GB1561778A - Standfolder - Google Patents

Description

(54) STANDFOLDER (71) I, BRIDA SYLVIA DUCKENFIELD, a British Citizen of 94 Station Avenue, West Ewell, Epsom, Surrey, KT19 9UG England do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to stands. It is primarily concerned with music stands for supporting music for a performer to play or sing from, but the invention can equally advantageously be used for other reading material.

Stands for supporting music are, of course, well known. They are usually made of wood or metal, and in order to firmly support sheets of music at the height of a standing performer, these are necessarily fairly bulky and are awkward to transport from place to place. Folding metal stands are in commond use, but even when folded up, they are still heavy and inconveniently bulky.

Also because of the sliding linkages and clamps needed, they are expensive to produce. If a musician is required to play somewhere where no stand is available, he must prop his music up on some surface of suitable height, but this is seldom satisfactory as the music tends to slip down or if an object is placed in front of it to prevent this, it becomes difficult to turn over pages without disturbing the flow of the music.

The present invention seeks to provide a stand of simple, cheap and light construction that can be folded flat for transportation and can be quickly erected on a flat surface to securely support music or other reading material. It can also serve as a music folder.

According to the invention there is provided a stand comprising two boards hinged together at one edge with a flexible section between the two boards, unfolding a first inverted "V" shape, and a ridge member hinged to the extremity of one of the arms of the first inverted "V", the ridge member unfolding into a second, smaller inverted "V" shape. Both inverted "V" shapes being supported from falling flat by cords, gussets or other means.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the formal drawings in which: Fig. 1. is a perspective view of the stand as erected for supporting music or other material Fig. 2. is a view of the invention folded up for transport and in use as a folder for carrying music.

Figure 1 shows a stand comprising two rectangular boards (1) hinged together at their longer sides by a hinge (2). A simple method of hinging is to connect the two boards with heavy duty adhesive tape as shown, leaving flexible section (4) in between to allow for several sheets of music or other papers. This allows the two boards to fold together for transportation and to open into a first "V" shape for use as a stand. Cords (7) are used to connect the two boards so that when the cord or cords are fully extended, the two boards cannot swing apart any further. This prevents the boards from collapsing on a smooth surface and also fixes the angle at which the music is presented to the performer. As extra protection to the enclosures a gusset (3) may be fixed between the two arms of the "V" shape.

An important part of the invention is a ridge member (5) which is hinged to one of the first two boards at the edge where, in use, the board would rest on the flat surface supporting it. This member is a piece of cardboard which can be folded along its length into a second "V" shape as shown in Fig. (1) connected by cords (6) on the same principal as (7). This forms a ridge which prevents the supported music from sliding down along the surface upon which the stand is to be placed. The cardboard can be scored on one side of the fold to enable the two alms of the "V" to fold together easily so that both first and second "V" shapes can close up fiat for carriage. The scored side of the fold in second "V" shape should be protected by fixing adhesive tape along the length of the score.

It should be realised that the second "V" shape can be made of other materials. Also, it need not be fabricated from one piece as described but from two pieces suitably hinged together.

lhe fact that the stand can be folded flat enables the stand to be used as a folder for the music that is to be played. In this case the ridge member can tuck inside the first two boards to retain the music held therein.

It should be noted that the word "board" used in this specification and claims does not limit the scope of the invention to any particular material. Cardboard is convenient, but many others are possible. The folder can be held closed by use of the cords, tied together or using any sort of fastening.

WHAT I CLAIM IS-:- 1. A stand comprising two boards, hinged together at one edge, unfolding into a fIrst inverted "V" shape and a ridge member hinged to the extremity of one of the arms of the first hinged "V", the ridge member unfolding into a second, smaller inverted "V" shape.

2. A stand as claimed in claim 1 where the ridge member is made from a single rectangular piece of board folding about an axis parallel to its length.

3. A stand as claimed in claim 1 where the ridge member is made from two separate pieces of board hinged together.

4. A stand as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 where means are provided to prevent each of the inverted "V" shapes from collapsing flat when stood on a flat surface.

5. A stand substantially a herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (5)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. down along the surface upon which the stand is to be placed. The cardboard can be scored on one side of the fold to enable the two alms of the "V" to fold together easily so that both first and second "V" shapes can close up fiat for carriage. The scored side of the fold in second "V" shape should be protected by fixing adhesive tape along the length of the score. It should be realised that the second "V" shape can be made of other materials. Also, it need not be fabricated from one piece as described but from two pieces suitably hinged together. lhe fact that the stand can be folded flat enables the stand to be used as a folder for the music that is to be played. In this case the ridge member can tuck inside the first two boards to retain the music held therein. It should be noted that the word "board" used in this specification and claims does not limit the scope of the invention to any particular material. Cardboard is convenient, but many others are possible. The folder can be held closed by use of the cords, tied together or using any sort of fastening. WHAT I CLAIM IS-:-

1. A stand comprising two boards, hinged together at one edge, unfolding into a fIrst inverted "V" shape and a ridge member hinged to the extremity of one of the arms of the first hinged "V", the ridge member unfolding into a second, smaller inverted "V" shape.

2. A stand as claimed in claim 1 where the ridge member is made from a single rectangular piece of board folding about an axis parallel to its length.

3. A stand as claimed in claim 1 where the ridge member is made from two separate pieces of board hinged together.

4. A stand as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 where means are provided to prevent each of the inverted "V" shapes from collapsing flat when stood on a flat surface.

5. A stand substantially a herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.