Supports – Easel; book – copy or music score holder – Knockdown or collapsible
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-04
2001-07-24
Braun, Leslie A. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Easel; book, copy or music score holder
Knockdown or collapsible
C248S461000, C248S441100, C248S188600
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264161
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to stands of the type typically used to support a musician's sheet music during musical performances and practices, and more particularly to structures of such stands that facilitate disassembly or collapsing for storage and transport of the stands between uses.
Music stands typically include a planar platform or backing, and a shelf or ledge along one edge of the platform and perpendicular to the platform. The platform is supported through a base, and a post or column coupled to the base and platform. The column/platform coupling typically is adjustable to support the platform at an incline from the horizontal, with the shelf extending upwardly and away from the platform in the shelf width direction. Consequently, sheet music lies against the platform with its bottom edge supported by the shelf. While this type of stand most frequently is used by musicians, it also can be used during presentations to support books, sheets of paper and other materials.
One popular music stand features an open-frame construction in which the platform, shelf, column and base are combined in a single, collapsible framework. These stands, while useful in certain circumstances, are light weight and tend to be unstable, particularly when required to support booklets or multiple sheets of music rather than single sheets. Alternatively, the most common music stands of more stable construction are difficult to transport and store.
The prior art includes examples of attempts to impart more stability to more portable music stand designs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,156,489 (Bonetti) shows a music stand with opposite sides that fold into a case when removed from a supporting standard. At the bottom of the standard is a heavy, single-piece base. The base and standard fit into one side of the case.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,553 (Cooper) describes a portable stand with a rack formed of opposite side members, each pivotally connected to an upright central spine. The spine is hollow, and includes a closed end and an opposite end with a snap-lock door. Inside the spine is a yoke for mounting the rack pivotally on a telescoping post. At the bottom of the post is a housing that supports three pivoting legs. The post and legs are collapsible to fit within the spine. A somewhat similar design is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,481,264 (Tuloweicki). In this design, cover sections on opposite sides of a central plate are hinged to the plate. A compartment behind the plate, or at the bottom of a case formed by the cover sections when closed, stores a telescoping stand and collapsible legs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,933 (Nelson) discloses a music stand with a tray which, together with a support post, fits into a box-like base and cooperates with the base to form an enclosure. U.S. Pat. No. 2,474,532 (Kitchen) shows a combination loose-leaf binder and music stand table.
While having some utility, these satchel or briefcase designs remain relatively large and cumbersome in their storage/transport configurations. They frequently incorporate extra components necessary for storage or closure but having no utility in connection with use in the open configuration as a music stand. In some cases these closure components detract from use, as with rims or flanges along the side edges or upper edges of the music supporting platform, as seen in the Cooper, Tuloweicki and Nelson patents.
Another problem associated with music stands, whether or not portable, is the lack of a capacity to accommodate accessories, e.g. reeds for woodwind instruments, pencils, markers, and valve oil, which the musician may use during a performance or practice. When placed on the shelf supporting sheet music, such accessories tend to interfere with use of the sheet music, and can be knocked off the shelf when a sheet or page is turned. As a result, needed accessories frequently are kept in an instrument case, or on the floor near the music stand, and thus are not as conveniently accessible.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a portable stand that is structurally sound and stable when configured for use, and is collapsible into a smaller, more easily stored and transported package when not in use.
Another object is to provide a portable stand design that minimizes the number of components useful only in a collapsed, storage configuration of a stand having alternative configurations for storage and use.
A further object is to provide a portable music stand expandable into an open setting for use and alternatively a closed setting for storage or transport, with enhanced utility in the open configuration.
Yet another object is to provide an improved process for stowing a portable stand.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To achieve these and other objects, there is provided a portable stand. The stand includes a support structure adapted to assume a substantially planar configuration to provide a platform. An elongate first wall runs lengthwise in a longitudinal direction along one edge of the platform. An elongate second wall runs lengthwise along the platform and extends from the platform in proximal, transversely spaced-apart relation to the first wall. The first wall, second wall and a portion of the support structure between the walls cooperate to provide a container having an open side opposite that portion of the platform. The support structure further is adapted to assume a surrounding engagement with the container to close the open side. The stand further includes a mounting structure adapted to support the platform inclined from the horizontal, whereby the one edge of the platform forms its lower edge, and the first and second walls are disposed proximate the lower edge and extend transversely and upwardly away from the platform.
Preferably the portable stand further includes first and second laterally disposed end closure members integral with the support structure and disposed at opposite ends of the first and second walls. The lateral end closure members are adapted to close the opposite ends of the container when the support structure surrounds the container.
In a preferred construction the support structure comprises a plurality of elongate panels. Each panel has a longitudinal panel length and a lateral panel width. The panels are arranged side by side and coupled rotatably to provide for a pivoting of adjacent panels relative to one another about longitudinal axes. In this case, when the support structure surrounds the container it forms an elongate cylinder that extends longitudinally and is polygonal in lateral cross section. Adjacent panels can be shaped to allow pivoting in only one direction from the planar configuration, to stabilize the platform.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the walls are perpendicular to the platform and the container when closed is rectangular in lateral cross section. The resulting container can be, for example, about thirty inches long by about three inches in width and depth, thus providing a shape that occupies a relatively small volume (270 cubic inches) and is well suited for packing multiple portable stands.
In alternative approaches the container may form non-rectangular polygons, e.g. hexagons or triangles, also exhibiting advantageously low storage volumes.
The first and second walls, in addition to containing the collapsed mounting structure in storage, provide useful upper and lower shelves. When the portable stand is in use, the upper shelf cooperates with the platform to support the sheet music. Meanwhile, a variety of accessories such as pencils, reeds, and valve oil can be placed on the lower shelf where they are conveniently available to the musician, do not interfere with turning pages of the music, and are not disturbed when pages are turned.
Thus the walls, like the support structure, serve a useful purpose regardless of whether the portable stand is in use or closed for storage. This arrangement keeps to a minimum the number of components that are useful only for storage.
The preferred mounting structure includes a base
Baxter Gwendolyn
Braun Leslie A.
Larkin, Hoffman, Daly & Linggren, Ltd.
Niebuhr, Esq. Frederick W.
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