CONTAINER FOR DECORATIVE GRASS CONTAINING A LINER WITH NATURAL GRASS TUFT

Abstract

A package is disclosed that includes a decorative basket having a liner positioned therein. The liner has a natural tuft sprouting therefrom. The package also includes at least one object disposed on the natural tuft and displayed within the decorative basket.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE STATEMENT

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 13/494,348, filed Nov. 21, 2012, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 13/017,461, filed Jan. 31, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,381, issued Jun. 26, 2012; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 12/425,174, filed Apr. 16, 2009, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 12/152,999, filed May 19, 2008, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 11/027,216, filed Dec. 29, 2004, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/715,581, filed Nov. 11, 2003, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/315,426, filed Dec. 10, 2002, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/800,407, filed Mar. 5, 2001, now abandoned; which is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 09/533,878, filed Mar. 22, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,401, issued Sep. 25, 2001; which is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/343,925, filed Jun. 30, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,601, issued May 23, 2000; which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/093,954, filed Jul. 23, 1998.

The entire contents of each of the above-referenced patents and patent applications are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) relates generally to liners, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a container for decorative grass.

2. Brief Description of the Related Art

Strips of sheet material formed into tufts have been used for many years. More specifically, material known as decorative grass has been used in fruit baskets, Easter baskets, picnic baskets and other containers and receptacles for decorative and cushioning purposes. The decorative grass of the prior art has been produced by numerous methods and from a variety of materials such as polymeric materials, paper, cellophane or the like. Typically, such materials are cut and shredded to produce individual segments having predetermined dimensions.

A problem associated with decorative grass is that it can easily fall out of the container in which it is disposed or cling to other objects, and therefore is inconvenient to clean up and to dispose of.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a basket having a liner constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) disposed therein.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the liner of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s).

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 a perspective view of another embodiment of a liner constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s).

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the liner of FIG. 5 shown disposed in a basket.

FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway, elevational view of another embodiment of a liner constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) shown disposed in a container.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway, perspective view of a basket constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) shown with a quantity of decorative grass disposed therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) in detail, it is to be understood that the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components or steps or methodologies set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

Unless otherwise defined herein, technical terms used in connection with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) shall have the meanings that are commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Further, unless otherwise required by context, singular terms shall include pluralities and plural terms shall include the singular.

All patents, published patent applications, and non-patent publications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the level of skill of those skilled in the art to which this presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) pertains. All patents, published patent applications, and non-patent publications referenced in any portion of this application are herein expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual patent or publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

All of the articles and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the articles and methods of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the articles and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept, spirit and scope of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and concept of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) as defined by the appended claims.

As utilized in accordance with the present disclosure, the following terms, unless otherwise indicated, shall be understood to have the following meanings:

The use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one,” but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more,” “at least one,” and “one or more than one.” The use of the term “or” in the claims is used to mean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or the alternatives are mutually exclusive, although the disclosure supports a definition that refers to only alternatives and “and/or”. Throughout this application, the term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the inherent variation of error for the device, the method being employed to determine the value, or the variation that exists among the study subjects. For example but not by way of limitation, when the term “about” is utilized, the designated value may vary by plus or minus twelve percent, or eleven percent, or ten percent, or nine percent, or eight percent, or seven percent, or six percent, or five percent, or four percent, or three percent, or two percent, or one percent. The use of the term “at least one” will be understood to include one as well as any quantity more than one, including but not limited to, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100, etc. The term “at least one” may extend up to 100 or 1000 or more, depending on the term to which it is attached; in addition, the quantities of 100/1000 are not to be considered limiting, as higher limits may also produce satisfactory results. In addition, the use of the term “at least one of X, Y and Z” will be understood to include X alone, Y alone, and Z alone, as well as any combination of X, Y and Z. The use of ordinal number terminology (i.e., “first”, “second”, “third”, “fourth”, etc.) is solely for the purpose of differentiating between two or more items and is not meant to imply any sequence or order or importance to one item over another or any order of addition, for example.

As used in this specification and claim(s), the words “comprising” (and any form of comprising, such as “comprise” and “comprises”), “having” (and any form of having, such as “have” and “has”), “including” (and any form of including, such as “includes” and “include”) or “containing” (and any form of containing, such as “contains” and “contain”) are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.

The term “or combinations thereof” as used herein refers to all permutations and combinations of the listed items preceding the term. For example, “A, B, C, or combinations thereof” is intended to include at least one of: A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC, and if order is important in a particular context, also BA, CA, CB, CBA, BCA, ACB, BAC, or CAB. Continuing with this example, expressly included are combinations that contain repeats of one or more item or term, such as BB, AAA, MB, BBC, AAABCCCC, CBBAAA, CABABB, and so forth. The skilled artisan will understand that typically there is no limit on the number of items or terms in any combination, unless otherwise apparent from the context.

As used herein, the term “substantially” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance completely occurs or that the subsequently described event or circumstance occurs to a great extent or degree. For example, the term “substantially” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance occurs at least 90% of the time, or at least 95% of the time, or at least 98% of the time.

Referring now to the drawings, and more specifically to FIG. 1, a liner 10 constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is shown disposed in a container, such as a basket 12. The basket 12 has an upper end 14, a lower end 16, and an outer surface 18. An opening 19 is formed in the basket 12, with a portion of the basket opening 19 intersecting the upper end 14 of the basket 12 forming an inner surface 20. The basket opening 19 is sized and shaped to receive a plurality of objects 22, such as candies or Easter eggs, for display. It will be appreciated that the liner 10 described below is not limited to being used with Easter baskets, but can be used to line fruit baskets, picnic baskets, as well as other containers and receptacles.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the liner 10 includes a waterproof backing 24, a porous covering 26, a seed carrier 28 (FIG. 3) interposed between the backing 24 and the covering 26, and a plurality of seeds 30 (FIG. 3) embedded in the seed carrier 28, such that upon germination, the seeds 28 will sprout through the porous covering to form a soft, natural, cushioning tuft 32. The liner 10 is sufficiently flexible so that the liner 10 can be easily manipulated to substantially conform to the interior contour of the basket 12.

The seeds 30 can be any seed or a combination of seeds. However, winter wheat seeds have been found to be a suitable seed in that winter wheat seeds tend to sprout within about three to four days after being exposed to moisture, and produce a thin dark green blade. In addition, such blades are relatively rigid enabling them to remain substantially erect up to a height of about three to four inches and thereby provide a soft, natural, protective cushion for objects displayed in the basket 12. Rye seeds are also preferable seeds for the purpose of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s).

Alternatively, plant material that is capable of being stored for long periods of time in a dry condition and which becomes rejuvenated upon exposure to moisture can be implanted in the seed carrier 28. An example of such a plant is selaginella lepidophylla, or more commonly referred to as the dinosaur plant. The seed carrier 28 is fabricated of a material capable of holding moisture to the seeds 30 to foster germination and subsequent growth. Any material capable of holding the seeds and retaining moisture may be utilized. For example, the seed carrier 28 may be fabricated of a sponge material, a tissue, a cloth, a gel, soil, or the like.

The backing 24 serves as a barrier to prevent moisture in the seed carrier 28 from leaking into the basket 12. To this end, the backing 24 is constructed of a flexible, waterproof sheet of material, such as a polymer film. The term “polymer film” as used herein means a synthetic polymer such as a polypropylene or a naturally occurring polymer such as cellophane. The backing 24 may be constructed of a single layer of material or a plurality of layers of the same or different types of materials. Any thickness of the backing 24 may be utilized in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s).

The covering 26 serves to hold the seeds 30 in position and permit the seeds 30 to emit their sprouts. The covering 26 can be any suitable porous sheet material, such as cloth with a course weave or with openings formed therein, or a piece of film or paper or other flexible material provided with openings 34 to permit the seeds to emit their sprouts.

In assembly, the seed carrier 28, together with the seeds 30, is encased between the backing 24 and the covering 26 with the seeds 30 positioned to permit the sprouts of the seeds 30 to grow up through the openings 34 of the covering 26. The backing 24 and the covering 26 are secured to one another along the periphery in a suitable fashion such as by bonding the backing and the covering together with an adhesive or stitching.

In an assembled condition, the backing 24 defines a lower surface 36 of the liner 10 and the covering 26 defines an upper surface 38. Further, the liner 10 is illustrated herein as having a square configuration. However, it will be appreciated that the liner 10 can be formed into any other desired geometric shape, such as circular, triangular, or rectangular.

The backing 24 and the covering 26 of the liner 10 may vary in color. Further, each may consist of designs which are printed, etched, and/or embossed. In addition, the backing and the covering may have various colorings, coatings, flocking and/or metallic finishes, or be characterized totally or partially by pearlescent, translucent, transparent, or the like, qualities. Each of the above-named characteristics may occur alone or in combination. Moreover, each of the backing 24 and the covering 26 may vary in the combination of such characteristics.

A bonding material 40 may be disposed on the lower surface 36 of the liner 10. The bonding material 40 covers substantially the entire lower surface 36 of the liner 10. The bonding material 40 is disposed on the lower surface 36 of the liner 10 by spraying or painting it thereupon.

The bonding material 40 imparts sufficient adhesion to permit the liner 10 to be disposed in the basket opening 19 with the lower surface 36 of the liner 10 disposed adjacent the inner surface 20 of the basket 12 so that the bonding material 40 on the lower surface 36 of the liner 10 contacts the inner surface 20 of the basket 12 for connecting the liner 10 to the inner surface 20 of the basket 12. The bonding material 40 also causes the liner to conform to the contour of the inner surface 20 of the basket 12. That is, the lower surface 36 of the liner 10 adheres to the inner surface 20 of basket 12 and it adheres to overlapping portions of itself. In this manner, a customized fit of the liner to the inner surface 20 of the basket 12 is obtained. The liner 10 is preferably sized to that when the liner 10 is placed inside the basket 12, the liner 10 covers substantially the entire inner surface 20 of the basket 12.

The term “bonding material” when used herein means an adhesive, frequently a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive or any adhesive/cohesive combination, having adhesive qualities (i.e., qualities of adhesion or adhesion/cohesion, respectively) sufficient to effect the connection between the lower surface 36 of the liner 10 brought into engagement with the basket 12, a box or other container. It will be appreciated that both adhesives and cohesives are well-known in the art, and both are commercially available.

The bonding material 40 may also comprise at least one strip of bonding material 40 extending over the lower surface 36 of the liner 10. Alternatively, the bonding material 40 may comprise at least one spot of bonding material 40 extending over the lower surface 36 of the liner 10. The bonding material 40 may comprise a variety of designs, both geometric and fanciful (for example, hearts, flowers, slogans, and the like). The bonding material 40 may also comprise a variety of colors.

The bonding material 40 on the lower surface 36 of the liner 10 may be covered with at least one release strip (not shown). The release strip is used to protect the bonding material 40 before the lower surface 36 of the liner 10, and the bonding material 40 thereon, is disposed adjacent the inner surface 20 of the basket 12.

A plurality of liners 10 can be stacked and formed into a pad. Also, the liners 10 can be formed into a roll of material. In this instance, an elongated liner would be perforated so as to define individual liners, rather than cut completely, so that the individual liners 10 remain connected to one another and yet can be easily separated from an adjacent liner when desired.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 4, the liner 10 is shown disposed in the basket 12. The seeds 30 are activated by exposing the seed carrier 28 to moisture. The seed carrier 28 can be exposed to moisture in any suitable fashion, such as submerging the entire liner 10 in a body of water or applying water to the porous covering 26 only. The liner 10 is next positioned in a container, such as the basket 12, so as to line the interior surface 20 of the container. After several days the seeds 30 will emit their sprout from the covering 26 whereby the soft, natural, cushioning tuft 32 is formed in the basket 12. In the alternative to placing the liner 10 in the basket 12 immediately after the seed carrier 28 has been exposed to moisture, the liner 10 can be set aside to permit the seeds 30 to sprout prior to the liner 10 being positioned in the basket 12.

In positioning the liner 10 in the basket 12, the liner 10 is placed through the basket opening 19 in the upper end 14 of the basket 12 with the lower surface 36 of the liner 10 disposed adjacent the inner surface 20 of the basket 12. The liner 10 is shaped to substantially conform to the contour of the inner surface 20 of the basket 12. Unless the liner 10 is precisely sized to fit the inner surface 20 of the basket 12, overlapping folds (not shown) are formed in the liner 10. The overlapping folds extend at different angles and over different lengths.

In the case where the liner 10 is provided with the bonding material 40, the release strip (not shown) is removed from the lower surface 36 of the liner 10. Then, the liner 10 is placed through the basket opening 19 in the upper end 14 of the basket 12 with the lower surface 36 of the liner 10 having the bonding material 40 thereon disposed adjacent the inner surface 20 of the basket 12. The liner 10 is spread over the inner surface 20 of the basket 12 to permit the bonding material 40 on the lower surface 36 of the liner 10 to contact the inner surface 20 of the basket 12, bondably connecting the liner 10 to the inner surface 20 of the basket 12. The connections of the liner 10 to like portions thereof due to the formation of the overlapping folds and to the inner surface 20 of the basket 12 produce a customized fit of the liner 10 to the inner surface 20 of the basket 12.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of a liner 50 constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). The liner 50 is similar in construction to the liner 10 described above, with the exception that the liner 50 is shown to have a circular configuration and a central opening 51 extending therethrough.

FIG. 6 illustrates the liner 50 disposed in a container, such as a flower pot 52. The central opening 51 of the liner 50 provides the advantage of allowing the liner 50 to be inserted into the flower pot 52 so as to line the interior surface of the flower pot 52 while maintaining the bottom of the flower pot 52 unobstructed. As such, use of the liner 50 facilitates the positioning of a floral holding material, such as a block 54 of floral foam, which is adapted to support a floral grouping 56. The term “floral grouping” is used herein to mean cut and fresh flowers, artificial flowers, a single flower, other fresh and/or artificial plants, or other floral materials. The term “floral grouping” may also include other secondary plants and/or ornamentation which add to the aesthetics of the overall floral grouping.

The liner 50 is positioned in the flower pot 52 to line the interior walls of the flower pot 52. The seeds of the liner 50 will emit their sprouts whereby a natural tuft 58 is provided in the flower pot 52. The tuft 58 will accentuate the aesthetics of the floral grouping 56. It will be appreciated that other objects such as Easter eggs, potted plants, or toys can be accentuated by the tuft 58 of the liner 50.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of a liner 60 disposed in a flower pot 62. The liner 60 includes a preformed liner portion 64 which is sized and shaped to be received in the flower pot 62. The liner portion 64 is fabricated of a polymeric material which is thermal or vacuum formed or injection or blow molded so as to have a substantially rigid quality. The liner portion 64 can be formed to have an internal annular groove 66, preferably near the upper end thereof. The annular groove 66 is adapted to receive an insert 68 which is similar in configuration to the ring-shaped liner 50 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The inserts 68 are secured in the groove 66 whereby the inserts 68 may be periodically removed and a new insert positioned within the groove 66 when desired. Again, the natural tuft of the insert 68 will serve to accentuate the aesthetics of a floral grouping disposed in the liner 60 or to support objects disposed in the liner 60.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a container, such as a basket 70, is shown with a quantity of decorative grass 72 disposed therein. As mentioned above, decorative grass, also known as Easter grass, is well known and has been produced by numerous methods and from a variety of materials such as polymeric materials, paper, cellophane or the like. Typically, such materials are cut and shredded to produce individual segments having predetermined dimensions. As also mentioned above, a problem associated with decorative grass is that it can easily fall out of the container in which it is disposed or cling to other objects, and therefore is inconvenient to clean up and to dispose of.

To overcome this problem, the interior of the basket 70 is coated with a bonding material 74. As such, when the decorative grass 72 is disposed in the basket 70 in contact with the interior surface of the basket 70, the decorative grass 72 is caused to bondably connect to the interior surface of the basket 70. By connecting the decorative grass 72 to the interior surface of the basket 70, the decorative grass 72 is prevented from falling out of the basket 70.

The bonding material 74 may be applied to the interior surface of the basket in a conventional manner. In addition, a release strip may be applied to the bonding material 74 to protect the bonding material 74 prior to placing the decorative grass 72 in contact with the bonding material 74.

From the above description it is clear that the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is well adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). While presently preferred embodiments of the inventive concept(s) have been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished within the spirit of the inventive concept(s) disclosed and as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A package, comprising:

a decorative basket having an open upper end and an interior surface, the decorative basket sized and shaped to receive at least one object for display thereof;

a liner having an upper surface and a lower surface wherein the lower surface is positioned adjacent the interior surface of the decorative basket, the liner having a natural tuft sprouting from the upper surface thereof, the liner comprising: a seed carrier fabricated of a moisture retaining material, at least a portion of the seed carrier positioned adjacent the interior surface of the decorative basket; and a plurality of seeds held by the seed carrier that germinated and sprouted to form the natural tuft within the decorative basket; and

at least one object selected from the group consisting of at least one egg, at least one candy, at least one toy, and combinations thereof disposed on the natural tuft within the decorative basket so that the at least one object is supported on the natural tuft and displayed within the decorative basket.

2. The package of claim 1, wherein the liner is bondably connected to the interior surface of the decorative basket.

3. The package of claim 1, wherein the liner is a film.

4. The package of claim 1, wherein the liner further comprises a porous covering connected to the upper surface of the liner and positioned over the seed carrier such that the seeds sprouted through the porous covering.

5. The package of claim 4, wherein the porous covering is a cloth.

6. The package of claim 1, wherein the seed carrier is a sponge material.

7. The package of claim 1, wherein the seed carrier is a gel.

8. The package of claim 1, wherein the seeds are winter wheat.

9. The package of claim 1, wherein the seeds are fern seeds.

10. The package of claim 1, wherein the liner has an opening extending through the liner.

11. The package of claim 1, wherein the decorative basket is an Easter basket.

12. A package, comprising:

a decorative basket having an open upper end and an interior surface, the decorative basket sized and shaped to receive at least one object for display thereof;

a liner having an upper surface and a lower surface wherein the lower surface is bondably connected to the interior surface of the decorative basket, the liner having a natural tuft sprouting from the upper surface thereof, the liner comprising: a seed carrier fabricated of a moisture retaining material, at least a portion of the seed carrier positioned adjacent the interior surface of the decorative basket; and a plurality of seeds held by the seed carrier that germinated and sprouted to form the natural tuft within the decorative basket; and

at least one object selected from the group consisting of at least one egg, at least one candy, at least one toy, and combinations thereof disposed on the natural tuft within the decorative basket so that the at least one object is supported on the natural tuft and displayed within the decorative basket.

13. The package of claim 12, wherein the liner is a film.

14. The package of claim 12, wherein the liner further comprises a porous covering connected to the upper surface of the liner and positioned over the seed carrier such that the seeds sprouted through the porous covering.

15. The package of claim 14, wherein the porous covering is a cloth.

16. The package of claim 12, wherein the seed carrier is a sponge material.

17. The package of claim 12, wherein the seed carrier is a gel.

18. The package of claim 12, wherein the seeds are winter wheat.

19. The package of claim 12, wherein the seeds are fern seeds.

20. The package of claim 12, wherein the liner has an opening extending through the liner.