Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
  • A47G33/00—Religious or ritual equipment in dwelling or for general use
  • A47G33/04—Christmas trees 
  • A47G33/12—Christmas tree stands
  • A47G33/1206—Christmas tree stands of self-clamping type

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a Christmas tree stand of the type having a preferably triangular base plate portion provided at its corners with legs, which are freely pivotable in the vertical plane and are upwardly and inwardly extended into respective arm portions operable to clamp inwardly against the side of the lower end portion of the trunk of a tree placed on the base plate, means being provided in connection with the latter for holding the lower trunk end in the horizontal plane.
• This type of tree stand is self clamping about the trunk, as the upper arm portions will pivot or clamp inwardly against the trunk as a function of the outwardly projecting legs, by virtue of the weight of the tree against the base plate and their floor contact, being pressed further outwardly and upwardly relative to the base plate.
• the legs will assume reasonably uniform angular positions, whereby the upper ends of the arms will clamp the trunk in a centered manner relative to the stand. Thereby the tree can be held in a very stable manner, if only the lower end of the trunk cannot slide on the base plate.
• a stand of this type is disclosed in US-A-2,071,887.
• the stand is almost as simple as it can be, consisting of a triangular plate having at its corners slots or recesses for pivotal mounting of the three leg/arm elements and having at the middle a hole for a screw usable for fixing the plate to the end surface of the trunk.
• the tree Admittedly, the tree will be rigidly held, but it is not suitable that it is the end surface of the trunk that will determine the position of the plate, because this surface is often pronounced inclined.
• a better solution is disclosed in DK-C-70,648, where the plate forms a bottom in a water bowl for receiving the trunk end.
• the first mentioned known stand will be suitable, as from the beginning the user will have free sight to the application point of the screw, but for one thing the said problem with respect to the possible inclination of the fixed plate will remain, and for another thing this stand will not allow the plate to be exchanged for a bowl, because the screw hole in the bottom plate is difficult to seal off. Also with the invention it is highly desirable to make use of a bowl shaped base plate for enabling access of water to the tree.
• the said screw is made as a special loose part of the stand, viz. with a semibroad head portion that is well suited to be gripped for manual turning of the screw with free sight to the point of application of the screw, and the base plate or a corresponding bottom in a broader water container is shaped with such an unbroken surface configuration by which, in a central area, there is provided a projection or depression adapted to receive the head portion of the screw in such a narrow manner that the head portion, when lowered against the base plate, will be fixed laterally relative to the base plate and also be locked against a fully free retraction from the base plate.
• the screw can be mounted in the tree with a good grip in the head portion, i.e.
• the invention is not less favourable than the said stands secured by screwing.
• the invention provides for a considerably simplified mounting, and the stand may well be provided with a central water bowl of any desired depth, as the bowl may appear with a non-perforated bottom portion.
• Fig. 1 is a perspective exploded view of a stand according to the invention.
• Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view thereof.
• the stand shown has as a main part a triangular base plate 2 made as an injection moulded plastic member having depending edge flanges 4 and a depressed central portion 6 that is usable as a water bowl.
• the associated bottom plate portion 8 is provided with a circular depression 10, which, as best shown in Fig. 2 , has a small upper edge narrowing 12.
• the plate member 2 is provided with upstanding console portions 14, which are open towards each other and also downwardly open such that between them they can receive an outwardly projecting leg member 16 having laterally projecting pin portions 18 receivable in the consoles 14.
• the projecting leg elements 16 have inwardly and upwardly extending arm extensions 22, which in a manner known per se may act to clamp against the trunk of a tree mounted in the stand.
• the wheel portion 28 has an outer diameter corresponding to the diameter of the central depression 10 in the bottom plate 8 of the stand. This diameter may be e.g. 5-10 cm, whereby the wheel portion is very well suited as a handle for the screwing of the screw 26 into the lower end of a trunk 32.
• the user can easily verify that the screw is set into the pith middle of the trunk 32 and that the wheel 28 is reasonably perpendicular on the axis of the trunk.
• the upstanding, relatively thin hub portion 30 will ensure that in the final phase of the screwing the wheel 28 will maintain its orthogonal position even if the trunk end is cut pronounced obliquely as indicated in Fig. 2.
• the stand 2 may well have a water receiving ⁇ depression 6 of a desired size, without this rendering difficult the mounting of the tree.
• the grip area for the screw head 28 is a depression 10, as the desired supporting and locking engagement may be arranged in many other manners, e.g. with the use of upright, mutually separated spigots for engaging local areas of the outside or the inside of the the screw head portion 28, or a socket for receiving the screw head for bayonet locking thereof. If circular receiving means are used the head portion 28 shall not have to be annular, as it may be formed e.g. by outwardly projecting wing portions.
• a pin or spire can be used, which is pressed or knocked into the tree; also in that case the added head portion will make the mounting easier, because it makes it easier to determine whether the place and direction of application is reasonably correct.
• the invention is not limited to the stand being of the self clamping type, but with the disclosed retraction locking it will make it practically possible that the stand may be of just that simple type, without the stand being unstable when the tree is lifted and without the stand being difficult to mount.
• the base portion 2 may have other shapes, e.g. circular, whereby the water bowl 6 may be extra large.

Landscapes

• Cultivation Receptacles Or Flower-Pots, Or Pots For Seedlings (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8101716

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (3)

Families Citing this family (2)

Citations (4)

• 1992
  • 1992-09-21 DK DK116492A patent/DK116492A/da not_active Application Discontinuation
• 1993
  • 1993-09-20 EP EP93920683A patent/EP0669817A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1993-09-20 WO PCT/DK1993/000302 patent/WO1994006332A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (4)

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