US2916843A

US2916843A - Simulated christmas tree

Info

Publication number: US2916843A
Application number: US807464A
Authority: US
Inventors: Francis D Meyer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-04-20
Filing date: 1959-04-20
Publication date: 1959-12-15
Anticipated expiration: 1976-12-15

Description

Dec. 15, 1959 F. D. MEYER SIMULATED CHRISTMAS TREE Filed April 2o, 1959 'Inder-5rrox'zcls @M89 er @WM m2,

United States PatentO SIMULATED CHRISTMAS TREE Francis D. Meyer, Hammond, Ind.

.t Application April 20, 1959, Serial No. 807,464

2 Claims. (Cl. 4115) yThis invention'4 relates to artificial Christmas trees formed of sheet material such as cardboard and the primary object is to construct such a -tree in a novel manner enabling it to be shipped in flattened condition but to be assembled to obtain a full branched effect simulating the appearance of an actual fir or other type of evergreen tree used in connection with the observance of Christmas.

Another object is to utilize a plurality of sheets to provide a realistic appearance of `a Christmas tree by connecting the sheets together in a novel manner and forming the sheets with separable sections projecting into the spaces between adjacent sheets.

t 'base member;

Figs. 4 and 5 are side elevational views of a full sheet and a halft sheet respectively of the tree;

= Eign l'is a diagrammaticplan-view of thefassembled tree; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a fiat sheet showing a modified base member.

The present invention is especially adapted for simulating the appearance of evergreen trees such as fir trees used in connection with the observance of Christmas. In general such trees are full bodied with short trunks and are of inverted V-shape. The artificial tree illustrated in the drawings for simulating this appearance comprises a plurality of flat sheets 10"and 11 of material radiating from an upright central or trunk portion 12 and supported in vertical planes on a base 13. The base has a flat bottom adapted to rest on a horizontal supporting surface and connected to the trunk portion of the tree. In the form shown in Figs. l to 6, the base comprises a fiat annular plate 14 which is secured to the lower end of an upstanding tubular support 15. Around its upper end portion, this support is slotted at angularly spaced points as indicated at 16 to receive lower edge portions of the different sheets and maintain the sheets in a-ngularly spaced relation.

To simulate the tree of inverted V-shape, the individual sheets 10 and 11 have a similar peripheral outline. In the present instance, there are four sheets 10 of inverted V-shape which may be referred to as full sheets. Also, there are two sheets 11 which have the same shape as one-half of each full sheet and may be referred to as halfsheets. All of these sheets are secured together at the trunk portion 12 of the tree and generally along a line 17 Patented Dec.r 15, 1959 which bisects the full sheets and extends along a vertical edge 18 of each` half-sheet. The full sheets lie side by side in the finally assembled tree and their halves radiate at different angles from the trunk. The half sheets' 11 t extend transversely of the full sheets and lie substantially in a common plane bisecting the angles of the halves of the full sheets. To fasten the half sheets to the full sheets and the latter to each other, tabs 19 project fromthe vertical edges 18 of the half sheets and through aligned slots 20 in the full sheets and are recessed at 21 adjacent their lower ends to receive thefull sheets adjacent .the lower ends of the slots and form depending lugs 22. v The latter engage the outer sides of the outermost full sheets to lock all of the sheets together after the tabs are .passed through the slots, the tabs of each half sheet lying alongside the tabs of the other half sheet within the slots.

After the sheets thus are secured rigidly together along the junction line 17, their lower edge portions are fit into the slots 16 in the tubular support 15 so that the different sheet halves are disposed in vertical planes angularly spaced around thejunction line, short vertical slots 23 (Figs. 4 and 5) beingcut in the bottom edge portions of the sheets to receive the upper end of the support and prevent shifting of the sheet in a vertical plane relative to the'support. The peripheral edges of each half sheet and each half of the full sheets extend horizontally and outwardly from the tubular support alongva straight line 24 and then upwardly and inwardly to a point spaced above the support. The upwardly-inclined portion is indicated at 25 and has spaced points 26 defined by a zigzagging of that portion to simulate the periphery of evergreen trees.

t In accordance with the present invention, Vthe intermediate portions of the different sheets 10 and 11 between the trunk 12 and the periphery 2S are constructed in a novel manner to extend into the spaces between the radial v planes of the sheets and thereby achieve a full-bodied -dividedy into a plurality of sections or strips 28, each connected` to the trunk and foldable individually away from theplane of the sheet so that the sectionsmay be disposed at different angles with respect to such plane. To rigidify the finished device, the cut lines terminate at the trunk portion 12 of the sheet to leave each section connected to the sheet at two points spaced along the trunk.

The lines 27 of severance of each sheet into its individual sections in this instance follow a zigzag pattern like that of the outer side edges 25 in parallelism with such edges and then extend horizontally in parallelism with the straight bottom edges 24 of the sheet. Due to its connection at two points spaced along the trunk 12 of each sheet, each individually foldable section retains some rigidity and also remains in Contact with adjacent sections at the points of connection to the trunk so as to produce a friction between the adjacent sections tending to retain the sections in whatever relative positions they have been moved. The trunk 12 of each sheet between the ends of the various sections and the junction line 17 on the full sheets or vertical edge 18 of the half sheets remain imperforate thereby adding rigidity to the finished tree.

The material used for the sheets preferably is flexible to enable the sheets to be bent so that the halves thereof `can be located in the different radial planes and the individual sections 28 can be bent out at the desired angles with respect to each plane. At the same time, some rigidity in the material is desired to enable the tree to stand by itself. A suitable material for larger sized trees is cardboard. Metal could also be used.

It will be seen that the improved tree can he shipped easily with the sheets and 11 disconnected and lying at against each other. From this condition, the full sheets 10 are arranged with their slots 20 in alignment and the tabs 19 and lugs 22 on the half sheets 11 then are projected through the aligned slots and interlocked with the full sheets. The half sheets and the halves of the various full sheets then are disposed in the desired radial planes and are inserted into the slots 16 in the tubular support with the recesses 23 in the bottom edges of the sheets receiving the tubular support adjacent the bottoms of the slots. Once the connected sheets are mounted properly on the tubular support, the individually t foldable sections 28 are bent out from opposite sides 0f vertical plane. Such a modified construction is shown in Fig. 7. Preferably, these sections are formed integral with the sheets thereby enabling them to be cut out at the same time as the sheets.

By virtue of the individually foldable strips 28 of each of the sheets 10 and 11, the finished tree has a very fullbodied appearance closely simulating the appearance of a real evergreen tree. Being connected to its associated sheet at two spaced points, each strip is rigidied and, due to the frictional engagement with adjacent strips at a plurality of points, tends to remain in the adjusted position to which it is folded initially. Also, the central or trunk portion 12 of each sheet adjacent the junction line 17 remains imperforate so as to strengthen the nished tree.

I claim as my invention:

1. A simulated Christmas tree having, in combination, a plurality of sheets of foldable material secured to each other along a common vertically elongated central portion of the tree and radiating therefrom in dilferent planes, said sheets having peripheries of similar shape like the periphery of a tree extending outwardly from one point along said central portion and then inwardly to a spaced point along such portion and each sheet having a plurality of cuts paralleling each other and the periphery of the sheet and dividing the sheet into a plurality of sections each connected to the central portion at spaced points along the portion and foldable out of the plane of the sheet on opposite sides thereof each at an angle different from the angle of other sections with respect to such plane to give the appearance of a fullbranched tree, and a base connected to said central portion and adapted to rest on a horizontalvsurface to support said sheets in vertical planes, the part of each of said sheets along said central portion being of substantial horizontal width to form a rigid self supporting trunk sustaining the weight of said sections and remaining at when the sections are bent with respect to the sheet.

2. A simulated Christmas tree comprising a plurality of at sheets of exible material secured together along a common juncture line and radiating therefrom at difierent angles in angularly spaced lvertical planes with the periphery of each sheet extending rst horizontally and outwardly from said support and said juncture line at the lower edge of the sheet and then inwardly and upwardly along a zigzag path to the juncture line whereby a prolc of the sheet is generally of inverted V-shape, each of said sheets having a plurality of cuts made along lines paralleling said periphery of the sheet and spaced apart substantially uniform distances from the periphery and each other to define individual sections connected to an inner portion of the sheet adjacent but spaced from said juncture line at spaced points along the line and foldable away from such inner portion at an angle different from the angles of the other sections to provide the appearance of a full-branched tree, said inner portion of each of said sheets having substantial horizontal width to form a rigid trunk and support the weight of said sections v'of the sheet and remaining flat when the sections are bent relative to the sheet.

l References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 43,757 Chase Apr. 1, 1913 1,600,813 Flentye Sept. 21, 1926 2,587,003 Shina. Feb. 26, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 284,818 Switzerland Dec. 1, 1952