HANGING CHRISTMAS TREE ASSEMBLY, KIT, AND METHOD OF USE THEREOF

Abstract

A hanging Christmas tree assembly including a flexible and substantially continuous sheet of material having a front surface including at least a portion of a tree outline and a back surface opposite the front surface. The hanging Christmas tree assembly may include at least one decorative member couplable to the front surface of the sheet of material. The sheet of material includes an installed configuration including the back surface of the sheet of material coupled to a wall surface and a storage configuration including a substantial portion of the sheet of material disposed in a rolled up configuration.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/181,472 filed Jun. 18, 2015, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to Christmas trees, and, more particularly, relates to a hanging Christmas tree assembly configured to be displayed on a wall surface and conveniently stored when not in use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known that in celebration of a particular holiday, many people choose to decorate one or more symbols representative of the holiday. For example, it has become a tradition in many households to decorate a tree in celebration of the Christmas holiday. Of course, when choosing to decorate a real tree, such tradition involves traveling to a tree lot, selecting a tree, and transporting the tree home. Unfortunately, selecting and transporting the tree is time consuming and troublesome, especially for those who do not have vehicles suitable for transporting the tree. Moreover, when set up for display, the tree, whether it is a fir tree, pine tree, spruce, tree, or the like, occupies a large amount of floor space, poses a fire risk, requires consistent water maintenance, and necessitates the continuous need to clean up bristles that naturally fall from the tree. As an added problem, disposal of the tree after the holiday is a difficult and tedious task.

In recent years, artificial trees have become increasingly popular. Unfortunately, similar to real trees, artificial trees suffer from a number of drawbacks. For example, artificial trees are expensive, require time consuming assembly, and consume a large amount of floor space. Moreover, artificial trees take up storage space throughout the year.

Decorative trees that hang on walls or doors are known, however also suffer from a number of drawbacks. For example, a number of door hung trees are provided with mounting kits that are difficult to assemble and mount on the door. Such mounting kits often include hardware that is easily misplaced and may require a number of tools for assembly. In the same vein, a number of hanging trees require a user to physically assemble and place strings of lights on the tree, which is not only inconvenient but also poses a risk of electric shock. Moreover, such hanging trees are often made of foam plastic, cardboard, or the like, which are unsuitable for folding or rolling into a compact configuration for storage. Such materials are also not ideal for displaying custom designs and decorations, such as custom drawings completed by a child. Rather, such hanging trees are normally provided with preassembled decorations which leave no room for a child to express his or her creativity.

Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a hanging Christmas tree assembly, kit, and method of use thereof that overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and that provides a user with a hanging Christmas tree assembly that consumes a small amount of space yet simulates a Christmas tree associated with the celebration of the Christmas holiday.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a hanging Christmas tree assembly including a flexible and substantially continuous sheet of material having a front surface including at least a portion of a Christmas tree outline and a back surface opposite the front surface, at least one decorative member couplable to the front surface of the sheet of material, an installed configuration including the back surface of the sheet of material coupled to a wall surface, and a storage configuration including a substantial portion of the sheet of material disposed in a rolled up configuration.

In accordance with another feature, the sheet of material is a paper material.

In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, the sheet of material is at least one of a polymeric material and a fabric material.

In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, the sheet of material includes a plurality of demarcation lines separating the sheet of material into at least two regions and the at least two regions are each configured to receive and display markings from at least one of ink, crayon, and paint.

In accordance with another feature, an embodiment of the present invention also includes the sheet of material having a rectangular periphery and the portion of the Christmas tree outline is displayed on the front surface of the sheet of material within the rectangular periphery.

In accordance with yet another feature, an embodiment of the present invention includes the back surface of the sheet of material having at least one fastener configured to couple the back surface of the sheet of material substantially parallel with respect to a wall surface.

In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, the front surface and the back surface are parallel with each other across an entire longitudinal length of the sheet of material and the front surface and the back surface have a uniform thickness imposed therebetween.

In accordance with another feature, the hanging Christmas tree assembly may include a plurality of decorative members selectively couplable to the front surface of the sheet of material and at least two adjacent decorative members including a decorative surface being entirely visible to a user when the sheet of material is in the installed configuration.

In accordance with another feature, an embodiment of the present invention includes a hanging Christmas tree kit including a substantially continuous sheet of paper material having a front surface including at least a portion of a tree design and a back surface opposite the front surface, a plurality of decorative members couplable to the front surface of the sheet of material such that the plurality of decorative members are parallel to the front surface of the sheet of material, and at least one fastener removably couplabe to the back surface of the sheet of material, the at least one fastener configured to orient the back surface of the sheet of material substantially parallel with respect to a wall surface.

In accordance with another feature, the sheet of paper material may include an installed configuration including the back surface of the sheet of paper material coupled to a wall surface and a storage configuration including the sheet of paper material disposed in a rolled up configuration.

In accordance with yet another feature, the portion of the tree design on the front surface of the sheet of paper material is a tree outline, the tree outline including at least one region having a right side portion opposite from and substantially symmetrical to a left side portion.

In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, the sheet of material may include a plurality of demarcation lines separating the sheet of material into at least two regions and the at least two regions are each configured to receive and display markings from at least one of ink, crayon, and paint.

In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, the tree design visible on the front surface of the sheet of material is independent of and couplable to the plurality of decorative members

In accordance with another feature of the present invention, at least one of the plurality of decorative members is in a non-overlapping relationship with a second adjacent one of the plurality of decorative members when the plurality of decorative members are coupled to the front surface of the sheet of material.

In accordance with yet another feature of the present invention, the sheet of paper material may include a rectangular periphery having a length of approximately 3.0 to 7.0 feet and a width of approximately 1.0 to 4.0 feet and the tree design is visible within the rectangular periphery.

In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the front surface and the back surface of the sheet of paper material are parallel with each other across an entire longitudinal length of the sheet of material and the sheet of paper material includes a uniform thickness separating the front surface and the back surface.

In accordance with the present invention, a method of using a hanging Christmas tree assembly including providing a flexible and substantially continuous sheet of material having a front surface including at least a portion of a Christmas tree outline and a back surface opposite the front surface and a plurality of decorative members couplable to the front surface of the sheet of material, installing the back surface of the sheet of material against a wall surface, coupling at least a first one of the plurality of decorative members to the front surface of the sheet of material, and rolling a substantial portion of the sheet of material into a rolled up configuration.

In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the method may include coupling a second one of the plurality of decorative members to the front surface of the sheet of material in a non-overlapping relationship adjacent to the first one of the plurality of decorative members.

In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, the method may include drawing the Christmas tree outline such that the Christmas tree outline includes at least a first region and second region that are symmetrical to each other.

In accordance with yet another further feature of the present invention, the method may include, after rolling the substantial portion of the sheet of material into a rolled up configuration, unrolling the sheet of material for reuse of the sheet of material in an installed configuration.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a hanging Christmas tree assembly and method of use thereof, it is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown because various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments of the invention will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention.

Other features that are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one of ordinary skill in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting; but rather, to provide an understandable description of the invention. While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals are carried forward. The figures of the drawings are not drawn to scale.

Before the present invention is disclosed and described, it is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. The terms “a” or “an,” as used herein, are defined as one or more than one. The term “plurality,” as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term “another,” as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms “including” and/or “having,” as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically. The term “providing” is defined herein in its broadest sense, e.g., bringing/coming into physical existence, making available, and/or supplying to someone or something, in whole or in multiple parts at once or over a period of time.

As used herein, the terms “about” or “approximately” apply to all numeric values, whether or not explicitly indicated. These terms generally refer to a range of numbers that one of skill in the art would consider equivalent to the recited values (i.e., having the same function or result). In many instances these terms may include numbers that are rounded to the nearest significant figure. In this document, the term “longitudinal” should be understood to mean in a direction corresponding to an elongated direction of the sheet of material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views and which together with the detailed description below are incorporated in and form part of the specification, serve to further illustrate various embodiments and explain various principles and advantages all in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1 is an elevational front view of a hanging Christmas tree assembly including a sheet of material having a front surface including at least a partial outline of a tree;

FIG. 2 is a perspective downward-looking view of the front surface of the sheet of material of FIG. 1 having a plurality of decorative members coupled thereto in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an elevational front view of the hanging Christmas tree assembly of FIG. 1 in an installed configuration including the hanging Christmas tree assembly installed on a wall surface;

FIG. 4 is an elevational rear view of the hanging Christmas tree assembly of FIG. 1 depicting a plurality of fasteners configured to couple a rear surface of the sheet of material to a wall surface;

FIG. 5 is an elevational front view of the hanging Christmas tree assembly of FIG. 1 depicting a user coupling a first one of the decorative members along a path of attachment to the front surface of the sheet of material;

FIG. 6 is a perspective downward-looking view of the rear surface of the hanging Christmas tree assembly of FIG. 1 depicting a fastener being coupled to the rear surface in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective downward-looking view of the sheet of material in a rolled up storage configuration in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is process flow diagram of a method of installing and storing the hanging Christmas tree assembly of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals are carried forward. It is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms.

The present invention provides a novel sheet of material, e.g., a paper material, having at least a portion of a tree, such as a Christmas tree, visible on a front surface of the material. A user is provided with the ability to customize the tree by drawing on the material or, in the alternative, by coupling one or more decorative members to the material. The customized tree is designed to be easily and conveniently installed on the wall of a room within a building during use, and rolled up for compact storage, thus occupying a relatively small amount of space.

Referring now to FIG. 1, one embodiment of the present invention is shown in an elevational front view. FIG. 1 shows several advantageous features of the present invention, but, as will be described below, the invention can be provided in several shapes, sizes, combinations of features and components, and varying numbers and functions of the component. The first example of a hanging Christmas tree assembly 100, as shown in FIG. 1, includes a flexible and substantially continuous sheet of material 102 having a front surface 104. The term “flexible” is defined herein as capable of bending easily without breaking. The term “substantially continuous” is defined herein as being void of or having few slots or apertures. As such, the assembly 100 presents a significant advantage over prior art wall hangings that include slots for displaying greeting cards or apertures for holding decorations because the structural integrity of the sheet of material 102 is maintained, thus promoting continuing annual use of the assembly 100. As an added advantage, one or more decorative members may be quickly coupled to and removed from the front surface 104 using an adhesive or other simple fastening mechanism. In addition, a user is provided with the ability to quickly and conveniently roll up the sheet of material 102 for storage without having to first remove any decorations. Said another way, the decorations can be rolled up as well. In other embodiments, the sheet of material 102 may be rigid and may include slots, apertures, or other openings therein.

The term “sheet” is defined herein as a substantially flat planar item. In a preferred embodiment, the sheet of material 102 is a lightweight and writeable material, such as, a paper material. The paper material is defined herein in its broadest possible sense as a substance made from wood pulp, rags, straw, or another fibrous material. The paper material may be recycled or non-recycled, and may be laminated or otherwise bonded to provide structural support to the sheet of material 102. In another embodiment, the sheet of material 102 may be a polymeric material, e.g., plastic. In other embodiments, the sheet of material 102 may be a fabric material, such as a fleece material, a hook-and-loop material, e.g., Velcro®, or another lightweight material suitable for hanging against a wall surface.

Advantageously, the sheet of material 102 may be easily installed on a wall surface without the risk of falling due to the lightweight of the material. Said another way, because of the lightweight of the material, the material can be easily coupled to the wall surface using an adhesive or a minimal number of other suitable fasteners. As an added advantage, with brief reference to FIG. 7, the sheet of material 102 may be conveniently rolled up for compact storage when not in use. In addition, the sheet of material 102 provides one or more users, such as a family with children, with the ability to customize the front surface 104 of the sheet of material 102. As such, the sheet of material 102, and, in particular, the front surface 104, may be made of a material operably configured to receive and display markings from ink, crayon, and/or paint. For example, a user may choose to draw, paint, or otherwise add designs, artworks, letters, or other indicia to the front surface 104 of the sheet of material 102 to personalize the assembly 100.

In one embodiment, the front surface 104 of the sheet of material 102 includes at least a portion of a tree outline 106, which may be referred to herein as the tree 106. The tree outline 106 may be a dotted line, solid line, perforated line, visible marking, piece of material, or the like. The portion of the tree outline 106 initially displayed on the front surface 104 of the sheet of material 102 may be, without limitation, a top portion 108, which commonly holds a tree topper associated with the celebration of the Christmas holiday, a bottom portion 110 including a tree stump 112, the branches of the tree 114, a combination thereof, or the entire tree 106. Advantageously, a user, such as a child, can express his or her creativity by drawing or otherwise completing the portion of the tree 106 not otherwise displayed on the front surface 104 when the assembly 100 is purchased.

In one embodiment, the sheet of material 102 may include one or more demarcation lines 116. The number of demarcation lines 116 is not limited to any particular number. The demarcation lines 116 perform the function of indicating where a user may draw the tree 106 using ink, crayon, paint, and the like, so that some symmetry exists among the tree 106. As a result, the tree 106 may more closely resemble a real or synthetic tree. The term “demarcation” is defined herein as separation by boundaries. In one embodiment, the demarcation lines 116 may separate the sheet of material 102 into at least two separate regions 124, 126, however additional regions may be created as well and the assembly 100 is not limited to a particular number of regions. By using the demarcation lines 116 as a measurement guide, a user may draw symmetrical portions of the tree 106 within any particular region or adjacent regions. As an illustrative example, FIG. 1 depicts the tree 106 having at least one region 118 including a right side portion 120 opposite from a left side portion 122. The rights and left side portions 120, 122 are symmetrical to emulate a Christmas tree that is associated with the celebration of the Christmas holiday. In one embodiment, the distance between demarcation lines 116 of each region 124, 126 may include the same or similar measurements. In other embodiments, the distance between the demarcation lines 116 may vary upon regions 124, 126. Naturally, the distance may vary according to the overall length of the sheet of material 102.

In one embodiment, the tree 106 is an evergreen conifer such as a spruce, pine, or fur tree that is commonly associated with the celebration of the Christmas holiday. The assembly 100 is not limited to displaying a tree or a symbol that represents the Christmas holiday, e.g., a snowman, stocking, reindeer, or the like. Rather, the assembly 100 may include a display of indicia that does or does not represent a particular holiday, e.g., a family portrait, a pet, a pumpkin during Halloween, etc. In one embodiment, the sheet of material 102 includes a rectangular periphery 128 and the tree 106, or other display, is displayed on the front surface 104 of the sheet of material 102 within the rectangular periphery 128. In other embodiments, the sheet of material 102 may be provided in other shapes, such as circular, square, oval, and is not limited to a particular shape.

With reference now to FIG. 2, a perspective downward-looking view of the front surface 104 of the sheet of material 102 is shown depicting one or more decorative members 200a-n. The indicator “a-n” is intended to represent any number of items, with “a” indicating the number 1 and “n” indicating any number greater than 1. The decorative members 200a-n may be, without limitation, ornaments, decorations, or other visual displays of various sizes, shapes, and colors. The decorative members 200a-n may be made of a paper material, polymeric material, fleece material, or the like. The decorative members 200a-n may be made of the same material as the sheet of material 102 or may be made of a different material and may be flat, three dimensional, etc. FIG. 2 depicts the decorative members 200a-n as a snowflake 200a, a wreath 200b, an ornament 200c, and a star 200n. Such decorative members 200a-n are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. Advantageously, the decorative members 200a-n may be selectively coupled to the front surface 104 in order to customize the tree 106 and the sheet of material 102. In one embodiment, the tree outline 106 and/or the demarcation lines 116 may serve the function of indicating where the decorative members 200a-n should be placed on the front surface 104 of the sheet of material 102.

In one embodiment, the decorative members 200a-n are each associated with a same particular category or common theme. For example, the common theme may be a holiday, such as the Christmas holiday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc. or the common theme may be associated with a non-holiday theme. Of course, the common theme is intended to be associated with the tree 106 or other design displayed on the front surface 104. The decorative members 200a-n may be custom designed by the user, e.g., through coloring, printing, etc., or may include a predetermined display.

In one embodiment, the decorative members 200a-n may be coupled to the front surface 104 via adhesive, a hook-and-loop configuration, or another suitable fastening means (not shown). In one embodiment, the decorative members 200a-n may be removably coupled to the front surface 104 such that a user can remove the decorative members 200a-n prior to folding or rolling the sheet of material 102 for storage. In another embodiment, the decorative members 200a-n may be fixedly coupled to the front surface 104 such that the user can store the decorative members 200a-n as memorabilia for reuse in the following year. In another embodiment, because some embodiments of the sheet of material 102 are a writeable sheet of material 102, personalized messages, notes, signatures, pictures, and the holiday may be written on the sheet of material 102 so that the sheet of material 102 may be rolled up for storage as a keepsake or time capsule to remember that particular holiday year.

In one embodiment, the decorative members 200a-n each include a decorative surface 202. The decorative surface 202 is the top surface that is visible to a user when the sheet of material 102 is installed on a wall surface. In one embodiment, at least one of the decorative members 200a may be provided in a non-overlapping relationship with a second adjacent one of the decorative members 200b when the plurality of decorative members 200a-n are coupled to the front surface 104 of the sheet of material 102. Said another way, the entire decorative surface 202 of at least two adjacent decorative members 200a, 200b may be visible to a user without overlap. As such, the assembly 100 may be aesthetically more appealing than prior art wall hanging displays that include numerous overlapping decorations or greeting cards which create a messy and disorganized appearance. In order to achieve the non-overlapping relationship, the assembly 100 may be provided with a set of instructions for placement of the decorative members 200a-n in the non-overlapping relationship. In other embodiments, adjacent decorative members 200a-n may be provided in an overlapping relationship.

In one embodiment, in order to provide a central focal point in a room and emulate a real or synthetic tree 106, the sheet of material 102 may include a length 204 of approximately 3.0 to 7.0 feet and a width 206 of approximately 1.0 to 4.0 feet. In other embodiments, the length 204 and the width 206 of the sheet of material 102 may be outside of these ranges.

FIG. 2 depicts the decorative members 200b, 200c including a path of attachment 210 to the front surface 104 of the sheet of material 102. In one embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 2, the path of attachment 210 is such that the decorative member 200c is coupled in a substantially straight line, e.g., allowing nominal deviations, to the front surface 104 of the sheet of material 102. In such configuration, the path of attachment 210 may include the decorative members 200a-n disposed in a parallel relationship with respect to the front surface 104. As such, the assembly 100 provides a user with the advantage of simply coupling the decorative members 200a-n onto the front surface 104, without having to insert the decorative members 200a-n into any slots or apertures. In other embodiments, the path of attachment 210 may include the decorative members 200a-n coupled to the front surface 104 via a curved or arched line and may include the decorative members 200a-n placed into slots or apertures.

With reference now to FIGS. 3 and 4, which depict an elevational front view and an elevational rear view of the sheet of material 102, respectively, the sheet of material 102 can be seen in the installed configuration. In one embodiment, the installed configuration includes the front surface 104 of the sheet of material 102 visible to a user (FIG. 3) and a back surface 400 (FIG. 4) of the sheet of material 102 coupled to a wall surface 302. Naturally, the back surface 400 is located opposite the front surface 104. In one embodiment, the front surface 104 and the back surface 400 are parallel with respect to each other across an entire longitudinal length 204 (FIG. 2) of the sheet of material 102 and the front surface 104 and the back surface 400 have a uniform thickness 304 imposed therebetween. In other embodiments, the thickness 304 may vary along the length 204 of the sheet of material 102. In one embodiment, the thickness 304 is approximately 5.0 millimeters to 0.5 inches. In other embodiments, the thickness 304 may be outside of this range.

The wall surface 302 is defined herein in its broadest possible sense as a structure that defines an area or provides shelter. In a preferred embodiment, the wall surface 302 may be a sidewall within a room of a building. The building may be, without limitation, a home, condominium, apartment, office, and the like. In other embodiments, the wall surface 302 may be a ceiling, a floor or the front or back of a door. The wall surface 302 is not limited to being located inside of a building but may include the outside wall of a building as well.

The back surface 400 may be coupled to the wall surface 302 at one or more locations along the back surface 400. More specifically, the back surface 400 may be coupled to the wall surface 302 using, without limitation, one or more fasteners 402a-n, e.g., adhesive, a hook-and-loop fastener, nails, screws, or other similar fastening mechanisms. Advantageously, the fasteners 402a-n are configured to provide the user with a simple installation process that does not require the use of complex mounting tools, hardware, and/or kits. Moreover, because the back surface 400 may be coupled directly or indirectly to the wall surface 302, the assembly 100 does not pose a risk of damage to the top of a door frame that is often produced by hanging designs configured to be suspended from a door.

FIG. 4 depicts the fasteners 402a-n coupled to the back surface 400 of the sheet of material 102 at a right top portion 404, a left top portion 406, a right bottom portion 408, and/or a left bottom portion 410 of the back surface 400. Such configuration is provided for illustrative purposes only and the fasteners 402a-n may be coupled to the back surface 400 in one or more of these locations, in any combination. Of course, other portions of the back surface 400 may be utilized to couple the back surface 400 to the wall 302 as well. In other embodiments, the assembly 100 may be installed by coupling an adhesive, such as tape, to the top of the front surface 104 while the back surface 400 is against the wall surface 302, however using the back surface 400 for coupling the fasteners during installation is preferred.

In a preferred embodiment, in the installed configuration, the back surface 400 of the sheet of material 102 is substantially parallel with respect to the wall surface 302. The term substantially parallel is defined herein as having minimal slopes, bumps, or protrusions between the sheet of material 102 and the wall surface 302. In other embodiments, the back surface 400 may be uneven or may include slopes with respect to the relationship between the wall surface 302 and the back surface 400.

Referring now to FIG. 8, in conjunction with FIGS. 5-7, there is provided an exemplary process-flow diagram depicting a method of installing and storing a hanging Christmas tree assembly. The steps delineated in the exemplary process-flow diagram of FIG. 8 are merely exemplary of the preferred order of installing and storing a hanging Christmas tree assembly, and said steps may be carried out in another order, with or without additional steps included therein. Also, two or more blocks shown in succession may be executed concurrently or with partial concurrence in some embodiments. Certain steps may also be omitted in FIG. 8 for the sake of brevity. In some embodiments, some or all of the process steps included in FIG. 8 can be combined into a single process.

In said process, the method begins at step 800 and immediately proceeds to the step 802 of providing a hanging Christmas tree assembly, such as the hanging Christmas tree assembly 100. The present method however, is not limited to use with the hanging Christmas tree assembly 100 but may also be used with other hanging assemblies as well.

In one embodiment, the Christmas tree assembly 100 preferably, but not necessarily, includes the sheet of material 102 having the front surface 104 (FIG. 5), the back surface 400 opposite the front surface 104 (FIG. 6), the decorative members 200a-n couplable to the front surface 104, and at least one fastener 402, described in detail above. The sheet of material 102, the decorative members 200a-n, and one or more of the fasteners 402a-n may be provided in a Christmas tree assembly kit. In other embodiments, more or less of these components may be included with the assembly 100 and/or the kit. For example, in one embodiment, the kit may include the sheet of material 102, the decorative members 200a-n, one or more of the fasteners 402a-n, and drawing utensils, such as markers, crayons, etc., which may be used to decorate the decorative members 200a-n.

In step 804, in one embodiment, the method may include installing the back surface 400 of the sheet of material 102 against a wall surface, such as the wall surface 302 (FIG. 3). With specific reference to FIG. 6, depicting a perspective downward-looking view of the back surface 400 of the sheet of material 102, one or more fasteners 402a-n may be used to couple the back surface 400 to the wall surface 302. More specifically, FIG. 6 depicts the fastener 402a as an adhesive, e.g, a strip of tape, directly coupled to the back surface 400 along a path of attachment 600. Advantageously, the path of attachment 600 may include the fastener 402 being coupled in a substantially straight line directly parallel to the back surface 400 such that no additional fasteners are required for installation between the back surface 400 and the wall surface. Such fastening arrangement is not only quick and convenient, but also provides the ability for the sheet of material 102 to be positioned flat or parallel against the wall surface 302, thus consuming a relatively small amount of space within a room. This may be especially advantageous for users who do not have space for a real or synthetic Christmas tree but would still like to decorate a tree in celebration of the Christmas holiday. In another embodiment, the fastener 402 may be indirectly coupled to the back surface 400 or the fastener 402 may be coupled to the back surface 400 using an alternative path of attachment, e.g., a curved path. As explained in further detail above, the fasteners 402a-n are not limited to adhesive, but may be any suitable fastener for hanging, suspending, or otherwise installing the sheet of material 102 to the wall surface 302.

In step 806, with specific reference to FIG. 5, the method may include coupling at least one the decorative member 200d to the front surface 104 of the sheet of material 102. In a preferred embodiment, prior to coupling the decorative member 200d to the front surface 104, the method may include drawing a portion of the tree outline 106 which may or may not include, without limitation, leaves, branches, needles, and the like. As best shown in FIG. 1, in one embodiment, the demarcation lines 116 may perform the function of indicating to a user where the tree outline 106 should be drawn so that at least a portion of the tree outline 106 is symmetrical. FIG. 1 depicts the tree outline 106 including the region 118 having two sides, e.g., a right side and a left side, that are symmetrical to each other to portray a common symmetrical feature shown on many traditional Christmas trees. In another embodiment, the tree outline 106 may be preconfigured, i.e., completed, upon purchase of the assembly 100.

FIG. 5 depicts the decorative member 200d as a snowman being coupled directly to the front surface 104 along a path of attachment 500. In one embodiment, the path of attachment 500 may be a path along a straight line and may include the decorative member 200d being coupled directly to and in a parallel relationship with respect to the front surface 104. In other embodiments, the path of attachment 500 may be curved or may include an indirect coupling method. The decorative member 200d may be coupled to the front surface 104 using an adhesive, e.g., tape, a hook-and-loop fastener, or another simple fastening mechanism.

As described above, the decorative members 200a-n may be ornaments, decorations, or other visual displays of various sizes, shapes, and colors which may or may not be associated with a particular category. In one embodiment, the method may include the user drawing a custom design on one or more of the decorative members 200a-n via crayons, markers, paint, etc. Advantageously, the assembly 100 provides families, children, and the like, with the ability to spend quality time with each other while expressing their creativity. In other embodiments, the decorative members 200a-n may be prefabricated with a select decorative surface.

With reference again to FIG. 6, the method may include coupling at least a second decorative member 200e to the front surface 104 of the sheet of material 102 adjacent to and in a non-overlapping relationship with the first decorative member 202d. As such, by providing at least two adjacent decorative members 200a-n that do not overlap each other, the assembly 100 may be aesthetically more appealing than other hanging apparatuses with numerous overlapping, crowded, and messy displays, e.g., greeting cards. In other embodiments, the decorative members 200a-n may be coupled to the front surface 104 in an overlapping relationship.

In step 808, with specific reference to FIG. 7, in one embodiment, the method includes rolling a substantial portion of the sheet of material 102 into a rolled up configuration for storage, i.e., a storage configuration. The term “substantial portion” is defined herein as at least 75% of the overall length of the sheet of material 102. In the rolled up configuration, the sheet of material 102 may appear in the shape of a cylinder. Advantageously, the rolled up configuration does not damage the sheet of material 102. The storage configuration is not limited to the sheet of material 102 being rolled. Rather, in other embodiments, the storage configuration includes the sheet of material 102 being folded or otherwise gathered such that the sheet of material 102 occupies less space than that occupied in the installed configuration. In embodiments in which the sheet of material 102 is folded, the demarcation lines 116 may perform the function of indicating to a user where to fold the sheet of material 102. In other embodiments, a user may roll, fold, or otherwise translate the sheet of material 102 from the installed configuration (FIG. 5) to the storage configuration (FIG. 7) using less than the substantial portion of the sheet of material 102.

In one embodiment, the sheet of material 102 may be rolled up with the decorative members 200a-n coupled thereto. As such, the user is provided with the option of unrolling and reusing the decorated tree 106 with the decorative members 200a-n attached the following year as a time saving option. In another embodiment, the user may remove the decorative members 200a-n prior to rolling up the sheet of material 102 for storage. Thereafter, such as during the following year, the user may unroll the sheet of material for installation and couple the same or new decorative members 200a-n to the tree 106. In other embodiments, the rolled up configuration provides the user with the ability to easily and conveniently dispose of the assembly 100. As such, the user does not have to spend time finding a suitable place to dispose of the assembly 100 as that which occurs when using a real tree.

Advantageously, translating the sheet of material 102 from the installed configuration (FIG. 5) to the storage configuration (FIG. 7) is not only a quick and efficient process, but also provides the assembly 100 that consumes a small amount of storage space. As such, a user is provided with an emulation of a real Christmas tree that consumes a small amount of storage space. In addition, the small consumption of storage space in the storage configuration is also beneficial for store owners who choose to sell the assembly 100. Said another way, store owners may simultaneously display several assemblies on a given shelf due to the small amount of space occupied by each assembly 100.

A hanging Christmas tree assembly has been disclosed that emulates a real Christmas tree without the difficult set up and take down process. Embodiments of the invention provide a user with the assembly that may be quickly and efficiently decorated and installed on a wall surface. In addition, embodiments, of the invention provide the hanging Christmas tree assembly that can be quickly and easily rolled up and stored, thus occupying a small amount of space when in both the installed and stored configurations. Other features of the invention have been disclosed, but are not limited to the particular details disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A hanging Christmas tree assembly comprising:

a flexible and substantially continuous sheet of material including: a front surface including at least a portion of a Christmas tree outline; and a back surface opposite the front surface;

at least one decorative member couplable to the front surface of the sheet of material;

an installed configuration including the back surface of the sheet of material coupled to a wall surface; and

a storage configuration including a substantial portion of the sheet of material disposed in a rolled up configuration.

2. The hanging Christmas tree assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

the sheet of material is a paper material.

3. The hanging Christmas tree assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

the sheet of material is at least one of a polymeric material and a fabric material.

4. The hanging Christmas tree assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

the sheet of material includes a plurality of demarcation lines separating the sheet of material into at least two regions; and

the at least two regions are each configured to receive and display markings from at least one of ink, crayon, and paint.

5. The hanging Christmas tree assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

the sheet of material includes a rectangular periphery; and

the portion of the Christmas tree outline is displayed on the front surface of the sheet of material within the rectangular periphery.

6. The hanging Christmas tree assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

the back surface of the sheet of material includes at least one fastener configured to couple the back surface of the sheet of material substantially parallel with respect to a wall surface.

7. The hanging Christmas tree assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

the front surface and the back surface are parallel with each other across an entire longitudinal length of the sheet of material; and

the front surface and the back surface have a uniform thickness imposed therebetween.

8. The hanging Christmas tree assembly according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of decorative members selectively couplable to the front surface of the sheet of material; and

at least two adjacent decorative members including a decorative surface being entirely visible to a user when the sheet of material is in the installed configuration.

9. A hanging Christmas tree kit comprising:

a substantially continuous sheet of paper material including: a front surface having at least a portion of a tree design; and a back surface opposite the front surface;

a plurality of decorative members couplable to the front surface of the sheet of material such that the plurality of decorative members are parallel to the front surface of the sheet of material; and

at least one fastener removably couplabe to the back surface of the sheet of material, the at least one fastener configured to orient the back surface of the sheet of material substantially parallel with respect to a wall surface.

10. The hanging Christmas tree kit according to claim 9, wherein:

the sheet of paper material includes: an installed configuration including the back surface of the sheet of paper material coupled to a wall surface; and a storage configuration including the sheet of paper material disposed in a rolled up configuration.

11. The hanging Christmas tree kit according to claim 9, wherein:

the portion of the tree design on the front surface of the sheet of paper material is a tree outline, the tree outline including at least one region having a right side portion opposite from and substantially symmetrical to a left side portion.

12. The hanging Christmas tree kit according to claim 9, wherein:

the sheet of material includes a plurality of demarcation lines separating the sheet of material into at least two regions; and

the at least two regions are each configured to receive and display markings from at least one of ink, crayon, and paint.

13. The hanging Christmas tree kit according to claim 9, wherein:

the tree design visible on the front surface of the sheet of material is independent of and couplable to the plurality of decorative members

14. The hanging Christmas tree kit according to claim 9, wherein:

at least one of the plurality of decorative members is in a non-overlapping relationship with a second adjacent one of the plurality of decorative members when the plurality of decorative members are coupled to the front surface of the sheet of material.

15. The hanging Christmas tree kit according to claim 9, wherein:

the sheet of paper material includes a rectangular periphery having a length of approximately 3.0 to 7.0 feet and a width of approximately 1.0 to 4.0 feet; and

the tree design is visible within the rectangular periphery.

16. The hanging Christmas tree kit according to claim 9, wherein:

the front surface and the back surface of the sheet of paper material are parallel with each other across an entire longitudinal length of the sheet of material; and

the sheet of paper material includes a uniform thickness separating the front surface and the back surface.

17. A method of installing and storing a hanging Christmas tree, the method comprising: providing:

a flexible and substantially continuous sheet of material including: a front surface including at least a portion of a Christmas tree outline; and a back surface opposite the front surface; and a plurality of decorative members couplable to the front surface of the sheet of material;

installing the back surface of the sheet of material against a wall surface;

coupling at least a first one of the plurality of decorative members to the front surface of the sheet of material; and

rolling a substantial portion of the sheet of material into a rolled up configuration.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

coupling a second one of the plurality of decorative members to the front surface of the sheet of material in a non-overlapping relationship adjacent to the first one of the plurality of decorative members.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

drawing the Christmas tree outline such that the Christmas tree outline includes at least a first region and second region that are symmetrical to each other.

20. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

after rolling the substantial portion of the sheet of material into a rolled up configuration, unrolling the sheet of material for reuse of the sheet of material in an installed configuration.