Tree stand

2,928,633

March 15, 1960

C. A. HOLMES ET AL

TREE STAND

Filed June 24, 1957

<img file="US2928633A_D0001.tif" />

United States Patent Office _P \ „ ^2,928,633

Patented Mar. 15, 1960

2,928,633

TREE STAND

Carlton A. Holmes and Duane 0. Madsen, Duluth, Minn., assignors to Halvorson Trees, Inc., Duluth, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota

Application June 24, 1957, Serial No. 667,323

Claims. (Cl. 248—44) consisting of the lower and upper base members is closed. An annular depression 18, in the centrally disposed portion 14 of the upper base member 10 and in spaced, concentric, surrounding relation to the cylindrical flange 16, bounds or defines the outer circumferential margin of an annular element 19 of said centrally disposed portion an upwardly facing, external surface of which is convex, and a downwardly facing, internal surface of which is concave. The inner circumferential margin of said annular element merges in the upper end of the cylindrical flange 16.

A strut unit 20 of the stand or holder, within the container, also can be of any material suitable to its purpose. As shown, said strut unit is metallic. It desirably can be of 22 gauge metal (0.030).

Supporting legs, each represented 21, are in spaced relation to each other at diametrically opposite sides of the strut unit and extend upwardly and somewhat inwardly from the interior edges of supporting elements, each indicated 22, at the bottom of said strut unit. Each supporting element 22 is of crescent shape as disclosed, and each supporting leg 21 is straight longitudinally and. of arc shape transversely thereof. The supporting leg and dement at each side of the strut unit as shown are continuous throughout an arc of 120 degrees, more or less.

An annular member 23 of the strut unit, at toe top thereof, is in spaced, parallel relation to toe supporting elements 22 and continuous about the circumference of said strut unit. An upwardly facing, external surface of the annular member is convex and a downwardly facing, internal surface thereof is concave. Portions of toe outer circumferential margin of said annular member merge in the upper ends of the arcuate supporting legs the annular member merges in toe upper end of a cylindrical flange 24 of the strut unit which extends downwardly from said annular member within and in spaced, concentric relation to said arcuate supporting legs and 40 in perpendicular relation to said supporting elements.

The strut unit desirably may have overall length approximately equal to a measurement representing toe distance between the lower base member 11 of toe container and the annular element 19 of the centrally disSaid upper and 45 posed portion 14 of the upper base member 10 of said container. When the parts of toe tree holder are assembled, toe supporting elements 22 of the strut unit may rest squarely upon the internal surface of toe lower base member or be in slightly spaced relation thereto, toe exstrut unit and the internal concave surface of toe annular element 19 of said centrally disposed portion of said upper base member will be closely fitted to and in pressing engagement with each other, the internal surface of surface of toe cylindrical flange 16 of toe upper base member also will be in close fitting and engaged relation and toe lower ends of said cylindrical flanges will terminate in a single plane.

A desirably cylindrical sleeve 25 of the stand or holder can be of any rigid material suitable to its purpose. As disclosed, said cylindrical· sleeve is constituted as plastic material, so-called.

A first annular rib 26 integral with an external surface a downwardly facing, annular shoulder or surface 27 in contiguous surrounding relation to said cylindrical sleeve, and a second annular rib 28 integral with an external surface adjacent the lower end of toe cylindrical sleeve 29 in contiguous surrounding relation to said cylindrical sleeve and in spaced; parallel relation to toe downwardly

The invention herein has relation to a tree stand or holder of the general character and for the same purpose as are the tree stands or holders disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,337,914, granted December 28, 1943, to Roy W. Meldrum, and in copending application for United States Letters Patent Serial No. 548,350, filed November 22, 1955, by Louis A. Pazandak, having common ownership with this application and now abandoned.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved stand or holder of simple, practical and inexpensive construction devised to be especially useful for the purpose of supporting Christmas trees in upright position.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification,

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a tree stand or holder made according to the invention as when applied to use;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged central vertical sectional view of toe tree stand or holder;

rig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, on the scale of Fig. 2, 35 21, respectively, and the inner circumferential margin of disclosing a cylindrical sleeve of toe stand or holder as ------'-------' ' ' ' ~ when disassembled from an upper base wall and a stint unit thereof;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view detailing features of the strut unit of the stand or holder; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view corresponding with the disclosure of Fig. 2.

A container of the stand or holder, for water and/or prepared solution, is constituted as an upper base member 10 and a lower base member 11. CJd „„„ lower base members can be of any rigid material suitable for their purpose. In the disclosure as made, each of the upper and lower base members is metallic. De^rafily, 28^ gauge metal (0.0149) can be employed, base member 10 is of convex configuration. An annular flange 12 upon the periphery of said upper base member is clamped about the periphery of said lower base member and an annular gasket 13 thereon to provide a leak- -_β -_e__e............ _{5Uliaue OI} proot seal between the upper and lower base members. 55 ^the cylindrical flange 24 of the strut unit and toe external

A centrally disposed portion 14 of toe upper base mem- ------ -------* ber 10, in spaced, parallel relation to the lower base member 11, is provided with a filler opening 15 for receiving water and/or prepared solution to be poured into the container. A desirably cylindrical flange 16, bounding go or defining said filler opening, extends downwardly from said centrally disposed portion 14 in integral relation thereto and in perpendicular relation to toe lower base member 11. The lower end 17 of the cylindrical flange said lower base member, as well as spaced from and substantially parallel with the centrally disposed portion 14. The lower end portion of said cylindrical flange is offset interiorly to provide an annular lip 33, and an external ------------------- „„„ _{vuu W1 Ulc VJ},_{nuuilual 51cevc} surface of said annular lip is shaped to provide a rounded γη provides an upwardly facing, annular shoulder or surface edge 34 contiguous with the lower end 17 of the cylindri- ' .. ..

cal flange. Save for said filler opening, the container

Th 1 u / .-, < . viupivycu. —«v u< auguuy spaveu leiauon inereio, ine exine lower base member 11 is of disc shape and the upper 50 ternal convex surface of the annular member 23 of said has a mAmh<av 1A ίο λ-Ρ χΐ -- * » ~χ χ „ ·_Λ ,ι · . . _ · 1 1 - ^J χ*«χχ_β^ χχν χ«ν xxxxvgxcil will! αυ CALClHtU bUTIdCe terminates m a plane spaced from and parallel with ₆₅ of a lower portion of the cylindrical sleeve 25 provides RAin IrVWAr naQA ΓΠΑΤΎιΙλατ· no svail nri — J £_______1 __i — J—__________Ϊ1__r>_ · -. ,..- _ *

2,928,833 cially when stored and shipped in large quantities. In many instances, tree stands heretofore known have sprung leaks at the locations of their filler openings by reason of rough handling. Often the stands are dropped on edges thereof and leakage results. By experiment and experience, when tree stands made according to the present invention are permitted to fall, or otherwise roughly handled, there is no resultant leakage. Forces causing sidewise swinging movement of the cylindrical sleeves, such as 25, of the stands merely produce lateral flexing movement of the cylindrical flanges 16 and 24 together as a unit. There is no resultant spreading movement causing leakage at the locations of the filler openings.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, a Christmas tree is disclosed as when supported in and upon the stand or holder. Trees are inserted in and assembled with the cylindrical sleeves, such as 25, after the parts of the stands or holders are assembled so that the lower end portions Of the trees are within the containers and the lower ends of the trees rest upon the lower base members, such as 11, of said containers.

The upper portion of the cylindrical member is constricted, after insertion of a tree, between spaced apart upper and lower locations, denoted 31 and 32,. respectively, to firmly engage the tree trunk in fluid-tight relation thereto. The constriction causes the tree to be rigidly supported in vertical position in the stand or holder and also provides a fluid-proof joint between the cylindrical sleeve and the tree trunk precluding passage of liquid from the stand or holder, except by absorption. The lower end portion of the tree trunk is within the fluid in the container.

When the cylindrical sleeves are constituted as plastic material, they are heated and constricted upon trees while hot, thus to cause flow of the plastic material into interstices of the trunks of the trees and thereby provide fluidtight engagement between the sleeves and tree trunks.

Provision of the rounded edge 34 at the lower end 17 of the cylindrical flange 16 is to the end that shearing action which could otherwise be applied at the upwardly facing annular shoulder 29 will be reduced, and both said upwardly facing annular-shoulder and the downwardly facing annular shoulder 27 are rounded with the end in view that shearing action will be reduced.

The interiorly offset annular lip 33 constituting the lower end of the cylindrical flange 16 is in gripping relation to the external surface of the cylindrical sleeve 25 to transmit at least some of the shearing stress which might otherwise be transmitted to the upper base member 10 to 50 said cylindrical sleeve. And, too, pressing engagement against each other of said annular lip 33 and the external surface of the cylindrical sleeve increases the effectiveness of the liquid seal.