Easy reader versatile podium

[0001]

References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
	December, 1977	Albertson	5/482
	September, 1992	Rudy	5/507.1

[0002] This invention generally relates to podiums for the support of books or other literature for the common reader or studier and, more specifically, to such a device that can be used while lying in bed or sitting in a chair and can easily be collapsed into a small, compact, lightweight package for easy transit or storage. Many people tend to retire to their bed or easy chair to read before falling asleep. Others like students find the need to study in bed. Such an activity requires the continuous holding of reading material for long periods of time and can be tiresome and very uncomfortable.

[0003] A typical podium provides a way to hold a speaker's reading materials. Generally, the podium stands upright in front of the speaker and has a slanted top surface that supports papers at a convenient angle for the speaker to quickly glance at. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 320,319 to Brothers et al. illustrates a typical podium with an inclined support surface that holds books and papers at a convenient angle. Although this design is useful, it suffers from a lack of versatility and can't be folded away to save space when not in use. Furthermore, none of these podiums are simple enough to use while lying in bed. A casual night reader or student would have no means to support his literature while lying down. He would therefore have to toss and turn to find a comfortable holding position for his reading material and would tend to tire more quickly from doing so.

[0004] In addressing this problem, Rudy, U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,717 provides a sleeve with an interior passageway for inserting a person's arms. This allows the reader to support his arm while holding the reading material and simultaneously providing heat to them as well. Such a device can be awkward and cumbersome and does not function without the continual commitment of the hands and arms in a stressful stationary position for long periods of time. There is also the further cost of batteries or the hassle of plugging in an electrical cord to run the blanket heater.

[0005] Provided is a versatile podium which includes a platform and a pivotal material clamp for holding a book or literature firmly such that reading can take place in nearly any position as well as lying on one's backside in the sleeping position. In this regard the article can embrace the literature firmly such that the user may read completely hands free even in an upwardly position while lying in bed. The invention is useful in providing comfort and can even aid in the sleep process. Since reading can now be achieved while lying flat on the user's backside, sleep can take place at any moment without any other movement or adjustment of the body. Furthermore, bodily sleep on a person's backside is medically considered the most optimal position for relaxation of the body's joints, spine, muscles and nerves. With this invention problems in the art are finally solved. No longer need there be the discomfort of supporting reading materials while lying down or sitting. Even warmth of the arms, hands and shoulders can be achieved naturally by simply lying in bed under the blankets. The solutions presented here are for the delight of the common user.

[0006] The purpose and usefulness of this invention will become apparent upon reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

[0007] The following description will use reference numerals to designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:

[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the assembled podium;

[0009] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the collapsed podium with all accompanying parts;

[0010] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a single adjustable length leg and is representative of every adjustable length rod on the podium;

[0011] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the adjustable leg of FIG. 3 that illustrates the inner design of all adjustable rods in the podium;

[0012] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a typical book clamp internal spring assembly;

[0013] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the closed assembly in FIG. 5 with the nylon tension line and its accompanying adjustable support rods.

[0014] The following description is intended to assist any manufacturer or user in understanding the invention's structure and design in order set forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor for carrying out this invention to its highest potential. Other modifications to this design will remain apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of this invention have been described herein specifically to provide a handy, lightweight versatile podium. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the assembled podium is comprised of four main parts: a platform 16, a horizontal support bar 12, a leg 11 and a foot bar 9. All the parts of the podium are tubular rods 11, 12 with the exception of the flat panel 16 with clamp assembly 19 and projection assembly 14. They can be made out of numerous different materials such as plastic, aluminum or carbon fiber composites. Since the object of the present invention is intended to be lightweight the preferred embodiment uses mainly plastic such as ABS with the exception of the panel 16 and the clamp assembly 19 that require extra strength materials like aluminum. When assembled, the podium can stand over a bed or an easy chair since the foot 9 and foot stabilizers 21 form, as seen from above, a very stable H shaped construction that mates with the floor and leg 11. The length of the leg 11 can be easily adjusted to a convenient height by simply sliding it in a telescoping manner. The pivotal retainer 13 and projection assembly 14 that embrace the panel 16 can be rotated to any convenient reading angle by loosening the adjustment screws 15 and retightening them again in the preferred reading position. Furthermore, the pivotal retainer 13 and projection assembly 14 have the freedom to rotate with the panel 16 to any angle within a 360 degree radius around the horizontal support bar 12 to allow users the convenience of reading while lying on one's back side in bed. The spring-loaded material clamp assembly 19 will firmly hold books or reading material in place in any chosen position. If used outdoors, the spring-loaded material clamp assembly 19 holds papers securely for adequate wind protection. All individual components are fastened with hand locking adjustment screws 15,18 and are simple to unscrew for easy disassembly or reassembly. The corner support stirrups 10 are the only components that use no screws or rivets since they are simply inserted into alignment holes located between the foot 9 and leg 11 and at the upper corner of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 1. Their purpose is to ensure stability in the assembled position. Portability is an important feature of this podium. As shown in FIG. 2, the parts of the podium are mainly composed of tubular rods sized for convenient disassembly and collapsed into a small bundle for easy transit and storage. When disassembling the podium, the two comer stirrups 10 must be removed and the adjustment screws 15 loosened before folding the podium. Once folded, it is advisable to compress the leg 11 and the horizontal support bar 12 so that the over all length of the dissembled podium can be minimized for convenient storage or placement in a carrying bag or vehicle for transport. To accomplish this one must remove the lock pin 8 and compressing the horizontal support bar 12 in a telescoping manner. Finally the panel 16 along with the attached material clamp assembly 19 may be stored separately or positioned securely with the other parts. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the assembly and disassembly processes are simple operations since the entire podium including the foot 9, leg 11, and the horizontal support bar 12 are never separated, but remain affixed in their appropriate locations to prevent any mix-up or confusion among assembled components. Assembly is simply the reverse process of the above description. The collapsed podium is simply lifted by the top horizontal support bar 12 while the foot 9 is rotated to lie underneath the panel 16 and parallel to the floor. Temporary physical support must be provided in assembly to support the horizontal support bar 12 until the two comer stirrups 10 are reinserted and the foot stabilizers 21 are positioned and tightened with wing nuts 22 as shown in FIG. 1. Once the podium is self-supported the leg 11 and horizontal support bar 12 may be adjusted for the most convenient height and width. In order to set the width one must slide the horizontal support bar 12 in a telescoping manner and then insert the locking pin 8 into the most convenient hole 24. The final step in assembly is the tightening and adjusting of the projection assembly screws 15 in order to position the panel 16 for the most comfortable reading position. In the assembled position, FIG. 1 shows that the back edge of the panel 16 is attached to the pivotal retainer 13 and projection assembly 14 with two easy locking projection assembly adjustment screws 15. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the material clamp 19 slides tightly along support rails 17 which position the entire material clamp assembly 19 to lie just above the panel 16 while sustaining adequate vertical separation between the panel 16 and the clamp assembly 19 to allow room for reading material. The leg 11 and horizontal support bar 12 are made to telescope in or out to adjust the podium's height or width as shown in FIG. 3 and the view is exploded in FIG. 4 to illustrate its internal extension limiting design. The leg 11 is attached firmly at a right angle to the end of the horizontal support bar 12 through a set of riveted metal tabs 23 and further secured with corner support stirrup 10 as shown. The foot 9 is attached at a right angle to the leg with metal tabs 23 and further supported with comer support stirrup 10 to ensure stability. The leg 11 is not locked in position but rather allowed to pivot about joint 7 at any time for extra versatility. When in use, the flat panel 16 is used to support a book by rotating the spring-loaded material clamp assembly 19 clockwise and then lifting the book binding support wire 20 to allow enough clearance for its placement. Once in position, the front end of the binding support wire 20 is pressed to snap and mate security with the front edge of the panel 16 to support the book securely between its binding and the flat surface of the panel 16. Once secured and the preferred page opened, the material clamp assembly 16 can be released and allowed to rotate counter clockwise until the material tension line 27 presses the pages of the book tightly so that reading may take place in nearly any position. When turning pages the material clamp assembly 19 is simply rotated to allow access and then released to re-clamp the pages in the opened reading position. When using flat or loose pages, the book binding support wire 20 may be removed so that papers can be firmly held in place solely by the material clamp assembly 19 and tension line 27. The assembled material clamp assembly 19 shown in FIG. 6 is composed of a tension line 27 tied at each end to adjustable fasteners 25 that lock perpendicularly to the spring-loaded pivot rod 26 while maintaining adequate parallel separation between the tension line 27 and the pivot rod 26. The tension line 27 can be made from nylon or metal and must be thin to avoid any visual obstruction of words. The rest of the material clamp assembly 19 should be made from a metal such as aluminum for rigidity and strength. FIG. 5 shows a typical internal design of the spring-loaded clamp assembly 19.