Patent ID: 7814708

Claim:
A portable riser including a plurality of riser decks having a deck frame with a first end and an opposite second end and a first and second support legs, the portable riser having a collapsed position and an upright position, the portable riser comprising: a user-actuated lifting assist assembly including a telescoping cross-brace having a variable length, the cross-brace comprising an outer tube receiving an inner tube and a gas cylinder interiorly coupled to the inner tube and the outer tube, the cross-brace and the gas cylinder coupled to the first end of the deck frame at one end and an attachment point on the first support leg at a second end such that the cross brace and the gas cylinder rotate about the attachment point when the riser is moved between an upright position and a collapsed position, whereby the length of the cross-brace changes as the riser moves between a collapsed position and an upright position such that when the riser is in the collapsed position the length of the cross-brace is less than the length of the cross-brace when the riser is in the upright position, wherein the gas cylinder generates a substantially horizontal extending force when the riser is in a collapsed position and generates an upward extending force when the first end of the riser deck is raised a sufficient amount to rotate the gas cylinder such that the gas cylinder extends generally upward from the attachment point, the lifting assist assembly providing a lifting force to move the portable riser to an upright position.