BANANA STAND

Abstract

A banana stand that has the appearance of banana when in a closed state. The banana stand includes a main body, a rear support disposed in a recess of the main body, and at least one, and in one implementation two front supports pivotally connected to the main body. An internal gearing mechanism operates to move the front supports in sync with the rear support when the rear support is moved from the recess in the main body. Once the rear support is fully deployed, a locking mechanism locks the front and rear supports in an open or standing position such that the main body can be positioned to stand on a surface. A hook at the top of the main body receives and suspends a bunch of bananas.

Claims

1. A banana stand that has the appearance of a banana when in a closed position, the stand comprising: a main body; a rear support positioned within a recess in the main body when in the closed position; two front supports each pivotally connected to the main body and positioned on sides of the main body when in the closed position; and an internal gear mechanism connecting the rear support to the two front supports such that movement of the rear support out of the recess causes the two front supports to rotate about their respective pivotal connections.

2. The banana stand according to claim 1, wherein the main body further comprises a hook at a top end thereof.

3. The banana stand according to claim 1, wherein the internal gear mechanism comprises: a gear head at one end of the rear support, the gear head having two partial gears; and a front support partial gear on each of the two front supports.

4. The banana stand according to claim 3, wherein one of each of the gear head partial gears mesh with one front support partial gear such that pivotal movement of the front supports is limited by the rotation of the rear support.

5. The banana stand according to claim 1, further comprising a locking mechanism configured to lock the rear support and front supports in an open or standing position.

6. The banana stand according to claim 5, wherein the locking mechanism is integrated into the rear support.

7. A banana stand comprising: a main body having a shape of a banana; a rear support positioned within a recess in the main body when in the closed position; at least one front support pivotally connected to the main body and positioned on at least one side of the main body when in the closed position; and a locking mechanism configured to lock the rear support and the at least one front support in an open or standing position.

8. The banana stand of claim 7, further comprising an internal gear mechanism connecting the rear support to the at least one front support such that movement of the rear support out of the recess causes the at least one front support to rotate about the respective pivotal connections.

9. The banana stand according to claim 7, wherein the main body further comprises a hook at a top end thereof.

10. The banana stand according to claim 8, wherein the internal gear mechanism comprises: a gear head at one end of the rear support, the gear head having at least one partial gear; and at least one front support partial gear on the at least one front support.

11. The banana stand according to claim 10, wherein the at least one partial fear of the gear head meshes with the at least one front support partial gear such that pivotal movement of the at least one front support is determined by the pivoting of the rear support out of the recess of the main body.

12. The banana stand according to claim 7, wherein the locking mechanism is integrated into the rear support.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] In the drawings wherein like reference numerals denote similar components throughout the views:

[0012] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the banana stand in a closed/collapsed position according to an embodiment;

[0013] FIG. 2 is a read perspective view of the banana stand in the closed/collapsed position according to an embodiment;

[0014] FIG. 3 is a side view of the banana stand showing the opening of the same according to an embodiment;

[0015] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the banana stand according to an embodiment;

[0016] FIGS. 5A-5B are enlarged views of an embodiment of the gearing connection for the front and rear supports of the banana stand;

[0017] FIG. 5C is a cross sectional view of the gearing and locking mechanism for the front and rear supports of the banana stand, according to an embodiment;

[0018] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the banana stand in the open position, according to an embodiment;

[0019] FIG. 7 is a right side view of the banana stand in the open position according to an embodiment;

[0020] FIG. 8 is a left side view of the banana stand in the open position according to an embodiment;

[0021] FIG. 9 is a rear view of the banana stand in the open position according to an embodiment; and

[0022] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the banana stand showing an exemplary operation of the same according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] FIGS. 1 and 2 show the banana stand 100 in a close position according to an aspect of the invention. When closed, the stand 100 has the appearance of a banana, and can be easily stored in a drawer or any place for the storage of such items. The stand 100 has a main body 102 with side/front supports 104 and 106 and a spine or rear support 104. The neck/crown of the banana functions as a hook 120 for holding a bunch of bananas (See FIG. 10). As will be apparent from this disclosure, the side/front supports 106, 108, and the rear support 104 are configured to look like the peals of a banana.

[0024] FIG. 3 shows the beginning operation of opening the stand 100. According to one implementation, when the spine/rear support 104 is pulled in the direction of the arrow (by a user's finger pulling on the end 124), internal gearing causes the front supports 106 and 108 to rotate away from the main body 102 as shown.

[0025] FIGS. 4 and 5 show the gearing of the banana stand according to an implementation of the invention. In this implementation, the internal gearing is configured such that when the spine/rear support 104 is pulled as shown in FIG. 3, it causes the movement of the front supports 106, 108. Once the spine/rear support 104 is fully extended from the recess 114, the front supports 106,108 are also fully deployed from their closed position to their open and operable position such that the main body 102 of the stand is supported on the supports 106, 108 and 104 (see FIGS. 6-10). It follows that the gearing is configured such that when the spine/rear support 104 is moved back into the spine recess 114, the front supports follow and retract back into their folded position against the main body 102.

[0026] In one implementation, the spine/rear support 104 has a gear head 125 having a shafts 126 axially positioned therethrough. On each end of the gear head 125 is a partial gear 135a, 135b. Each of the front supports has a post 144a, 144b (not shown), that receives a partial gear 145a, 145b, respectively. The partial gears 145a, 145b can be secured to their respective posts 144a, 144b (and thereby the respective front supports 106, 108) with a pin 146a, 146b, respectively. In this example, the geometric shape of the posts 144a, 144b matches a geometric shape of the partial gears 145a, 145b such that rotation of the partial gear causes rotation of the connected front support 106, 108, respectively. Holes 116 and 118 in the front supports 106 and 108, respectively, can be configured to allow for the connection or insertion of the pins 146a, 146b and removal of the same if needed. Caps 126, 128 (FIG. 8) can be used to fill those holes 116, 118 and match the color scheme of the fronts supports such that the overall appearance of the same is continuous and not interrupted by the holes 116 and 118.

[0027] Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the pins 146a, 146b are only one example of how partial gears 145a, 145b may be attached to the posts 144a, 144b of the respective front supports 106, 108. FIG. 5A shows an enlarged internal view of how the partial gear 135b from the gear head 125 engages the partial gear 145b of the front support 108.

[0028] As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, the use of partial gears 145a, 145b, in conjunction with the partial gears 135a, 135b of the gear head 125, provides for the desired limited rotation of both the spine/rear support 104 with the same corresponding limited rotation of the front supports 106, 108.

[0029] Referring specifically to FIGS. 5A-5C, and in accordance with a preferred implementation, a locking mechanism 200 enables the locking of the front and rear supports in the open position (i.e., standing position). The locking mechanism 200 includes a button lock 202 that is spring loaded or biased such that when the user moves the rear support to open the stand, once the rear support reaches a predetermined position, the locking slider 204 connected to the button 202 clicks in or more specifically automatically moves up or along the slot 208 such that when it extends to the end of the slot 208, the rear support 104 is locked relative to the front supports 106, 108 and the body 102. FIG. 5A shows the stand in the open configuration where the button 202 is in the forward or locked position. FIG. 5B shows the button 202 slid backwards against the spring bias to release the lock and allow for the folding of the rear (102) and front supports (106, 108) back to the banana shape. As shown in FIG. 50, the button 202 is in the unlocked position and the spring 206 is shown compressed accordingly. When the user releases the button, spring 206 will cause the locking slider to move forward along slot 202, and when it reaches the end of the slot operates to lock the position of rear and front supports relative to the body 102. As will be appreciated, this locking mechanism 200 is one example of how a lock can be implemented to maintain the rear and front supports in an open position relative to the body. Other locking mechanism versions that may or may not include springs can also be implemented without departing from the intended scope of this disclosure.

[0030] FIGS. 6-9 show the banana stand 100 open and standing using the front supports 106, 108 and the rear support 104. When the front supports 106 and 108 are deployed or extended into their operable standing position, flat surfaces 116 and 118 of the main body are exposed. As shown, when the front supports 106, 108 and rear/spine support 104 are extended, the main body 102 is supported upright such that the hook 120 can be used to hang a bunch of bananas (See FIG. 10).

[0031] It should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or implementation of the present principles may be incorporated in any other disclosed, described or suggested form or implementation as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

[0032] It should also be understood that the example embodiments disclosed and taught herein are susceptible to numerous and various modifications and alternative forms. Thus, the use of a singular term, such as, but not limited to, a and the like, is not intended as limiting of the number of items. Furthermore, the naming conventions for the various components, functions, parameters, thresholds, and other elements used herein are provided as examples, and can be given a different name or label. The use of the term or is not limited to exclusive or but can also mean and/or.

[0033] While particular embodiments and applications of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise construction and compositions disclosed herein and that various modifications, changes, and variations can be apparent from the foregoing descriptions without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements or construction which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the present principles.

[0034] Having described preferred embodiments, which serve to illustrate various concepts, structures and techniques that are the subject of this patent, it will now become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments incorporating these concepts, structures and techniques may be used. Additionally, elements of different embodiments described herein may be combined to form other embodiments not specifically set forth above.

[0035] Accordingly, it is submitted that that scope of the patent should not be limited to the described embodiments but rather should be limited only by the spirit and scope of the following claims.