U.S. patent application number 13/105416 was filed with the patent office on 2011-11-17 for non-hinged portable easel to support and angle an object.
Invention is credited to Eric L. Guldalian.
Application Number | 20110278421 13/105416 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44910904 |
Filed Date | 2011-11-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110278421 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Guldalian; Eric L. |
November 17, 2011 |
NON-HINGED PORTABLE EASEL TO SUPPORT AND ANGLE AN OBJECT
Abstract
Provided is an easel for supporting an object. The easel
includes a base member, which includes an opening and a support.
One end of the support may be detached from the base member and
inserted into the opening. A grip is also provided, and one end of
the grip may be detached and pulled away from the base member to
form an object-receiving position together with the support. Back
stops detachable from the base member are also provided, as well as
additional openings in the base member for insertion of the
backstops.
Inventors: |
Guldalian; Eric L.;
(Abington, PA) |
Family ID: |
44910904 |
Appl. No.: |
13/105416 |
Filed: |
May 11, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61333526 |
May 11, 2010 |
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61380072 |
Sep 3, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
248/459 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B 23/00 20130101;
F16M 11/041 20130101; F16M 2200/08 20130101; F16M 13/00
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/459 |
International
Class: |
A47B 97/04 20060101
A47B097/04 |
Claims
1. An easel for supporting an object, comprising: a base member
further comprising an opening on the base member; a support, one
end of the support may be detached from the base member and
inserted into the opening; and a grip, one end of the grip may be
detached and pulled away from the base member to form an
object-receiving position together with the support.
2. The easel according to claim 1, further comprising one or more
back stops.
3. The easel according to claim 1, wherein the base member is
formed from a flexible plastic material.
4. The easel according to claim 2, further comprising a second
opening on the base member, wherein the support is divided at a
detachable end into two branches, and each branch is inserted into
one of the openings.
5. The easel according to claim 2, further comprising one or more
additional openings, wherein the one or more backstops may be
detached from the base member and the one or more back stops may be
inserted each into one of the one or more additional openings.
6. The easel according to claim 5, further comprising one or more
locking members detachable from the base member, and wherein the
support and each back stop further includes an opening, wherein
each locking member is inserted into one opening in the support or
back stop.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 61/333,526 filed on May 11, 2010, by
Guldalian, Eric L., titled "NON-HINGED EASEL TO SUPPORT AND ANGLE
AN OBJECT," which is incorporated herein in its entirety. This
application also claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 61/380,072 filed on Sep. 3, 2010, by Guldalian,
Eric L. titled "NON-HINGED EASEL TO SUPPORT AND ANGLE AN OBJECT,"
which is also incorporated herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a portable easel and, more
particularly, to an easel having an array of non-hinged supports
that lift off a base member at one end and insert into a key
slot.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Conventional portable easels, also referred to as stands or
portable stands, can be used to vertically angle and support a
variety of objects, such as handheld electronic devices,
photographs, and books. Some deficiencies with conventional
portable easels include, but are not limited to: (1) requiring a
flat surface when positioning the portable easel legs to avoid it
from tipping over; (2) the integration of one or more live hinges
made of material that wears, weakens and fails over time; (3)
multiple components that are costly to fabricate and assemble; and
(4) overall shapes that are bulky when in a collapsed state making
it inconvenient to transport.
[0004] The prior art includes a folding support with a tripod
configuration as found in U.S. Patent Application No. 2008/0265109
to Derry, et al. Derry, et al.'s folding tripod requires three
hinges to fold for storage and unfold for use. These mechanical
hinges add to the cost and are subject to failure over time.
[0005] The prior art also includes a static A-frame configuration
as found in U.S. Patent Application No. 2010/0282924 to Boies.
Boies A-frame requires a flat surface or table to support its bulky
A-frame structure itself, and particularly requires such a flat
surface when used to support a device or book. Also, Boies bulky
A-frame does not fold or collapse for storage, and thus requires
considerable storage space when not in use.
[0006] The prior art also includes easels that transform from a
flat state to an upright state using live hinges and other moving
parts as found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,377 to Painsith, U.S. Pat.
No. 5,660,365 to Glick; and U.S. Application Nos. 2010/0090085 to
Corrion and 2010/0213331 to Liou. Live hinges and other moving
parts are vulnerable to wear and tear, relatively expensive to
machine and assemble, and prone to breakage.
[0007] Other examples of the prior art include stands consisting of
two or more individual components that engage with one another as
found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,690 to O'Neill; and U.S. Application
Nos. 2010/0320349 to Necessary and 2010/0320341 to Baumann, et al.
For two or more components to engage each other necessarily
requires a joint, which is subject to wear and tare. Also, if one
of the two or more components is misplaced, the entire stand may
become useless.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] An aspect of the present invention provides an easel for
supporting an object. The easel may comprise a base member. The
base member may have a support, a grip, and an opening on the base.
One end of the support may be detached from the base and may be
inserted into the opening. One end of the grip may be detached and
pulled away from the base to form an object-receiving position
together with the support. In another aspect of the invention the
support may be divided into two or more branches with each branch
having an opening into which it may be inserted.
[0009] Another aspect of the invention provides that the easel
includes one or more back stops. In another aspect of the
invention, the one or more backstops may be detached from the base
member inserted each into an additional openings in the base
member.
[0010] In another aspect of the invention, one or more locking
members are provided. The locking members may be detachable from
the base member, and may be used to insert into openings on the
support and back stop, to lock the support and back stops into
place.
[0011] Another aspect of the invention is that the easel's base
member is formed from a flexible plastic material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a plan view of the easel, in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the easel, in accordance
with the embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIG.
1;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the easel, in accordance
with the embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a side view of the easel in use, in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a front view of the easel in use, in accordance
with the embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 4;
[0017] FIG. 6 is a back view of the easel in use, in accordance
with the embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 4;
[0018] FIG. 7 is a plan view of the easel, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention;
[0019] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the easel, in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention;
[0020] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the easel, in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention;
[0021] FIG. 10 is a plan view of the easel, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention;
[0022] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the easel, in accordance
with the embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 10.
[0023] FIG. 12 is a plan view of the easel, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention; and,
[0024] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the easel, in accordance
with the embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 12.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] In the following description, for purposes of explanation,
specific numbers, materials and configurations are set forth in
order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. It will
be apparent, however, to one having ordinary skill in the art, that
the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In
some instances, well-known features may be omitted or simplified so
as not to obscure the present invention. Furthermore, reference in
the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that
a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in
connection with the embodiment is included in at least one
embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase "in an
embodiment" in various places in the specification are not
necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
[0026] An embodiment of the present invention advantageously
provides an easel for supporting small electronic devices, books,
or the like. The easel also advantageously does not require a flat
surface to avoid tipping over, or use one or more live hinges made
of material that wears, weakens and fails over time.
[0027] The present invention also advantageously provides an easel
which is not made from multiple components that are costly to
fabricate and assemble, and is collapsible to a non-bulky form for
ease of storage and transportation.
[0028] Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention generally
provides an easel for supporting an object. The easel may comprise
a base member. The base member may have a support, a grip, and an
opening on the base. One end of the support may be detached from
the base and may be inserted into the opening. One end of the grip
may be detached and pulled away from the base to form an
object-receiving position together with the support.
[0029] As shown in FIGS. 1-6, in an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention, an easel base 102 may be a flat piece, which may
be made of a flexible material, such as plastic, for example. The
easel base 102 may have a substantially flat surface.
Alternatively, the easel base may be inclined slightly, such as
between 5.degree. and 15.degree., for example, relative to a flat
plane. The easel base 102 may be shaped as a rectangle, a square, a
circle, an oval, a curved line(s), also known as curvilinear, or a
combination of the aforementioned geometric shapes. In addition,
the easel base 102 may be made in different sizes or configurations
to support an object that is in different sizes or shapes.
[0030] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further
include a back support 104 and a key slot 106. One end of the back
support 104 may be inserted into the key slot 106. The key slot 106
may be an opening on the easel base 102. Once the back support 104
has been inserted, it may be held in this position until
removed.
[0031] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a grip
may include a front right grip 108 and a front left grip 110. The
grips 108 and 110 may provide a forward support to maintain a
desired viewing angle of the object being angled.
[0032] According to an alternative embodiment of the present
invention, an array of back supports 104 and an array of key slots
106 of the same or varying sizes may be added. To maintain
alternate viewing angles, or support objects of irregular shape, an
array of front right grips 108 and front left grips 110 may be
added to provide forward support in varying locations.
[0033] A grip 108 or 110 can also be designed similarly to the back
support 104 whereby one end of a front right grip 112 and front
left grip 816 may be inserted into a corresponding key slot 814 and
818. In addition, grips of the same or varying sizes of the front
right grip 108 and front left grip 110 may be added to the left or
right side of the easel base 102 to limit side-to-side movement of
an object. To further limit the movement of the easel base 102
along a surface, slide restricting materials, such as molded or
impressed protrusions, rubber bumpers, textured tape, for example,
may be added to the underside of the easel base 102. To further
limit the movement of an object comprised entirely, or in part, of
a material with magnetic properties, either the back support 104 or
the entire embodiment may be made using a flexible ferromagnetic
material to pull on other ferromagnetic materials.
[0034] Referring to FIGS. 10-12, in another exemplary embodiment of
the present invention, one or more back stops may be added to
reduce the movement of the back support 104, front right grip 812
and/or front left grip 816. Such back stops can be designed with
one end that is attached to the base 102 and the opposite end that
is inserted into one or more key slots cut through the back support
104, front right grip 812 and/or front left grip 816 to create one
or more openings from one side to the opposite side. The back stops
may slide into corresponding one or more key slots to varying
depths.
[0035] Referring to FIGS. 12-13, for example, the back stops 1228
and 1232 are designed to slide into a single key slot 1230 and
1234, respectively. The back stops 1228 and 1232 are geometrically
notched to limit the depth the back stops 1228 and 1232 can slide
into the front right grip 812 and front left grip 816,
respectively. Alternatively, as shown by way of a non-limiting
example in FIGS. 10-11, the back stop 1024 can be designed for
insertion into multiple corresponding back stop key slots 1026a and
1026b, which may be the same size or of varying sizes. The back
stop 1024 can be geometrically notched at the insertion end to
limit the depth the back stop 1024 can slide through the back
support 104. Of course, it will be understood that each back stop
1024, 1228, and 1232 can be designed to be inserted into one key
slot or multiple key slots independently of other back stops.
[0036] The back support 104, the key slot 106, front right grip
108, and the front left grip 110 may work in a tandem with one
another to support an object at an angle and may limit the object
movement once in position. Another embodiment of the present
invention may have one or more embedded back supports 104, key
slots 106, and front grips 108 and 110. In addition, where two or
more embedded back supports are employed, they may be entirely or
partially conjoined embedded back supports 920.
[0037] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the
back support 104, the key slot 106, the front right grip 108, and
the front left grip 110 may be rectilinear in shape with 90 degree
corners. In another exemplary embodiment, the back support 104, the
key slot 106, the front right grip 108, and the front left grip 110
may be curvilinear in shape or a combination of rectilinear and
curvilinear in shape.
[0038] The key slot 106 may be cut through the base 102 to create
an opening from one side to the opposite side. One end of the back
support 104 may be inserted into the key slot 106 to a depth less
than, greater than, or equal to the thickness of the easel base
102. In addition, the key slot 106 may have the same length and
width as the end of the back support 104. Alternatively, the key
slot 106 may be made with a length and width that is greater than
the length and width of the end of the back support 104. The back
support 104 may be inserted into the key slot 106 that is aligned
to the center of the back support 104. However, the key slot 106
may be misaligned to the center of the back support 104.
[0039] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the
easel base 102 may be pliable and flexible. In addition, the base
102 may rest on a variety of surfaces, such as, flat, convex, and
concave, for example. When one end of the back support 104 is
flexed off the easel base 102 and is inserted into the key slot
106, the back support 104 may become rigid and stable to provide
the necessary resting point for an object. The back support 104,
front right grip 108, and front left grip 110, may be pushed back
down so it may be flush with the easel base 2 when not in use.
[0040] In an embodiment of the invention, the base member 102 is
formed from a flexible plastic material. Also, the various cuts in
the base member 102 are terminated at their ends with through-holes
to help prevent tearing, as is understood by those of ordinary
skill in the plastic material arts. The preferred plastic material
should be flexible, such as low density polyethylene (LDPE).
Additionally, the base member 102 may be made from natural rubber,
synthetic rubber, or a magnetic powder combined with a binder, such
as vinyl, to form a flexible ferromagnetic sheet material, and
other flexible polymers.
[0041] Other flexible materials, such as but not limited to thin
metals, flexible composites, or the like, may be used to form the
base member 102. Use of a thin metal in the form of thin braided
strands is also envisioned.
[0042] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be used
to support an object, such as, but not limited to, a portable
electronic device 422, or a picture frame, or the like, for
example.
[0043] Although the invention herein has been described with
reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that
these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and
applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be
understood that numerous modifications may be made to the
illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention as defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *