Stand for supporting a pole-shaped element essentially vertically

Abstract: Stand for supporting a pole-shaped element (1), in particular a Christmas tree, essentially vertically, comprising an annular base element (2) to which three stays (3,4,5) are hingedly fixed. Each stay is provided with two legs (3a,3b;4a,4b;5a,5b) forming an angle with each other, and are hingedly and detachably connected to the base element in the transition area between the two legs. One of the legs (3a,4a,5a) of the stays can be coupled together and connected jointly to the bottom end face of the pole-shaped element, and the other legs (3b,4b,5b) can be connected by means of a clamping element (6) to the pole-shaped element at some distance from said bottom end face.

Description: The present invention relates to a stand for supporting a pole-shaped element, in particular a Christmas tree, vertically, comprising an annular base element to which at least three stays are hingedly fixed, each of which can be connected by its free end to the pole-shaped element. Such a stand for a Christmas tree is known from US Patent 1,481,015. Two types of stays are present in this stand made of metal wire, short stays which have to be connected near the bottom end of the stem, and longer stays which have to be connected at some distance from the bottom end of the stem. The ends of said stays are sharp points which have to be pressed into the stem with force. This known stand is therefore not easy to fit, while the support of the tree greatly depends on the extent to which the points of the stays are pressed into the stem. The object of the present invention is then to provide a stand of the above-mentioned type which is easy to operate and ensures a reliable support of the pole-shaped element. These objects are achieved according to the invention by the measures indicated in the characterising part of Claim 1. When the stays are coupled to each other these stays assume their use position, so that after coupling of the stays they are easy to connect to the pole-shaped element. It is to be noted that from US Patent 3,888,438 it is known to use three stays, each stay being provided with two legs forming an angle with each other. However said stays are each individually connected to the stem of the tree and there is no interconnection between said stays. The features indicated in Claim 3 have the advantage that the stand has at least six supporting feet in the use position, which makes said stand in particular suitable for big trees. The features specified in Claim 4 have the advantage that the individual legs of the stays can be connected to each other in a simple manner, following which the pole-shaped element need only be placed on the sharp point in order to connect these legs to the pole-shaped element. The measures according Claim 5 make it possible for the stand to be collapsed to a flat unit and stored when not in use. Other advantageous features follow from the remaining sub-claims. The invention is explained in greater detail with reference to the appended drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of the stand according to the invention; Fig. 2 shows on an enlarged scale a detail A from Figure 1; Fig. 3 shows on an enlarged scale the detail B from Figure 1; Fig. 4 shows on an enlarged scale the detail C from Figure 1, with the stem being left out; Fig. 5 shows a section along the line V-V in Figure 4; Fig. 6 shows on an enlarged scale a different detail of the stand according to the invention. Figure 1 shows the stand in the use position, in which said stand supports the stem 1 of a Christmas tree (not shown in any further detail). As can be seen from this figure, the stand is composed of an annular base element 2, on which base element three stays 3, 4 and 5 are hinged, each of which has two legs 3a, 3b; 4a, 4b; 5a, 5b forming an angle between them. The legs 3a, 4a and 5a lie essentially in the plane of the annular base element 2 and are coupled together and connected to the bottom end face of the stem 1, as will be explained later with reference to Figure 3. The legs 3b, 4b and 5b run up at an angle from the base element and are in contact with the stem at some distance from the bottom end face. These ends are connected to the stem 1 by means of a clamping element 6, which will be discussed later with reference to Figures 4 and 5. The hinged fastening of the stays 3, 4 and 5 to the annular base element 2 will be discussed first now, said fastening being shown on a larger scale in Figure 2. This figure shows a part of the annular base element 2 which, like the stays, is preferably made of plastic-coated metal wire. At the positions of the hinged fastening of the stays, the base element 2 is provided with an eye 7, which in the embodiment shown is a closed loop. The stay 4 projects with the leg 4b through the closed loop 7, and continues in an open loop 8, which in turn merges into a part 9 running downward parallel to the leg 4b. What is meant here by an open loop is that there is a space present between the point where the leg 4b passes into the loop 8 and the point where the loop 8 passes into the straight part 9. This space must be large enough to allow through the wire forming the loop 7. The downward running part 9 passes through a bend 10 of 180° into an upward running part 11 which is in line with the leg 4b, and which continues through a bend into the leg 4a. The part 9, the bend 10 and the part 11 together form a supporting foot by which the stand rests on the ground when it is in the use position. In addition to these supporting feet of the stays, the base element 2 is also provided with supporting points 2a, with which this element rests on the ground. These supporting points comprise bulges made in the base element, the height of which corresponds to that of the supporting feet of the stays. The ring of the annular element thus lies at some distance from the ground, as do the legs 3a, 4a and 5a. The design with the open loop 8 and the closed loop 7 makes it possible, on the one hand, for the stays to be detached from the base element while, on the other, the stays can be flapped down out of the use position shown in the drawing into a storage position, in which the stays lie with both legs essentially in the plane of the base element. Figure 3 shows the way in which the legs 3a, 4a and 5a can be coupled together and can be connected to the bottom end face of the stem 1. As can be seen in this figure, the end of the leg 3a has a part 12 which is flanged upwards through approximately 90° (seen in the use position), and which ends in a sharp point 13. The ends of the other legs 4a and 5a each end in an eye 14 and 15 respectively, through which eyes the flanged part 12 of the leg 3a projects when the stand is in the use position. In this position the two legs of each stay lie in a plane which is virtually at right angles to the plane of the base element 2, while the legs 3a, 4a and 5a all lie virtually in the plane of the base element. The stem 1 to be supported can now be placed on the point 13, which point will in this case penetrate to some extent into the stem, and connects the legs 3a, 4a and 5a together to the bottom face. The legs 3b, 4b and 5b each have near their end a supporting part 14, 15 and 16 respectively which runs parallel to the stem and is bent down at the free end of the stem, which supporting parts can rest against the stem, and can be firmly fixed together to the stem 1 by means of a clamping element 6 to be described below with reference to Figures 4 and 5. As can be seen from Figure 4, the clamping element 6 comprises a tightening screw 17, which is formed by a threaded rod with a wood screw 18 at one end and an operating handle 19 at the other end. A collar 20a, against which a supporting ring 20 is fitted, is produced at the place where the wood screw is connected to the threaded rod. A clamping element 21 is screwed onto the threaded rod 17, which element comprises a nut 22, a coupling plate 23 firmly connected to the nut and comprising a retaining part 24 and coupling part 25, with coupling elements 25a and 25b. The coupling elements are intended for accommodating the ends of clamping straps 26, 27, which extend from the transition from the wood screw 18 to the threaded rod 17. As can be seen most clearly from Figure 5, the clamping strap 26 runs from the inside end of the wood screw around the parts 14, 15 and 16 of the respective legs 3b, 4b and 5b resting against the stem 1 to the coupling element 25a, while the clamping strap 27 runs in the opposite direction around the stem and the parts 14, 15 and 16 to the coupling element 25b. The clamping straps pass each other here at the side of the stem away from the clamping strap, so that the supporting parts are clamped over a large part of their length, which improves the stability. The stand according to the invention works as follows: The base element 2 is positioned, and the stays 3, 4 and 5 are then connected to the base element and placed upright. The legs 3a, 4a and 5a are coupled as shown in Figure 3. An auxiliary mounting block is now placed under the coupling point of the legs, following which the stem 1 or any pole-shaped element to be supported is pressed onto the point 13, the point 13 penetrating slightly into the bottom end face of the stem. The point 13 is preferably provided with barbs, in order to prevent the point from subsequently slipping out of the stem. The supporting parts 14, 15 and 16 are now placed against the stem 1. At the level of the place where the supporting parts rest against the stem, the clamping element 6 with the wood screw 18 is now screwed into the stem until the supporting ring 20 rests against the stem. The clamping straps 26 and 27 are now placed around the stem and the supporting parts and connected to the respective clamping elements 25a and 25b. Turning the threaded rod 17 by means of the handle 19 and holding the nut 22 by means of the retaining part 24 causes the nut 22 to move with the coupling part to the left in Figures 4 and 5, so that the clamping straps are pulled taut. During the turning of the threaded rod, the supporting ring lying against the collar 20a prevents the wood screw from penetrating further into the stem. In this way the supporting parts 14, 15 and 16 which are sufficiently long are firmly connected to the stem, while the stem is wedged firmly between the legs 3b, 4b and 5b. Due to the fact that the free ends of the supporting parts 14, 15 and 16 are flanged outwards slightly, said supporting parts can easily be positioned on the stem and the stem placed in the desired vertical position before the clamping element is tightened. Finally, the auxiliary mounting block is removed from under the stem 1. The legs 3a, 4a and 5a now in fact remain free of the ground, and the weight of the stem is transmitted through the legs 3b, 4b and 5b to the base element 2. In the embodiment described here three stays are fastened to the annular base element of the stand, each provided with a supporting foot, while the base element itself has a supporting point 2a between every two adjacent stays. The stand thus rests on six points on the ground when in use, which produces a very stable support of the base element. It will be clear that the annular base element and the legs 3b, 4b and 5b must be sufficiently rigid. It may be desirable to place the stem of the Christmas tree in a water container 28. As Figure 6 shows, this possibility is created by the legs 3a, 4a and 5a each being provided with an upward directed bulge 29, which runs around the raised edge 30 of the container. The coupling of the legs 3a, 4a and 5a to the point 13, shown in Figure 3, in this case lies at some distance from the bottom of the water container. It will be clear that the invention is not limited to the embodiment described and shown here, but that a large number of modifications are possible for the expert within the scope of the invention. For example, the number of stays and the hinged connection thereof to the base element can differ from the embodiment described here. The only important factor is that the stays themselves should be flat, and that they can be flapped down from a vertical use position to a storage position in which the stays lie essentially in the plane of the base element. This flapping down must be possible without detaching the stays from the base element.

Claims: Stand for supporting a pole-shaped element (1), in particular a Christmas tree, vertically, comprising an annular base element (2) to which at least three stays (3,4,5) are hingedly fixed, each of which can be connected by its free end to the pole-shaped element, characterised in that each stay is provided with a first and a second leg connected to each other, (3a,3b;4a,4b;5a,5b) forming an angle with each other, and each stay is hingedly connected to the base element in the transition area between the two legs, while the first legs (3a,4a,5a) of the stays are releasably coupled together to be connected jointly to the bottom end face of the pole-shaped element, and the second legs (3b,4b,5b) are adapted to be interconnected to the pole-shaped element at some distance from said bottom end face, by means of a clamping element (6). Stand according to Claim 1, characterised in that the hinged connection between the base element and the stays is detachable and in each case is formed by a closed eye (7) which is connected to the base element (2) and an open loop (8) in the stay. Stand according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the base element is provided with at least three supporting points (2a) with which said element rests on the ground, and each of the stays is provided with a supporting foot (9,10,11) in the transition area between the two legs. Stand according to the preceding Claims 1 - 3, characterised in that one (3a) of the first interconnected legs has an end piece (12) which is flanged through virtually 90° and is directed towards the second leg (3b) of the stay in question, which end piece ends in a sharp point (13), and the other first legs each end in an eye (14,15), which eyes can grip round the flanged end piece of said one first leg. Stand according to the preceding Claims 1 - 4, characterised in that each stay is hingedly connected to the base element in such a way that the stays can be turned out of a use position, in which both legs lie in a plane virtually at right angles to the plane of the base element, into a storage position, in which both legs of each stay lie essentially in the plane of the base element. Stand according to the preceding Claims 1 - 5, characterised in that the annular base element and the stays are made of wire-type material, and the supporting points of the base element are formed by local bulges at right angles to the plane of the annular base element, and the eyes are formed by closed loops lying essentially at right angles to the plane of the annular base element in a direction opposite to that of the bulges. Stand according to the preceding Claims 1 - 6, characterised in that the clamping element (6) comprises a tightening screw which is formed by a threaded rod (17) and is provided with a wood screw (18) at one end and an operating handle (19) at the other end, while a collar (20a), against which a supporting ring (20) is fitted, is present at the transition from the wood screw to the threaded rod, on which threaded rod a clamping element (21) is screwed, comprising a coupling plate (23) with a retaining part (24) and coupling elements (25a,25b) for clamping straps (26,27) extending from the transition of the wood screw to the threaded rod. Stand according to Claim 7, characterised in that the clamping element (21) is formed by a nut (22) which is fixed to an elongated plate (24) which serves, on the one hand, as a handle and, on the other, bears the coupling elements (25a,25b) for fixing the ends of the clamping straps (26,27) thereto.

Inventors: VINK CHRISTIAAN, VINK, CHRISTIAAN
Applicants: VINK CHRISTIAAN, VINK, CHRISTIAAN
Application year: 1992
Main classification: A47G33
IPC codes: A47G33