One piece fold flat easel

Abstract

In some embodiments a fold flat easel for the display of a device folds open from a flat piece of plastic into an upright standing position. Multiple position notches in the rear of a base accept a kickstand and a foot and varies the resting angle of a backrest. The backrest together with an arresting lip on the base secures the device on the easel. The backrest is attached to the kickstand and the base with flexible and durable living hinges. The entire stand, including hinges, can be easily and cost effectively fabricated from a single piece of plastic. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 61 / 104,262, filed 2008 Oct. 10 by the present inventor.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field[0003]This invention generally relates to easels and display stands.[0004]2. Prior Art[0005]Easels and display stands are commonly used to display artwork and signage but the recent rise in popularity of portable electronics has created a new need for support stands. Users require their devices to be supported upright on table tops and desks as well as at various angles for the viewing of media entertainment, monitoring email, or other functions of the devices.[0006]The traditional art easel, while recognized for its simplicity in both three and four legged varieties, does not scale down to a size appropriate for personal devices. Their typical design includes a number of pieces that have to be assembled, increasing cost and complexity. Easels designed with an eye for portability often ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

The traditional art easel, while recognized for its simplicity in both three and four legged varieties, does not scale down to a size appropriate for personal devices.

Their typical design includes a number of pieces that have to be assembled, increasing cost and complexity.

Easels designed with an eye for portability often include additional pieces such as folding trays and telescopic legs which increase complexity and frailty, and are cumbersome at small scales.

One is a bent wire stand that creates a base, support arms, and a back from a single piece of wire, but does not fold compactly for travel and normally has limited, if any, display positioning angles.

While it folds flat they are limited in the variety of devices they can support as well as the number of positioning angles.

There exist variants of both versions of the plate holder: wire frame device stands with fixed viewing angles and the folding book style with limited ability to support a wide array of devices and viewing angles.

Nevertheless, all of the portable stands heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages:(a) Their design limits the number of available viewing angles, impacting the flexibility for the user(b) Their manufacture requires multiple separate pieces to be molded and assembled, adding cost and complexity to their production.

Additionally the complexity can lead to reliability and durability concerns.(c) The stands don't collapse easily or efficiently.

Some of the portable stands do not collapse at all, which creates difficulty storing the product.

Some require physical assembly and disassembly which adds complexity to its use and delay during setup and teardown.(d) The size is so small that they don't offer a stable platform for the device.

Loose pieces can be lost and the assembly of the pieces can be frustrating.(f) Their design necessitates large arresting bumpers.

These bumpers can be large and unwieldy to store efficiently.

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