Christmas tree stand

• US 8,490,328 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2011
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: George M. Glover
• Original Assignee: George M. Glover
• Inventors: Glover, George M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Monica
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHWARZ, TIMOTHY S
• Application Number:
  US13/193,153
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 47/405
• US Class Current: 47/40.5
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2033/1286 comprising watering means, e.g. a water reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 33/1213 comprising a single handle or pedal for releasing, tensioning or locking of clamping members

Abstract

A Christmas tree stand includes a water-retaining pan and a plurality of legs for holding the pan. The radially inner end of each leg terminates in an upwardly extending tree stabilizer. A split ring is secured to the radially outward side of each tree stabilizer and the split rings collectively hold a cable that is disposed in surrounding relation to the tree after the tree is centered in the pan. A circular plate is centered on the bottom of the pan and has an upstanding sidewall mounted about its periphery. A disc fits atop the circular plate and an upstanding screw is secured to the center of the disc. Manual rotation of the disc advances the screw into the bottom of the tree trunk. The disc and tree trunk are guided into overlying relation to the circular plate and the cable is brought into encircling relation to the tree trunk.

Claims

1. A stand for a tree, comprising:

a water-retaining pan having an annular rim;

a plurality of circumferentially and equidistantly spaced apart legs adapted to hold said pan in a level orientation in spaced apart relation above a level floor;

each leg of said plurality of legs having a radially outward end adapted to abut and overlie said floor;

each leg of said plurality of legs having a radially inward end disposed in a vertical plane when each leg abuts said level floor;

each leg of said plurality of legs being disposed in overlying and abutting relation to said rim at a point between said radially outward and radially inward end of each leg;

a cable disposed in encircling relation to said radially inward ends

a first end of said cable being secured to a preselected radially inward end;

an elongate tubular member secured to the preselected radially inward end to which said first end of said cable is secured;

an elongate externally threaded screw disposed though a hollow bore of said elongate tubular member;

a second end of said cable secured to a head of said screw;

a nut disposed in screw-threaded engagement with screw threads of said screw so that turning said nut tightens said cable and hence said radially inward ends around said tree trunk;

said cable being spaced apart from a tree positioned in said stand.

2. The stand of claim 1, further comprising:

a circular plate centered on and secured to a bottom wall of said pan;

an upstanding sidewall mounted about the periphery of said circular plate;

a rigid disc;

said upstanding sidewall being of truncate extent, said truncate extent being only slightly greater than a thickness of said rigid disc so that said rigid disc may be surrounded and secured against movement by said truncate sidewalls;

a screw secured in upstanding relation to said disc, centrally thereof, said screw adapted to screw-threadedly engage a flat bottom of a trunk of a tree, said disc being disposed in abutting relation to said flat bottom when said screw is fully advanced and said disc being disposed in overlying relation to said circular plate when said screw is fully advanced;

a cable-securing means secured to a radially outward side of each radially inward end;

each cable-securing means having an annular configuration so that said cable may extend therethrough.

3. The stand of claim 2, further comprising:

said cable extending through all of said cable-securing means except one;

a first end of said cable being secured to a radially outward side of a preselected radially inward end, said preselected radially inward end having the cable-securing means through which the cable does not extend.

4. The stand of claim 1, further comprising:

an aperture formed in each radially inward end near an uppermost end thereof;

a plurality of radially disposed screws that screw-threadedly engage an associated aperture so that advancement of said screws causes a leading end of each screw to abut said tree trunk to thereby further support said tree in said stand.

5. The stand of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of tabs secured to a top edge of said sidewall in circumferentially spaced apart relation to one another;

each tab of said plurality of tabs being bent radially outwardly to help guide a tree trunk when a tree is being centered atop said circular plate.

6. The stand of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of dish-shaped concavities formed in the periphery of said disc to facilitate gripping of said disc about its periphery so that manual rotation of said disc causes said screw to enter into said flat bottom of said tree trunk.