Flexible vase

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6543183
  • Patent Number
    6,543,183
  • Date Filed
    Friday, October 2, 1998
    26 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 8, 2003
    21 years ago
  • CPC
  • US Classifications
    Field of Search
    • US
    • 047 4401
    • 047 4411
    • 047 4412
    • 047 4413
    • 047 4415
    • 047 63
    • 047 72
    • 047 30
    • 053 397
    • 206 205
    • 206 423
    • 206 829
    • 248 300
    • 248 363
    • 383 7
    • 383 11
    • 383 110
    • 607 108
  • International Classifications
    • A47G706
Abstract
A flexible vase that is suspendible from a smooth surface is disclosed. The vase is formed by a watertight pouch that has an open mouth for receiving flowers. The pouch is formed by sealing the edges of two layers of flexible, watertight materials together. One of the pouch layers extends beyond the other at the mouth to form a flap. The flap has an oval button hole. The vase also uses a suction cup that may be mounted to a smooth surface. The back of the cup has a button and a shaft between the button and the back of the cup. The pouch may be removably suspendible from the suction cup by stretching the oval button hole over the button and onto the shaft. The vase may also have a transparent pocket for receiving a card. The vase may also be dispensed from a perforated roll of two-ply material such as polyethylene.
Description




TECHNICAL FIELD




The present invention relates in general to vases, and more specifically, to flexible vases suitable for holding flowers or rooting plant stems and suspendible from smooth surfaces.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Typical vases are bulky, heavy, and expensive. At the time of purchasing flowers, such vases cannot be sold with the flowers without adding appreciable cost and difficulty of shipment.




In addition, typical vases are not suitable for use in rough, unstable environments, such as in a moving vehicle. Such vases would likely tip over from the vehicle's acceleration or encounter with rough terrain, spilling all the vase's contents and, depending upon vase's construction, shattering the vase.




Certain receptacles, which could possibly serve as vases, have metal tabs, rings or hooks that are used to hang the receptacles from walls or other suitable structures. Once such receptacles are placed in position, however, they cannot be removed or relocated very easily. For instance, in order to suspend such receptacles from walls it is further necessary to have a hook or nail provided upon the wall to receive the receptacle's tab or ring. Once in place, the receptacle cannot be removed without leaving an unsightly hook or nail. In addition, the unsightly nail or hook cannot be removed without leaving a mark on the wall, because the nail or hook must be driven or embedded into the wall. Besides not being able to easily remove or relocate such receptacles, many wall surfaces are ill-suited for such receptacles. For instance, it may be impossible to drive a nail or hook into a wall constructed of tile, glass, thin plastic, etc. without cracking or shattering the wall.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention provides a flexible vase that is easily and removably suspendible from a smooth surface. A preferred embodiment of the vase includes a watertight pouch that has an upwardly facing open mouth for receiving flowers into the pouch. The pouch is comprised of two generally planar wall portions that are made of flexible, water impervious material and that are disposed so as to face each other. To form the pouch, the peripheries of the wall portions are sealed together other than at the mouth, which is left open. One wall portion may extend beyond the other at the open mouth to form a flap. The flap has an button hole with a corresponding flexible hole periphery. The vase also includes an all-flexible suction cup that has a cup side and a button side opposite the cup side. The cup side is adapted for mounting to a smooth surface. The button side has a shaft extending axially from the cup side that terminates in a button which has a cross-section greater than that of the shaft. The shaft and button may be formed integrally with the cup side. The pouch is removably downwardly suspendible from the suction cup by stretching the periphery over the button to surround the shaft. Since the pouch and the cup are both comprised of flexible materials, their connection creates an all-flexible union.




In an alternative embodiment, the pouch has a card pocket comprised of a layer of flexible material that is sealed to one of the pouch's wall portions. The pocket has an open mouth for receiving a card into the space between the layer and the one of the wall portions.




In yet another alternative embodiment, a sheet of the vases is conveniently provided on a roll. Each vase has a pouch that is comprised of sealed inner and outer plies of a flexible water impervious material. The pouch has an upwardly open mouth for receiving flowers into the interior space between the sealed plies. Each pouch has at least two laterally opposed edges, and each is connected to at least one other pouch along one edge by a readily severable joint. These connections form a rollable sheet of vases. One ply of each vase extends beyond the other ply at the open mouth to form a flap that has a button hole with a corresponding button hole periphery. The pouch is removably downwardly suspendible from its button hole periphery.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 2

is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 3

is a front elevational view of the embodiment shown in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 4

is a detailed sectional side view of the suction cup of the first embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 5

is an elevational view of a second embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 6

is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 7

is a front elevational view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 8

is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the present invention; and





FIG. 9

is a perspective view of a sixth embodiment of the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




The drawings depict a preferred embodiment of a flexible vase of the invention. It will be understood, however, that many of the specific details of the flexible vases illustrated in the drawings could be changed or modified by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing significantly from the spirit of the invention.




A preferred embodiment of the flexible vase


10


is shown in perspective view in FIG.


1


. As shown by the exploded view of the flexible vase


10


in

FIG. 2

, the vase


10


is comprised of at least one suction cup


12


and a watertight pouch


14


. Although the preferred pouch shape is shown, the pouch may be constructed in any of a variety of shapes. The pouch


14


may also contain a front pocket


16


suitable for holding and displaying a greeting card


18


or a card containing other printed indicia.




With reference to

FIGS. 2 and 4

, each suction cup


12


has a cup side


20


and a button side


22


opposite the cup side


20


. The cup side


20


is suitable for repeated suction mounting to a generally smooth and, preferably, non-porous and vertical, surface


24


. The suction cup


12


may therefore be made of soft rubber, vinyl, or any other pliable (preferably non-metallic) material suitable for this purpose, such that the suction cup


12


will be entirely comprised of flexible material. The button side


22


of the cup


12


has a shaft


26


that extends axially (shown horizontally in

FIGS. 2 and 4

) from the cup side


20


that terminates in an enlarged flange or button


28


. The button


28


need not be any particular shape. However, since the pouch


14


will be hooked on (and, therefore, hang downwardly from) the suction cup


12


, as will be described below, the cross-sectional area of the button


28


must be larger than that of the shaft


26


. Both the shaft


26


and button


28


are preferably formed integrally with the cup side


20


, and may therefore be made of the same pliable material as the cup side


20


.




With reference to

FIG. 3

, the pouch


14


may be comprised of a front


30


and a back


32


layer, ply, wall, etc. of a generally planar, flexible, water impervious material, such as vinyl, rubber, plastic, polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. By using a flexible material, the vases


10


flatten and may be rolled or folded for easy storage when not in use. One or both of the pouch layers may range anywhere from being transparent, so as to permit clear viewing of the vase's contents, to being opaque, so as to block or filter unwanted light. For instance, the layers could be made to block or filter light from plant stems and roots to reduce radiant heating or to permit rooting. The two layers may be comprised of two, separate sheets of material, or they may be part of one sheet that is folded over.




To form the pouch


14


, the layers


30


,


32


are sealed watertight along their periphery at the left


34


and right


36


edges and the bottom


38


. The layers may be sealed by conventional means such as heat sealing, bonding, etc. Any of the sealed edges


34


-


38


may also be the folded edge described above if a single sheet is used to construct the layers. The upwardly facing mouth


40


is left open and unsealed. As shown in

FIG. 1

, the mouth


40


may be used to receive flowers


42


, water


44


, or other items (such as soil, beads, etc) into the interior space of the pouch


14


defined by the space between the sealed layers


30


,


32


. Due to the flexibility of the vase's walls, the walls may be flexed from a generally flat position, where the wall portions are generally parallel and in contact, to an open position, where the wall portions, except at their seals, are spaced from each other to define an interior space. In use, this interior space will expand to accommodate the items inserted into it.




With reference back to

FIG. 3

, one layer of the pouch


14


preferably extends upward beyond the mouth


40


to form a flap


46


. The flap


46


need not be rectangular as shown. The flap contains at least one button hole


48


having a corresponding periphery


50


. The button holes are shown as oval-shaped. However, the button holes may be of any appropriate shape, such as a slit, a slot, circular, rectangular, a slit with reinforced edges or ends, a slit with circular cutouts at each end, etc. In addition, the button holes


48


may be oriented horizontally, as shown, vertically, or in any other orientation. No matter what shape, the button holes must be sized for proper button/button hole engagement with the button. In addition, the button hole periphery


50


must remain flexible (e.g., the periphery should not be reinforced by a metal or rigid plastic grommet).




Using a flexible button hole periphery


50


, the periphery (like any button and button hole) may be stretched or merely deformed over the button


28


and onto the shaft


26


to fasten the pouch to the suction cup. Under loaded conditions (such as when the vase is filled with water), the periphery


50


will be pulled downward and stretched around the button shaft. By surrounding the shaft, the periphery will not easily slip backwards over the button. Thus, the vase


10


may be used in rough environments, such as in a car.




The use of flexible materials for the button and periphery permits easy and repeatable connection and disconnection of the pouch


14


and the suction cup


12


. The periphery


50


may be repeatedly fastened to and unfastened from the suction cup without permanently deforming the periphery shape and without disturbing the suction cup from its position. Thus, in use, the suction cup may be vacuum suctioned to a smooth surface before or after the pouch


14


is fastened to the suction cup through the periphery.




In addition, the use of flexible materials avoids problems such as scratching or rusting. For instance, if a metal hook were used on the suction cup instead of the flexible button, the metal hook could inadvertently scratch the smooth surface


24


during use. In addition, if the periphery were reinforced with a metal grommet, the metal is apt to rust under the normal wet conditions associated with using a flower vase.




As shown in

FIGS. 1-3

, the pouch


14


may also contain a front pocket


16


suitable for holding and displaying a greeting card


18


, business card, announcement, or any type of card containing printed indicia, such as a logo. Such a logo may also be printed directly on the vase


10


. The pocket


16


is comprised of a layer of flexible and, preferably, clear material, possibly the same material as the pouch layers


30


,


32


. The pocket


16


is sealed along its periphery to at least the front pouch layer


30


. A mouth


60


is left open and unsealed for receiving a card, as shown in

FIG. 2

, into the space between the pocket and the pouch layer. The pocket


16


need not be upwardly open, but may also be open from a side. As shown in

FIG. 5

, the vase


10


may also be constructed without a pocket.




As shown in

FIG. 6

, a supply of vases


10


may be dispensed from a sheet or roll


62


. The individual roll vases


10


are constructed the same as the individual vases described above. The vases


10


are sealed along at least left


34


and right


36


edges to form a pouch having an upwardly open mouth. One of the pouch layers extends beyond the other to form a flap that has at least one oval button hole. The button hole is sized to be easily connected to and disconnected from a suction cup button so as to permit the vase to be suspended from the suction cup.




As needed, individual roll vases


10


may be easily severed from the roll


62


along a seam or joint


64


. The joint


64


may be any readily severable seam, such as a pattern of dotted-line perforations. The roll


62


may be comprised of two layers (or a single layer folded over) of a flexible, water impervious material. The roll material is preferably comprised of extruded polyethylene. Such material permits the creation of an inexpensive, single-use vase. However, any of the materials disclosed above may be used.




In an alternate embodiment (shown in FIG.


8


), the vase


10


may be comprised of a pouch


68


, a modified suction cup


70


, and a pin


72


. The vase


10


is again downwardly suspendible from the suction cup


70


via a pin hole


74


. The pin hole


74


is located on one of the walls of the vase


10


, and, preferably, on a flap


76


of the wall that extends beyond the other wall at the mouth of the vase. The suction cup


70


, similar to the suction cup


12


, has a cup side


78


for repeatable suction attachment to a smooth, non-porous surface. The side opposite the cup side has a shaft


80


extending axially from the cup side that has a pin receptacle


82


. The pin receptacle


82


is adapted for receiving and frictionally engaging the stem


84


of the pin


72


. The pouch


68


may be coupled to and suspended from the suction cup


70


by inserting the pin stem


84


through the pin hole


74


and into frictional engagement with the pin receptacle


82


. The head


86


of the pin


72


should be larger than the pin hole


74


so as to prevent the pouch


68


from slipping off the pin stem


84


. The vase


10


shown in

FIG. 8

may also be dispensed from a rollable sheet of vases as shown in FIG.


6


.




The use of flexible materials for the pin


72


and the suction cup


70


permits easy and repeatable connection and disconnection of the pouch


68


and the suction cup


70


. The pin


72


may be repeatedly engaged to and disengaged from the suction cup without disturbing the suction cup from its position. Thus, in use, the suction cup may be vacuum suctioned to a smooth surface before or after the pouch


68


is fastened to the suction cup. In addition, the engagement of the pin, suction cup, and the pouch creates an all-flexible union that avoids problems such as rusting and scratching.




In yet another alternate embodiment (shown in FIG.


9


), the vase


10


may be comprised of a pouch


88


, two card pockets


90


,


92


, and two suction cups


12


. The pouch


88


and card pockets


90


,


92


may be comprised of front


94


and back


96


plies of the flexible, water impervious material discussed above. The plies may be formed from two, separate sheets of material, or they may be part of one sheet that is folded over on itself.




To form the watertight pouch


88


and the card pockets


90


,


92


, the plies


94


,


96


are sealed together along seams


98


. An upwardly facing mouth


100


of the pouch is left open and unsealed for receiving items into the interior space between the plies and bounded by the seams. Each of the card pockets


90


,


92


also has an open, unsealed mouth


102


,


104


. These mouths


102


,


104


, which may open to the side or to the top, may be used to receive a card, photo, etc.


18


inserted into the interior space between the plies and bounded by the seams. Other configurations of the vase shown in

FIG. 8

may be formed by simply modifying the location of the seams


98


. The vase


10


shown in

FIG. 9

may also be dispensed from a rollable sheet of vases as shown in FIG.


6


.




Like the other embodiments, one ply of the vase


10


in

FIG. 9

preferably extends upward beyond the mouth


100


to form a flap


46


. The flap has two button holes


48


bounded by flexible button hole peripheries


50


. Through engagement of the peripheries and the buttons, as discussed above, the plies may be repeatedly fastened to and unfastened from the suction cups


12


to suspend the vase


10


from a smooth surface.




While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described, it should be understood that various changes, adaptations and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims. For instance, the vase


10


may be formed in an unlimited variety of other shapes, such as the rectangular vase


10


shown in FIG.


7


. Other possible shapes include a spherical bulb, a flute, a single bud vase, etc.



Claims
  • 1. A flexible vase mountable to a surface comprising:a watertight pouch defining an interior space and having an upwardly facing mouth that is unsealed and open for receiving stems of flowers within the interior space, the pouch being comprised of front and rear generally planar, flexible, water impervious wall portions disposed so as to face each other, each wall portion having a periphery sealed to the periphery of the other of the wall portions other than at the mouth such that the wall portions together define the interior space of the pouch therebetween, one of the wall portions having a button hole defined by a flexible button hole periphery, the pouch being removably downwardly suspendible from the button hole periphery, the flexible vase including a front card pocket comprising a layer of flexible material having a periphery sealed to the front wall portion to form the card pocket separate from and in front of said interior space of the pouch, the pocket having an open mouth for receiving a card into the space between the layer and the front wall portion.
  • 2. The flexible vase of claim 1 further including an all-flexible suction cup, the suction cup having a cup side adapted for mounting the cup to a generally vertical smooth surface, the cup having a button side opposite the cup side, the button side having a shaft extending axially from the cup side, the shaft terminating in a button having a cross-section greater than that of the shaft, the pouch being removably downwardly suspendible from the suction cup by stretching the button hole periphery over the button to surround the shaft, thereby creating an all-flexible union between the suction cup and the pouch.
  • 3. The flexible vase of claim 1 wherein the card pocket is generally transparent.
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