GB2400550A - Reading stand for outdoor use - Google Patents

Abstract

A reading stand comprises a lower ground-engaging post (10) and an upper, e.g., book-supporting tray (1, 2) attached thereto. The attachment is articulated and the post (10) has means to stop its rotation when inserted into the ground, e.g. by being of cruciform cross-section. The item is particularly useful as a portable stand which can be inexpensively produced and which can be used, e.g., to hold a book up for reading when the reader is located in a garden or on a beach. The item is preferably made of plastics material and may be produced sufficiently inexpensively to be sold or given away as a disposable item.

Description

READING STANDS

This invention relates to reading stands, particularly to such stands adapted for outdoor use.

Since at least medieval times, a variety of reading stands have been developed and manufactured. The term "reading stand'' is to be construed herein as directed to any structure which is designed to support material to be read, for example a book, magazine, or newspaper. While there are many occasions where the reader will simply hold the item being read in his or her hands, there are many cases where this is inconvenient (because the hands are no longer free to do other things), or tiring. The use of a reading stand is additionally advantageous since it may enable the item being read to be held at an appropriate angle and in an appropriate orientation to permit ease of reading in a position where it would be awkward to hold the item by hand.

Reading stands are particularly used to enable the line of sight from the eye to the item being read to be maintained perpendicular, or near perpendicular, to the plane of the item itself. Thus, for example, reading stands are known in office applications where they serve to hold e.g. a document in a generally - 2 vertical position so that they can be read by someone who is keyboarding the content of the document by copy typing. Libraries often make use of book stands, particularly for heavy or fragile volumes, which generally have a supporting surface on which the book is placed, the angle of which relative to a desk or table on which the stand is located can be varied to enable adjustment of the angle at which the book is supported to promote easier reading.

A separate area of reading stands is the variety of constructions known for supporting music in front of a seated or standing player. The stand is necessary because the player needs to use his or her hands to manipulate the musical instrument concerned. In order to adjust to the correct height, a common construction is that of a music-supporting framework attached to a post or rod which can be telescoped into a hollow tube to which appropriate ground-engaging feet may be attached. By varying the degree to which the rod is inserted into the tube and then fixing rod and tube relative to one another, the height at which the music is supported relative to the ground engaging feet may be varied.

Known reading stands are generally ill adapted for outside use. Many are not made of materials which take kindly to exposure to sun, rain or other weather conditions, and many are unstable in even moderate wind.

I have now found that, by careful design, reading stands can be produced simply and usefully which can be used in a wide variety of outside locations, for example in the garden or on the beach.

According to the present invention there is provided a reading stand which comprises a supporting structure adapted to receive reading matter articulated to a support post adapted for insertion into the ground and wherein the support post is configured or has means associated with it to prevent rotation of the post around its axis when inserted into the ground. - 3

Within this general mode of construction of a reading stand, a wide variety of individual designs may be produced, adapted to specific circumstances.

The invention is, however, of particular value in the construction of lightweight, low cost stands designed for occasional use. By careful design, the cost of production may be reduced to such an extent that the stand may be produced as an essentially disposable item which, when no longer required, can simply be thrown away without qualm, though preferably in a fashion enabling the materials from which the stand is made to be recycled.

It is particularly preferred to manufacture the stand wholly of plastics material.

The portion of the stand adapted to support reading matter preferably consists of appropriate size flat plate having at its lower edge in use a projecting lip or shelf on which the reading matter rests when the stand is in use. The plate may also have side wings extending to the same side of the plate as the lip or shelf, either to the same extent or to a lesser extent.

Such side wings serve two purposes: first, if, for a convenient reading angle, the lip or shelf is inclined to the horizontal, the side wings stop the reading matter sliding sideways and falling off. This is particularly valuable if the reading matter is a book. Secondly, when the reading matter is a book and conditions are windy or breezy, the side wings tend to reduce the incidence of pages being turned over by the effect of air movement. In a fashion similar to that of a conventional music stand, the edge of the shelf or lip remote from the plate may carry retaining tabs or prongs to hold, e.g., a book open at the correct position. In the case of a stand made of plastics material, such retaining means may be integrally formed or moulded with the shelf, for example in the form of elongate, preferably resilient, tabs.

The support post for insertion into the ground may take the form of a simple rod to which is attached means for preventing rotation of the rod about its axis when it is pushed into the ground. For example, the rod may have attached to it blades or vanes preventing it turning once inserted into the - 4 ground. Alternatively, the rod may carry a laterally extending arm to the end of which remote from the post is attached a prong generally parallel to the post. As the post is pushed into the ground, the prong comes to engage the ground and to be pushed in likewise until the internally extending arm contacts the ground surface. A particularly preferred construction is for the post to be of plastics material and, e.g., to consist of an elongate rod of non-circular cross- section, most preferably of a cruciform cross-section.

The post and reading matter-supporting plate may be articulated to one another by any convenient joint means, with the relative angular positions of one portion to the other being adjustable, but then being, at least to a moderate extent, lockable in a fixed position one relative to the other. For example, the upper end of the post may bear a suitable joint member and the lower edge of the reading material supporting portion a complementary joint member with means being provided to hold the two members relative to one another, for example the post may bear a perforated tab which can be received within a slot formed between two perforated tabs on the reading material supporting portion, and where a bolt and wing nut arrangement enables, by inserting the bolt through all three perforations when they are aligned and tightening the wing nut on it, the two perforated tabs to be held tightly against the opposite sides of the apertured member at the top of the post. Alternatively, and preferably, the top of the post is adapted to clip together with complementary means on the portion supporting the material to be read with a force sufficient to enable the relative orientation of the two portions of the device to be changed, but which normally holds the portions in fixed position one relative to the other by means of friction. For example, the top of the post may carry a ball or cylinder and the portion of the stand adapted to carry the material to be read may carry a tightly inter-engaging part spherical or part cylindrical socket. By appropriate dimensioning and the choice of materials, such a device can be manipulated relatively easily to set the angle of the reading material support portion relative to the post, "hereafter that angle will be maintained until a further manipulation is effected to change it. The use of resiliently engaging plastics joint means provides a further advantage, viz.

that the item may be easily disassembled into two pieces for carrying or storage.

The degree of angular adjustability in the articulated joint between supporting structure and support post may be relatively moderate, as the final angle of the reading matter on the support structure can be varied additionally by varying the angle at which the post is inserted into the ground. Alternatively the degree of angular adjustability may be greater, e.g. if desired to enable the reading matter supporting structure to be substantially horizontal with the phot substantially vertical so as to enable the reading stand to function as a small support stand or table with an essentially horizontal support surface.

As noted above, the reading stand in accordance with the invention may be made very simply of plastics materials at an extremely low cost enabling the provision of a reading stand, e.g. for garden or beach use at an attractive price, or even to be produced so inexpensively that it can be given away as a premium or promotional product. In such a situation, the actual cost of providing the reading stands may be recouped, for example, by providing advertising or brand promotional material on the portion of the stand supporting the reading matter itself, on one or both sides of the plate referred to above, for example.

If it is desired to use the stand according to the invention in circumstances where the support post cannot be easily inserted on to the ground - for example on rocks, concrete, asphalt or a tiled surface, a suitable base stand adapted to hold the support post generally upright may be provided.

One example of such a stand is a hollow disc-shaped base (which may be filed with water to add weight if desired) having a moulded socket therein adapted to receive the end of the post. - 6

The invention is illustrated by way of example with reference to a disposable stand designed for beach use and which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In these drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper portion of a reading stand in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a lower portion thereof, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of the two portions assembled together, Figure 4 is a diagrammatic side view showing an alternative embodiment with a base stand enabling the reading stand to be used on hard surfaces, and Figure 5 is a detailed perspective view showing the articulated joint of the stand shown in figure 4.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows the upper portion of a reading stand in accordance with the invention. It is adapted to support a book and consists essentially of a backing plate 1 having a lower shelf 2 attached to the lower edge thereof and two side walls 3 extending upwardly from shelf 2. The backing 1, shelf 2 and walls 3 thus constitute a sort of open- edged tray which is well-adapted to supporting an open book. In order to prevent the pages of the book being too easily turned, e.g. by wind, two moulded flexible tabs 4 extend upwardly from shelf 2, the tabs being curved so that their ends remote from shelf 2 point back towards backplate 1. As shown in the drawing, the backplate 1 has two apertures 5 adjacent the two tabs 4. The apertures enable the item shown in Figure 1 to be produced by injection moulding.

Located below shelf 2 as shown in Figure 1 is a hollow part- cylindrical resilient clip 6. The entire assembly may be moulded integrally from - 7 appropriate plastics material.

Referring now to Figure 2, this shows an elongate post To having a tapered or pointed end 11 which is designed to be pushed into the ground and having at its opposite end a cylindrical termination piece 12. The axis of cylinder 12 is substantially perpendicular to the axis of post 10. -On each end of cylinder 12 is a bead or flange 13, the axial extent of cylinder 12 between them corresponding to the dimensions of clip 6 shown in Figure 1.

The cross-section of post 10 is of cruciform shape. Adjacent cylinder 12, I To the portions of the cruciform shape extending in a plane perpendicular to the axis of cylinder 12 are relieved or cut away as shown at 14.

Figure 3 shows the component shown in Figures 1 and 2 clipped together.

The clip 6 is a resilient fit round cylinder 13. Because of the size of the portions of clip 6 and the relieved or cut away portions 14, the portion shown in Figure 1 can rotate to a limited extent about the axis of cylinder 12, thus enabling the relative position of the two portions to be varied. The dimensioning and materials of clip 6 and cylinder 13 are such that the two may be press fitted together, or pulled apart and such that when so press fitted, the connection is relatively stiff, i.e. the position of one portion relative to another, once set, remains relatively fixed until a sufficient force is I applied to change it.

The pointed end 11 of post to enables post JO to be thrust into the ground, or e.g. into sand or shingle, and this may be in a direction substantially perpendicular to the ground, or, more normally, at an angle thereto with a view to rendering the final position and orientation of. the shelf 2 and backplate l in accordance with the readers desire. As well as varying the angle with which post To is pushed into the ground, the extent to which it is pushed into the ground may also be chosen by the user to enable the reading material in question then to be supported in an appropriate position.

As shown in the drawings, backplate l is plain, but it should be understood - 8 that it may bear decorative or, e.g., advertising material on one or both sides.

Although as described above and shown in the drawings, the portions of the reading stand are made preferably with injection-moulded plastics material, alternative constructions are possible. For example, the backplate 1, side walls 3, shelf 2 and tabs 4 may all be cut or stamped out from a flat sheet of material which is then creased and folded to form the shape shown generally in Figure 1. In such an approach, the actual punched or stamped or cut out shape may have appropriate tabs enabling assembly from flat into a position in which the various parts are held relative to one another as shown in the drawing.

Figure 4 and 5 show an alternative embodiment in which the stand of the present invention is used in conjunction with a suitable base stand or adaptor. This is used when the post 10 cannot be thrust into the ground, e.g. because the ground in question is a hard surface such as the tiled or paved surround to a swimming pool, or a wooden decking. The embodiment of figures 4 and 5 also has a different joint between the two parts, enabling the reading matter supporting parts to be folded down to the horizontal, so acting as a generally horizontal tray or stand.

Referring to figure 4, the reading stand shown consists basically of a cruciform cross section post 20 and a reading matter-supporting structure 21, analogous to post 10 and plate 1 in Figures 1 to 3. The lower end of post 20 is a press fit into a suitable socket 25 in the upper surface of a flat bottomed disc-shaped base 26. Base 26 can be filled with water if desired to increase the stability of the reading stand.

On the back of structure 21 is an integrally moulded stop arm 28 and underneath a shelf 29 on which reading matter may rest is an integrally moulded cylindrical member 30. Member 30 is received between two arms 31 of a yoke 32 which is in turn integrally moulded with a spring clip 34 - 9 - (analogous to clip 6 in figure 1) which engages the top of post 20. By rotating member 30 in yoke 32, structure 21 may be folded down to the horizontal, at which point it is held horizontal by the abutment of stop arm 28 on the (vertical) edge of part 20. -

Claims (8)

1. A reading stand which comprises a supporting structure adapted to receive reading matter articulated to a support post adapted for insertion into the ground and wherein the support post is configured or has means associated with it to prevent rotation of the post around its axis when inserted into the ground.

2. A reading stand according to claim 1 wherein the portion of the stand adapted to support reading matter preferably consists of appropriate size flat plate having at its lower edge in use a projecting lip or shelf on which the reading matter rests when the stand is in use.

3. A reading stand according to claim 2 wherein the plate has side wings extending to the same side of the plate as the lip or shelf,

4. A reading stand according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the post is of cruciform cross-section.

5. A reading stand according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the articulation between support structure and support post consists of a spring clip of sufficient stiffness to hold the post and support in a fixed position relative to one another while enabling that position to be adjusted by the application of sufficient force.

6. A reading stand according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the stand is made wholly or substantially wholly of moulded plastics material.

7. A reading stand according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the supporting structure may be folded into a position where it is in a plane substantially perpendicular to the support post.

8. A reading stand substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.