FIREWORKS LAUNCHING STAND

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a fireworks launching stand for safely keeping a piece of fireworks in an upright position therein, when the stand is erected on a possibly uneven surface. Especially for stands adapted to fireworks it is required that the stand can resist the force of recoil and maintain staying intact and stationary. However, also in such situations, where the stand is used for pieces of fireworks not releasing a recoil, or other types of fireworks, e.g. burning torches, it is important that the launcher is stable on the surface.

BACKGROUND ART

From the patent literature it is commonly known to use launchers to initiate rockets or other types of fireworks, where the aim is to safeguard against personal damage or setting the surroundings on fire. A further aim has been to provide such launchers, which are handy and convenient to carry on to the place of use rather than using accidental objects, e.g. empty wine bottles, concrete or iron pipes.

U.S. Patent No. 5,567,907 describes a fireworks support apparatus comprising three main members; namely a support stake, fireworks positioning assembly and support assembly, wherein the support stake is forced partly into earth, while the support assembly in form of a tubular elongated support member is slid down over the exposed upper portion of the support stake. The positioning assembly comprises a launching member fixedly received in an opening defined by a horizontal support face. Said tubular support member is received in the interior of the support assembly, and is having a closed bottom, which serves to support the stick of a rocket to be initiated, while the support face serves the purpose of supporting other types of fireworks.

From WO 0151879 it is generally known to have an upright launch tube comprising a hollow foot adapted to safely support itself on a horizontal surface, and the rocket being preferably received fully inserted and hidden in the tube before launching in anticipation of a better directional stability in the moment of initiation.

Said document discloses a launching stand with the preamble features of claim 1.

However, in connection with initiation of fireworks in cold areas, the user is very often experiencing frozen grounds or is standing on a layer of asphalt or tiles, and consequently a support stake cannot be forced into the earth. Therefore the stand according to US 5,567,907 is not universally applicable.

An uneven surface would also be a main cause for the launch tube in WO 0151879 to be inappropriate to use in many situations, because the foot would not be able to offer a stable support on an uneven surface or in snowdrifts.

Moreover, none of the traditional launching stands indicates possibilities for adapting to fireworks with different length and/or thickness.

Ideally, demands or wishes to a launching stand of the art mentioned above would i.

1. a. comprise:

   1. 1. Stable position also on uneven surfaces
   2. 2. No need to force a stake down into the earth in order to gain a good foothold
   3. 3. Adjustability according to length and diameter of fireworks members
   4. 4. Providing suitable height for initiating fireworks without serious human hazards
   5. 5. A light construction based on weight and operation
   6. 6. Reusable and strong stand

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention the requirements stated above are met by a launching stand for fireworks, wherein said stand being comprised of a body member supported by a number of legs, preferably three legs, and a support assembly attached to the body member and being adapted to support and position a piece of fireworks. The number of legs chosen secures that the stand can be erected also on rather uneven surfaces, while still being positioned essentially in a vertical position, and the legs need not be forced into the ground.

In a particularly simple embodiment of the invention the body member of the stand and the support assembly are formed in one piece.

Moreover, the stand according to a preferred embodiment can be adapted to the length of the actual fireworks by displacing the support assembly in the vertical direction, such that the distance between the body member and the support assembly provides a good and safe support for the fireworks to be initiated. Furthermore the support assembly could be in the form of a hollow object extending from a level above the body member down towards the level, at which the legs are touching the surface, and according to a further feature of the invention the support assembly has a tubular shape and an inner diameter decreasing stepwise or continuously in the downwards direction. In this way each piece of fireworks could be safely supported as far down into the support assembly as its outer dimensions allow.

According to another feature in a preferred embodiment of the invention, said stand has a rod or pipe extending through the body member in an essentially vertical direction offset from the central axis, and the support assembly is mounted on and slidably along the length of said rod to a fixed position in an optional distance beneath the body member, whereby the rod is preferably having an out of round cross section, e.g. a square shape.

Furthermore, the support assembly according to the invention is fixedly retained on the rod by means of a squeezing fit and/or a locking screw. In this way is achieved that the support assembly will not be able to rotate in the horizontal plane and thereby misdirect the fireworks taking off from the stand or emitting a stream of fire as in the case of Roman candles. In addition the support assembly will be hindered sliding down the rod as a result of the force of recoil from the fireworks initiated thereon.

Due to the fact that the support assembly is constructed sufficiently strong to resist the forces of recoil it is also obvious, that the required reusability of the stand is achieved.

According to the invention the body member is constructed with holes directed downwards, in which the legs are received and retained; especially in an acute angle with the vertical axis of the stand. The legs could be fixed in the holes by a squeezing fit or by any other known means. Having the legs in an inclined position to the ground, the stand will not easily tilt. Moreover the length of the legs defines how far the user needs to bend forward in order to initiate the fireworks, and consequently the risk of personal damage is to a certain extent dependent on the chosen length of the legs. As a result, the need for providing a compact, easy-to-handle launching stand should be considered against e.g. the height of the stand and consequently the total weight.

Finally a stand according to the invention is characterised in the body member being provided with a vertical opening sufficiently large to allow a piece of firework to be inserted through the opening and supported in a loose fit in an essentially vertical position. Obviously, the choice of opening diameter should be made in such way that the smallest and largest size of fireworks can fit into it. The opening need not have a circular shape, and in a preferred embodiment it could be provided by means of an additional disc with an out of round opening so that by rotating the disc in relation to the opening in the body member and around the same axis, the clear of said opening could be reduced and consequently provide a support not being too loose.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Now follows a detailed description of advantageous embodiments of the invention, with reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• Figure 1 is an isometric view of a launching stand according to the invention, with a rocket inserted,
• Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of the body member and the support assembly according to a preferred embodiment,
• Figure 3 is an isometric view of the launching stand with a Roman candle inserted,
• Figure 4 is a mechanism to adjust the guiding opening of a special embodiment of the launching stand according to the invention,
• Figure 5 is a launching stand in a particularly simple embodiment shown in sectional elevation and in plan view.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With respect to the drawings there is shown a preferred embodiment of a launching stand 1 according to the invention, comprising a body member 2 and a support assembly 3. The support assembly 3 can be displaced up and down in relation to the body member 2 and be fixed in any optional distance under the body member 2.

The support assembly 3 is displaceably mounted on a rod or pipe 4, which in a preferred embodiment, shown in Figures 1 and 2, is in the form of a hollow square pipe retained in an opening 11 in the body member 2 and extending downwards therefrom. The downwards extending part of the pipe passes through an opening 12 in the support assembly 3, said opening being preferably positioned near the edge of said assembly.

The choice of material of the support assembly 3 and the pipe 4 could preferably be decided with due consideration to achieving a sufficient friction grip to retain the support assembly in a squeezing fit on the pipe without further locking means, but it could advantageously also be provided through the use of a locking screw or similar means.

In order to retain the pipe 4 fixed to the body member 2 a squeezing fit could also be a suitable locking solution, which could possibly be combined with a bead or stop on the pipe 4 to limit the downward displacement of the pipe.

Moreover, in the body member 2, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, an opening 13 is provided, which has an axis being essentially vertical in use, and said opening serves as an upper support point for a piece of firework 10. The opening is sufficiently large to loosely accommodate fireworks of different dimensions.

In order to achieve the best possible support underneath the fireworks said support assembly 3 would preferably be shaped as an upturned bowl or cup 5, see broken lines in Figure 1.

Legs 6 of the launching stand is shown in a number of three, but other numbers would do as well. The legs 6 are mounted in down-tumed holes in the body member 2 and is retained therein in a squeezing fit or in any other known way.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment shown in Figure 4, the body member 4 could be provided with an out of round opening, e.g. a partly elliptical opening 13 and a disc 14 with an out of round opening 15, wherein the disc could be rotated in relation to the opening in the cross sectional plane of the opening 13 in the body member 2 such that the clear is adjusted to the size of the relevant piece of firework, so that the fit will not be too loose.

The launching stand 1 is especially adapted to such fireworks as rockets and Roman candles, but it could also accommodate e.g. torches etc.

When the launching stand, shown in Figure 1, is to be put in use, the legs 6 are mounted in the body member 2, the pipe 4 is inserted through the opening 11 in the body member 2 and through the opening 12 in the support assembly 3. Next the stand 1 is positioned on the surface in such a way that its legs find the best possible foothold and it stands in an essentially upright position. Then a rocket 10 comprising a powder tube 7 and a guide stick 8 is positioned in the stand 1 such that the guide stick 8 is stuck down into the pipe 4, while the bottom part of the stick 8 is supported on the ground or hanging in short distance over the ground. Then it is possible for the user to light a fuse 9 extending out from the powder tube 7 of the rocket 10, and the rocket will initiate its ballistic journey in the air.

In another example of use, shown in Figure 3, a Roman candle 10 is positioned in the stand and the bottom thereof is resting in the bowl or cup 5 of the support assembly 3, while the top part of the Roman candle projects up through the guide opening 13 of the body member 2. Being so positioned the user will have easy access to light the fuse 9 and thereby activate the Roman candle to emit its "rain of stars" into the air, while the candle is safely retained in the launching stand 1.

Figure 5 shows a particularly simple embodiment of the launching stand 1 according to the invention, in which the support assembly 3 is provided in the form of a tube having its inner diameter decreasing stepwise in the downward direction, such that e.g. a Roman candle 10 (shown in broken lines) could be safely positioned therein in a height defined by the outer diameter of said candle. If the fuse 9 is leaving the powder tube 7 in a different position than the top, then a slit (not shown) could be provided in the sidewall of the support assembly 3, so the fuse could stick out into the free air and be lit.