The present invention relates in general to ornament displays, and more particularly to display trees with one or more tiers of branches from which ornaments are hung.
It is a common practice to display ornaments to enhance or celebrate a holiday or the spirit of a holiday. The ornaments can be displayed individually, or collectively. In order to conserve space, ornament trees are available to hang multiple ornaments thereon so that all the ornaments, whether the same or different, can be displayed in a small footprint of space.
Ornament trees generally include a base and a vertical trunk to which various layers or tiers of limbs are attached. The branches of the limbs are constructed to hang therefrom the ornaments. Ornament trees of various types are illustrated in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,613,386; 2,325,191; 4,462,065; 4,908,244; D461,142 and 8,968,843.
One problem with the design and fabrication of ornament trees is that the tree is bulky and delicate and thus difficult to ship. When fabricated as a single integral three-dimensional article, then a large box or container is required. Often, in order to prevent breakage of the tree when shipped, a soft packing material is necessary to cushion the tree.
An important consideration in the design of an ornament tree is its simplicity and versatility. The simplicity relates to the overall cost of producing the ornament tree, and the versatility relates to the different configurations the ornament tree can assume for adaption to different situations.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that a need exists for an ornament tree that requires only five different components, and the tiers can be added by just adding more of the same components until the desired number of tiers are achieved. Further, different numbers of branches can be used for the different tiers of the ornament tree. Another need exists for an ornament tree that is easily assembled, and with different configurations to adapt to different situations. Another need exists for the fabrication of an ornament tree that is completely available in its component parts which can be shipped without the concern of breakage.
In accordance with the principles and concepts of the invention, disclosed is an ornament tree constructed of various component parts which, when assembled together, provides a three dimensional tree with branches from which to hang or engage objects to be displayed. The ornament tree of the invention can be fabricated and shipped as component parts, thus allowing smaller shipping packages to be employed, and damage during shipping is reduced.
According to a feature of the invention, disclosed is an ornament tree that is versatile in that multiple tiers of hangers can be utilized so that many objects can be displayed. Each tier effectively includes the same components to thereby reduce the number of different components that need to be fabricated, and thus make the ornament tree more cost effective.
With regard to a further feature of the invention, each tier of the ornament tree is connected to an underlying support rod and an overlying support rod. The ornament tree can be assembled using a collar that has vertical channels and corresponding slots therein for receiving an inner end of each hook member. The inner end of the hook member is inserted in the channel of the collar and extends through the slot. The underlying and overlying support rods are then connected to the corresponding top and bottom of the collar to thereby capture the inner end of each hook member thereto.
The support rods are identical, each having a threaded bore at one end and a threaded stud at the other end. The bottommost support rod can be threadably fastened to a base, and the topmost support rod can be connected to a decorative finial, with the various tiers of hook members located therebetween.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, disclosed is an ornament tree that includes a base adapted for resting on a support surface. A male/female threaded rod is attached to the base. Further included is a collar attachable to a top end of the male/female rod, where the collar has one or more vertical slots formed therein. One or more hook members are included. Each of the hook members is adapted for engaging with an ornament, and each hook member has an inner end adapted for insertion in a respective slot of the collar. A finial is threadably attached to the top end of the threaded rod, where the finial captures the inner ends of the hook members within the respective vertical slots of the collar to prevent vertical removal of the inner ends of the hook members.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, disclosed is an ornament tree that includes a base adapted for resting on a support surface, and a finial located at a top of the ornament tree. Further included is a plurality of threaded rods, where each of the threaded rods has at one end a threaded bore and at an opposite end a threaded stud. The plurality of threaded rods is threadably connected in series, with a bottommost threaded rod of the plurality of threaded rods threadably connected to the base, and a topmost threaded rod of the plurality of threaded rods is threadably connected to the finial. Also included is one or more tiers of hook members, where each tier includes; a) a cylindrical collar insertable over a threaded stud of a threaded rod of the plurality of threaded rods, where the collar is castellated and has one or more vertical slots formed in an annular edge of the collar, b) a set of hook members, where each hook member has an outer end adapted for engaging with an ornament, and each hook member has an inner end adapted for insertion in a respective slot of the cylindrical collar, and c) a threaded bore of either a threaded rod or the finial threadably attached to the threaded stud over which the cylindrical collar is inserted to cap an end of each slot to thereby capture the respective inner ends of the hook members in the cylindrical collar.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, disclosed is an ornament tree that includes a base adapted for resting on a support surface, and a plurality of threaded rods forming a vertical support for the ornament tree. At least two of the threaded rods have at one end a threaded stud and at an opposite end a threaded bore. A bottommost of the threaded rods of the plurality is fastened to the base. Provided is a tiered arrangement of at least two sets of hook members, where each hook member of each set is adapted for engaging with an ornament. The tiered arrangement includes a) a first tier which includes a first tubular castellated collar having vertical slots in a top end thereof, where the first tubular castellated collar is insertable onto the threaded stud of a first threaded rod of the at least two threaded rods. Further included is a first set of hook members, where each hook member of the first set has an inner end that is insertable in a respective slot of the first tubular castellated collar. The tiered arrangement further includes b) a second tier which includes a second tubular castellated collar having vertical slots in a top end thereof, and the second tubular castellated collar is insertable onto the threaded stud of a second threaded rod of the at least two threaded rods. A second set of hook members is included, where each hook member of the second set has an inner end insertable in a respective slot of the second tubular castellated collar. The threaded bore of the second threaded rod is threadably attached to the threaded stud of the first threaded rod to thereby capture the first tubular castellated collar between the first and second threaded rods. A threaded member has a threaded bore threadably attached to the threaded stud of the second threaded rod to thereby capture the second tubular castellated collar between the second threaded rod and the threaded member.
Further features and advantages will become apparent from the following and more particular description of the preferred and other embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters generally refer to the same parts, functions or elements throughout the views, and in which:
With reference to
The first tier 22 includes a set of hook members 26 with respective inner ends that are embedded in a castellated collar 28. The inner ends of the hook members 26 are captured therein by an upper support rod 20 that has a bottom threaded bore fastened to the threaded stud formed at the top of the middle support rod 18. The details of the hook member inner ends and the castellated collar are described in more detail below.
The top tier 24 of the set of hook members 30 and the associated castellated collar 32 are arranged and fastened to the top of the upper support rod 20 in a similar manner. The top set of hook members 30 are fastened to the upper support 14 by the use of a finial 34 which has a bottom threaded bore that is threaded onto the top threaded stud of the upper support rod 20. At the top of the finial 34 is a decorative ball 36. Rather than a ball 36, a finger loop or other mechanism that can be grasped can be formed at the top terminal end of the finial 34.
Referring to
The castellated collar 28 is slipped over the threaded stud 42 of the middle support rod 18, and the upper support rod 20 is then threaded onto the threaded stud 42 so as to capture the castellated collar 28 therebetween. Before the upper support rod 20 is threaded onto the threaded stud 42, the inner end 45 of one or more of the hook members 26 is inserted into a respective slot 44 of the castellated collar 28. This also captures the inner ends 45 of the hook members 26 within the castellated collar 28 and anchors the hook members 26 of the tiered ornament tree 10. The bottom tier 22 is thus completed. The upper support rod 20 can be considered a finial in the two tiered arrangement of
It should be noted that the hook members 26 and 30 of the preferred embodiment each have a single outer hook from which ornaments can be hung. Those skilled in the art may prefer to utilize hook members that each have multiple hooks so that multiple ornaments can be hung from a single hook member. When using two hooks at the end of each hook member 26 or 30, the hooks can be either side by side, can include inner and outer hook, or can have one hook above the other hook, etc. Other variations are possible.
The various components of the tiered ornament tree 10 can be fabricated of steel or other sturdy and rigid material. The components can be coated with various substances to achieve desired ornamental effects. The coatings can be powder coated, painted, plated, etc.
Referring now to
The elongate vertical sidewalls 70 and 72 of two neighbor protrusions 66 form an elongate vertical channel 74 that generally forms three sides of a rectangular (in cross section), as illustrated in
The top outer annular edges of each protrusion 66 are formed with an annular relief 78. The top annular relief 78 of the castellated collar 28 fits into the annular skirt 62 of the bottom end of the overlying support rod if multiple tiers are employed, or the bottom annular skirt of the finial if it is used. Similarly, the bottom annular edge of each protrusion 66 is formed with an annular relief 80 to fit within the top skirt 60 of the underlying support rod. The purpose of the annular skirts is thus to form an annular receptacle within the end of each support rod to receive therein the portions of the protrusions 66 that extend beyond the cylindrical outer shell of the castellated collar 28. This provides a more sturdy interconnection between the upper and lower support rods to the castellated collar 28 and flexing of the support rods at the interconnections. The vertical alignment of the support rods is thus made more stable and repeatable.
The inner end 45 of one hook member 26 is illustrated in
The tiered ornament tree 10 of the invention can be utilized to display many types of ornaments. In
While the preferred and other embodiments of the invention have been disclosed with reference to a specific embodiment of a tiered ornament tree, and the various components thereof, and associated methods of fabrication thereof, it is to be understood that many changes in detail may be made as a matter of engineering choices without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.
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