Decorative sleeve having a texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth

Abstract

A plant package includes a flower pot containing a floral grouping and a sleeve having a texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth, wherein the sleeve is formed of a flexible, laminated material having a texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth. The sleeve includes a lower portion, which has a base portion and a skirt portion, and an upper portion which is detachable from the lower portion. The base, skirt and/or upper portion of the sleeve may be provided with a texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth. A method for wrapping a floral grouping in a sleeve having a texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth includes placing a floral grouping in the sleeve and binding the sleeve about a stem portion of the floral grouping via a bonding material disposed on the sleeve having a texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth.

What is claimed:  
     
         1 . A plant package produced from a laminated polymeric material having a texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth on a surface thereof, comprising: 
 a flower pot having a floral grouping disposed therein;    a sleeve formed of a laminated polymeric material wherein the laminated polymeric material is formed by laminating at least one sheet of polymeric material to at least one sheet of material selected from the group consisting of paper, foil and combinations thereof, the laminated polymeric material having at least a portion of one surface thereof textured or modified so as to provide the laminated polymeric material with an appearance simulating the appearance of cloth, the sleeve having a closed lower end, an open upper end, an outer peripheral surface, and an inner peripheral surface which, when the sleeve is open, defines and encompasses an inner retaining space, wherein at least a portion of at least one of the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve has an appearance simulating the appearance of cloth, and wherein the sleeve further comprises: 
 a lower portion generally sized to contain the flower pot, the lower portion comprising: 
 a base portion; and  
 a skirt portion attached to and extending beyond the base portion and having an upper peripheral edge; and  
 
 an upper portion connected to the skirt portion of the lower portion and detachable from the skirt portion via a plurality of angularly oriented perforations; and  
   wherein the flower pot is disposed within the inner retaining space of the sleeve such that the flower pot is substantially surrounded and encompassed by the base portion of the sleeve and the floral grouping is substantially surrounded and encompassed by the upper portion of the sleeve prior to detaching the upper portion of the sleeve from the lower portion of the sleeve, whereby, upon detachment of the upper portion of the sleeve from the lower portion of the sleeve, the skirt portion of the lower portion of the sleeve is provided with an angular upper edge positioned adjacent a portion of the floral grouping and the base portion of the sleeve remains in a position surrounding the pot.    
     
     
         2 . The plant package of  claim 1  wherein at least a portion of one surface of the base portion of the sleeve is provided with a texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth, and wherein at least a portion of at least one surface of the skirt portion of the sleeve is provided with a texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth.  
     
     
         3 . The plant package of  claim 2  wherein at least a portion of at least one surface of the upper portion of the sleeve is provided with a texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth.  
     
     
         4 . The plant package of  claim 1  wherein the base portion and the skirt portion of the sleeve are constructed from the laminated polymeric material and the upper portion of the sleeve is constructed from a second material different than the laminated polymeric material.  
     
     
         5 . The plant package of  claim 1  wherein the laminated polymeric material from which the sleeve is formed is characterized as having a thickness in a range of from about 1 mil to about 20 mil.  
     
     
         6 . The plant package of  claim 5  wherein the laminated polymeric material from which the sleeve is formed is provided with a printed pattern thereon which simulates the weave or texture of cloth, thereby providing the laminated polymeric material with a texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth on a surface thereof.  
     
     
         7 . The plant package of  claim 6  wherein the laminated polymeric material from which the sleeve is formed is further provided with an embossed pattern which cooperates with the printed pattern to provide the laminated polymeric material with a texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth on a surface thereof.  
     
     
         8 . The plant package of  claim 7  wherein the printed pattern and the embossed pattern on the laminated polymeric material from which the sleeve is formed are in register with one another.  
     
     
         9 . The plant package of  claim 7  wherein the printed pattern and the embossed pattern on the laminated polymeric material from which the sleeve is formed are out of register with one another.  
     
     
         10 . The plant package of  claim 1  wherein the texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth is provided on at least one surface of the sleeve by at least one of flocking, application of a foamable lacquer and application of a foamable ink.  
     
     
         11 . A plant package, comprising: 
 a flower pot having a floral grouping disposed therein;    a sleeve formed of a flexible, laminated material wherein the flexible laminated material is formed by laminating at least one sheet of polymeric material to at least one sheet of material selected from the group consisting of paper, metallized foil and combinations thereof, the sleeve having a closed lower end containing a gusset, an upper end, an outer peripheral surface, and an inner peripheral surface which, when the sleeve is open, defines and encompasses an inner retaining space, wherein at least a portion of at least one of the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve has been modified or textured to provide the sleeve with an appearance or texture simulating the appearance or texture of cloth, and wherein the sleeve further comprises: 
 a lower portion generally sized to contain the flower pot, the lower portion comprising: 
 a base portion; and  
 a skirt portion attached to and extending beyond the base portion and having an upper peripheral edge; and  
 
 an upper portion connected to the skirt portion of the lower portion and detachable from the skirt portion via a plurality of angularly oriented perforations; and  
   wherein the flower pot is disposed within the inner retaining space of the sleeve such that the flower pot is substantially surrounded and encompassed by the base portion of the sleeve and the floral grouping is substantially surrounded and encompassed by the upper portion of the sleeve prior to detaching the upper portion from the lower portion of the sleeve, whereby, upon detachment of the upper portion of the sleeve from the lower portion of the sleeve, the skirt portion of the lower portion of the sleeve is provided with an angular upper edge positioned adjacent a portion of the floral grouping and the base portion of the sleeve remains in a position surrounding the flower pot.    
     
     
         12 . A sleeve for containing a flower pot having an upper end, an outer peripheral surface and having a floral grouping disposed therein, the sleeve formed of a laminated material wherein at least a portion of one surface of the laminated material is textured or modified to provide the laminated material with an appearance or texture simulating the appearance of cloth and wherein the laminated material is formed by laminating at least one sheet of a polymeric material to at least one sheet of material selected from the group consisting of paper, metallized foil and combinations thereof, the sleeve having a closed lower end containing a gusset, an open upper end, an outer peripheral surface and an inner peripheral surface which, when the sleeve is open, defines and encompasses an inner retaining space, the sleeve comprising: 
 a lower portion generally sized to contain the flower pot, the lower portion comprising: 
 a base portion having at least one surface thereof modified or textured to provide such surface with a texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth, the base portion being tapered, sized and dimensioned so that an inner peripheral surface of the base portion of the sleeve is substantially adjacent to and surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot; and  
 a skirt portion attached to and extending from the base portion and extending beyond the upper end of the flower pot and adjacent to at least a portion of the floral grouping disposed in the flower pot; and  
   an upper portion connected to the skirt portion of the lower portion and sized to substantially surround and encompass the floral grouping disposed in the flower pot, the upper portion detachable from the lower portion via a plurality of angularly oriented perforations whereby, upon detachment of the upper portion from the lower portion, the skirt portion of the lower portion is provided with an angular upper edge positioned adjacent a portion of the floral grouping and the base portion remains in a position surrounding the flower pot.    
     
     
         13 . The sleeve of  claim 12  wherein at least one surface of the skirt portion of the sleeve is modified or textured to provide such surface of the skirt portion of the sleeve with a texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth.  
     
     
         14 . The sleeve of  claim 13  wherein at least one surface of the upper portion of the sleeve is modified or textured to provide such surface of the upper portion of the sleeve with a texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth.  
     
     
         15 . The sleeve of  claim 12  wherein at least one surface of the upper portion of the sleeve is modified or textured to provide such surface of the upper portion of the sleeve with a texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance of cloth.