Bough to tree trunk connection for artificial tree

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to apparatus for connecting an artificial tree limb to the trunk of an artificial tree and more particularly to an easily removable connection between an artificial bough and the trunk of an artificial Christmas tree.

Today millions of artificial Christmas trees of various types are used each Holiday Season. Most of these trees are made to be disassembled so they can be stored away in a relatively small space until the next Holiday Season. The boughs and trunks of most artificial trees are made of molded plastic material and the boughs are attached to the trunk of the tree by plugging or screwing the end of the bough into a cylindrical, conical, hexagonal or threaded hole in the trunk of the plastic tree.

Such plastic-to-plastic joinder of bough to tree trunk has not proved entirely satisfactory. The cantilevered weight of the bough, especially when lights and ornaments are hanging from the bough, is often too much for the joint to bear, resulting in splitting, cracking or deformation of the trunk and/or the bough stem at the point of joinder with the trunk. Also, the joint usually cannot prevent undesired rotation or turning of the bough about the axis of its stem, causing misalignment of the generally flat bough with the other boughs of the tree.

Once the originally designed joinder between the bough and the tree trunk has been ruptured, whether by cracking or deformation of the hole in the trunk or by breaking or deformation of the stem of the bough, it becomes very difficult if not impossible to reassemble the tree the following Holiday Season. Thus the user of the artificial tree is dissatisfied with a tree which he expected to retain its original form for many years, rather than just one.

My invention provides an improved connection between a bough and the trunk of an artificial tree--a connection that will not split or deform the tree trunk or the bough, that locks the bough into a predetermined position from which it cannot rotate or slip, and that can be quickly and easily assembled or disassembled. Moreover, my unique connection is quite inexpensive and adds very little to the cost of manufacture of an artificial tree while guaranteeing the useful life of the tree for many years.

Basically, my bough-to-trunk connection includes three major components: a cylindrical stem plug designed to be cast or screwed into the plastic trunk of an artificial tree; an elongated bough end fixture; and a ring-shaped internally threaded connector for joining together the bough fixture and the stem plug. These three components may be made of brass, steel or high strength plastics such as Delrin.

The outer surface of the stem plug is threaded and a cylindrical hole is drilled axially in the front face of the plug. A plurality of V-shaped seats are cut or cast in the front face of the plug arranged circumferentially around the axial hole.

The bough end fixture has a cylindrical base, an axially centered stem projecting from the front face of the base and a plurality of V-shaped teeth on the front face of the base circumferentially spaced around the axial stem. These teeth are designed to fit into the V-shaped seats in the front face of the plug and the stem is designed to fit into the hole in the front face of the plug. A cyindrical shaft extends from the rear face of the fixture's base and a hole is drilled axially in this shaft. The end of the artificial bough is affixed to this shaft and its axial hole.

The connector is designed to encircle and hold together the joined fixture and plug by internal threads which mesh with the threaded outer surface of the plug and by an annular flange at the rear of the connector which bears against the rear face of the fixture. Preferably the outer surface of the connector is knurled to provide for easy assembly and disassembly of the threaded connection between the ring-shaped connector and the stem plug.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view partially broken away showing a preferred embodiment of my bough to tree trunk connection for an artificial Christmas tree.

FIG. 2 is a detailed cross-sectional side view of the connection shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a detailed perspective view partially broken away showing the construction of the ring-shaped connector shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a detailed perspective view partially broken away of the bough end fixture shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a detailed perspective view partially broken away showing the construction of the stem plug shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of my unique bough to tree trunk connection for an artificial Christmas tree, it being understood that my connection is not limited to use on Christmas trees but can be used on any type of artificial tree of foliage which is designed to be assembled and disassembled.

FIG. 1 shows a section of an artificial Christmas tree trunk 10 conventionally made of a cast or molded thermoplastic material such as a polyester resin. Tree trunk 10 includes a plurality of randomly spaced bough stems 10a, each of which is made with an axial cylindrical hole in its center.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an externally threaded plug 11 is screwed into the hole of each stem 10a, leaving about one half of the cylindrical plug and its external threads 11a remaining outside the stem 10a. Plug 11 as shown is made of cadmium plated brass but may be made of such other materials as steel or high strength plastic. Each plug includes an axial cylindrical hole 11b in its front face which also includes preferably twelve V-shaped seats 11c equally spaced circumferentially about hole 11b.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the end of an artificial Christmas tree bough 14 conventionally of thermoplastic resin molded about a supporting steel core 14a. FIG. 4 shows the construction of bough end fixture 12 and FIG. 2 illustrates the joinder of fixture 12 onto the end of bough 14.

Fixture 12 includes a cylindrical stem 12a designed to fit within hole 11b of plug 11. The stem projects axially from the front face of the fixture's cylindrical base 12b. The front face of base 12b also includes preferably twelve V-shaped teeth 12c designed to fit within the twelve seats 11c of plug 11 when stem 12a is inserted into hole 11c.

A cylindrical shaft 12d projects from the rear face of the fixture's base 12b and a hole 12e is drilled axially into shaft 12b as best shown in FIG. 5. Bough 14 is joined to fixture 12 by first stripping the plastic off the end of core 14a so that the end of the core will fit down into hole 12e and the plastic end of bough will fit around shaft 12d as shown in FIG. 2. Hole 12e and the outside of the end of shaft 12d are coated with a self-hardening adhesive 15 such as a two-part epoxy which firmly bonds the bough and its core to the shaft of fixture 12.

Before the bough is joined to fixture 12, connector 13 is slipped over the shaft 12d. Connector 13 is a hollow cylinder whose inner diameter is slightly larger than the outer diameter of fixture base 12b with the front portion 13a of its inner diameter threaded to mesh with the threads 11a of plug 11. Connector 13 has a rear annular flange 13c designed to fit against the rear face of fixture base 12b when the connector is screwed onto plug 11. The connector has a knurled outer surface 13b to facilitate threading the connector unto plug 11 and this outer surface preferably has a dull dark finish to blend with the finish of the bough and three trunk.

Bough 14 is assembled onto tree trunk 10 by inserting stem 12a of bough end fixture 12 part way into hole 11b of stem plug 11. The generally flat foliage of the bough is adjusted into its desired position by rotation of the bough about stem 12a within hole 11b. When the bough is in the desired position, stem 12 is then pushed all the way within hole 11b so that the teeth 12c of fixture 12 will be seated in seats 11c in the front face of plug 11.

Bough 14 is then locked into its desired position by threading connector 13 onto plug 11 until flange 13c is pressed against the rear face of fixture base 12b. The assembled connection is shown in FIG. 2. Disassembly involves only a reversal of the assembly operation just described and can be accomplished time after time quickly and without danger of splitting, cracking or deformation of either the boughs or the trunk of the artificial tree.

While a preferred embodiment of my bough to tree trunk connection has been illustrated and described, changes in form and dimension of the components will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, instead of the conical V-shaped teeth shown in the drawings, the teeth could be in various other forms including a saw-shaped rim around the outer edge of base 12b which seat into a saw-toothed cut into the rim of plug 11. Likewise, the end of stem 12a may be rounded to facilitate its insertion into hole 11b. The foregoing description is in no way intended to limit my invention, whose spirit and scope is limited only by the following claims.