Patent Application
20080150333
This invention relates generally to stools, and more particularly to portable three-legged stool kits that can be quickly assembled for use on stage, and thereafter quickly disassembled for transport.
After several decades pursuing a typical American career, the inventor, Mr. “Pete” Petre, retired to Kerville, Tex., where he, among other things, enjoys playing the guitar and tinkering with things in his workshop. In December, 2002, Mr. Petre, who has a bad back, found conventional guitar stools to be uncomfortable. So he constructed his own guitar stool—a predecessor to the stool described in this specification. Others liked Mr. Petre's predecessor guitar stool, so Mr. Petre made more of them and began selling them to various customers, doing business under the name P3 Guitar Stools.
Recently—less than one year prior to the filing date of this application—Mr. Petre developed a new stool or stool kit designed to be quickly assembled and broken down. This patent application is intended to cover Mr. Petre's new and improved collapsible stool and stool kit.
The collapsible stool or stool kit includes a seat with a quick-release leg-fastening assembly, three legs having keyhole slots to engage with the quick-release leg-fastening assembly, and a substantially planar leg bracket oriented below and parallel with the seat that has three symmetrically-oriented elongated slots to receive and orient the legs. At least one of the legs has multiple, spaced-apart sets of opposing grooves for supporting a removable, cantilevered platform such as a footrest or a drink holder. When assembled, the legs are oriented in a structurally strong and rigid fashion to support the seat.
The collapsible stool or stool kit includes several improvements over Mr. Petre's predecessor stool, one or more of which, or some combination of which, may be novel and non-obvious. It will be understood, however, that the invention is defined and limited by the elements and limitations set forth in the claims, and not by improvements, aspects, and attributes described herein that are not recited in the claims themselves.
One of the improvements is a quick-release bracket assembly on the bottom of the seat. The first embodiment of the quick-release bracket assembly included three leg-connecting brackets, each of which is configured to grasp the upper section of a stool leg. Each leg bracket supports a tapered locking pin having a wide-diameter section and a narrow-diameter section that slides between open and closed positions. Another embodiment of the quick-release bracket assembly is described in the detailed description section of this specification.
Another improvement is a keyhole slot that was cut into the top of each leg to accommodate the tapered pin in both the locked and unlocked positions. This feature is described in greater detail below.
Yet another improvement is a substantially planar leg bracket oriented below the seat that has three symmetrically-oriented elongated slots designed to receive, space apart, and orient the legs into their proper, cantilevered position that is both very structurally strong and aesthetically pleasing. Unlike Mr. Petre's predecessor stools, the legs in the collapsible stool or stool kit do not intersect one another in three-dimensional space. But if one were to illustrate a projection of the stool legs into the horizontal, two-dimensional plane of the seat, it would mark three substantially linear segments intersecting at three equidistant points. This design makes the stool exceptionally resistant to various torques and twisting forces.
Yet another improvement is the relative placement of an opposing pair of notches on each leg that allows gravity to cause the legs to cantilever against the leg bracket so that before an attempt is ever made to connect the legs to the seat, the tops of the legs are spatially oriented to connect to the quick-release bracket assembly on the bottom of the seat.
Three more improvements are that the upper portion of the legs are wider than the portion of the leg that passes through a leg bracket, the provision of a dowel on each leg, and a cooperating notch on each leg bracket slot to fool-proof the assembly process. The cantilevered platforms, such as a foot rest or a drink and guitar pick holder, have also been improved by providing a notch within the slots to fool-proof the placement of cantilevered platforms on the legs of the stool.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate these and other improvements described further below in the detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
a and 2b illustrate two embodiments of legs for the collapsible stool of
a,
6
b, and 6c are perspective views of three different orientations of a cantilevered footrest with respect to a leg on which it rests.
a and 13b illustrate the closed and open positions, respectively, of a locking pin in relation to a leg-connecting bracket.
a and 14b illustrate the open and closed positions, respectively, of a “rotating lock” embodiment of a quick-release bracket assembly for a stool seat.
c is a perspective view of one of the leg-connecting brackets of the quick-release bracket assembly depicted in
The preferred diameter of the seat is between about 12 and 14 inches. Different stools 10 have different heights. For example, a basic stool 10 has a seat height, when assembled, of about 22 inches above the floor 5. A stage stool 10 might have a seat height, when assembled, of about 26 inches above the floor 5.
a and 2b illustrate two types of legs—a standard leg 20, and an accessory-supporting leg 25—for collapsible stools 10 of the type shown in
In a typical embodiment, a leg 20, 25 will have a width 23a of about 3½ inches across the upper section 21, a width 23a of about 2 15/16 inches across the lower section 21, a thickness 23b of about ¾ inches, and a length 23c of anywhere between about 20 and 28 inches, depending on the stool height desired.
Each leg's lower section 22 is sized to fit through one of the leg bracket slots 51—which may typically be about 3 inches by ⅞ of an inch—but its upper section 21 is sized to be too big to pass through the leg bracket slot 51, thereby limiting travel of anything more than the leg's lower section 21 through the leg bracket slot 51. Furthermore, opposing leg bracket notches 27a, 27b are provided at the intersection of the upper and lower sections 21 and 22, the leg bracket notches 27a, 27b defining an abutment surface 28 on the leg's upper section 21 that rests upon portions of the top surface 52 of the leg bracket 50 adjacent the elongated slot 51 through which the leg 20, 25 is inserted. The notches 27a, 27b and abutment surface 28 help the leg 20, 25 to slide into its proper, cantilevered position, and to keep it there when the stool base is turned over in order to connect it with the seat 11. In the cantilevered position, the tops of the legs 20, 25 are spatially oriented to connect to the quick-release bracket assembly 110, 140 on the bottom 13 of the seat 11. Each leg 20, 25, also has a terminal top end 41 (
The cantilevered platform 30 is provided with at least a first slot 31 adjacent one end 30a of the platform 30, and parallel with the lengthwise dimension 39 of the platform 30. The first slot 31 is sized to receive the lower section 22 of the accessory-supporting leg 25 and engage one of the sets 36, 37, and 38 of opposing grooves thereof. The cantilevered platform 30 may also be provided with a second slot 33 adjacent a second end 30b, opposite the first end 30a, of the cantilevered platform 30, oriented in a direction diagonal to the lengthwise dimension 39 of the cantilevered platform 30. Like the first slot 31, the second slot 33 is sized to receive the accessory-supporting leg 25 and engage one of the sets 36, 37, 38 of grooves thereof. The provision of the first and second slots 31 and 33 enables the cantilevered platform 30 to serve as a left-or-right foot rest that can be connected to the accessory-supporting leg 25 in three different orientations 61, 62, and 63 (
A preferred length for a cantilevered platform 30 suitable as a foot rest is about 14 inches. Also, the sets 36, 37, and 38 of opposing grooves are preferably spaced apart so that the foot rest can be adjusted from between 3 and 10 inches elevation above the floor.
a and 13b illustrate the closed and open positions, respectively, of the locking pin 120 in relation to the leg-connecting bracket 111. When the locking pin 120 is in its closed position 131, the wide-diameter section 122 of the locking pin 120 protrudes into and dominates the region of the bracket 111 between leg-grasping blocks 113 and 114. When the locking pin 120 is in its open position 132, the narrow-diameter section 122 of the locking pin 120 dominates the region of the bracket 111 between leg-grasping blocks 113 and 114.
a and 14b illustrate another embodiment of a quick-release bracket assembly 140, and
Turning back to
Comparing
In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the legs 20, 25 could be shaped to have an elongated teardrop cross-section and the slots cut to accommodate the teardrop shape. This alternative embodiment would provide the same benefit as the dowel and notch configuration depicted in the drawings.
The structural support pieces of the stool are preferably crafted from solid oak wood, with various components thereof bonded together without nails, screws, or other metal fasteners, but instead with epoxy glue and wooden dowels. The wood components are preferably finished with a wax. But it will be understood that the structural support support pieces may be crafted from other materials, such as molded plastic.
The seat 11 is preferably cushioned with about two inches of motorcycle seat foam, and professionally upholstered with a customer's choice of color, or, alternatively, with an animal skin cover.
The portable stool 10 is preferably sold with a canvas bag (not shown) with multiple compartments sized and shaped to keep the legs 14, 15, 16, the leg bracket 50, and the seat 11 from rubbing each other during transport.
It will be understood that a stool 10 may be comprised of any combination of three standard and accessory-supporting legs 20, 25. For example, a stage stool might have three accessory-supporting legs 25, two of which support two adjustable foot rests from about 9 to about 16 inches above the floor, and a third of which supports a drink and guitar pick accessory 73 caddy or a retractable guitar holder 83.
As used in this specification and the claims, “quick-release” refers to locking pin or locking arm arrangements operable to be switched from between their closed and open or locked and unlocked positions by hand, without the use of any tools. As used in the claims, reference to a “locking pin” is intended to be co-extensive in scope with a “locking plug.”
Although the foregoing specific details describe various embodiments of the invention, persons reasonably skilled in the art will recognize that various changes may be made in the details of the apparatus or method of this invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
The present invention includes several independently meritorious inventive aspects and advantages. Unless compelled by the claim language itself, the claims should not be construed to be limited to structures that incorporate all of the inventive aspects, or enjoy all of the advantages, disclosed herein.
It is well established that the claims of the patent serve an important public notice function to potential competitors—enabling them to not only determine what is covered, but also what is not covered—by the patent. And a number of Federal Circuit decisions have emphasized the importance of discerning the patentee's intent—as expressed in the specification—in construing the claims of the patent.
It is my intent that the claims receive a liberal construction and be interpreted to uphold and not destroy the right of the inventor. It is my intent that the claim terms be construed in a charitable and common-sensical manner, in a manner that encompasses the embodiments disclosed in the specification and drawings without incorporating unrecited, unnecessary limitations. It is my intent that the claim terms be construed as broadly as practicable while preserving the validity of the claims. It is my intent that the claim terms be construed in a manner consistent with the context of the overall claim language and the specification, without importing extraneous limitations from the specification or other sources into the claims, and without confining the scope of the claims to the exact representations depicted in the specification or drawings. It is also my intent that not each and every term of the claim be systematically defined and rewritten. Claim terms and phrases should be construed only to the extent that it will provide helpful, clarifying guidance to the jury, or to the extent needed to resolve a legitimate, good faith dispute that is material to the questions of validity or infringement. Otherwise, simple claim terms and phrases should be presented to the jury without any potentially confusing and difficult-to-apply definitional construction.
It is also to be understood that the terminology employed in the Summary of the Invention and Detailed Description sections of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments. Unless the context clearly demonstrates otherwise, is not intended to be limiting. In this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Conversely, it is contemplated that the claims may be drafted to exclude any optional element or be further limited using exclusive terminology as “solely,” “only” and the like in connection with the recitation of claim elements or by use of a “negative” limitation. It is also contemplated that any optional feature of the inventive variations described herein may be set forth and claimed independently, or in combination with any one or more of the features described herein.
The headquarters building of the World Intellectual Property Organization bears the following inscription: “Human genius is the source of all works of art and invention; these works are the guarantee of a life worthy of me; it is the duty of the State to ensure with diligence the protection of the arts and inventions.” It is my intent that the claims of this patent be construed—and ultimately enforced, if necessary—in a manner worthy of this mandate.
