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A foldable tabletop easel with a pair of opposing support members rotatably connected in a vertical central joint, opposing pedestal members rotatably attached to the lower vertical portion of the outside edges of the respective support members and a positioning tab connected to one of the support m

A foldable tabletop easel with a pair of opposing support members rotatably connected in a vertical central joint, opposing pedestal members rotatably attached to the lower vertical portion of the outside edges of the respective support members and a positioning tab connected to one of the support members in a tab insert adjacent to the central joint. The positioning tab has slots which secure the easel in a display position as the positioning tab is rotated onto a tab rib in a tab insert in the other support member. The easel can be of unitary construction of cardboard.

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What is claimed is: 1. Foldable easel for use on a level surface, the easel comprising a pair of opposing support members, a pair of opposing pedestal members and a positioning tab, each support member having a lower portion, a respective pedestal member being attached to the lower portion of a res

What is claimed is: 1. Foldable easel for use on a level surface, the easel comprising a pair of opposing support members, a pair of opposing pedestal members and a positioning tab, each support member having a lower portion, a respective pedestal member being attached to the lower portion of a respective said support member, the support members being rotatably connected in a vertical central joint and having an unfolded flat position and one or more display positions wherein the support members are rotated forward in the vertical central joint to a display position, the positioning tab having an attachment end rotatably attached to one of the support members in a generally horizontal tab joint which is adjacent to and generally perpendicular to the central joint and the opposing support member having a receiving insert adjacent to the central joint and opposing the positioning tab attachment end, the receiving insert having a generally vertical tab rib on the end of the receiving insert opposite the central joint, the positioning tab having a free end, the positioning tab having a peripheral edge with one or more tab slots in the peripheral edge, the positioning tab and the receiving insert being dimensioned to provide for the positioning tab to rotate into the receiving insert and a respective tab slot to rotate onto the tab rib when the support members are rotated forward to the display position. 2. Easel as recited in claim 1 wherein the positioning tab is semi-circular with a tab edge which is more or less vertical on the free end, the receiving insert encompassing the free end when the easel is in a flat position. 3. Easel as recited in claim 1 wherein the support member that the positioning tab is attached to has an attachment insert contiguous to the receiving insert, the attachment insert having a horizontal insert base and the attachment end of the positioning tab having a horizontal tab edge, the insert base being rotatably attached to the tab edge in the horizontal tab joint and the attachment insert encompassing the attachment end when the easel is in a flat position. 4. Easel as recited in claim 1 wherein the tab slots are dimensioned to fit snugly on the tab rib as the support members are rotated from the flat position to the display position and the positioning tab is rotated from an unlocked position to a locked position. 5. Easel as recited in claim 1 wherein the opposing support members comprise a left support member and a right support member, and wherein the left support member is divided into a left top panel and left bottom panel, the left top panel and the left bottom panel being rotatably connected in a horizontal left panel joint, and wherein the right support member is divided into a right top panel and right bottom panel, the right top panel and the right bottom panel being rotatably connected in a horizontal right panel joint. 6. Easel as recited in claim 1 wherein the easel is of unitary construction. 7. Easel as recited in claim 6 wherein the easel is constructed of plastic. 8. Easel as recited in claim 6 wherein the easel is constructed of cardboard. 9. Easel as recited in claim 1 wherein the easel is of unitary construction with the joints formed by scoring of the easel material. 10. Easel as recited in claim 9 wherein the easel is constructed of cardboard. 11. Easel as recited in claim 9 wherein the easel is constructed of plastic. 12. Easel as recited in claim 1 wherein each said pedestal member has a pedestal top, each said support member has an outside edge with a tapered upper portion which tapers from the respective pedestal top inwardly toward the central joint, and each said pedestal top is roughly perpendicular to the tapered upper portion of the support member to which said pedestal member is attached. 13. Easel as recited in claim 1 wherein each said support member has an outside edge with a vertical lower portion and a tapered upper portion and each respective said pedestal member is rotatably attached to the vertical lower portion of the respective support member in a vertical pedestal joint. 14. Foldable easel for use on a level surface, the easel comprising: a) pair of opposing support members, namely a left support member and right support member, the left support member and right support member being rotatably connected at a vertical central joint, the support members having an unfolded flat position and one or more display positions wherein the support members are rotated forward in the vertical central joint to a display position, the left support member having a left outside edge, the left outside edge having a left outside edge lower portion which is vertical and the left outside edge having a left outside edge upper portion which tapers from the top of the vertical lower portion inwardly toward the central joint, the right support member having a right outside edge, the right outside edge having a right outside edge lower portion which is vertical, the right outside edge having a right outside edge upper portion which tapers from the top of the vertical lower portion inwardly toward the central joint, the left support member having a left tab insert, the right support member having a right tab insert, the left tab insert being contiguous to the right tab insert at the vertical central joint, the left tab insert and the right tab insert together forming a central tab insert; b) pair of opposing pedestal members, namely a left pedestal member and a right pedestal member, the left pedestal member being rotatably connected to the vertical lower portion of the left outside edge in a left pedestal joint and the right pedestal member being rotatably connected to the vertical lower portion of the right outside edge in a right pedestal joint, each said pedestal member having a top edge which is roughly perpendicular to the tapered upper portion of the support member to which said pedestal member is rotatably connected; and c) positioning tab, the positioning tab being dimensioned to be encompassed by the central tab insert when the easel is in an unfolded, flat position, the positioning tab having an attachment end which is rotatably connected in a generally horizontal tab joint to an attachment insert, the attachment insert being the left tab insert or the right tab insert, the positioning tab having a generally vertical free end with a peripheral edge having one or more tab slots, a receiving insert, the tab insert opposing the attachment insert, having a tab rib, the positioning tab and the receiving insert being dimensioned to provide for the positioning tab to rotate into the receiving insert and a respective tab slot to rotate onto the tab rib when the support members are rotated forward to the display position. 15. Easel as recited in claim 14 wherein the positioning tab is semi-circular with a tab edge which is more or less vertical on the free end. 16. Easel as recited in claim 14 the tab slots are dimensioned to fit snugly on the tab rib as the left support member and right support member are rotated from the flat position to the display position and the positioning tab is rotated from an unlocked position to a locked position. 17. Easel as recited in claim 14 wherein the left support member is divided into a left top panel and left bottom panel, the left top panel and the left bottom panel being rotatably connected in a horizontal left panel joint, and wherein the right support member is divided into a right top panel and right bottom panel, the right top panel and the right bottom panel being rotatably connected in a horizontal right panel joint. 18. Easel as recited in claim 14 wherein the easel is of unitary construction. 19. Easel as recited in claim 18 wherein the easel is constructed of cardboard. 20. Easel as recited in claim 18 wherein the easel is constructed of plastic. 21. Easel as recited in claim 14 wherein the easel is of unitary construction with the joints formed by scoring of the easel material. 22. Easel as recited in claim 21 wherein the easel is constructed of cardboard. 23. Easel as recited in claim 21 wherein the easel is constructed of plastic.