Patent Application
20090189387
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a media holder, and, in particular, to a foldable media holder and related method for blocking wind.
2. Description of Related Art
Outdoor leisure time is scarce for certain portions of the population. Although the demands of modern commerce and the reduction of outdoor recreational spaces have reduced recreational opportunities in certain locations, the general population continues to use their leisure time outdoors reading media in breezy areas. Large portions of the population are flocking to beaches and other breezy areas to read books, newspapers, magazines, and the like for recreation and/or to read about current events.
Normally, comfortable reading requires minimal distractions from the wind. Without adequate wind protection, a person's enjoyment of the outdoors may be diminished greatly. One common cause of discomfort while reading on the beach or other outdoor location is the wind's blowing of pages making it more difficult to hold up the media for reading, e.g., holding up a newspaper is very difficult in strong winds. However, winds can also increase outdoor enjoyment by keeping the reader cool.
Winds vary greatly by region. According to The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), some of the mean wind speeds recorded in various regions are shown in Table 1 below.
However, not all types of media are affected equally by the wind. Books with hard outer coverings are easier to grasps than newspapers; and several pages of the book may simply be held between several fingers and a thumb. The fingers can grasp onto the hard book covering while the thumb may hold open the current page. The rigid covers provide some support for the pages and thus mitigate some of the wind's undesired effects. However, because of a book's relative small dimensions, wind may still affect the pages.
Newspapers tend to be larger, less rigid and contain thinner pages than books. Additionally, the pages are not usually bound together to the same extent as books. The lightweight thin pages, large surface area, and the lack of a binding, makes newspapers especially susceptible to high winds. There is a need to assist in supporting newspapers with something other than the reader's hands. Also, using only hands to hold media can be a tiring experience. Because of age or illness, wind may also cause certain readers additional difficulties in supporting a newspaper for prolonged periods of time.
Thus, a cheap, light, and compact media holder is needed by the average person while reading outdoors. The media holder should also double as a wind barrier as well. The media holder should be lightweight, collapsible, and supported by an appropriate support structure. A person taking trips outdoors should also not be burdened by heavy, clumsy, or non-portable contraptions. Thus, there is a need for a lightweight, easily foldable, media holder for transporting to and from outdoor areas that can sufficiently block wind.
The present disclosure relates to a media holder, and, in particular, to a foldable media holder and related method for blocking wind. In one aspect of the present disclosure, a foldable media holder for blocking wind includes a foldable frame and a flexible sheeted material. The foldable frame has an erect configuration and a folded configuration. The foldable frame includes first, second, third, fourth and central elongated support members, which may be dimensioned for holding a newspaper. The first elongated support member has a first pivot defining first and second ends, and the second elongated support member has a second pivot defining first and second ends. When the foldable frame is in the erect configuration, the second elongated support member is substantially parallel to the first elongated support member defining a planar area.
The third elongated support member also has first and second ends. The first end of the third elongated support member is operatively connected to the first end of the first elongated support member; and the second end of the third elongated support member is operatively connected to the first end of the second elongated support member. The fourth elongated support member has first and second ends. The first end of the fourth elongated support member is operatively connected to the second end of the first elongated support member; and the second end of the fourth elongated support member is operatively connected to the second end of the second support member. When the foldable frame is in the erect configuration the fourth elongated support member is substantially parallel to the third elongated support member.
The central elongated support member has first and second ends. The first end of the central elongated support member is operatively connected to first end of the first elongated support member; and the second end of the central elongated support member is operatively connected to the first end of the second elongated support member. When the foldable frame is in the erect configuration, the central elongated support member is positioned substantially parallel to the third and fourth elongated support members and is about centrally positioned therebetween. The central elongated support member may include one or more clipping members attached thereto that are configured to secure media.
The flexible sheeted material is attached to one or more of the first, second, third and fourth elongated support member; and when the frame is in the erect configuration the flexible sheeted material is substantially parallel to the planar area, e.g., the flexible sheeted material may be connected to all four elongated support members and is “stretched out” when the foldable frame is in the erect configuration. Additionally or alternatively, the flexible sheeted material may be attached to the central elongated support member as well.
The first and second pivots may define a first folding axis. The first folding axis may be adjacent to the central elongated support member and may be configured for preventing the third and fourth elongated support members from contacting when folding the foldable frame along the first folding axis.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the first or second pivots may be a living hinge. Living hinges are thin sections of plastic (or other material) that connect two segments of a part to keep them together and allow the parts to pivotable relative to each other. Additionally or alternatively, one of the elongated support members may define a longitudinal axis, a first plane, and a second plane. The first plane is parallel to the longitudinal axis and intersects a pivot; the second plane is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and intersects the pivot. The pivot extends outwards from the first plane, and the pivot at least partially slopes convexly parallel to the first plane towards the second plane.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the third elongated support member includes a third pivot pivotally connecting the first and second ends of the third elongated support member. The fourth elongated support member includes a fourth pivot pivotally connecting the first and second ends of the fourth elongated support member. And the central elongated support member includes a fifth pivot pivotally connecting the first and second ends of the fourth elongated support member.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, one of the elongated support members is substantially cylindrically shaped. The foldable frame further include a hollow slider having an inside dimensionally configured to concentrically surround the elongated support member. The foldable media holder may further include first and second travel slider stops on the outside surface of the elongated member. The first travel slider stop is positioned to lock the pivot of the elongated support member whereby facilitating the erect configuration of the foldable frame, and the second travel slider stop is positioned to facilitate pivoting of the pivot whereby facilitating the folded configuration of the foldable frame.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, one of the elongated support members has a substantially H-shaped cross-section. The foldable frame may include a hollow slider having an inside dimensionally configured to substantially surround the elongated support member. Additionally or alternatively, the foldable frame includes a means for locking the pivot of the elongated support member.
In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the first elongated support member has a substantially C-shaped cross-section and the foldable frame further includes a hollow slider having an inside dimensionally configured to substantially surround the first elongated support member. Additionally or alternatively, the foldable frame may further include a means for locking the first pivot of the first elongated support member.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the central elongated support member has a substantially U-shaped cross-section along a substantial portion thereof. The foldable media holder may include an attachable elongated holder bar. The holder bar may have first and second snap-on securing members positioned on opposite ends thereof that are dimensioned to snap-on to the central elongated support member and/or is configured to secure media to the foldable media holder.
In one embodiment, the attachable elongated holder bar may have first and second metallic members at opposite ends thereof while the attachable elongated holder bar has first and second magnetic members positioned on opposite ends thereof. The first and second magnetic members are positioned to magnetically attach to the central elongated support member thus securing media to the foldable media holder.
In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the foldable frame includes an elongated accessory attachment member having first and second ends. The first end of the elongated accessory attachment member may be operatively connected to the first, second, third, or fourth elongated support members. A c-clamp may be operatively connected to the second end of the elongated accessory attachment member. Additionally or alternatively, the elongated accessory attachment member may be configured to operatively connect to one or more of the following: a chair, an umbrella, a table, or a car window.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for blocking wind to read media is provided herein. The method includes providing a foldable media holder for blocking wind and securing the media to the foldable media holder. The foldable media holder of the method may be an embodiment disclosed herein. The method may include folding the frame along the first folding axis as disclosed supra and also as discussed in more detailed below.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, a foldable media holder for blocking wind includes a support means for supporting flexible sheeted material, a folding means for folding the flexible sheeted material, a locking means for holding the flexible sheeted material erect, and a securing means for securing the media.
These and other advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the various embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings wherein:
a is a close-up perspective view of a substantially cylindrically shaped elongated support member having a pivot and a hollow slider with an inside dimensioned to concentrically surround the elongated support member in accordance with the present disclosure;
b is a top-view of a living hinge assembly including a pinched hinge region and a hollow slider with an inside dimensioned to concentrically surround the elongated support member in accordance with the present disclosure;
c is a side-view of the living hinge assembly of
Referring to the drawings,
Central elongated support member 110 has a substantially u-shaped cross-section. The u-shape of central elongated support member 110 assists in mechanically securing media for reading. Foldable media holder 100 also includes attachable elongated holder bar 118 that includes snap-on securing members 120 and 122 located on opposite ends thereof. Each of snap-on securing members 120 and 122 is configured to secure the attachable elongated holder bar 118 to the central elongated support member 110. For example, a newspaper may be opened and attachable elongated holder bar 118 can be placed within the opened pages; then the user of the device can snap-on the snap-on securing members 120 and 122 onto elongated support member 106 thus securing the newspaper for reading. In another embodiment contemplated, the attachable elongated holder bar is magnetically connected to the central elongated support member. The snap-on action is discussed in more detail below with reference to
However, when foldable media holder 100 is being transported in either the folded or the erect configuration, attachable elongated holder bar 118 may be held by holder 124. Holder 124 is designed to ensure that attachable elongated holder bar can be pressed into a receiving area and held into place by the elasticity of the material.
As mentioned above, foldable media holder 100 has a folded configuration and an erect configuration.
Referring to the drawings,
Referring to the drawings,
Referring simultaneously to
Referring to the drawings,
Additionally, elongated support members 404 and 408, and central elongated support member 410 each have a pivot, i.e. pivots 420, 422 and 424, respectively. Pivot 420 is lockable by hollow slider 426; pivot 422 is lockable by hollow slider 428; and pivot 424 is lockable by hollow slider 430. Pivots 420, 422, and 424 define axis 432. Foldable media holder 400 may be initially folded along axis 420 and thereafter, further folded along axis 432, placing foldable media holder 100 in a folded configuration. Compare the dual folding axes of foldable media holder 400 as shown in
Foldable media holder 400 includes clipping members 436 and 438 for securing media, such as a newspaper. Clipping members 436 and 438 may include a torsion spring attached to a securing bar to secure the media. Additionally, the securing bar may include materials to increase the friction, and thus the effectiveness, of securing media to the device.
Foldable media holder 400 is shown in exploded view in
Referring to
Additionally or alternatively, although foldable media holders 100 and 400 are shown as having multiple living hinges as pivots, it is contemplated that a yoke and pin assembly be used to provide the pivots of the respective pivotable elongated support members. For example, pivot 112 of
Referring to the drawings,
Travel slider stops 610 and 612 are positioned to stop hollow slider 604 from sliding too far away from pivot 602, thus facilitating the user in finding the travel slider stop to lock pivot 602, e.g., when changing the foldable media holder from the folded configuration to the erect configuration. Travel slider stops 606 and 608 are positioned to properly position hollow slider 604 over pivot 602 in a locked position, thus facilitating the erect configuration of the foldable media holder.
Referring to the drawings,
Referring to the drawings,
It will be appreciated that variations of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Also that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.
