US2891747A - Christmas tree holder - Google Patents

Description

June 23, 1959' o. G. STEEDE 2,391,747

CHRISTMAS TREE HOLDER Filed June 26, 1957 IN VENTOR.

02 /10 6. Sfeea ATTORNEY.

2,891,747 Patented June 23, 1959 United States Patent Ofiice CHRISTMAS TREE HOLDER Otho Gould Steede, Alliance, Ohio, assignor to The Lewis Engineering and Manufacturing Company, Alliance, Ohio, a corporation .of Ohio Application June '26, 1957, Serial No. 668,104 2 Claims. 01. 248-44) This invention relates to a holder for a Christmas tree or other vertically standing article.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a holder for supporting and holding a Christmas tree, fiagstaif or the like in vertical position.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a holder for a Christmas tree, flagstaflf or the like which incorporates a plurality of cams accommodating various sizes of objects to be held and arranged to engage the same in an adjustable manner.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a Christmas tree holder comp-rising a shallow pan having means secured thereto centrally thereof for engaging the bottom of a trunk of a Christmas tree and means positioned thereabove incorporating independent cam-like clamping devices for engaging a Christmas tree trunk and holding the same in vertical position.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a plurality of clamping devices for a Christmas tree holder comprising cams cut in a pattern whereby the portions of the cams lying on the horizontal plane of the axis of the cams engage various sizes of articles positioned between several of the cams.

The Christmas tree holder disclosed herein comprises an improvement in the art in that a simple and positive means of securely engaging the trunk of a Christmas tree regardless of the diameter thereof is disclosed, and which means is so arranged that the point of engagement thereof with the trunk of the Christmas tree is always on a common horizontal plane.

The means for engaging the tree trunk comprise novel shaped cams independently mounted and bifurcated upstanding arms which are in turn supported on a shallow pan on which the bottom of the tree rests.

The device makes possible the quick and easy setting up of a Christmas tree and insures against the tree becoming loose in the stand and falling or tilting, While at the same time it may be removed by merely lifting it upwardly out of the device.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being the intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the Christmas tree holder.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a portion of a tree trunk and one of the cams positioned thereagainst with broken lines showing a smaller sized tree trunk and an alternate position of the same thereagainst.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the Christmas tree holder shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a Christmas tree holder on a reduced scale with respect to Figure 1.

By referring to the drawing and Figure 1 in particular, it will be seen that the Christmas tree holder includes a shallow pan 10, side wall 11 and upper rim 12. The pan 10 is preferably ribbed as at 13 to lend rigidity thereto and is provided in the central area thereof with a trunk centering fixture comprising a plurality of vertically standing inclined members 14, each of which is arranged with its inclined surface running inwardly and downwardly to a common center point 15 and each of which has an adjacent base portion 16. The centering fixture may be stamped of a single piece of metal and may be spot welded to the bottom of the pan 10.

The upper portion of the annular side wall 11 is apertured at spaced intervals therearound and fasteners 17 are positioned therethrough in order to support a plurality of upwardly andinwardly converging arms 18, the uppermost ends of which are bifurcated asat 19 and extend vertically above the arms 18. The upper ends of the arms 18 are secured to an annular band 20 in circumferentially spaced relation to one another and in similarly shaped outwardly offset areas 21 formed in the band 20. 1 v

Fasteners 22 positioned through the offset sections 21 and the upper ends of the arms 18 secure the assembly together so that the bifurcated portions 19 of the arms 18 stand above the band 20 in fixed relation thereto.

Pivot means comprising nut and bolt assemblies 23 are positioned through apertures in the bifurcated arms 19 and pass through cams 24, one of which is located in each of the bifurcated ends 19. The nuts of the nut and bolt assemblies 23 are preferably wing nuts so that manual adjustment of the same is easily made.

It will be observed that each of the cams 24 is of an arcuate shape, one end of which curves in a diminishing spiral offset with respect to openings 25 therein through which the nut and bolt assemblies 23 are engaged.

By referring now to Figure 3 of the drawing a detail of one of the arms 18 may be seen and it will be observed that it is preferably channel-shaped to lend rigidity thereto and that the channel shape extends upwardly within the portions 21 of the annular band 20, as heretofore described. The channel shape extends downwardly into the pan and adjacent the side wall 11 to which it is secured by the fasteners 17.

By referring to Figure 4 of the drawing it will be seen that a top plan view of the Christmas tree holder is disclosed and that a dotted line representation of a Christmas tree trunk or flagstaff or other similar object is shown positioned therein so that its lowermost end rests upon the inwardly converging planes of the members 14 and is thereby centered, while an upper section thereof is engaged by the earns 24 and the supporting device thus held in central upright position in the Christmas tree holder.

It will occur to those skilled in the art that while the nut and bolt assemblies 23 are provided by means of which the cams 24 may be fixed with respect to the bifurcated ends 19, the same is unnecessary for the satisfactory engagement and holding of a Christmas tree trunk by the cams. The desirable action results from the novel formation of the cams which are heretofore described as arcuate throughout approximately half of their peripheral length continuing in an inwardly curving section of progressively decreasing diameter in the nature of a spiral throughout another one-third of their length whereby a horizontal line drawn through the axis of the cams always passes through the portion of the arcuate curving cam surface engaged against the object being supported.

Thus, a very small flagstaff positioned centrally of the cams 24 will be engaged by the outermost arcuate portions of the cam which are the uppermost ends thereof, as shown in the drawing, while a relatively larger fiagstaff or Christmas tree trunk may be engaged at a point intermediate the arcuate portion thereof and very large Christmas tree trunks or fiagstaffs will be engaged at points on the inwardly curving spiral-like area of the cam which is of continually diminishing diameter with respect to the axis thereof.

The formation of the cams and their means of support slightly inwardly of the annular band 20 and thereabove enables the same to readily adjust themselves to the particular diameter of the article being held thereby and at the same time engaging a common horizontal point thereof so that any tendency of outward movement on the part of the article held is directly opposed on the same horizontal plane by the pivotal axis of the cam or cams.

It will thus be seen that a Christmas tree holder incorporating several novel principles and which is simple and inexpensive in construction has been disclosed thereby meeting the several objects of the invention,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A Christmas tree holder comprising a shallow pan having a plurality of inwardly and centrally converging arms secured thereto and engaging an annular band disposed above said shallow pan, said band having outwardly offset areas circumferentially spaced therein, the ends of said arms being upturned, bifurcated and apertured, a bolt and nut positioned through said aperture in each of said bifurcated ends, a cam independently positioned in pivotal relation on each of said bolts, each of said cams comprising an upright flat member of modified arcuate contour, inclined converging narrow bladelike members in the bottom of said shallow pan for en gaging an object to be supported with respect thereto.

2. A Christmas tree holder comprising a shallow pan having a plurality of inwardly and centrally converging arms secured thereto and engaging an annular band disposed above said pan, the ends of the arms being upturned, bifurcated and apertured, a bolt and nut posi tioned through said apertures in each of said bifurcated ends, a cam independently positioned in pivotal relation on each of said bolts, each of said bifurcated ends being inturned with respect to said annular band so as to mount said cams inwardly thereof, each of said cams comprising an upright fiat member of modified arcuate contour, inclined converging narrow blade-like members in the bottom of said shallow pan for engaging an object to be supported with respect thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,091,000 Lyman Mar. 24, 1914 1,179,500 Brown Apr. 18, 1916 2,459,533 Irvin Jan. 18, 1949 2,748,516 McClusky June 5, 1956

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