Patent Publication Number: US-6334694-B1

Title: Collapsible christmas tree

Description:
This is a division of a U.S. pending application Ser. No. 09/693,023 Filed Oct. 19, 2000. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the Christmas tree and more particularly to a collapsible Christmas tree which is readily to prop up and to dismantle. 
     Conventional Christmas tree is made of the pine or fir felled from the woods which is uneconomical and unsuitable to the environmental requirement. According to the experts on forestry, these trees have same kind of the bacteria that may hurt people. Therefore, the artificial Christmas tree is provided. This artificial Christmas tree is combined by a lots of pine needles made of plastic material and decorated with the strings of the Christmas lights. It is known that to assemble or disassemble an artificial Christmas tree is a wearisome job. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,659 discloses a different kind of the artificial Christmas tree which adapts strings of Christmas lights to spiral them upward and then to connect them into a tree shape. However, it is difficult to flatten them out without a support. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     The present invention has a main object to provide a collapsible Christmas tree which is readily to assemble or to disassemble and easy to form a tree shape. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible Christmas tree which can be packed into a small container in transportation. 
     Accordingly, the collapsible Christmas tree of the present invention comprises generally a collapsible circular support on the bottom, a small top ring on the top connected by a combinable post, a plurality of fillets or cords fastened spaced apart between the small top ring and the circular support to form a conic shaped Christmas tree and a piece of netted Christmas lights covering on the outer peripheral portion of the cords. A decoration may be inserted to the top of the small top ring. 
     The present invention will become more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description thereof when read in conjunction with the attached drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view to show a collapsible Christmas tree according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view to show a circular support of the present invention, 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view to show the assembly of FIG. 1, 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view to show a collapsible Christmas tree according to the present invention, 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view to show the engagement of the decoration with the top ring, 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view to show the engagement between the arcuate frames, 
     FIG. 7 is a top view to the collapsible Y-shaped frame of the circular support, 
     FIG. 8 is an elevational view to show the assembly of the circular support, 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view to show a piece of the netted Christmas lights, and 
     FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view to show an alternate circular support of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the collapsible Christmas tree of the present invention comprises generally a circular support  10 , a combinable post  20  engaged with the support  10  fastened by a lock  116 , a small top ring  25  engaged with the top of the post  20  and a decoration  40  inserted to the top of the top ring  25 . 
     The circular support  10  has a tubular seat  111  at center, three buckles  112  formed spaced apart around the outer peripheral wall of the tubular seat  111 , three radial extending rod  113  having their inner ends respectively hinged with the buckles  112 , a retaining ring  114  at the outer end of each of the three radial extending rod  113  under which is a triangular foot  115  and three arcuate rods  12 . The arcuate rods  12  each has a length equal to one third of the circumference of the circular support  10 , an enlarged tubular end  121  and a reduced solid end  122 . When assembling, respectively insert the reduced solid ends  122  through the corresponding retaining rings  114  then engage into the adjacent enlarged tubular ends  121  of next arcuate rods  12  (as shown in FIG.  6 ). Further, the three rods  11  form a roughly Y-shaped configuration when the circular support  10  is assembled (as shown in FIG. 2) and collapse together when the circular support  10  is disassembled (as shown in FIG.  7 ). 
     The combinable post  20  has an upper pipe  21 , a pair of middle pipes  22  and  23  and a lower pipe  24 . The upper pipe  21  has an enlarged top end and a reduced lower end. The middle pipes  22  and  23  each has a reduced lower end. The lower pipe  24  has an enlarged lower end engaged into the tubular seat  111  of the circular support  10 . In combination, the reduced lower end of the middle pipe  23  inserts into the top of the lower pipe  24  and the reduced lower end of the middle pipe  22  inserts into the top of the middle pipe  23  and then the reduced lower end of the upper pipe  21  inserts into the top of the middle pipe  22 . 
     The small top ring  25  has a distal tube  252  at center inserted into the top of the upper pipe  21  of the post  20  and reinforced by a plurality of radial ribs  251 . 
     The decoration  40  which is a star shape has an insertion pipe  41  inserted into the top of the distal tube  252  (as shown in FIG.  5 ). 
     A plurality of cords  30  respectively fasten spaced apart to the small top ring  25  and the circular support  10  around the post  20  (as shown in FIG.  3 ). 
     Finally, a piece of netted Christmas lights  50  connected by wires  51  (as shown in FIG. 9) covers on the cords  30  to accomplished a Christmas tree of conic shape (as shown in FIG.  4 ). FIG. 8 shows the assembly of the circular support  10 . 
     FIG. 10 shows an alternate circular support  10 ′ which has a tubular seat  111 ′ at center, three buckles  112 ′ perpendicularly formed on outer periphery for hinging the inner ends of three first radial extending rod  113 ′ each of which has a retaining ring  114 ′ at outer end and a triangular foot  115 ′ under the retaining ring  114 ′, a single small tube  118  on an opposing periphery of the tubular seat  111 ′ perpendicular to the buckles for releasably inserting a single radius extending rod  13  which has a bent downward inner end  131  engageable with the small tube  118 , a retaining ring  132  at outer end and a triangular foot  133  under the retaining ring  132  so that the four radial extending rods  13  and  113 ′ can make a cross configuration on the tubular seat  111 ′. Four arcuate rods  12 ′ each has a length equal to one fourth of the circumference of the circular support  10 ′, an enlarged tube  121 ′ at one end and a reduced portion  122 ′ at the other end. When assembling, first insert the bent down inner end  131  of the single radial extending rod  13  into the small tube  118  and make the four radial extending rods  13  and  113 ′ into a cross, then insert the reduced portion  122 ′ of each of the four arcuate rods  12 ′ through the corresponding retaining ring  114 ′ and engage it into the enlarged tube  121 ′ of a next arcuate rod  12 ′ so that a circular support  10 ′ is therefor accomplished. When disassembling, reverse the above discussed process, then fold the support  10 ′ into a small package that also saves a great space in transportation. 
     The specification relating to the above embodiment should be construed as exemplary rather than as limitative of the present invention, with many variations and modifications being readily attainable by a person of average skill in the art without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as defined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.