IES59161B2 - Improvements in artificial christmas trees - Google Patents

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN ARTIFICIAL CHRISTMAS TREES The present invention relates to improvements in artificial Christmas trees, in particular to a tree which may be assembled from a kit of 15 parts.

Hitherto, artificial Christmas trees have been constructed in various ways which all have certain drawbacks. The branches are generally of a standard construction, comprising twisted wire including interwoven 20 chopped strands of plastics film material, which may be metallised to form a stiff tinsel, or which may be made entirely from chopped strands of green film material so as to simulate the leaves of a conifer.

In the simplest construction, branches are bound, for example using catgut, to a rigid stem, which may be made from a metal rod. The branches are generally sufficiently flexible to fold up against the stem when the tree is being shipped, or when it is put in storage Whilst this is a cheap method of manufacture, the appearance of the tree is poor, the metal rod is prone to rusting and whilst the branches 30 can be folded, the stem cannot be collapsed and the whole tree is comparatively heavy.

A lighter weight construction uses a wooden pole for the stem which includes angular holes along its length for insertion of the branches. 35 However, the branches easily break off the stem. Also, the holes have to be carefully drilled, which is labour-intensive.

Another construction using a wooden pole as the stem comprises a series of sleeves which fit over the pole and are pinned thereto at intervals - 2 along its length, each sleeve including hinged attachment points for the branches. Thus, the branches may be folded back for storage, but the hinge connections are expensive to manufacture and are also prone to breakage.

/ Vin a similar construction, plastics sleeves are pinned to the stem at intervals along its length, which include longitudinal sockets adapted to receive the ends of the branches which are each provided with an integral plastics spigot. Thus, the branches can be removed entirely from the stem of the tree for shipping and storage purposes, but in use the spigot connections snap off very easily. Also, the sleeves give the stem of the tree an unnatural appearance.

In yet another prior art construction, a rigid metal rod is used to provide the necessary rigidity for the stem of the tree, and a series of plastics tubes are slid over the metal rod which include integrally moulded branches in plastics material extending from each tube. Thus, the tree has a very artificial appearance as the branches and the stem are all constructed in plastics material. Even though the stem has been divided into tubular sections, a long metal rod still has to be provided which poses space problems when shipping the parts prior to assembly.

All of the prior art constructions described above require a large box of 1.5 to 2mm in length to package the components for shipping purposes. If the stem of the tree could be collapsed, all of the components could be put in a much smaller box allowing greater product volume to be shipped, thus reducing costs.

The slot-in branch constructions of the prior art are weak and the branches tend to break off the stem. When the slots are incorporated in a sleeve construction, the branches are still easily broken off. The roots for the branches would have better anchorage if the slots were incorporated in the stem itself, but the drilling of holes in the stem is too labour-intensive and increases costs. Also, the roots of the branches may become stuck in the holes, or may be too loose in the holes and fall out. - 3 Stands for artifical Christmas trees are a costly item, which also require to be collapsed. The stand must be securely attached to the stem and generally a separate coupling or joint is provided for this purpose, adding to production costs.

All of the prior art constructions result in an artificial Christmas tree of fixed height. The customer is unable to select the desired height when a tree is bought in kit form.

Accordingly, the present invention seeks to provide an improved artificial Christmas tree which can be manufactured at relatively low cost, in which the parts may be assembled from a kit of parts which occupy a comparatively small space, and when erected provides a sturdy construction.

According to the present invention, there is provided an artificial Christmas tree comprising a plurality of rigidly interengageable stem sections, wherein the stem sections include male and female coupling means providing for their interengagement such that the male coupling 20 means defines a series of longitudinal slots therein for insertion of the root portions of removable artificial branches and defining around said slots a ledge and parapet arrangement for receiving said female coupling means.

Most preferably, each stem section is identical, comprising male coupling means at one end thereof and female coupling means at the other end thereof.

Preferably, a tripod stand is provided wherein the tripod feet are 30 adapted to slot into the said longitudinal slots of a stem section.

Suitably, three separate rigid tripod feet are provided.

Advantageously, the male coupling means defines a central axial slot for reception of a crown portion of the artificial Christmas tree.

A preferred embodiment of an artificial Christmas tree in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an exploded view, in front elevation, of an artificial ' Christmas tree with not all branches shown for clarity, Figure 2 is a side elevation of one of the stem sections of the tree shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a partial longitudinal cross-section of the stem section shown in Figure 2, Figure 4 is a plan view from above of the stem section shown in Figure 2, and Figure 5 is a side elevation of a tripod foot showing its manner of engagement with a stem section (shown in dashed outline.

An artificial Christmas tree 1 comprises a series of stem sections 2 of hollow tubular construction, each comprising a male coupling 3 extending from one end thereof adapted to slot into an opening 4 in the base of the tubular member 2, the opening 4 providing a female coupling.

A series of six regularly-spaced longitudinal slots 5 are formed in the male connecting 3, which extend a certain distance inside the tubular member 2. A ledge 6 truncated by the slots 5, provides a firm seating for the rim of a tubular section 2 placed over the male coupling 3.

The ledge δ is bounded by parapets 6a, which hold the assembled stem sections firmly together.

An axially-disposed hole 7 passes through the male coupling 3. The root 8 of a crown portion 9 of the Christmas tree is inserted into the hole 7 of one of the sections 2.

I Branches 10, 11, 12, 13 are provided, which are of known construction, of various different lengths, as shown in Figure 1. Root portions 14 of the branches 10-13 are bent over at a right angle, and their tips are inserted into the openings of slots 5, and slid downwardly so as to assume the position shown in dashed outline in Figure 3.

It will be clear that the tree may be erected in sections, starting with the lowermost sections and longest branches 10, and finishing with the shortest branches 13 and inserting the crown portion 9., If desired, a strand of coloured plastics material may be woven into the 5 root portions 14 so as to distinguish the branches of different lengths. For example, all of the branches 10 would be colour-coded blue, branches 11 colour-coded yellow, etc. for ease of assembly.

The tubular section 2 illustrated in Figure 2 may be constructed in one 10 of two ways. The male coupling 3 may be moulded separately and slotted into and open ended tube as aslotted plug, or moulded as an integral unit as shown in the drawings, which is preferable. Three tripod feet 15 are cut from board, and conveniently slot into the slots 5 by means of spigots 17, in the manner shown in Figure 4. The lowermost section 15 2 is raised from the floor and seats into a groove 18 in the tripod feet 15 to provide lateral butressing support.

It will readily be appreciated that the components making up a kit of parts for assembly of the Christmas tree 1 may be fitted into a comparatively small box for shipping and storage purposes, due to the absence of a long stem component. Also, the customer has the option of building a tree to more than one height, and may even construct a very small table-top Christmas tree by using the crown section 9 and branches 13, for example, in combination with a single section 2 and the stand.

The branches are firmly held in position once the sections are pressed together, but the ledge 6 prevents any load being applied to the branches in the erected tree.

It will also be understood that the embodiment described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 5 is a non-limiting example of the present invention, and many other ways exist for rigidly interengaging the short stem sections of the tree which form an essential feature of the 35 present invention. It is also preferred to insert the branches so asto extend from the points of union between the assembled stem sections, as this gives rise to a sturdy construction and provides a neat appearance for the stem, as compared to the sleeve constructions of the prior art. The hollow stem sections also result in weight reduction. - 6 Only one coupling requires to be moulded which reduces production costs; that is to say, the tubular sections 2 provide all the necessary support for the crown 9, branches 10-13, and the tripod feet 15 of the stand. r

Claims (5)

1. I. An artificial Christmas tree comprising a plurality of rigidly 5 interengageable stem sections (2), wherein the stem sections include male and female coupling means (3,4) providing for their interengagement such that the male coupling means (3) defines a series of longitudinal slots (5) therein for insertion of the root portions (14) of removable artificial branches (11) and defining around said 10 slots a ledge and parapet arrangement (5,6a) for receiving said female coupling means (4)o
2. 2. O An artificial Christmas tree according to claim 1 wherein each stem section (2) is identical, comprising male coupling means (3) at 15 one end thereof and female coupling means (4) at the other end thereof.
3. 3. An artificial Christmas tree according to claim 2 wherein a tripod stand is provided wherein the tripod feet (15) are adapted to slot into the said longitudinal slots (5) of a stem section (2).
4. 4. An artificial Christmas tree according to any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the male coupling means defines a central axial slot (7) for reception of a crown portion (9) of the artificial Christmas tree. 25
5. 5. An artificial Christmas tree substantially as described herein with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.