Patent Application
20160174457
1. Field of the Invention
A consumer seed packaging system.
Specifically, a seed packaging system that resembles a stamp or sticker that is used in collecting, gift giving and trading such that the recipient can bury the stamp and grow the intended plant.
2. Brief Description of the Invention
The present invention encompasses the packaging of seeds in a method that resembles that of a postage stamp or sticker. Stamps by design are a graphic element on a paper substrate with an adhesive backing and may be applied to a number of surfaces. Stamps are used as a decoration in gift giving and are communally used to display emotion, feeling, or to celebrate an event. Stamps are also widely collectable and are commonly found as a hobby or pastime with both children and adults worldwide. Sending flowers or a fruit basket are also common methods of showing appreciation or conveying your thoughts of appreciation or sorrow. The problem with flowers or fruit however is they both have a short life expectancy. Flowers quickly begin to wilt once cut from the plant and sending fresh fruit needs to be done quickly and with refrigeration as the food begins to decay rapidly once exposed to the air. It is also a problem with sending flowers and fruit as they are often heavy and are difficult to package, often adding significant cost to sending them through the mail or requiring special shipping methods.
It is the intention of the present invention to provide the means to send prepackaged seeds, described herein as a seed stamp, in a graphic adhesive package such that the recipient may plant the seeds when appropriate and enjoy the gift for years to come, making the thoughtful gesture more meaningful. As an additional feature of the seed stamp, a QR code is printed on the back of the stamp element under the adhesive layer which is clearly visible to the recipient of the stamp once the stamp is removed from the object in which it was attached. The receiver then scans the QR code via a smart phone or other suitable device which in turn launches a web site in which further information may be found. Information may be in the form of, but not limited to planting of the seeds, care taking of the plant, a personal gesture or greeting, company website or product promotion in the case where the stamp was affixed to a product or device for advertising purposes.
In order to accomplish connecting a personal gesture to the QR tag, a general website is assigned to the QR tag on the back of the stamp and the back of the instructions card. When the sender of the seed stamp scans in the QR tag on the back of the instruction card, they are taken to a registration screen where they fill out personal information and a personal gesture as desired information. Personal gesture can include text, voice, pictures, and video. The website returns with a unique serial code that the sender records on the gift or card the seed stamp is attached to.
When the recipient of the card or gift receives the object with the seed stamp attached, they peel off the seed stamp and scan in the back QR tag. A website will appear with planting instructions, frequently asked questions, promotional activities, and ability to enter in a unique serial code. Once the receiver enters the unique serial code, they will be presented with the personal gesture from the sender.
Multiple seed stamps can be registered with the same pin number such as the case where the sender wants every receiver to see the same personal gesture. Unique serial numbers can also be printed on the card or gift in bulk.
In summary, a seed stamp as described in the present invention provides the gift giver with the ability to send either flowers, food or even a tree with the ease of providing seeds contained within a stamp with the added benefit of a personal greeting or message via smart graphic tag technology.
The present invention comprises a top paper element, a soluble layer, seeds, bottom paper element and adhesive layer. Construction of the seed stamp from the top down comprises a first graphic image on the top paper element depicting the flower and/or occasion of the event in which the stamp is being given. Beneath the top paper layer is a soluble layer, which acts to delaminate the seed stamp once moist to help expose the seeds and accelerate germination. Under the soluble layer is a seed layer, which incorporates the seeds of the intended flower or plant depicted in the top graphic layer. Directly under the seed layer is a bottom paper layer which contacts the seeds and top layer and has adhesive strong enough to bond the seeds and top layer together to form the enclosure of the seed stamp. On the bottom side of the bottom paper layer is another graphic image of a scan-able code by electronic or smart phone readers. Lastly, covering the scan-able code is a less aggressive clear adhesive intending to temporarily affix the entire seed stamp to a package to allow the seed stamp to be easily removed without damaging the paper element or the seeds contained inside.
Additional layers may include self expanding material such as foam or fertilizer intending to break apart the top and bottom layers of paper exposing the seeds for improved germination. The added benefit of the fertilizer is to help the seeds grow.
In terms of construction, seeds may also be biased towards the middle for better edge sealing of the stamp where edge sealing can be performed by glue, stamping, or beveling. The purpose of the edge sealing is for easier removal of stamp from the backing and hide any partially cut seeds. As an added benefit, the edge sealing can help prolong the seed life by keeping out humidity but break down when soaked in water for a short period of time.
Additional materials can be used to aid the user during planting are inks on the paper that change color when soaked for a period of time that correlates with the optimal watering of the seeds. Other indicators for watering can include graphics that wash off or change their image or fade away if the paper is too dry for proper germination of the seeds in the soil.
The seed stamp may also be integral in the presentation or sale of a host product such as a cup of coffee or child's meal. The seed stamp can be located on the bottom of a cup for example where once the liquid in the cup is consumed, the seed stamp can be peeled off and placed into the cup along with dirt and water to grow the intended flower or plant. Further enhancements could include the seed stamp also functioning as a plant location marker where the graphic on the sticker depicts the plant to be grown and aids the user in the specific location of the buried seed stamp. Further enhancements of the cup could include supplying food for the seeds, acting as a rain catcher, and displaying a promotional brand message. For the case of a hot drink, the heat of the drink can help activate the seed for germination as heat has been shown to help grow certain types of seeds.
The seed stamp may also be used in combination with a universal gift giving means such as a gift card. A gift card is a base material such as plastic or paper that is fitted with a magnetic strip that can be read by electronic means which denotes the monitory value of the card. Once purchased by the gift giver, the gift card becomes a form of currency and allows the receiver of the gift card to purchase desirable items with the funds assigned to the gift card. The seed stamp may be embedded into the gift card substrate or affixed to the surface of the gift card in a manner as to not interfere with the magnetic strip thus allowing the gift card to retain electronic scanning means by magnetic card readers or other conventional methods. Once the value of the gift card has been depleted, the gift card may then be buried to provide the further gift of a bed of flowers, vegetables or a tree.
The present invention embodies paper elements with seeds contained within the paper elements, an adhesive backing and a graphic image of the plant that were to grow if the seeds were to germinate. The composition of these elements will be referred to as a seed stamp.
Several methods of producing a seed stamp may be realized with one example being described below to assist the reader in understanding the details of the system. The embodiment includes a first paper element that has been printed with a graphic depicting either the plant that is to grow or a holiday or special occasion theme, such as a baby shower or wedding. A second layer is then a seed layer which incorporates the seeds of the plant that is intended to grow. A third paper layer is then added to encapsulate the seed layer between the top and bottom paper layers. An adhesive layer is then applied to the bottom of the third paper layer to allow the seed stamp to be temporally fixed to an object for presentation and transportation purposes. After receiving the seed stamp, it is then a feature of the seed stamp that it may be easily removed from the object that it was adhered to such that it may be buried in soil either outside the home in the wild, in a garden or contained within a plant pot. Once buried and given the proper amount of water and light, the seeds for the plant depicted on the seed stamp graphic will begin to germinate.
Of significant importance in this construction of the seed stamp is the adhesive element itself and mechanical mounting means. For the seed stamp may be affixed to a variety of surfaces such as, but not limited to greeting cards, gift boxes, balloons, food products, appliances, jewelry, bottles, cups and clothing. Specific adhesives may be used for waterproofing, extreme temperatures, abrasive applications, flexible materials, wood, metal, plastics, rubber etc. The size of the seed stamp may also vary to fit the occasion or intended task and may range from a few square millimeters to one that is large enough to be affixed to an appliance box. The shape of the seed stamp may also be cut to that of a circle, square, rectangle, trapezoid, star or any shape obtainable by machinery or human methods.
Methods for printing the QR tag or other scannable technology may be performed by standard offset or digital printing technology as well as any other printing means that produces quality high enough to produce the desired outcome.
Although primarily intended for gift giving, scrapbooking and crafters, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that a seed stamp system described above may be use with other applications such as special events, giveaway items, coffee cups, cup holders, post cards, letters and official postage stamps used by the United States Postal System without departing from the spirit of the invention.
A preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrative of the best mode in which applicant has contemplated applying the principles of the invention, is set forth in the following description and drawings and will be particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the claims of the formal application.
It is understood that while a certain form of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown. It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification structural elements be incorporated without departing from the scope of the invention. As such, although the description above contains much specificity, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention.
Referring to
It is also shown that a variety of seed stamps shapes as shown in
It is understood that while a certain form of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown. It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification. As such, although the description above contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention.
