CONSTANT ILLUMINATED TAMPER-RESISTANT PLANT SHIPPING CONTAINER

Abstract

A tamper-resistant shipping container for a live plant that includes a conical shaped lower pot containing the roots of a plant surrounded by planting soil. Disposed inside the lower pot and over the top surface of the soil is a disc-shaped, sealing cover made of neoprene or elastic foam. The sealing cover includes a center bore through which the stem of a plant extends. During assembly, the sealing cover is positioned around the stem and pressed firmly against the soil. Attached to the top edge of the lower pot is a lid made of translucent material with surrounding side walls and a closed upper end. Mounted on the upper end_of the lid is an illuminating light source containing LED bulbs and batteries and a switch. When activated the LED bulbs produces continuous light that shines downward onto the plant during shipment. Attached to the adjoining edges of the lid and the lower pot is a tamper-proof tie.

Claims

1. A plant shipping container, comprising; a. a conical shaped lower pot with pendent side walls, and a lower panel, a upper edge, and a top opening; b. an upper lid selectively attached to said upper edge of said lower pot, said lid includes side walls, an upper end, and a perimeter lower edge, said upper lid coaxially aligned over said lower pot with said lower edge positioned adjacent to said upper edge on said lower pot said lid made of translucent material; c. an elastic sealing cover located inside said lower pot and below said top opening; d. a an illuminating light source mounted on said upper end of said upper lid, said illuminating light source includes at least one LED bulb, at least one battery, and a switch connected between said bulb and said battery, said switch configured to selectively energize said LED bulb; and, e. a tamper resistant indicator configured on lid to detect if said lower pot and said upper lid have been separated after initially connected together.

2. The plant shipping container, as recited in claim 1, wherein said upper end of said upper lid includes a recessed cavity in which said illuminating light source is placed.

3. The plant shipping container, as recited in claim 2, wherein said sealing cover is a circular foam disc with a center opening configured to receive the stem of a plant placed inside said lower pot and a side slot that extends from a perimeter edge of said disc to said center hole.

4. The plant shipping container, as recited in claim 2, wherein said illuminating light source includes a circular ring that fits into said recessed cavity, said circular ring includes a lower adhesive layer and a center hole in which said LED, said battery, and said printed circuit board are placed.

5. The plant shipping container, as recited in claim 1, wherein said illuminating light source includes two LED bulbs.

6. The plant shipping container, as recited in claim 1, wherein said sealing cover is a circular foam disc with a center opening configured to receive the stem of a plant placed inside said lower pot and a side slot that extends from a perimeter edge of said disc to said center hole.

7. The plant shipping container, as recited in claim 6, wherein said illuminating light source includes two LED bulbs.

8. The plant shipping container, as recited in claim 1, further including said lower pot having an inside surface with a flat ring surface extending inward adjacent to said top opening and abuts against said lower edge of said upper lid when said upper lid is attached to said lower pot.

9. The plant shipping container, as recited in claim 8, further including a flat washer located on said flat ring surface which creates a waterproof seal when said upper lid is attached to said lower pot.

10. The plant shipping container, as recited in claim 1, further including at laterally extending tabs attached to said upper lid and said lower pot, said tabs are aligned and registered when said upper lid is attached to said lower pot, said tabs configured to receive a tamper resistant connector.

11. The plant shipping container, as recited in claim 2, further including an inside surface with a flat ring surface on said lower pot that extends inward adjacent to said top opening and abuts against said lower edge of said upper lid when said upper lid is attached to said lower pot.

12. The plant shipping container, as recited in claim 11, further including a flat washer located on said flat ring surface which creates a waterproof seal when said upper lid is attached to said lower pot.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a young plant in a tamper-proof, constant illuminated, tamper-resistant shipping container.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the illuminating LED light source seen through the bottom surface of the closed upper end of the lid.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a sectional, partial, side elevational view of the closed end of the lid showing the illuminated light source located inside a recessed cavity formed on the closed upper end of the lid and showing the orientation of the LED bulbs.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the lower pot with the sealing cover located inside the lower pot and showing the top edge of the lower pot and the lower edge of the lid connected together.

[0021] FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the sealing cover.

[0022] FIG. 6 is an illustration of the lid made of translucent material that glows when the LEDX bulb is illuminated and also prevents visibility of the plant inside the LID.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

[0023] Referring to the accompanying Figs. a constant illuminating tamper-resistant shipping container 10 for a live plant 90 that includes a conical shaped lower pot 12 containing the roots 92 of a plant 90 surrounded by planting soil 100, and a removable lid 30 with an illuminating light source attached thereto.

[0024] The lower pot 12 includes a closed lower end 13, and upward, diverting side walls 14 that terminated at a circular top opening 15. Formed inside the lower pot 12 slightly below the lower pot's top opening 15 is an inward extending, flat ring surface 17 shown in FIG. 4. Formed on the inside surface of the sidewalls side walls 14 just above the flat ring surface 17 are two or more horizontally aligned, recessed lug slots 18. Extending laterally from outside surface of the side wall 14 near the top opening 15 is a side tab 19.

[0025] Attached to the upper edge 16 of the lower pot 12 is a lid 30. Formed on the edges 31 of lid 30 is a plurality of compatible lugs 37 that engage the lug slots 18 formed on the inside surface of the lower pot 12 when the lid 30 is aligned and attached over the top opening 15 on the lower pot 12. When rotated, the lower edge 31 of the lid 30 presses tightly against the inside surface of a flat washer 28 disposed over the flat ring surface 17 discussed further below.

[0026] Attached to the upper edge 16 of the lower pot 12 is a lid 30. Formed on the adjoining edges of lid 30 and the lower pot is a plurality of compatible lugs 37 that engaged the lug slots 18 formed on the inside surface of the lower pot 12 when the lid 30 is aligned and attached over the top opening 15 on the lower pot 12. When rotated, the lower edge 31 of the lid 30 presses tightly against the inside surface of a flat washer 28 disposed over the flat ring surface 17 discussed further below.

[0027] In the embodiment shown in the Figs. the lid 30 is made of transparent plastic material with a lower opening 33, an opposite closed upper end 34, and pendent side walls 32. It should be understood that the side walls of the lid 30 may be transparent, opaque or translucent or covered with an optional shading cover.

[0028] Attached to the upper end 34 is an illuminating light source 50 with one to more downward oriented LED bulbs 62 and one or more batteries 66. In the embodiment shown, a recessed cylindrical cavity 36 is formed on the top surface of the upper end 34 that receives the illuminated light source 50.

[0029] The illuminated light source 50 includes an outer ring 52 with a bottom surface that adhesively attaches to the top surface of the cavity 36. The outer ring 52 includes a center opening in which a circular LED printed circular board 60 is placed. Adhesive material 54 is applied to the inside surface of the outer ring 52 to attach the outer ring 52 to the top surface of the recessed cylindrical cavity 36. The LED printed circuit board 60 includes two downward extending LED bulbs 62, two watch batteries 66, and an axially aligned momentary ON/OFF switch 70 that extends upward from the closed end 34. The LED bulbs 62 are oriented perpendicularly on the LED printed circuit board 60. When activated, the LED bulbs 62 generate a light that shines downward through the upper end 34 of the lid 30 and onto the plant 90. In the embodiment shown, a flexible, opaque label 68 is attached to the top surface of the LED source 50 which holds the circuit board 60 on the outer ring 52.

[0030] Disposed inside the top opening of the lower pot 12 and over the top surface of the soil 100 is a disc-shaped, sealing cover 20 made of neoprene or elastic foam. As shown in FIGS. 5, the sealing cover 20 includes a side slot 22 and a center bore 24 through which the stem 94 of a plant 90 extends. During assembly, the sealing cover 20 is positioned around the top surface of the soil 100 and the stem 94 of the plant 90 is inserted through the center bore 24. The sealing cover 20 is then pressed firmly against the top surface of the soil 100. Because over the sealing cover 20 is elastic, the outer edges of the sealing cover 20 are forced outward and presses against the inside surface 13 of the lower pot 12 to securely hold the plant 90 and the soil 100 in place.

[0031] Disposed inside the top opening of the lower pot 12 and over the top surface of the soil 100 is a disc-shaped, sealing cover 20 made of neoprene or elastic foam. As shown in FIGS. 4-5, the sealing cover 20 includes a side slot 22 and a center bore 24 through which the stem 94 of a plant 90 extends. During assembly, the sealing cover 20 is positioned around the top surface of the soil 100 and the stem 94 of the plant 90 is inserted through the center bore 24. The sealing cover 20 is then pressed firmly against the top surface of the soil 100. Because over the sealing cover 20 is elastic, the outer edges of the sealing cover 20 are forced outward and presses against the inside surface 13 of the lower pot 12 to securely holds the plant 90 and the soil 100 in place.

[0032] Disposed over the flat ring surface 17 is an optional flat washer 28. During assembly, the lower edge 31 of the lid 30 presses against the flat washer 28 to create a waterproof seal enabling the container 10 to be used to ship water plants. In addition, the flat washer 28 has sufficiently small inside diameter so when disposed over the flat ring surface 17, the inside edge of the flat washer 28 partially extends inward and covers over the outer edge of the sealing cover 20 to hold the sealing cover 20 inside the lower pot 12.

[0033] The lower pot 12 and the lid 30 includes two laterally extending side tabs 19, 39 aligned and registered with the lid 30 is attached to the lower pot 12. Each tab 19, 39 includes a slot aligned when the lid 30 is attached to the lower pot 12. A color coded, tamper-proof slide connector 80, commonly known as a zip tie, is inserted into the tab 19, 39 and tightened to connect the lid 30 to the lower pot 12 prior to shipment. Because the slide connector 80 must be cut to remove the lid 30 from the lower pot 12, the buyer of the plant 90 can easily examine the slide connector 80 and determine if the container 10 has been opened during transport

[0034] During use, the grower fills the container 10 with the desired plant 90 and soil 100. The lid 30 is then attached to the lower pot 12 to rotate and lock them together. The slide connector 80 is then attached to the tabs 19, 39. The momentary switch 70 is then pressed to activate the illumination source 50 which remains activated for several days. When the container 10 received by the buyer, the buyer verifies the illuminating source 50 is still activated and that the slide connector 80 is unbroken and still connected to the two tabs 19, 39.

[0035] If the plant 90 is a water plant or required wet soil, a flat washer 28 may be placed over the flat surface 17 to create a watertight seal between the lower pot 12 and the lid 30. Because the upper end 34 of the lid 30 is transparent and because the illumination source 50 is located on the outside of the upper end 34 of the lid 30, the illuminating source 50 is not exposed to the contents inside the container 10 and remains dry during shipment.

[0036] The lower pot 12 and the lid 30 includes two laterally extending side tabs 19, 39 aligned and registered with the lid 30 is attached to the lower pot 12. Each tab 19, 39 includes a slot 18 aligned when the lid 30 is attached to the lower pot 12. A color coded, tamper-proof slide connector 80, commonly known as a zip tie, is inserted into the tab tabs 19, 39 and tightened to connect the lid 30 to the lower pot 12 prior to shipment. Because the slide connector 80 must be cut to remove the lid 30 from the lower pot 12, the buyer of the plant 90 can easily examine the slide connector 80 and determine if the container 10 has been opened during transport.

[0037] FIG. 6 is an illustration of the lid 130 made of translucent plastic material that glows when the LED bulb 62 are illuminated. Because the LED printed circuit board 60 is placed on the outside surface of the closed end 134 of the LID 130 light from the LED bulbs 62 shine down wall through the closed end 134 to illuminate the plant 90 and the entire lid 130. Because the LID 130 is translucent light from the bulbs 62 are reflected off the inside surface of the lid 130 and onto the plant 90 thereby increasing the light exposure to the plant 90 Plants growing inside the LID are obscured and unidentifiable when the LED is activated or deactivated.

[0038] In compliance with the statute, the invention described has been described in language more or less specific on structural features. It should be understood however, that the invention is not limited to the features shown, since the means and construction shown, comprises the preferred embodiments for putting the invention into effect. The invention is therefore claimed in its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the amended claims, appropriately interpreted under the doctrine of equivalents.