Bouquet Installation

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for creating a spiral bouquet from a number of flowers, each flower having a stem. The apparatus ensures a perfect shape for the bouquet while reducing time and injury to the person creating the bouquet.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tool for creating a spirally arranged bouquet of flowers. [Background technology]

[0002] The cut flower industry is a fairly large industry, which is responsible for everything from growing the flowers to delivering them to the end user. One of the challenges in delivering a bouquet is to arrange it in a spiral shape, which eliminates the risk of breaking the delicate stems of the flowers. This is done professionally by the florist's hands, which is a time-consuming and difficult process.

[0003] Many florists complain of health problems such as shoulder pain, back pain, and wrist pain due to the time it takes for a florist to hand-craft a bouquet. On an average, a florist can craft five bouquets per hour. This increases the labor cost and, consequently, the price of the bouquet. The problem with crafting bouquets by hand is that the flowers are out of the water for several minutes, which results in the deterioration of the flowers and extra costs to the shop.

[0004] Some attempts have been made to arrange cut flowers in a spiral shape by using an object stiffer than the flower stem to guide the stem into the desired spiral shape, however these attempts can result in the flower stem breaking.

[0005] One attempt to help users arrange cut flowers can be seen in patent EP2856857. The invention is designed to create spiral-shaped bouquets and to be used with unbranched flowers, using a device with rigid parts that could easily break the flower stems during the creation process.

[0006] Another attempt to help users arrange flowers can be found in patent CN106105809. This invention uses a multi-hole plate to create the desired spiral shape. However, the stems may break and the size of the holes may not be suitable for all stem sizes.

[0007] Prior art WO03 / 039241 describes an apparatus for creating a spiral bouquet. The apparatus has several holes for placing the flowers one by one into the holes. This is a time-consuming process compared to the present invention, where all the flowers are placed together in an oval container. Another problem with WO03 / 039241 is that twisting the flowers in the holes increases friction considerably, making it difficult to remove the flowers. All the stems adhere strongly to the inner surface of the holes, making it difficult to remove the flowers. According to WO03 / 039241, the stems of some of the flowers are fragile and may break due to rotation. Whereas in the present invention, the flowers are all placed together and no single fragile flower is subjected to rotational tension.

[0008] Prior art WO2013125943 describes a bouquet maker. This bouquet maker consists of two plates with holes, each flower passes through the hole in the top plate. The bottom of the stem of each flower then needs to be placed in the lower hole. The bouquet is made by rotating the top plate while keeping the bottom plate fixed. The process of passing each flower through the holes is a time consuming process. In the present invention, all the flowers are placed at once and the lower oval container is rotated to create the bouquet in less than a minute. Another problem with WO2013125943 is that many flowers do not have straight stems. Therefore, it is difficult or impossible for the flowers to pass through both the upper and lower holes.

[0009] In the prior art US2013 / 0047502, there is a base with many holes. Each flower is placed in a hole. Then, a spiral bouquet can be created according to the orientation of the holes. Creating a spiral bouquet according to US2013 / 0047502 takes a significant amount of time because each individual flower needs to be placed in a hole. The stems of the flowers do not necessarily need to be the same size and straight to create an ideal spiral shape. On the other hand, in the present invention, all the flowers are placed in the oval container at once, so the process of creating a spiral bouquet is much faster than these prior arts. Summary of the Invention

[0010] To overcome these problems, the present invention proposes a bouquet making tool and process for making bouquets from cut flowers, which includes a spiral maker, an oval cylinder integrated with a brush-based gripper that holds the high side of the flowers at the desired angle and height, arranging the flowers in a spiral shape as the florist designs the bouquet arrangement.

[0011] The present invention relates to a process for creating a bouquet of flowers. Typically, this process specifically involves threading the stem of each flower through the bristles of a brush-based gripper at a desired angle and height, gripping the inserted flower with a soft gripper, placing the bottom of the flower stem inside an oval cylinder, and rotating the oval cylinder to create a spiral arrangement for the flowers of the bouquet. During operation of the device, the oval cylinder rotates and makes contact with the stems of the flowers. Each stem is pushed as it begins to pass the short axis of the oval and released as it passes the short axis of the oval. The bottom of the released stem pops out and assumes a position of least tension and greatest stability. Preferably, to obtain a spiral arrangement of the flowers, the short axis of the oval cross section of the cylinder should be less than the diameter of the final bouquet and the long axis of the oval should be greater than twice the diameter of the final bouquet. The height of the cylinder is typically at least one-fifth of the height of the flowers used. The long axis of the oval is preferably equal to or greater than the height of the cylinder.

[0012] A first aspect of the invention relates to an apparatus (10) for creating a spiral bouquet (50) from a plurality of flowers, each flower having a stem (52). The apparatus (10) comprises a first gripper (12, 14, 16, 18), a second gripper (24, 26), a removable elongated rod-like element (32), and a rotatable container (34). a) the first gripper (12, 14, 16, 18) comprises at least two gripping elements (12, 14, 16, 18), each gripping element (12, 14, 16, 18) comprising a brush head (12, 14, 16, 18) including a plurality of bristles (20, 22) and movable from a first position in which the bristles of each brush head are entangled (30) to form a mesh (30) to a second position in which the bristles of each brush head are spaced apart from one another, and when in the first position, the bristles (30) are capable of holding the flower stems within the mesh at a desired position and height without breaking the stems; b) said second gripper (24, 26) comprises at least two soft finger means (24, 26), each soft finger means (24, 26) being movable in a substantially horizontal plane from a first position spaced apart from one another to a second position forming a defined space between the at least two soft finger means, the defined space being adapted to hold the stem in a desired position and height without breaking the stem, said second gripper (24, 26), when in the second position, being movable in a substantially vertical direction (28) to position the stem in the desired position. c) the removable elongated rod-shaped element (32) has an axis, at least a portion of which is adapted to be positioned at the center of a mesh of the intertwined bristles (30) when the bristles are in the first position (30), the axis (32) being substantially perpendicular to the intertwined bristles (30), the elongated rod-shaped element (32) extending through a defined space between at least two soft finger means of the second gripper, the elongated rod-shaped element (32) being adapted to prevent flower stems from crossing each other; d) the rotatable container (34) has a space bounded by a wall (36) and an opening (38) facing the first gripper (12, 14, 16, 18) when in a first position and facing the second gripper (24, 26) when in a second position, adapted to receive an end of a stem within the container, at least a portion of the space being adapted to receive and hold the end of a stem, the wall (36) surrounding the space being elliptical, and the container (34, 36, 38) being adapted to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise about the axis of the elongated rod-shaped element (32) when positioned at the center of the mesh to create a spiral bouquet.

[0013] In one embodiment, the rotatable container has a disk element (40) supporting an end (42) of the container remote from the opening (38), the disk element (40) having a flat surface facing the end (42) of the container (34, 36), the flat surface (40) extending beyond the wall (36) of the container (34, 36). In an exemplary embodiment, the rotatable container (34) has a funnel (typically made of metal, metal alloy, or plastic) (44) for guiding the end of a stem, the funnel (44) having a conical shape extending from the opening (38) of the container (36) to receive and guide the end of the stem within the container.

[0014] In a further embodiment, the apparatus comprises an electric motor (46) adapted to rotate said container upon application of an electric current.

[0015] In yet a further embodiment, the first gripper comprises three or four gripping elements, with four gripping elements being preferred.

[0016] In a further embodiment, the first gripper comprises two upper gripping elements and two lower gripping elements, the upper gripping elements being located above the rotatable container gripping elements, the upper and lower gripping elements being rotated 90° relative to each other when in the intertwined position. This is particularly shown in Figures 9 and 10. In yet a further embodiment, the four gripping elements (two upper and two lower gripping elements) are held in place by a frame that prevents movement of the individual gripping elements.

[0017] In a further embodiment, the plurality of bristles are made from mammalian hair, such as porcine hair, or a metal / metal alloy.

[0018] In further embodiments, some or all of the bristles are curled to increase friction between the flower stem and the brush. Typically, all of the bristles of each gripping element are curled. In another embodiment, at least two of the gripping elements have a plurality of curled bristles.

[0019] In yet a further embodiment, the second gripper comprises two soft finger means, each finger means being elongated and made of a soft material to prevent the stem from breaking. Preferably, there is one second gripper consisting of two soft finger means. As used herein, the term "soft finger means" is interchangeable with "non-rigid finger means". Typically, the fingers are inflatable to create their softness. Thus, the soft finger means contains air to make it soft and not break the stem.

[0020] In a further embodiment, each of the first gripper, the second gripper, the removable elongate bar element and the rotatable container are fixed to a support element (48) for rotational movement during operation. Typically, the support element is a chassis (48), typically made of a metal or metal alloy, and a support box or disk.

[0021] In yet a further embodiment, the device comprises a disk element and the rotatable container is fixed to or is an integral part of the disk element. Preferably, the disk and container parts are removable for cleaning.

[0022] In yet a further embodiment, the diameter of the oval portion of the container is greater than the smallest diameter of the plurality of flower stems of the spiral bouquet.

[0023] In yet a further embodiment, the first gripper comprises at least two gripping elements, each gripping element comprising a brush head including a plurality of bristles, the bristles being at least 6 centimeters in length. Typically, the bristles are between 6 and 12 centimeters in length.

[0024] In yet a further embodiment, each brush head has an elongated shape with first and second ends opposed to each other, the first end being rotatably mounted to a support element and the second end being movable from a non-tilted position in which the bristles of each brush head are intertwined to form a mesh, to a tilted position in which the bristles of each brush head are spaced apart from each other, and vice versa, the first end being adapted to rotate about an axis perpendicular to the elongated shape of each brush head. A preferred angle from the non-tilted position to the maximum tilted position is between 0° and 30°, the angle being formed between the center of the axis of the rod (32) and the respective position of the brush head relative to the axis.

[0025] In still further embodiments, each flower has a cut stem, and each stem independently has the same or a different stem length and / or the same or a different stem diameter.

[0026] A second aspect of the invention relates to a method for creating a spiral bouquet from a plurality of flowers, comprising inserting flower stems into the device of the first aspect and / or any of the above embodiments, and positioning the flower stems in their most stable position, i.e. in a spiral, by pushing and releasing the flower stems as they are held by a second gripper and rotated in a container.

[0027] A third aspect of the present invention relates to a method for creating a spiral bouquet from a plurality of flowers, the method comprising the steps of: a) a first gripper having at least two gripping elements, each of which is provided with a brush head including a plurality of bristles, the first gripper being movable from a first position in which the bristles of each brush head are intertwined to form a mesh, to a second position in which the bristles of each brush head are spaced apart from one another, the bristles being capable of holding a flower stem in the mesh at a desired position and height when in the first position without breaking the stem; b) a second gripper comprising at least two soft finger means, each soft finger means being movable in a substantially horizontal plane from a first position spaced apart from one another to a second position forming a defined space between the at least two soft finger means, the defined space being adapted to hold the stem in a desired position and height without breaking the stem, said second gripper being movable in a substantially vertical direction when in the second position to place the stem in the desired position; c) a removable elongated rod-shaped element having an axis, at least a portion of which is adapted to be positioned at the center of a mesh of intertwined bristles when the bristles are in a first position, the axis being substantially perpendicular to the intertwined bristles, the removable elongated rod-shaped element extending through a defined space between at least two soft finger means of the second gripper, the removable elongated rod-shaped element being adapted to prevent flower stems from crossing each other; d) a rotatable container having a space surrounded by a wall and an opening, the opening facing a first gripper when in a first position and facing a second gripper when in a second position, adapted to receive an end of a stem within the container, at least a portion of the space adapted to receive and hold the end of the stem, the wall surrounding the space being elliptical, the container adapted to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise about an axis of the elongated rod-shaped element when positioned at the center of the mesh to create a helical bouquet; In an apparatus comprising: Inserting each flower stem into the intertwined mesh at a desired height and orientation; gently holding the flower in the second position with the second gripper; rotating the inserted flowers by the rotatable container while being held in the second position by the second gripper to create a spiral bouquet; and optionally securing the spiral bouquet with a rope. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a bouquet making tool according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a finger gripper and spiral maker according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a spiral maker according to the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a brush gripper and a central rod. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of a brush gripper and rod according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a brush gripper holding a flower and secured to a chassis. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a bouquet making tool according to the present invention; [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a finger gripper holding a prepared bouquet. [Figure 9] 13 is a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of a brush gripper having a holding means; FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the brush gripper of FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of one of the brushes of FIGS. 9 and 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show an exemplary embodiment of a bouquet making tool.

[0030] These drawings do not limit the scope of the invention, but are only intended to guide those skilled in the art to a better understanding of the invention.

[0031] With reference to Figures 1-11, a preferred embodiment of a bouquet making tool according to the present invention is shown. Here, the device (10) is shown without a flower inserted in the entangled bristles. In Figure 1, the bouquet making tool (10) comprises at least one brush-based gripper (12, 14, 16, 18), a finger gripper (24, 26) defined by at least two gripping fingers (24 and 26) configured to hold a cut flower, a gripper arm (28) configured to move vertically, a column (29) configured to rotate, a chassis (48) defined by an elliptical cylinder (34) configured to rotate and impart a spiral arrangement to the cut flower, a disk (40) and an electric motor (42) for rotating the elliptical cylinder (34). The finger grippers (24, 26) are connected to a horizontal arm (28) connected to the column (29), which is further connected to the chassis (48). The finger grippers (24, 26) and horizontal arm (28) are movable in a vertical plane to adjust the height of the finger grippers to a desired height to hold the flower stems (52). The movement of the finger grippers (24, 26) is typically controlled and regulated by a digital control unit such as a computer or an iPad®. It is clear that the height of the column (29), the size of the gripping fingers (24, 26), and the length of the arm (28) may be different sizes to support the creation of different sizes of bouquets. The gripping fingers (24, 26) are typically moved to a pneumatic system to inflate the fingers to hold the stems (52) and prevent them from damaging the stems. Typically, the finger grippers (24, 26) are adapted to receive electrical current, for example, from a power cable. The wall (36) of the cylinder (34) is preferably made of steel, plastic, polymer, or wood, and the floor of the bottom (42) is preferably made of leather, wool, rubber, or fabric.During the process of creating the bouquet, the second gripper (24, 26) holds the cut flowers (52) throughout the process of creating the bouquet, takes the top of the stem of the cut flower, carries the flower, and places the bottom of the stem into the oval cylinder to send the bouquet out. The sizes of all of the various parts of the apparatus depend on the type of flower and the size of the desired bouquet to be made, so for example, the size of the oval cylinder (34) and the size of the second gripper (24, 26), including the soft gripping fingers (24, 26), can be varied depending on the size of the desired bouquet to be made.

[0032] A schematic perspective view of the finger gripper and spiral maker is shown in FIG. 2. A motor, such as an electric motor, is connected to the spiral maker (34) and to the disk (40). The disk (40), connected to the spiral maker (34), is adapted to rotate to rotate the spiral maker, where the disk (40) is configured to intercept water droplets leaking from the flowers (52) to the electric motor. The rotatable disk (40) is disposed within a chassis (48) and can rotate as desired, for example, when an electric current is applied to the motor. Furthermore, the arm (28) holding the gripping fingers (24, 26) is vertically movable when the device (10) is connected to the support means (48). All parts connected to the chassis (48) can be installed and removed for cleaning or otherwise maintaining the device to extend the life of the device and its parts.

[0033] FIG. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of the spiral maker of FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, where the cylinder (34) is rotated by a motor, such as an electric motor (46), at a rotational speed sufficient to create the desired bouquet in a cost-effective manner without damaging the flowers or stems. Such a speed is typically between 2 and 10 revolutions per minute. The rotating cylinder (34) has an interior space defined by the wall (36) and the bottom (42) of the spiral maker (34) and an opening (38). The spiral maker (34) is attached to a disk (40), which is fixed to the wall (36) and the bottom (42) of the cylinder to rotate the spiral maker (34) upon application of a current to the electric motor (46). All parts of the spiral maker are made to be able to be installed and removed to perform maintenance of the spiral maker. Optionally, the spiral maker is made as an integral part that is connected to a chassis (48) to operate the device (10). FIG. 4 shows a schematic perspective view of a brush-based gripper (12, 14, 16, 18) including four brushes (30) and a rod (32) located in the center of the brush-based gripper. The brushes may be secured, for example, by a rubber wrap, string, or spring. Typically, the brushes are secured, for example, by a rubber wrap. As shown, the rod (32) is located in the center so that the stems of the flowers do not cross each other when creating a bouquet. The four brush heads (12, 14, 16, 18) are typically connected to a support means, such as a support rod (13, 15, 17, 19 in FIG. 5), which is connected to a chassis (48) and is movable as described above.

[0034] 5 shows a schematic top view of the brush-based gripper (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18) and rod (32) when the bristles are intertwined. The brush is shown with the bristles (20, 21, 22, 23) intertwined (30) around the rod (32), such that the intertwined mesh (30) has enough friction to hold the flower stem at the desired angle and height.

[0035] Figure 6 shows a schematic perspective view of the process of placing the flower stems into the tangled bristles of the brush. If the flower stems are further secured with a rope, it can be considered a bouquet.

[0036] Figure 7 shows the preferred embodiment of the bouquet making tool described in Figure 1 with a flower in place, where the device (10) of Figure 1 is shown with the flower stem released from the brush-based gripper and its bristles. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of finger grippers (24, 26) holding a prepared bouquet (50) of flowers and stems (52) after preparation using the apparatus of the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a first gripper (60) with four gripping elements (70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82, 84). The gripping elements comprise a brush head including a plurality of bristles (72, 74, 82, 84). In this embodiment of the brush-based gripper of the present invention, the upper brushes (70, 72, 74, 76) are tightly packed together such that no movement is allowed between the upper and lower brushes using a frame (66, 68) connected to the frame (62, 64, 86) of the lower brushes (78, 80, 82, 84). Here, the upper brushes (70, 72, 74, 76) are made with a length of 15 cm to 30 cm. The lower brushes (78, 80, 82, 84) are between 35cm and 55cm long and are held in place by frames (62, 64, 66, 68, 86) made of metal, plastic, or wood to keep the bristles tightly packed. In this Fig. 9, the bristles are not shown individually (they are marked as a whole), but the bristles (72, 74, 82, 84) are the same as those shown in Figs. 1, 4, 5, and 6.

[0038] Figure 10 shows the same embodiment as Figure 9 without the frame, showing the increased surface area of ​​the lower brush to facilitate handling of larger bouquets. In this Figure 10, the bristles are not shown individually (they are marked as a whole), but the bristles (72, 74, 82, 84) are the same as those shown in Figures 1, 4, 5, and 6.

[0039] Figure 11 shows one of the lower gripping elements (90) having a brush head (92, 94) that is 35 cm to 55 cm in length. In this Figure 11, the bristles are not shown individually (they are marked as a whole), but the bristles (94) are the same as those shown in Figures 1, 4, 5, and 6.

[0040] All references cited in this specification, including publications, patent applications, and patents, are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference was individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and was set forth in its entirety herein.

[0041] All headings and sub-headings used herein are used for convenience only and should not be construed as limiting the invention.

[0042] Any combination of all possible variations of the above-described elements is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context.

[0043] The recitation of ranges of values ​​herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise stated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually set forth herein.

[0044] Unless otherwise indicated, all exact values ​​provided herein represent corresponding approximations (e.g., all exact exemplary values ​​provided with respect to a particular factor or measurement can also be considered to provide the corresponding approximate measurement, modified by "about" where appropriate).

[0045] A method for making a spiral bouquet according to the present invention may include inserting flowers into an oval cylinder with a gripper, rotating the cylinder to arrange them in a spiral, and moving the secured flowers outside the water washing unit.

[0046] All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context.

[0047] The terms "a," "an," and "the," and similar references, as used in the context of describing the present invention, are intended to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Thus, "a," "an," and "the" can mean at least one, or one or more.

[0048] The use of any and all examples or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein is intended merely to more clearly describe the invention and does not limit the scope of the invention as otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the invention.

[0049] Citation and incorporation of patent documents herein is done for convenience only and does not reflect any opinion as to the validity, patentability and / or enforceability of such patent documents.

[0050] Any description of any aspect or embodiment of the invention herein using terms such as "comprising," "having," "including," or "containing" in reference to an element is intended to support similar aspects or embodiments of the invention that "consist," "consist essentially of," or "substantially comprise" that particular element, unless otherwise stated or clearly contradicted by context (e.g., a composition described herein as comprising a particular element should be understood to also describe a composition consisting of that element, unless otherwise stated or clearly contradicted by context).

[0051] The features disclosed in the foregoing description may, both individually and in any combination thereof, be material for realizing the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

1. An apparatus for creating a spiral bouquet from a plurality of flowers, each flower having a stem, the apparatus comprising: a first gripper; a second gripper; a removable elongated rod-like element; and a rotatable container; a) the first gripper comprises at least two gripping elements, each of which comprises a brush head including a plurality of bristles and is movable from a first position in which the bristles of each brush head are intertwined to form a mesh, to a second position in which the bristles of each brush head are spaced apart from one another, the bristles being capable of holding the flower stems in the mesh at a desired position and height when in the first position without breaking the stems; b) said second gripper comprises at least two soft finger means, each soft finger means being movable in a substantially horizontal plane from a first position spaced apart from one another to a second position forming a defined space between the at least two soft finger means, the defined space being adapted to hold the stem in a desired position and height without breaking the stem, said second gripper being movable in a substantially vertical direction when in the second position to position the stem in the desired position; c) the removable elongated rod-shaped element has an axis, at least a portion of the axis is adapted to be positioned at the center of a mesh of intertwined bristles when the bristles are in a first position, the axis being substantially perpendicular to the intertwined bristles, the elongated rod-shaped element extending through a defined space between at least two soft finger means of the second gripper, the elongated rod-shaped element being adapted to prevent flower stems from crossing each other; d) the rotatable container has a space surrounded by a wall and an opening, the opening facing a first gripper when in a first position and facing a second gripper when in a second position, adapted to receive an end of a stem within the container, at least a portion of the space adapted to receive and hold the end of a stem, the wall surrounding the space being elliptical, and the container adapted to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise about an axis of the elongated rod-shaped element when positioned at the center of the mesh to create a spiral bouquet.

2. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rotatable container has a disk element supporting an end of the container remote from the opening, the disk element having a flat surface facing the end of the container, the flat surface extending beyond the wall of the container.

3. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the rotatable container has a funnel for guiding the end of a stem, the funnel having a conical shape extending from an opening of the container to receive and guide the end of the stem within the container.

4. 4. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises an electric motor adapted to rotate the container when an electric current is applied to it.

5. 5. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first gripper comprises three or four gripping elements.

6. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bristles are made from a plastic material.

7. 7. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the second gripper comprises two soft finger means, each finger means being elongated and made of a soft material to prevent the stems from breaking.

8. 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the first gripper, the second gripper, the removable elongate rod-shaped element and the rotatable container is fixed to a support element for rotational movement during operation.

9. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the support element is a chassis.

10. Apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that the rotatable container is an integral part of the disc element and can be removed for cleaning purposes.

11. 11. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the diameter of the elliptical portion of the container is greater than the smallest diameter of the flower stems of the spiral bouquet.

12. 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first gripper comprises at least two gripping elements, each gripping element comprising a brush head including a plurality of bristles, the bristles having a length of at least 6 centimeters.

13. 13. The device of any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that each brush head has an elongated shape with opposing first and second ends, the first ends being rotatably mounted on a support element and the second ends being movable from a non-tilted position in which the bristles of each brush head are intertwined to form a mesh, to a tilted position in which the bristles of each brush head are spaced apart from one another, and vice versa, and the first ends are adapted to rotate about an axis perpendicular to the elongated shape of each brush head.

14. 14. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein each flower has a cut stem, each stem independently having the same or a different stem length and / or the same or a different stem diameter.

15. A method for creating a spiral bouquet from a plurality of flowers, comprising: inserting a flower stem into the device of any one of claims 1 to 14, and positioning the flower stem in a most stable spiral position by pushing and releasing the flower stem as the flower stem is held by a second gripper and rotated within a container.

16. 1. A method for creating a spiral bouquet from a plurality of flowers, comprising the steps of: a) a first gripper having at least two gripping elements, each of which has a brush head including a plurality of bristles, the first gripper being movable from a first position in which the bristles of each brush head are intertwined to form a mesh, to a second position in which the bristles of each brush head are spaced apart from one another, the bristles being in the first position capable of holding a flower stem in the mesh at a desired position and height without breaking the stem; b) a second gripper comprising at least two soft finger means, each soft finger means being movable in a substantially horizontal plane from a first position spaced apart from one another to a second position forming a defined space between the at least two soft finger means, the defined space being adapted to hold the stem in a desired position and height without breaking the stem, said second gripper being movable in a substantially vertical direction when in the second position to place the stem in the desired position; c) a removable elongated rod-like element having an axis, at least a portion of which is adapted to be positioned at the center of a mesh of intertwined bristles when the bristles are in a first position, the axis being substantially perpendicular to the intertwined bristles, the removable elongated rod-like element extending through a defined space between at least two soft finger means of the second gripper, the removable elongated rod-like element being adapted to prevent flower stems from crossing each other; d) a rotatable container having a space surrounded by a wall and an opening, the opening facing a first gripper when in a first position and facing a second gripper when in a second position, adapted to receive an end of a stem within the container, at least a portion of the space adapted to receive and hold the end of the stem, the wall surrounding the space being elliptical, the container adapted to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise about an axis of the elongated rod-shaped element when placed at the center of the mesh to create a helical bouquet; In an apparatus comprising: Inserting each flower stem into the intertwined mesh at a desired height and orientation; gently holding the flower in the second position with the second gripper; rotating the inserted flowers by the rotatable container while being held in the second position by the second gripper to create a spiral bouquet; and optionally securing the spiral bouquet with a rope.

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