Abstract:
A WorknStand is an apparatus which quickly unfolds and sits on an existing desk structure. It permits the user to stand while working. It folds perfectly flat, allowing easy transportation and shipping. Its hinge structure is designed in such a way that it will resist folding when open and can be leaned on with a sturdy feel. It also securely locks in both the folded and unfolded positions.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This non-provisional utility patent application claims priority to provisional application No. 61/797,835 filing date Dec. 17, 2012. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Most offices, work or study environments come pre-furnished with sitting desk arrangements. If an individual prefers to stand while working it is therefore advantageous to have a portable apparatus that unfolds and can be utilized with the existing furnishings. An apparatus is described that sits on top of existing desk structures permitting an individual to have a standing desk. Its design and hinge structure is in such a manner that an individual can lean on the apparatus and it will remain very stable while also being light and foldable. There is a lot of prior art in this category however none that meets the specifications of the WorknStand: U.S. Pat. No. 426,7998, DE 202011105421 U1, DE 102012100867 A1. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    This invention is designed to provide a working surface that allows an individual to stand while working without needing a large renovation to a traditional desk environment. The device is designed to fold up flat so that it can be shipped and moved easily. The device has sides with hinges that are oriented in a vertical manner which provides residence to axial force and gives the apparatus a very sturdy feel, appropriate for a working and writing surface. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]    An exemplary embodiment of the apparatus is demonstrated via the following drawings. 
           [0005]      FIG. 1  illustrates a WorknStand from an angled frontal view. Note the rails  11  attached to the undersurface of the platform  1  which prevent the sides  2  from opening past the outer edges of the platform. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is a WorknStand from the front where the sides are beginning to be folded in. Note the recesses  10  into which the locking mechanism  6  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) will mate, permitting folding flat. In  FIG. 2  the locking mechanism  6  is not visible because it is now hidden by the closing sides. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a WorknStand from an angled frontal view where the sides are completely folded in and the platform  1  is beginning to fold down. Note the critical design where the extension  4  is allowing the platform  1  to fold down flat over the side pieces  2 . 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a WorknStand from the bottom where the side pieces  2  are folding in. In this version of the WorknStand the platform is smaller from side to side, necessitating the sides to overlap when folded. Because of this there is an extension  5  on the side of the back piece  3  which is allowing the side piece to fold flat over the other side piece. On this view, the protrusion of the locking mechanism  6  out of the plane of the side  2  can be seen, necessitating the design element of the recesses  10  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) to allow the apparatus to fold flat. 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a WorknStand from the bottom showing the fully folded form. Note the critical function of the back&#39;s top extension  4  and side extension  5  to permit this folding flat. Note also the strap  8  and button  9  (seen in  FIG. 4 ) which lock the folded WorknStand, preventing it from opening. 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is a WorknStand view focused on the locking mechanism which sits on the top of the side piece and consists of a cam type lock  6  that rotates to engage a flat keep  7  on the bottom of the platform  1 . This design component is critical to allow folding flat of the WorknStand. 
           [0011]      FIG. 7  is a WorknStand view focused on a cam version of the locking mechanism. Note the cam  6  rotating into the keep  7 , locking the platform  1 , down on top of the sides  2 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    The apparatus has a top piece or platform  1  which folds down over the folding sides  2 . The platform can be made of any substance typically used for flat working surfaces; examples include wood, particle board, plywood, machined wood, melamine, metal, aluminum, and plastic. The top piece articulates with the back piece  3  via an extension on top of the back piece  4 . This extension allows the top piece to fold flat over the side pieces. 
         [0013]    The side  2  of the device is a structure that supports the platform and can be comprised and made of the same or different materials as the desk platform. The sides of the device articulate along the back of the side via hinges with the back of the device. The sides of the device fold inwardly to become parallel planes with the back of the device when closed. The side of the device can be in the form of a leg or numerous legs or planes of material that can support the weight of the platform. The sides can have many holes in them for various reasons such as to decrease weight or for passing cables or allowing air circulation. Furthermore, the sides provide stability to the device to not only support the platform but to also prevent the back from toppling over. 
         [0014]    The apparatus folds. In so folding it becomes flat for storing or transportation. It folds specifically by the sides folding along a generally vertically oriented hinge axis, defined by the side&#39;s edges that articulate with the back, to become parallel planes, when closed, with the back of the device. The platform top folds down, specifically along a generally horizontal axis defined by the edge that articulates with the back of the device, to become parallel planes, when closed, with both the closed sides and the back. 
         [0015]    The back  3  of the device is a structure that supports the platform  1  and can be comprised and made of the same or different materials as the desk platform. The back articulates with the platform via an articulating hinge along its superior edge oriented in a generally horizontal direction. The back also articulates with both sides along the left and right sides of the back&#39;s edges with articulating hinges that are oriented in a vertical direction. Similar to the sides, the back portion can be in the form of a leg or numerous legs or planes of material that support the hinges and weight of the platform. Furthermore, the back portion can have many holes in it for various reason such as to decrease weight or for passing cables or allowing air circulation. 
         [0016]    In one version of the invention, one designed to be smaller in a side to side dimension, the back piece not only has the top extension  4  but also a side extension  5  on one of the sides. This allows that side to fold flat over the other side, thereby keeping the unit flat for shipping purposes. The side pieces  2  lock into place via a securing mechanism  6  that is attached to the top of the side piece  2 . In one version of the invention the securing mechanism is a rotating cam lock  6  that articulates with the platform  1  via a “flat keep”  7  which is routed into the top piece. When opened, the side pieces  2  are prevented from opening beyond the outside edge of the platform  1  by rails  11  which run along the underside of the platform  1  in a front to back orientation. Various locking mechanisms can utilize either the rails  11 , the undersurface of the platform  1  or the side pieces  2 . When closed, the locking mechanism  6  will fit into recesses  10  located in either the back or the outside of the contralateral side piece permitting flat folding. 
         [0017]    The cam lock is a rotating lock  6 , comprising a male projecting part that is designed to make sliding contact with its keep  7  or female part and in so doing to impart reciprocal motion to the keep and what is attached to the keep. The cam lock can impart a unidirectional force vector or multidirectional force vector, depending on the cross sectional shape of the male projecting part. For example, some cam locks will be comprised of a flat piece of material which will taper in one plane; this imparts reciprocal motion to the keep in only that plane. On the other hand, if the cam&#39;s projection in cross section tapers more as a cone or fraction of a cone, then it will impart reciprocal motion to the keep in the planes of motion defined by the tapering of the cone&#39;s dimension. 
         [0018]    The rail  11  is a raised part of the undersurface of the platform  1  that functions to block the sides from folding beyond the outer limits of the platform edges or to provide material into which the sides can lock themselves or both. 
         [0019]    A keep  7  refers to the female component of the lock that the cam mechanism rotates into or the non-cam projection inserts into or both, in the later case the non-cam projection&#39;s keep has an opening that is narrower than the maximum diameter of its male companion&#39;s projection. 
         [0020]    The recesses  10  are areas where the lock mechanism will slip into when the apparatus is closed permitting flat folding. Recesses can be notched out parts of either the back or the sides. Recesses can also be hollowed or absent areas within the back or sides which allow the locking mechanism to hold into. 
         [0021]    Finally, the device consists of having a strap  8  and button  9  or other basic lock mechanism which keeps the device folded and prevents it from accidentally opening when transported or stored.