US2637143A - Adjustable frog - Google Patents

Description

y 1953 R. REYNOLDS EIAL 2,637,143

ADJUSTABLE FROG Filed June 14, 1949 Inventam Roy L. Reyha/ds Susie cqmpbell By %w Patented May 5, 1953 'UNITED STATES tartar osrics ADJUSTABLE FROG Roy L. Reynolds, Memphis, Tenn, and Susie Campbell, Fordyce, Ark.

Application June 14, 1949, Serial No,- 98,986

2 Claims. .1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in article holdersand more partic ularly to an adjustable frog adapted to firmly and stably sup-port flowers or the like.

The primary object is to provide a frog in which the size of the openings for receiving the flowers is adjustable.

Another important object is to provide a holder in which the supported articles may be firmly clamped in their relative positions.

Yet another object is to provide a flower holder that is very stable and easily adjusted.

A further object is to provide a holder that may be used with a bowl or vase or independently of such receptacles.

Yet a further object is to provide a flower holder that may be adapted to contain water or plant nutrient with slight modification.

The above and further ancillary objects and advantages of the invention, as will hereinafter more fully appear, is attained by the construction described in the specification and illustrated in the drawings, forming a part of this specification.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which similar reference characters denote similar parts throughout all figures, and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a central vertical section of the construction shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, the I numeral iii denotes the holder generally.

The construction of the holder comprises a circular base it, and as best shown in Figure 2, an inner reticuled dome it formed by curved legs l6 and the rings 18 and it! is secured to and extends upwardly from the base l2. The lower ends of the legs 56 are secured to the circular base 12, and the upper ends of the legs are attached to the ring 26. The ring [3 is attached to the legs [6 at points intermediate the base i2 and the ring 28, with the rings l8 and 26 being in parallel relation to the circular base I2.

An annulus 22 is rotatably retained on the circular base l2 by means later to be set forth.

Fastened to the annulus Z2 is an outer reticuled dome 24 formed by curved legs '26 and rings 23 and 3B. The lower ends of the legs 26 being secured to the annullus 22, while the upper ends are secured to ring 39. The ring 28 is attached to the legs 26 at points intermediate the ani 2 nulus 22 and the ring 3D, with the rings '28 and 56 being in parallel relation to the annulus 22..

It will be noted that the legs 2% are equal in number to the legs I6 and that the legs of each dome are equally spaced about the circumference oi the member to which the lower ends attach. Rings IE3 and 28 are so placed that the planes they lie in cut the vertical height of the outer dome 2t roughly into thirds.

The domes 24 and II} are in close nested relation but do not make contact with each other.

An annular undercut groove 32 is provided in the base 12 having a flat lower side upon which the annulus 22 rests. Radial keys or pins 3d are provided in the annulus 22 and xtend into the annular space 35 formed between the ner edge of the annulus 22 and the upper side .of the groove 32 to prevent the removal of the annulus 22 from the base l2, it being noted that the part of the base embraced by the annulus constitutes a raised annular portion of the base.

Lugs 38 are provided on the base If. extending into the space 38 to limit the extent of the rotation of the annulus 22 upon the base l2 by coacting with the keys in the space 36.

The base !2 is provided with a grill ii] which is formed of radiating rods t2 the inner ends of which are attached to a central ring 14 and the outer ends secured to the base.

It is understood that the invention disclosed may be embodied in various constructions, and the drawings illustrate here a preferred construction.

The holder may be constructed of a wide choice of materials, and in general is only limited to using a base It of relatively high density to give a low center of gravity for the holder. Although applicant has illustrated a molded wire construction for the domes hi and 2 1, it will be readily appreciated that the same may be made of colored. or clear plastic thus producing a product of great eye appeal.

From the foregoing the operation of the holder will be readily understood. The holder in normal position, as shown in Figure 1, has the corresponding openings of domes id and 24 registering with each other. The holder may be used in this condition and the articles to be held inserted through the registered openings in the domes i l and 2d and on through the openings of the grill The articles thus being supported by the lower end resting upon the bottom of the receptacle (not shown) in which the holder may be disposed. The article is denied lateral movement at its lower end by the edges 3 of the openings in the grill 40 through which it is passed. Lateral movement is prevented at a higher point on the article by the confining action of the openings through the domes I l and 24.

If the opening through the domes l4 and 24 is larger than desired in the normal position, the annulus 22 and the dome 24 carried thereon are rotated relative to the base i2 and the dome i4 it carries. It is readily seen that this rotation takes the dome openings out of registry and the openings are thereby reduced in size.

On the other hand, articles may be placed in the holder while in normal position and then the annulus 22 rotated to reduce the size of the dome openings. This results in the articles being gripped firmly by the sides of the openings which have been reduced in size.

It should be noted that rotation of the annulus 22 to a position half way between normal positions results in twice as many dome openings. The openings thus formed being of reduced size.

As it is not necessary to rotate the annulus 22 any further angularly than between two adjacent normal positions, the lugs 38 are used to limit rotation. Thus avoiding wear on the sliding surfaces and permitting a construction (not shown) reducing angularly the contact area between annulus and base.

It is obvious that the grill 40 may be replaced by a closing plate, and thus in conjunction with the base l2 form a receptacle suitable for retaining liquid or other plant nutrient.

It is to be understood that applicants do not wish to restrict themselves to the preferred form of the invention herein disclosed inasmuch as the same will readily lend itself to numerous modifications, but rather to the spirit of the invention.

Having described the claimed as new is:

1. An article holder comprising a base having an upstanding annular portion thereon, a r0- tatable annulus slidably seated on the base and slidably embracing said annular portion, a pair of reticular dome members, one of said members being secured to the annular portion and the other member being secured to the annulus with said members being in nested relation, and coacting means on said annular portion and the annulus for rotatably anchoring the latter on the former and for positively limiting rotation of said annulus in opposite directions.

2. A flower holder comprising a stationary annular base, a grill mounted in said base for the reception of the lower end portions of the stems of flowers, a rotatably adjustable ring on the base, reticulated, closely adjacent inner and outer domes mounted, respectively, on the base and the ring for the reception of the stems, said domes being cooperable with each other and engageable with the stems for supporting and securing the flowers in position, and means for positively limiting rotation of the ring on the base.

ROY L. REYNOLDS. SUSIE CAMPBELL.

invention, what is References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,492,050 Stuck Apr. 29, 1924 1,965,565 Bartlett July 10, 1934 2,332,352 Smith Oct. 19, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 845,789 France May 22, 1939

Images