This invention relates generally to display stands, more specifically, a display stand for articles such as substantially flat objects like: images in frames, printed media, written text or digital display devices.

Display structures for generally flat items are well known and usually provide a support behind the item and a base portion. These structures are generally assumed to be a good solution for displaying a generally flat item for a prolonged period of time. The user may, however, only need to display the said generally flat item for a short time, as when using a digital display device.

Digital display devices like mobile computers, tablet computers, mobile phones and digital photograph frames can require a secondary device as a support so that the user or audience can view the device at an optimum angle, without holding the same. Digital display devices of this kind are often moved and used at different locations, often for only a short time, and this requires a quickly erected and easily stored display stand. These stands also need the ability to display a device at differing angles to account for application, work surface, user position and user preference. These requirements create a challenge to those designing a display stand for these purposes.

Display stands known in the art are generally of slim construction, and often made from wire like the device shown in GB 2408202. This wire provides a rest for the lower edge of the device when angled generally perpendicular to the front surface of the device.

Display stands of the kind disclosed in DE 20201 1002952 provide support for the lower edge of a device on two points, equally spaced from the centre to equally spread the weight of the device and support it level. These hooks or wires are suitable for carrying a device of a corresponding size, but a device that is too small will not be supported and will fall between the supports, while if a device is too large, it will become unstable.

A device that might utilise a display stand could be, for example only, either a touch screen tablet computer or a touch screen mobile phone. In these cases, the display stand needs to actively support the device on a stable support such as a table, desk or floor whilst the user is touching it in order to actuate the device's functions. Touch screen devices generally use a capacitive screen to sense the user's input. The nature of this technology means that the input is received by the device irrespective of the pressure that the user exerts, nonetheless a user tends to exert pressure higher than needed, with excess pressure absorbed by the support behind the device, whether that is a table, the user's hand or a display stand. The current devices for displaying a touch screen device are not capable of absorbing this impact if it is not centrally applied. The effect of an off-centre touch operation is therefore rocking of the device. The issue faced by this class of products is that they all rely on a triangular support, one point at the back of the device to be supported, and two points at the base. If pressure is exerted outside the triangle created by these points, the device will move and the support may fail.

There are currently two solutions to these problems in the art: firstly, designing large display stands that do not collapse but cannot therefore be easily transported, or secondly, devices like that in WO 2013/056029 which grip the device from all sides, but restrict easy removal. This device also needs to be releasably secured to another object to maintain its strength. Due to the fragile nature of some touch screen tablet computers and touch screen mobile phones, they are commonly contained in third-party cases which range in size. The use of cases is also a way in which individuals can personalise their devices. The use of cases can restrict the stand that a user can use, as a large cushioned or armoured case may interfere with the support elements of the stand, so the user will either need to purchase a larger stand that does not collapse to a small size, or, remove the case of the device which can be time consuming and compromises the device.

It is an object of this invention to provide a display stand for substantially flat objects like images in frames, printed media, written text or digital display devices. It is an aim of the invention to support the item for temporary viewing and/or use by an individual or an audience, such that the item is removable.

It is another object of the invention to provide a display stand that is both collapsible and easily erected. It is preferred that the stand is erected automatically when a user actuates a button, a switch or a latch. It is preferred that the action of collapsing the stand provides and reserves or stores the potential energy to erect the stand automatically when required.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a base support that can accommodate a range of items to display, from practically any small touch screen smart phone to practically any large tablet computer, to a large atlas. It is yet another object of the invention to provide a collapsible display stand for a touch screen tablet computer or a touch screen smart phone already contained in a case of any kind.

According to this invention there is provided a display stand for supporting an article, the display stand comprising a body of which a primary part has a primary surface to at least partially support part of such an article, a secondary part of said body having a secondary surface for contacting a support, at least one movable support member connected to the body capable of at least partially supporting another part of such an article, and/or capable of providing a support surface of the stand for contacting the support.

The article may comprise, for example, a computer tablet or mobile phone having a visual display, or the article to be supported may be a book, atlas, music or other printed/illustrated information. The article may be supported within the stand alone or in conjunction with any case or cover for the article. The support may be a surface such as a table, desk or the ground. The part of the article can be its rearmost surface whilst the said another part of the article may be an edge or side.

The primary and the secondary parts of said body may comprise primary and secondary generally planar members connected through a hinge; each of the primary and secondary generally planar members may comprise a retractable hinged support.

Preferably the display stand comprises two similar movable support members. Conveniently these may be in the form of hingably connected foldable 'wing'-like members. Such members preferably define a groove or channel in a surface that is upwardly facing in use, to locate an edge or side of the article. Most conveniently, two such similar movable support members are provided to be outwardly foldable from a rest position in which they remain attached to the body, to a functional position where the groove or channel in one such member comes into alignment with the groove or channel in the corresponding other such movable member and thereby extends the length of the groove or channel in which an edge or side of the article is to be located in use. The movable members may have a feature for retaining pages e.g. of a book, magazine, atlas or music as foreshadowed hereinabove. Embodiments of the present stand can be devised and constructed to work well with books, manuals, atlases, magazines, journals, periodicals, music sheets and similar products with visual content as well as with devices having an electronic visual display. The channel or groove can be shaped to accommodate the side or edge of e.g. a tablet type computer or mobile phone either with or without its corresponding case, so it would not be essential to remove the device to be displayed on the display stand from its cover or case. The movable support member(s) may be provided with stabilising formations such as stabilising feet at or in the vicinity of the end of the groove(s) or channel(s). Such stabilising feet may be made of resilient material such as rubber and may protrude from or through the groove(s) or channel(s). Preferred embodiments of the display stand conveniently offer the user a "one touch" setup, wherein by actuating one button, the stand self-erects into the required shape, without the need to fold out or otherwise erect manually.

It is preferred that the display stand provides an elongate support channel that extends both directions from its centre instead of the commonly accepted two support points that form the base of the triangular support in stands known in the art. It is preferred that the said elongate support channel is formed from two discrete but similar pieces that each close towards the body of the stand when it is collapsed, and unfold to a colinear configuration upon erection of the stand, i.e. the movable support members described above.

As mentioned previously the primary and the secondary parts of said body may comprise primary and secondary generally planar members connected through a hinge. In use the secondary planar member would typically rest on the support (for example a table or desk), while the primary planar member would support the article, the article therefore being supported at an inclination that is determined by the angle through which the primary planar member is turned around the hinge. The stand may also comprise at least one movable strut to hold the primary and secondary generally planar members in a desired relative position. Each of the primary and secondary generally planar members may comprise a retractable hinged support to provide such a strut.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of non-limiting example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is one embodiment of a display stand in an erected state,

Figure 2 is the display stand of figure 1 in a collapsed state,

Figure 3 is the display stand of figures 1 and 2 in an erected state, supporting a tablet computer, viewed from the back,

Figure 4 is the display stand of figures 1 and 2 in an erected state, supporting a touch screen mobile phone,

Figure 5 is the display stand of the previous figures in an erected state, supporting a tablet computer, viewed from the side,

Figure 6 is the display stand of the previous figures in an erected state, supporting a tablet computer, viewed from the front,

Figure 7 is the display stand of the previous figures in an erected state, supporting a tablet computer in a protective case, viewed from the front,

Figure 8 is the display stand of the previous figures in an erected state, supporting a tablet computer in a protective case, viewed from the side,

Figure 9 is the display stand of the previous figures in the process of being collapsed, viewed from the front, and

Figure 10 is the display stand of the previous figures in the process of being collapsed, viewed from the back. Referring to the drawings, figure 1 shows a display stand 10 according to one preferred embodiment of the invention in an erected state, without an item to be displayed. The display stand 10 comprises a channel portion 1 1 in two parts, in which the item to be displayed can rest, a first generally planar element 12 defining a surface on which the item to be displayed can be supported, a second generally planar element 13 defining a surface to be in contact with the 'support' as specified above, for example a table or desk, having a notional ground plane 13a, a first structural strut 14 which can be moved in the collapsing of the device, a second structural strut 15 which can be deployed to raise the display angle to a greater extent, and a button 16 which is pressed to erect the device 10. The figure also shows a hinge mechanism 17 which allows the first generally planar element 12 and the second generally planar element 13 to be collapsed into one another.

In this example the first structural strut 14 is hinged at one end to the second generally planar element 13, whereas the second structural strut 15 is hinged at one end (the upper end, as shown) to the first generally planar element 12. The first structural strut 14 is urged by a spring (not shown) into the position shown in figure 1 , but it can be pushed down into a recess 20 (see figure 9) within the second generally planar element 13. Figure 2 shows the display stand 10 of figure 1 in a collapsed state. Figure 2 shows the channel portions 1 1 retracted into the body of the device, with the first generally planar element 12 now parallel to the second generally planar element 13, the secondary structural strut 15 in its collapsed position locating within the first generally planar element 12, the button 16, and the hinge mechanism 17. In this collapsed state the first generally planar element 12 is clipped to the second generally planar element 13; when the button 16 is depressed, this clip is released so the display stand 10 can open up.

Figure 3 shows the display stand 10 of figure 1 from the back and shows it supporting a tablet computer 31 . Figure 3 shows the channel portions 1 1 , the first generally planar element 12, the second generally planar element 13, the first structural strut 14, the second structural strut 15, the button mechanism 16, and the hinge mechanism 17. When the display stand 10 is opened out about the hinge mechanism 17, the second structural strut 15 can be turned about the hinge (not shown) at its top edge, from the position shown in figures 1 and 2 in which it locates within the first generally planar element 12, into a position such as that shown in figure 3 in which its bottom edge engages with either a notch or a projection on the upper face of the second generally planar element 13. In this embodiment, in the position as shown, the bottom edge of the second structural strut 15 engages with projections 18 on the upper face of the second generally planar element 13, so the display stand 10 can support the weight of the article, i.e. the tablet computer 31 .

Figure 4 shows the display stand 10 from the front, and shows it supporting a touch screen mobile phone 41 . In figure 4 the display stand 10 is shown at the same display angle as in figure 3.

Figure 5 shows the display stand 10 from the side and shows it supporting a tablet computer 31 ; this corresponds to a side view of figure 3. The display stand 10 is shown at the same display angle as in as in figure 3, supported by the second structural strut 15.

Figure 6 shows the display stand 10 from the front, as a perspective view, and shows it supporting a tablet computer 31 as in figure 3.

Figure 7 shows the display stand 10 from the front and shows it supporting a tablet computer in a case 71 .

Figure 8 shows the display stand 10 from the side and shows it supporting a tablet computer in a case 71 . It is shown in this figure that the channel portions 1 1 can contain a device that is wider than the diameter of the channel. In the position of the display stand 10 shown in figures 7 and 8 the first generally planar element 12 is inclined from the nominal ground plane 13a at a significantly smaller angle than that shown in figures 3 to 6, i.e. at a smaller display angle. In this case the second structural strut 15 is in the position (shown in figures 1 and 2) in which it is flush with the first generally planar element 12, i.e. it locates within the first generally planar element 12, while the first generally planar element 12 is supported by the first structural strut 14. In this position the top edge of the first structural strut 14 engages with either a notch or a projection on the underside of the first generally planar element 12; in this embodiment it engages with a flange 19 projecting from the top end of the first generally planar element 12 Figure 9 shows the display stand 10 in the process of being collapsed. It is shown that the movable support members that define the channel portions 1 1 are rotationally attached to the underside of the first generally planar element 12 at one end and can therefore close around the body of the stand. It is also shown in this figure that the first structural strut 14 is disengaged from the first generally planar element 12 so it can be closed about the hinge connecting it to the second generally planar element 13, so it rotates to locate in the recess 20. Figure 10 shows the display stand 10 from the under-side in the process of being collapsed. In this underside view, it can be seen that there is a small projecting foot 21 at the underside of the outer end of each of the movable support members that define the channel portions 1 1 . It is shown in this figure that the movable support members that define the channel portions 1 1 are closed into the body of the stand, to which they are rotationally attached, around a pivot point 1 1 1 . This pivot point 1 1 1 contains a spring mechanism (not shown) that stores potential energy when the display stand 10 is collapsed, in order that the display stand 10 springs open automatically when erected, that is to say the spring mechanism urges the movable support members that define the channel portions 1 1 from the closed position shown in figure 2 into the open position shown in figures 1 and 3 to 8.

Figure 10 also shows a clasp that the movable support members that define the channel portions 1 1 are restrained by, the clasp comprising a peg 1 12 in the underside of the second generally planar element 13 and a corresponding hole 1 13 in the movable support member. The figure shows one channel portion 1 1 retracted and another in the process of being retracted.

Although the arrangement described above and depicted for retaining the movable support members retracted into the body is effective and works well, this is not the only way of achieving a releasable retention. In another arrangement (not shown), the peg 1 12 and the hole 1 13 can be replaced with a projection like a tooth in the remote ends of the foldable movable support members, that co-operates with an indent or recess in those parts of the body (in the vicinity of the projections) which abut the movable support members when the latter are fully retracted towards the body, so the movable support members are held therein by the retaining action of such a tooth and recess. Such an arrangement can assist with the erection and collapse functions of the stand.