The present invention relates to an artist's easel, and in particular to an artist's easel that permits an artist's work surface to be mounted at more than one location on the easel .

Artist's easels allow an artist to mount a work surface, such as a canvas at a convenient working height and orientation. Traditional easels have just one such mounting location. While this may be fine for one artist or one type of work, it may be limiting in other circumstances.

One known easel which allows an artist to mount a work surface at different locations is described in the patent document US 5 308 035. This discloses an easel with a support stand atop of which is removably mounted an easel frame . The support stand may be set at a height convenient for standing work, and the easel frame is detachable, for example for placement on a table or other supporting surface for work sitting down.

This easel therefore provides more flexibility for the artist's work, but the easel frame must normally be supported on another surface if the artist does not wish to work standing up.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an easel which allows greater freedom in selection of the mounting location for an artist's work surface.

Accordingly, the invention provides an artist's easel comprising a support stand with rearward and forward support legs, an easel frame removably engagable with the stand, and a first supporting means for supporting the easel frame at a first location atop of the stand, characterised in that the easel frame is removably engagable with the stand at

more than one location on the stand, the easel having a second supporting means for supporting the easel frame at a second location aside of the stand.

The second location is preferably lower than the first location. This may allow an artist to work standing up when a work surface is supported on the easel at the first location, whilst the artist may sit down to work when the work surface is supported at a lower position at the second location.

The support stand will generally have at least three legs, for example as a tripod, but preferably there are two forward and two rearward legs, which may, for example be formed from steel tubing. Since the support stand has forward„ and rearward legs, the first location may be atop one or more of the support stand legs.

The easel frame may have forward and rearward supports for supporting the easel frame on a supporting surface when the easel frame is disengaged from the support stand. The easel frame may therefore be used in at least three locations - two whilst engaged on the support stand, and at any other free-standing location. The easel frame supports may be similar in shape and material to the forward and rearward support stand legs.

Preferably, the easel frame rearward supports engage with the first supporting means when the easel frame is engaged with the support stand at the first location. The first supporting means may comprise an upwards extension of one or more support stand legs.

The easel frame rearward supports may also engage with the second supporting means when the easel frame is engaged with the support stand at the second location. For example, if the support stand has a shelf, the easel frame rearward

supports may be supported at least partially by the shelf when the easel frame is engaged with the support stand at the second location.

The easel frame may have upper and lower transverse members adapted to hold therebetween an artist's work surface. The transverse members may be spaced apart or held by at least one longitudinal member, which may be part of a forward support.

Preferably, the easel frame rearward supports are pivotally connected to the forward supports, for example at a mid point of the forward supports. The pivotable connection may then be adjusted to rotate the artist's work surface about a horizontal axis. The location of the pivotable connection may advantageously be such that the artist's work surface may be rotated substantially horizontal when the easel frame is engaged at the second location.

Because an easel may need to be transported, the support stand legs and/or the easel frame supports should be collapsible so that the support stand and/or the easel frame may be folded flat.

In order to adjust the height above the floor of the locations at which the easel frame may be engaged with the support stand, the support stand legs and/or the easel frame supports should be extendible.

The invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an artist's easel according to the invention, showing a support stand supporting an easel frame in a first location atop the support stand;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view of the artist's easel of Figure 1, showing a first supporting means for engaging the support stand with the easel frame in the first location;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the easel frame of Figure 1, showing the easel frame disengaged from the support stand and standing on a supporting surface;

Figure 4 is a side view of the artist's easel of Figure 1, showing the support stand supporting the easel frame substantially vertically in a second location in front of the legs;

Figure 5 is a side view of the artist's easel of Figure

4,-showing the support stand supporting the easel frame substantially horizontally;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the artist's easel of Figure 4; and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the artist's easel of Figure 5, showing an artist's work surface held nearly horizontally on the easel frame.

Referring now to Figure 1, an artist's easel l has a support stand 2 atop of which is mounted an easel frame 3. Both the support stand 2 and the easel frame 3 are formed from straight tubular steel sections, with either square or rectangular cross-sections. The steel sections are all coated or painted with a corrosion resistant coating.

The support stand 2 has a pair of forward legs 4,5 and a pair of rearward legs 6,7. These pairs of legs are each spaced apart and connected by transverse members 8,9 which in turn are connected by a pair of tie rods 10,11. The forward 4,5 and rearward 6,7 pairs of legs also each have an

upper transverse member 12,13. Both pairs of legs 4,5,6,7 are pivotally connected near the upper ends of the legs at a pivot point 14. The legs therefore are in the form of an A-frame, the sides of which stand at an angle of about 75° to the horizontal .

Mid way up the legs is a transverse wooden shelf 15, which rests on a bracket 40,41 (see Figures 4 and 5) on each leg. An optional plastic pot 100 is set into one end of the shelf. The shelf 15 is wider than the spacing between the legs, and has four U-shaped cut-outs 16 to allow the shelf to be slotted into position between the legs.

The support stand 2 is collapsible. The tie bars 10,11 are each removably connected by screws at their ends to brackets 17 on the lower transverse members 8,9. Once the tie bars 10,11 are removed, the support stand may be collapsed nearly flat.

The height of the support stand 2 is adjustable between about 1100 mm and 1500 mm. At the base of each leg is an extendible inner tubular leg extension 80, which may be extended and held in place by a knob bolt 81. The knob bolts 81 screw into holes 82 in the tubular leg extensions 80 spaced on 50 mm centres.

Considering now also Figure 2, the easel frame 3 has a pair of rearward supports 20,21 and a pair of forward supports 22,23. The rearward supports 20,21 are spaced apart by a transverse member 24. The forward supports 22,23 form the sides of a back frame for supporting from behind an artist's work surface, such as a canvas (not shown) . The forward supports 22,23 are spaced apart and connected together at their lower ends by a transverse work surface support 25 which has four upwardly projecting pins 26 for holding a canvas or other work surface .

Equidistant between the forward supports 22,23 is a pair of closely spaced rails 27,28 with a slot 29 therebetween. An upper transverse work surface support 30, with four downwardly projecting pins 31, is held by a bolt 32 through the slot 29. The bolt 32 may be loosened by a knob 42 (see Figures 4 and 5) directly behind the upper transverse work support 30, whereupon the upper transverse support 30 may be set to a desired spacing with respect to the lower transverse support 25.

At the top of the forward supports 22,23 there is another transverse member 33 to space apart and connect the forward supports.

The forward 22,23 and the rearward 20,21 supports are pivotally joined near the top of the rearward supports at a pivot point 94 about mid-way along the forward supports 22,23. The angle between the pair of forward supports and the pair of rearward supports may be set by a pair of slotted tie rails 34,35, which are each pivotally attached to a forward support 22,23 at a point 36, and tightened to a rearward support 20,21 by a knob bolt 37,38.

Both the forward and rearward supports 20,21,22,23 are extendible by up to 150 mm, with each support having a similar arrangement with an inner tubular support extension 39 which slots inside a support and is fixed in place by a knob bolt 43. The knob bolts 43 screw into holes 92 in the rearward tubular support extensions 39 spaced on 25 mm centres, and into similar holes (not shown) in the forward tubular support extensions spaced on 20 mm centres . The forward support is about 760 mm in the unextended position.

The connection of the easel frame 3 to the support stand 2 at a first location atop the support stand legs 4,5,6,7 is shown in Figure 2 by the arrows indicating the direction of motion to insert each rearward support extension 39 inside

an open top 44 of a support stand rearward leg 6,7. Another knob bolt 60 on each rearward leg may then be used to secure the support extension 39 to engage the easel frame to the support stand at the first location.

The easel frame 3 may be detached from the support stand 2 so that the easel frame may be stood freely, as shown in Figure 3, on a supporting surface 46. Removable rubber bungs 45 serve as feet and cover over the ends of the rearward and forward support extensions 39. Similar rubber bungs 95 serve as feet for the support stand extensions 80.

The easel frame 3 may also be engaged with the support stand 2 at a second location aside of the stand, as illustrated in Figures 4 to 7. The easel frame is again connected to and supported by the support stand rearward legs 6,7, but is mounted so that the work support frame faces in the opposite direction. The forward supports 22,23 are cantilevered outwards from one side (the rear side, relative to the first location) on the support stand 2 by a pair of slotted straps 47,48 on each side of the easel frame.

One such pair of slotted straps 47,48 is visible in Figure 2 stowed away by mounting the slotted straps 47,48 on the side of one of the rearward legs 7. The straps are held in place at their ends by two knob bolts 49,50. When the easel frame 3 is moved to be engaged with the support stand 2 at the second location, these two knob bolts 49,50 are unscrewed to release the ends of the straps 47,48, which are then connected to each easel frame rear support 20,21 at two points by knob bolts 51,160. One of these knob bolts 51 is near the pivot point 94 between the rearward and forward supports; the other knob bolt 160 is the same as knob bolt 60 described above, moved from near the top of the rearward legs 6,7 where it is not needed when the easel frame is mounted at the second location.

As will be appreciated from Figures 4 and 5, the easel frame can be adjusted at the second location either to stand laterally away from the support stand, for example so an artist can work at a chair, or the easel frame can be adjusted at the second location to rotate substantially horizontal, for example so an artist can work at a high stool. In the latter setting, the easel frame is laterally adjacent the support stand. The adjustment is made by setting the length of both pairs of side straps 47,48, and, optionally, the length of the extendible rearward supports 20,21. In the horizontal position shown in Figure 5, the rearward supports need to be set long enough so that the easel work surface can rotate over the tops of the support stand legs.

As is also suggested by the drawings, the rearward supports 20,21 rest on the wooden shelf 15, and most of the weight of the easel frame is transmitted to the support stand via this shelf. The shelf is particularly helpful when first putting the easel frame up to the support stand to engage the easel frame with the support stand in the second position, taking the weight of the easel frame until the pairs of side straps 47,48 can be tightened.

However, the support of the shelf is not essential, as the straps can be tightened sufficiently to support on their own the weight of the easel frame.

Figures 6 and 7 show, respectively, perspective views of the artist's frame shown in Figures 4 and 5. In Figure 7 an artist's work surface 70 is held between the easel frame transverse work surface supports 25,30. Such a nearly horizontal work surface could be used as a miniature drafting board.

Although the invention has been shown with two forward and two rearward legs, the support stand could, of course, have

fewer legs, for example as in a tripod arrangement with three legs. Other arrangements of legs and support means could also be used. For example, the easel frame could be supported by the support stand forward legs when at the first location atop of the legs.

An artist's easel described above may be used by an artist or a draughtsman in any one of many orientations with the easel frame at either of the two locations, or free standing on a table or other support surface. Such an easel may be collapsed flat or nearly flat for storage or transportation, and readily set up in position as desired. The height of the easel work surface may be adjusted, either by adjusting the easel frame or support stand extensions, so that both adults and children may use the easel . The tubular extension holes 82,92 on the legs and supports have different spacings to enable the resultant height of the work surface to be adjusted more precisely. Disabled persons may also be able to benefit from the easel, when the work surface is lowered, as in the second location.