Abstract:
An easel for holding objects such as smartphones, cell phones, business cards, recipes, and calendars. The profile of the easel resembles an asymmetric horizontal figure eight curve. The base of a display object rests on the top inside portion of the shelf or small loop of the figure eight curve and the back of the display object rests against the backrest or top inside portion of the large loop of the figure eight curve. The top of the shelf and the backrest are concave shaped to accommodate objects, such as smartphones, that have a curved base or curved back. The angle of the backrest may be adjusted to change the viewing angle of the display object. The easel is easily collapsible without any disassembly. The easel may be made from a single thin strip of material making it inexpensive to produce. The material can be recyclable.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application is related to U.S. Provisional application No. 61/277,433, filed and claiming the priority date of Sep. 24, 2009, for ADJUSTABLE AND COLLAPSIBLE ONE-PIECE DISPLAY EASEL included by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to easels for holding and displaying objects such as smartphones, cell phones, cameras, business cards, recipe cards, books and calendars. 
         [0003]    There have been numerous designs for display easels proposed. Some of these designs incorporate an opening in the front of the easel in which the object being displayed is placed. U.S. Pat. No. 7,270,435 to Lin and U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,293 to Sachnoff have an opening. This type of design doesn&#39;t permit objects of varying widths to be placed on the easel and the angle at which the object rests on the easel is not adjustable. Of the easel designs that incorporate a shelf for an object to rest on, allowing objects of varying widths to be placed on it, many allow the easel to be collapsed for portability reasons. U.S. Pat. No. 7,334,768 to Lum collapses but does not collapse completely flat. The design also uses a number of parts including hinges to connect the parts of the easel together. Another easel design, U.S. Pat. No. 2,591,170 to Levinson, also has multiple parts including pin hinges that hold the structural parts together. Because both of these designs have multiple parts, the complexity and cost of manufacturing is increased. 
         [0004]    Of those easel designs that are made from one piece of material, few are both collapsible and adjustable. One common design type is based on a V-shaped structure. U.S. Pat. No. 7,000,882 to Snuffer and U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,798 to Glick are examples of the V-shaped design. Although these easels are adjustable, the angle of adjustability is narrow. Also, when these easels are collapsed, their profiles are jagged making them less portable. Another type of easel design uses a triangular shape structure. U.S. Pat. No. 7,178,778 to Lee and U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,049 to Olvey are both examples of this type of design. They are adjustable by partially folding the base of the easel. But there are only two adjustment settings. U.S. Pat. No. 4,105,182 to Jacobson, another triangular design, comprises a single strip of material in the form of a triangle. It utilizes a pair of slits on one end of a strip through which the other end of the strip goes in one slit and out the other to form an upside down V-shaped shelf. Although collapsible, the easel must be disassembled beforehand. Another one-piece design, U.S. Pat. No. 1,976,421 to Traeger, is not adjustable and needs to be disassembled before folding up. U.S. Pat. No. 7,219,871 to Hecker and U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,423 to Michela are examples of an origami-like non-adjustable easel design. Michela&#39;s easel includes parts that need to be glued together, complicating the manufacturing process. U.S. Pat. No. 1,470,159 to Gibson, proposed an M-shaped easel design but it lacks stability. 
         [0005]    Smart phones are increasing in popularity. They feature a screen on which may be displayed various forms of information including videos, movies and e-books. To view the screen ergonomically, the smart phone must be either held or propped up by some means so that a proper viewing angle may be achieved. Many smart phones have a curved base and would thus not sit stably on the prior art easels previously discussed because none of them incorporate a cradle-shaped shelf top to accommodate their curved base. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0006]    This invention describes an easel for holding objects and whose profile resembles an asymmetrical figure eight curve. The invention can be constructed from a single thin strip of planar material. The shelf top and backrest of the easel can be concave shaped allowing objects, such as smart phones, which may have curved bases or backs, to sit stably on the easel. The angle at which the object rests on the easel is adjustable and the easel collapses flat for portability, storage and packaging purposes. 
       Benefits and Advantages: 
       [0007]    The objects and advantages of the present invention are: 
         [0008]    a) The easel&#39;s backrest angle may be easily adjusted for an optimal viewing angle of display objects resting on the easel. 
         [0009]    b) The easel may be easily collapsed, without any need of disassembly beforehand, into a compact and thin configuration for purposes of portability, storage, and packaging. 
         [0010]    c) The easel is a single thin strip of material reducing the cost of manufacturing. 
         [0011]    d) The shelf top and backrest of the easel are concave shaped allowing objects, including smart phones, which may have curved bases and curved backs to sit stably on the easel. 
         [0012]    e) The easel has features so that electronic devices that have the charging port located on their base may be charged while resting on the easel. 
         [0013]    f) The easel, in collapsed form, may be used as a protective case for a smart phone or other object. 
         [0014]    g) The shelf top of the easel that holds the display object is raised off the surface on which the easel rests, providing protection against liquid spills that could damage the display object. 
         [0015]    h) Graphics including designs and company logos as well as stickers, may be displayed on the shelf front and the backrest surfaces of the easel for purposes of advertising and personalization. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
         [0016]      FIG. 1A  shows a perspective view of the easel. 
           [0017]      FIG. 1B  shows a profile view of the small and large loops of the easel. 
           [0018]      FIG. 2A  shows a pre-assembled view of the easel as a thin strip of material with straight bends. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2B  shows a pre-assembled view of the easel as a thin strip of material with some of the bends being curved. 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  shows a view of the shelf or small loop of the figure eight-shaped easel. 
           [0021]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  show insertion of the head of the belt into a slot on the back of the easel. 
           [0022]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  show a belt and buckle mechanism that fastens the belt to the back of the easel. 
           [0023]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  show a finger and a charging plug being inserted through an opening on the back of the easel. 
           [0024]      FIG. 7A  to  FIG. 7C  shows alternate buckle mechanisms that use friction and pressure instead of protrusions engaged with holes to fasten the belt and shelf. 
           [0025]      FIG. 8  shows tabs and openings in the front of the easel through which a charging plug of an electronic device is inserted. 
           [0026]      FIGS. 9A to 9C  show three configurations of one embodiment of the easel. 
           [0027]      FIGS. 10A to 10C  show three configurations of an alternate embodiment of the easel in which the belt is inserted through a slot on the back and then through a slot on the base. 
           [0028]      FIGS. 11A to 11C  show three configurations of an alternate embodiment of the easel in which the belt is inserted through two slots on the back, a slot on the base and finally through a slot on a flap on the back of the shelf. 
           [0029]      FIGS. 12A to 12C  show an alternate embodiment of the easel in which all or portions of the easel of an embodiment previously disclosed, with some modifications, is turned upside down. 
           [0030]      FIG. 13  shows a snap that fastens the back and the base of the easel together when the easel is collapsed. 
           [0031]      FIG. 14  shows the easel in the collapsed configuration being used as a protective case for a smart phone. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0032]    As seen in  FIG. 2A , an embodiment could have a single thin strip of material. This strip may have a narrow section  101  and a wide section  102 , which meet at a pair of stops  126   a  and  126   b.  Narrow section  101  may have a backrest  103  and a belt  104 . Wide section  102  has a shelf top  98 , a shelf front  105 , a shelf base  99 , a shelf back  100 , a base  106 , and a back  107 . 
         [0033]    The easel may be assembled by first inserting a head  111  of belt  104  into a midsection slot  108  and then pulling it to form a small loop or shelf  96  of the figure eight-shaped easel as seen in  FIG. 1B .  FIG. 3  shows that the shelf can be buckled by inserting a pair of protrusions  109   a  and  109   b  of midsection slot  108  into a pair of holes  110   a  and  110   b  at the top of shelf back  100 . The length of the perimeter of the shelf can be prevented from shortening by stops  126   a  and  126   b.  When the easel is in use, a concave shaped depression or well may be formed on shelf top  98  close to backrest  103  because holes  110   a  and  110   b  are below the height of stops  126   a  and  126   b  providing a stable support for objects with curved bases such as a smart phone. 
         [0034]    Midsection slot  108  may be curved causing backrest  103 , inserted through the midsection slot, to flex in its shorter dimension, increasing the rigidity of the backrest and providing a stable support for objects with curved backs. The easel has at least one closely adjacent and parallel bend  121  on either side of a tab  123  where shelf top  98  and shelf front  105  meet. There can be at least one closely adjacent and parallel bend  122  where shelf back  100  and shelf base  99  meet. As seen in  FIG. 1A , there may be at least one closely adjacent and parallel bend  120  at the top of backrest  103 . There can be at least one closely adjacent and parallel bend  125  where base  106  and back  107  meet. 
         [0035]      FIG. 4A  illustrates head  111  of belt  104  being inserted from the outside of the easel into a back slot  113  near the end of back  107  so that the head of the belt moves into the interior of a large loop  97 , shown in  FIG. 1B . As seen in  FIG. 4A , the insertion of belt  104  into back slot  113  may be accomplished by doing the following steps. 
         [0036]    a) Insert one side of head  111  into back slot  113 . 
         [0037]    b) Push belt  104  sideways so that a slit  112   a  or a slit  112   b,  depending on which side of the head was inserted, fits into back slot  113 . 
         [0038]    c) Insert the other side of head  111  into the back slot, as seen in  FIG. 4B . 
         [0039]      FIG. 6A  shows that in order for belt  104  to be inserted into back slot  113  as far as the point where the belt widens near bend  120 , head  111  of the belt must move towards the front of the easel, while being pushed through the back slot. Otherwise, the belt may move parallel to back  107  and stop prematurely against base  106  near bend  125 . An opening  117 , large enough for a person to insert their finger, is located on the back. Opening  117  can be covered by a flap  118 , which may be hinged at the top of the opening. The flap may be partially bent towards the front of the easel.  FIG. 3  illustrates tab  123  facing upwards at the top of shelf front  105  of the easel. 
       Operation of Invention: 
       [0040]      FIG. 9C  illustrates the easel in the collapsed configuration. In order to expand the easel when it is in the collapsed configuration, the following two steps may be performed. 
         [0041]    a) Push bend  120  and bend  125  together causing belt  104  to slide through back slot  113 , as seen in  FIG. 9A . As seen in  FIG. 5A , a protrusion  114  in the back slot engages with one of a set of holes  116  on belt  104  when the end of back  107  at bend  115  is bent at approximately a right angle. b) Push shelf top  98  and shelf base  99 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , closer together causing protrusions  109   a  and  109   b  in midsection slot  108  to engage with holes  110   a  and  110   b.  This fastens the shelf and, because stops  126   a  and  126   b  are higher than holes  110   a  and  110   b,  with the easel in use, a concave shaped depression may be formed on the shelf top allowing display objects with curved bases, such as some smart phones, to sit stably on the easel. Tab  123  prevents the base of the display object from sliding forward. 
         [0042]      FIG. 5B  shows that by bending and holding the end of back  107  at bend  115  at approximately 180 degrees, protrusion  114  disengages with one of holes  116  allowing belt  104  to slide in and out of back slot  113  freely. To stop the belt from sliding through the back slot, release the end of the back so that the bend angle at bend  115  returns to approximately a right angle and protrusion  114  engages with one of holes  116 . If enough force is applied when sliding belt  104  through back slot  113 , the end of the back may remain bent at approximately a right angle at bend  115  because the pushing or pulling force will overcome the force keeping the protrusion in the hole allowing the belt to slide through the back slot, albeit with some resistance. 
         [0043]    The lower the hole of holes  116  in belt  104  that protrusion  114  engages with, the more vertical the display object&#39;s resting angle will be, as seen in  FIG. 9B . Conversely, as seen in  FIG. 9A , the higher the hole engaged by the protrusion, the more inclined the display object&#39;s resting angle will be. In order to engage protrusion  114  with the uppermost holes, head  111  of belt  104  can be pushed towards the front of the easel to accommodate the belt&#39;s length. As seen in  FIG. 6A , flap  118  can be bent towards the front of the easel which automatically guides head  111  of belt  104  towards midsection slot  108  when belt  104  is pushed through back slot  113 . The belt may also be manually guided towards the front of the easel by inserting a finger through opening  117  and pushing on the belt. 
         [0044]    In order to collapse the easel when it is in the expanded configuration, the following two steps may be performed: 
         [0045]    a) Pull belt  104  through back slot  113  until head  111  reaches back slot  113  and stops, as shown in  FIG. 4B . 
         [0046]    b) Press front  105  and the end of back  107  together, as seen in  FIG. 9B . 
         [0047]    When the easel is in the collapsed position, an object, such as a smart phone, may be inserted into the space between base  106 , belt  104 , back  107 , and backrest  103 . By inserting an object, such as a smart phone, into this space, the easel can function as a protective case for the object, as shown in  FIG. 14 . Strap  133  can encircle the easel so that the object does not slip out through either side of the easel. This strap may be part of the single strip of material such as horizontal wings that extend out from both sides of shelf front  105 , shelf base  99 , shelf top  98 , or shelf back  100 , wrap around and fasten in the back of the easel with a hook-and-loop fastener or snap. Alternatively, the strap may have horizontal wings that extend out from both sides of back  107 , wrap around and fasten in the front of the easel with a hook-and-loop fastener or snap. The strap may also be a separate strip of material that can be fastened to the easel by being weaved through slits in the easel or by way of a hook-and-loop fastener or snap or held in place with the strap being made of elastic material. 
         [0048]    As seen in  FIG. 6B , opening  117  may be wide enough to permit a charging plug for an electronic device to be inserted through the opening.  FIG. 7C  shows a small hole  119  connected to opening  117  by an open channel. In order to keep the charging cord of an electronic device coupled to the easel, the charging plug may be inserted through opening  117  and the cord may be moved into hole  119  by way of the open channel between them. 
         [0049]    In an alternate embodiment of the invention, there may be a tab  124  on front, as illustrated in  FIG. 8 . If an electronic device resting on the easel has a charging port on its base, the charging plug may be inserted through the opening created by tab  124 , followed by inserting the plug through the opening created by tab  123 , and finally inserting the plug into the charging port of the electronic device. 
         [0050]    In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the shelf buckle mechanism does not use protrusions  109   a,    109   b  nor holes  110   a,    110   b,  seen in  FIG. 3 , to hold the depressed concave shape of shelf top  98  because the depressed shape may be automatically formed when pushing the shelf top downwards, as seen in  FIG. 7B . The pushed down portion of the shelf top flexes in the shorter dimension of the strip, and exerts pressure against backrest  103  in its attempt to return to being coplanar with the adjacent material of the shelf top. 
         [0051]    In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the back buckle mechanism does not need protrusion  114 , nor holes  116 , seen in  FIG. 5A , to hold the belt firmly in place while inserted through back slot  113 . Instead, as seen in  FIG. 7C  and  FIGS. 11A through 11C , there may be an additional slot  132  through which the belt can be inserted. Back slot  113  and additional slot  132  can be curved downwards. Belt  104  may be inserted through back slot  113  from the inside out and then inserted through additional slot  132  from the outside in so that the end of the belt moves into the interior of the easel. By going through two slots, the friction on the belt can be increased. By pushing the convex portion of the end of back  107  above back slot  113  upwards, the pushed up portion of the back flexes and exerts pressure against belt  104  in its attempt to return to being coplanar with the adjacent material of back  107 . This increases the friction on the belt to lock it in place. 
         [0052]    In an alternate embodiment of the invention, other fastening is used instead of a belt and buckle mechanism to adjust the angle of the backrest. This may include, but is not limited to, a series of snaps or the use of a strip of hook-and-loop fastener. 
         [0053]    In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the belt and back are fastened together either permanently but not limited to, glue and staples, or temporarily fastened with but not limited to, a snap or a hook-and-loop fastener. This fastening allows only one backrest angle and thus the easel is not adjustable. 
         [0054]    In an alternate embodiment of the invention,  FIG. 10A  shows head  111  of belt  104  inserted permanently into a base slot  127  on base  106  after being inserted through back slot  113 . This embodiment functions in the same manner as an embodiment previously disclosed, except that, as seen in  FIGS. 10A and 10B , in order to adjust the backrest angle, back  107  must be rotated about bend  125 . When the easel is in the collapsed configuration, as seen in  FIG. 10C , head  111  may be held inside base slot  127  keeping the easel flat when collapsed as well as making the process of expanding the easel easier. 
         [0055]    In an alternate embodiment of the invention,  FIG. 11A  through  FIG. 11C  show head  111  of belt  104  inserted permanently into a slot  134  on a flap  135  on shelf back  100 . Flap  135  may be inserted through base slot  127  on base  106 . This embodiment functions in the same manner as an embodiment previously disclosed, except that the process of expanding the easel can be easier because there is no need to push the head  111  of belt  104  forward because it is permanently fastened inside of slot  134  on flap  135  on shelf back  100 . 
         [0056]    In an alternate embodiment of the invention, as shown in  FIG. 12A , the easel can be turned upside down. Base  106  now functions as the backrest in this embodiment. Midsection slot  108  may be curved in the opposite direction creating a concave shaped depression on shelf back  100 , acting as the shelf top, next to base  106 , allowing display objects with curved bases, such as some smart phones, to sit stably on the easel.  FIG. 12B  shows that base  106 , may be flexed in its shorter dimension similar to the backrest of an embodiment previously disclosed, by pushing the middle portion of base  106  immediately above midsection slot  108  towards the back of the easel so that a protrusion  129  in midsection slot  108  engages with one of a set of holes  130  on backrest  103 , functioning as the base, while holding the sides of base  106  in place. Base  106  flexes as a result and the width of the midsection slot on base  106  becomes shorter locking into one of a set of notches  131  on both sides of backrest  103 . With the base not flexed, midsection slot  108  can be wider, allowing backrest  103  to slide in and out of the midsection slot adjusting the distance between base  106  and tab  123 , as seen in  FIG. 12A . This allows the easel to accommodate display objects of various thicknesses. 
         [0057]    In an alternate embodiment of the invention, as seen in  FIG. 12C , the easel, excluding belt  104  and back  107 , can be turned upside down. Base  106  now functions as the backrest in this embodiment. Midsection slot  108  can be curved in the opposite direction so that there is a concave shaped depression on shelf back  100 , acting as the shelf top, next to base  106 , allowing display objects with curved bases, such as some smart phones, to sit stably on the easel.  FIG. 12B  shows that base  106 , may be flexed in its shorter dimension similar to the backrest of an embodiment previously disclosed, by pushing the middle portion of base  106  immediately above midsection slot  108  towards the back of the easel so that protrusion  129  in the midsection slot engages with one of holes  130  on backrest  103 , functioning as the base, while holding the sides of base  106  in place. Base  106  flexes as a result and the width of the midsection slot on base  106  becomes shorter locking into one of notches  131  on both sides of backrest  103 . With the base not flexed, midsection slot  108  can be wider, allowing backrest  103  to slide in and out of midsection slot  108  adjusting the distance between base  106  and tab  123 , as seen in  FIG. 12C . This allows the easel to accommodate display objects of various thicknesses. Belt  104  and back  107  are not turned upside down and function in an identical manner as in an embodiment previously disclosed, although they are required to be narrower than in an embodiment previously disclosed because back  107  must be narrow enough to fit through midsection slot  108  when the easel is constructed and belt  104  must fit through back slot  113 . 
         [0058]    In an alternate embodiment of the invention, fastening may be used to keep the easel in a flat profile when in the collapsed configuration. Fastening may include, but is not limited to, snaps, hook-and-loop fasteners, and magnets.  FIG. 13  shows one possible way of fastening; the use of a snap  128 , located on base  106 , whose receptacle is located on back  107 . 
         [0059]    In an alternate embodiment of the invention, as seen in  FIG. 7A , belt  104  can be inserted through back slot  113  on back  107  and the belt may be held in place by the friction between the belt and the slot instead of using protrusion  114  engaged with one of holes  116 , as seen in  FIGS. 5A and 5B . This friction may be overcome when a person pushes or pulls the belt through the slot when adjusting or collapsing the easel. 
         [0060]    In an alternate embodiment of the invention, at least one closely adjacent and parallel bend  120 ,  121 ,  122 , and  125 , as seen in  FIG. 2B , can be curved. With curved bends, the easel will flex in its shorter dimension. If bend  120 , for example, is curved, backrest  103  at bend  120  will flex in the same manner as it does at midsection slot  108  when the easel is bent at bend  120 , providing additional rigidity to the backrest. If bends  120 ,  121 ,  122 , and  125 , are all curved, as shown in  FIG. 2B , the easel, in its collapsed configuration, flexes as a whole in its shorter dimension. This may be desired ergonomically, to fit the collapsed easel against a person&#39;s body when carried in a pocket, or more comfortable to hold when held in the palm of a person&#39;s hand. It may also aid in keeping the easel in its collapsed configuration. 
         [0061]    In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the easel can be formed as one molded piece with large loop  97 , as seen in  FIG. 1B , open at the back and the two open ends of the back functioning in the same manner as one of the embodiments previously discussed. 
         [0062]    In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the easel can be formed as one molded piece with no open back. The easel may still be collapsible and adjustable provided bends exist on the top and bottom of both the small and large loops as well as an additional bend near the middle of the back of the large loop. By compressing the front and back of the easel together, the easel will collapse. By pressing the bends on the top and bottom together, the backrest will incline. 
       Conclusions, Ramifications, and Scope: 
       [0063]    While our description contains much specificity, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred and some alternate embodiments thereof Many other variations are possible. For example, non-slip pads such as but not limited to rubber or silicone may be affixed to the bottom of the easel to prevent the easel from sliding on the surface on which it is resting. Non-slip pads such as but not limited to rubber or silicone may also be affixed to the shelf top of the easel to prevent the display object from slipping while resting on the shelf The edges and interior of the easel may be cut to create abstract or figurative shapes for decorative purposes. The easel may be made larger to hold objects such as books or papers. It may also be made smaller to hold objects such as business cards. 
         [0064]    Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.