Packaging material

Abstract

A packaging material comprising a plurality of flexible strips of material integrally interconnected to one another along one end thereof so as to form a unitary mass and so that the strips of material are intertwineable with one another to form a resilient tuft. The strips of material interconnected via a border have a bonding material disposed thereon for bondingly connecting the packaging material to a container.

1 . A package, comprising:
 a container;   a packaging material comprising a flexible sheet of material having at least one slit portion and a plurality of border portions, at least a portion of the at least one slit portion having a plurality of slits extending between two border portions such that the sheet of material has a plurality of strips of material interconnected to one another by the border portions, wherein the at least one slit portion and the plurality of border portions are integrally formed of the same flexible sheet of material.   
   
   
       2 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the flexible sheet of material from which the packaging material is constructed is selected from the group consisting of paper, crepe paper, polymeric film, laminated polymeric film, waxed paper and combinations thereof. 
   
   
       3 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the flexible sheet of material from which the packaging material is constructed is provided with a printed pattern thereon. 
   
   
       4 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the flexible sheet of material from which the packaging material is constructed is provided with an embossed pattern thereon. 
   
   
       5 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the flexible sheet of material from which the packaging material is constructed is provided with a bonding material disposed thereon. 
   
   
       6 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the container is a basket. 
   
   
       7 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the packaging material is further defined as a decorative packaging material. 
   
   
       8 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the packaging material is resilient. 
   
   
       9 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the packaging material is further defined as a decorative, resilient packaging material. 
   
   
       10 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the packaging material has a substantially flattened condition and a substantially fluffed condition, and wherein the packaging material has a grass-like appearance in at least one of the substantially flattened condition and the substantially fluffed condition. 
   
   
       11 . A package, comprising:
 a container;   a packaging material comprising a flexible sheet of material having at least one slit portion and a plurality of border portions, at least a portion of the at least one slit portion having a plurality of slits extending between two border portions such that the sheet of material has a plurality of strips of material interconnected to one another by the border portions, wherein the at least one slit portion and the plurality of border portions are integrally formed of the same flexible sheet of material; and   at least one article positioned in the container and on the packaging material.   
   
   
       12 . The package of  claim 11 , wherein the flexible sheet of material from which the packaging material is constructed is selected from the group consisting of paper, crepe paper, polymeric film, laminated polymeric film, waxed paper and combinations thereof. 
   
   
       13 . The package of  claim 11 , wherein at least a portion of the flexible sheet of material from which the packaging material is constructed is provided with a printed pattern thereon. 
   
   
       14 . The package of  claim 11 , wherein at least a portion of the flexible sheet of material from which the packaging material is constructed is provided with an embossed pattern thereon. 
   
   
       15 . The package of  claim 11 , wherein at least a portion of the flexible sheet of material from which the packaging material is constructed is provided with a bonding material disposed thereon. 
   
   
       16 . The package of  claim 11 , wherein the container is a basket. 
   
   
       17 . The package of  claim 11 , wherein the packaging material is further defined as a decorative packaging material. 
   
   
       18 . The package of  claim 11 , wherein the packaging material is resilient. 
   
   
       19 . The package of  claim 11 , wherein the packaging material is further defined as a decorative, resilient packaging material. 
   
   
       20 . The package of  claim 11 , wherein the packaging material has a substantially flattened condition and a substantially fluffed condition, and wherein the packaging material has a grass-like appearance in at least one of the substantially flattened condition and the substantially fluffed condition. 
   
   
       21 . A method of packaging an article, comprising the steps of:
 providing a container;   providing a packaging material comprising a flexible sheet of material having at least one slit portion and a plurality of border portions, at least a portion of the at least one slit portion having a plurality of slits extending between two border portions such that the sheet of material has a plurality of strips of material interconnected to one another by the border portions, wherein the at least one slit portion and the plurality of border portions are integrally formed of the same flexible sheet of material;   disposing the packaging material within the container; and   positioning at least one article on the packaging material within in the container.   
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21  wherein, in the step of providing a packaging material, the flexible sheet of material from which the packaging material is constructed is selected from the group consisting of paper, crepe paper, polymeric film, laminated polymeric film, waxed paper and combinations thereof. 
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 21  wherein, in the step of providing a packaging material, at least a portion of the flexible sheet of material from which the packaging material is constructed is provided with a printed pattern thereon. 
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 21  wherein, in the step of providing a packaging material, at least a portion of the flexible sheet of material from which the packaging material is constructed is provided with an embossed pattern thereon. 
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 21  wherein, in the step of providing a packaging material, at least a portion of the flexible sheet of material from which the packaging material is constructed is provided with a bonding material disposed thereon. 
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising the step of bondingly connecting the packaging material to at least one of the container and the at least one article. 
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 21  wherein, in the step of providing a packaging material, the packaging material is further defined as a decorative packaging material. 
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 21  wherein, in the step of providing a packaging material, the packaging material is resilient. 
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 21  wherein, in the step of providing a packaging material, the packaging material is further defined as a decorative, resilient packaging material. 
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 21  wherein, in the step of providing a packaging material, the packaging material has a substantially flattened condition and a substantially fluffed condition, and wherein the packaging material has a grass-like appearance in at least one of the substantially flattened condition and the substantially fluffed condition. 
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 21  wherein, in the step of providing a container, the container is a basket. 
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 21  wherein, in the step of positioning at least one article on the packaging material within in the container, the at least one article is selected from the group consisting of candy, eggs and combinations thereof.