Appeal No. 2005-1238 Page 2
Application No. 09/874,031
BACKGROUND
The appellant's invention relates to devices and methods that are used to divide
a container into sections so that the container can better be used to hold a designed
floral arrangement. More particularly, the present invention relates to partitioned covers
for vases, and other traditional flower holding containers, that assist in the formation of a
floral design (specification, p. 1). A copy of the dependent claims under appeal is set
forth in the appendix to the appellant's brief. Claims 11, 19 and 22, the independent
claims on appeal, read as follows:
11. An assembly, comprising:
a container having an open top end with a predetermined maximum width;
an elastomeric cover element for covering said open top end, said cover
element having an unstretched width that is smaller than said maximum width of
said open top end wherein said cover element must be elastically stretched to a
stretched width greater than said maximum width of said open top end to cover
said open top end; and
a grid pattern of openings defined in said cover element, said grid pattern
having multiple rows and multiple columns, wherein multiple openings are
arranged in each of said rows and each of said columns.
19. A method of preparing a vase for a floral arrangement, wherein the vase
has an open top with a maximum width at least one point, said method
comprising the steps of:
providing an elastomeric cover, containing a plurality of openings that are
arranged in a grid pattern of multiple rows and multiple columns, wherein said
elastomeric cover has a width that is less said maximum width of said vase, and
wherein multiple openings are present in each of said rows and said columns;
stretching said elastomeric cover over said open top of said vase, wherein
said width of said elastomeric cover elastically increases to a width greater than
that of said vase and engages said vase around said open top.
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