Portable easel
The portable easel includes a viewable storage compartment for enclosing and transporting artist supplies and drawing materials. The portable easel includes an upper housing portion hingedly attached to a lower housing portion so as to be movable between an opened position and a closed position. The storage compartment is formed into the lower housing portion. In the opened position, the upper housing portion is positioned at an inclined angle with respect to the lower housing portion thereby providing an inclined drawing surface. In the closed position, the upper housing portion overlays the lower housing portion so as to enclose the storage compartment formed therein. To facilitate viewing of the storage compartment when the upper housing portion is in the closed position, the upper housing portion or a section thereof is formed from transparent or translucent plastic.
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The present invention relates generally to artistic equipment, and more particularly, to a portable easel that can be reconfigured into a carrying case for art supplies and drawing materials. The portable easel finds particular use among children and other amateur artists.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONEasels for supporting and displaying artwork are well known in the art. Often, to effect portability, it is desirable that an easel be designed to break down into an easy to handle configuration. Simplicity of the portable easel construction is especially desirable when the anticipated use of the portable easel is primarily by children or other amateurs. Also well known are carrying cases having storage compartments for storing and transporting various drawing materials such as paints, brushes, pens, pencils, and sheets of paper. Additionally, there are devices that incorporate the features of both a portable easel and a carrying case into a single assembly that may be configured for use by children. Often though, the storage compartment on such prior art easels is difficult to access and may involve additional moving parts that further complicate the design. Furthermore, it is often difficult to verify the contents of the storage compartment without considerable manipulation of the easel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides a portable easel that can be reconfigured into a carrying case having a viewable storage compartment. The easel of the present invention includes an upper housing portion that is pivotally connected to a lower housing portion along a side thereof. The pivotal connection allows the upper housing portion to move between an inclined position in which the upper housing portion provides an inclined surface for displaying art work and a closed position in which the upper housing portion overlays the lower housing portion. To support the upper housing portion in the inclined position, the easel may include a stand that extends between the upper housing portion and the lower housing portion.
To store and transport art supplies and drawing materials, there is formed into the lower housing portion a storage compartment into which such supplies and materials can be placed. When in the closed position, the upper housing portion encloses the storage compartment to hold the contents therein. When so configured, the portable easel functions as a carrying case. To enable viewing of the enclosed contents, the upper housing portion or a section thereof that corresponds to the storage compartment is manufactured from transparent or translucent material. This allows the child or a child's supervisor to easily verify the contents of the storage compartment. Additionally, this enables a promotional mechanism wherein the easel can be distributed for sale as a kit with associated art supplies and drawing materials enclosed in the storage compartment. Potential purchasers can view the associated supplies and materials through the transparent or translucent upper housing portion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Now referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers refer to like elements, there is illustrated in
When in the closed position, as illustrated in
As best illustrated in
Referring to
As illustrated in
Referring to
Referring to
As illustrated in
To permit viewing of the contents of the storage compartment when the upper housing portion 110 is in the closed position, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the upper housing portion 110 or a section thereof is made from transparent or translucent material and the lower housing portion 112 may be made from an opaque material. The transparent or translucent material permits the viewing of the contents of the storage compartment 118. In another embodiment, the lower housing portion 112 may be made from a transparent or translucent material and the upper housing portion 110 may be made from an opaque material. In an additional embodiment, the upper and lower housing portions 112, 114 may be made from a transparent or translucent material. In a further embodiment, the pane 168 may be made from a transparent or translucent material and the edges 170, 172, 174 may be made from an opaque material.
To facilitate moving the upper housing portion 110 between the closed and inclined positions, as illustrated in
When the upper housing portion 110 is in the inclined position, as illustrated in
When supporting the upper housing portion 110 in the inclined position, as illustrated in
Referring to
To accommodate the stand 116 when the upper housing portion 110 is in the closed position, as illustrated in
As will be appreciated from
Referring to
Thus, the present invention provides a portable easel with a viewable storage compartment into which drawing materials can be stored. The easel can be folded into an opened position in which the easel provides an inclined surface against which a sheet of drawing material can be placed for a child to draw on and a closed position in which the storage container is fully enclosed. To permit viewing of the contents of the storage container, a portion of the easel is manufactured from transparent or translucent material.
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Of course, variations of those preferred embodiments would become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
Claims
1. A multi-purpose easel comprising:
- a lower housing portion including a storage compartment,
- a upper housing portion hingedly connected to the lower housing portion for movement between a multiplicity of positions including a closed position and an inclined position,
- in the closed position, the upper and lower housing portions form a carrying case in which supplies may be stored and transported,
- in the inclined position, the upper housing portion is an inclined support surface upon which material may be supported and displayed,
- a portion of the easel is made of a material that permits viewing the storage compartment when the upper housing portion is in the closed position.
2. The easel of claim 1, wherein a portion of the upper housing portion is made of a transparent or translucent material.
3. The easel of claim 2, wherein a portion of the lower housing portion is made of an opaque material.
4. The easel of claim 1, wherein a portion of the lower housing portion is made of a transparent or translucent material.
5. The easel of claim 1 further comprising a stand to hold the upper housing portion in the inclined position.
6. The easel of claim 5, wherein the stand is hingedly attached to the upper housing portion, the stand movable between a stored position adjacent to the upper housing portion in the closed position and a support position supporting the upper housing portion in the inclined position.
7. The easel of claim 6, wherein the stand is made of translucent material.
8. The easel of claim 1, wherein the lower housing portion includes a bottom panel, a front wall and an opposing rear wall projecting upward from the bottom panel, and a first side wall and an opposing second side wall projecting upward from the bottom panel, the first and second side walls orthogonal to the front and rear walls, the storage compartment located within the front, rear, and side walls.
9. The easel of claim 8, wherein the upper housing portion includes a downward extending peripheral wall which overlaps a portion of the front and two sidewalls when the upper housing is in the closed position.
10. The easel of claim 1, further comprising a stand for supporting the upper housing portion in the inclined position, the stand being hingedly attached to the upper housing portion at a first end and being unattached at a second end.
11. The easel of claim 10, wherein the stand includes spaced apart first and second side members extending between the first and second ends, each side member including a lug formed at the second end, the stand further includes a support member extending between the first and second side members.
12. The easel of claim 1, wherein the upper housing portion includes an outer surface and a inner surface, the inner surface opposing the lower housing portion when the upper housing portion is in the closed position.
13. The easel of claim 12, wherein the upper housing portion includes a clip adapted to hold a drawing sheet to the upper surface.
14. The easel of claim 10, wherein the stand includes a lug formed at the second end.
15. The easel of claim 14, wherein the lower housing portion includes an indentation for receiving the lug when the stand supports the upper housing portion in the inclined position.
16. The easel of claim 15, wherein the indentation is formed with a flexible holding portion to receive the lug in a snap-fit relation.
17. A multiple purpose easel comprising;
- a lower housing portion including a storage compartment;
- a upper housing portion hingedly connected to the lower housing portion for movement between a multiplicity of positions including a closed position and an inclined position, the upper housing including a pane made of a material that permits viewing the storage compartment when the upper housing portion is in the closed position.
18. The easel of claim 17, wherein the pane material is transparent.
19. The easel of claim 17, wherein the pane material is translucent.
20. A multi-purpose easel comprising:
- a lower housing portion including a storage compartment,
- a upper housing portion hingedly connected to the lower housing portion for movement between a multiplicity of positions including a closed position and an inclined position,
- a stand hingedly connected to the upper housing for movement between a multiplicity of positions including a stored position and a support position;
- in the closed position, the upper and lower housing portions form a carrying case in which supplies may be stored and transported, and the stand is in the stored position adjacent the upper housing, and
- in the inclined position, the upper housing portion is an inclined support surface upon which material may be supported and displayed, and the stand is in the support position supporting the upper housing in the inclined position, and
- the upper housing and the stand comprise a material that permits viewing of the storage compartment when the upper housing is in the closed position and the stand is in the stored position.
21. The easel of claim 20, wherein the upper housing and stand comprise a material which is transparent.
22. The easel of claim 20, wherein the upper housing and stand comprise a material which is translucent.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 10, 2003
Publication Date: May 12, 2005
Applicant: Binney & Smith Inc. (Easton, PA)
Inventor: David Cziraky (Bethlehem, PA)
Application Number: 10/704,998