Christmas tree stand

A tree stand comprising an open receptacle shaped to define inner and outer walls on which fastening means are provided to fasten a tree to the receptacle, the fastening means comprising a plurality of pins extending radially about the axis of the tree and slidable within a number of corresponding apertures in the walls of the receptacle. Locking assemblies to interfere with such sliding movement are characterized by a lever having an aperture between its ends for location on the pin between the inner and outer walls of the receptacle, the diameter of the aperture being sufficiently greater than the diameter of the pin to allow the pin to move freely when the lever is in a release position perpendicular to the axis of the pin, while being sufficiently small to interfere with such movement of the pin when the lever is in a lock position, inclined relative to the axis of the pin and in abutment with the pin. Biasing means biase the lever into the lock position toward said obstacle means provided on the outer wall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a Christmas tree stand for holding cut natural 
trees, usually conifers, in an upright configuration for display at 
Christmas or other festive occasions. 
Numerous such tree stands have been developed and a great majority of these 
stands may be characterized by the shape of the receptacle in which the 
tree trunk is received in use. In every case, the receptacle is designed 
to have an effective diameter which is greater than the tree trunk to 
provide a wide base for supporting the tree. The receptacle may comprise a 
central well that holds the tree and water for sustaining the tree, the 
well being supported by radially outwardly extending legs or a skirt which 
surrounds the well and supports it like a buttress. In some cases, the 
well itself is made wide enough at the base to be self-supporting. 
The fastening means used to fasten the tree to the receptacle usually 
comprise a number of thumb screws spaced equally around the circumference 
of the receptacle and extending radially relative to the axis of the tree. 
The receptacles have threaded apertures for receiving the thumb screws and 
the screws are brought into engagement with the tree by turning the 
screws. This is a bothersome task commonly executed by a person crouching 
or lying on the floor and requires dexterity and patience. 
The process of fastening the tree to the receptacle also becomes hazardous 
where the receptacle is of flimsy construction and of insufficient mass to 
counterbalance a tree which is twisted or slightly inclined and, as a 
result, has a tendency to topple over. 
An object of this invention is to provide a tree stand in which the 
fastening means overcome the abovementioned problems associated with screw 
fasteners so that fastening of the tree to the receptacle may be carried 
out quickly, simply, and effectively. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the invention, there is provided a tree stand comprising 
an open receptacle shaped to define inner and outer walls on which 
fastening means adapted to fasten a tree to the receptacle are provided. 
The fastening means comprise a plurality of pins extending radially about 
the axis of the tree and are slidable within a number of corresponding 
apertures provided in the walls of the receptacle. Locking assemblies to 
interfere with such sliding movement of the pins are characterized by a 
lever having an aperture between its ends for location of the lever on a 
pin between the inner and outer walls of the receptacle, the diameter of 
the aperture being sufficiently greater than the diameter of the pin to 
allow the pin to move freely when the lever is in a release position 
perpendicular to the axis of the pin, while being sufficiently small to 
interfere with such movement of the pin when the lever is in a lock 
position, inclined relative to the axis of the pin and in abutment with 
the pin. Obstacle means provided on the outer wall of the receptacle halt 
movement of the lever toward the outer wall and biasing means biase the 
lever into the lock position. Access means for moving the lever against 
the biasing means into a release position are also provided.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring firstly to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated a Christmas tree 
stand according to the invention and generally indicated by the numeral 
20. The stand 20 comprises a receptacle 22 which is open at the top (as 
drawn) and fastening means generally indicated by the numeral 24 secured 
to the receptacle 22 near the upper end of the stand 20. 
The receptacle will now be described in some detail and a description of 
the fastening means will follow. 
The receptacle 22 includes an inner substantially tubular well 26 which has 
a closed bottom 27 so as to hold water for sustaining a tree 34 (FIG. 6) 
placed in the well. An outer peripheral skirt 28, radially spaced from the 
well 26 and concentric with the well, is adapted to buttress the well and 
support the load of the stand 20 containing the tree and water for 
sustaining the tree. As indicated in FIG. 6, the well 26 and skirt 28 are 
integrally moulded from synthetic plastic material, preferably 20% talc 
filled polypropelene, and their respective upper edges meet at the top of 
the receptacle 22 to define a bevelled edge 30 for a pour lip 32 which 
slopes inwardly and is formed on the inner surface of the well 26. The 
skirt 28 is flared at the bottom so that it inscribes a large circular 
area and defines a base of which the effective diameter is substantially 
greater than the diameter of the trunk of the tree. To maximize the area 
of the skirt 28 which meets a supporting surface or floor 36, and which 
bears the load of the stand, a peripheral flange 38 with a flat mating 
surface 39 is provided integrally with the stand at the outer end of the 
skirt 28. 
To enhance the appearance of the stand, the skirt 28 has a series of 
equally spaced, radially extending ribs 40 which extend throughout the 
height of the skirt and project a small distance above the outer surface 
of the skirt. In addition, a decorative relief pattern 42 is moulded on 
the surface of the skirt between the ribs 40. 
The walls of the well 26 are inwardly inclined toward the bottom 27 so that 
the top of the well is larger than the bottom and a plurality of the 
receptacles may be nested during storage or shipping. At the upper end of 
the receptacle, a plurality of radially extending webs 82 (FIGS. 6, 7) 
join the skirt 28 to the well 26 over about one third of the height of the 
receptacle to improve the strength and rigidity of the stand. 
The outer surface of the well 26 on the bottom 27 has a plurality of 
radially extending ribs 44 which project from the bottom 27 and are spaced 
from each other to accommodate the fibers of a rug floor covering between 
the ribs. It will be seen in FIG. 6 that the bottom surface of the ribs on 
the bottom 27 of the well 26 are upwardly spaced from the flange 38 on the 
skirt 28 thereby leaving a small gap generally indicated by arrow 46 
between the well and the floor 36. In this way, the skirt 28 will bear 
substantially the entire weight of the loaded stand so that the likelihood 
of the tree 34 toppling over is minimized. 
The tree 34 is further secured by a stainless steel spike 48 which is 
moulded into the well so as to extend upwardly for engagement with the 
exposed grain of the tree 34. 
The stand 20 has three pins 50, forming part of the fastening means 24, and 
extending radially about the axis of the tree. The pins are slidable 
within three pairs of aligned apertures 54, 56 provided in the skirt and 
the well respectively, at intervals equally spaced about the circumference 
of the receptacle so as to subtend an angle of 120.degree. therebetween. 
The fastening means will now be described in more detail with particular 
reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 which illustrate one of the pins 50 and an 
associated locking assembly 52. 
The pin 50 has a pointed inner end 58 which is adapted to pierce the trunk 
of the tree 34 and a groove is provided on the pin adjacent the pointed 
end to accommodate a retaining ring or circlip 60. A knob 62 made of 
synthetic plastic similar to the receptacle 22 is pressed onto the outer 
swaged end of the pin 50 to define a handle for sliding the pin through 
the apertures in the stand. 
A lever 64, made of zinc coated steel plate has an aperture 70 between its 
ends, and is located on the pin 50 between the well 26 and an inwardly 
projecting shoulder 68 formed on the inner surface of the skirt 28. The 
pin 50 also holds a compression spring 66 placed between the skirt 28 and 
the well 26 and located to bear on the lever 64 at one end so as to push 
the lever against the shoulder 68 and on the well 26 at the other end. The 
spring 66 thus biases the lever 64 into a lock position where it is 
inclined to and touching the pin 50 (FIG. 3, 5). 
The diameter of the aperture 70 (FIG. 5) in the lever 64 is sufficiently 
small that when the lever pivots on the shoulder 68 under urging from the 
spring 66 to bring the lever to the lock position, the lever engages the 
pin 50 and interferes with sliding of the pin through the lever. 
The diameter of the aperture in the lever 64 is also large enough to allow 
the pin to slide freely through the lever between a retracted 
configuration spaced from the tree 34 (FIG. 4) and an extended 
configuration in which the pin 50 engages the tree 34 (FIG. 3) when the 
lever is brought to a release position (FIG. 4) in which the lever is 
perpendicular to the axis of the pin 50. 
It will be understood that leading and lagging surfaces of the lever 64, 
respectively indicated by numerals 67 and 69 in FIG. 5, both engage the 
pin 50 in the lock position, and that a pulling force on the knob 62, for 
example to withdraw the pin 50 from the trunk of the tree, is resolved 
into an upward component which urges the leading surface 67 of the lever 
towards the pin 50. Continued movement of the lever 64 with the pin 50 is 
blocked by the shoulder 68. 
Conversely, a pushing force on the knob 62 to bring the pin 50 toward the 
trunk of the tree, is resolved into a downward component which urges the 
lagging surface 69 towards the pin and the well 26 but because there is no 
obstacle like the shoulder 68 in the path of the lever, the lever is 
pulled with the pin. Upon continued inward movement of the pin, the lever 
64 may become momentarily disengaged from the pin until it relocates on a 
new position along the pin axis under urging from the spring 66. Continued 
movement of the lever 64 with the pin 50 toward the tree 34 is thus 
hindered but not blocked when the lever is in the lock position. 
The locking assembly 52 thus operates to prevent withdrawal of the pin 50 
when the lever is biased into the lock position while still allowing the 
pin to be pushed inwardly toward engagement with the trunk of the tree. 
Access means to move the lever 64 against the spring 66 and bring it into 
the release position are provided in the form of an access aperture 72 
provided in the skirt 28 and an extension 74 defined by a first outward 
bend in the lever 64 and shaped to extend between the inner and outer 
surfaces of the skirt 28 through the access aperture 72. A second bend in 
the lever defines a stop 76 transverse to the extension 74 which is 
adapted to engage the outer surface of the skirt 28 (FIG. 3) and to halt 
continued movement of the lever 64 when the release position is reached. 
In FIGS. 3 to 5, it will be noted that the pin 50 penetrates the receptacle 
22 through one of the decorative ribs 40, and accordingly, the rib is 
moulded with an interruption in the vicinity of the access aperture 72 so 
as to accommodate the stop 76. 
While clearly the dimensions of the stand may vary, the well will typically 
have a height of 8 inches and a bottom diameter exceeding 5 inches. The 
outside diameter of the flange will be about 17 inches. In use, the well 
will have a fluid capacity of approximately 2 liters according to the size 
the trunk of the tree, and the estimated dry weight of the stand will be 
approximately 5 lbs so that together with the additional ballast provided 
by water, a 5 or 6 foot tree having normal variations and irregularities 
in the trunk and the distribution of its branches should be adequately 
supported and be in no danger of toppling over. 
To assemble each of the locking assemblies to the receptacle 22, the inner 
end of the lever 64 is inserted through the access aperture 72 and 
positioned between the skirt 28 and the well 26 with the lever aperture 70 
in alignment with the skirt aperture 54. The spring 66 is then inserted 
from the bottom of the receptacle between the skirt 28 and the well 26 and 
positioned in alignment with the apertures 70, 54, 56 on the lever, skirt 
and well respectively. Finally, the pin 50 is threaded through the 
apertures with the pointed end 58 lying inside well 26. To complete the 
assembly, and prevent the fastening means from becoming disassembled, the 
circlips 60 are introduced at the open end of the receptacle into the well 
and placed in the grooves behind the pointed end 58 of each pin. 
In use, a tree is placed in an upright configuration inside the well with 
the spike 48 penetrating the exposed grain at the bottom of the tree. The 
outer end of each of the pins 50 is grasped by the knobs 62 and the pins 
are slid through the receptacle 22 so as to bring the pointed ends 58 into 
engagement with the trunk of the tree 34. 
Even though the load on the stand will cause the well 26 to sag so as to 
reduce the height of the gap 46, any fibers in a rug floor covering will 
be accomodated between the ribs 44 on the bottom of the well. Thus, even 
where the fibers are long enough to bridge the gap 46, the bulk of the 
load will be carried by the skirt and the likelihood of the stand toppling 
over or swaying will be minimized. 
Conveniently, water to sustain the tree may be poured against the bevelled 
edge 30 and over the pour lip 32 into the well 26 and the level of water 
may be topped up in like manner, as required. 
To disassemble the tree, the levers 64 are successively brought to the 
release position by pushing with a thumb 78 on the respective lever 
extensions and stops 74, 76 and the pins 50 are disengaged from the tree 
34 by pulling on the knobs 62 with the fingers 80 of the same hand (FIG. 
4). Once the pins have cleared the tree, the pins 50 and the levers 64 are 
simply released to allow the coil springs 66 to return the levers to the 
lock position. The tree 34 may then be removed from the spike 48 and 
disposed of in usual fashion while any remaining water is poured out by 
tipping the receptacle. 
It will be understood that several variations may be made to the above 
described embodiment of the invention without departing from the scope of 
the claims. In particular, it will be understood that the shape of the 
receptacle may vary considerably and may include various alterations, such 
as strengthening ribs on the outer surface of the well in addition to or 
instead of the webs 82. 
The shoulder 68 may be replaced by a boss moulded with the receptacle or 
some other projection like the end of a screw which may be countersunk at 
its outer end into the skirt 28. Alternatively, the lever itself may be 
provided with an additional extension 744 (FIG. 8) remote from the 
extension 74 and adapted to reach the inner surface of the skirt 28 and to 
maintain contact with the skirt both in a release position in which the 
main body of the lever is perpendicular to the pin and a lock position 
where the lever is inclined relative to the pin, the other end of the 
lever being movable as described above with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. 
The biasing means for bringing the lever into the lock position may also 
take the form of a tension spring 666 (FIG. 9) located between the lever 
64 and skirt 28 and adapted to pull the lever 64 into the inclined lock 
position. The exemplary embodiment of FIG. 8 also shows the spring 666 
fixed at either end to the skirt 28 and the lever 64 respectively, and 
spaced from the pin 50, instead being located on the pin. 
The access means may also vary and will include, for example, an access 
aperture large enough to allow a finger to penetrate the skirt into the 
area between the skirt and the well and to push on the lever without the 
intermediary of an extension to the lever. An example of such an 
embodiment is shown in FIG. 10, where the aperture is indicated by numeral 
722 and the lever 64 has a stop 766 in the form of an inwardly directed 
bend in the lever adapted to engage the outer surface of the well 26 and 
halt continued movement of the lever 64 when the release position of the 
lever is reached. 
Finally, it will be understood that the pins for engaging the tree trunk 
may take various configurations including pins of hexagonal section and 
that the materials of construction may also vary considerably.