GB2081572A - Artist's case - Google Patents

Abstract

An artist's case comprises a shallow box, Figure 1, with detachable lid, Figure 4, forming a separate unit, each able to retain paintings by clamps 12, 34 adjustable on vertical slides 11, 33. The box contains a paint compartment 15 with hinged supportable lid, forming a work shelf or palette with an auxiliary replaceable palette fixed to it and protected by the compartment when the lid is closed. The lid forms a work or display unit supported by an angularly adjustable frame 37 hinged at its outer surface and can also support the box, Figure 9. The box can also stand on an adjustable tripod, Figure 10, connected to its base and detachable for carrying separately or strapped to the case. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFiCATION Artist's case This invention relates to an artist's case made of suitable light weight material and any convenient width or size that allows art work consisting of boards, canvasses and the like to be held rigidly within its dimensions from the beginning and throughout its process to completion, allowing such art work to be stored undisturbed over any necessary period of time. It also affords protection to any art work being contained within the case during storage and transportation and provides a conve nient working platform as well as a suitable means of display.

The case consists of two shallow units - unit 'A' is the working base with a detachable tripod and/or easel connections, and unit 'B' which is of similar dimensions and acts as a lid when attached to unit 'A' front to front, by means of case clips or catches fitted to the outside of each unit. When the units are detached they can be rearranged into the working configurations as required and described as fol lows:- (a) The working base can be supported on its own tripid consisting of three legs that are adjustable telescopically or interlock-slides, each leg fits into a socket at the bottom of unit 'A' and the centre leg is hinged near the socket and lockable by means of a lock-nut at any required angle.Each leg is held in the socket by means of pins, lock-nuts or clips and when detached can be strapped together and carried sepa rately or in that manner strapped also to the case.

(b) The working base can be supported on most standard easels, being held firmly by the lip attached to the top of the unit, the lid then being detached and placed underneath as in the working configuration at (a) or in either case the lid, or unit 'B' can be mounted by means of the support frame at the back of unit 'B' to the front of unit 'A' - this allowing larger art surfaces to be used.

(c) The unit 'A' when detached can be supported by unit 'B' when this is re-attached to the back of unit 'A! by means of clips or catches fitted to the sides of each unit and, when the support frame of unit 'B' is angularly extended, both units are supported together as a table easel.

This explains the main configurations or working positions of the units and each unit can be used as a separate working base as required with unit 'A' also incorporating the paint compartment and palettes whilst unit'B' can support larger working surfaces and spare materials, being minus the paint com partment and palettes. The two vertical slides and retainers in each unit allow scope for either two boards or work surfaces in each unit or one larger one or a combination of either. The paint compartment can contain oils or water colours or the like and the brushes and, in the case of longer brushes, these can be held by means of spring clips to the outside and top of the paint compartment within the unit, also inside of the paint compartment when required are housed the sockets for attaching the tripod legs to the unit.

The lid of the compartment hinges down and is supported by adjustable arms, the lid then forming a large palette or work support and the auxiliary palette attached to the upper surface of the lid can be used in preference as a more permanent means of protecting paints already mixed in the compartment provided when the lid is closed in the up position.

When closed, the artist's case can be carried by means of a handle attached to the top of the case, or by straps attached to the case and slung around the shoulders of the person carrying the case when carried out in the country.

Details of the invention will now be described by way of example and reference to the drawings pro vided:- Figure 1 shows a plan detail of unit 'A' containing vertical slides 11 that carry adjustable header bars 12 lockable at any suitable position along slides 11 by means of wing nuts or spring catches 13 to hold the header bars rigid - either one large or two smaller work surfaces can be held firmly between the header bars and the base retainer bar 14 extended across the top of the paint compartment 15 and beneath the slides. The paint compartment 15 contains three or four compartments, one of which 16 supports an overhead rack 17 with slots to hold tubes of paints if required. Compartment 18 contains tissues etc., and encompasses the slide palette 24 when the palette lid 21 is in the closed position.Compartment 19 contains the right tripod leg socket 32 and/or oils, spirits for cleaning etc., Compartment 16 contains the centre tripod leg 31 and compartment 20 contains the left tripod leg socket 30 plus any other accessories.

The palette lid 21 (described on drawing Fig. 3) is supported out and down by adjustable arms 25 and locked by wing nuts 26 to the required position on vertical slides 27 fixed to each side of the case or unit.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of unit 'A' depicting palette lowered when unit 'A' is in the upright working position.

The hinged lid 21 attached to the bottom of unit 'A' is illustrated in Fig. 3 and forms a working platform or palette with an auxiliary palette 22 consisting of a double or single slotted frame 28 attached to lid 21, this frame is open at the forward end and allows palettes 24 to be slid in or out offrame 28 for cleaning or replacement. Palettes 24 may be made of formica (Registered Trade Mark) or similar material as also the lid 21. The hinged attachments 29 hold the lid 21 firmly in place via the adjustable arms 25. Lid 21, being attached to the unit 'A' by two or more hinges, can be raised and closed against the paint compartment 15 and locked by suitable catches at its top or by the wing nuts 26 - with the lid 21 closed the auxiliary palette 22 is recessed into the compartment 18 and allows any oil paints left on the palette 22 to be protected and available for further use.

Unit 'B', being the detachable lid, is illustrated in Fig. 4 and 5 and has fixed to its interior (Fig. 4) two vertical slides 33 and adjustable header bars 34 lockable in a similar manner as with unit 'A'. As this unit does not have the paint compartment as with unit 'A' the base retainer 36 is fixed lower down at the bottom of the unit allowing more scope for larger paint ings and materials to be retained within the unit.

Figure 5 shows the back of unit 'B' with the hinged frame 37 being attached to a common axle 38, it can be swung out and locked at any convenient angle by a spring loaded rod 42 which has, at its lower end, a fixed wedge 39-this wedge engages with a toothed cog 40 attached and moving in sympathy with the axle 38 and frame 37, and is held there underthe tension of a spring 41 around the release rod leading down centrally to the locking device 39, 40. The rod is held in place by the guides 43 placed at convenient intervals along the release rod 42 and attached to the back of unit 'B'. The foot of the frame 37 may be slightly angled to allow a convenient bracing position when the frame is extended orjointly fixed to the front of unit'A'.

Figure 6 again illustrates unit'A' as in Fig. 1 but now relatively supports Fig. 7 showing the top ofthe unit and position ofthe handle 10 and lip 9to add support to most types of easels.

Figure 8 shows the bottom of the unit and the positions of the holes to allow the tripod legs to be inserted into the sockets.

Figure 9 illustrates side sectional view of both units attached as a table easel with the palette lid lowered in sympathy with the working stance of the units, this is determined by the angular position of the support frame 37. Spring clips 8 hold the units together.

Figure 10 illustrates the working base, unit 'A', standing on its own tripod, the centre leg being hinged below the unit and lockable by tension nut 45 to any required angle. All legs are adjustable telescopically and held with lock nuts 46 at the required extension. The detached lid, unit'B' is shown supported by its support frame as a display unit and can be placed underthetripod or easel if an easel is used in preference to the tripod.

Figure 11 shows both units set up as a table easel.

Claims (10)

1. An artist's case comprising: a. A shallow box with a fitted lid of similar size and dimension being attached to its front by an inner rim on the box and spring catches oi clips at each side, such lid being completely detachable to farm a separate unit to the box.

b. Attached to the inside of the lid and box aretwo vertically fixed slides secured to the back of each said box and lid, and to each slide is fitted a wedge shaped clamp or header bar, being movable along each slide and lockable to any position along such slides by means of wing nuts or spring-loaded release pins, connecting such clamps or header bars to each slide.

c. A hinged frame fitted to the outside ofthe lid, being able to be angularly extended from a point near the top of the lid and held, or locked in a desired angle, by means of a spring-loaded locking device or other means holding the said hinged frame at its desired angle.

2. An artist's case as in Claim 1, the box of which, forms a work base and contains at its lower end, and extending along the width ofthe box, a paint com partment containing a number of other compart ments to hold paints, brushes and the like, one of such compartment having attached at its top, a slotted frame from which paint tubes can be suspended within the compartment.

3. A lid being attached to the paint compartment as in Claim 2, such lid being hinged at the bottom of the sai 1 compartment and extending along its full length, such lid being supported when lowered by rods attached to slides fixed vertically to each inside vertical end of the box as in Claim 1 and lockable along such slides hy means of wing nuts and bolt attachments, the said lid when lowered forming a work shelf or palette.

4. A rectangular slotted frame attached to the top surface of the lid as in Claim 3, being open at its front and allowing auxiliary palettes, in the form of fitted sheets of formica (Registered Trade Mark) or the like, able to be slotted into, or removed from, such frame with the said frame of such dimension as to allow it to fit into a section of the paint compartment when the compartment lid is closed.

5. The box and lid as in Claim 1, to have spring clips or fasteners amached to each side rear of the box and each side front of the lid, allowing the box to be attached by such clips or fasteners, back to front, to the lid. The lid and its support frame, when angularly extended, giving inclined support to the box on any horizontal surface.

6. An artist's case as in any preceding claim, such box and lid can each separately contain either one large ortho smaller paint boards, canvasses, cards or the like, being held and retained between the clamps or header bars and a facing clamp fixed to and extending along most or all of the width of such lid or box at the bottom of each respective retaining section.

7. Three telescopically tubular orextendably slotted or folding legs capable of being attached to the bottom of the box as in all preceding claims, and held there by means of either pins, locknuts, clips or screwed threaded attachments to sockets fixed to suitably placed points inside the paint compartment of such box, the centre leg of such tripod arrangement, being hinged near the top and lockable at a suitable angularposition by a tensioning lock nut.

The telescopic oradjustable legs, when detached, are strapped together and carried separately or strapped to the artist's case in a convenient manner.

8. An artistvs case as in all preceding claims, with a handle fixed to the top of the box for carrying then unit separatety ortogetherwhen closed, with an alternative means of carrying the artist's case by adjustable straps connected to the top and bottorrrof the case, so that the said case can be carried on the shoulders ofthe transporter, if required.

9. A lip attached to the top of the box as in any preceding claim, and allowing the box to be held securely to most types of easel.

10. An artist's case comprising a shallow box with a fitted detachable shallow lid and adjustable frame and separate tripod arrangement substantially as heretofore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.