1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an artificial Christmas tree stand and, more particularly, to a collapsible stand that clamps to a trunk by means of brace members having a moveable outer-and-inner strut assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Christmas tree is the most well-known winter-holiday symbol, and it is likely the most widely used indoor decoration. There is recently invented a plurality of artificial trees which make assembly less timely and less complicated. There is also a corresponding plurality of stands designed to support these trees. The present invention discloses an artificial Christmas tree stand which is less space consumptive, more supportive, and easier to manipulate. A search of the prior art reveals no teachings which read on the appended claims; however, the following references are considered pertinent:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,519 to Cone teaches a “self-clamping Christmas tree stand” which comprises clamping members that compressively drive against a tree trunk;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,441 to Vennucci teaches a “commercial location Christmas tree stand” having three legs, and portions of which comprise a threaded shaft that receives thumb screws that press on a tree trunk;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,094,859 to Kalman et al. teaches a “tree stand” having three arms attached to a receptacle, each arm circumferentially spaced around a sleeve, wherein the arms hingedly move inwardly towards a trunk so a distal sharp point can engage the latter;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,743 to Baker teaches a “Christmas tree skirt support” that comprises a plurality of special braces that angle inwards to a sleeve that circumscribes a tree trunk;
U.S. Design D454,518 to Krinner et al. shows a “Christmas tree stand” that comprises a plurality of legs that meet at a receptacle and an equal plurality of brace members that extend upwards therefrom towards a trunk; and,
U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,301 to Hauser teaches a “Christmas tree stand” having base legs with longitudinal leg slots which receive corresponding wing-bolts of extension plates.
Most tree stands comprise bolts which travel through apertures to impinge against tree trunks. The present design rather includes braces which comprise both inner and outer struts that move against one another to cause a claw on the brace to snap-press against a portion of the tree trunk. These struts further travel along a track to make the artificial Christmas tree stand collapsible.
It is an object of the present invention to teach an artificial Christmas tree stand that supports a tree at its trunk.
It is an object that the present stand reduces a length of legs so that they are less obstructive both to the tree's appearance and to the space where gifts rest. It is an object to focus support of the Christmas tree at a height on the trunk by means of brace members.
It is a further object of the present invention to teach a stand which makes assembly less timely.
It is an object to make the tree stand collapsible so that it may easily unfold for assembly and fold for storage. It is envisioned that all components pivotally collapse so that they rest in one axis.
It is an additional object of the stand to make assembly less complicated.
It is envisioned that the present Christmas tree stand comprise a receptacle for which a distal end of a tree trunk rests. At least three equally spaced legs are pivotally affixed to the receptacle. Three braces extend upwards from a length of the legs towards the tree trunk. Combination outer struts and inner struts move about gears to adjust the braces about a circumference of the tree trunk
It is a final object of the present invention to provide all of the further benefits of the foregoing objects.
The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:
a is an inward facing side elevational view of the outer strut;
b is an inward facing side elevational view of the inner strut; and,
c is an inward facing side elevational view of the outer-and-inner strut assembly.
The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein depicted within the Figures
A top elevational view of an artificial Christmas tree stand 10 (hereinafter “the stand”) is shown in
The receptacle 12 receives the most distal end of an artificial tree trunk. It may comprise a height less than that of receptacles in most conventional stands because its continuous sidewall is not the primary means for supporting the tree; rather, the receptacle 12 offers stability whilst the braces 14 provide most the support at a height on the trunk.
The receptacle 12 is better shown in
A leg 14 is shown in greater detail in
At least one window 38 is formed through the wall 32. This window 38 is shown in the figures to adopt a shape of the wall for which it rests, but it may comprise any shape that accommodates its intended function; hence, a slit may alternatively be comprised traveling the long edge 34b in the wall 32. The window 38 pivotally receives pins on a distal end of the brace 16. A series of teeth 40 climb the long edge 34b. A corresponding, but reverse shaped, point-tab on the brace 16 catches between two teeth 40 whilst the brace 16 is manipulated about a height of the trunk.
A channel 42 is formed through the inside-right corner of the leg 14. The wall 32 at the channel 42 thickens to match a width W of the edge-lengths 34. The channel 42 receives the opposing protrusions 30 on the inside of the second tabs 28 of the receptacle 12. The protrusions 30 act as axle pins so that the leg 14 is capable of pivoting about the receptacle 12.
A spring 44 extends from a top of the leg 14. The spring 44 protrudes outwards from the leg 14 until it travels through the near top portion of a window 22 in the receptacle 12. The spring 44 continues its horizontal travel to provide a little clearance from the sidewall before it angles downwards and inwards the receptacle 12. A slight bend B is formed through the spring 44 towards its distal end. The spring 14 is a self-centering mechanism (refer to
An advantage to the present stand's 10 construction is that it is completely collapsible. The legs 14 fold downwards 90° when the stand 10 is prepared for storage. The legs 14 fold at the pivot formed between the second receptacle tabs 28 and the channel 42. The lengths of the springs 44 travel through the receptacle windows 22 whilst the legs 14 are collapsed.
An elevational rear-side view of the brace 16 is shown in
A rigid claw 52 concavely extends outwards, and inwards, from the brace's inside distal end to engage the tree trunk. The claw 52 is concave shaped to approximate a circumference of the trunk. It snaps around the trunk to secure it firmly in place.
The hollow interior 54 of the brace 16 comprises at least one rigid track 56 for which pair of gears 56 move about. The linkages, or cogs, on the gear mesh with corresponding gear teeth on the track 56. The gears 56 sandwich a distal end of the outer strut 18. A brace slit 58 travels a majority length of the brace 16. The brace slit 58 receives that distal end of the outer strut 18.
A side view of the stand 10 is shown in
A working relationship between both struts 18, 20, the brace 16 and the leg 14 is shown in
The inner strut 20 is shown in
A knob 70 in the form of a protruding finger depression extends from a top of the rail 66 near an approximate distal end of the innermost sidewall 68. The knob 70 receives a finger; the latter presses against the former to push the innermost sidewall 68 towards the outermost sidewall 72. The innermost sidewall 68 is flexible; it can compress towards the outermost sidewall 72 to move the inner strut 20 about the outer strut 18. To achieve the ability to compress, portions of the remaining sidewalls 78 are cut-away at the top side so that a triangular-shaped cut-out 74 is formed. The long-edge of the triangular cut-out 74 starts closest to the outermost sidewall 72 and travels inwards. In this manner, the top of the innermost sidewall 68 compresses the most so that it is closest to the outermost sidewall 72 when the former is pressed against the latter. Finally, a pair of axle pin protrusions 76 protrude outwards from the bottom of the remaining sidewalls 78. These axle pin protrusions 76 are received in the first tab (24) apertures 26 on the receptacle wall. The outer an inner strut assembly 20, 18 is hence capable of pivoting about the receptacle 12.
An operation of the preferred embodiment is best shown in
The brace pivots, so it is capable of expanding to accommodate larger trunks. Essentially, the strut assembly rolls about the brace slit as the brace pivots at the leg. The claw on the brace snaps to engage the tree trunk. As the strut assembly rolls about the brace slit, it pivots at the receptacle first tabs to accommodate any change in its angle relative to the brace.
If the user believes better support is achieved if the braces are lifted or lowered in relation to the tree trunk, they can be manually adjusted so that they snap engage the trunk at the trunk's varied heights. To change the height at which the brace engages the trunk, the user presses the knob at the strut assembly so that he or she can manipulate the brace relative to the leg. The brace can be moved along the long edge of the leg such that its point-tab catches between different teeth. The pin axles on the brace move about the window in the leg's wall.
To prepare the present stand for storage, the leg pivots 90° downward so that it rests parallel to the same longitudinal axis of the receptacle. The strut assembly is slid to the distal end of the brace slit, and the brace tab is moved to catch between the innermost distal teeth. In this manner, the entire stand collapses to essentially rest in one axis.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description only. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed and, obviously, many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments are chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and the embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that a scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and to their equivalents. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.
The present invention claims any benefit of is a continuation in part of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/087,396 filed on Aug. 8, 2008.
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Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61087396 | Aug 2008 | US |