Method of forming a trapezoidally shaped sleeve having a printed lower portion

Abstract

A method of forming a plurality of floral sleeves having a uniform design or pattern and printed about a lower end thereof without requiring the waste of significant portions of sheet material is provided. The method includes the step of sealing and severing a pair of web portions along lines defined by coextensive first side edges and coextensive second side edges of decorative portions. In another aspect, the method includes the step of sealing and severing a pair of overlapping web portions provided with a plurality of decorative portions along a plurality of lines which traverse the decorative portions and each of the corresponding undecorative portions to form a plurality of sleeves wherein each sleeve has an upper portion and a lower portion with the lower portion having a decorative portion extending about the exterior circumference of the lower portion of the sleeve while the upper portion is free of any printing contained in the lower portion of an adjacently formed sleeve.

1 . A method of forming a plurality of sleeves wherein each of the sleeves has an upper portion and a lower portion wherein at least a portion of at least one of the upper and lower portions has a decorative portion, the method comprising the steps of: 
 providing a first web portion having a plurality of decorative portions extending along a longitudinal axis of the first web portion in a staggered relationship, each of the decorative portions of the first web portion having a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge;    providing a second web portion;    positioning the first web portion on the second web portion; and    sealing and severing the first and second web portions along a plurality of first lines and a plurality of second lines to form a plurality of sleeves wherein each sleeve has an upper portion and a lower portion with at least a portion of at least one of the upper and lower portions of each sleeve having a decorative portion, the upper portion of each sleeve detachable from the lower portion via a detaching element.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein, in the step of providing a first web portion, the plurality of decorative portions are further defined as being a plurality of decorative printed portions.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein, in the step of providing a first web portion, the first web portion further comprises a plurality of corresponding substantially transparent portions.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein, in the step of sealing and severing the first and second web portions, each of the first lines traverses the decorative portions of the first web portion substantially proximate to the first side edges of the decorative portions of the first web portion and traverses the substantially transparent portions of the first web portion substantially parallel and proximate to the first side edges of the decorative portions of the adjacent decorative portion of the first web portion.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein each of the second lines traverses each of the decorative portions of the first web portion substantially parallel and proximate to the second side edges of the decorative portions of the first web portion and traverses the substantially transparent portions of the corresponding substantially transparent portions of the first web portion substantially parallel and proximate to the second side edges of the decorative portions of the adjacent decorative portion of the first web portion.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the step of providing a first web portion is further defined as providing a first web portion having a plurality of decorative portions extending along a longitudinal axis of the first web portion in a staggered, inverted relationship.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein, in the step of providing a first web portion, the first and second side edges of each decorative portion angles outwardly from the bottom edge to the top edge.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein, in the step of providing a first web portion, the decorative portion is provided on at least a portion of the lower portion of the sleeves, and wherein in the step of sealing and severing the first and second web portions, the upper portion of the sleeves is free of the decorative portion provided on the lower portion of the sleeve.  
   
   
       9 . A method of forming a plurality of sleeves wherein each of the sleeves has an upper portion and a lower portion with at least a portion of at least one of the upper and lower portions having a decorative portion, the method comprising: 
 providing a first web portion having a plurality of decorative portions extending along a longitudinal axis of the first web portion in a staggered relationship, each of the decorative portions of the first web portion having a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge, the first side edge of each decorative portion being coextensive with the first side edge of one of the adjacent decorative portions;    providing a second web portion;    positioning the first web portion on the second web portion; and    sealing and severing the first and second web portions along a plurality of first lines and a plurality of second lines to form a plurality of sleeves wherein each sleeve has an upper portion and a lower portion with at least a portion of at least one of the upper and lower portions having a decorative portion, each of the first lines extending along the coextensive first side edges.    
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the second side edge of each decorative portion is coextensive with the second side edge of the adjacent decorative portion, and wherein each of the second lines extend along the coextensive second side edges.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 9  wherein, in the step of providing a first web portion, the plurality of decorative portions are further defined as being a plurality of decorative printed portions.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 9  wherein, in the step of providing a first web portion, the decorative portion is provided on at least a portion of the lower portion of the sleeves, and wherein in the step of sealing and severing the first and second web portions, the upper portion of the sleeves is free of the decorative portion provided on the lower portion of the sleeve.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the step of providing a first web portion is further defined as providing a first web portion having a plurality of decorative portions extending along a longitudinal axis of the first web portion in a staggered, inverted relationship.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 9  wherein, in the step of providing a first web portion, the first and second side edges of each decorative portion angles outwardly from the bottom edge to the top edge.