Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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48900-1
PORTABLE EASEL AND SEAT FOR ARTISTS
The present invention relates to a portable easel
and more specifically to a combined easel and seat that
is foldable into a compact unit.
Artists often set up easels in remote sites for
painting landscapes and the like and in order to locate
themselves for painting it is often necessary to carry an
easel, a stool and all painting equipment, including
canvases and boards, to the site. This generally
involves a number of items that have to be carried and in
some cases it may be necessary to make two trips to an
artist's site from, for instance, a car.
Various types of portable easels are available on
the market. Some of these collapse or fold to a compact
size so they are easy to carry. Also foldable stools and
chairs are available. Some transportable easels such as
that shown by Hiner in U.S. patent 5,399,009 is provided
with wheels so that it can be pushed or towed to a site.
The idea of having a combined seat, easel and
sunshade was disclosed by Richter in U.S. patent 375,953
which was patented in 1888. Richter shows a series of
telescopic legs and braces, the assembly of which appears
to be rather complex.
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I have now found that I can provide a combined easel
and seat assembly foldable into a substantially oblong-
shaped box which has wheels at one end for ease of
transporting and legs at the other end which fold down to
support the box on the ground. The box has connections
for attaching elongated members to connect the box to a
bicycle so it may be towed. Compartments are provided in
the box for canvases, boards, paints and the necessary
artists' supplies. Therefore, the one assembly may be
pushed or pulled to a site, and includes all that an
artist requires. Thus, only one trip need be made to
that site. Provision is made on the box, when in the
open position, for mounting an umbrella or sunshade and
the seat itself has a foldable backrest, thus making it
more comfortable than a canvas stool which is frequently
used by artists.
The easel has support strips on two easel arms for
supporting a canvas or board at almost any height on the
easel to suit the artist. A palette may be included in
the box itself and provision is made on the easel arms
for the palette to be held in slots. In one embodiment a
storage compartment within the box permits 11" x 14"
canvases or boards with sufficient space in a different
storage compartment for paints, liquids, brushes and
other related materials.
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The portable easel and seat can be towed behind a
bicycle which makes it convenient for artists to cycle to
sites. Alternatively, the wheels are removable so the
assembly may be placed in the trunk of a car and then the
wheels assembled and pulled to a site by handle which
forms part of the support for the easel arms when raised.
In one embodiment the easel and seat assembly has a
weather resistant finish, and a maul-stick is provided
with a hook to fit over one of the support members on the
easel arms.
The present invention provides a portable easel and
seat assembly comprising: a substantially oblong-shaped
box having two wheels removably mounted at a rear end of
the box, and two legs pivoted from a pivot position at a
front end of the box, the legs extending down to a locked
lowered position, which together with the wheels, support
the box in a plane substantially parallel to the ground;
a seat at the rear end of the box; an easel frame with a
first pair of substantially parallel arms linked together
and with lower ends pivoted at the pivot position at the
front end of the box, the first pair of arms supported in
an upright position, and foldable to a first stored
position on the top of the box, a second pair of
substantially parallel arms, pivoted to upper ends of the
first pair of arms, supported in an extended position
substantially in line with the first pair of arms, and
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foldable to a second stored position within the first
pair of arms, and mounting strips on the first pair of
arms and the second pair of arms to support canvases or
boards.
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the
present invention,
Figure 1 is an isometric view showing a portable
easel and seat assembly according to one embodiment of
the present invention in a folded position,
Figure 2 is an isometric view showing the portable
easel and seat assembly of Figure 1 in the open position,
Figure 3 is an isometric view showing the portable
easel and seat assembly of Figure 1 with elongated
members attached to the front of the box for bicycle
towing,
Figure 4 is an isometric view showing the attachment
arm for a bicycle,
Figure 5 is an isometric view showing a clamp for a
bicycle for connecting the attachment arm shown in Figure
4.
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Referring to Figure 1, the portable easel and seat
assembly 10 shows a substantially oblong box 11 which at
the bottom rear corner 12 has wheels 14 mounted thereon.
The wheels 14 are removable so that the box 11 can be
placed in the trunk of a car. The wheels 14 are shown as
being spoked wheels with pneumatic tires, thus they are
lightweight and large enough to roll over rough ground
without getting stuck.
At the top front corner 16 of the box 11 are two
kidney-shaped plates 18 which extend frontward and upward
from the front corner 16 and have a pivot pins 20
extending through each plate 18 just above the box 11.
Threaded lock nuts 22 is provided on the pivot pins 20
and support legs 24 extend down on the outside of the
plates 18 to the ground, the legs 24 and the wheels 14
supporting the box 11 so that it is substantially
parallel to the ground or the floor that the assembly 10
rests on. The legs 24 have a cross member 26 which
engages with a stop 28 on the bottom of the box 11, thus
the legs 24 cannot fold back further than the lowered
position as shown in Figure 1. These legs 24 may be
folded up about the pivot pins 20 so that they rest along
the top of the box 11 as will be shown hereafter.
At the front end of the box 11, between the two
kidney-shaped plates 18, is a handle crossbar 30 which
can be used for wheeling the assembly 10 when in the
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folded position and also acts as a support for the easel
as will be described. At the back of the box 11, behind
the wheels 14, are top and bottom extension plates 32,34
with aligning holes 36 therein for an umbrella or
sunshade to be supported as shown in Figure 2.
Reflectors 38 are shown positioned on the back end 40 of
the box 11 for use when towed behind a bicycle. The back
end 40 is pivotable downwards for access to a rear
storage area to hold canvases and artists' materials.
As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the easel itself
comprises two lower easel arms 42 which are connected at
the base to the pivot pins 20 on the inside of the
kidney-shaped plates 18. The lower arms 42 may be locked
at any angle by tightening the lock nuts 22. When in the
raised position, the lower arms 42 rest against the
crossbar 30 and thus are supported in an upright
position. Upper easel arms 44 have top pivot pins 46
with butterfly nuts 48 that hold the upper arms 44 in the
extended position as shown in Figure 2 resting against an
upper cross piece 50 between the tops of the lower arms
42. When folded, as shown in Figure 1, the upper arms 44
fold down inside the lower arms 42 which in turn fold
down to rest on the top surface of the box 11.
A seat 52 is positioned on the box 11 over the
wheels 14 and has a foldable backrest 54. The backrest
is shown raised in Figure 2 and folded down in Figure 1.
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A palette 56 is shown in Figure 2 which may be hand-
held or, alternatively, fits into slots 58 positioned in
front of the lower arms 42. The palette 56 fits over a
tray 60 in the top of the box 11. The tray 60 can be
used for containing paints and other artists' materials.
The tray 60 is removable, and a compartment is provided
underneath into which further artists' materials may be
kept.
Mounting strips 62 extend along the front edge of
the upper arms 44 and the lower arms 42. The mounting
strips 62 may be made of a looped fibre fabric strip and
mating strips formed of fabric with a plurality of hooked
fibres, sold under the trade-mark VELCRO, may be attached
to the canvases 64 or boards so that they may be attached
at any position on the upper arms 44 and lower arms 42.
It is noted that these arms 42,44 are in line, so the
edges of the arms present a single plane for mounting the
canvases 64 or boards.
A maul-stick 66 is shown in Figure 2 with a hook 68
thereon. This hook 68 on the maul-stick 66 fits over a
top cross piece 70 between the upper arms 44 or,
alternatively, may be hooked onto one of the other cross
pieces between the arms. The maul-stick 66 fits into the
box 11 when the easel and seat assembly 10 are in the
folded position.
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Figure 3 illustrates the support legs 24 pivoted up
into a folded position and resting on top of the box 11.
The legs 24 are placed in this position for transporting
the box and a single bicycle attachment arm 70 is shown
fitting into a bracket 72 on one side of the box 11 with
a holding screw 74 holding the attachment arm 70 in
place.
The bicycle attachment arm is shown in Figure 4
which has a hook 76 at the extreme end. A clamp 78 is
shown in Figure 5 which clamps onto a rear frame member
of a bicycle (not shown). Two clamp screws 80 hold the
clamp 78 to the bicycle frame and a U-member 82 is
attached to the back of the clamp 78, positioned so it is
in the location of the rear axle of the bicycle. The
hook 76 on the attachment arm 70 hooks over the U-member
82 on the clamp for towing. The attachment arm 70 can
easily be unhooked when the easel and seat assembly is to
be used or stored.
A sunshade or umbrella 78 is shown in Figure 2.
This is a standard umbrella which fits within the slots
36 of the two extended members 32 and 34.
The box 11, arms 42,44, bicycle attachment arm 70
and legs 24 are, in one embodiment, made of wood and are
treated with a weather resistant finish so that the
complete assembly 10 is not affected if it remains out in
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the rain. In one embodiment, the length of the box 11 is
approximately 38" with a width of approximately 17" and a
folded height of approximately 17".
In the embodiment shown, the weight of the assembly
10 with all components, but not including painting
materials and canvases, amounts to 26 pounds which is not
too heavy for an artist to push or pull to a site.
When the artist arrives at site, the assembly 10 is
unfolded, the legs 24 are folded down, the lower arms 42
and the upper arms 44 are opened. The lower arms 42 and
the legs 24 are locked in the required positions by the
locking nuts 22 on the pivot pins 20. Whereas, in Figure
2 the lower arms 42 are shown pushed back resting against
the crossbar 30, it may not always be necessary to push
them back as far as this. If desired, the upper arms 44
may be locked in a forward position so that they are
almost vertical depending upon the requirement of the
artist. The upper arms 44 are swivelled open and locked
in place by the lock nuts 48. The seat back 54 is
raised, the palette 56 is removed from its place on top
of the tray 60 in the box 11 and a canvas 64 or board is
positioned on the arms by use of the VELCRO strips 62.
The upper arms 44 can also be swivelled to a
substantially horizontal position, or slightly sloped
towards the artist. The upper arms 44 are locked in
place by the lock nuts 48. VELCRO strips are placed on
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the backs of the upper arms 44 so a canvas 64 can be
positioned thereon. The artist's materials such as
paints or colours may be assembled on the palette or
remain in the tray 60 as shown in the top of the box 11
and the artist is then ready to commence painting. On
hot days or rainy days an umbrella or sunshade may be
provided as shown in Figure 2.
At the end of painting it is simply necessary for
the assembly 10 to be placed in the folded configuration.
Canvases may be stored in the rear compartment at the
back end 40, the top arms 44 and the bottom arms 42 are
folded up, the seat back 54 is lowered, the legs 24 are
also folded up. If the assembly 10 is to be towed behind
a bicycle, then the attachment arm 70 is inserted into
bracket 72 and locked in place. The clamp 78 is mounted
on the bicycle frame, the attachment arm 70 hooked onto
the clamp 78 and the portable easel and seat assembly 10
can then be moved. If a bicycle is not used, then the
assembly 10 can be pulled along from the handle crossbar
30. If it is to be put in a car, then the wheels 14 may
be removed.
Various changes may be made to the embodiments shown
herein without departing from the scope of the present
invention which is limited only by the following claims.
