A pullout lectern and shelf device are disclosed. For purposes of this disclosure “lectern” is defined, in some embodiments of the disclosed technology, as an angled or anglable substantially flat surface or portion thereof which is unobstructed in such a manner as to be designed for paper, books, small items, arms, or the like to rest thereon. A “shelf” is, in some embodiments, a flat surface above or below another flat surface for resting an item thereon.
A base unit has a top section, middle section, and bottom section, wherein each section has a different circumference than an adjacent section in one embodiment of the disclosed technology. The top and bottom sections can have the same circumference (distance around the edges of the section, on average) where the middle section which is adjacent to each other section can have a smaller circumference. For purposes of this disclosure, the “top” and “bottom” are opposite sides, a bottom side being closer to a pullout drawer in embodiments of the disclosed technology. “Top” and “bottom” can be interchanged, in embodiments, as long as the cardinal directions used remain internally consistent.
The base unit has at least one shelf, and in some embodiments, three shelves. The shelves can be within the middle section. A lectern is slidably removable (in part or in whole, and in embodiments, while continuing to remain fixedly attached to the base unit) from the bottom section. An angle support mechanism (such as a hinge) attached to the lectern is operable to change an angle of the lectern relative to the base unit. The lectern has a mathematically similar shape to the base unit in some embodiments, this shape being one with at least six sides such as a hexagon or regular hexagon.
The device can further have rails attaching outer slidable pieces to the bottom section of the base unit as well as rails attaching an inner slidable piece to each of the outer slidable pieces as well as a rotatable end piece attaching the lectern to the inner slidable piece. The rotatable end piece is, or is part of the angle support mechanism in embodiments of the disclosed technology. The lectern is anglable between a flat position (e.g. a first angle in parallel and in line with a most elongated plane of the bottom section) and 30 degrees, 45 degrees, or 60 degrees there-from. When the lectern is at an acute angle with respect to the most elongated plane of the bottom section, retraction of the lectern into the bottom section (complete retraction or a majority thereof) is prevented by the lectern abutting the base unit.
In a fully retracted condition of the lectern into the base, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, a side of the lectern with a greatest surface area is in parallel with a most elongated side of the base. Further, in this condition, a side of said lectern with said greatest surface area is substantially hidden from view. Still further, in this condition, a side of said rotatable end piece with a greatest surface area is perpendicular to the side of the lectern with the greatest surface area.
The middle section of the base can have shelves which are unobstructed by the lectern in the fully retracted condition but which are at least partially obstructed by the lectern when the lectern is at an acute angle to the base unit. The angle support mechanism can have a handle adapted (“designed to” or “used to”) to slide the lectern out from within the base unit as well as angle the lectern.
The angle support mechanism further has, in some embodiments, a wedge rotatably connected to a side of the lectern which is operable to maintain the lectern at a specific angle when wedged between grooves cut into a slidable piece of material which slides between a) being within the bottom section of the base unit and b) at least a majority or substantially external to the base unit. At least one said specific angle of the wedge and/or lectern is such that the lectern is supported at an angle such that the lectern extends into a plane above and parallel, or at and parallel to, to the top section.
Described another way, a pullout lectern and shelf device has a regular polygonal base with pullout drawer. A handle of the pullout drawer extends substantially a length of one side of the regular polygonal base and a plurality of shelves are within the base and above the pullout drawer. The lectern and the handle are connected by a fixed (non-rotatable) connection whereas the handle and drawer are rotatably connected. The drawer can have an inner and outer section which slide relative to one another. The inner section of the drawer, in such a case, can be rotatably connected to the drawer and linearly slidable with respect to the outer section of the drawer.
The lectern is rotatably connected to an angle support mechanism in some embodiments, the angle support mechanism (or wedge, as described above) being selectively placeable into any one of a plurality of grooves cut into the inner section of the drawer to support the lectern. The handle of the pullout drawer is abutted against the base when the pullout drawer is fully retracted into the base in some cases. In some embodiments of the disclosed technology, placing the angle support mechanism into any one of the plurality of grooves cut into the inner section of the drawer prevents the handle of the pullout drawer from abutting the base.
The top side and oppositely disposed bottom side of the base have edges of a same shape in some embodiments while the lectern has a mathematically similar shape thereto in some of these embodiments. Placing the angle support mechanism into a first of the plurality of grooves cut into the inner section of the drawer causes, in an embodiment of the disclosed technology, a (top edge) side of the lectern (opposite a side of the lectern fixed to the handle) to be aligned with a top of the base. The regular polygonal base and the lectern can be hexagonal.
Any device or step to a method described in this disclosure can comprise, or consist of, that which it is a part of, or the parts which make up the device or step. The term “and/or” is inclusive of the items which it joins linguistically, and each item by itself. Any object described can be as described or “substantially” as such wherein “substantially” is defined as “at least 95% true” or “at least 95% of the amount specified.”
A pullout lectern and shelf device are disclosed. The lectern is an angled or anglable substantially flat surface or portion thereof which is unobstructed in such a manner as to be designed for paper, books, small items, arms, or the like to rest thereon. A base unit has a top section, middle section, and bottom section, wherein each section has a different circumference than an adjacent section in one embodiment of the disclosed technology. The base unit has at least one shelf, and in some embodiments, three shelves. The lectern is slidably removable from the bottom section. An angle support mechanism attached to the lectern is operable to change an angle of the lectern relative to the base unit. The lectern has a mathematically similar shape to the base unit in some embodiments, this shape being one with at least six sides such as a hexagon or regular hexagon.
The device can further have rails attaching outer slidable pieces to the bottom section of the base unit as well as rails attaching an inner slidable piece to each of the outer slidable pieces as well as a rotatable end piece attaching the lectern to the inner slidable piece. The rotatable end piece is, or is part of the angle support mechanism in embodiments of the disclosed technology. The lectern is anglable between a flat position (e.g. a first angle in parallel and in line with a most elongated plane of the bottom section) and 30 degrees, 45 degrees, or 60 degrees there-from. When the lectern is at an acute angle with respect to the most elongated plane of the bottom section, retraction of the lectern into the bottom section (complete retraction or a majority thereof) is prevented by the lectern abutting the base unit.
In a fully retracted condition of the lectern into the base, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, a side of the lectern with a greatest surface area is in parallel with a most elongated side of the base. Further, in this condition, a side of said lectern with said greatest surface area is substantially hidden from view. Still further, in this condition, a side of said rotatable end piece with a greatest surface area is perpendicular to the side of the lectern with the greatest surface area.
Embodiments of the disclosed technology are described below, with reference to the figures provided.
A handle 50 of a lectern is adjacent (abuts) or forms a continuation with (is within the circumference of) the bottom walls 40. This handle, in embodiments of the disclosed technology has a length and width equal to or substantially equal to that of one side of the bottom walls 40. The bottom walls 40 with the handle 50 can form a regular polygon such as a hexagon or octagon. So too the side walls 30 of the middle region and/or side walls of the top region 20 can form such a polygonal or regular polygonal shape and each section can have the same mathematically shape or substantially the same mathematical shape.
One or a plurality of drawers can slide out from the base unit 10 in sequence when the handle 50 is pulled away from the base unit 10. As shown in
The wedge 58 is wedged between the inner drawer 46 and lectern 52. In embodiments of the disclosed technology the lectern 52 is rotatably connected to the wedge 58 and the wedge 58 is held by way of frictional forces against a groove (or pit) 59 cut into/within the inner drawer 56. It should be understood that a hinge can be used to create any of the rotatable connections of embodiments of the disclosed technology and such hinges can have limits of minimum and maximum angles of rotation of two elements connected together by the hinge. The grooves 59 within the inner drawer are, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, within a rectangular depression cut into or formed within a top side of a drawer, such as the top side of the inner drawer 56. Within this rectangular depression are there an alternating series of deeper and less deep grooves such that the wedge 58, when pushed upon at an acute angle by the lectern 52, is pushed into one of the deeper grooves and against a side edge of one of the less deep grooves. The acute angle of pushing is relative to an elongated substantially flat top side or top plane of the drawer and for purposes of this disclosure the “top” side or direction refers to a side closest to the top 20 while the “bottom” is opposite this side closest to the bottom side 40.
In some embodiments of the disclosed technology, the device is a ka'ara used for the holiday of Pesach. The ka'ara is defined as a central physical device placed on a table during a seder of the Jewish holiday of Pesach which holds within, or is designed to hold there-within, two or three matzos and further has six or about six upper portals for placement of items referred to during the seder. The seder, or literally, “order” is the progression of retelling/reliving the story of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt in biblical times which is carried out during the holiday of Pesach. The ka'ara can be, in the disclosed technology, a pullout lectern and shelf device with a plurality of shelves within a base unit, a plate above the base unit, and a pullout drawer. The pullout drawer is, to the knowledge of the inventor, new over prior ka'ara devices. The pullout drawyer can be substantially hidden within the base unit or, at another time, slidably removed from and still attached to the base. The ka'ara can be used, such as in a method of use, to carry out some of the requirements in Jewish law, as codified in a work known as the “Shulchan Oruch” written by Rabbi Yosef Karo and commented on by Rabbi Moshe Isserles, for the seder on the holiday of Pesach.
While the disclosed technology has been taught with specific reference to the above embodiments, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the disclosed technology. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. Combinations of any of the methods, systems, and devices described herein-above are also contemplated and within the scope of the disclosed technology.
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