Artificial tree with hinged branches

Claim 1

AN ARTIFICIAL TREE INCLUDING A CENTRAL CYLINDRICAL TRUNK AND A NUMBER OF BRANCHES CIRCUMFERENTIALLY DISPOSED ABOUT THE TRUNK, HINGE MEANS FOR JOINING THE BARNCHES TO THE TRUNK FOR MOVEMENT ABOUT GENERALLY HORIZONTAL AXES BETWEEN VERTICALLY ERECT POSITIONS AND OUTSTRECHED, UP-SWEPT POSITIONS, THE HINGE MEANS INCLUDING A RTAINING SLEEVE FIXED TO THE TRUNK, ELONGATED TUBULAR, HOLLOW BRANCH RECEIVERS FOR RECEIVING THE INTERIOR END OF A BRANCH, THE HINGEE MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING PAIRS OF PARALLEL TABS CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED ABOUT THE RETAINING SLEEVE, THE INTERIOR PORTIONS OF EACH BRANCH RECEIVER BEING SITUATED BETWEEN A PAIR HOF TABS, PIVOT MEANS FOR ROTATABLY MOUNTING THE BRANCH RECEIVERS ON THE RETAINING MEMBER, THE PIVOT MEANS INCLUDING A PIN PASSING THROUGH EACH PAIR OF TABS AND THROUGH THE INTERIOR PORTION OF THEBRANCH RECEIVER, AND PROVIDING AXES OF ROTATION PASSING THE BRANCH RECEIVERS, THE AXES BEING OFFSET INTERIORLY FROM THE CENTERLINES OF THE BRANCH RECEIVERS SO THE BRANCH RECEIVERS WITH THEIR BRANCHES WILL TEND TO ROTATE BY THE FORCE OF GRAVITY FROM THE ERECT POSITIONS TO THE UP-SWEPT POSITIONS, AND STOP MEANS FOR LIMITING THE OUTWARD MOVEMENT OF THE BRANCHES AS THEY REACH THEIR UPSWEPT POSITIONS, SAID STOP MEANS COMPRISING THE INTERIOR FACES OF THE TUBULAR, HOLLOW BRANCH RECEIVERS BEING IN ALIGMENT WITH AND COMING INTO CONTACT SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE LINE DESCRIBED BY A CLOSED FIGURE, WITH THE EXTERIOR OF THE CYLINDRICAL CENTRAL TRUNK.