US20040065007A1

US20040065007A1 - Tree stand

Info

Publication number: US20040065007A1
Application number: US10/264,430
Authority: US
Inventors: William Manell
Original assignee: Hewlett Packard Development Co LP
Current assignee: Hewlett Packard Development Co LP
Priority date: 2002-10-04
Filing date: 2002-10-04
Publication date: 2004-04-08

Abstract

A tree stand which provides both easy and quick mounting of the tree in the tree stand and a source of continuing water supply to the cut end of the tree. Mounting assemblies are provided wherein a mounting shaft may be slide to the tree with a grip plate on the inside end of the mounting shaft to engage the tree and then have a pivot latch engage the thread of the mounting shaft to permit the mounting shaft to be turned on the thread to firmly press the grip plate against the tree. A reservoir holds water which is fed into the container holding the tree when a float actuated valve permits the water to enter the container.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to tree stands and more specifically to tree stands for use inside the home, as for example at the holidays.

2. Prior Art and Objects

For centuries, cut evergreen trees have been brought into the home to be decorated at the holidays. The cut tree brings greenery into the home and produces a widely enjoyed flagrance. The more negative aspects of having a tree in the home is that the tree quickly dries out making the tree a fire hazard and the needles on the tree drop to the floor making for a serious cleaning problem.

It is not possible to avoid the drying of the tree forever but if the cut base of the tree is maintained in water, freshness of the tree is significantly extended. Also, additives to the water are available to further prolong the life of the tree but clearly the use of such an additive presumes the presence of water.

Tree stands have long been made to hold a cut tree inside a home. These stands universally include an enclosure for holding water. If properly used, such a tree stand would provide the needed water to assist in preserving the tree. However, to add water, which rapidly is consumed, it is necessary to crawl under the tree and pour water into a restricted opening about the base of the tree. Frequently, access to the tree stand is blocked and, after the initial filling of the enclosure of the stand with water, it is commonplace to allow the enclosure to become dry and remain dry.

Tree stands as now used also retain the tree in place by using multiple bolts which are horizontally located about the center of the stand. Usually, three bolts are located generally one hundred twenty degrees apart from one another. As a result, the mounting of the tree in the tree stand is not easy as the tree must be supported as the bolts are turned into the tree trunk until they are forced into the tree.

To overcome these difficulties, this invention provides a water reservoir for retaining a supply of water and a release system to feed automatically water from the reservoir into the water container as water is needed. The reservoir which is designed to be attractive, is placed at a location where replenishment of the water supply in the reservoir can be readily and easily accomplished.

In addition, quick action members, such as a mounting shaft which slides into place and then may be turned down to assure quickly and positively a firm hold on the tree to lock the tree within the stand is used in place of the bolts which are now commonplace with tree stands.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a tree stand that automatically maintains an adequate supply of water within the tree stand It is another object of this invention to provide a tree stand with a reservoir external to the tree stand itself that holds a substantial supply of water to replenish the water within the container of the tree stand.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a tree stand with a reservoir that permits ready detection of the water level in the reservoir.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a tree stand with a retention device that quickly, easily and firmly grips the tree.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a tree stand with a device for retaining the tree that can be quickly and easily adjusted to the size of the tree and then can be turned down against the tree for a firm grip of the tree.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art based upon the description of the preferred embodiment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A tree stand is provided which permits easy mounting of a tree in the tree stand and which also provides for retaining the freshness of a cut tree for inside decoration by maintaining the cut tree in water. A base assembly includes a container for mounting the tree. The container has a top and a bottom with an opening at the top. A plurality of mounting assemblies are mounted on the container. Each mounting assembly includes a latch housing and a mounting shaft which has an inside end within the container. The latch housing and the mounting shaft include means to permit the mounting shaft to both slide within the latch housing and to be forced against a tree. A grip plate is mounted on the inside end of the mounting shaft. A reservoir is provided for retaining a quantity of water. The reservoir has an inlet. A valve assembly is secured to the side of the container and is in fluid communication with the container. The valve assembly includes a valve and float which opens and closes the valve. A supply line connects the reservoir to the valve assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the stand showing the container with the mounting assemblies on the container and reservoir connected by a conduit to the valve assembly. [0016]
FIG. 2 is pictorial view of a mounting assembly affixed to a portion of the container. [0017]
FIG. 3 is a pictorial view of the mounting shaft facing the face of the grid plate which engages the tree. [0018]
FIG. 3[0019] a is a side elevation of the grip plate and a part of the mounting shaft showing the ball socket between the grip plate and the mounting shaft.
FIG. 4 is an exploded pictorial view of the mounting assembly. [0020]
FIG. 5 is a vertical cross section of the valve assembly showing the valve closed to prevent water from the reservoir from entering the tank of the valve assembly. [0021]
FIG. 6 is a vertical cross section of the valve assembly similar to FIG. 5 but showing the valve open.[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE NUMERALS



NUMERAL	DESCRIPTION

11	Base
13	Container
14	Support Brackets
15	Mounting Assemblies
17	Valve Assembly
19	Reservoir
21	Filling Port
23	Cylinder
25	Top of Cylinder
27	Spikes
29	Openings in Container
31	Mounting Shafts
35	Threads on Mounting Shafts
37	Crank Handle
39	Inside end of Mounting Shafts
41	Grip Plate
43	Ball Socket
45	Latch Housing
47	U-shaped Notch
49	Side Wall of Cylinder
51	Pivot Latch
52	Pin
53	Extension
56	Curved Surface of Pivot Latch
59	Tank
61	Valve
63	Valve Body
65	Orifice
67	Plunger
69	Supply Line
71	Top of Valve
73	Manual Shut Off Valve
75	Passageway
77	Float
79	Pivot Arm
81	Pivot Pin

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, a tree stand is shown. The tree stand includes a base [0024] 11 on which a container 13 is securely mounted. Support brackets 14 are recommended to assure the rigidity of the container 13. On the top of the container 13, a plurality of mounting assemblies 15 are shown. The four mounting assembles 15 are shown equally spaced from one another substantially ninety degrees apart. It is possible to use only three generally equally-spaced mounting assemblies 15 but four are definitely preferred.
As also seen in FIG. 1, a [0025] valve assembly 17 is shown mounted on the side of container 13 for providing water to the container 13 to maintain the water level in the container 13 between a maximum and minimum level. The term “water” as used in this specification and the accompanying claims includes all other solutions that would be used to prevent dryness of a cut tree.
A [0026] reservoir 19 which may be of virtually any configuration, as for example may even have the shape of an evergreen tree, is mounted at any convenient location, such as on a wall or even a piece of furniture reasonably close to the tree stand. The reservoir 19 has a filling port 21 for supplying water into the reservoir. The reservoir 19 preferably has a capacity of approximately one and a half gallons of water. The reservoir 19, which preferably has a green color also should be sufficiently translucent to allow the water level in the reservoir 19 to be detectable. In this way, the need to add water to the reservoir 19 is always apparent. However, a one and one half gallon supply is designed to provide an adequate water supply for the time period a cut tree is usually maintained in a home.
Referring now to the base [0027] 11 and the container 13, the base 11 shown is a flat plate which could be replaced by a round plate or a plurality of feet. However, a flat square or round plate affords a secure base 11. The avoidance of a tree falling over in a home with the resulting damage is an event to be avoided.
The [0028] container 13 for a tree stand is usually round but conceivably could have a different shape. The container 13 shown in FIG. 1 is a cylinder 23. The top 25of the cylinder 23 is open and the cut end of the tree is placed in the cylinder 23 through the top 25. On the base 11 of the container 13, generally in the center area, one of more spikes 27 are located. The end of the tree is driven down onto these spikes 27 to provide stability to the end of the tree.
[0029] Openings 29 are located through the cylinder 23 adjacent to the top 25 of the cylinder 23so that the mounting shafts 31 can extend through the cylinder 23. Various mechanisms can be designed for a quick action mechanism that provides a positive force against the tree. All the mounting assemblies 15 are the same and therefore the description of any one mounting assembly 15 satisfies the description of all of the mounting assemblies 15.
Each mounting [0030] assembly 15 includes one of the mounting shafts 31, which has threads 35 and which has circular cross section. At the outside end of each mounting shaft 31 is a crank handle 37. At the opposite or inside end 39 of the mounting shaft 31 is a grip plate 41. The grip plate 41 is mounted on the inside end 39 of the mounting shaft 31 by means of a ball socket 43 to permit the grip plate 41 to rotate on the inside end 39 of the mounting shaft 31. In this way, the grip plate 41, which may be curved, can adjust to any irregularity of the shape of the tree.
A [0031] latch housing 45 is mounted on the side of the container 13. The latch housing 45, which has a generally U-shaped notch 47, is affixed to the side wall 49 of the container 13. The mounting shaft 31 is mounted readily to slide through the U-shaped notch 47 in the latch housing 45. At the top of the U-shaped notch 47, a pivot latch 51 is mounted on a pin 52 to pivot over and engage the thread 35 of the mounting shaft 31. The pivot latch 51 has an extension 53 that serves as a grip to flip the pivot latch 51. With the extension 53 rotated toward the crank handle 37, the pivot latch 51 does not engage the mounting shaft 31. Therefore, the mounting shaft 31 is readily pushed to force the grip plate 41 into engagement with the tree. As best seen in FIG. 4, the pivot latch 51 has acurved surface which is threaded to engage the mounting shaft when the pivot latch is pivoted back away from the crank handle 37. Then the crank handle 37is turned to force the grip plate 41 further into the tree and to hold the mounting shaft 31 firmly against the tree. Once it is desired to release the tree, the crank handle 37 is turned back and as soon as the pivot latch 51 can be rotated away from the mounting shaft 31, the mounting shaft 31 again slides easily in the latch housing 45. This permits the mounting shaft 31 and the grip plates 41 to be pulled back from the tree permitting the tree to be removed.
The [0032] valve assembly 17 is shown in detail in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. The valve assembly 17, which automatically controls the water level in the container, is located within a tank 59 which is part of the valve assembly 57. A valve 61 is located within the tank 59 toward the upper part of the tank 59. The valve 61 includes a valve body 63 with an orifice 65 through it and a plunger 67 which fits securely within the orifice 65 and when forced into the orifice 65, blocks all flow through the orifice 65. A supply line 69, which connects to the reservoir 19, conveys water from the reservoir 19 into the valve 61 at the top 71 of the valve 61. A manual shut off valve 73 is located in the supply line 69 as a safety precaution in the event there is a failure of the valve assembly 57.
The [0033] tank 59 of the valve assembly 57 is not only secured to the container 13 but there is a passageway 75 connecting the tank 59 to the container 13 so that the water level in the tank 59 and in the container 13 is the same. In other words, there is fluid communication between the tank 59 and the container 13. A float 77 is mounted in the tank 59 to float on the water in the tank 59. A pivot arm 79 is connected to the float 77 and the pivot arm 79 is mounted to pivot on a pivot pin 81 mounted on the valve assembly 57.
The [0034] plunger 67 which is vertically mounted within the orifice 5, is engaged by the pivot arm 79 which is directly below the plunger 67. Thus, when the water level rises, the pivot arm 79 swings upwardly forcing the plunger 67 into the orifice 65. As the water level drops, the float 77 swings downwardly causing the pivot arm 79 to rotate downwardly to permit water from the reservoir 19 to flow through the orifice 65 into the tank 59 and into the container 13. When sufficient water has accumulated in the tank 59 and the container 13, the float 77 is raised to a sufficient height to force the plunger 67 again to close the orifice 65.
It is to be understood that the drawings and description matter are in all cases to be interpreted as merely illustrative of the principles of the invention, rather than as limiting the same in any way, since it is contemplated that various changes may be made in various elements to achieve like results without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims. [0035]

Claims

The claims are:

1. A tree stand which permits easy mounting of the tree within the tree stand and for retaining the freshness of a cut tree for inside decoration by maintaining the cut tree with water, such tree stand comprising:

a base assembly including a container and a means for mounting the container, the container having a top which is open and a bottom which is closed and an outside and an inside;

a plurality of mounting assemblies mounted on the container, each mounting assembly including a latch housing and a mounting shaft having an inside end within the container, the latch housing and the mounting shaft including means to permit the mounting shaft both to slide within the latch housing and to be forced against a tree, a grip plate being mounted on the inside end of the mounting shaft;

a reservoir for retaining a quantity of water and having an inlet opening for supplying water to the reservoir and an outlet opening;

a valve assembly secured to the side of the container and being in fluid communication with the container, the valve assembly including a valve and a float which opens and closes the valve; and

a supply line for connecting the outlet of the reservoir to the valve assembly to supply water to the tank and container when the valve is open.

2. A tree stand according to claim 1 wherein the means for mounting the container is a flat plate.

3. A tree stand according to claim 1 wherein the base assembly includes a plurality of spikes located at the bottom of the container.

4. A tree stand according to claim 1 wherein the mounting shaft is threaded.

5. A tree stand according to claim 1 wherein the mounting shaft is threaded and the latch mechanism has a U-shaped notch in it with a pivot latch which is mounted to pivot within the U-shaped notch, the pivot latch including a thread that engages the mounting shaft.

6. A tree stand according to claim 1 wherein the valve includes a valve housing with a orifice in it and a plunger which fits securely within the orifice.

7. A tree stand according to claim 1 wherein the valve includes a valve housing with an orifice in it and a flow plunger which fits securely within the orifice and wherein the float is mounted to pivot on a float arm, the float arm engaging the plunger into the orifice as the float rises.

8. A tree stand which permits easy mounting of a tree within the tree stand and for retaining the freshness of a cut tree for inside decoration by maintaining the cut tree in water, such tree stand comprising:

a base assembly including a container and means for mounting the container, the container having a top which is open and a bottom which is closed and an outside and an inside, a plurality of spikes being located at the bottom of the container generally toward the center of the bottom of the container;

a plurality of mounting assemblies, each mounting assembly being mounted on the outside of the container adjacent to the top of the container and extending into the inside of the container, each mounting assembly including a latch housing having a U-shaped notch through it and being secured to the outside of the container, the container having an opening through it aligned with the latch housing and with a mounting shaft which is threaded mounted to slide through the latch housing and the opening in the container, the mounting shaft having an outside end located outside the container and an inside end located inside the container, a crank handle being affixed to the outside end of the mounting shaft, a grip plate secured to the inside end of the mounting shaft, each mounting assembly further including a means which engages the threads of the mounting shaft so that the mounting shaft can be extended into and out of the container by turning of the crank handle;

a valve assembly secured to the side of the container, the valve assembly including a tank in fluid communication with the container, the valve assembly further including a valve housing having an orifice in it and a plunger which fits securely within the orifice, the valve assembly further including a float, the float being mounted to engage the plunger to force the plunger into the orifice as the float rises when the level of water in the tank rises and to permit the plunger to open the orifice when the level of water in the tank drops; and

a supply line connecting the reservoir to the valve assembly to supply water to the tank and container when the float permits opening of the orifice.

9. A tree stand according to claim 8 wherein the container is a cylinder.

10. A tree stand according to claim 8 wherein the container is a cylinder and the means for mounting the container is a float plate.

11. A tree stand according to claim 8 wherein the latch housing has a U-shaped notch in it and wherein the means which engages the threads of the mounting shaft is a pivot latch which is mounted to pivot within the U-shaped notch, the pivot latch including a thread that engages the threads of the mounting shaft.

12. A tree stand according to claim 8 wherein the float is mounted to pivot on a float arm, the float arm engaging the plunger.

13. A tree stand which permits easy mounting of a tree within the tree stand and for retaining the freshness of a cut tree for inside decoration by maintaining the cut tree in water, such tree stand comprising:

a base assembly including a base plate and a container mounted on the base plate, the base assembly further including a plurality of supports engaging the sides of the container and the base plate, the container being a cylinder, the cylinder having a top which is open and a bottom which is closed and an outside and an inside, a plurality of spikes being located at the bottom of the cylinder generally toward the center of the bottom of the cylinder;

a plurality of mounting assemblies, each mounting assembly being mounted on the outside of the container adjacent to the top of the container and extending into the inside of the container, each mounting assembly including a latch housing having a U-shaped notch through it and being secured to the outside of the container, the container having an opening through it aligned with the U-shaped notch in the latch housing and with a mounting shaft which is threaded mounted to slide through the U-shaped notch in the latch housing and the opening in the container, the mounting shaft having an outside end located outside the container and an inside end located inside the container, a crank handle being affixed to the outside end of the mounting shaft, a grip plate having a ball socket secured to the inside end of the mounting shaft, each mounting assembly further including a pivot latch which is mounted to pivot within the U-shaped notch, the pivot latch including a thread that engages the mounting shaft when the pivot latch is pivoted toward the container so that the mounting shaft can be extended into and out of the container by turning of the crank handle;

a supply line for connecting the reservoir to the valve assembly to supply water to the tank and container when the float permits opening of the orifice.

14. A tree stand according to claim 13 wherein the float is mounted to pivot on a float arm, the float arm engaging the plunger.