US20160022081A1

US20160022081A1 - Swivel tree stand device

Info

Publication number: US20160022081A1
Application number: US14/799,721
Authority: US
Inventors: Reid Cooke
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-07-23
Filing date: 2015-07-15
Publication date: 2016-01-28

Abstract

The invention is a swivel tree stand device having a vertical pole attached by a swivel mechanism to a base set on casters. The pole is designed to attach at multiple points to the tree trunk and to extend in a direction perpendicular, to the level ground which may be roughly parallel to the tree trunk. A water bucket, which may be removable, may be carried by the base for watering a live tree attached to the pole. The pole and an attached tree trunk may swivel about the base.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of swivel supporting devices and more particularly to the field of Christmas tree stands.
It is known in the art to utilize a stand to secure a tree, such as a Christmas tree, in an upright position for display. The “tree” itself as used and described herein may be an entire tree or merely an upper portion of a tree or even a branch. For centuries, trees have been removed from their natural habitat and positioned for display, often indoors. Trees may be decorated with electric lights, candles, ribbon, tensile, stars, balls, fruits, nuts, candy, religious icons, angelic scenes, and various other ornamentations.
Most commonly, such trees for display have included evergreen conifers such as spruce, pine, and fir trees though other trees such as various hardwoods, palms, and various hollies have been utilized as well. Though traditionally live trees have been utilized, more recently, it has become common for artificial trees such as those made from polyvinyl chloride or another plastic, metal, composite, or other synthetic to be displayed.
It is desirable for such trees to be displayed in an upright erect position as they would appear in nature. As such, various forms of stands have been developed through the years in order to support and display the tree. Most commonly, the prior art teaches stands which attach to the base of the tree. These supports clamp, screw, or nail into a lower portion of the tree and rely on the rigidity of the tree's trunk or primary vertical branch to maintain the tree in an upright position. Because of varying diameters of tree trunks obtained, the prior art requires that the stands come in various sizes to accommodate different range trunk diameter. For instance, one stand might hold a trunk of 3-5 inches in diameter. Another stand might hold a trunk of 5-8 inches in diameter while another might hold a trunk of 8-10 inches in diameter. Unfortunately, most artificial trees have a much smaller diameter “trunk” which may be only 1-2 inches in diameter. As a result, many different types of stand are required depending on tree type and size. As such, there is a long felt need in the art for a tree stand which accommodates many types and sizes of trees.
The art of tree stands is bifurcated among stands for holding real trees and stands for holding artificial trees. In addition to the trunk size requirement described above, stands made for holding the narrow “trunk” of artificial trees do not include the water bucket portion typically associated with trees which hold real trees—the water bucket being utilized for supplying water to the tree to keep it from prematurely drying out. Thus, a tree stand for an artificial tree may not be effectively used to support a real tree. Thus, there is a need in the art for a tree stand which may effectively hold either real or artificial trees by accommodating a variety of trunk sizes and offering watering options.
As noted above, prior art supports require clamps, screws, or nails and the like which attach onto a lower portion of the tree. These devices may pierce the bark or skin of the tree at the base of the tree. Likewise, in the case of an artificial tree, the clamps create an attachment at the base of the tree only. In all of these instances, it is common for the tree to be subject to tipping or to lose its firm attachment to the support. The tree attached by one of these prior art means creates a pivot point about the attachment. That is, the tree is prone to tipping about this point so as to no longer be positioned in a vertical orientation, relative to horizontal ground, as is desirable. Likewise, a considerable force acts on this attachment point which may cause the attachment to weaken over time requiring additional adjustment. Because this is a large inconvenience as well as a potential hazard, there is a long felt need in the art for a tree support which is not prone to tipping and which does not require additional adjustment.
Likewise, because of the potential for tipping and the associated hazards, the supports of the prior art are also sized for tree height. The height of the tree can create a significant lever arm resulting in torque about the attachment point with taller trees applying more torque and potential for an accident. That is, the size and type of clamping to the base must also account for the height of the tree. Thus, there is a long felt need in the art for a support system which minimizes the detrimental torque about the attachment point of the support to the tree. There also a long felt need for a support which accommodates a variety of tree heights.
Further, the attachment methods of the prior art described above are ill suited for their intended purposes because, in many situations, the person installing the tree must craw under the tree to adjust the attachment mechanisms to ensure the tree is upright and vertical as desired. That is, because the attachment is located only at the base of the trunk of the tree, often upon initial installation and certainly upon performing the requisite adjustments, the person must lay prone on the floor and reach under the tree to adjust. Because this is a large inconvenience as well as a potential hazard, there is a long felt need in the art for a tree support which does not require adjustments to the vertical orientation of the tree only at the base of the support.
Because the art of decorative trees is, by definition, concerned with ornamentation, it is desirable that those who install trees and decorate trees be able to effectively and efficiently decorate and present the trees. Thus, it is common, especially for real trees, for the decorator to turn the tree around to determine the “best” side or sides of the tree for display. That is, a tree may have missing branch defining a “hole” in the tree which may not be desirable for view. In such circumstances, it may be desirable for the side with the hole to face a wall and so it may be desirable for the decorator to rotate the tree and its accompanying tree stand. Or, in another instance, a decorator may desire to decorate all sides of a tree, but one side of the tree may be inaccessible—such as a side facing a window. In such circumstances it is likewise desirable to rotate the tree and the tree stand. However, the prior art tree stands require the entire tree and the entire tree stand be rotated. Likewise, one wishing to rotate a prior art tree stand must lift the tree and the stand and rotate. Thus, there is a long felt need in the art for a tree stand which eliminates the requirement to rotate the tree and the stand and which facilitates movement of the tree from place to place.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It therefore is an object of the present invention to provide tree stand which accommodates both real and artificial trees of varying types, heights, and trunk sizes. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tree stand which may effectively hold either real or artificial trees by accommodating a variety of trunk sizes and offering watering options. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tree stand which is not prone to tipping and which does not require additional adjustment. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tree stand which does not require adjustments to the vertical orientation of the tree only at the base of the support. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tree stand which facilitates movement of the tree from place to place.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by providing a swivel tree stand device having a vertical pole attached by a swivel mechanism to a base set on casters. The pole is designed to attach at multiple points to the tree trunk and to extend perpendicular to the level ground and roughly parallel to the tree trunk. A water bucket which may be removable may be carried by the base for watering a live tree attached to the pole. The pole and an attached tree trunk may swivel about the base.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the base may comprise legs extending from the swivel. The casters may be attached to the legs. The base may comprise at least three such legs, with one caster attached to each leg.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the pole may be telescoping such that its height above the base may be extended or retracted depending on the height of the particular tree to be carried by the swivel tree stand device.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the pole may be of a fixed height.
According to another embodiment of the invention, at least one caster may be lockable via a braking device attached to the caster.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the swivel may lockable via a braking device attached to the swivel.
According to another embodiment of the invention, an electric motor may be attached to the swivel to enable the tree to rotate about the base via the swivel.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the attachment points of the pole to the tree may be hook and loop fasteners such as Velcro® brand fasteners.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the pole may be hollow to permit the concealment of an electrical connection. The pole may likewise comprise an electrical connection and one or more outlets for attaching electrical devices such as lights.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURES

The present invention is best understood when the following detailed description of the invention is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention highlighting the telescoping pole;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention highlighting the telescoping pole;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective environmental view of one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

It is to be understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present invention. The following example is provided to further illustrate the invention and is not to be construed to unduly limit the scope of the invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a tree stand 10 according to the present invention is shown. The tree stand 10 has a base 40 which has legs 42 extending from a hub 48. Casters 44 are attached to the legs 42 and have brakes 46 operably attached thereto. The casters 44 allow the entire tree stand 10 and any attached tree 60 to rotate and to be transported from location to location easily.
A swivel mechanism 30 connects the base 40 to the vertical pole 20. The swivel mechanism allows the tree 60 to be rotated within the base 40 of the tree stand 10 without the legs 42. Preferably, the brakes 476 keep the base 40 from moving as the swivel 30 rotates the tree 60.
As shown FIG. 2, the vertical pole 20 is telescoping, see arrows, and is in the form of two portions, a lower portion 22 and an upper portion 24. The upper portion 24 nests inside of the lower portion 22. Though drawn with two portions, 22, 24, the invention includes embodiments with additional portions of the vertical pole 20 forming the telescoping function. The telescoping function of the portions 22, 24, of the vertical pole 20 allows the pole to extend to accommodate different size trees. The telescoping function of the portions 22, 24, of the vertical pole 20 also allows a user to raise or lower the tree 60 to accommodate a desired height of the tree 60 from the ground.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a tree 60 is designed to attach to the tree stand 10. Trees 60 of this type are characterized by a trunk 62 and branches 64 with needles or leaves. When installed as shown in FIG. 1, the trunk 62 is parallel to the vertical pole 20. The trunk is connected to the pole with hook and loop fasteners 26 such as Velcro®. Further, a bucket 50 is provided to contain water to aid the tree 60 when installed in the tree stand 10.
Referring to FIG. 3, according to an embodiment, the tree stand may include electrical outlet 70 mounted to the vertical pole 20. The electrical outlet 70 will be supplied with power via cord 72 which is housed inside the vertical pole 20 and exits the pole 20 near a leg 42 of the base 40. The cord 72 may have a plug 74 for connecting to an electrical service outlet as shown in FIG. 5. The cord 72 may also supply power to a motor attached to the swivel 30 so that the tree 60 will rotate via the electric power.
Referring to FIG. 4, the tree stand 10 may be configured so that the bucket 50 is elevated from the ground and is carried by the base 40 above the legs 42. As shown in FIG. 4, the bucket 50 is mounted above the hub 48 and above the legs 42.
A tree stand 10 according to the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments and examples. Various details of the invention may be changed without departing from the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention and best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation, the invention being defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A swivel tree stand device for holding a tree in a perpendicular position relative to level ground comprising:

a. a height adjustable telescoping vertical pole with a plurality of attachment points placed equidistant relative to each other along a length of the vertical pole:

b. a base having a hub and spoke configuration in which the height adjustable telescoping vertical pole is attached to the hub such that the height adjustable telescoping vertical pole rotatably moves about a vertical axis of the swivel tree stand device; and

c. a plurality of casters in which one caster is attached to each spoke such that portions of each caster extend beyond lateral most and radial most extending edges of the spoke, wherein:

the plurality of attachment points are adapted for securing the vertical pole to the tree.

2. The swivel tree stand device of claim 1, wherein each caster includes a wheel and a brake carried thereon, the caster being rotatable about a vertical axis that is parallel to a vertical axis of the height adjustable telescoping vertical pole.

3. The swivel tree stand device of claim 2, wherein a portion of the wheel extends beyond the lateral most and radial most extending edges of the spoke and the brake extends beyond at least one of the lateral most extending edges of the spoke, the radially most extending edge of the spoke, or a combination thereof thereby providing accessibility to the brake when a tree is secured to the swivel tree stand device.

4. The swivel tree stand device of claim 3, wherein the casters are adapted to rotate independently relative to each other and the vertical pole.

5. The swivel tree stand device of claim 1, wherein the hub of the base is adapted for positioning above a liquid reservoir.

6. The swivel tree stand device of claim 4, further comprising a swivel mechanism positioned in the hub of the base that is adapted to receive the height adjustable telescoping vertical pole.

7. The swivel tree stand device of claim 6, wherein an outer diameter of the height adjustable telescoping vertical pole circumferentially engages an inner diameter of the swivel mechanism.

8. The swivel tree stand device of claim 7, further comprising a plurality of hook and loop fasteners adapted for securing the tree to the height adjustable telescoping vertical pole.

9. The swivel tree stand device of claim 5, further comprising an electrical outlet formed on the height adjustable telescoping vertical pole directly adjacent to a swivel mechanism.