US2390292A - Holder for upright staffs and the like - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 4, 1945. F. A. BURTON 2,390,292

HOLDER FOR UPRIGHT STAFFS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 17, 1944 ZSheets-Sheet 1 O INVENTOR.

Frank Eru T on z! I BY Q ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 4, 1945. F. A. BURTON 2,390,292 7 HOLDER FOR UPRIGHT STAFFS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 17, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4.

INVENTOR.

F1" ank A Eur-Tun If l g ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 4, 1945 HOLDER FOR UPRIIfiIKdT STAFFS AND THE 2 Frank A. Burton, Poplar Blufi, Mo. Application January 17, 1944, Serial No. 518,614

3 Claims.

This invention relates to holders or suDpQ for maintaining members, such as staffs or the like, in upright positions, and more particularly to such a support, including legs to grip the lower portion of the member. An important object of the invention is to provide a means for firmly supporting, in an upright position, an elongated slender member, such as a flag staff, or a broader, but elongated member, such as a Christmas tree.

Another important object is to provide a support or holder for such members which support or holder for such members is of light weight and the body portion of which may be readily cut or stamped from a sheet of suitable material and then folded into shape.

Still another important object is to provide a support, as described above, which is particularly adapted as a holder for table-size Christmas trees, flags and the like, and is so constructed that it will not mar the table top or other surface upon which it is placed.

Another object is to provide such supports, which may be readily nested for shipment and storage. i I

Yet another object is to provide a staff holder which may be constructed from a pair of blanks formed from suitable lengths of stock, the shape of the blanks being such that the quantity of waste stock is small.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification and in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the novel support or holder, supporting an upright member.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the support, with the member in horizontal section.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the novel support.

Figure 4 is a vertical section substantially upon the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the same, collapsed.

Figure 6 is a vertical section substantially upon the line 66 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a side elevation of one of two like portions, constituting the new support.

Figure 8 is a blank of one of either of the two like portions making up the legs of the support.

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional View, somewhat similar to Figure 4, but illustrating employment of the holder in supporting a member of greater diameter than the member of Figure 4.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter A may designate the novel support o holder; B, the blank for one-half thereof; and the letters C and D members supported by the holder.

The novel holder or support A comprises two substantially like portions II] which may be of any suitable springy or resilient material or stock such as heavy cardboard or sheet metal, and a means II for joining them together and attaching the supported member C or D thereto.

The portions IIJ include a pair of hollow, upwardly converging legs I2, each having an elongated narrow bottom wall section I3, which joins the bottom wall section I3 of the other of the pair by a joining section I4 so that the bottom wall sections I3 and joining section I4 are preferably integral and are, of course, of the springy or resilient material or stock referred to above.

Extending upwardly from each bottom wall section I3 is a pair of side wall Sections I5, with the upper edge I6 of each forming, with the bottom wall section I 3, an acute angle, while the inward edge I! of each side wall section I5 forms, with the bottom Wall section I3 an obtuse angle. As a result the upper or top wall section I8 of each leg I2, which extends from the side wall sections I5, projects farther inwardly than does its associated bottom wall section I3. With this construction, the top wall section I8 slopes upwardly and inwardly.

There is no inner wall section but, since the material may be cardboard, in order to provide a sturdy construction, there may be provided an end flap I9 connected along one side of each top wall section I8 and adapted to lie against one side wall section I5, as shown particularly in Figures 1, 6 and '7, where it may be secured to the side wall section in any approved manner, as by suitable fasteners or rivet members 20.

At the outermost end M of each leg I2, the bottom wall section I3 and top wall section I5 of each leg come together, with the top wall section bearing upon the bottom wall section as in Figures 4 and 9.

Means to embrace and grip a portion of the 'lower part of the members C or D is provided and comprises the wall 22 of an arcuate recess or reentrant opening at the upper end of the top wall section I5 of each leg I2. These arcuate openings extend around portions of the periphery of the staff, tree or the like, particularly as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Means H for joining the two portions I!) together with the joining sections M of each portion l crossed, as in Figures 4 and 9, may comprise a fastener, such as a nail, tack or screw, inserted, with its head 24 downward and its shank 25 extending through the two overlapping sections 14 and into the lower end 26 of a member C or D supported by the holder A, as in Figures 4 and 9.

Since each portion It] may be constructed from a single sheet of suitable material or stock, a

novel blank is shown in Figure 8. In this blank the corresponding sections of the portions 10 are given corresponding reference characters. Paralleling fold lines 30 define the side edges of the bottom wall sections I3 and two of these lines 30, together with the fold lines 3| define one side wall of each pair.

Fold lines 32, with the paralleling fold lines 3! define the sides of the top wall sections I8, which sections, it will be noted are narrower than the bottom wall sections l3, and the fold lines 32 and the edges 33 define the sides of the flaps H3.

The left-hand fold lines 30 together with the edges 34 define the sides of the side wall sections IE not directly attached to the top wall sections IS. The edges 25, 26 and 31 of the side wall sections and bottom and top wall sections, respectfully, define the outermost and lowermost ends of the legs I2 while the sloping opposite edges l! of. the side wall section [5 provide for the jutting of the top walls l8 over the inner ends of, the bottom walls l3, as noted.

7 The reentrant openings 39 are of course defined by their walls 22 as heretofore stated. Suitable spaced-apart perforations 40 may be provided for the fasteners 20, and a perforation 4| may be provided for the fastener 25.

Economy in the use of stock is assured, since there is but little waste stock. The edges 33. and 34 of adjacent blanks are nearly parallel, or two blanks With their edges 33 together, may be stamped out from the stock.

There is but little space employed in shipping or storing piles of the blanks, and they may be readily folded into shape and two combined to form a holder.

In folding, the side wall sections 15 may be folded along the fold lines 30 upwardly and slightly inwardly, the top wall sections, l8 folded along the fold lines 3| to face the bottom wall sections i3, and the flaps l9 folded downwardly to contact and parallel one side Wall section It of each pair, whereupon the fasteners 20 may be inserted. Then two portions l0 may be crossed at their joining sections I2 and secured together with a fastener 25. I

In inserting a member C or D into the holder A, the member C Or D may be tipped so that the lower end 26 is raised andinserted into the holder whereupon the means ll may be driven into the end 26. Upon standing the holder A upon a suitable horizontal surface with the mem ber C or D upright, the joining sections 14 of the holder will arch as in Figures 4 and 9 due to, the fact that, when the bottom is substantially flat, as in Figures 5 and '7, the upper inner ends of the top wall sections it are quite close together (in any case opposite pairs of upper inner ends are closer together a distance less than the diameter of the lower end 28 of a member C or D) and when these ends of the top- Walls spread apart to embrace the lower end 26, this spreading causes the resilient joining sections [4 to arch upwardly. The weight of the member, however, tends to press downwardly upon this arch and thus forces the legs into gripping contact with the members C and D.

From Figures 4, 6 and 7 it will be seen that a particularly sturdy construction is provided, even and the like, a pair of crossing, substantially like, 7

continuous portions, each portion comprising a. pair of upwardly-converging legs and a joining section of springy material extending from the inner lowermost end of one leg to the like end ofv the opposite leg, each leg having a bottom wall section, upwardly converging side wall sections joining the sides of the bottom wall section, and a top wall section joining the sides of the side wall sections and sloping upwardly and inwardly towards the center of said support, the uppermost end of each of said top wall sections being provided with an arcuate reentrant opening, and

means joining said like portions where their join-V ing sections overlap, the length of each leg being such that when said bottom wall sections and joining sections are substantially fiat, the ends of said top walls, provided with said arcuate openings, will be spaced apart a short distance and when said bottom Wall sections are upwardly and inwardly converging and said joining. sections are upwardly arched, said ends of said top .wall will be spaced apart a greater distance,

2. In a cardboard support for a vertically-disposed staff and like member, four upwardly and,

inwardly inclined legs, each leghaving a, bottom wall of resilient cardboard material with e the wall extending from the inner end of 011616,;

to the spaced-apart inner end of the opposite leg, opposite, angular side walls extending from said bottom wall, and a top wall joining said side walls and longer than said bottom Wall, said top wall having means to embracea portion of the lower part of a member inserted into said support, comprising walls defining an arcuate recess member bearing upon those sections of said bot-- tom walls extending from the inner end of each leg.

3. As an article of manufacture a blank for' a pair of legs of a staff holder, comprising a sheet of resilient stock, provided with a narrow, elon-- gated leg bottom section, a pair of angular; legside wall sections extending alon each side of said bottom section, from each end thereof and ending short of the transverse axis of said bottom section, one sidewall section of eachgpair being disposed upon one side of said bottom sec tion, and the other side wall section of each pair being disposed upon the other sideof said bottom section, the first named side wall section or:

each pair having an outward extension, providing a top wall section and an outward extension beyond said first outward extension, providing a flap, the longitudinal axis Of either of said top wall sections forming an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of said bottom section and the ends of said top wall sections farthest from said bottom wall section having an arcuate reentrant opening, all of said side wall sections being foldable along longitudinal fold lines between them and said bottom section, said top wall sections being foldable along longitudinal fold lines between them and their adjacent side wall sections and along said flaps, and said flaps bein foldable along longitudinal fold lines between them and said top wall sections, to lie in contact with the second named side wall sections of each pair.

FRANK A. BURTON.

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