Collapsible music stand extension device

Abstract

A collapsible device that can be quickly and easily mounted to certain types of music stands to allow viewing of up to six sheets of paper side by side. The device consists principally of four panel sections, two of which, in the expanded position, hang from the top horizontal edge of the music stand via lips provided for this purpose. Two lower panels, each attached via hinge to the upper panel directly above it, also include lip features at the bottom of the device for holding the sheets of paper. In the expanded position, the four panels cover and extend the viewable plane of the stand. The device can be folded on two perpendicular axes for compact storage and transport. Usable width combined with ease of transport and deployment differentiate the device from prior art, allowing the device to be treated as part of a musician's personal gear.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]1. Provisional application No. 61 / 294,850, Jan. 14, 2010STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0002]Not applicable.REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX[0003]Not applicable.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONReferences Cited[0004]1. U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,824, “Music Stand” (Americole Biasini, 1997)[0005]2. U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,057, “Collapsible Music Stand” (Kim N. Andrews, 1991)[0006]3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,779, “Collapsible Stand For Sheet Music And The Like” (Simca Heled, 1979)[0007]4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,339, “Music Stand For Guitar Player” (Gary L. Jensen, 1984)[0008]5. U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,109, “Music Support Apparatus and Method” (Americole Biasini, 1994)[0009]6. U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,111, “Music Stand” (Kim N. Andrews, 1992)[0010]7. U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,490, “Music Stand Extender” (Americole Biasini, 1982)[0011]8. U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,518, “Music Stand Extender” (Americ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0022]The pivotal connections employed by the device permit it to be folded on two perpendicular axes for compact storage and transport. This is accomplished by first disengaging the upper sections from the top of the music stand with a lifting motion, then folding the upper sections forward and down until they rest parallel to the lower sections, and then folding the entire device in half laterally. Thus, in the fully collapsed state, the four main sections stack against each other, resulting in a roughly 70% reduction in device size in the collapsed state vs. the fully deployed state. The lips of the device do not interfere with each other in the collapsed state due to a difference in size between the upper and lower panel sections.

[0023]The disclosed invention offers significant advantages over prior art in solving specific challenges that musicians commonly face. These challenges include usable size, portability and transportability, ease of deployment, and adaptability to wide variety of music stands. It also has advantages in manufacturing and choice of materials, making the device cost-effective and adaptable to a wide variety of situations and user preferences.

[0024]When expanded, the device can display up to six unbound sheets of music side by side without significant overlap, which is an improvement over other designs. In the collapsed state, it is small enough to fit into carry bags that musicians typically use to carry equipment. For situations where a carry bag is not otherwise used, an alternate embodiment allows for a built-in carry handle with no adverse impact on the utility or portability of the device. The weight of the device will vary depending on material type and thickness, but will typically be about 2 pounds in the preferred embodiment. This is reasonable compared to the equipment that musicians typically need to transport. Thus, the present invention allows the musician to treat the extension device as part of his or her personal gear, rather than having to allocate it to a specific music stand at a fixed location.

[0025]The disclosed invention is simple to deploy. It attaches to the host music stand via a lip along a single line, without fasteners, using only gravity and friction. The attachment point need not be snug, thus allowing for high tolerances in the lip geometry. This reduces the complexity of fitting the device to the stand, relative to other solutions that require a snug fit along perpendicular axes. In addition, the hinge geometry allows the device to unfold itself, via gravity, if the user holds it in the correct position when deploying. The device naturally falls into the expanded, planar geometry, and the user simply hangs it on the top edge of the music stand.

[0027]The disclosed invention allows for flexibility in manufacturing techniques and choice of materials. The rectangular sections that comprise the bulk of the device share a similar design, and thus can be fabricated using similar methods and a limited number of molds, jigs, forms, etc. The device can be constructed from a wide variety of materials, including, but not limited to, various sheet metals and thermoplastics, each servicing different preferences and cost structures. If the device is constructed of sheet metal, the lip features can be easily fabricated by bending the material using standard brake equipment. For devices that use such an integrated upper lip, the angle and radius of the lip can be designed to accommodate music stands with edges of varying thickness. In contrast, bending does not work well with thermoplastics, due to the well-documented tendency of thinner sheets to warp when heated and bent along long axes. However, the lip features for devices made of thermoplastics can be easily fabricated separately in a number of ways. For example, rectangular lip sections can be chemically welded together from strips of varying width. Alternatively, strips can be attached with screws and spacers, allowing for variable-width lip geometries. Lips can also be fabricated separately as extrusions, and chemically welded to the edge of the panel sections. Thermoplastics such as acrylic and polycarbonate offer other advantages, such as the ease by which hinges and other parts can be chemically welded into position, as well as transparency and tinting options that some users might find desirable for cosmetic reasons.

Problems solved by technology

These challenges include usable size, portability and transportability, ease of deployment, and adaptability to wide variety of music stands.

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