Quick assembly articulating easel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10842271-B2
Application number	US-201916571880-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 16, 2019
Priority date	Oct 8, 2018
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are directed to quick-assembly, articulating easel that moves from a planar orientation to an extended orientation with minimal manual manipulation. The easel components are movably interconnected, both in a compressed position during storage and in an extended position after assembly. The opposing writing surfaces of the easel may be oriented in upward positions parallel to the upward-facing bottom tray when in the compressed and/or disassembled position. Based on disengaging at least a portion of the interconnected easel components, such as by raising at least a portion of the easel components in an upward direction, the opposing writing surfaces may then be shifted in orientation to provide outward-facing writing surfaces in the assembled easel position. The articulating legs may then follow an arcuate curvature in travel between the various positions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An easel device comprising:
a first writing surface component having a first upper edge and a first lower edge;
a second writing surface component having a second upper edge and a second lower edge;
a bottom tray component, wherein the bottom tray component is configured to move from a parallel orientation with respect to each of the first writing surface component and the second writing surface component when the easel device is in a compressed position, to an intersecting orientation with respect to each of the first writing surface component and the second writing surface component when the easel device is in an expanded position, wherein the bottom tray component is proximate the first lower edge of the first writing surface component and the second lower edge of the second writing surface component when the easel device is in the expanded position, wherein the easel device is configured to move from the compressed position to the expanded position based on an upward travel of the first upper edge of the first writing surface component and the second upper edge of the second writing surface component;
a first pair of compact leg structures moveably coupled to the first writing surface and a first portion of the bottom tray component; and
a second pair of compact leg structures movably coupled to the second writing surface component and a second portion of the bottom tray component.

2. The easel device of claim 1 , wherein the first writing surface component is comprised of a first upper portion and a first breakaway lower portion, and the second writing surface component is comprised of a second upper portion and second breakaway lower portion.

3. The easel device of claim 2 , wherein each compact leg structure of the first pair of compact leg structures and the second pair of compact leg structures is comprised of an extendable portion and a fixed portion.

4. The easel device of claim 3 , wherein the first pair of compact leg structures and the second pair of compact leg structures are configured to slidably compress and extend along a longitudinal axis of opposing sides of the first writing surface component and the second writing surface component.

5. The easel device of claim 3 , wherein the fixed portion of the each compact leg structure is coupled to a respective outer edge of the first writing surface component and a respective outer edge of the second writing surface component.

6. The easel device of claim 3 , wherein the extendable portion of the each compact leg structure is coupled to the bottom tray component via an engagement component.

7. The easel device of claim 1 , wherein the first writing surface component and the second writing surface component are joined by a first common upper joint and a second common upper joint proximate to the first upper edge and the second upper edge of the first writing surface component and the second writing surface component, respectively.

8. The easel device of claim 1 , wherein the second writing surface component is oriented in a planar orientation with respect to the first writing surface component in the compressed position, and further wherein the second writing surface component is oriented in an angled orientation opposite the first writing surface component in the expanded position.

9. The easel device of claim 1 , wherein the easel device is configured to move between the compressed position and the expanded position based on an upward travel of an upper portion of each of the first and second writing surface components.

10. An easel device:
a plurality of coupled easel components comprising:
a writing surface component coupled to a compact leg structure; and
a bottom tray component also coupled to the compact leg structure;
wherein the plurality of coupled easel components are configured to transition between a compressed position to an expanded position,
wherein the transition from the compressed position to the expanded position corresponds to an upward vertical displacement of an upper edge of the writing surface component with respect to a surface, and
wherein the upward vertical displacement is orthogonal to a plane of the surface.

11. The easel device of claim 10 , wherein the compact leg structure is comprised of an extendable portion and a fixed portion.

12. The easel device of claim 10 , wherein the compact leg structure is configured to slidably compress and extend along a longitudinal axis of opposing sides of the writing surface component.

13. A quick-assembly easel system slidably engaging between a compressed position and an expanded position, the easel system comprising:
at least two slidably engaged pairs of compact leg structures;
at least two upper writing surface components coupled to the at least two slidably engaged pairs of compact leg structures; and
at least one bottom tray component coupled to each of the at least two slidably engaged pairs of compact leg structures and at least two writing surface components, wherein the quick-assembly easel system is configured to move from the compressed position to the expanded position based on an upward travel of an upper edge of each of the at least two upper writing surface components.

14. The quick-assembly easel system of claim 13 , wherein the at least two upper writing surface components are parallel to the at least one bottom tray component in the compressed position, and wherein the at least two upper writing surface components are at a bisecting angle with respect to the bottom tray component in the expanded position.

15. The quick-assembly easel system of claim 13 , wherein each of the at least two slidably engaged pairs of compact leg structures are comprised of an extendable portion and a fixed portion.

16. The easel device of claim 15 , wherein the extendable portion of each of the at least two slidably engaged pairs of compact leg structure is coupled to the bottom tray component via an engagement component.

17. The quick-assembly easel system of claim 13 , wherein each of the at least two upper writing surface components are comprised of an upper portion and a breakaway lower portion.

18. The quick-assembly easel system of claim 13 , wherein the at least two upper writing surface components are joined by a first common upper joint and a second common upper joint proximate to the upper edge of each of the at least two writing surface components.

Assignees

• Crayola Llc

Inventors

• Collins Scott
• Brand Douglas
• Leaser Caleb
• Vadaketh Leena

Classifications

• A47B97/08 Primary

  foldable · CPC title