US2686389A - Display device for cut flowers - Google Patents

Description

1954 c. B. ROZELL 2,686,389

DISPLAY DEVICE FOR CUT FLOWERS Filed April 5, 1951 INVENTOR. CULLEN B. Roz ELL Patented Aug. 17, 1954 UNlTED STATES ATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention appertains to. improvements inv flower bowls or tanks. for displaying out flowers has for its primary object to provide float supports for cut flowers, the supports being adapted to float in a body of water in a tank and being caused to constantly move at a slow speed in the water in a generally circular path.

Another object of this invention is to provide a water tank or bowl for displaying cut flowers, the fiowers either floating on the surface of a body of water in the tank or having their stems mounted in float supports and vertically pro,- jecting from the water surface, and .the tank being equipped with a power driven pump for circulating the water and keeping it fresh and for causing the flowers to slowly move in a circular path along the surface of the water.

These and ancillary objects and structural features of merit are attained by this invention, a preferred embodiment of which is set forth in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view of a tank, constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention, with flower supports, constructed in accordance with this invention, disposed therein;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of one of the supports for the cut flowers, and,

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 55 of Figure 4.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, the display device in for out flowers includes a tank or bowl l2 having outwardly bulged or concave side walls It and IS which extend upwardly and outwardly from the side edges of the flat rectangular bottom wall M. The side walls are connected at their adjoining ends by similarly configured outwardly extending end walls and 22. The upper edges of the walls form a rectangular top frame, the top being open and being larger than the bottom wall. A drain plug 23 is mounted in a suitable drain opening in the bottom wall and, of course, other drain means may be used. The tank may be filled in any desired manner and the illustrated configuration thereof is for exemplary purposes only.

A pump housing 24 is vertically supported at one end of the tank, supporting means. being provided and including brackets 26 and 28,

which project; laterally from the end and side wall, respectively, the brackets. intersecting at.

rightv angles and having; upstanding abutments 32 formed on their upper flat edges. The pump housing 24 consistszof a lower cylindrical mem-,

g and form a tight joint. A prime mover .46, such as an electriclmotor, 'is mounted by. a mounting bracket 48 in the upper portion of the cylindrir cal member 3.4. and the drive shaft 5t thereof depends into the. cylindrical; member for operative connection .to. a-pump. 5 2.... The pump ,52, is of the circulartype and is. formed with an inlet .54, disposed within. the cylindrical member and spacedinwardlyfrom the side wall thereof. An outlet. 56 isconnected to the output side of; the pump and extends outwardly through the cylindrical .mi-izrnloelz. A joint 58' connects the outer end of the outlet 55 to a nozzle 6!! and valve means 62 is operatively housed in the joint forcontrolling the. raiifi of flOW' from the outlet conduit 55...

It can thus be seen that the body of water in the tank, which willextend up to the water line 63, will be. constantly circulated and thereby kept fresh, due to the operation of the pump, which will be driven by the motor -46. The inlet 54.

being spaced inwardlyand disposed within the.

perforated cylindrical member 34, and the outlet conduit 56 will maintain a somewhat circular movement of the water andthe perforated member will form a strainer to prevent clogging of the pump, since foreign particles will be prevented from gaining access to the inlet 54 for the pump.

The cut flowers may be disposed on the surface of the water or supports 64- may be utilized to support the cut flowers 66 in the water, with the lower ends of the stems immersed in the water and the pedicels projecting upwardly from the surface of the water. The supports 64 include a base plate 66, which is preferably circular, and a float member 68, which is formed of material of less density than water and is preferably circular and of a diameter equal to the diameter of the base member Eli. Brace means 10 is provided for connecting the members together and for spacing the members apart in vertical alignment, as seen in Figure 5. The brace means '10 includes a common mounting member i2, which is affixed to the center of the base member 66 and from which brace arms 14 diverge upwardly in spaced fashion. The arms "i i are formed at their upper ends with offset anchon'ng terminals '16, which are fixed in slots '13 formed in the undersurface of the float member 68.

Vertical openings 80 are formed in spaced fashion in the float member 68 and are of a sufficiently large diameter to receive the stems 82 of cut flowers, the diameter of the openings 80 being considerably larger than the diameter of the stems, so that air spaces are provided. Anchoring pins 84 are vertically mounted in the base member 66 and project upwardly therefrom. The pins are driven through the base member and are rovided with headed lower ends 86 and sharpened upper ends 88, on which the stems are impaled, as seen in Figure 2.

In use, the stems 82 of cut flowers are inserted through the openings 80 of the fioat member and the ends of the stems are impaled on the anchoring pins 84. Ihe flowers are, thus, held in vertical positions and the float member 68 floats on the surface of the body of water, the support being held in a vertical position and holding the flowers in vertical positions, projecting upwardly from the water.

As the pump is driven by the motor 46, the water is circulated and the supports are moved in a circular path, at a slow speed, as indicated by the directional arrows in Figure 1.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A cut flower display device comprising a bowl open at its top and including a flat bottom, a pair of side walls rising from said bottom, and an end wall rising from said bottom adjacent each end and connected to the adjacent ends of said side walls, a vertically disposed closed ended housing fixedly positioned within said bowl and having the lower end portion below the top of said bowl and having the upper end portion exteriorly of and above the top of said bowl, said lower end portion having its side wall provided throughout with a plurality of spaced perforations extending therethrough for the ingress of water from a body of water when contained in said bowl, a vertically disposed pump in said lower portion of said housing adjacent the bottom of the latter and having a horizontally disposed inlet within and in communication with the interior of the lower portion of said housing and having a horizontally disposed outlet projecting through the side wall of the lower portion of said housing and in communication with the interior of said bowl,

and a support for cut flowers vertically disposed in a body of water contained in said bowl and adapted to float therein, said support being moved about the body of water by the circulation of the water induced by the operation of said pump.

2. A cut flower display device comprising a bowl open at its top and including a fiat bottom, a pair of side walls rising from said bottom, and an end wall rising from said bottom adjacent each end and connected to the adjacent ends of said side walls, a vertically disposed closed ended housing fixedly positioned at one corner within said bowl and having the lower end portion below the top of said bowl and having the upper end portion exteriorly of and above the top of said bowl, said lower end portion having its side wall provided throughout with a plurality of spaced perforations extending therethrough for the ingress of water from a body of water when contained in said bowl, a vertically disposed pump in the lower portion of said housing adjacent the bottom of the latter and having a horizontally disposed inlet within and in communication with the interior of the lower portion of said housing and having a horizontally disposed outlet projecting through the side wall of the lower portion of said housing and in communication with the interior of said bowl, a prime mover positioned within the upper portion of said housing and operatively connected to said pump, and a plurality of individual supports for cut flowers vertically disposed in a body of water contained in said bowl and adapted to float therein, said supports being moved about the body of water by the circulation of the water induced by the operation of said pump.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,499,165 France June 24, 1924 1,689,954 Marx Oct. 30, 1928 1,862,238 Roe et a1 June 7, 1932 2,283,472 Tuxhorn May 19, 1942 2,295,004 Owen Sept. 8, 1942 2,394,860 Korte Feb. 12, 1946 2,470,563 Jennings May 1'7, 1949 2,533,936 Holmes Dec. 12, 1950 2,604,055 Snowden July 22, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 592,709 Great Britain Sept. 26, 1947 OTHER REFERENCES Goldfish Varieties, by Innes, 14th ed., pub. 1931, pp. through 138.

Popular Science, April 1939, pp. 144 through 147.

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