Your petitioner, JOEP PATERNOSTRE, a citizen of the Netherlands, whose address is 43 P-39 DRIVE, WAYNESBORO, VA 22980, prays that Letters Patent may be granted to him for improvements in a FLOWER BULB CONTAINER as set forth in the following specification.

FLOWER BULB CONTAINER

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The disclosure herein pertains to cultivating flower bulbs generally, and particularly pertains to a container for use in connection with stabilizing and cultivating a flower bulb.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART AND OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Flower bulbs are typically grown in a container capable of supporting the bulb upright throughout the life of the bulb. Maintaining an upright orientation of the bulb is necessary to ensure the bulbs are growing healthy because the less a bulb needs to support itself upright, the more the bulb can focus its energy on growing larger and more colorful flowers. To provide this support, containers are typically filled with a substrate material that surround the flower bulbs. In other situations, the flower bulbs are placed on a support device that is then placed into the container to support the flower bulbs in an upright orientation.

[0003] Because of a phenomenon called differential growth, as flower bulbs grow and the shoots portion of the plant grows taller, it is not uncommon for the flowers to lean in one direction, typically in response to a certain type of stimuli, such as temperature, light, and humidity. The side of the plant that faces these and other stimuli tend to grow slower, while the opposite side of the plant, facing away from these and other stimuli, tend to grow much faster. This ultimately results in a flower bulb producing shoots that lean in a particular direction. The more the plant leans, the more likely it is that the flower bulb will tip over and fall out of the container. For this reason, many people tend to rotate their bulbs throughout growth to make sure that each side of the plant faces these and other stimuli. [0004] Many flower bulbs require a constant source of nutrients for healthy growth, so flower bulbs are often shipped in containers that have either a nutrient-rich substrate or a nutrient solution or both. During shipment, containers must support the bulb within the container, preferably in an upright orientation, and also must retain any nutrient-rich substrate or nutrient solution within the container, preferably below the bulb. This is a challenge for those who wish to ship hydroponic flower bulbs, because during transportation, these containers will be subjected to various unpredictable forces which may cause the nutrient-rich substrate, the nutrient solution, or both to spill from the container.

[0005] To avoid this problem, some hydroponic containers include lids to prevent the nutrient-rich substrate, nutrient solution, or both from cresting about the opening of the container and spilling out of the container. Because substrates located in the container, which may be nutrient rich or not, provide stability for the flower bulb, as substrate spills from within the container, the less stable the flower bulb will be and the more likely the flower bulb will tip over.

[0006] Thus, in view of the problems and disadvantages associated with prior art devices, the present disclosure was conceived and one of its objectives is to provide a container for holding flower bulbs in an upright orientation, throughout the life of the plant.

[0007] It is another objective of the present disclosure to provide a container with a sloped rim to allow more surface area of the bulb to show and be accessible for placing the bulb in the container and rotating the bulb as it grows within the container.

[0008] It is still another objective of the present disclosure to provide a container for supporting a flower bulb in an upright orientation and prevent the flower bulb from tipping over.

[0009] It is yet another objective of the present disclosure to provide a container for retaining a flower bulb above the base of the container to allow a root system of the flower bulb to grow into a reservoir. [0010] It is a further objective of the present disclosure to provide a container for holding a flower bulb during growth, the container including a bowl having an angularly biased opening to support the flower bulb and prevent the flower bulb from tipping over.

[0011] It is still a further objective of the present disclosure to provide a container having a waist portion for holding a flower bulb above the reservoir of the container without the need for any support devices.

[0012] It is another objective of the present disclosure to provide a container for supporting a bulb above a reservoir such that the bulb substantially plugs an open end of the reservoir to prevent the substrate, the nutrient solution, or both from spilling out of the reservoir.

[0013] It is yet a further objective of the present disclosure to provide a decorative flower bulb container that is easy to manufacture.

[0014] Various other objectives and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description is set forth below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The aforesaid and other objectives are realized by providing a container for retaining and supporting a flower bulb upright throughout growth. The container includes a reservoir, a waist portion, and a bowl in fluid communication with each other. The reservoir is formed by a bottom base with a first sidewall extending upwardly from a periphery of the base and forming an open end at the top of the reservoir. The waist portion is formed by a narrow portion joining the open top end of the reservoir to the bottom opening end of the bowl. The bowl is formed by a second sidewall extending upwardly from the open top of the waist portion such that the bowl is situated above the reservoir. The second sidewall terminates at a top surface of the bowl forming an angularly biased top opening. The angularly biased top opening is defined by a rim formed having a shallow sidewall section and a steep sidewall section. The top surface of the bowl may be planar or undulating forming one or more peaks and valleys. [0016] In a preferred embodiment, an outer surface of the base defines a planar surface, and the first sidewall is a curved convex sidewall forming a bulge geometry in the reservoir. The open top end of the reservoir preferably defines the waist having a width narrower than the bulge geometry of the reservoir. The waist of the container is configured to support a flower bulb above the reservoir and allow a portion (i.e., a root system) of the flower bulb to rest and propagate into the reservoir. The waist of the container defines an opening dimension that is less than a top opening dimension of the angularly biased top opening of the bowl, such that the bowl can retain the flower bulb which will seat within the waist portion of the container and the flower bulb remains centrally positioned above the reservoir for optimal growth of the bulb’s root system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the flower bulb container.

[0018] Fig. 2 pictures a front view of the flower bulb container.

[0019] Fig. 3 depicts a back view of the flower bulb container.

[0020] Fig. 4 demonstrates a right-side view of the flower bulb container.

[0021] Fig. 5 illustrates a left-side view of the flower bulb container.

[0022] Fig. 6 features a top plan view of the flower bulb container.

[0023] Fig. 7 shows a bottom plan view of the flower bulb container.

[0024] Fig. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional right side view of the flower bulb container as seen along lines 8-8 of Fig. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT AND OPERATION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described below. Use of the term “exemplary” means illustrative or by way of example only, and any reference herein to “the disclosure” is not intended to restrict or limit the disclosure to exact features or step of any one or more of the exemplary embodiments disclosed in the present specification. References to “exemplary embodiment”, “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “various embodiments”, and the like may indicate that the embodiment(s) of the disclosure so described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily incudes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in one embodiment”, “in an exemplary embodiment”, or “in an alternative embodiment” do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although they may.

[0026] It is also noted that terms like “preferably”, “commonly”, and “typically” are not utilized herein to limit the scope of the disclosure or to imply that certain features are critical, essential, or even important to the structure or function of the disclosure. Rather, these terms are merely intended to highlight alternative or additional features that may or may not be utilized in a particular embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] The present disclosure is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures, in which one or more exemplary embodiments of the disclosure are shown. Like numbers used herein refer to like elements throughout. The disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be operative, enabling, and complete. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limited as to the scope of the disclosure, and any and all equivalents thereof. Moreover, many embodiments such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the instant disclosure. [0028] Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for the purposes of limitation. Unless otherwise expressly defined herein, such terms are intended to be given their broad, ordinary, and customary meaning not inconsistent with that applicable in the relevant industry and without restriction to any specific embodiment hereinafter described. As used herein, the article “a” is intended to include one or more items. Where only one item is intended, the terms “one and only one”, “single”, or similar language is used. When used herein to join a list of items, the term “or” denotes at least one of the items but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list.

[0029] For exemplary methods or processes of the disclosure, the sequence and/or arrangement of steps described herein are illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, it should be understood that, although steps of various processes or methods may be shown and described as being in a sequence or temporal arrangement, the steps of any such processes or methods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence or arrangement, absent an indication otherwise. Indeed, the steps in such processes or methods generally may be carried out in various different sequences and arrangements while still falling within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0030] Additionally, any references to advantages, benefits, unexpected results, or operability of the present disclosure are not intended as an affirmation that the disclosure has previously been reduced to practice or that any testing has been performed. Likewise, unless stated otherwise, use of verbs in the past tense (present perfect or preterit) is not intended to indicate or imply that the disclosure has previously been reduced to practice or that any testing has been performed.

[0031] For a better understanding of the disclosure and its operation, turning now to the drawings, Figs. 1-8 depict a preferred embodiment of a flower bulb container 10 according to the present disclosure. Generally, the flower bulb container 10 includes a reservoir 20, waist 30, and a bowl 40, all in fluid communication, preferably such that the bowl 40 is positioned above the reservoir 20. The reservoir 20 may be defined by a bottom base 21 as seen in Fig. 7 forming a first sidewall 23 extending upwardly from an outer edge, or periphery 22 of the base 21 to form an open top end 24. The waist 30 which joins reservoir 20 to bowl 40 may have a concave shape with an upper wider portion 31 , a central narrow portion 32, and a lower wider portion 33. The lower wider portion 33 joins with the open top end 24 of reservoir 20 and the upper wider portion 31 joins with a bottom opening 41 of bowl 40. The bowl 40 is formed by a second sidewall 43 extending above the open top end 24 of the reservoir 20 and terminating at a top surface 44 forming an angularly biased top opening 45. The angularly biased top opening 45 is defined by a rim 46 having a shallow sidewall section 47 that terminates a distance lower than a steep sidewall section 48. The bowl 40 is in fluid communication with the reservoir 20 via waist 30. The waist 30 such as seen in Figs. 3 and 6 is preferably the component of the flower bulb container 10 having the narrowest width in comparison to the reservoir 20 and bowl 40.

[0032] The base 21 includes an inner base surface 25 and an outer base surface 26 and defines a closed end of the reservoir 20 as shown in Fig. 8. In other embodiments (not shown), the base 21 may define one or more apertures to allow nutrient solution to seep into or out of the reservoir 20 via the one or more apertures. As shown in the Figures, the base 21 may be formed having a circumferential edge or periphery 22, but as would be understood in alternative embodiments (not shown) the base 21 may be any shape and may include more than one outer edge. The outer base or bottom surface 26 is preferably planar to allow the flower bulb container 10 to rest upright when the container 10 is placed on a flat surface (not shown). The first sidewall

23 extends upwardly from the outer edge, or periphery 22 of the base 21 forming an open top end

24 of the reservoir 20. In the preferred embodiment, the first sidewall 23 curves outwardly from base 21 and extends upwardly and curves back inwardly proximate open top end 24 to form a waist 30 between the reservoir 20 and the bowl 40. The waist 30 is preferably the narrowest portion of the container 10 defining an opening dimension 71 as seen in Fig. 8. The waist 30 is configured (sized, shaped, and otherwise capable) to support a flower bulb (not shown) above the reservoir 20 such that a root system (not shown) of the flower bulb may rest and propagate into the reservoir 20 without the flower bulb falling into the reservoir 20. In the preferred embodiment, the base 21 and the waist 30 are separated a distance of approximately 2.47 inches (+/- 0.5 inches). In other embodiments, the distance between the base 21 and the waist 30 may be more or less than 2.47 inches, depending on the desired volume of the reservoir 20. [0033] In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 -8, the first sidewall 23 is integrally formed from the outer edge, or periphery 22 of the base 21 and defines a first sidewall inner surface 27 and a first sidewall outer surface 28 as best seen in Fig. 8. The first sidewall 23 defines the size and volume of the reservoir 20. In the preferred embodiment, the first sidewall 23 is convex forming a bulge geometry in the reservoir 20, such that the bulge geometry is wider than the base 21 and the waist 30, as demonstrated by bulge geometry width 12 in Fig. 5. In alternative embodiments (not shown) the first sidewall 23 is not convex, and the reservoir 20 does not include the bulge geometry. A flower bulb container 10 having a bulge geometry will form a reservoir 20 with a larger volume, whereas a flower bulb container 10 having a narrower bulge geometry, or no bulge geometry, will form a reservoir 20 defining a smaller volume. The necessary volume of the reservoir 20 depends on the size of a flower bulb to be placed in the bowl 40, the size of the root system of the selected flower bulb, and the amount of substrate and/or nutrient solution (not shown) necessary to support the flower bulb to ensure healthy growth. In the preferred embodiment, the first sidewall 23 is convex and has a radius of approximately 1.90 inches (+/- 0.25 inches).

[0034] Although not shown, the reservoir 20 is configured to retain a nutrient solution, substrate, and the root system of a flower bulb. The reservoir 20 defines the maximum volume of substrate and/or nutrient solution that can be retained within the reservoir 20. The open top end 24 of the reservoir 20 is preferably configured (sized, shaped, and otherwise capable) to prevent the contents retained within the reservoir 20 from cresting above and spilling out of the reservoir 20. In the preferred embodiment, as the substrate and/or nutrient solution is subjected to unpredictable forces, the waist 30 will inhibit the substrate and/or nutrient solution from cresting above the open top end 24 of the reservoir 20. In addition, when a flower bulb is placed in the bowl 40, the open top end 24 of the reservoir 20 is substantially plugged, further inhibiting the substrate and/or nutrient solution from spilling out of the reservoir 20.

[0035] In the preferred embodiment, the waist 30 is configured (sized, shaped, and otherwise capable of) to support a flower bulb (not shown) above the reservoir 20 while allowing a root system (not shown) of the flower bulb to rest and propagate in the reservoir 20. The waist 30 is preferably the narrowest portion of the container 10 and defines the open top end 24 of the reservoir 20 which is configured to receive the root system of the flower bulb.

[0036] In the preferred embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, the bowl 40 is formed of the second sidewall 43 extending upwardly from a bottom opening 41 and terminates at a top surface

44 defining the angularly biased top opening 45. The top surface 44 is not co-planar with the outer base or bottom surface 26 of the reservoir 20. The second sidewall 43 defines a second sidewall inner surface 49 and a second sidewall outer surface 50 as seen in Fig. 8. The second sidewall 43 defines the size and volume of the bowl 40. In the preferred embodiment, the second sidewall 43 is convex forming a bulge geometry in the bowl 40, such that the bulge geometry is wider than the base 21 and the waist 30, as demonstrated by bulge geometry width 14 seen in Fig. 5. In alternative embodiments (not shown) the second sidewall 43 is not convex, and the bowl 40 does not include the bulge geometry. A flower bulb container 10 having a bulge geometry will form a bowl 40 with a larger volume, whereas a flower bulb container 10 having a narrower bulge geometry, or no bulge geometry, will form a bowl 40 defining a smaller volume. The angularly biased top opening

45 is defined by a rim 46 having a steep sidewall section 48 extending higher than (i.e., above) a shallow sidewall section 47 as best demonstrated in Figs. 4 and 5. The steep sidewall section 48 defines the highest point on the top surface 44, and the shallow sidewall section 47 defines the lowest point on the top surface 44. The top surface 44 may be a planar surface (as shown in the Figures), or in alternate embodiments the top surface 44 may be contoured such that the rim 46 is not situated on a planar surface. In the preferred embodiment, the angularly biased top opening 45 defines a top opening dimension 70 configured (sized, shaped, and otherwise capable) to receive a flower bulb (not shown) having similar dimensions. In the preferred embodiment, the top opening dimension 70 of angularly biased top opening 45 is larger than both the opening dimension 71 of waist 30 and the opening dimension 72 of the open top end 24 of the reservoir 20 to enable a flower bulb to be placed in the bowl 40 without the flower bulb falling into the reservoir 20. Although not shown as would be understood the flower bulb would seat within bowl 40 resting atop waist 30 such that the root system of the flower bulb would extend within reservoir 20. The angularly biased top opening 45 and rim 46 allows for exposure of a portion of the flower bulb during placement, allowing a user to easily place a flower bulb within the bowl 40 of the container 10 and position the root system of the flower bulb through the waist 30 and into the reservoir 20.

I Tt is preferred that the top opening dimension 70 of bowl 40 defines a diameter between, and inclusive of approximately 1.50 inches to 5.00 inches (+/- 0.25 inches). In the preferred embodiment, the top opening dimension 70 defines a diameter of approximately 3.87 inches (+/- 0.50 inches).

[0037] The bowl 40 is configured to receive and support a flower bulb within the bowl 40 and the second sidewall 43 is configured (sized, shaped, and otherwise capable) to prevent the flower bulb from tipping over as a shoots portion (not shown) of the flower bulb grows vertically. Since the shoots portion of the flower bulb tends to lean in one direction, due to a phenomenon called differential growth, the flower bulb may be rotated within container 10 to lean away from the stimuli and towards the steep sidewall section 48 of the second sidewall 43 which will provide more support than the shallow sidewall section 47 of the second sidewall 43. The slope 80 between the shallow sidewall section 47 and steep sidewall section 48 may vary depending on the flower bulb and structural support necessary to maintain the flower bulb upright. In some embodiments, as shown in the Figures, the rim 46 may taper at a constant slope such that the top surface 44 of the bowl 40 is planar. In other embodiments, not shown, the rim 46 may not taper at a constant slope, rather slopes undulating between the steep sidewall section 48 and the shallow sidewall section 47. In some embodiments, the slope 80 between the shallow sidewall section 47 and steep sidewall section 48 of the second sidewall 43 may be between approximately ten degrees (10°) and seventy degrees (70°), and ideally may be between approximately twenty degrees (20°) and sixty degrees (60°). In the most preferred embodiment, as shown in the drawings, the slope 80 between the shallow sidewall section 47 and the steep sidewall section 48 is approximately forty- five degrees (45°). Embodiments defining a steeper slope 80, such as seventy degrees (70°), may provide more support for the flower bulb compared to embodiments defining a more gradual slope 80, such as ten degrees (10°). Embodiments defining more a more gradual slope 80, such as ten degrees (10°), may expose more bulb surface area which may be appealing for consumers.

[0038] The flower bulb container 10 may be manufactured of any material and most preferably of plastic, glass, metal, or any other similarly manufactured material. The container 10 is preferably manufactured as a unitary body to enhance aesthetics, increase the integrity, and reduce the cost of manufacturing of the container. It shall be understood that components and

I features described herein as individual structures may be formed in a unitary manner. Tn some embodiments the material used may be transparent to allow a consumer to view inside the container, particularly the reservoir 20 of the container 10. In the preferred embodiment, the first and second sidewalls 23, 43 define a thickness of approximately 0.10 inches, but in other embodiments the first and second sidewalls 23, 43 define a thickness larger than 0.10 inches.

[0039] The illustrations and examples provided herein are for explanatory purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.