"ORCHID SLEEVING APPARATUS"

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to apparatus, systems and methods applicable to the machine assist sleeve and/ or bagging of cut flowers.

Cut orchids (cymbidiums) require very careful attention if the premium as a bloom is not to be lost. Accordingly sleeving, bagging or otherwise individualising and protecting the bloom has been favoured.

Customarily such sleeving or bagging has been slow or labour intensive.

BACKGROUND ART

The present invention has as its object the prospect of a system where vial engaged stems (eg, as used to hang the blooms safely and/or sustain the blooms with at least water) are used to enable a machine drive into a sleeve or bag (eg, from a slide, chute, support surface, or the like ("slide") into a presented sleeve or bag (preferably not being hand held)).

The invention extends to apparatus, systems and/or methods useful in such a system whether with or without the vial.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION In an aspect the invention is apparatus suitable for or for assisting the sleeving or bagging of cut flowers (eg, orchids), the apparatus comprising or including a slide, a mount for the sleeve or bag at or adjacent one end of the slide, and a drive operable to move a cut flower stem first, by acting on the stem and/or any apparatus (eg, vial) engaged to the stem (whether on a mat or not), from the slide into the sleeve or bag attached to said mount so that the bloom of the flower is in the sleeve or bag. Preferably sleeves are used. Preferably the drive includes a ram.

Preferably the drive engages a vial engaged to an end region of a stem. Optionally the mount is an end region of the. slide eg, preferably at least almost defining a tunnel or funnel.

Preferably the section of any such near or full tunnel or funnel region is egg shaped in cross section.

Preferably the mount is or includes lips or an iris to hold in register with the slide an open sleeve or bag.

Preferably said slide is more horizontal than it is vertical and can indeed be near horizontal (whether inclining or declining in whole or in part).

Preferably there is provision for one (or more) stacks of lie flat sleeves being vacuum uplifted and opened and mechanically mounted to receive the cut flower. Preferably the provision for sleeve mechanical mounting or opening is an expandable Hp arrangement or expandable iris arrangement.

Preferably said slide is in the form of a channel in which a mat or the like on which the cut flower can be placed can readily be hand and/or machine positioned so that the flower itself does not slide on a surface but rather moves with the mat. In another form of the present invention said mount for the sleeve or the bag is an assembly adapted to open and present the sleeve or bag reliant upon suction.

In some form a wicketed or non wicked stack of lie flat sleeves (eg, of polypropylene film) are machine upliftable (by suction) and machine openable (by suction) and mountable (eg, by an expanding iris or lips) for cut flow stem receipt). Preferably said drive is operator actuatable (or timed to sleeve or bag presentation that is operator actuatable).

Preferably said drive is pneumatic.

In another aspect the invention is a bloom sleeving or bagging system suitable for use with a cut flower (eg, an orchid), the system comprising or including cutting the flower, engaging a vial to the, or a, cut end of the stem of the cut flower, and machine assist moving the vial, and thus the cut flower stem-first, (preferably whilst the bloom is on a sHdeable mat) at least into a presented sleeve or bag.

Preferably said system is for orchids. Preferably said vial is engaged by a diaphragm that allows stem end insertion into a reservoir of liquid.

Preferably said machine assist involves a ram.

Preferably said ram acts in conjunction with a slide.

Preferably said slide is adapted to have a map interposed in between the cut flower and the surface of the slide on which the cut flower would -otherwise rest.

Preferably the apparatus is as apparatus previously defined and/or uses a method substantially as hereinafter described.

In another aspect the invention is a method of sleeving or bagging a cut flower, said method comprising or including the steps of:

placing the cut flower directly or indirectly (eg, on. a mat) on a slide stem-wise towards a docked or to be docked open mouthed sleeve or bag, and machine driving the flower by engagement with its stem, or apparatus engaging the stem, so that the bloom of the flower slides (directly or indirectly ie, on the mat) into the sleeve or bag. Preferably the sleeve or bag is docked using manual labour and/ or machine control or assist (eg, as can be the case with a vacuum dependant mount).

Optionally there can be machine controlled placement of the cut flower docking of the sleeve or bag - removal of the sleeved or bagged flower driving of the flower into the sleeve or bag.

Preferably the slide has a tube or near tube, an inside surface of which optionally forms part of the slide, about which a sleeve or bag can be fitted.

In other forms of the present invention a machine presentation of the sleeve or bag is provided, ie, preferably using an assembly that lists a bag from a store thereof.

In some forms of the present invention a machine drive (whilst preferably a ram and preferably acting under pneumatic or the like pressure) can alternatively be machine activated upon detection of an appropriately positioned cut flower and/or vial if any, on a cut stem, and/or the presentation of a sleeve bag ready to receive. In a further aspect the present invention consists in a method of packing cut flowers

(such as orchids) which involves the use of apparatus, a system or a method in accordance with the present invention in individualising the cut flowers prior to their placement in a container.

In a further aspect the present invention consists in an individualised sleeved or bagged bloom that results from the use of apparatus, a system or a method in accordance with the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

A preferred form of the present invention will now be described in part by reference to the accompany drawings in which Figure 1 shows a view looking towards the discharge end of a slide in accordance with the present invention, the broken outline showing the extension of the driven member which is to drive the vial of a vial fitted bloom out beyond the tubular mount for a bag or sleeve,

Figure IA shows a bloom on a mat ready for loading into the sleeve shown (the sleeve in actual fact tending to slump under gravity but being shown extended for clarity), the vial being shown fitted to the end of a stem,

Figut e IB is a similar view to that of Figure IA but with the drive extended under the action of a ram actuated by the pneumatic feeds shown thereby talcing the bloom on its mat into the sleeve whilst the sleeve remains loosely engaged,

Figure 2 is a bloom, such as that of an orchid, with its stem inserted into a liquid containing preferably membrane closed vial,

Figure 3 is a side view of the arrangement as shown in Figure IA, Figure 4 shows, as a flow diagram, one of several procedures that can be used for handling orchids,

Figure 5 shows an egg shaped tunnel region at the end of the slide, the ram having a vial engaging feature and being adapted to reciprocate along the slide, there being a mount set off from the end of the egg shaped tubular tunnel of the slide, a plurality of bag mounting lips (preferably to act on the bag from within if not to clamp to the tunnel or alternatively to clamp to the tunnel), Figure 6 is another view of the arrangement of Figure 5, and Figure 7 is another view of the apparatus of Figures 5 and 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the preferred form of the present invention the slide 1 has a generally channel like form at 2 that leads to a tube end region 3 about which a sleeve or bag 4 is adapted to stretch engage or frictionally engage, or both. Shown unextended is a drivable member 5 capable of being moved out to the position shown as 5A under the triggered action of air feeds 6 and 7 respectively acting on a double acting ram connected to the member 5. Such a member 5 can be moved backwardly and forward between the conditions shown in Figure 1 as 5 and 5A.

Figure IA shows the vial 8 on a stem 9 of an orchid bloom 10. The orchid bloom 10 itself is shown on a mat 11, for example, of TECTRON ™ synthetic material which is a soft matting material of a synthetic plastics.

A feature of the present invention is the ability of the optional mat 11 being carried with the bloom as it slides (with no mechanical action of significance being applied directly to the bloom) as it is guided into and along the sleeve 4. Once in the condition as shown in Figure IB, the stem can be uplifted for packing or can be lifted again for hanging using the vial 8 and this allows it to be hung in a conventional manner if desired.

Figure 5B shows a simplified diagram whereby there is first a cutting of the flowers to be harvested, vial fitting to the cut end (whether following a stem cutting to length or not), and then hanging on a suitable carriage for travel whilst hung to the sleeving apparatus.

The sleeving apparatus is then used. There is a machine (not shown) or manual docking of the sleeve as shown in the drawings and a manual or machine (not shown) placement of the mat on the slide prior to bloom placement with the vial appropriately engaged for movement with the mat upon ram actuation. Ram actuation whether by a foot pedal, or switch, or automatically when detectors determine the time is right, then leads to movement to the condition as shown in Figure 1 B from which there can then be the removal by the vial 8 of the sleeved bloom for hanging prior to, if desired, grading and/ or boxing.

It is believed that apparatus in accordance with the present invention provides a methodology that lends itself to associated mechanisation. Whilst the apparatus can be used very speedily with two operators or with machine assist for the other functions, eg, sleeve docking, and/or mat placement, and/ or bloom placement and/or ram actuation, and/or sleeved bloom removal and/ or hanging, further labour savings are possible for same speed loadings (if not faster speed loadings).

In the arrangement shown in Figures 5 through 6 there is a wicketed or non-wicketed assembly of lay flat sleeves (eg, of clear polypropylene), as shown at 12, for vacuum uplift from ^• above of the top ply to be followed by vacuum support from below of the bottom ply thereof, a different set of vacuum ports being used for that purpose, whereupon it can then progress across to the arrangement 13 there to have lips 14 expanded outwardly as the mounts for the sleeves at or adjacent the end of the tunnel 15. Preferably the arrangement is under the action of one or more microprocessor(s) appropriately programmed. Preferably its programming it is eliminate variables likely to affect quality of the bloom and to ensure a speedy passage thereof.

Preliminary grading and/ or subsequent handling mechanisation can be included again under appropriate controls to provide reproducibility of output. The egg shape cross section shown preferably has the major expanse of the cross section on its lower region rather than its top region.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate how there can be several different sizes of stack provided rather than just a single stack 12. The apparatus can be adapted to select that size sleeve most appropriate for the length of bloom being presented through the apparatus. Alternatively the lips can instead clamp from without onto the sleeve over the tubular tunnel's exit region. Most preferably an expandable iris assembly is used instead of the lips.

It is believed that apparatus in accordance with the present invention, irrespective of the speed and irrespective of the labour involved, will greatly improve the handling of delicate blooms such as orchids thereby reducing premium loss.

In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the invention. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such external documents is not to be construed as an admission that such documents, or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are prior art, or form part of the common general knowledge in the art.