US3185416A

US3185416A - Christmas tree stand

Info

Publication number: US3185416A
Application number: US333419A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alex J Osinski
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-12-26
Filing date: 1963-12-26
Publication date: 1965-05-25
Anticipated expiration: 1982-05-25

Description

y 965 A. J. OSINSKI 3,185,416.

CHRISTMAS TREE STAND Filed D96- 26, 1963 Fig. 3

j Alex J. Osibskii v INVENIOR.

,1 28\ 26 2 /6 BY Mn- 1 I 6. r ,1 I M #1.

United States Patent 3,185,416 CHRISTMAS TREE STAND Alex J. Osinski, 446 Gifford St., Syracuse, NY. Filed Dec. 26, 1963, Ser. No. 333,419 4 Claims. (Cl. 248-44) The present invention relates to an improved Christmas tree stand, more particularly, to a portable knockdown stand which is structurally designed and functionally adapted to reliably elevate and support a Christmas tree indoors or outdoors as may be desired.

In carrying out a preferred embodiment of the invention two cooperating units are employed; one of which is a base unitwhich rests upon the floor, ground or other stationary foundation. This base unit functions to properly position and securely support a second unit, a complemental L-shaped bracket. This bracket has vertical and horizontal limbs and the horizontal limb is provided with a socket member the socket of which receives and supports the lower end of the tree trunk.

More specifically the base unit is made up of interconnected rigid component parts and is substantially U-shaped in plan. The U-shaped construction is achieved by joining corresponding end portions of a pair of rigid channel members by way of an angle iron. This is to say, like ends of the channel members abut and are fixedly joined to a vertical flange of the angle iron in properly coordinated relationship to provide a self-standing base.

The construction also features the aforementioned L- shaped unit or bracket which is made up of fixedly joined channel-shaped members which are at right angles to each other and providethe desired long and short arms of the L. The free end' of the horizontal longer arm, the elevated arm when it is being used, is provided with an upstanding socket member which in turn is provided with setscrews whereby to provide a receiver and holder for the trunk of the Christmas tree.

To the ends desired the vertical part of the L-shaped bracket is removably bolted at a lower end thereof to 'a median portion of the angle member of the aforementioned base unit. Thus the two units can be readily assembly for cooperative association when being used and dismantled when not being used.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of a Christmas tree stand and holder constructed in accordance with the present invention and showing how it is constructed and used;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the structure illustrated in FIGURE 1 with the tree removed; and

FIGURE 3 is an end elevation observing the stand in a direction from left to right; that is, as presented in FIGS. 1 and 2.

With reference now to the views of the drawing and particularly to FIG. 1 the base unit is denoted by the numeral 6, the companion stand unit by the numeral 8 and the complemental holder by the numeral 10. The unit 6, being generally U-shaped in plan, is characterized by a pair of coplanar arms having corresponding ends joined by a rigid bight portion. More specifically each arm comprises an elongated inverted channel-shaped member or rail 12. Like or corresponding ends 14 are integrally joined to the vertical flange 16 of an arm connecting angle iron whose horizontal flange is denoted at 18 and which is flush-with the bottom side of the channel members 12.

Patented May 25, 1965 "ice The L-shaped bracket or stand 8 comprises a vertical relatively short limb and a horizontal complemental limb, the first limb being a suitable channel member, as at 20 and having its lower end seated between a pair of suitable spaced parallel cleats 22 which are fixed to the outward side of the flange 16. This flange is provided with a bolt hole to accommodate the headed end 24 of an assembling and retaining bolt whose threaded end 26 passes through a hole provided therefor in the lower part of the web of the channel member 20 where it is then provided with an accessible nut 18 which separably bolts the leg or limb 20 to the flange 16. The horizontal leg or limb 30 is also in the form of a channel and is of suitable length and it is on the free righthand end portion (right in the illustrations in the drawings) that the tree holding means is provided. This means comprises a simple sleeve which is fixed atop the web of the limb 30 and serves to provide a socket member 32 into which the trunk of the tree 34 is removably fitted and held in place by setscrews 36. The setscrews are arranged circumferentially and also vertically so as to provide a satisfactory manner of anchoring the portion of the trunk which extends into the socket of the socket member 32. The socket member 32 is preferably fixed at its lower end atop the web of the horizontal channel or limb 30. For greater strength and durability rigid gusset-like webs 34 are provided and have their cooperating portions secured to the intended flanges of the

channel members

20 and 30 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1, whereby to thus provide a reliable jointing connection between the parts.

It will be evident that the simple reliable holder 10 is a component part of the bodily attachable and detachable L-shaped unit or bracket 8 and that the bracket unit 8 is simply and reliably and removably mounted in a properly balanced manner on a median portion of the angle bar or member of the U-shaped base member 8. It follows that the two

units

6 and 8 can be expeditiously and economically produced whereby to thus provide a simple knockdown stand. The units or parts can be packaged and retailed in ready-to-assemble form. The user need not be skilled at handling tools because obviously the construction and arrangement of parts is so clearly understandable that the purchaser should have no trouble in initially erecting the stand and subsequently dismantling it for compact and convenient storage requirements.

It is clear that the bracket means 8 is in proper pro portion and is so oriented in relation to the base that when the units 6 and S are assembled as illustrated in FIG. 1 the desired balanced tree stand is provided. It will be further understood that the socket member lends itself to use not only in accommodating the stump at the bottom of a tree trunk but can be equally well used as elevating and support means for a flag pole, post, antenna standard or the like. Accordingly, the invention as herein shown and described fulfills the purposes for which it is intended in a highly satisfactory manner.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A portable knockdown stand adapted to support the trunk of a Christmas tree in a position elevated vertically above the plane of a floor or equivalent stationary foundation comprising, in combination, a portable horizontally elongated self-standing base unit substantially U-shaped in plan and embodying a bight portion connecting a pair of spaced parallel duplicate elongated arms, said bight portion and bottom portions of said arms being in a common plane and adapted to rest flatwise on the aforementioned floor when in use, a socket member provided with fastening means, the socket portion thereof being adapted to receive and support a cooperating lower end portion of the trees trunk, and means integrally joining said socket member to a median portion of the bight portion of said base, said means comprising an L-shaped bracket having a relatively short vertical limb, and a longer horizontal limb, said vertical limb functioning to support said horizontal limb in elevated parallelism above and midway between the aforementioned arms, said horizontal limb being of a length significantly less than the length of the aforementioned arms.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 and wherein said bight portion comprises an angle member, said arms constituting inverted channel-shaped members, like end portions of said channel-shaped members abutting and being rigidly joined to respective end portions of the vertical flange of said angle member.

3. A portable knockdown stand for supporting a Christmas tree or the like comprising: a pair of coplanar elongated spaced parallel inverted channel members, an angle member cooperable with the channel members and disposed at right angles thereto and having end portions of a vertical flange thereof fixedly joined to like ends of said channel members and cooperating with the angle member and defining a rigid portable self-standing base unit, and a complemental L-shaped bracket unit provided with a tree holder and detachably connectible with a median portion of said angle member by way of a pair of complemental spaced parallel cleats fixedly joined to a median portion of the vertical flange of said angle member and cooperating therewith in providing a receiver and retainer for the cooperating part of said bracket, said vertical flange being provided with bolt and nut means cooperable with said cleats and functioning to facilitate attachment of the bracket to said angle member.

4. A portable knockdown Christmas tree holder comprising: a portable rigid base unit substantially U-shaped in plan and embodying an elongated rigid horizontal angle iron having horizontal and vertical flanges, the horizontal flange being directed outwardly and the vertical flange rising perpendicularly therefrom and having an intermediate portion of the exterior side provided with a pair of coacting assembling cleats, and bolt and nut means carried by the vertical flange and located between the respective cleats, said base unit also embodying a pair of duplicate elongated coplanar spaced parallel arms having like ends attached to cooperating respective end portions of said vertical flange and rendering said unit self-standing when in use, a readily attachable and detachable substantially L-shaped bracket unit embodying a vertical channel member having a lower end thereof situated and bolted between and cooperating with said cleats, a horizontal channel member in a plane above and parallel to and situated in the space between the arms of said base unit, an outward end thereof being joined to the upper end of said vertical channel member and rigidified by attached cooperating gusset-like webs, said horizontal channel member being of a length less than the aforementioned arms and having a free end portion which is provided with an upstanding socket member the socket of which constitutes a receiver and holder for the lower end portion of the trunk of the aforementioned Christmas tree, said socketlike member being provided with trunk securing members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 725,458 4/03 Levy 248158 2,516,802 7/50 Richards et a1. 248-44 2,986,284 5/61 Colbert 211134 3,034,754 5/62 Trindl 248-158 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A PORTABLE KNOCKDOWN STAND ADAPTED TO SUPPORT THE TRUNK OF A CHRISTMAS TREE IN A POSITION ELEVATED VERTICALLY ABOVE THE PLANE OF A FLOOR OR EQUIVALENT STATIONARY FOUNDATION COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A PORTABLE HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED SELF-STANDING BASE UNIT SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED IN PLAN AND EMBODYING A BIGHT PORTION CONNECTING A PAIR OF SPACED PARALLEL DUPLICATE ELONGATED ARMS, SAID BIGHT PORTION AND BOTTOM PORTIONS OF SAID ARMS BEING IN A COMMON PLANE AND ADAPTED TO REST FLATWISE ON THE AFOREMENTIONED FLOOR WHEN IN USE, A SOCKET MEMBER PROVIDED WITH FASTENING MEANS, THE SOCKET PORTION THEREOF BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT A COOPERATING LOWER END PORTION OF THE TREE''S TRUNK, AND MEANS INTEGRALLY JOINING SAID SOCKET MEMBER TO A MEMDIAN PORTION OF THE BIGHT PORTION OF SAID BASE, SAID MEANS COMPRISING AN L-SHAPED BRACKET HAVING A RELATIVELY SHORT VERTICAL LIMB, AND A LONGER HORIZONTAL LIMB, SAID VERTICAL LIMB FUNCTIONING TO SUPPORT SAID HORIZONTAL LIMB IN ELEVATED PARALLELISM ABOVE AND MIDWAY BETWEEN THE AFOREMENTIONED ARMS, SAID HORIZONTAL LIMB BEING OF A LENGTH SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN THE LENGTH OF THE AFOREMENTIONED ARMS.