Light strand Christmas tree for flagpole

• US 8,678,615 B1
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ko, Gordon
• Original Assignee: Ko, Gordon
• Inventors: Ko, Gordon
• Primary Examiner(s): Husar, Stephen F
• Application Number:
  US13/307,619
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 211/196, 362/123, 362/234, 362/249.18, 362/249.19, 362/253, 362/403, 362/431, 362/568, 362/806, 428 18- 20
• US Class Current: 362/234
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 33/06 Artificial Christmas trees
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/10 with light sources attached to loose electric cables, e.g. Christmas tree lights
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/15 the cables forming a grid, net or web structure
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 1/06 foldable or collapsible
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/006 General building constructions or finishing work for buildings, e.g. roofs, gutters, stairs or floors; Garden equipment; Sunshades or parasols

Abstract

The present invention is a string light type Christmas tree kit for raising upon and being supported from a flagpole with rope and pulley for raising and lowering a flag. The kit includes a crown connector for connection of ends of multiple string lights and raising to at topmost position by the rope and pulley. A circular hoop structure is connected to lower ends of the string lights and is raised off the ground when the crown connector is raised to the topmost position, forming a conical, lighted structure providing the visual illusion of a lighted Christmas tree supported from a flagpole.

Claims

1. A string light type imitation Christmas tree kit for installation on and support from a flagpole having pulley means at a top of the flagpole and a rope accessible to a user at ground level for raising or lowering a flag attached to fasteners fixed to said rope, where said kit comprises a circular crown connector and adapted to be raised by connection with said fastener from ground level by way pulling of said rope and multiple light strings connected at one their ends to said crown connector and to another of their ends to a circular hoop means having a diameter two or more times that of the crown connector, so that when said crown connector is raised to a topmost position the circular hoop means are raised off of the ground and said light strings extend outward radially from the flagpole and downward from the crown connector to an outer edge of the circular hoop means to generally define a conical structure which visually appears to be in the shape of a lighted Christmas tree when a power means provides electrical power to the light strings and the light strings comprise flexible wires electrically connecting and bearing small lights, said small lights are arranged at approximately equal distances along the light strings, where said light strings are all electrically joined for connection to said power means, whereby the crown connector comprises a top ring for engaging the fastener, a circular split ring defining a gap through which the flagpole can pass, strands of varying lengths connecting the split ring and the top ring so that the split ring is generally horizontal when at the topmost position, and connection means for ends of the light strings on a circular frame.

2. The kit of claim 1 wherein the circular frame is adapted to be maintained generally horizontal position when the crown connector is in the topmost position.

3. The kit of claim 2 wherein a central connector engages the flagpole and radial arms extend from the central connector to connect it with the circular frame.

4. The kit of claim 3 wherein the central connector comprises two semi-circular bands defining a cylindrical center space for said flagpole and joined by removable fasteners so that the central connector is capable of being fixed to and removed from said flagpole at a lower portion of the flagpole.

5. The kit of claim 4 wherein the central connector comprises two or more concentric pairs of semi-circular bands and each adjacent pair of bands is connected by separating connectors, where removing one such set of separating connectors removes a pair of bands defining a cylindrical diameter smaller than another, greater cylindrical diameter for the adjacent pair of bands.

6. The kit of claim 5 wherein the central connector comprises two or more concentric pairs of semi-circular bands adjacent to each other, where removing one such set of separating connectors removes a pair of bands defining a cylindrical diameter smaller than another, greater cylindrical diameter for the adjacent pair of bands.

7. The kit of claim 5 wherein the circular frame comprises multiple arc sections connected by arc connection means at each connection between the arc sections so that a user can separate or fix together the arc sections.

8. The kit of claim 7 wherein the number of radial arms is equal the number of arc connection means and the radial arms connect with the circular frame at the arc connection means.

9. The kit of claim 8 wherein the arc connection means are adapted to be joined after the crown connector is raised to the topmost position.

10. A string light type imitation Christmas tree kit for installation on and support from a vertical flagpole by a user, where said kit comprises a circular crown connector adapted to secured at or near a top of said flagpole, multiple light strings are connected at one their ends to said crown connector and another of their ends is connected to an outer edge of a circular circular hoop means having a diameter two or more times that of the crown connector and fixed to a lower section of the flagpole, so that when said crown connector is fixed at the top of said flagpole said light strings extend outward radially from the flagpole and downward from the crown connector to the outer edge of the circular hoop means to generally define a conical structure which visually appears to be in the shape of a lighted Christmas tree when a power means provides electrical power to the light strings and the circular hoop means comprises a central connector comprising two or more sections capable of being joined to define a cylindrical center space, whereby said jointing about a lower section of the flagpole results in securing the circular hoop means to the flagpole and support arms connect the central connector with two or more joined arc sections forming the outer edge of the circular hoop means and said light strings are electrically removable from a common electrical connection about the outer edge and are further mechanically removable from connection to the crown connector and the outer edge for individual replacement.

11. The kit of claim 10 wherein the flagpole comprises a plurality of telescoping sections whereby a user may secure the crown connector to the top end of the flagpole when the flagpole sections are in a collapsed position.

12. The kit of claim 11 wherein said the crown connector comprises a round plate having a central opening, where the crown connector is removably secured to the top end of the flagpole by capital ornament means extending through the central opening to the top end of the flagpole and also supporting a capital ornament piece.

13. The kit of claim 12 wherein the capital ornament piece comprises lights which are connected to a common wiring harness for the light strings by way of a wire string extending from a connection at the crown connector to a connection at the outer edge of the circular hoop means.