Patent Application
20070084975
This invention relates generally to ornamental iron lawn and garden accessories. More particularly, the present invention relates to support stands for displaying various lawn and garden products.
For aesthetic purposes, lawns and gardens have long been decorated with hanging plants, birdhouses, birdfeeders, globes and the like. Such items are routinely hung from tree branches or posts or poles planted firmly into the ground. Alternatively, portable stands that are anchorable in the ground are used to display various ornamental items. Such stands are typically comprised of vertical rods having one or more hooks at the top end for suspending ornamental items. At the bottom end, the stands typically have multiple prongs spaced apart from each other for providing a stable platform in order to support the weight of the ornamental items. These stands provide an attractive and easily transportable method for displaying ornamental items. However, the hooks and prongs extending into various directions take up an excessive amount of space, making shipping and storage of such stands cumbersome. For stands having solid welded construction, disassembly to reduce their space consumption for storage is not possible. For stands that can be disassembled, disassembly is inconvenient due to the time required for disassembly and the resulting necessity of reassembling the stand at a later time. Also, consumers may find it difficult to assemble stands comprising many loose parts. It is, therefore, disadvantageous for manufacturers to require consumers to assemble stands that are shipped or stored unassembled.
An ornamental display stand for lawn and garden accessories comprises a plurality of rods having a first end and a second end, a plurality of upper brackets and a plurality of lower brackets. The plurality of upper brackets is positioned near the first end of the plurality of rods and comprise a plurality of holes for receiving the plurality of rods. The plurality of lower brackets is positioned near the second end of the plurality of rods and comprise a plurality of holes for receiving the plurality of rods. A first of the plurality of rods is rigidly joined with one of the plurality of holes of each of the plurality of the plurality of the upper and lower brackets. A second rod and a third rod of the plurality of rods are engagable with holes of the upper and lower brackets.
First rod 14A is comprised of hook 30 at first end 26 and prong 32A at second end 28. Hook 30 is used to support hanging basket 22, another lawn and garden decoration, or any other item. In one embodiment, hook 30 extends approximately 18 inches (˜45.72 cm) from rod 14A. Prong 32A is formed by shaping first rod 14A into horizontal and vertical segments at second end 28 and provides a portion of a base for supporting stand 10. Prong 32A is spaced apart from the main body of first rod 14A and provides a counter rotational force to stand 10 from the gravitational forces applied to stand 10 by birdhouse 20 and hanging basket 22. Prong 32A can either be rested on a level surface or sunk into a soft surface, such as sand or dirt. In one embodiment, the length of the horizontal portion of rod 14A is approximately 12 inches (˜30.48), and the length of prong 32A is approximately 9 inches (˜22.86 cm). In one embodiment of stand 10, rod 14A is comprised of V2 inch (˜1.27 cm) iron rod. The length of rod 14A depends on the desired height of stand 10. Thus, the final height of rod 14A, after shaping hook 30 and prong 32A, varies depending on the desired elevation of basket 22 or birdhouse 20. In one various embodiments, the final height of rod 14A varies from approximately 72 inches (˜182.88 cm) to approximately 86 inches (˜218.44 cm).
Second rod 14B includes ornamentation 34 at first end 26 and prong 32B at second end 28. Ornamentation 34 is for decorative purposes, and in other embodiments a hook can be fashioned at first end 26 of second rod 14B for supporting a hanging basket or another item. Prong 32B is formed by shaping second rod 14B into horizontal and vertical segments at second end 28 and provides a portion of a base for supporting stand 10 along with prong 32A. Prong 32B is spaced apart from the main body of second rod 14B and provides a counter rotational force to stand 10 from the gravitational forces applied to stand 10 by birdhouse 20 and hanging basket 22, in a direction opposite of prong 32A. In conjunction with prong 32A, prong 32B can either be rested on a level surface or sunk into a soft surface, such as sand or dirt. In one embodiment, rod 14B is approximately ½ inch (˜1.27 cm) in diameter. The length of rod 14B depends on ornamentation 34 and such that the final height of rod 14B matches that of rod 14A. Prong 32B is generally shaped similar to prong 32A. However, in other embodiments the size of any hook used with rod 14B and the size of prong 32B can vary.
Brackets 12A and 12B are used to rigidly link first rod 14A and second rod 14B at first end 26. In one embodiment, brackets 12A and 12B are spaced approximately 6 inches (˜15.24 cm) apart from each other. Brackets 12A and 12B include means for receiving accessory attachment 18. Accessory attachment 18 includes a stop for adjusting the height of accessory attachment 18. Accessory attachment 18 is free to rotate in brackets 12A and 12B such that the orientation of birdhouse 20 can be adjusted.
Brackets 12C and 12D are used to rigidly link first rod 14A and second rod 14B at second end 28. In one embodiment, brackets 12C and 12D are spaced approximately 6 inches (˜15.24 cm) apart from each other. Brackets 12C and 12D include means for receiving anchor 16. Anchor 16 is comprised of shaft 36 and crossbar 38. Shaft 36 extends from between rods 14A and 14B straight down and provides an additional anchor point for stand 10. Crossbar 38 includes two additional prongs 40A and 40B, which are bent down from crossbar 38 and provide counter rotational forces to stand 10 from the gravitational forces applied to stand 10 by birdhouse 20 and hanging basket 22, in directions opposite than that of prongs 32A and 32B. Anchor 16 is free to rotate in brackets 12C and 12D such that the orientation of anchor 16 can be adjusted.
In other embodiments of stand 10, first rod 14A, second rod 14B and anchor 16 include different combinations of straight and spaced prongs for providing additional support to stand 10 or for fitting stand 10 into tight places, such as corners. For example, in one embodiment, prong 32A of first rod 14A comprises a straight prong that extends straight down from the main body of first rod 14A (i.e. rod 14A includes no horizontal portion). Similarly, in another embodiment, second rod 14B includes a straight prong extending straight down from the main body of second rod 14B. Also, in another embodiment of anchor 16, shaft 36 includes a prong spaced away from shaft 36 by fashioning a horizontal portion and vertical portion of shaft 36, and anchor 16 does not include cross bar 38.
Brackets 12A and 12B comprise hole 44C having a diameter for receiving accessory attachment 18. The diameter of the rod comprising accessory attachment 18 is approximately ½ inch (˜1.27 cm). Likewise, brackets 12C and 12D comprise holes 44C having a diameter for receiving shaft 36 of anchor 16. In one embodiment, the diameter of shaft 36 and crossbar 38 are approximately ½ inch (˜1.27 cm). Thus, brackets 12A-12D include means compatible for receiving either anchor 16 or accessory attachment 18.
First and second halves 42A and 42B are welded to each other and to first rod 14A and second rod 14B such that rods 14A and 14B cannot rotate in holes 44A and 44B, nor can brackets 12A and 12B slide along rods 14A and 14B. Preferable weld sites are located on mating edges of half 42A and half 42B along mating line AA at points A, B, C and D. In one embodiment, welds are made at points A and D and extend approximately ⅓ of the way around rods 14A and 14B, respectively. The welds are sufficiently large to bond half 42A and 42B along line AA and to also join rods 14A and 14B with each half. In another embodiment, the welds at points A and D are done on the underside of bracket 12A. Thus, hole 44C is formed such that accessory attachment 18 can rotate freely inside hole 44C of brackets 12A and 12B. Brackets 12C and 12D are similarly welded to rods 14A and 14B. Thus, hole 44C is formed such that shaft 36 of anchor 16 can rotate freely inside hole 44C of brackets 12C and 12D.
Likewise, accessory attachment 18 is easily rotated in hole 44C of brackets 12A and 12B to orient, for example, birdhouse 20 in a preferred direction. Accessory attachment 18 is also easily removed from brackets 12A and 12B for storage of stand 10.
In order to employ stand 10, anchor 16 is inserted into brackets 12C and 12D and rotated to a preferred orientation, once stand 10 is transported to a desired location. Then, stand 10 is positioned upright and prongs 32A-32D and shaft 36 can be sunk into the ground or rested on a smooth surface. Finally, any desired accessory attachment 18 could be inserted into brackets 12A and 12B and rotated to a preferred orientation. Thus, ornamental display stand 10 provides a convenient and simple lawn and garden display stand for which little assembly is required.
Rods 48A, 48B and 48C can comprise any combination of hooks or ornamentation at an upper end, such as hook 30 or ornamentation 34 shown on two-rod stand 10 in
First half 56A and second half 56B are welded to each other and to first rod 48A such that rod 48A cannot rotate in hole 58A, nor can bracket 52 slide along rod 48A. Preferable weld sites are located on mating edges of half 56A and half 56B along mating line BB at points F, G, and H. In one embodiment, welds are made at points H and F and weld F extends approximately ⅓ of the way around rod 48A. Welds F and H are sufficiently large to bond half 56A with half 56B along line BB, and weld F also joins rod 56A with each half. In another embodiment, the welds at points F and H are done on the underside of bracket 52. Thus, hole 58D is formed such that anchor 52, or an attachment, can rotate freely inside hole 58D. Also, rods 48B and 48C are inserted into holes 58B and 58C, respectively, and are allowed to freely rotate within holes 58B and 58C. Therefore, rods 48B and 48C can rotate in either a clockwise or counter clockwise direction (as indicated by arrows I in
Rods 62A, 62B, 62C and 62D can comprise any combination of hooks or ornamentation at an upper end, such as hook 30 or ornamentation 34 shown on two-rod stand 10 in
The brackets of the present invention provide uniform spacing of the rods comprising each stand, the accessory attachments and the anchors. This allows for optimal operation and ease of manufacture of each stand. The uniform spacing of the rods enable each stand to have a stable base on which to rest, and allows for easy rotation of the rods within the brackets. Since each bracket has the same diameter holes and the same spacing, the same brackets can be used for each embodiment of each stand. Also, any embodiment of any stand can receive the same accessory attachments and anchors. Thus, the same bracket halves can be used for every embodiment of two-rod stand 10, three-rod stand 46 or four-rod stand 60, respectively, regardless of the configuration of the rods, anchor or accessory. Therefore, only three distinct bracket halves need be manufactured to employ the various embodiments of the invention described herein. The spacing of the rods provided by the brackets also enables each stand to be easily painted with electrostatic painting processes such that paint uniformly covers each surface of the final assembled and welded stand.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
