Adjustable stand

Abstract

 A stand 10 for supporting articles such as dishes, bowls, posters, books or the like comprises a base 12, a support arm 14, and a strut 16. The base has two forwardly diverging limbs 18. The support arm 14 and the strut 16 each have a series of bores 24, 26 therein and are pivotally mounted on the base. By inserting a pin 28 through selected bores 24 and 26 the angle of the support arm 14 with respect to the base can be adjusted.

Description

[0001] THIS INVENTION relates to a multi-purpose, adjustable stand.

[0002] The stand of the invention finds particular application in supporting a dish, bowl, or the like item of pottery in an upright position for display purposes, and in holding items such as books upright, either in the closed or in the open condition, either for display purposes or during reading. It is to be understood, however, that the stand may find other uses.

[0003] According to the invention there is provided an adjustable stand which comprises :
a base having a forward end and a rear end, means at or near the forward end to support an upstanding article from underneath, and means at or near the forward end to resist forward sliding of the article with respect to the base;
a support arm which, at its lower end, is mounted on the base, rearwardly of said forward end, to be pivotal about a first transversely extending horizontal pivot axis, and which has a forwardly directed upper end for supporting said article from behind; and
a strut which, at its lower end, is mounted on the base, rearwardly of said forward end, to be pivotal about a second transversely extending horizontal pivot axis spaced from the first pivot axis, the strut being adjustably connectable to the support arm in such a manner as to permit adjustment of the angle of the support arm with respect to the base about said first pivot axis.

[0004] The base may comprise of a pair of forwardly diverging, horizontally extending limbs, the pivotal mounting of the support arm to the base being at the point where the limbs are closest to one another.

[0005] To provide for adjustable connection of the strut to the support arm, at least one of them may have a series of spaced bores therein, the other one having at least one bore therein, and a connecting pin being insertable into aligned bores of the support arm and the strut to connect them together.

[0006] The base may further comprise a transverse member extending between the limbs, the lower end of the strut being mounted pivotally on the transverse member.

[0007] The stand may include a first accessory part comprising a platform having a first upstanding, transversely extending wall along one side thereof and a downwardly protruding, transversely extending ridge or ridge parts whereby the accessory can be supported on the base.

[0008] The stand may further include a second accessory part which can co-operate with the first accessory part to form a second upstanding wall spaced from the first upstanding wall, the arrangement being such that the distance between the first and second upstanding walls is adjustable.

[0009] The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] In the drawings :

Figure 1 is a side view of a stand in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the stand;

Figure 3 is a side view of the stand, shown holding a shallow dish or plate;

Figure 4 is a side view of the stand, shown holding a deep bowl;

Figure 5 is a side view of the stand, shown holding a poster (mounted on a stiff backing);

Figure 6 is a three-dimensional view of two accessory parts for use with the stand;

Figure 7 is a front elevation of one of the accessory parts; and

Figure 8 illustrates the use of the accessory parts of Figure 6 with the stand, to support a book.

[0011] Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, reference numeral 10 generally indicates a stand which comprises a base 12, a support arm 14, and a strut 16. The base 12 consists of a pair of forwardly diverging limbs 18 which, at the rear, where they are closest to one another, are connected by a pivot pin 20. The pin 20 simultaneously serves as a pivotal mounting for the lower end of the support arm 14. At a position set back from the forward end of the limbs 18, the limbs are interconnected by means of a transverse member in the form of a rod 22, which serves as a pivotal mounting for the strut 16. In the limbs 18 there are openings 23 for lightening the structure.

[0012] In the support arm 14 there is a series of bores 24, and in the strut 16 there is a series of bores 26. The strut 16 can be connected to the support arm 14 in any one of a number of different positions, by aligning one of the bores 24 with one of the bores 26, and then inserting a connecting pin 28 into the aligned bores.

[0013] Near the forward end of each of the limbs 18 there is a recessed portion which provides the limb with a retaining formation 30. The upper edge of each limb 18, in the region of the recessed portion is bevelled, to form the limb with a narrow, upwardly directed edge. Slightly set back from the retaining formation, on each of the limbs 18, there is a laterally protruding locating formation 32, the purpose of which will be described hereinafter.

[0014] The stand 10 can be used to support pottery articles, such as the plate or shallow dish 34 shown dotted in Figure 3, in an upright position for display purposes. The rim of the dish will, at the bottom, be supported on the narrow edges of the limbs 18, the retaining formations 30 preventing the dish from sliding forwardly. The upper end 36 of the support arm 14 will support the dish from behind.

[0015] By suitably adjusting the angle which the support arm 14 forms with the base 12, it is possible to support a large number of different pottery items, of different sizes, on the stand. Figure 4, for example, shows a deep bowl 38 being supported on the stand, whereas Figure 5 shows a poster 40 (mounted on a stiff backing) being supported on the stand.

[0016] Referring now to Figures 6 to 8, reference numerals 42 and 44 indicate accessory parts for use with the stand 10. The accessory part 42 comprises a platform 46 with an upstanding, transversely extending wall 48 along one side thereof, and a downwardly protruding, transversely extending ridge or ridge parts 50. The accessory part 42 can be placed on the forwardly protruding ends of the limbs 18, with the ridge parts 50 resting on the narrow edges, as can best be seen in Figure 8. The accessory part 42 can now rock on the ridge parts 50, with the retaining formations 30 preventing forward sliding. Each ridge part 50 has, at the outer end thereof, a downwardly protruding part 52 which, by abutting against the locating formations 32, locates the accessory against rearward displacement with respect to the limbs 18.

[0017] In the platform 46 there is a slot 54 which extends from the front edge rearwardly and has, in each opposite side thereof, a series of notches 56. The notches on one side of the slot are staggered with respect to those on the other side of the slot.

[0018] The accessory part 44 is adapted to extend along the platform 46 and has, at the bottom thereof, a downardly protruding pin 58 with a head 60. The diameter of the pin 58 is such that it can slide along the slot 54 and into anyone of the notches 56.

[0019] In use, with the accessory part 42 supported on the limbs 18 as illustrated in Figure 8, a book 62 can be supported on the platform, with the support arm 14 (not shown in Figure 8) supporting the book from behind. The book can either be supported in the closed condition, in which event the accessory part 44 is not required, or in the open condition, in which event the accessory part 44 can be used to hold the pages of the book in the open condition. To do this, the accessory part 44 is placed in position with the pin 58 entering the slot 54. The accessory part 44 is moved back until it is in the desired position and is then moved sideways so that the pin 58 moves into the appropriate slot 56. The accessory part 44 can pivot about the axis of the pin 58 to accommodate an opened book which may be thicker on one side than it is on the other.

Claims

1. An adjustable stand characterised in that it comprises :
a base (12) having a forward end and a rear end, means at or near the forward end to support an upstanding article from underneath, and means (30) at or near the forward end to resist forward sliding of the article with respect to the base;
a support arm (14) which, at its lower end, is mounted on the base, rearwardly of said forward end, to be pivotal about a first transversely extending horizontal pivot axis (20), and which has a forwardly directed upper end (36) for supporting said article from behind; and
a strut (16) which, at its lower end, is mounted on the base, rearwardly of said forward end, to be pivotal about a second transversely extending horizontal pivot axis (22) spaced from the first pivot axis, the strut being adjustably connectable to the support arm in such a manner as to permit adjustment of the angle of the support arm with respect to the base about said first pivot axis.

2. An adjustable stand as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the base (12) comprises of a pair of forwardly diverging, horizontally extending limbs (18), the pivotal mounting (20) of the support arm to the base being at the point where the limbs are closest to one another.

3. An adjustable stand as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that, to provide for adjustable connection of the strut (16) to the support arm (14), at least one of them has a series of spaced bores (24, 26) therein, and the other one has at least one bore (24, 26) therein, a connecting pin (28) being insertable into aligned bores of the support arm and the strut to connect them together.

4. An adjustable stand as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that the strut (16) and the support arm (14) each have a series of spaced bores (24, 26) therein.

5. An adjustable stand as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, characterised in that the base (12) further comprises a transverse member (22) extending between the limbs (18), the lower end of the strut (16) being mounted pivotally on the transverse member.

6. An adjustable stand as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it includes a first accessory part (24) comprising a platform (46) having a first upstanding, transversely extending wall (48) along one side thereof and a downwardly protruding, transversely extending ridge or ridge parts (50) whereby the accessory can be supported on the base (12).

7. An adjustable stand as claimed in claim 6, characterised in that it further includes a second accessory part (44) which can co-operate with the first accessory part (42) to form a second upstanding wall spaced from the first upstanding wall (48), the arrangement being such that the distance between the first and second upstanding walls is adjustable.

Drawing