Abstract:
A launching device for launching multiple firework shells skyward th a base having foldable wings hinged to a central body. The foldable wings fold downward and reduce the size of the base for the purpose of providing a low-profile profile shipping configuration. The base has a connector, such as an engagement cylinder, that matingly engages an elongated or tubular member that is sized and shaped to receive aerial fireworks. The engagement cylinder provides either a male or female engagement with the tubular member. An adapter is provided to adjust the diameter of the connector to fit tubes of different diameter.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed to fireworks and support structures therefor and, more specifically, to an improved fireworks base having hinged wing sections that are foldable to allow a smaller package and shipping profile of fireworks. 
   Aerial display fireworks that are used by non professional consumers are normally launched from tubes mounted on a freestanding base. For such fireworks to be used safely, launching platforms for the aerials must be designed to meet certain safety criteria, including that launching tubes not explode and that bases provide a stable platform for launching the fireworks. In particular, fireworks designed to be launched by a base and tubular structure that aim and discharge the aerial fireworks into the air need to have a minimum foot print or base size that engages the ground for support. The base size is designed to provide adequate support in order to insure that the launching tube does not upset or tip over during discharge and accidentally project its contents in an undesired sideways or lateral direction which could cause the fireworks to hit bystanders and/or create fire hazards by hitting houses, grassy areas or other highly flammable locations. Shipping or merchandising boxes or packaging must be large enough to receive the base and launching tube. Normally, the base is much wider than the remainder of the product in the packaging and this results in the packaging being much wider than is required for the rest of the product. Therefore, the packaging has a large amount (often half or more) of wasted space. This additional space translates into substantial additional shipping costs, which adversely affects costs of goods sold, rendering the final consumer cost of the product more expensive. This is especially true as many fireworks of this type which are sold in the United States are manufactured in the Orient and shipped as container freight across the Pacific Ocean. Because much of the volume of the packaging is wasted space, substantially more large containers must be used to ship the same number of packages, as compared to the number required to ship a smaller volume package, at substantial additional costs. 
   To reduce shipping costs, other types of products are often shipped disassembled requiring post-shipment assembly by the buyer or the consumer. In the field of aerial type fireworks, it is foreseen that a base could be physically removed from the tube and then both could be shipped in an upright, low-profile position. However, this would require the consumer to secure the tube to the base which is not a viable option, because the end-consumer might incorrectly assemble the launching device leading to an accident. Different degrees of assembly skill are found in consumers and many simply do not want to be bothered with assembly. Furthermore, if the base and tube are not assembled at the manufacturer, then the base may not be adequately or correctly attached and may separate from the tube structure during discharge of the aerial and project all or part of the fireworks in an undesired sideways or lateral direction and possibly toward bystanders and/or fire hazards. For this reason, base structures are normally permanently secured to their associated tube at the time of manufacture via adhesive, pinning or the like. 
   Accordingly, it is desirable to have such fireworks where the base and tube do not require crucial assembly by the consumers, yet wherein the overall product can be placed in a comparatively low profile package that is economical to ship and store. It is also desirable that such fireworks be lightweight, easy to use and inexpensive, so as to encourage consumers to acquire and use the product. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention overcomes the problems previously described by providing a tube and base launching device for launching a series of aerial fireworks shells skyward. The base has foldable wings hinged to a central body. The foldable wings are placeable in a folded position during shipping to reduce the footprint size of the base for the purpose of providing a low-profile shipping configuration. Because the base is narrower, packing can also be narrower, thus reducing wasted space found in packaging of devices having non folding bases. The central body includes a structure to secure the tube to the body. In one embodiment, the securing structure is a connector comprising a projecting cylinder that matingly engages the inside of the tube. Such a cylinder can also be sized to engage the outside of the tube. The tube is sized and shaped to receive aerial fireworks. Alternatively, the securing structure may be a bore in the base for snugly receiving the tube. The tube is secured to the base by gluing, pinning or the like. 
   The central body and the wings have interlocking keepers for locking the wings into an extended and unfolded, use configuration. The wings are attached to the base by a hinge that folds so that the wings fold only downwardly relative to the central body, such that gravity also helps hold the wings in the use configuration when the base is placed on the ground. The wings have a connector with mating portions that are joined during transit for holding the wings in the folded position relative to the base. 
   The connector is provided with adjustment sleeves that allow a manufacture to utilize a single base with tubing of different sizes. 
   OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION 
   The principal objects of the present invention are to provide a launching device for aerial fireworks having a base that has a stable ground engaging footprint in use, but that is foldable into a low-profile shipping configuration; to provide such a base having sufficient stability to reasonably insure that each firework discharge is directed skyward; to provide such a base that is a single articulated unit; to provide such a base that is portable and reusable; to provide such a base that is manufactured out of material that is lightweight and will not form shrapnel or fragment into potentially harmful flying debris should the fireworks being used therewith malfunction and explode within the launching device; to provide such a base with a simple design that can be manipulated and placed in a use configuration by a consumer with ease; to provide such a base having a central projecting cylinder for mating with and being secured to a launching tube; to provide such a base having a projecting cylinder that can be adjusted to accommodate various tube sizes by use of adjusting sleeves or rings; to provide such a base that does not upset or tip over easily during use; to provide such a base wherein wings are attached to a central body by downward facing hinges so that the wings are held in place in an unfolded or use configuration by gravity when the launching device is placed on the ground; to provide such a base wherein frictional catches or straps are utilized between the base central body and each wing to help hold the wings in the unfolded use configuration; and to provide such a base which is relatively easy to use, inexpensive to produce and particularly well-suited for its intended usage. 
   Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. 
   The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an aerial fireworks launching device having a base and a tube in a use configuration and in accordance with the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the launching device in a folded shipping configuration in a shipping container thereof with aerial fireworks that are launchable from the device. 
       FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the launching device in the shipping configuration with the tube broken away to show an internal projecting cylinder in phantom that joins the base and tube and a size adjustment sleeve. 
       FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the fireworks launching device in a use configuration. 
       FIG. 5  is a fragmentary front elevational view of the launcher showing a hinge with the base in the shipping configuration. 
       FIG. 6  is a side elevational view of a first modified embodiment of a launching device in accordance with the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. 
   The reference numeral  1  generally identifies a fireworks launching device in accordance with the present invention. The launching device  1  includes a base  2  and a tubular structure  3  that is attached to the base  2  by a tube insert or connector  4 . The tubular structure  3  is sized and shaped to receive aerial fireworks shells  8 , which are of a type that are common and easily accessible in the fireworks marketplace. 
   The base  2  has a central section  18  and a pair of foldable wings  20  and  21  that project laterally from the central section  18 . The foldable wings  20  and  21  are hinged to the central section  18  by hinges  23  and fold downwardly from a use configuration, shown in  FIG. 1 , to a folded or shipping configuration, shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . In the use configuration, the wings  20  and  21  are extended and combine with the base  2  to produce a front to back (top to bottom in  FIG. 4 ) and side to side (left to right in  FIG. 4 ) footprint of approximately 4.875 by 4.875 inches. In the shipping configuration, the wings  20  and  21  are folded to produce a footprint of approximately 4.875 by 2.375 inches, which are also the horizontal dimensions for the central section  18 . The base central section  18  has side walls  22  that have a generally planar and vertically aligned outer surface during usage. 
   The wings have inner walls  24  and outer walls  25 . The hinges  23  are designed and located so that the outer walls  25  of the wings  20  and  21  only fold downwardly relative to the base central section  18 . The wing inner wall  24  and the central section side walls abut when upper surfaces  26  of the wings  20  and  21  become coplanar with upper surface  27  of the central section  18  and prevent the wings  20  and  21  from rotating further, although return to the folded configuration is possible. The hinges  23 , see  FIG. 5 , include loop members  30  on the central section  18  that go around an appropriately located bar  31  on each of the wings  20  and  21  and stops  32  wherein each is located between a pair of spaced loop members  30  and each abuts a respective intermediate bar  31  to prevent the wings  20  and  21  from inadvertently becoming removed from the central section  18  after the wings  20  and  21  are mounted on the central section  18 . 
   To stabilize the device  1  during shipment and to secure the wings  20  and  21  in the shipping configuration, there is a tether or strap  35  that, when in use, engages and holds the wings  20  and  21  together in the folded configuration and provides secure packaging. In the present embodiment, the strap  35  is attached to and projects from the wing  20  and has a button cylindrical projection  36  that is located on a distal end thereof. The opposite wing  21  includes an opening  37  sized and shaped to receive the button  36  and to frictionally but removably hold the button  36 . 
   When a user desires to operate the fireworks launching device  1 , the button  36  is pulled from the opening  37  and the strap  35  is released and the wings  20  and  21  are free to rotate under manual control of the user outward from the folded configuration into the use configuration, as depicted in FIG.  1 . 
   The wings  20  and  21  each have a projecting keeper knob or sphere  40  that matingly engages a pair of interference fit arms or frictional receptacles  41  in the sides of the central section  18 . As the fireworks launching device  1  is transformed from the shipping configuration to the use configuration, the wings  20  and  21  are extended causing the surfaces  26  and  27  to become coplanar and the spheres  40  to matingly engage the receptacles  41  in an interference fit. The joining of the sphere  40  and receptacles  41  resist folding of the wings  20  and  21  relative to the central section  18 , thus enforcing the stability of the fireworks launching device  1  and reducing the likelihood that the wings  20  and  21  will undesirably fold when the user is trying to place the device  1  on the ground for use. Furthermore, placement of the fireworks launching device  1  on the ground aids in securing the wings  20  and  21  in the use configuration as gravity urges the center section  18  downwardly thus resisting folding of the wings  20  and  21 . The frictional engagement between the spheres  40  and receptacles  41  is easily overcome by manual pressure exerted by the user, if the user wishes to return the device to the folded configuration for storage or the like. 
   The connector  4  of the present embodiment is cylindrically shaped and approximately 0.75 inches in length, but may vary depending on the length that is sufficient to provide sealing engagement and support of the tubular structure  3 . It is foreseen that a lip (not pictured) can be added that projects upwards from the base  2  or radially from the connector  4  to provide additional sealing engagement between the tubular structure  3  and connector  4 . In the present embodiment, the connector  4  has an outer diameter of approximately 1.6875 inches for mating with a tubular structure  3  with a similar inner diameter, but can accommodate tubular structures  3  of varying sizes with the use of a width-accommodating expansion member or adapter  48  that can be selectively employed during manufacture. 
   While it is foreseen that the adapter  48  can be of varying thickness for accommodating a plurality of tubular members  3 , in the present embodiment, the adapter  48  is a sleeve that fits snugly over the connector  4  and increases the outer diameter of the connector  4  to approximately 1.8125 inches for accommodating a tubular structure  3  with a corresponding inner diameter. The adapter  48  has a set of hook like keepers  49  and an inner diameter and shape to slidably engage the connector  4 . The connector  4  has an upper surface  51  with a set of openings or receiver slots  52 . The slots  52  line up with and engage the keepers  49  to further secure and lock the adapter  48  onto the connector  4 . 
   During manufacturing, the assembler determines the appropriate length of connector  4  to provide sufficient strength to support the selected tubular structure  3 . The connector  4  is preferably molded as part of the base  2 , if the device is constructed of plastic. The connector  4  may also be secured to the base  2  by adhesive or other appropriate and well known methods. 
   During assembly of the device, the assembler will select the appropriately sized adapter  48 , if required, that functions as an adjustment sleeve, if the tubular structure  3  has a larger inner diameter than the outside diameter of the connector  4 . Thereafter, the tubular structure  3  is fitted to the connector  4  and, if applicable, to the adapter  48  by the use of an adhesive, pinning or other suitable attachment material or structure. The wings  20  and  21  are folded into the shipping configuration and secured by the strap  35 . Due to the smaller footprint yielded by the shipping configuration, the device  1  is capable of utilizing a smaller and more efficient shipping box  45  that snugly fits the side to side width of the base central section  18 . Preferably, the box  45  has a shipping strap  46  that secures the tubular structure  3  to packing  47  that also supports the shells  8  to further secure the device  1  during shipment. It is also desirable to package and distribute the device  1  with the firework shells  8 , as depicted in  FIG. 1  in order to provide the user with firework shells  8  of an ideal quantity to deter over-use of the device  1  and an ideal size and shape to properly fit the tubular structure  3 . The illustrated shipping box  45 , also functions as a sales box and has a clear or see through side  54  that allows a potential buyer to view the aerial fireworks shells  8  and the launching device  1 . 
   In use, the user extracts the device  1  from the shipping box  45  by releasing the shipping strap  46 . Thereafter, the wing strap  35  is released allowing the wings  20  and  21  to be pivoted and rotated under the guidance and control of the user, so that the surfaces  26  and  27  become coplanar. The user positions the fireworks launching device  1  onto the ground, which further supports the device  1  at which point the device  1  is ready to receive the firework shells  8 . 
   A second embodiment of a device  100  in accordance with the present invention is depicted in FIG.  6 . The device  100  has many elements that are the same as those shown in the first embodiment of  FIGS. 1  to  5  and those elements, therefore, will not be extensively discussed, but rather the differences are discussed with particularity herein. The second embodiment includes a base  102 , a tube  103  and a connector  104 . The connector  104 , annular in shape has a bottom  114  that is attached to a central section  118  of the base  102 . The base  102  has a pair of wings  120  that abut at surfaces  122  and  124 . As opposed to the first embodiment where the tubular structure  3  is connected to the connector  4  via a male mating engagement, that is, where the tubular structure  3  fits around and encompasses the connector  4 , in the second embodiment, the tubular structure  103  is connected to the connector  104  via a female mating engagement, that is, the tubular structure  103  is inserted within the connector  104  which fits around and encompasses the tubular structure  103 . The connector  104  is fixedly secured to both the base  102  and the tube  103  via adhesive, pinning or the like. 
   In either embodiment, it is foreseen that the nature of the connectors  4  and  104  inherently provide engagement with and connection to the tubular structure  3  and  103  via a male or female engagement, that is the tubular structures  3  and  103  can fit within or outside of the connectors  4  and  104 . It is also foreseen that the tube could be connected to the base by implanting the tube in a depression or cylindrical bore in the base and securing the tube in the base via adhesive, pinning or the like. 
   It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown.