Decorative sleeve cover formed of a polymeric material having a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth

Abstract

Flexible polymeric materials having a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth suitable for use in the formation of decorative flower pot covers are disclosed.

1 . A plant package comprising: 
 a sleeve formed of a flexible polymeric material having at least a portion of one surface thereof modified to provide the sleeve formed therefrom with a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof, the sleeve having an upper end, a lower end, an outer peripheral surface, an inner peripheral surface and an inner retaining space, the sleeve having a flattened condition and being openable to an opened condition;    a flower pot having an upper end and an outer peripheral surface; and    wherein the flower pot is disposed in the inner retaining space of the sleeve when the sleeve is in the opened condition, whereby the sleeve substantially surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and provides a decorative cover for the flower pot wherein the decorative cover has the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof.    
   
   
       2 . The plant package of  claim 1  wherein the flexible polymeric material has a thickness in a range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil.  
   
   
       3 . The plant package of  claim 1  wherein the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided on at least a portion of one surface of the flexible polymeric material by at least one of printing, embossing, flocking, applying a foamable lacquer, applying a foamable ink, applying a matting lacquer, applying a matted ink, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       4 . The plant package of  claim 3  wherein the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided by a printed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface of the flexible polymeric material and an embossed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface of the flexible polymeric material.  
   
   
       5 . The plant package of  claim 4  wherein the printed and embossed patterns are in registry with one another.  
   
   
       6 . The plant package of  claim 4  wherein the printed and embossed patterns are out of registry with one another.  
   
   
       7 . The plant package of  claim 4  wherein at least a portion of the printed pattern is in registry with the embossed pattern, and at least a portion of the printed pattern is out of registry with the embossed pattern.  
   
   
       8 . The plant package of  claim 1  wherein the lower end of the sleeve is closed.  
   
   
       9 . The plant package of  claim 8  wherein the lower end of the sleeve is provided with a gusset formed therein.  
   
   
       10 . A plant package comprising: 
 a sleeve formed of an expanded core polymeric film having at least a portion of one surface thereof modified to provide the sleeve formed therefrom with a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth, the sleeve having an upper end, a lower end, an outer peripheral surface, an inner peripheral surface and an inner retaining space, the sleeve having a flattened condition and being openable to an opened condition;    a flower pot having an upper end and an outer peripheral surface; and    wherein the flower pot is disposed in the inner retaining space of the sleeve when the sleeve is in the opened condition, whereby the sleeve substantially surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and provides the decorative cover for the flower pot wherein the decorative cover has a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof.    
   
   
       11 . The plant package of  claim 10  wherein the expanded core polymeric film has a thickness in a range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil.  
   
   
       12 . The plant package of  claim 10  wherein the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided on at least a portion of one surface of the expanded core polymeric film by at least one of printing, embossing, flocking, applying a foamable lacquer, applying a foamable ink, applying a matting lacquer, applying a matted ink, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       13 . The plant package of  claim 12  wherein the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided by a printed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface of the expanded core polymeric film and an embossed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface of the expanded core polymeric film.  
   
   
       14 . The plant package of  claim 13  wherein the printed and embossed patterns are in registry with one another.  
   
   
       15 . The plant package of  claim 13  wherein the printed and embossed patterns are out of registry with one another.  
   
   
       16 . The plant package of  claim 13  wherein at least a portion of the printed pattern is in registry with the embossed pattern, and at least a portion of the printed pattern is out of registry with the embossed pattern.  
   
   
       17 . The plant package of  claim 10  wherein the lower end of the sleeve is closed.  
   
   
       18 . The plant package of  claim 17  wherein the lower end of the sleeve is provided with a gusset formed therein.  
   
   
       19 . A decorative cover for a flower pot, wherein the decorative cover is provided with a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof, the decorative cover comprising: 
 a sleeve formed of a flexible polymeric material having at least a portion of one surface thereof modified to provide the sleeve formed therefrom with a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof, the sleeve having an upper end, a lower end, an outer peripheral surface, an inner peripheral surface and an inner retaining space, the sleeve having a flattened condition and being openable to an opened condition, wherein a flower pot may be disposed in the inner retaining space of the sleeve when the sleeve is in the opened condition such that the sleeve substantially surrounds an outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and provides a decorative cover for the flower pot wherein the decorative cover has the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof.    
   
   
       20 . The decorative cover of  claim 19  wherein the flexible polymeric material has a thickness in a range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil.  
   
   
       21 . The decorative cover of  claim 19  wherein the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided on at least a portion of one surface of the flexible polymeric material by at least one of printing, embossing, flocking, applying a foamable lacquer, applying a foamable ink, applying a matting lacquer, applying a matted ink, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       22 . The decorative cover of  claim 21  wherein the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided by a printed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface of the flexible polymeric material and an embossed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface of the flexible polymeric material.  
   
   
       23 . The decorative cover of  claim 22  wherein the printed and embossed patterns are in registry with one another.  
   
   
       24 . The decorative cover of  claim 22  wherein the printed and embossed patterns are out of registry with one another.  
   
   
       25 . The decorative cover of  claim 22  wherein at least a portion of the printed pattern is in registry with the embossed pattern, and at least a portion of the printed pattern is out of registry with the embossed pattern.  
   
   
       26 . The decorative cover of  claim 19  wherein the lower end of the sleeve is closed.  
   
   
       27 . The decorative cover of  claim 26  wherein the lower end of the sleeve is provided with a gusset formed therein.  
   
   
       28 . A decorative cover for a flower pot, wherein the decorative cover is provided with a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof, the decorative cover comprising: 
 a sleeve formed of an expanded core polymeric film having at least a portion of one surface thereof modified to provide the sleeve formed therefrom with a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth, the sleeve having an upper end, a lower end, an outer peripheral surface, an inner peripheral surface and an inner retaining space, the sleeve having a flattened condition and being openable to an opened condition, wherein a flower pot may be disposed in the inner retaining space of the sleeve when the sleeve is in the opened condition, whereby the sleeve substantially surrounds an outer peripheral surface of the flower pot and provides the decorative cover for the flower pot wherein the decorative cover has a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof.    
   
   
       29 . The decorative cover of  claim 28  wherein the expanded core polymeric film has a thickness in a range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil.  
   
   
       30 . The decorative cover of  claim 28  wherein the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided on at least a portion of one surface of the expanded core polymeric film by at least one of printing, embossing, flocking, applying a foamable lacquer, applying a foamable ink, applying a matting lacquer, applying a matted ink, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       31 . The decorative cover of  claim 30  wherein the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth is provided by a printed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface of the expanded core polymeric film and an embossed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface of the expanded core polymeric film.  
   
   
       32 . The decorative cover of  claim 31  wherein the printed and embossed patterns are in registry with one another.  
   
   
       33 . The decorative cover of  claim 31  wherein the printed and embossed patterns are out of registry with one another.  
   
   
       34 . The decorative cover of  claim 31  wherein at least a portion of the printed pattern is in registry with the embossed pattern, and at least a portion of the printed pattern is out of registry with the embossed pattern.  
   
   
       35 . The decorative cover of  claim 28  wherein the lower end of the sleeve is closed.  
   
   
       36 . The decorative cover of  claim 35  wherein the lower end of the sleeve is provided with a gusset formed therein.  
   
   
       37 . A method for wrapping a floral grouping with a sleeve having a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof, the method comprising the steps of: 
 providing a floral grouping having a bloom portion and a stem portion;    providing a sleeve formed of a flexible polymeric material having at least a portion of one surface thereof modified to provide such surface with a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth whereby the sleeve has a texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth on at least a portion of one surface thereof, the sleeve having an upper end, a lower end, an inner peripheral surface, an inner retaining space and an outer peripheral surface, the sleeve having a flattened condition and being openable to an opened condition; and    placing the floral grouping into the inner retaining space of the sleeve when the sleeve is in the opened condition.    
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 37  wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the flexible polymeric material is further provided with an embossed pattern disposed on at least a portion of one surface thereof which provides the sleeve with the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth.  
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 37  wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the sleeve is further characterized as having a detaching element for detaching a portion of the sleeve and wherein the method further comprises detaching a portion of the sleeve via the detaching element after the sleeve has been bound about the floral grouping.  
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 39  wherein at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the portion of the sleeve detached and at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the portion of the sleeve bound about the floral grouping are each modified to provide the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth thereto.  
   
   
       41 . The method of  claim 37  wherein, in the step of providing the sleeve, the sleeve is provided with a printed pattern on at least a portion of one of the outer and inner peripheral surfaces thereof which provides the sleeve with the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth.  
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 41  wherein the sleeve is further provided with an embossed pattern on at least a portion of one of the outer and inner peripheral surfaces thereof which cooperates with the printed pattern to provide the texture or appearance simulating the texture or appearance of cloth.  
   
   
       43 . The method of  claim 42  wherein at least a portion of the printed pattern and the embossed pattern are in registry.  
   
   
       44 . The method of  claim 42  wherein at least a portion of the printed pattern and the embossed pattern are out of registry with one another.