IES83964Y1 - A tree stand - Google Patents

Description

"A Tree Stand" This invention relates to a tree stand, and in particular to a tree stand for supporting a Christmas tree in an upright display position.

While various types of tree stand have been previously proposed they have not been entire|y.»successfu|. Typically, they need to be provided in a range of sizes to match different sizes of tree. Also, a number of tree stands are of relatively complicated construction and hence are expensive to manufacture and may not be reliable in operation.

The present invention is directed towards overcoming these problems.

According to the invention there is provided a tree stand for supporting a Christmas tree in an upright position, including a tree support for engaging a lower end of a tree trunk, said tree support being mounted on ground engaging support legs, the legs being cranked intermediate their ends defining a central well for reception of the lower end of a tree trunk in use. Advantageously the invention provides a sturdy tree stand of relatively simple construction which is cheap to manufacture and easy to use.

In oneembodiment of the invention each leg has generally speaking a Z—shaped configuration with a sloped outer ground-engaging portion and a substantially horizontal inner portion interconnected to the outer portion by an upright intermediate portion.

In a further embodiment the legs extend radially outwardly from the tree support.

Conveniently at least three legs are provided. While any number of legs may be provided the provision of four legs in a cruciform arrangement provides a particularly desired construction. In this regard the legs may be constructed in two interconnecting parts, each part comprising two of the legs. The twin leg parts are simply formed by bending a metal bar or tube to the desired shape and then welding the two parts together at their inner ends.

Conveniently rubber feet may be provided at an outer end of each leg for improved grip and protection of floor surfaces on which the stand is used.

It will be noted that in a preferred embodiment the inner portion of the legs are located spaced above a plane which passes through the free ends of the outer portions of the legs. In this way the weight of any tree mounted on the stand is supported by the outer free ends of the legs for improved stability.

In a particularly preferred embodiment a complementary water bowl is provided for co-operation with the legs to retain water at the base of a tree trunk when the tree is mounted on the tree support. Typically the bowl will have a base with an upstanding side wall, an inner face of the side wall being engageable with an outer face of an intermediate portion of each leg which locates within the bowl.

The water bowl may have a liquid capacity in the order of half a gallon.

The legs may be powder coated in any suitable colour to achieve a desired aesthetic effect and for protection.

The legs may be of any suitable material, but are preferably metal and most preferably wrought iron material.

While any suitable tree support may be provided it is preferred that the tree support is Thus conven_lently when mounting the tree on the stand the tree support is simply screwed into the bottom of the tree trunk and then the tree is stood upright on the stand. A an upright spike or screw for engaging with a bottom of a tree trunk. cover may be provided for seating over a pointed end of the screw when the stand is not in use.

The invention will be more clearly understood by the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a tree stand assembly according to the invention; Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the tree stand assembly; and Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a support frame portion of the tree stand assembly.

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated a Christmas tree stand assembly according to the invention indicated generally by the reference numeral 1. The stand assembly 1 comprises a metal frame 2 with ground-engaging legs 3. A central upright tree support screw 4 is mounted on the frame 2 for screwing into the bottom of a tree trunk to support a Christmas tree on the frame 2. A water bowl 5 associated with the frame 2 receives an inner portion of the frame 2 which includes the support screw 4 and can be filled with water for immersion of a lower end of a tree trunk of a Christmas tree mounted on the support stand assembly 1. it will be noted that the legs 3 are cranked intermediate their ends, defining a central well 6 for reception of the lower end of a tree trunk. Each leg 3 has a Z—shaped configuration having a sloped outer ground-engaging portion 8, a substantially horizontal inner portion 9, said portions 8, 9 being interconnected by an upright intermediate portion 10.

Four legs 3 are provided in a cruciform arrangement as shown in the drawings.

Conveniently the frame 2 is constructed of two interconnected parts 14, 15, as shown in fig. 3, each part 14, 15 comprising two of the legs 3. A wrought iron bar is simply bent into the shape indicated. it will be noted that each part 14, 15 has a similar shape which simplifies manufacture. The parts 14, 15 are simply welded together at their central portions 16, 17 together with the support screw 4.

Rubber‘ feet or shoes 20 are mounted at a free outer end of each leg 3. A protective cap 21 (Fig. 2) is also provided for mounting on the screw 4 when the stand assembly is not in use.

It will be noted that the inner portions 9 of the legs 3 are located spaced—above a plane extending through the free ends of the outer portions of the legs 3. Thus all the weight carried by the frame 2 is distributed to the outer ends of the legs 3.

The water bowl 5 has a circular base 25 with an upstanding side wall 26. An inner face 27 of the side wall 26 is engagable with an outer face 28 of each intermediate portion 10 of each leg 3 which locate within the bowl 5 as shown-in Fig. 1. The water bowl has a liquid capacity in the order of half a gallon to keep the Christmas tree fresh for an extended period.

It will be appreciated that the stand assembly 1 will support trees having a trunk sized up to about 200mm/8 inches in diameter as this is the spacing between opposed upright intermediate portions 10 of the legs 3. The diameter of the circle on which the outer ends of the legs 3 stand is in the order of 28 inches providing good stability.

The frame 2 is constructed of a wrought iron material which is powder coated in any suitable colour for aesthetic effect and protection. in use, the support screw 4 is screwed into the bottom of a tree trunk and the frame 2 is then stood on the ground to support the Christmas tree in an upright position. An inner portion of the frame 2 is inserted into the bowl 5 as shown in Fig. 1 when standing the frame 2 on the ground and water can be filled into the bowl 5 to keep the tree fresh.

It will be appreciated that the invention provides a tree stand of relatively simple construction which is easy to use and relatively cheap to manufacture. it accommodates a wide variety of tree sizes without the need for paring the bottom of the tree trunk or only requiring very minimal dressing of the tree trunk prior to screwing the stand onto the tree trunk. Typically the stand can be used with any height of tree up to 14 foot or so without difficulty.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described which may be varied in both construction and detail.

Claims (1)

1.CLAIMS A Christmas tree stand for supporting a Christmas tree in an upright position, ‘including a tree support for engaging a lower end of a tree trunk, said tree support being mounted on a metal frame having ground engaging support legs, the legs being cranked intermediate their ends defining a central well for reception of the lower end of a tree trunk in use, each leg having a Z-shaped configuration with a sloped outer ground-engaging portion and a substantially horizontal inner portion interconnected to the outer portion by an upright intermediate portion. A Christmas tree stand as claimed in claim 1 wherein the inner portion of the legs are located spaced above a plane which passes through the free ends of the outer portions of the legs. A Christmas tree stand as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the legs are constructed of two inter-connecting parts, each part comprising two of the legs, each of said twin leg parts being formed by a metal bar bent to the desired shape and the two parts being welded together at their central portions together with a central upright tree support screw forming the tree support. A Christmas tree stand as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a complementary water bowl is provided for co—operation with the legs to retain water at the base of a tree trunk when the tree is mounted on the tree support, and preferably the bowl has a base with an upstanding side wall, an inner face of the side wall being engageable with an outa face of an intermediate portion of each leg which locates within the bowl. A Christmas tree stand substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.