Apparatus for processing cut flowers or similar articles

Apparatus for processing cut flowers or similar articles, comprising:

• a stand formed with an opening for receiving the stems of a bunch of the cut flowers or other articles;
• an elastic band holder underlying the opening and movable to either an open position or to a closed position;
• means for moving the elastic band holder first to its closed position for receiving the elastic band, and then to its open position for stretching the elastic band to enclose the bunch of stems received through the opening in the stand;
• a stripper member for stripping the elastic band from the holder onto the stems inserted through the opening;
• an elastic tube holder for holding an elastic tube from which the elastic bands are to be cut;
• cutter means for cutting elastic bands from said elastic tube;
• indexing means for indexing the elastic tube holder to advance the elastic tube held thereby towards said cutter means a distance equal to the width of each elastic band to be cut during each operation of the apparatus;
• a slide assembly including an upper slide plate formed with a through socket for receiving an elastic band cut by said cutter means, and a lower slide plate underlying said upper slide plate;
• an actuator for moving both said slide plates together, from a first position wherein said socket receives an elastic band after being cut by said cutter means, towards a second position wherein said socket overlies said elastic band holder;
• and arresting means for arresting the movement of said lower slide plate just before the upper slide plate reaches said second position, to thereby permit the elastic band within the socket to drop into said elastic band holder while the elastic band holder is in its closed position.

Apparatus for processing cut flowers, comprising:

• a stand formed with an opening for receiving the stems of a bunch of the cut flowers;
• an elastic band holder underlying the opening for applying an elastic band to the stems of the bunch of cut flowers inserted in said opening;
• a plurality of fingers at one side of the stand for receiving the ends of the stems of the cut flowers to be bunched in order to facilitate counting their number;
• a limit member at the opposite side of the stand for engaging the opposite ends of the stems to uniformly align them;
• trimming means within the stand underlying said opening;
• a handrest mounted above the upper surface of the stand adjacent said opening and engageable by the operator's hand, while gripping a bunch of the flowers whose stems are passed through said opening in the stand, to fix the length of the stems trimmed by said trimming means within the stand;
• and an indicator located between said fingers and limit member to indicate the location of the flowers received on the stand to be gripped by the operator before inserting the stems through said opening in the stand.