Cover for decorating a flower pot

Abstract

The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for providing decorative covers, decorative collars and decorative cover collar combinations for covering a flower pot. The methods and apparatuses are formed from a variety of configurations of heat shrinkable sheet of material placed over all or a portion of a peripheral surface of the flower pot and then heated to shrink the sheet of material into a pressing engagement against the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . Method for providing a decorative cover for a flower pot comprising the steps of: 
 providing the flower pot having an open upper end, a closed lower end and an outer peripheral surface;    providing a sheet of heat shrinkable material sized and dimensioned to be disposed about at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot;    disposing the sheet of heat shrinkable material about at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot; and    heating the sheet of heat shrinkable material to shrink the sheet of heat shrinkable material such that the sheet of heat shrinkable material pressingly engages against at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and is thereby secured to the flower pot to provide the decorative cover for the flower pot.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein, in the step of heating the sheet of heat shrinkable material, the sheet of heat shrinkable material is heated manually.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein, in the step of heating the sheet of heat shrinkable material, the sheet of heat shrinkable material is heated via an automated heating process.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein, in the step of providing the sheet of heat shrinkable material, the sheet of heat shrinkable material is sized substantially larger than the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and shaped such that the sheet of heat shrinkable material produces a decorative cover having a base portion and a skirt portion.  
     
     
         5 . A method for providing a decorative cover for a flower pot, comprising the steps of: 
 providing a flower pot having an open upper end, a closed lower end and an outer peripheral surface;    providing a tubular sleeve having an open upper end, an open lower end and a passageway extending therebetween, the tubular sleeve being formed of a heat shrinkable material and sized and dimensioned to receive at least a portion of the flower pot;    disposing the flower pot into the passageway of the sleeve;    heating the sleeve until at least a portion of the sleeve pressingly engages at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and is thereby secured to the flower pot to provide the decorative cover for the flower pot.    
     
     
         6 . A method for providing a decorative collar for a flower pot, comprising the steps of: 
 providing a flower pot having an open upper end, a closed lower end and an outer peripheral surface;    providing a sheet of heat shrinkable material, sized and dimensioned to be disposed about at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot, the sheet of heat shrinkable material having an opening formed through a portion of the sheet of heat shrinkable material, the opening sized and shaped so as to approximate the shape and perimeter of the flower pot near the open upper end of the flower pot;    disposing the closed lower end of the flower pot through the opening in the sheet of heat shrinkable material such that the sheet of heat shrinkable material is positioned near the open upper end of the flower pot; and    heating the sheet of heat shrinkable material such that a portion of the sheet of heat shrinkable material shrinks and pressingly engages against at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and is thereby secured to the flower pot to provide the decorative collar for the flower pot.    
     
     
         7 . A method for providing a decorative cover collar combination for a flower pot comprising the steps of: 
 providing a flower pot with an open upper end, a closed lower end and an outer peripheral surface and retaining space;    provide a first sheet of heat shrinkable material;    forming the first sheet of heat shrinkable material about at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of a flower pot;    heating the first sheet of heat shrinkable material whereby the first sheet of heat shrinkable material pressingly engages against at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot to form a decorative cover for the flower pot;    providing a second sheet of heat shrinkable material having an opening provided therein, the opening sized and shaped to approximate the shape and perimeter of the flower pot near the open upper and thereof;    disposing the flower pot having the decorative cover formed thereabout through the opening in the second sheet of heat shrinkable material and forming a portion of the second sheet of heat shrinkable material near the opening about at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot; and    heating the second sheet of heat shrinkable material whereby the second sheet of heat shrinkable material pressingly engages against at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot to provide the decorative cover collar combination for the flower pot.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein, in the step of forming a first sheet of heat shrinkable material, the first sheet of heat shrinkable material is provided with a printed pattern disposed thereon.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7  wherein, in the step of forming the second sheet of heat shrinkable material, the second sheet of material is provided with a printed pattern disposed thereon.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7  wherein, in the step of forming the first sheet of heat shrinkable material, the first sheet of material is provided with a printed pattern disposed thereon.  
     
     
         11 . A decorative cover for a flower pot, comprising: 
 a sleeve formed from a heat shrinkable material, the sleeve sized and dimensioned to be disposed about at least a portion of an outer peripheral surface of the flower pot such that upon heating the sleeve, the sleeve is shrunk until the sleeve pressingly engages at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and thereby provides the decorative cover for the flower pot.    
     
     
         12 . The decorative cover of  claim 11  wherein the heat shrinkable material is provided with a printed pattern thereon.  
     
     
         13 . A decorative cover for a flower pot, the decorative cover comprising: 
 a sheet of heat shrinkable material sized to substantially surround and encompass an outer peripheral surface of the flower pot, the sheet of heat shrinkable material disposed about the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and supported by the flower pot in a pressing engagement of the sheet of heat shrinkable material against the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot in response to heating the sheet of heat shrinkable material to shrink the heat shrinkable material into the pressing engagement with the flower pot thereby forming the decorative cover.    
     
     
         14 . The decorative cover of  claim 13  wherein the decorative cover is disposed about substantially the entire outer peripheral surface of the flower pot.  
     
     
         15 . The decorative cover of  claim 13  further comprising a printed pattern on the sheet of heat shrinkable material.  
     
     
         16 . The decorative cover of  claim 13  wherein the sheet of heat shrinkable material is sized such that the decorative cover formed from the sheet of heat shrinkable material is provided with a base portion disposed about the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and a skirt portion which extends from an upper end of the base portion.  
     
     
         17 . The decorative cover of  claim 13  wherein the sheet of heat shrinkable material is disposed around the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot such that the sheet of heat shrinkable material has a first end overlapping a second end to form an overlapped end seam.  
     
     
         18 . A decorative collar for a flower pot having an open upper end, comprising: 
 a sheet of heat shrinkable material having an opening formed through a central portion thereof, a portion of the sheet of heat shrinkable material surrounding the opening disposed in close proximity to the open upper end of the flower pot such that, upon heating at least a portion of the sheet of heat shrinkable material, the decorative cover for the flower pot is provided.    
     
     
         19 . The decorative collar of  claim 18  wherein the sheet of heat shrinkable material is provided with a decorative pattern disposed thereon.  
     
     
         20 . A floral assembly comprising: 
 a flower pot having an open upper end, a closed lower end, an outer peripheral surface and a retaining space;    a floral grouping disposed within the retaining space of the flower pot; and    a decorative cover formed from a sheet of heat shrinkable material disposed about at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot, the decorative cover produced by heating the sheet of heat shrinkable material such that at least a portion of the sheet of heat shrinkable material shrinks and pressingly engages against the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot whereby the decorative cover so produced is secured to the flower pot.    
     
     
         21 . The floral assembly of  claim 20  wherein, the sheet of heat shrinkable material is heated manually to form the decorative cover about the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot.  
     
     
         22 . The floral assembly of  claim 20  wherein, the sheet of heat shrinkable material is heated via a automated heating process to form the decorative cover about the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot.  
     
     
         23 . The floral assembly of  claim 20  wherein, the sheet of heat shrinkable material is dimensioned substantially larger than the outer peripheral surface of the flower and shaped such that the sheet of heat shrinkable material produces a decorative cover having a base portion and a skirt portion.  
     
     
         24 . A floral assembly, comprising: 
 a flower pot having an open upper end, a closed lower end, an outer peripheral surface and a retaining space;    a floral grouping disposed within the retaining space of the flower pot;    a decorative cover formed from a heat shrinkable sleeve, the sleeve disposed about at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and heated until at least a portion of the sleeve pressingly engages the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and is thereby secured to the flower pot to provide the decorative cover for the floral assembly.    
     
     
         25 . A floral assembly, comprising: 
 a flower pot having an open upper end, a closed lower end, an outer peripheral surface and a retaining space;    a floral grouping disposed within the retaining space of the flower pot; and    a decorative collar formed from a sheet of heat shrinkable material, the sheet of heat shrinkable material having an opening therein, the flower pot being disposed through the opening such that as the sheet of heat shrinkable material is heated, at least a portion of the sheet of heat shrinkable material pressingly engages the flower pot and forms the decorative collar about the flower pot.    
     
     
         26 . A decorative cover/decorative collar combination for a flower pot comprising: 
 a flower pot having an open upper end, a closed lower end, an outer peripheral surface and a retaining space;    a decorative collar formed from a first sheet of heat shrinkable material, the first sheet of heat shrinkable material having an opening therein, the flower pot being disposed through the opening such that as the first sheet of heat shrinkable material is heated, at least a portion of the first sheet of heat shrinkable material pressingly engages the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and forms the decorative collar about the flower pot; and    a decorative cover formed from a second sheet of heat shrinkable material disposed about at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and heated to shrink the second sheet of heat shrinkable material such that the second sheet of heat shrinkable material pressingly engages against the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and is secured to the flower pot thereby providing the decorative cover collar combination.