Elastic Tripod Easel for Compact Storage and Stable Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional easels lack flexibility in storage and transportation, as they do not easily convert between self-supporting and non-self-supporting configurations, and often require complex hinges or pivots that can be cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
A tripod easel with elastically deformable legs that bend along their lengths to transition between a compact storage position and a self-supporting display position, using spacers to maintain the curved shape and accommodate various artwork sizes and orientations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional easels use fixed rigid legs, then structural stability is maintained, but flexibility in storage and transportation is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The easel legs are designed to be dynamically deformable, transitioning from a straight configuration during use to a bent/collapsed configuration for storage. The legs can elastically bend at multiple points along their length, allowing the easel to adapt between operational and storage states while maintaining structural integrity through controlled deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical state of the legs changes from rigid and straight to flexible and bent. By changing the geometric parameters of the legs (curvature, bend points, material flexibility), the easel achieves both stability during use and compactness for storage without requiring complex mechanical joints.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional easels use complex hinges or pivots for position conversion, then position transformation capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the complex hinge and pivot mechanisms from the traditional easel design. Instead of using separate joint components, the position transformation capability is achieved through the intrinsic elastic properties of the legs themselves, which bend and deform to enable collapse and deployment without any mechanical joints.
Solution Approach 2:
The legs function as flexible structural elements that can bend and deform elastically. By using materials with appropriate flexibility characteristics, the legs can transform between extended and collapsed positions through simple bending motions, eliminating the need for rigid joints, hinges, or pivots while maintaining structural integrity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The easel provides a compact storage solution while easily converting to a stable display position, offering flexibility in artwork orientation and support, with aesthetically pleasing design and enhanced usability through adjustable accessories.
Implementation Method 1
The three legs of the tripod easel can elastically bend along their lengths between a first position and a second position. Each of the three legs has a width generally normal to the easel axis and a thickness generally parallel to the easel axis. The three legs are resiliently and elastically deformed in flexure with respect to each other so that the longitudinal axes of the legs define arcs
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is a tripod easel in which the first, second and third legs are elastically deformable in the forward and rearward directions between a first position and a second position. In the second position, the first and third legs define arcs in the forward direction and the second leg defines an arc in the rearward direction. In the second position, the three legs define a free-standing tripod. The first and third legs define rows of supporting holes that can support an artwork support apparatus, a cantilevered shelf, a palette holder, a paper towel holder or other accessories.