Method and apparatus for packaging horticultural products

Abstract

In a method and apparatus for packaging a horticultural product, especially cut flowers, for transportation, one or more stems are inserted through a flexible foam block formed from a low density, low compression force material disposed in an opening of container such that the foam is compressed. The compression of the foam forms a water-tight seal around each stem to prevent water or other liquid inside the container from leaking during shipment of the horticultural product and insulates each stem from each other stem. A tube may be placed in the foam block to provide fluid communication between an interior of the container and an exterior of the container.

Description

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 866,147 with a filing date of Jun. 14, 2004, and this application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 533,021, entitled “Device For Shipment of Horticultural Products,” filed Dec. 27, 2003. The entireties of both applications are incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The invention relates generally to horticultural products, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for packaging horticultural products such as cut flowers. [0004] 2. Discussion of the Background [0005] The market for horticultural products, particularly cut flowers, is large and continues to grow. In this industry, it is important that the horticultural product be fresh when it is presented to a consumer. The freshness of the horticultural product will determine both (1) how the product initially appears to the consumer, and (2) how lon...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015] The aforementioned issues are addressed to a great extent by the present invention, which provides a method and apparatus for packaging a horticultural product, especially cut flowers, in which one or more stems are inserted into, and preferably through, a flexible foam block formed from a low density, low CFD (compression force / deflection) material disposed in an opening of container such that the foam is compressed. The compression of the foam insulates each stem and forms a water-tight seal around each stem to prevent water or other liquid inside the container from leaking during shipment of the horticultural product.

[0017] In one aspect of the invention, the use of compression provides a significant advantage as compared to prior art devices in that it allows flower stems to be tightly packed during shipping. This reduces the amount of space required by an individual bouquet of flowers. Reducing space during shipping is very important for large-scale commercial operations in which multiple bouquets are shipped in a single package.

Problems solved by technology

Both of these methods have obvious drawbacks.

Shipping the flowers dry reduces their life no matter how well they are refrigerated.

Shipping the flowers in an open container partially filled with water requires that the containers not be overturned during shipping, which increases shipping costs and distribution time.

However, each of these alternative devices has drawbacks and, to the knowledge of the inventor, none of the alternative devices has met with any commercial success.

First, the requirement for the flexible diaphragm increases the packaging cost.

Second, the “resilient material” illustrated in the '906 patent does not appear to be very resilient.

The problem with a material of such a resiliency is that it requires a relatively close match between the size of the bore in the stopper and the diameter of a plant stem inserted therein.

This is not a practical alternative for two reasons.

First, flower stems are not regularly shaped and often have protrusions (e.g., rose stems have protrusions where thorns are removed).

However, considering the relatively inflexible material of '906 patent, the walls of bore may not contact the stem in areas other than the location of the protrusion or irregularity, resulting in a poor seal.

Second, a requirement for matching stem sizes to bore sizes would be time-consuming, and therefore expensive, in a mass-production environment.

The most significant drawback associated with the '782 patent is that it does not form a good seal around the stem.

The poor seal is caused by the lack of compression and the use of a rigid foam.

Another drawback associated with the '782 device is that, because the foam is relatively rigid, it is again necessary to size the hole to the stem that is to be inserted therein.

The chief drawbacks associated with this device are the cost associated with using multiple layers and the time required for the elastomer to cure.

The preformed block embodiment of this device suffers from the drawbacks of having to use an adhesive to secure the block to the container and, because the foam is rigid, the need for sizing holes in the block to match the stems.

The foam-in-place embodiment suffers from the high cost associated with aerosol foams, and requires something to hold the stems in place while the foam is introduced.

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