Portable voting booth

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6827262
  • Patent Number
    6,827,262
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, August 8, 2002
    21 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, December 7, 2004
    19 years ago
Abstract
A portable voting booth may be placed into a closed configuration for transportation and storage where a bivalve case closes to seal an electronic voting device
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention pertains to the field of voting booths and, more particularly to portable voting booths that may be assembled at polling places for use during elections. Still more specifically, the voting booths may be placed into a case for ease of transport and storage.




2. Description of the Related Art




Portable voting booths are used to equip polling places, such as public schools, with voting devices on a temporary basis. Portable voting booths should not be so heavy that a single person has difficulty lifting the equipment, and it is desirable that the booths can be folded into a compact, stackable structure for transportation and storage. A portable voting booth structure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,7565 to Sarner et al, which describes a booth with a folding leg assembly that facilitates frontal access by handicapped persons. Frontal access of the type generally disclosed, or other accommodations, are generally required by law to permit persons who use wheelchairs equal access to the voting equipment. A case assembly has a tripartite bivalve construction that is required to hide the folding legs when the legs are folded for storage. This structure is required to protect and hide the folding legs, adding weight and complexity to the overall system.




U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,240 to Boram shows a voting station that has no legs; however, the structure is required to extraordinarily large and bulky due to a square frame support that contacts the ground. Frontal access by disable persons is made difficult or impossible because the support frame blocks such access. U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,365 to Gerbel et al. is similarly disadvantaged due to deployment of a collapsible table height machine having an A-frame wheel base that prevents frontal access by wheel-chair bound persons.




U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,904 to Stephens describes a portable voting booth or lectern that may be disassembled into various components; however, there is no system for controlling the respective disassembled components for transportation or storage. Thus, the respective components are easily lost or damaged.




SUMMARY




The present voting booth overcomes the problems outlined above and advances the art by providing a compact portable voting booth that occupies an exceptionally small volume and has an unusually light weight. The potable voting booth advantageously has an open front that facilitates access by persons who use wheelchairs.




According to the various embodiments and instrumentalities of the invention, the portable voting booth comprises a bivalve case that includes a lower shell having an electronic voting device mounted thereon, an upper shell, and a coupler such as a hinge connecting the upper shell to the lower shell. The coupler permits pivotal motion of the upper and lower shells with respect to one another between an open configuration and a closed configuration. A pair of privacy screens are selectively positionable between the upper shell and the lower shell to impede unauthorized viewing of the electronic voting device from side perspectives during voting process. A selectively disassemblable frame is coupled with the lower shell to support the same at an angle that facilitates authorized viewing of the electronic voting device during the course of voting processes. Receptacles are formed in at least one of the upper shell and the lower shell have complimentary shapes with respect to disassembled components of the selectively disassemblable frame. The receptacles permit retention of the frame components during transportation and storage of the portable voting booth.




In preferred but optional embodiments, the upper shell and lower shell, when pivoted to meet one another in the closed configuration with the privacy screens removed from their positions of normal use, form an internal compartment having sufficient dimensions to retain the electronic voting device and the privacy screens. The bivalve case may comprise a lock mechanism opposite the coupler to prevent unauthorized access to the electronic voting device when the bivalve case is in the closed configuration. The lower shell may, for example, comprise a buss for coupling the electronic voting device to a network.




The frame may comprise a plurality of tubular members that coupled to one another by telescoping clip latches. The receptacles may also function to accommodate corresponding portions of the tubular members and support the lower shell at the angle by virtue of contact with the corresponding portions. A foot bracket may receive two generally upright members forming a triangle with the lower shell and a forward extending horizontal member that imparts stability against tipping by virtue of contact against the ground.




In use, the bivalve case is opened from a closed configuration, and the privacy screens are pivoted into a position of normal operation. Disassembled components of the selectively disassemblable frame are detached from the receptacles that are formed, for example, in the lower shell of the bivalve case. The disassembled components are assembled into a working frame assembly, and voting operations are able to commence with use of the portable voting booth. The lightweight, simple construction facilitates ease of handling, as well as rapid setup and disassembly.




Additional features, objects, and advantages of the portable voting booth will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following specification and the accompanying drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a top, right front perspective view of the portable voting booth;





FIG. 2

is an assembly view of a tubular member that may be used in a support frame for the portable voting booth;





FIG. 3

is a right side view of the portable voting booth; and





FIG. 4

is a bottom plan view of the portable voting booth showing disassembled components of the support frame in receptacles formed in the exterior wall of a bivalve case with the portable voting booth placed in condition for storage and transportation.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION




There will now be shown and described, in

FIG. 1

according to the various instrumentalities and embodiments described herein, a portable voting booth


100


having a bivalve case


102


in an open configuration, a selectively disassemblable frame


104


in assembled configuration, and a pair of privacy screens


106


and


108


that are positioned for normal use where they impede unauthorized side perspective viewing of voting operations.




The bivalve case


102


includes a lower shell


110


having an electronic voting device


112


. The electronic voting device may be any such device that permits a voter to cast votes during the course of an election, such as an eSlate™ system provided by Hart InterCivic of Austin, Tex. Preferred but optional component of the electronic voting device include a visual display


114


, a rotary input device


116


, various buttons


118


that may be programmed to facilitate voter interaction, and network buss interfaces (not shown in FIG.


1


). Access to hidden interior electrical components, such as batteries, cards, or wiring, may be obtained by opening hatch


120


. Surface


122


contains slots, such as slot


124


, for supportively engaging complimentary supportive structure


126


on privacy screen


106


.




An upper shell


128


presents interior surface


130


with clip structures


132


that may be used to retain a paper ballot (not shown in FIG.


1


). Forward flex-latch mechanisms


134


,


136


engage bosses


138


,


140


when the upper shell


128


is pivoted forward in the direction of arrow


142


to place the bivalve case


102


in a closed configuration where handle components


144


,


146


meet to form a single handle. A coupler, such as hinge


148


as shown in

FIG. 1

, permits this pivoting motion in the direction of arrow


142


. A lock, such as a key or combination lock, (not shown in

FIG. 1

) may be provided between handle components


144


,


146


to require authorized access and prevent tampering with the electronic voting device


112


.




The privacy screens


106


,


108


are textured with ribbed surfaces


148


that add rigidity and diminish the appearance and effect of scratches that may arise from use of the portable voting booth


100


. The privacy screens


106


,


108


are selectively positionable in the sense that, for example, structure


126


may be lifted from slot


124


and screen


106


may then be pivoted inwardly in the direction of arrow


150


to fold against surface


130


for receipt within an interior compartment


152


prior to placing the bivalve case


102


into a closed configuration. The portion of privacy screen


106


adjacent surface


130


has upper and lower protruding nibs (not shown in

FIG. 1

) that engage complimentary receptacle structure on surface


130


to permit pivoting motion according to arrow


150


.




The selectively disassemblable frame


104


is coupled with the lower shell


110


at complimentary receptacles, such as receptacles


154


,


156


, to support the lower shell


110


at an angle β that facilitates authorized viewing of the electronic voting device during the course of voting processes. As shown in

FIG. 1

, angle β is a rearwardly ascending angle that preferably ranges between 15° and 30°.




A right leg assembly


158


includes a foot bracket


160


that receives tubular members


162


and


164


to form a generally upright triangle with the lower shell


110


. A forwardly tilted hypotenuse of this triangle including member


164


pitches the weight of the portable voting booth


100


forward for ultimate support against a horizontal tubular member


166


that is also received in foot


160


. A left leg assembly


168


is a mirror image of the right leg assembly


158


. A rearward brace assembly


170


stiffens the frame


104


and enhances lateral stability between the right and left leg assemblies


158


,


168


.





FIG. 2

is an assembly view of tubular member


164


, which provides additional detail with respect to a telescoping interfit between tubular members wherever the respective tubular members interface, such as at interface


172


. Member


164


has a reduced diameter neck


200


with an aperture


202


. A leaf spring


204


with button clip


206


passes into a tubular opening


208


until the button


206


resides in aperture


202


, which retains the leaf spring


204


within opening


208


. Other tubular members, such as a right-angle angle bend member


174


, have openings capable of telescopically receiving neck


200


up to interface


172


, which forms an abutment. Aperture


202


accommodates button


206


to lock the interface


172


into an assembled configuration.





FIG. 3

is a side view that reveals a plurality of receptacles


300


formed in the bottom of lower shell


110


. The receptacles


300


are complimentary to the disassembled components of the selectively disassemblable frame


104


such that the entirety of frame


104


, in disassembled form, may be placed within the receptacles for retention during storage and transportation when the bivalve case


102


is pivoted into a closed configuration by movement in the direction of arrow


142


.




The portable voting booth


100


is used by retrieving the booth


100


from storage, opening the bivalve case


102


, positioning the privacy screens


106


,


108


between the upper shell


128


and the lower shell


110


to impede unauthorized viewing of the electronic voting device


112


from side perspectives during the voting process, detaching the selectively disassemblable frame


104


from receptacles


300


, assembling the frame


104


with the lower shell


110


to support the lower shell, and permitting voters to vote using the electronic voting device


112


. At the conclusion of voting processes, the portable voting booth


100


may be disassembled by reversing the above steps and transported to storage.





FIG. 4

shows, by way of example, various receptacles


300


formed in bottom surface


400


of the lower shell


110


. The receptacles


300


have complimentary shapes with respect to the various disassembled components of frame


104


(shown assembled in FIG.


1


), such as members


164


and


174


, as well as foot bracket


160


. As shown in

FIG. 4

, these components are all folded into a storage position from which, optionally, disassembled components may be detached for placement within the receptacles


300


. The receptacles


300


have complimentary shapes with respect to the disassembled components for insertion and retention, which may be facilitated by clips or straps (not shown). Hinges


402


,


404


, permit pivoting of the components between the storage position shown in FIG.


4


and the extended position for operational use shown in

FIGS. 1 and 3

.




Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the instrumentalities which are described above may be subjected to minor modifications without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the inventors hereby state their intention to rely upon the Doctrine of Equivalents to protect their full rights in the scope of the invention.



Claims
  • 1. A portable voting booth comprising:a bivalve case including a lower shell having an electronic voting device mounted thereon, an upper shell, and a coupler connecting the upper shell to the lower shell permitting pivotal motion of the upper and lower shells with respect to one another between an open configuration and a closed configuration; a selectively disassemblable frame having a plurality of components; and the lower shell presenting a lower shell exterior surface and the upper shell presenting an upper shell exterior surface when the bivalve case is in the closed configuration, at least one of the lower shell exterior surface and the upper shell exterior surface forming a plurality of receptacles each having a complementary shape with respect to at least one of the plurality of components, the plurality of receptacles permitting retention of the plurality of components in corresponding ones of the receptacles during transportation and storage of the portable voting booth.
  • 2. The portable voting booth as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a pair of privacy screens,each of the privacy screens being connected by a pivot to the upper shell to permit pivoting motion of the privacy screens along an arc between a first position folded against the upper shell and extended position away from the upper shell, the bottom shell and the pair of privacy screens, in combination, having means for retaining the privacy screens in the extended position, the upper shell and lower shell, when pivoted to meet one another in the closed configuration with the privacy screens in the folded position, form an internal compartment having sufficient dimensions to retain the electronic voting device and the privacy screens.
  • 3. The portable voting booth as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bivalve case comprises a lock mechanism opposite the coupler to prevent unauthorized access to the electronic voting system when the bivalve case is in the closed configuration.
  • 4. The portable voting booth as set forth in claim 1, wherein the selectively disassemblable frame in assembled condition comprises an open front facilitating access by persons who use wheelchairs.
  • 5. The portable voting system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the frame comprises a plurality of tubular members coupled by telescoping clip latches.
  • 6. The portable voting booth as set forth in claim 5, wherein selected portions of the receptacles accommodate corresponding portions of the tubular members and function to support the lower shell at the angle by virtue of contact with the corresponding portions.
  • 7. The portable voting booth as set forth in claim 5, wherein the frame comprises a foot bracket that receives two generally upright members forming a triangle with the lower shell and a forward extending horizontal member that imparts stability against tipping by virtue of contact against the ground.
  • 8. The portable voting booth as set forth in claim 1, comprising a pair of privacy screens selectively positionable between the upper shell and the lower shell to impede unauthorized viewing of the electronic voting device from side perspectives during voting process.
  • 9. The portable voting booth as set forth in claim 1, wherein the selectively disassemblable frame is coupled with the lower shell to support the lower shell at an angle that facilitates authorized viewing of the electronic voting device during the course of voting processes.
  • 10. A method of voting using the portable voting booth of claim 1, the method comprising the steps of:from the closed configuration with the plurality of components inserted into the receptacles, opening the bivalve case; detaching the plurality of components from the receptacles; assembling the frame from the plurality of components attached to the lower shell; and permitting voters to vote using the electronic voting device.
  • 11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the step of assembling the frame comprises telescoping the disassembled portions into one another with clip latch retention in an assembled configuration.
  • 12. The method as set forth in claim 10, further comprising a step of installing a pair of privacy screens between the upper shell and the lower shell to impede unauthorized viewing of the electronic voting device from side perspectives during the voting process.
  • 13. A method of voting using the portable voting booth of claim 2, comprising the steps of:from the closed configuration with the plurality of components inserted into the receptacles, opening the bivalve case; detaching the plurality of components from receptacles; assembling the frame from the plurality of components attached to the lower shell; permitting voters to vote using the electronic voting device; disassembling the frame into the plurality of components; inserting the plurality of components into the receptacles for storage; placing the privacy screens in the folded position; and closing the bivalve case with the privacy screens therein.
US Referenced Citations (10)
Number Name Date Kind
3620587 Ahmann Nov 1971 A
4445731 Ahmann May 1984 A
4451728 McKay et al. May 1984 A
4510378 Dolson Apr 1985 A
4649264 Carson Mar 1987 A
4660904 Stephens Apr 1987 A
4712757 Ahmann Dec 1987 A
4854652 Ahmann Aug 1989 A
5666765 Sarner et al. Sep 1997 A
6151816 Bagley Nov 2000 A