WorknStand
A WorknStand is an apparatus which quickly unfolds and sits on an existing desk structure. It permits the user to stand while working. It folds perfectly flat, allowing easy transportation and shipping. Its hinge structure is designed in such a way that it will resist folding when open and can be leaned on with a sturdy feel. It also securely locks in both the folded and unfolded positions.
This non-provisional utility patent application claims priority to provisional application No. 61/797,835 filing date Dec. 17, 2012.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONMost offices, work or study environments come pre-furnished with sitting desk arrangements. If an individual prefers to stand while working it is therefore advantageous to have a portable apparatus that unfolds and can be utilized with the existing furnishings. An apparatus is described that sits on top of existing desk structures permitting an individual to have a standing desk. Its design and hinge structure is in such a manner that an individual can lean on the apparatus and it will remain very stable while also being light and foldable. There is a lot of prior art in this category however none that meets the specifications of the WorknStand: U.S. Pat. No. 426,7998, DE 202011105421 U1, DE 102012100867 A1.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThis invention is designed to provide a working surface that allows an individual to stand while working without needing a large renovation to a traditional desk environment. The device is designed to fold up flat so that it can be shipped and moved easily. The device has sides with hinges that are oriented in a vertical manner which provides residence to axial force and gives the apparatus a very sturdy feel, appropriate for a working and writing surface.
An exemplary embodiment of the apparatus is demonstrated via the following drawings.
The apparatus has a top piece or platform 1 which folds down over the folding sides 2. The platform can be made of any substance typically used for flat working surfaces; examples include wood, particle board, plywood, machined wood, melamine, metal, aluminum, and plastic. The top piece articulates with the back piece 3 via an extension on top of the back piece 4. This extension allows the top piece to fold flat over the side pieces.
The side 2 of the device is a structure that supports the platform and can be comprised and made of the same or different materials as the desk platform. The sides of the device articulate along the back of the side via hinges with the back of the device. The sides of the device fold inwardly to become parallel planes with the back of the device when closed. The side of the device can be in the form of a leg or numerous legs or planes of material that can support the weight of the platform. The sides can have many holes in them for various reasons such as to decrease weight or for passing cables or allowing air circulation. Furthermore, the sides provide stability to the device to not only support the platform but to also prevent the back from toppling over.
The apparatus folds. In so folding it becomes flat for storing or transportation. It folds specifically by the sides folding along a generally vertically oriented hinge axis, defined by the side's edges that articulate with the back, to become parallel planes, when closed, with the back of the device. The platform top folds down, specifically along a generally horizontal axis defined by the edge that articulates with the back of the device, to become parallel planes, when closed, with both the closed sides and the back.
The back 3 of the device is a structure that supports the platform 1 and can be comprised and made of the same or different materials as the desk platform. The back articulates with the platform via an articulating hinge along its superior edge oriented in a generally horizontal direction. The back also articulates with both sides along the left and right sides of the back's edges with articulating hinges that are oriented in a vertical direction. Similar to the sides, the back portion can be in the form of a leg or numerous legs or planes of material that support the hinges and weight of the platform. Furthermore, the back portion can have many holes in it for various reason such as to decrease weight or for passing cables or allowing air circulation.
In one version of the invention, one designed to be smaller in a side to side dimension, the back piece not only has the top extension 4 but also a side extension 5 on one of the sides. This allows that side to fold flat over the other side, thereby keeping the unit flat for shipping purposes. The side pieces 2 lock into place via a securing mechanism 6 that is attached to the top of the side piece 2. In one version of the invention the securing mechanism is a rotating cam lock 6 that articulates with the platform 1 via a “flat keep” 7 which is routed into the top piece. When opened, the side pieces 2 are prevented from opening beyond the outside edge of the platform 1 by rails 11 which run along the underside of the platform 1 in a front to back orientation. Various locking mechanisms can utilize either the rails 11, the undersurface of the platform 1 or the side pieces 2. When closed, the locking mechanism 6 will fit into recesses 10 located in either the back or the outside of the contralateral side piece permitting flat folding.
The cam lock is a rotating lock 6, comprising a male projecting part that is designed to make sliding contact with its keep 7 or female part and in so doing to impart reciprocal motion to the keep and what is attached to the keep. The cam lock can impart a unidirectional force vector or multidirectional force vector, depending on the cross sectional shape of the male projecting part. For example, some cam locks will be comprised of a flat piece of material which will taper in one plane; this imparts reciprocal motion to the keep in only that plane. On the other hand, if the cam's projection in cross section tapers more as a cone or fraction of a cone, then it will impart reciprocal motion to the keep in the planes of motion defined by the tapering of the cone's dimension.
The rail 11 is a raised part of the undersurface of the platform 1 that functions to block the sides from folding beyond the outer limits of the platform edges or to provide material into which the sides can lock themselves or both.
A keep 7 refers to the female component of the lock that the cam mechanism rotates into or the non-cam projection inserts into or both, in the later case the non-cam projection's keep has an opening that is narrower than the maximum diameter of its male companion's projection.
The recesses 10 are areas where the lock mechanism will slip into when the apparatus is closed permitting flat folding. Recesses can be notched out parts of either the back or the sides. Recesses can also be hollowed or absent areas within the back or sides which allow the locking mechanism to hold into.
Finally, the device consists of having a strap 8 and button 9 or other basic lock mechanism which keeps the device folded and prevents it from accidentally opening when transported or stored.
Claims
1. An apparatus, comprised partly of a rectangular platform which may include blocking rails oriented front to back along the platform's underside and located near the left and right edges, where the platform is connected with a horizontally oriented hinge along its rear edge to a horizontal extension of a back portion and the back portion in turn is connected on each side edge to two side portions by hinges oriented vertically along their rear edges, which folds and in so doing causes its side portions to fold inwards and to the rear and the platform to fold down and to the rear so that when closed the apparatus's platform, sides and back exist in parallel planes and in this closed condition the apparatus may or may not have a latching mechanism that connects the front undersurface of the platform to the lower aspects of a side portion or the back portion or both and in so doing, prevents the apparatus from opening.
2. An apparatus as in claim 1) where upon being opened the side portions and platform are connected to each other via a mechanism that secures the sides to the undersurface of the platform or the platform's blocking rails or both.
3. An apparatus as in claim 2) where the securing mechanism is comprised of a cam type lock that, when activated, pulls the platform securely against the top of the sides preventing rising of the platform or accidental folding of the sides or both.
4. An apparatus as in claim 3) where if the CAM lock projects from the outside aspect of the side portion, when folded, the CAM lock is recessed within a corresponding recess in the folded apparatus' platform's undersurface or backward facing aspect of the opposite folded side portion or both permitting flat folding.
5. An apparatus as in claim 3) where if the CAM lock projects from the inside aspect of the side portion, when folded, the CAM lock is recessed within a corresponding recess in the forward facing aspect of the back portion or forward facing aspect of the opposite folded side portion or both, permitting flat folding.
6. An apparatus as in claim 3) where if the CAM lock projects from the platform's rail, when folded, the CAM lock is recessed within a corresponding recess in the folded apparatus's side portion's external rear edge, permitting flat folding.
7. An apparatus as in claim 3) where if the CAM lock projects from the undersurface of the platform, when folded, the CAM lock is recessed within a corresponding recess in the folded apparatus's side portion's external rear edge, permitting flat folding.
8. An apparatus as in claim 2) where the securing mechanism is a widening non-cam male projection from either the platform's underside or platform's rail or side portions and which articulates with the corresponding rail, undersurface of platform or side portion via a female keep whose diameter is smaller than the male projection's diameter.
9. An apparatus as in claim 8) where if the male projection locks into a keep in the platform's rails, when folded, the male projection is recessed within a corresponding recess in the folded apparatus' platform's undersurface or backward facing aspect of the opposite folded side portion or both permitting flat folding.
10. An apparatus as in claim 8) where if the male projection projects from the rail and locks into a keep on the outside of the side portion, when folded, the male projection is recessed within a corresponding recess in the folded apparatus's side portion's external rear edge, permitting flat folding.
11. An apparatus as in claim 8) where if the male projection locks into a keep in the undersurface of the platform, when folded, the male projection is recessed within a corresponding recess in the folded apparatus' platform's undersurface or back portion's horizontal projection's undersurface or both permitting flat folding.
12. An apparatus as in claim 8) where if the male projection projects from the undersurface of the platform into a keep on the top of the side portion, when folded, the male projection is recessed within a corresponding recess in the folded apparatus's side portion's external rear edge, permitting flat folding.
13. An apparatus as in claim 2) where the securing mechanism is comprised of magnets where one polarity is a component of the undersurface of the platform or platform's rail or both and the opposite polarity is attached to the top of the side or inside or outside of the side or both depending on its opposing position to its mate.
14. An apparatus, designed to have a smaller platform in a left to right orientation than that described in claim 1 and which therefore necessitates overlapping sides when closed and which is therefore comprised of a rectangular platform which may include blocking rails oriented front to back along the platform's underside and located near the left and right edges, where the platform is connected with a horizontally oriented hinge along its rear edge to a horizontal extension of a back portion and the back portion in turn is connected on one side immediately to a side portion via hinges oriented vertically along their joining edge and on the other side of the back piece there is an extension of the back piece projecting to the front which is then connected to a side portion via vertically oriented hinges, which folds and in so doing causes the side portion which is connected directly to the back portion to fold first and the opposite side to fold second so that they overlap on each other, and the platform folds down and to the rear so that when closed the apparatus's platform, sides and back exist in parallel planes and in this closed condition the apparatus may or may not have a latching mechanism that connects the front undersurface of the platform to the lower aspects of a side portion or the back portion or both and in so doing, prevents the apparatus from opening.
15. An apparatus as in claim 14) where upon being opened the side portions and platform are connected to each other via a mechanism that secures the sides to the undersurface of the platform or the platform's blocking rails or both.
16. An apparatus as in claim 15) where the securing mechanism is comprised of a cam type lock that, when activated, pulls the platform securely against the top of the sides preventing rising of the platform or accidental folding of the sides or both.
17. An apparatus as in claim 16) where if the CAM lock projects from the outside aspect of the side portion, when folded, the CAM lock is recessed within a corresponding recess in the folded apparatus' platform's undersurface or backward facing aspect of the opposite folded side portion or both permitting flat folding.
18. An apparatus as in claim 16) where if the CAM lock projects from the inside aspect of the side portion, when folded, the CAM lock is recessed within a corresponding recess in the forward facing aspect of the back portion or forward facing aspect of the opposite folded side portion or both, permitting flat folding.
19. An apparatus as in claim 16) where if the CAM lock projects from the platform's rail, when folded, the CAM lock is recessed within a corresponding recess in the folded apparatus's side portion's external rear edge, permitting flat folding.
20. An apparatus as in claim 16) where if the CAM lock projects from the undersurface of the platform, when folded, the CAM lock is recessed within a corresponding recess in the folded apparatus's side portion's external rear edge, permitting flat folding.
21. An apparatus as in claim 15) where the securing mechanism is a widening non-cam male projection from either the platform's underside or platform's rail or side portions and which articulates with the corresponding rail, undersurface of platform or side portion via a female keep whose diameter is smaller than the male projection's diameter.
22. An apparatus as in claim 21) where if the male projection locks into a keep in the platform's rails, when folded, the male projection is recessed within a corresponding recess in the folded apparatus' platform's undersurface or backward facing aspect of the opposite folded side portion or both permitting flat folding.
23. An apparatus as in claim 21) where if the male projection projects from the rail and locks into a keep on the outside of the side portion, when folded, the male projection is recessed within a corresponding recess in the folded apparatus's side portion's external rear edge, permitting flat folding.
24. An apparatus as in claim 21) where if the male projection locks into a keep in the undersurface of the platform, when folded, the male projection is recessed within a corresponding recess in the folded apparatus' platform's undersurface or back portion's horizontal projection's undersurface or both permitting flat folding.
25. An apparatus as in claim 21) where if the male projection projects from the undersurface of the platform into a keep on the top of the side portion, when folded, the male projection is recessed within a corresponding recess in the folded apparatus's side portion's external rear edge, permitting flat folding.
26. An apparatus as in claim 15) where the securing mechanism is comprised of magnets where one polarity is a component of the undersurface of the platform or platform's rail or both and the opposite polarity is attached to the top of the side or inside or outside of the side or both depending on its opposing position to its mate.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 12, 2014
Publication Date: Jun 19, 2014
Inventor: Tadhg James O'Gara (Winston Salem, NC)
Application Number: 14/179,504
