Collapsible Top Hanger Easel

Abstract

A folding and collapsing easel that includes one or more retainer devices or attachments that can be coupled to the top of the display material. The easel includes a top portion and a bottom portion, each portion having three legs that are coupled together to form a stand. The top portion of the easel includes two elongated members that are pivotally coupled to two of the legs and further coupled to each other at adjacent ends, such that the elongated members may form a “V” shape when extended. The easel further includes one or more chart holding pins with retainer springs to secure display materials to the easel.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/093,479, entitled “Collapsible Top Hanger Easel,” filed on Sep. 2, 2008. The entire contents of the priority application are expressly incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a display module, and more specifically, to a collapsible, top-hanging easel for holding objects of varying sizes, such as flip charts, display panels, and other visual aids.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Easels are used to hold flip charts, display panels and other items that need to be visible to a number of people. In order to be useful, easels need to be large enough to hold the display material a sufficient height off of the floor, and wide enough to be stable in use. Since deployed easels are relatively large, they can be a challenge to transport. Accordingly, many easels are designed to be either broken down or collapsed for storage and transport.

One style of easel is a folding and collapsing easel, which has the advantage of folding into a very small volume for storage and transport. The disadvantage, however, is that the display material is held by standing it on support pins on two of the legs and then leaning it against the easel frame. As a result, the display material can be easily knocked out of position with a slight bump or wind gust. In addition, if the display material is tipped forward, it will tumble off the support pins.

A second style of easel is a top hanger easel, which solves the stability problem of attaching the display material to the easel. With this style of easel, the display material is supported by one or more retainer devices or attachments at or near the top of the material. This prevents the display material from easily tipping off the supports, and therefore holds the material more securely. However, because the one or more retainer devices or attachments are typically carried by a horizontal top bar, this type of easel tends to be larger than a folding and collapsing easel. The horizontal top bar also prevents this type of easel from folding and collapsing into a volume as small as the folding and collapsing easel. Accordingly, the top hanger easel is more difficult to store and transport than the folding and collapsing easel.

There is a need in the art, then, for an easel that can be folded and collapsed into a small volume while simultaneously providing a stable and secure display module for visual aids.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention features a folding and collapsing top hanger easel, and is designed to combine the benefits of two different types of easels: (1) the folding and collapsing easel; and (2) the top hanger easel. This invention comprises a folding and collapsing easel that includes one or more retainer devices or attachments that can be coupled to the top of the display material, while still allowing the easel to be folded and collapsed into a small volume. The one or more retainer devices or attachments fold out automatically as the easel is assembled, and do not require any additional user actions during setup. When the retainer devices or attachments include the combined clamp and retaining pin disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,325,836, to Eckhardt entitled “Combined Clamp and Retaining Pin,” the easel will securely hold flip charts and other display material that has the standard flip chart hole pattern. The inventive easel will also secure selection spinners and other materials and devices that are pulled and pushed by the user.

A standard folding and collapsing easel is modified herein by adding two additional bars, or similar elongated members. These bars are attached to the easel and to each other with pivot joints, such that the bars automatically squeeze or compress together when the easel is folded. The length and attachment locations of these bars are chosen so that they do not increase the total length of the folded easel. In addition, the bars are chosen such that they lie essentially parallel to the easel frame members when the easel is folded, and provide the correct spacing for the retainer devices or attachment pins when the easel is setup.

In an embodiment, the invention provides an improved folding and collapsing top hanger easel of the type that has a top portion comprising a plurality of legs that can be deployed into a stand, and folded such that the legs are closer to one another, where the improvement comprises a pair of elongated members pivotally coupled to the top portion of the easel, with one member pivotally coupled between its two ends to one leg of the easel, and the other member pivotally coupled between its two ends to a second leg of the easel, where the members are pivotally coupled to one another, and at least one mechanical hanger or retainer for a flip chart or the like, coupled to at least one member.

In an aspect, the members are pivotally coupled to one another at adjacent ends thereof, so that the members form a generally “V” shape when deployed. In another aspect, the improved easel further comprises a second mechanical hanger or retainer, where each mechanical hanger or retainer is coupled to one of the members. In yet another aspect, the mechanical hanger or retainer comprises a pin and a spring clamp.

In an aspect, each of the members is pivotally coupled to their respective legs of the easel at a location proximate the midpoint of the length of each of the members. In another aspect, a rivet pivot joint is used to pivotally couple the members to one another. In yet another aspect, a rivet pivot joint is used to pivotally couple the members to the legs of the easel.

In another embodiment, the invention provides an easel comprising a top portion comprising two generally rectangular bars, each bar having a first end and a second distal end, a plurality of top legs, each leg comprising a lower end and a distal upper end, and at least one retainer device, and a bottom portion comprising an equal plurality of bottom legs, each leg having a lower end and a distal upper end, where the upper ends of the bottom legs are each coupled to a lower end of one of the top legs to form a stand, where the rectangular bars are pivotally coupled to each other, and each of the rectangular bars is pivotally coupled to one of the top legs, and where the retainer device is coupled to one of the rectangular bars proximate the upper end of the retainer bar.

In an aspect, the retainer bars are pivotally coupled to each other proximate their lower ends. In another aspect, each of the rectangular bars is pivotally coupled to one of the top legs at the approximate midpoint of the rectangular bar.

In an aspect, each of the rectangular bars are pivotally coupled to one of the top legs at the approximate midpoint of the top leg, such that the rectangular bars form a generally “V” shape when extended. In another aspect, a rivet pivot joint is used to pivotally couple the rectangular bars to one another. In yet another aspect, a rivet pivot joint is used to pivotally couple the rectangular members to the top legs.

In still another embodiment, the invention provides a method of improving a folding and collapsing easel of the type that has a top portion comprising a plurality of legs that can be deployed into a stand arrangement, and folded such that the legs are closer to one another, the method comprising the following steps: (1) forming a first hole in a first leg; (2) forming a second hole in a second leg; (3) pivotally coupling a first generally rectangular bar to the first leg at the location of the first hole; (4) pivotally coupling a second generally rectangular bar to the second leg at the location of the second hole; (5) pivotally coupling the first rectangular bar to the second rectangular bar; and (6) coupling a retainer device to each of the rectangular bars. Note that the steps of the method need not be performed in this exact order, and other sequences are within the scope of the invention.

In an aspect, rivet pivot joints are used to pivotally couple the rectangular bars to the legs and to each other. In another aspect, at least one of the first hole or the second hole are formed at a location proximate the midpoint of its respective leg. In yet another aspect, the first rectangular bar is coupled to the second rectangular bar at a location proximate a first end of each of the rectangular bars, such that the rectangular bars form a generally “V” shape when extended. In still another aspect, the retainer devices are coupled to the distal ends of each of the retainer bars.

These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which there are shown preferred embodiments of the invention. Such embodiments do not necessarily represent the full scope of the invention, and reference is therefore made to the claims for understanding the true scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an easel in the setup (in-use) position, shown supporting display material, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the top portion of the easel of FIG. 1, shown without the display material;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the top portion of the easel of FIG. 1 prior to the attachment of the pivoting bars, showing the addition of holes drilled to accept rivets;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the top portion of an easel according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the top portion of the easel of FIGS. 2 and 4 in the collapsed state; and

FIG. 6 is a detailed view of one of the two pivoting bars used with the top portions of the easels as shown in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIG. 1, in a preferred embodiment, inventive easel 10 is shown in the in-use or setup position and carrying a flip chart or other display material 111. Note that the invention is not limited to any particular type of display material, and may be used with many types of visual aids. The invention is especially suited for those display materials that may be pushed, pulled or otherwise handled by the user, such as a Turn'n Learn™ available from Trainer's Warehouse, Natick, Mass.

In a preferred embodiment, easel 10 comprises an off-the-shelf folding and collapsing easel that has been modified by adding pivoting bars 14a and 14b, as described below. A non-limiting example of an off-the-shelf easel that may be modified as described herein is a Heavy-Duty Instant Easel available from Quartet Mfg GBC, 5700 Old Orchard Road, Skokie, Ill. In a preferred embodiment, easel 10 comprises three legs that can be deployed into a tripod arrangement, although the invention is not limited to an easel with only three legs. In alternate embodiments, easels with any number of legs may be modified as described herein, and are considered to be within the scope of the invention.

With further reference to FIG. 1, easel 10 comprises collapsing easel bottom portion 22 and collapsing easel top portion 20. In a preferred embodiment, bottom portion 22 comprises three legs 35a, 35b, and 35c. Top portion 20 is shown in detail in FIGS. 2-4, and comprises lower insertion members 21a and 21b that fit into the tops of the legs 35b and 35a, respectively, of bottom portion 22. Note that for the sake of clarity, lower insertion member 21 c, which fits into the top of leg 35c, is not shown. In a preferred embodiment, top portion 20 further comprises chart holding pins with retainer springs 16a and 16b, and rivet pivot joints 18a, 18b and 18c, described in detail below.

With further reference to FIG. 2, easel top portion 20 is the formed by adding pivoting bars 14a and 14b to an off-the-shelf easel. In an alternate embodiment, and as shown in FIG. 4, easel top portion is formed by adding pivoting bars 14c and 14d to an off-the-shelf easel. Pivoting bars 14a and 14b, and similarly, pivoting bars 14c and 14d, carry at their distal ends, and/or elsewhere along their lengths, mechanical retainer devices 16a and 16b that hang, clamp or otherwise hold a flip chart or other type of display material.

In a preferred embodiment, chart holder pins and retainer springs 16a and 16b are the combined clamp and retaining pins disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,325,836, to Eckhardt entitled “Combined Clamp and Retaining Pin.” As a result, a flip chart or other device with holes at the corresponding spacing can be securely held on the inventive easel 10. The invention however, is not limited to these particular types of retaining devices, and other methods and structures for retaining and securing display materials may be used.

With further reference to FIG. 2, pivoting bar 14a is attached to easel top tubular leg 26 at point 18b by a rivet pivot joint or equivalent that interconnects the members while allowing them to pivot relative to one another about the attachment point. Likewise, pivoting bar 14b is attached to easel top tubular leg 27 at point 18c by a rivet point joint or the equivalent. In a preferred embodiment, pivoting bars 14a and 14b are coupled to their respective tubular legs 26 and 27, respectively, at a location proximate the midpoint of the length of the pivoting bars. The invention is not limited to this construction, however, and pivots 18b and 18c may be located at any point along the pivoting bars 14a and 14b.

In an alternate embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, pivoting bar 14c is attached to easel top tubular leg 26 at point 18b by a rivet pivot joint or equivalent that interconnects the members while allowing them to pivot relative to one another about the attachment point. Likewise, pivoting bar 14d is attached to easel top tubular leg 27 at point 18c by a rivet point joint or the equivalent. Pivoting bars 14c and 14d may be coupled to their respective tubular legs 26 and 27, respectively, at a location proximate the midpoint of the length of the pivoting bars. The invention is not limited to this construction, however, and pivots 18b and 18c may be located at any point along the pivoting bars 14c and 14d.

In a preferred embodiment, and with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, pivoting bars 14a and 14b, are also pivotally connected together at their lower ends by a rivet pivot joint at point 18a, such that the pivoting bars form a generally “V” shape when deployed. In alternate embodiments, pivoting bars 14a and 14b could be pivotally coupled together at alternate locations along each of their lengths. In additional embodiments, pivoting bars 14a and 14b could be coupled together such that the pivoting bars form a generally “X” shape when deployed,

Similarly, with reference to FIG. 4, pivoting bars 14c and 14d may be pivotally coupled together at their lower ends by a rivet pivot joint at point 18a; such that the pivoting bars form a generally “V” shape when deployed, although pivoting bars 14c and 14d could be coupled together at alternate locations along each of their lengths.

Chart holder pins and retainer springs 16a and 16b, or other hardware for engaging flip charts and the like that are to be held by the easel, are coupled to the distal ends of the pivoting bars 14a and 14b, as shown in FIG. 2, or alternatively, coupled to the distal ends of the pivoting bars 14c and 14d, as shown in FIG. 4. With reference to FIG. 2, in a preferred embodiment, pivoting bars 14a and 14b are approximately 0.5 inches wide and approximately 0.125 inches thick steel bars. Rivet pivot joints 18b and 18c are approximately 0.1875 inches in diameter and approximately 1 inch long semi-tubular steel rivets with a #10 washer on the back under crimp, while rivet pivot joint 18a is approximately 0.4375 inches long. The washer thickness for all three rivet pivot joints 18a, 18b, and 18c, preferably range from approximately 0.03 inches to approximately 0.06 inches, and are chosen to provide proper pivoting. Chart holding pins with retainer springs 16a and 16b are preferably attached to pivoting bars 14a and 14b from the back with 10-32 screws. With reference to FIG. 4, in an alternate embodiment, pivoting bars 14c and 14d are approximately 0.75 inches wide and 0.125 inch think aluminum bars. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, in a preferred embodiment, the open extended width W1 of the top portion 20 is approximately 17.5 inches.

FIG. 3 is a view of the top portion 20 prior to the addition of pivoting bars 14a and 14b, showing the locations of rivet pivot joints 18b and 18c. In a preferred embodiment, approximately 0.196 inch holes are drilled through the center of easel top tubular legs 26 and 27 to accommodate the rivets. As shown in FIG. 3, in a preferred embodiment, the length L1 from the center of rivet pivot joint 18b to the top of top tubular leg 26 is approximately 11.813 inches. Note that these same dimensions apply to the alternate embodiment of FIG. 4.

Additional dimensions of a preferred embodiment of the pivoting bars 14a and 14b are shown in FIG. 6. In a preferred embodiment, the overall length of each pivoting bar 14a or 14b is approximately 20.125 inches. As shown in FIG. 6, each pivoting bar 14a and 14b comprises a hole at each end, where the diameter of the hole is approximately 0.196 inches. In the alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the overall length of each pivoting bar 14c and 14d are also approximately 20.125 inches, and each pivoting bar 14c and 14d also comprises a hole at each end, where the diameter of the hole is approximately 0.196 inches.

FIG. 5 shows the top portion 20 in a collapsed and folded state. In a preferred embodiment, the width W2 of the top portion 20 is approximately 3.0 inches, such that the modified inventive easel 10 fits within the original packaging of the off-the-shelf easel that was modified as described herein. Note that these same dimensions apply to the alternate embodiment of FIG. 4.

The particular construction, materials and dimensions described herein are not limitations of the invention, as other constructions can accomplish the pivoting action that presents pins, clamps or the like at appropriate locations along the top of a flip chart or other display that is suspended from the inventive easel, when the easel is folded out to its setup position.

Although specific features of the invention are shown in some figures and not others, this is for convenience only, as some features may be combined with any or all of the other features in accordance with the invention.

Recitation 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.

The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illustrate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention.

A variety of modifications to the embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure provided herein. Thus, the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof.

Claims

1. An improved folding and collapsing top hanger easel of the type that has a top portion comprising a plurality of legs that can be deployed into a stand and folded such that the legs are closer to one another, the improvement comprising:

a pair of elongated members pivotally coupled to the top portion of the easel, with one member pivotally coupled between its two ends to one leg of the easel, and the other member pivotally coupled between its two ends to a second leg of the easel;

where the members are pivotally coupled to one another; and

at least one mechanical hanger or retainer for a flip chart or the like, coupled to at least one member.

2. The improved easel of claim 1, where the members are pivotally coupled to one another at adjacent ends thereof, so that the members form a generally “V” shape when deployed.

3. The improved easel of claim 1, further comprising a second mechanical hanger or retainer, where each mechanical hanger or retainer is coupled to one of the members.

4. The improved easel of claim 1, where the mechanical hanger or retainer comprises a pin and a spring clamp.

5. The improved easel of claim 1, where each of the members is pivotally coupled to their respective legs of the easel at a location proximate the midpoint of the length of each of the members.

6. The improved easel of claim 1, where a rivet pivot joint is used to pivotally couple the members to one another.

7. The improved easel of claim 1, where a rivet pivot joint is used to pivotally couple the members to the legs of the easel.

8. An easel comprising:

a top portion comprising two generally rectangular bars, each bar having a first end and a second distal end, a plurality of top legs, each leg comprising a lower end and a distal upper end, and at least one retainer device; and

a bottom portion comprising an equal plurality of bottom legs, each leg having a lower end and a distal upper end;

where the upper ends of the bottom legs are each coupled to a lower end of one of the top legs to form a stand;

where the rectangular bars are pivotally coupled to each other, and each of the rectangular bars is pivotally coupled to one of the top legs; and

where the retainer device is coupled to one of the rectangular bars proximate the upper end of the retainer bar.

9. The easel of claim 8, where the rectangular bars are pivotally coupled to each other proximate their lower ends.

10. The easel of claim 8, where each of the rectangular bars is pivotally coupled to one of the top legs at the approximate midpoint of the rectangular bar.

11. The easel of claim 8, where each of the rectangular bars are pivotally coupled to one of the top legs at the approximate midpoint of the top leg, such that the rectangular bars form a generally “V” shape when extended.

12. The easel of 8, where a rivet pivot joint is used to pivotally couple the rectangular bars to one another.

13. The easel of 8, where a rivet pivot joint is used to pivotally couple the rectangular members to the top legs.

14. A method of improving a folding and collapsing easel of the type that has a top portion comprising a plurality of legs that can be deployed into a stand, and folded such that the legs are closer to one another, the method comprising:

forming a first hole in a first leg;

forming a second hole in a second leg;

pivotally coupling a first generally rectangular bar to the first leg at the location of the first hole;

pivotally coupling a second generally rectangular bar to the second leg at the location of the second hole;

pivotally coupling the first rectangular bar to the second rectangular bar; and

coupling a retainer device to each of the rectangular bars.

15. The method of claim 14, where rivet pivot joints are used to pivotally couple the rectangular bars to the legs and to each other.

16. The method of claim 14, where at least one of the first hole or the second hole are formed at a location proximate the midpoint of its respective leg.

17. The method of claim 14, where the first rectangular bar is coupled to the second rectangular bar at a location proximate a first end of each of the rectangular bars, such that the rectangular bars form a generally “V” shape when extended.

18. The method of claim 17, where the retainer devices are coupled to the distal ends of each of the retainer bars.