Collapsable Christmas tree apparatus

• US 3,900,637 A
• Filed: 11/06/1974
• Issued: 08/19/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Charles F. Byrd, William Dailey
• Original Assignee: Charles F. Byrd, William Dailey
• Inventors: Byrd, Charles F., Dailey, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Schulz, William E.
• Application Number:
  US05/521,313
• Time in Patent Office: 286 Days
• Field of Search: 161/22,24,14 D29/1A
• US Class Current: 428/9
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 33/06 Artificial Christmas trees

Abstract

A collapsable, artificial Christmas tree type apparatus includes a plurality of rotatable limbs, an inner means, an outer means and a lever means for causing the rotation of the tree limbs relative to the inner and outer means. According to one embodiment the inner means comprises a rigid rod and the outer means comprises a tubular trunk which surrounds the rigid rod and which serves as a fulcrum for the rotatable tree limbs to rotate about. The base includes at least one leg which is associated with the inner and outer means in such a fashion as to cause the inner means to move parallel to the outer means when said lever means is caused to rotate. In this fashion, when the legs are folded down to form a base the tree limbs fall down into a natural attitude so as to simulate a real tree. The lever leg also includes a locking device to maintain the tree in an upright position during its display. According to an alternative embodiment, the outer means comprises a plurality of parallel rods which form a parallelogram type linkage with respect to the inner rod. In a similar fashion, the manipulation of the leg lever means causes the artificial tree branches to rotate into either a closed or a folded position.

Claims

1. A COLLAPSABLE ARTIFICAL TREE APPARATUS COMPRISING:

A PLURALITY OF ROTATABLE TREE LIMBS, EACH HAVING A FREE END, AN INTERMEDIATE PIVOTING SECTION AND A BASE END;

AN INNER MEANS ADAPTED TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THE BASE OF SAID ROTABLE LIMBS;

AN OUTER MEANS WHICH RUNS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID INNER MEANS AND WHICH SERVES AS A FULCRUM TO SUPPORT THE PIVOTING SECTION OF SAID ROTATABLE TREE LIMBS;

AND A LEVER MEANS FOR CAUSING SAID INNER MEANS TO MOVE IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO SAID OUTER MEANS, SAID LEVER MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO CONTACT BOTH SAID INNER MEANS AND SAID OUTER MEANS DURING SAID MOVEMENT, WHEREIN THE MOVEMENT OF SAID LEVER MEANS IN A FIRST DIRECTION CAUSES SAID ROTATABLE TREE LIMBS TO ROTATE TOWARD A FOLDED POSITION AND MOVEMENT OF SAID LEVER MEANS IN AN OPPOSITE SECOND DIRECTION CAUSES SAID LIMBS TO ROTATE TOWARD AN OPEN POSITION.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said lever means constitutes a part of the base of said tree.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said lever means includes at least one leg of a tree base having a plurality of supporting legs.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said inner means comprises a rigid rod;

and said outer means comprises a tubular trunk means which surrounds said inner rigid rod.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said lever means comprises:

a hollow leg means pivotally attached to said outer tubular trunk means;

a control rod pivotally associated at one end thereof with said inner rigid rod and held slightably captive at the other end thereof by the interior of said hollow leg means;

a spring means for biasing said control rod against said inner rigid rod; and

a locking means for immobolizing said control rod relative to said hollow leg means when said control rod is in a predetermined position relative to said hollow leg means.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said locking means comprises a spring biased locking pin on said control rod and a detent hole in said hollow leg means, wherein said lever means is locked when said pin means engages said detent hole and when said lever means may be unlocked by disengaging said pin from said detent hole and moving said leg means.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said inner means includes a plurality of tab means connected thereto, said tab means adapted to engage the base end of said rotatable tree limbs respectively and to provide folding and unfolding impetus to said limbs in response to the actuation of said lever means.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said inner means comprises a rigid central rod, said central rod being pivotally connected to the base end of said rotatable tree limbs respectively;

and said outer means comprises a plurality of outer rods each pivotally attached to the intermediate pivoting section of said rotatable tree limbs respectively, said outer means thereby forming a parallelagram type linkage with respect to said inner means.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said lever means comprises a plurality of leg means each respectively pivotally attached to one of said outer rods, each of said leg means comprising a base and adapted for contact with a supporting floor and a top end attached to a ring member through which said rigid central rod may pass, said lever means further including a set of links each having one end attached pivotally to said leg means and the other end attached pivotally to said central rod.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said lever means further includes a means for locking said apparatus in the folded or unfolded position.