Collapsible Artificial Christmas Tree

Heretofore, various collapsible artificial Christmas trees have been proposed, and while they have been satisfactory for their intended purpose, they have required considerable time and effort not only in the erection of the tree but also in the dismantling and storage thereof.

To overcome the disadvantages characterized by prior artificial Christmas trees, the collapsible artificial Christmas tree of the present invention has been devised which comprises, essentially, a plurality of telescopic tubular members adapted to form a mast when extended, the lower end of the mast being mounted on a base, and garland extending between the base and the top of the mast to form a generally conically-shaped configuration. The base includes a plurality of hingedly connected sections adapted to be folded to form a carrying case for storing the telescoped tubular members and associated garland when the tree components are in the collapsed position.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the artificial Christmas tree of the present invention in the erected position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the base of the tree folded to form a carrying case for the tree in the collapsed position;

FIG. 3 is a view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary view, partly in section, showing the connection of the garland to the base;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary view, partly in section, illustrating the detent assembly for holding the tubular sections in the extended position;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary view, partly in section, showing the top of the mast with the garland extending therethrough;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary, side elevational view showing a light mounted on the base and a light-filter-type mobile mounted on the mast; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary, side elevational view showing a fan mounted on the base.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 3 thereof, the collapsible artificial Christmas tree of the present invention comprises a telescopic mast 1 mounted on a base 2, and having garland 3 extending between the base 2 and the top 1a of the mast 1, to thereby form a generally conically-shaped configuration when in the erected position.

The mast 1 consists of a plurality of telescopic tubular members 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e and 1f. While for purposes of illustration five tubular members are shown, it will be understood that any number of tubular members may be employed depending upon the size of the tree desired. The tubular members are held in the extended position by suitable spring biased detents 4, as shown in FIG. 7. By this construction and arrangement, the mast 1 can be held in the extended or erected position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, or can be moved to the collapsed position wherein adjacent tubular members are telescoped within each other as shown in FIG. 5.

As will be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the base 2 comprises a pair of semi-circular panel members 2a, 2b having their diametrical edges connected to corresponding edges of an intermediate member 2c by means of a plurality of hinges 2d. Each of the semi-circular members 2a, 2b is provided with a circular wall or gallery 2e, 2f in proximity to the circumferential edge thereof, and the intermediate member 2c is similarly provided with arcuate wall members 2g and 2h at each end portion thereof but spaced slightly radially inwardly of the wall portions 2e, 2f as shown in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, 6 and 8, the garland 3 comprises a plurality of wire or cable strands 3a having tinsel 3t or other suitable reflective material connected thereto. The ends of each of the wires 3a are connected to the base by a snap fastener 3b extending through an eyelet 3c secured to the base. The portion of each garland strand intermediate the ends thereof is received within a ring 3d secured to the top of the mast as shown in FIG. 8, the ring being split as at 3e to facilitate the insertion of the garland strands therein.

To enhance the decorative effect of the tree, a lamp 5 is mounted on the base as shown in FIG. 9 and a light filter mobile 6 is mounted on the lower end of the mast; additionally, a fan 7 is mounted on the base as shown in FIG. 10.

To collapse the Christmas tree from the erected position as shown in FIG. 1 to the stored position as shown in FIG. 5, the spring-biased detents 4 are pressed inwardly to the released position to allow the tubular members to move to the telescoped position as shown in FIG. 5. The semi-circular members 2a, 2b of the base are pivoted upwardly from the horizontal position to the vertical position and the arcuate wall members 2e, 2f are connected by a suitable latch 8, to thereby form a storage compartment 9. To facilitate carrying the collapsed assembly, handles 10 are attached to each of the semi-circular members 2a, 2b. While for sake of clarity, the garland 3 is not shown in FIG. 5, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that by suitably dimensioning the base, the garland may remain connected to the mast and base and the various decorative components such as light, fan, etc. can be wholly contained within the compartment 9 so that when erecting the Christmas tree, it will only be necessary to release latch 8, fold the members 2a , 2b downwardly to the horizontal position, and then pull the tubular sections upwardly to form the mast 1.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the subjoined claims.