1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to brackets for mounting supports, interconnecting structural components, or supporting articles freestanding.
2. Prior Art
Christmas tree supports are shown in various United States patents. The support of U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,040 contains many component parts making the support difficult to assemble and expensive to manufacture. The legs of the support of U.S. Pat. No. 1,319,009 are of a particularly complex shape making it another expensive support. U.S. Pat. No. 3,295,802 shows two pairs of legs held in engagement with opposite sides of the base of a tree by a band. However, the trunks of large trees are engaged only by the edges of leg angles, the band is held on the legs only by tension, and the floor or other supporting surface is engaged only by small feet. In addition, all three of these suppots preclude placing the base of a supported tree in a container of water without placing at least part of the support itself in such container. Hence, either these supports will be subject to corrosion or rot from exposure to water or the supported trees will be denied water, have shortened useful lives, and be more likely to become fire hazards.
The support in U.S. Pat. No. 2,327,403 relies on short pins extending into the base of a tree to support the weight of the tree. Such support could support stably only a very small tree. U.S. Pat. No. 2,853,261 shows a "Stabilizer for Containers" using a complicated resilient band holding legs in engagement with a cylinder which is to receive the container to be supported. This device shares with all the above noted christmas tree supports the problem of being designed for a single use.