Abstract:
A portable workstool suitable for carrying or use by a human subject is provided. The workstool includes a stoolmember having a frame and a pad. A detachable pouch having two handles for portability is connected to the stoolmember. The stool is placed in a functional mode for sitting and working in the conventional fashion. The pouch is configured to provide ergonomic storage and access to tools and the like while providing space-efficient storage of such because the pockets are immediately beneath the user. In particularly preferred embodiments, each pocket has a plurality of cells so that the user may conveniently store and locate tools without breaking visual contact with the work

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a portable workstool and more particularly to a portable workstool which provides for ergonomic storage and use of tools with optimum space-efficiency. 
     Workstools have played a very important role in many practical endeavors. Electricians, fishermen and gardeners are only three obvious examples of the nearly infinite uses of the workstool. The conventional workstool, or campstool, suffers from several deficiencies. First, it is not conveniently portable because after folding, it must be separately carried, e.g. by the frame, and so tools or other articles must be separately carried by the user. Further, any tools used must be placed on the ground or stored on some other adaptive surface. This can be inconvenient for three major reasons. First, if there is no suitable storage area for the tools nearby, it may be necessary to place them more than arm&#39;s length away, for example in an uneven or tight working space. Secondly, if the tools are placed on the ground, the user must bend over to store or retrieve the tool and such action is often ergonomically undesirable or even impractical. Third, even if the tools may be stored close by, the storage or retrieval of such tools may require visual inspection. In other words, the user may have to glance away from his work site to the general location of the tool storage area in order to retrieve or replace the tool. This is also often undesirable or even impractical with detailed work. What is needed is a workstool which is not only easily portable but one which is functionally superior to a conventional workstool by virtue of being ergonomically advantageous and space-efficient in the utilization of tools. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, a portable workstool provides convenient portability, ergonomic storage and space-efficiency when in use. The portable workstool is suitable for carrying or use by a human subject, the stoolmember utilizing both a frame and a pad. The frame includes a firs rectangular leg and a second rectangular leg pivotally interconnected. The pad presents a die-cut pattern to form two sleeves slidably connected to the first leg and two sleeves slidably connected to the second leg. The workstool also features a detachable pouch having a substrate with a left side, a right side and a ground side, as well as first and second handles. The pouch also includes fastening structure configured to attach to the four sleeves. The left side and the right side of the pouch each contain a pocket. In preferred embodiments each pocket has a plurality of cells, e.g. three cells on each side. 
     In functional mode, the two legs are pivoted so that the pad is taut. The two legs are, in effect, placed on a planar surface such as the ground. The taut pad may be securely sat upon with the pouch providing ergonomic and convenient access to the pockets. The workstool is space efficient because the pockets are disposed beneath the human subject. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable workstool set up in functional mode in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the stoolmember alone in functional mode; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the detachable pouch alone; and 
     FIG. 4 is a detailed view of a portion of the portable workstool of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to the drawings in general and FIG. 1 in particular, a portable workstool  10  is shown in accordance with the present invention. Workstool  10  includes a stoolmember  12  and a detachable pouch  14 . Workstool  10  can be carried in a portable mode or a human subject or user (not shown for ease of illustration) can sit on workstool  10  and utilize pouch  14  in accordance with the invention. 
     Referring to FIG. 2, stoolmember  12  is shown without pouch  14  (see FIG. 1) for clarity of illustration. Stoolmember  12  includes a frame  16  and a pad  18 . Frame  16  has a first leg  20  and a second leg  22 . First leg  20  and second leg  22  are pivotally interconnected by pins  24 . Legs  20 ,  22  and pins  24  are preferably made of metal or any other suitably rigid and durable material. 
     First leg  20  includes a pad spar  26 , a ground spar  28  and two support members  30 . It will readily be seen that first leg  20  and second leg  22  are both rectangular in shape. 
     Second leg  20  includes a pad spar  32 , a ground spar  34  and two support members  36 . 
     An axial projection  38  of pad spar  32  of second leg  22  is shown at the right side of FIG.  2 . Likewise, an axial projection  40  of ground spar  28  of first leg  20  is also shown to the right of FIG.  2 . It will readily be seen that axial projection  38  and axial projection  40  define and present a plane  42  which is illustrated as a plane segment for ease of illustration. 
     An axial projection  44  of pad spar  26  of first leg  20  is shown at the left side of FIG.  2 . Likewise, an axial projection  46  of ground spar  34  of second leg  22  is also shown to the left of FIG.  2 . It will readily be seen that axial projection  44  and axial projection  46  define and present a plane  48  which is illustrated as a plane segment for ease of illustration. 
     Pad  18  has two first-leg sleeves  50  which are axially slidably attached to first leg  20  at pad spar  26  as shown. Pad  18  has two second-leg sleeves  52  which are axially slidably attached to the second leg  22  at pad spar  32  as shown. Pad  18  is preferably formed of a synthetic resin material, but can be made from any suitable material with or without an integrated cushion. 
     Referring to FIG. 4, second-leg sleeves  52  each include a flap  53  and respectively a male pad snap  54   a  and a female pad snap  54   b . (Note that the first sleeves  50  have associated flaps  53  and respectively a male pad snap  54   a  and a female pad snap  54   b ; such flaps  53 , male pad snap  54   a  and female pad snap  54   b  associated with first sleeves  50  not being shown for economy of illustration; note also that directly across from male pad snap  54   a  as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 is female pad snap  54   b  on first sleeve  50  and that directly across from female pad snap  54   b  as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 is male pad snap  54   a  on first sleeve  50 .) 
     Although pad  18  includes structure presenting a die-cut pattern to form two first-leg sleeves  50  and two second-leg sleeves  52 , the two first-leg sleeves  50  permanently, slidably attaching first leg  20  to the remaining portions of the pad  18 , and the two second-leg sleeves  52  permanently, slidably attaching second leg  22  to remaining portions of pad  18 , all in the preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that alternative designs without a die-cut pattern could be utilized. For example, in an alternative embodiment (not shown), the first leg sleeves  50  can be formed as a single, continuous sleeve, and the second leg sleeves  52  can be similarly formed as another single, continuous sleeve. Alternatively, pad  18  can be permanently or removably attached to pad spars  20  and  22  or to itself with other suitable fastening means such as snaps, buttons, hooks or Velcro-type fasteners. Also, snaps  54   a  and  54   b  can be attached directly to pad spars  20  and  22  directly or through sleeves  50  and  52 , rather than attached to flaps  53  as shown. 
     Referring to FIG. 3, pouch  14  is shown detached from the rest of workstool  10 . Pouch  14  has a substrate  55  presenting a left side  56 , a right side  58  (see FIG. 1) and a ground side  60  (see also FIG.  1 ). 
     Still referring to FIG. 3, pouch  14  has fastening structure in the form of two male pouch snaps  62   a  and two female pouch snaps  62   b  (note that only one male pouch snap  62   a  and one female pouch snap  62   b , both located on left side  56  of pouch  14  are visible in FIG. 3 due to the angle of viewing but the other male pouch snap  62   a  and female pouch snap  62   b  associated with right side  58  of pouch  14  are visible in FIG. 1 from a different perspective). It will be readily appreciated that on both sides of pouch  14  male pouch snaps  62   a  and female pouch snaps  62   b  are disposed in complementary fashion to male pad snaps  54   a  and female pad snaps  54   b . This arrangement of snaps allows pouch  14  to be attached to the stool facing in either direction, while permitting the same snaps  62  to be used to close pouch  14  when it is detached from the stool. 
     As will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, other numbered sets or configurations of snaps may be used and indeed other fastening structure such as velcro or buttons could be used for reversible attachment of pouch  14  to stoolmember  12 . 
     Left side  56  of pouch  14  includes a left handle  64  and right side  58  of pouch  14  includes a right handle  66  (see FIG. 1 for right handle  66 ). Left side  56  includes a left-side pocket  68  having three cells  70  suitable for storage. Right side  58  includes a right-side pocket  72  having three cells  74  suitable for storage. Different numbers or arrangements of cells (not shown) can alternately be provided. However, it is preferable to have individual cells rather than a large, unitary pocket to organize tools in easily accessible positions, as will be further described below. 
     Still referring to FIG. 3, when carrying workstool  10  in its fully assembled configuration, a human subject will grasp left handle  64  and right handle  66  (it will be noted that right handle  66  is not visible in FIG.  3  and furthermore that pouch  14  is not shown in conjunction with stoolmember  12 ). It will be readily appreciated that when the human subject is carrying the workstool  10 , pouch  14  will be in an upright position, as substantially shown in FIG.  3 . The portable mode is beneficial because not only can workstool  10  be easily carried by handles  64  and  66 , but also tools and other objects can be carried inside pouch  14  as at reference numeral  76  illustrated in FIG.  1 . Also, items may be carried in cells  70  and  74  (see FIG. 1 for cells  74 ). In this fashion, workstool  10  can be used as a carrying case in its portable mode. 
     Referring to FIG. 1, workstool  10  is seen in its functional mode as noted above. Workstool  10  is placed in functional mode as any other conventional workstool, notably by pivotally adjusting first leg  20  and second leg  22  to form an oblique angle therebetween and ground spar  28  of first leg  20  and ground spar  34  of second leg  22  are placed on a substantially planar supportive surface such as the ground, then forces exerted by the planar surface on workstool  10  serve to maintain pad  18  in a substantially taut condition and therefore a human subject may securely sit on workstool  10  at pad  18 . In accordance with the invention, when a human user is sitting on workstool  10  he has convenient storage areas in cells  70  and  74  (see FIG. 3 for cells  70 ) as well as inside pouch  14  as shown at reference numeral  76 . Cells  70  and  74  are particularly ergonomically effective because they are at a higher elevation than the ground or other supporting planar surface so the user must not bend or reach as far to retrieve or replace tools. Furthermore, in accordance with the invention, the user can mentally designate a given cell by its position on left side  56  or right side  58  (and even its serial position with respect to the other cells on a given side) so that he may know precisely the location of a particular tool whenever he is ready to retrieve it. Hence, the user is not required to break visual contact with his work site if this is undesirable but may instead readily locate the tool by touch. 
     Finally and in accordance with the invention, the user need not utilize any further volume than already required by workstool  10  in its functional mode for storage of tools. As seen in FIG. 2, substantially parallel planes  42  and  48  describe the outer perimeter of the volume of workstool  10  in functional mode and it will be readily noted that in the preferred embodiment cells  70  and  74  are disposed between planes  42  and  48  and below the human subject when he is sitting on workstool  10 . Hence, the volume already required for workstool  10  in functional mode may also be utilized for tool storage. 
     While this invention has been described with reference to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, it is not confined to the details set forth and the patent is intended to include modifications and changes which may come within and extend from the following claims.