Surface embedded collapsible support

Abstract

A collapsible support allowing tilting or elevating an object and embedded into the object surface thus becoming an integral and complementary part of it. The support which is characterized by its thinness makes it appropriate for integration into small portable objects such as calculators and personal digital assistant and to objects having a rigid articulated cover such as a ring binder, a diary or a mobile work station, without affecting significantly the physical properties of the objects such as its shape and its robustness nor its simplicity or manufacturing cost. It can also be integrated into the jacket of one of these objects or constitute an independent tilting structure being used to support a distinct object. It is made up of a rigid mobile part, that alternatively combines the roles of support and that of peripheral structure.

What I claim as my invention is:  
     
         1 . A contact area collapsible support allowing tilting or elevating an object, which is folded up and dissimulated into the surface of the object, comprising: 
 a rigid or semi-rigid generally plane and rectangular mobile part that serves as support and which, when the support is folded up, is embedded into the surface of the object to become part of it;    wherein the mobile part is attached to the object by an articulation located between a linear section of the contour of the mobile part and the corresponding linear section internal to the framework formed by the region where the mobile part is embedded, thus giving the mobile part a liberty of rotation around the articulation axis;    that rotation being limited in a direction by the meeting of areas located on the mobile part or the surface of the object, or at the same time on the mobile part and the surface of the object; and    that rotation being limited in the other direction by a physical constraint on which the mobile part come up against, thus limiting the rotation of the mobile part to an orientation making this mobile part coplanar to the surface of the object.    
     
     
         2 . The contact area collapsible support as claimed in  1  wherein the corners of the mobile part distant from the articulation binding the mobile part to the surface of the object are curved in direction of the surface of the object when the support is deployed, and are flatten to embrace the shape of the surface of the object when the support is folded up.  
     
     
         3 . The contact area collapsible support as claimed in  1  or  2  wherein a stretched elastic member attached by one of his ends to the surface of the object and by the other end to the mobile part, on both sides of the articulation binding the mobile part of the support and the surface of the object has been integrated.  
     
     
         4 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  3  wherein a loaded spiral spring is disposed along the articulation binding the mobile part to the surface of the object.  
     
     
         5 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  4  wherein an extension of the mobile part of the support is attached in a temporary way to the cover using a fastener.  
     
     
         6 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  4  wherein an extension of the cover is attached in a temporary way to the mobile part of the support using a fastener.  
     
     
         7 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  4  wherein a pair of extensions of the mobile part of the support surrounds part of the cover and meet to be permanently bonded by a rubber band.  
     
     
         8 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  4  wherein a pair of extensions of the cover surrounds the mobile part of the support and meet to be permanently bonded by a rubber band.  
     
     
         9 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  4  wherein a pair of extensions of the mobile part of the support surrounds part of the cover and meet to be bonded in a temporary way using a fastener.  
     
     
         10 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  4  wherein a pair of extensions of the cover surrounds the mobile part of the support and meet to be bonded in a temporary way using a fastener.  
     
     
         11 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  4  wherein a pair of extensions of the mobile part of the support surrounds part of the cover and meet to form a handle.  
     
     
         12 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  4  wherein a pair of extensions of the cover surrounds the mobile part of the support and meet to form a handle.  
     
     
         13 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  12  wherein a small pocket is attached to the mobile part of the support.  
     
     
         14 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  13  wherein a small pocket is attached the external surface of the object to which the support is integrated.  
     
     
         15 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  14  wherein a wallet is attached to the mobile part of the support.  
     
     
         16 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  14  wherein a wallet is attached to the external surface of the object to which the support is integrated.  
     
     
         17 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  16  wherein a slit, a paper clip or any other type of low thickness paper fastener is integrated into the mobile part of the support.  
     
     
         18 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  12  wherein a framework making it possible to insert an image is integrated.  
     
     
         19 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  12  wherein a drawing or information are engraved or printed on the external surface of the mobile part of the support.  
     
     
         20 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  19  wherein a flap making it possible to deploy the support and to handle the object is attached to the mobile part of the support.  
     
     
         21 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  20  wherein a hole bored in the mobile part of the support makes it possible to insert a finger in order to deploy the support or to handle the object.  
     
     
         22 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  21  wherein a loop surrounding the mobile part of the support and being able to be used as a transportation handle is attached to the cover of the object.  
     
     
         23 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  22  wherein the mobile part integrates the extension of one or all of the articulations of the cover.  
     
     
         24 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  22  integrated into surface, the case, the cover or the lid of a computer, a personal digital assistant, a measuring instrument or an audio reader.  
     
     
         25 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  22  integrated into the cover of clipboard or a digitizing tablet.  
     
     
         26 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  22  integrated to the internal side of the articulated cover of articulated cover clipboard, of a portfolio, of a mobile work station or of booklet style calculator, personal digital assistant, digitizing tablet, tool case or pencil case.  
     
     
         27 . The contact area collapsible support according to any one of  claims 1  to  23  integrated to the cover of a ring binder, a book, an album, a diary or to the cover of an object having a similar rigid or semi-rigid cover, or to the jacket of such an object.