrying case comprising:
- a base;
- a plurality of sidewalls connected to and extending from said base at a first edge of each of said plurality of sidewalls;
- at least one of said sidewalls comprising a flap connected to and extending from an opposing edge of said sidewall, said flap comprising a cutaway portion for receiving the at least one stem of the horticultural product when said assembly is resting on said base and comprises said horticultural product;
- at least two of said sidewalls, other than said at least one of said sidewalls comprising the flap, each comprising a handle portion connected to and extending from an opposing edge of each of said at least two of said sidewalls.
11. A method for packaging a horticultural product, the method comprising:
- providing a vessel comprising at least a base and a sidewall, said base and sidewall defining a vessel interior, and an insert component disposed in an opening of the vessel, the insert component comprising a sidewall defining a first open end disposed proximal to the opening of the vessel and a second open end disposed in the vessel interior and spaced from the base of the vessel, the sidewall of the insert component defining a space in the vessel interior between said sidewall and the sidewall of the vessel, the insert component being joined to the vessel proximal to the opening of the vessel in a substantially watertight join, the insert component thus providing for passage of at least one stem of the horticultural product therethrough to the vessel interior;
- providing a volume of liquid in the vessel, wherein the volume of liquid is selected such that an upper level of the liquid remains below the second open end of the insert component; and
- inserting a stem of a horticultural product through the insert component such that a cut end of the stem is submerged in the liquid.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein providing said vessel and said insert component comprises inserting said insert component in the opening of the vessel and joining the insert component with the vessel with a sealing mechanism provided on the insert component.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein providing the volume of liquid in the vessel is carried out prior to inserting said insert component in the opening of the vessel.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the insert component further comprises, at the second open end, a base comprising a plurality of intersecting slits for receiving the stem of the horticultural product, and inserting the stem through the insert component comprises inserting the stem through one of said slits.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 1, 2010
Publication Date: Mar 1, 2012
Applicant: 1784936 ONTARIO INC. (Woodbridge)
Inventor: Cesario GINJO (Toronto)
Application Number: 12/873,776
International Classification: B65D 85/52 (20060101); B65B 25/02 (20060101);