Patent ID: 7122230

Claim:
An artificial tree with changing diameter, said tree comprising: an outer trunk shell including a multitude of elongated openings along and around said outer trunk shell; a threaded inner core within and coaxial to said outer trunk shell; a multitude of threaded branch translators threaded onto said threaded inner core and aligned with said elongated openings in said outer trunk shell; a multitude of branches passing through said elongated openings in said outer trunk shell and pivotally attached to said threaded branch translators such that said branches are free to rotate in planes parallel to the central axis of said outer trunk shell; and means for rotating said threaded inner core such that the rotational motion of said threaded inner core is transformed into linear motion of said threaded branch translators along the length of said threaded inner core causing said branches to rotate along the length of said outer trunk shell and changing the diameter of said tree.