Flower pot cover with indented ring portion and apparatus for forming same

Abstract

An apparatus and method is provided for forming a flower pot cover with at least one indented portion to retain the flower pot cover on the flower pot. The apparatus includes a male and female die. The female die has a plurality of fingers movable radially into an opening of the female die. The male die has a recess formed between the lower end and the upper end and adapted to receive the fingers of the female die to form the at least one indented portion of the flower pot cover when the sheet of material is pressed between the female die and the male die.

1 . A method for forming a flower pot cover, comprising: 
 positioning a sheet of material between a female die and a male die, the female die having an inner peripheral female die surface defining an opening intersecting one end of the female die and the male die shaped such that at least a portion of the male die is positionable in the opening of the female die;    inserting the male die into the opening of the female die so as to form the flower pot cover from the sheet of material; and    moving a plurality of fingers radially into the opening of the female die so as to cause the fingers to be received in a recess formed in the male die and form at least one indented portion in the flower pot cover for retaining the flower pot cover on a flower pot.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one indented portion in the flower pot cover is an indented ring portion.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the indented ring portion is a continuous ring portion.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one indented portion comprises at least two indented segments, wherein the at least two indented segments form an indented ring portion.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one indented portion is a single indentation.  
   
   
       6 . A preformed flower pot cover for covering a flower pot, the flower pot cover comprising: 
 a base having an open upper end, a closed lower end, and an object opening extending through the upper end;    a decorative border extending upwardly and outwardly from the upper end of the base; and    at least one indented portion located between the base and the decorative border so as to be engageable with an upper end of the flower pot to retain the flower pot cover on the flower pot.    
   
   
       7 . The preformed flower pot cover of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one indented portion is an indented ring portion.  
   
   
       8 . The preformed flower pot cover of  claim 7 , wherein the indented ring portion is a continuous ring portion.  
   
   
       9 . The preformed flower pot cover of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one indented portion comprises at least two indented segments, wherein the at least two indented segments form an indented ring portion.  
   
   
       10 . The preformed flower pot cover of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one indented portion is a single indentation.  
   
   
       11 . An apparatus for forming a flower pot cover from a sheet of material, the flower pot cover having at least one indented portion for retaining the flower pot cover on a flower pot, the apparatus comprising: 
 a female die having an upper end, a lower end, and an opening intersecting the upper end and extending a distance toward the lower end forming an inner female die surface, the female die having a plurality of fingers movable radially into the opening; and    a male die having an upper end, a lower end, and an outer male die surface extending a distance generally between the lower end and the upper end of the male die, the male die shaped such that at least a portion of the male die is receivable in the opening of the female die, the male die and the female die movable relative to one another between a discharge position wherein the male die is removed from the opening of the female die such that the sheet of material is positionable between the male die and the female die and a forming position wherein at least a portion of the male die is disposed in the opening of the female die so as to form the flower pot cover from the sheet of material positioned between the male die and the female die, the male die having a recess formed between the lower end and the upper end of the female die and adapted to receive the fingers of the female die to form the at least one indented portion of the flower pot when the sheet of material is pressed between the female die and the male die.    
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the female die further comprises: 
 a base section;    a middle section connected to and extending upwardly from the base section;    a sliding section slidably positioned within the middle section and biasingly supported relative to the base section; and    a plurality of actuator assemblies, each actuator assembly connected to the sliding section and to a corresponding finger such that the fingers are caused to move radially inwardly in response to downward movement of the sliding section.    
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the plurality of actuator assemblies each comprise: 
 a cam rigidly attached to the sliding section;    a pivot arm pivotally attached to the middle section and having one end engageable with the cam and one end pivotally connected to one of the fingers such that the cam engages the pivot arm and pivots the pivot arm to cause the fingers to move radially inwardly in response to downward movement of the sliding section.    
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein each of the fingers has an arcuate nub that substantially conforms to the contour of the recess of the male die.  
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 14  wherein the fingers are uniformly spaced around a circumference of the female die when the male die presses the sheet of material against the female die.  
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 15  wherein the arcuate nub of the fingers substantially circumscribe a circle when the nubs are positioned in the recess of the male die.