Disclosed embodiments are directed to three-dimensional displays and more particularly displays that can be popped open and/or popped up, such as a pop-open flower bouquet.
Three-dimensional displays have been employed to provide realistic and sustainable alternatives to traditional modes of commemoration and celebration, such as flower bouquets. Specifically, three-dimensional displays that can be popped open have been employed to provide efficient transport of the displays while also permitting a realistic display appearance.
According to one aspect of the invention, a 3D display that is arranged to be popped open may include an outer layer which may be folded inwards at certain sections along the circumference of the outer layer to form a plurality of tabs. In such embodiments, the tabs may receive one or more elastomeric or biasing members, with such members arranged to pop open and/or maintain the 3D display in an open position. In some embodiments, the 3D display may also include one or more inner layers configured to be inserted into the outer layer to create a more fulsome display e.g., to provide added definition to the display.
According to another aspect of the invention, a 3D display arranged to be popped open may include at least one section of an outer layer and/or one or more inner layers that can be adhesively secured. In some embodiments, at least one section of the outer layer may be folded inwards to form a plurality of tabs. In such embodiments, the tabs may be adhesively secured to one another. In some embodiments, the one or more inner layers may be adhesively secured to the outer layer of the display.
It should be appreciated that the foregoing concepts, and the additional concepts discussed below, may be arranged in any suitable combination, as the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.
Non-limiting embodiments that incorporate one or more aspects of the invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures, which are not necessarily drawn to scale. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every figure, nor is every component of each embodiment of the invention shown where illustration is not necessary to allow those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention. In the figures:
It should be appreciated that aspects of the invention disclosed herein are not limited in application to the details of the construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Further, the concepts disclosed herein may be arranged in any suitable combination, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Flower bouquets are commonly sent to individuals for celebrations and to commemorate special events. However, flower bouquets are known to have several disadvantages including that flowers only can last a select amount of time before degrading and that certain individuals may be allergic to flowers. Additionally, commercial flower agriculture and shipping can lead to excessive water and chemical use, and the generation of greenhouse gases. As an alternative to real flower bouquets, other arrangements have been introduced including pop-up displays with flowers. The inventors have recognized that pop-up displays provide certain benefits over traditional flower bouquets including less environmental impact, efficient transportation, and a longer-lasting product. However, the inventors have also recognized that prior pop-up display arrangements may not provide sufficiently realistic features and may have issues with maintaining a desired appearance following shipping and consumer use. The inventors have therefore optimized their pop-up displays to address a need for more sustainable flower bouquet alternatives and to improve upon features of prior pop-up display arrangements.
Some aspects of the invention disclosed herein relate to a three-dimensional (3D) pop-up display that is arranged to pop-open through the use of one or more biasing members that bias the display into the open position and/or maintain the display in an open position. Aspects of the invention disclosed herein also relate to the use of adhesives to secure an outer layer and/or one or more inner layers of the 3D display, resulting in a more realistic display appearance and assisting in biasing and maintaining the display in an open position.
The inventors have appreciated that in some embodiments, the 3D display may take the appearance of a floral bouquet 100, as shown in the illustrative embodiment of
According to one aspect of the invention, a 3D display that is arranged to be popped open may include an outer layer which may be folded inwards at certain sections along the circumference of the outer layer to form a plurality of tabs. In such embodiments, the tabs may receive one or more biasing members, with such members arranged to pop open and/or maintain the 3D display in an open position. In some embodiments, the 3D display may also include one or more inner layers configured to be inserted into the outer layer to create a more fulsome display e.g., to provide added definition to the display.
In some embodiments, the outer layer of the display may be formed from one or more substantially flat sheets of paper, cardstock, or any other suitable material. The outer layer may additionally be of any suitable size, shape, or other characteristic as the disclosure is not limited in this regard. The sheets may be arranged to form the outer layer such that the outer layer may be substantially curved when the display is in the open position and may include an interior volume when in the popped open configuration. For example, the formed outer layer may be of a substantially circular shape when the display is in an open position. In some embodiments, when the display is in the open position, the sheets forming the outer layer may include sections that fold inwards towards the center of the display at specified intervals along the circumference of the outer layer. For example, if two sheets of material are used in forming the outer layer with each having a substantially semi-circle shape, the opposing edges of each sheet of material may be folded inwards. These folded portions of the two sheets may then be mated with respect to one another, thereby forming one or more tabs within the interior volume of the outer layer. The inventors have also found that in some embodiments, there may be benefits to adhesively securing the formed tabs, as is discussed further below.
In some embodiments, the tabs may extend inwards towards the center of the display. The tabs may be of any suitable size, shape, or other characteristic as the disclosure is not limited in this regard. For example, the tabs may extend 0.5 inches, 1 inch, 1.5 inches, 2 inches, 2.5 inches or any other suitable length towards the center of the 3D display. In some embodiments, the tabs formed from the folded portions of the outer layer may be of an equal height to the remainder of the outer layer. In other embodiments, however, the tabs may be of a different height than the remainder of the outer layer.
In some embodiments, the display may be configured such that there are tabs provided on opposing sides of the outer layer. In such embodiments, one or more biasing members may be secured to the opposing tabs to bias the display into an open position and/or to maintain the display in an open position. The inventors have recognized that such a configuration may be beneficial since the use of one or more biasing members secured to the tabs formed by the outer layer have been found to provide a more circular and realistic display appearance when the display is popped open.
In some embodiments, the tabs may also include one or more features configured to receive the one or more biasing members. In some embodiments, the features may take the form of recesses provided in the tabs. The recesses may be formed in the tabs at an angle with respect to a horizontal reference plane. For example, the recesses may be formed at an angle of 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 75 degrees, or any other suitable angle as the disclosure is not limited in this regard. The angle and sizing of the recesses may be selectively chosen to retain the one or more biasing members in the tabs, where the recesses thereby serve to anchor the biasing members as the display is biased into an open position and/or the display is maintained in an open position.
In some embodiments, the tabs may include a plurality of recesses. For example, the tabs formed by the outer layer may include recesses provided at both the upper and lower portions of the inner tabs. As such, in embodiments where opposing tabs are provided in the outer layer, the opposing tabs may each include one or more recesses provided in the upper and lower portions of the tabs.
While recesses are disclosed in some embodiments, one of skill in the art would appreciate that other suitable methods or arrangements may be used to anchor the one or more biasing members to the tabs. For example, a slit may be used in place of or in addition to the recess.
In some embodiments, the outer layer may include one or more printed images as disclosed above. The images may include depictions of flowers, stems, leaves, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, the outer layer may include one or more printed images of a vase or other decorative container. These printed images may be of any suitable size, shape or other characteristic as the disclosure is not limited in this regard.
In some embodiments, the outer layer of the display may include one or more projections that extend from the outer layer. For example, in embodiments where the display is a floral bouquet, the outer layer may have one or more flowers extending from the base of the outer layer to provide a more realistic appearance to the display.
The illustrative embodiment of
In some embodiments, one or more inner layers may be included in the display. The inventors have recognized that by including one or more inner layers within the display, that the display may have a more realistic appearance. In some embodiments, the display may include 1, 2, 3, 4, or more inner layers.
In some embodiments, the one or more inner layers may be inserted into the outer layer (e.g., when the outer layer is in the popped-open configuration). The inventors have recognized that a combination of the outer layer and one or more inner layers may provide a more realistic display appearance. For example, the display may take the form of a floral bouquet, and the outer layer may take the appearance of a vase while the one or more inner layers may take the form of flowers. While this example is disclosed, the outer layer and inner layers may be arranged in any suitable configuration.
In some embodiments, the one or more inner layers may be arranged to form an X-shape when inserted in the outer layer and when in an open position. In some embodiments, the X-shape of the inner layers may assist in maintaining the outer layer of the display in the open position. The formed X-shape of inner layers may also assist with popping open the display into an open position.
The illustrative embodiment of
While some embodiments disclosed herein show the inner layers as being formed into an X-shape, the inner layers may be arranged in other configurations and then inserted into the outer layer. Such alternate configurations of formed shapes of inner layers may provide different 3D display appearances. For example, in some embodiments, only one inner layer may be included in the display. In other embodiments, however, 3 or more layers may be included in the display and may be attached to one another to provide a more realistic display appearance.
In some embodiments, additional inner layers may be included to supplement the formed X-shape of inner layers to provide a more realistic display appearance. The additional inner layers may be included and secured to the formed X-shape of inner layers using a suitable fastener such as staples, adhesive, or tape. In other embodiments, the additional inner layers may be directly secured to the outer layers. These layers may also be of a different size, shape, or other characteristic from the inner layers used in forming the X-shape. For example, the additional inner layers may be smaller than the inner layers used in forming the X-shape, as shown by layers 121a and 121b in
In some embodiments, the inner layers may be formed from one or more substantially flat sheets of paper, cardstock, or any other suitable material. Additionally, in some embodiments, the inner layer may include one or more printed images, as disclosed above. The inner layers may include depictions of flowers, steams, leaves, or any suitable combination thereof. The inner layers and/or printed images may be of any suitable size, shape or other characteristic as the disclosure is not limited in this regard.
The disassembled 3D display as shown in
As disclosed above, the display may also include one or more biasing members. The one or more biasing members may be arranged such that the display is biased into an open position and/or maintained in an open position.
In some embodiments, the one or more biasing members may include one or more elastomeric members (e.g. rubber bands), as disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the one or more elastomeric members may be attached to the outer layer of the bouquet. In such embodiments, the one or more elastomeric members may bias the opposing sides of the outer layer towards one another to maintain the display in an open, popped up position. For example, the elastomeric members may be attached to the tabs of the outer layer as disclosed above. The inventors have found that there may be benefits to placing the one or more elastomeric members in such a configuration since the outer layer of the bouquet may form a more circular shape when biased into the open position, and thereby result in a more realistic display appearance.
In some embodiments, one or more biasing members may be disposed between the inner layers. For example, in an embodiment comprising a first and second inner layer forming an X-shape, the one or more biasing members may be disposed between the first and second inner layers (see
The illustrative embodiment of
The inner layer 120a additionally includes a foldable component 123 which can be selectively opened by folding the component outwards or closed by folding the component inwards to conform to the remainder of the inner layer. The foldable component 123 of the inner layer 120a may abut the corresponding inner layer 120b (not pictured) of the formed-X shape of inner layers. In some embodiments, the inner layer 120b may also include a foldable component configured to abut the inner layer 120a of the formed X-shape of inner layers. While the cutout and foldable component are shown in this illustrative embodiment, in other 3D display embodiments disclosed herein the cutout and foldable component may not be included.
In some embodiments, the inner layer may extend the entire height of the outer layer when inserted into the outer layer. In other embodiments, however, the inner layer may not extend the entire height of the outer layer, as is shown in
While there is only one elastomeric member received by each recess of the opposing tabs in the illustrative embodiment of
In some embodiments where there are more than one recess disposed on each tab formed by the outer layer, there may be an unequal number of elastomeric members or other type of biasing members received by each recess within a tab. For example, some recesses may receive two elastomeric members while other recesses may receive 3 elastomeric members. The number of elastomeric members included in the display may be of any suitable number as the disclosure is not limited in this regard.
In some embodiments, the one or more biasing members may extend substantially parallel to one another. For example, in embodiments where elastomeric members are received by one or more recesses provided by the tabs of the outer layer, the elastomeric members may extend in a substantially horizontal manner to the corresponding recesses provided on the opposing tabs, as shown in
According to another aspect of the invention, a 3D display arranged to be popped open may include at least one section of an outer layer and/or one or more inner layers that can be adhesively secured. In some embodiments, at least one section of the outer layer may be folded inwards to form a plurality of tabs. In such embodiments, the tabs may be adhesively secured to one another. In some embodiments, the one or more inner layers may be adhesively secured to the outer layer of the display. The inventors have found that the use of adhesive to secure one or more of the outer and/or inner layers may be beneficial to provide a more realistic display appearance and to assist in biasing open the display and maintaining the display in an open position, as is further described below.
Continuing with reference to
This illustrative embodiment also shows a plurality of inner layers inserted into the outer layer. The inner layers include two primary inner layers 120a and 120b used in forming an X-shape within the display. In such a configuration, the elastomeric members 130 may be disposed between the formed X-shape of inner layers. The primary inner layers 120a and 120b include foldable segments 125a and 125b, respectively. The inventors have found benefit to adhesively securing these foldable segments to the interior of the outer layer sheets 110a and 110b, as shown in
In some embodiments, the adhesive can be of any suitable type including, but not limited to epoxy, cyanoacrylate, polyvinyl acetate, polyurethane, and craft glue adhesives. The adhesives may also take the form of tapes, pastes, liquids, and films, or any other suitable form as the disclosure is not limited in this regard.
In some embodiments as disclosed above, the biasing members may include elastomeric members which may bias the outer layer of the 3D display into an open position. In such embodiments, the elastomeric members may be stretched when the outer layer is in a collapsed or closed position. In the closed position, the display may substantially collapse along one or more circumferential edges formed by tabs of the outer layer. In some embodiments, the 3D display may also be retained within a receptacle to maintain the bouquet in the closed position, such as during delivery (e.g. mailing). In such a configuration, the elastomeric members may be of a sufficient biasing force such that when the collapsed 3D display is removed from the receptacle, that the 3D display is biased into the open position and/or maintained in the open position.
The illustrative embodiment of
In some embodiments, the display may additionally include a variety of accessories that may be attachable to one or more of the inner or outer layers of the display to provide alternative display appearances. These accessories may include, but are not limited to depictions of additional flowers, insects (e.g. butterflies), or any other suitable accessories that can be attached to the display. The accessories may be attachable to the display using any suitable method or fasteners such as pins, staples, rivets, adhesives, tapes, slits formed in the accessories, or any other suitable means.
The illustrative embodiment of
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for creating a 3D display is provided. In some embodiments, the method may include forming the outer and inner layers of the display by die cutting the layers to a desired shape and size. In some embodiments, the inner and outer layers may be formed of a paper or plastic material of various weights. The material may also be formed of a material with characteristics such as the material being flexible, translucent, and/or transparent. As will be appreciated, the outer and inner layers of the display may be die cut from a piece of cardstock with printed images constructed and arranged to depict flowers, stems, leaves, and other components of a flower bouquet as disclosed herein.
The method may include forming an outer layer from sheets of material with foldable edges. The edges of the sheets may be folded inwards towards the center of the display to form tabs which are then secured to one another through use of adhesive or other means such that the outer layer of the display has a substantially circular appearance when in the open position. Recesses may also be added into the formed tabs which are engageable with one or biasing members. The biasing members may then be engaged with the one or more recesses provided in the opposing tabs of the outer layer to bias the outer layer of the display into the open position.
The method may also include forming the inner layers into a desired shape, such as an X-shape as disclosed herein. The X-shape may be formed from two inner layers which are folded into individual V-shapes, which are then attached to one another and fastened with staples or other suitable fastening means to form the X-shape. Supplementary inner layers may also be provided which may then be adhesively or otherwise secured to the formed X-shape of inner layers. The plurality of inner layers may then be inserted into the outer layer of the display and adhesively secured to the interior of the outer layer of the display, as shown in
In some embodiments, the method may further include collapsing the display and inserting the display into a receptacle. The receptacle may additionally be constructed and arranged to retain the display in a closed position for transportation.
Although embodiments disclosed herein are shown for use in pop open floral bouquets, it will be appreciated that the display may include other suitable configurations such as balloons, cakes, or any other suitable pop open decorations as the disclosure is not limited in this regard.
While the present teachings have been described in conjunction with various embodiments and examples, it is not intended that the present teachings be limited to such embodiments or examples. On the contrary, the present teachings encompass various alternatives, modifications, or equivalents, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way of example only.
This Application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Application Ser. No. 63/434,701, filed Dec. 22, 2022, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63434701 | Dec 2022 | US |