Collapsible voting booth

• US 6,427,609 B1
• Filed: 01/18/2001
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Walter S. Grant
• Original Assignee: Walter S. Grant
• Inventors: Grant, Walter S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Jose V.
• Application Number:
  US09/761,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20020092443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 108/60, 108/61, 108/180, 108/157.14, 108/165, 211/200, 211/201, 211/184
• US Class Current: 108/60
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 1/1255 Voting booths

Abstract

A portable, collapsible voting booth forming a plurality of individual voting compartments on a table top to screen voters from observation of their votes from other persons present at the polling place. The voting booth includes a rectangular center panel having hooks which connect centrally to mating slots in a pair of end panels at a right angle to form an H-shape when viewed from above the table. Respective individual voting compartments are formed on opposite sides of the center panel between the end panels. The panels each include a centrally disposed, rectangular handle cutout adjacent an upper edge of each panel for carrying multiple panels in-hand. An additional center panel and connected end panel can be attached to each end panel using the second slot of the pair to produce additional pairs of side-by-side voting compartments.

Claims

1. A portable, collapsible voting booth for forming at least one individual voting compartment when assembled on a table top, comprising:

a center panel having respective top and bottom edges, and a pair of side edges each having at least one connector;

a pair of end panels each having respective top and bottom edges, a pair of side edges, and at least one connector disposed between said side edges so as to correspond with said connector of said center panel;

wherein said connectors of said center panel and said end panels are releasably interlockable to connect said end panels to said ends of said center panel at a generally right angle with said bottom edges of the respective panels coplanar for placement on a table top, and with the respective side edges of said end panels being laterally evenly disposed;

wherein the center panel and each end panel include a handle cutout for gripping in-hand, said handle cutouts being generally centrally located on each panel adjacent the respective top edge thereof for balanced weight distribution while carrying the respective panels, said center and end panels being of about the same size, and said handle cutouts being disposed such that when said center panel and said end panels are juxtaposed with the respective edges thereof generally aligned, said handle cutouts are aligned for carrying all three of said panels together in-hand.

2. The voting booth of claim 1, wherein the connectors of the center panel and end panels each comprise a mating connector chosen from the group consisting of hooks and slots.

3. The voting booth of claim 2, wherein the connectors of the center panel comprise hooks, at least one of which extends from each side edge, generally coplanar with said center panel, and the connectors of the end panels comprise slots, at least one slot being disposed through each respective end panel.

4. The voting booth of claim 3, wherein the slots extend vertically and the hooks open downwardly to engage said slots.

5. The voting booth of claim 4, wherein the slots are centrally disposed between the side edges of the end panels to form a pair of individual voting compartments of about the same size on opposite sides of the center panel.

6. The voting booth of claim 5, wherein the respective slots each comprise a pair of slots in a closely spaced, parallel relationship to allow connecting thereto of an additional center panel with an additional end panel, opposite the center panel, to form at least one additional individual voting compartment adjacent said end panel.

7. The voting booth of claim 5, wherein there are at least two slots through each end panel in a spaced, parallel relationship, one of said slots being centrally disposed between the side edges of the respective end panels and one being disposed adjacent a side edge of the respective end panels, to selectively form a pair of individual voting compartments of about the same size on opposite sides of the center panel and a single individual voting compartment of a larger size on one side of said center panel.

8. The voting booth of claim 7, wherein the respective slots through the end panels each comprise a pair of slots in a closely spaced, parallel relationship to facilitate connecting an additional center panel with an additional end panel thereto, opposite the center panel, to form at least one additional individual voting compartment adjacent said end panel.

9. The voting booth of claim 1, wherein the center panel is of a different color than the end panels.

10. The voting booth of claims 1, wherein the center panel and the end panels are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) foam-filled board.

11. The voting booth of claim 1, wherein the center panel and the end panels are made of cardboard.

12. The voting booth of claim 1, wherein there are at least two aligned connectors on the center panel and each end panel, each respective connector comprising a mating connector chosen from the group consisting of hooks and slots.

13. The voting booth of claim 2, wherein the connectors of the center panel comprise hooks, at least one of which extends from each side edge generally coplanar with said center panel, and the connectors of the end panels comprise slots, at least one slot being disposed through each respective end panel.

14. The voting booth of claim 3, wherein the slots extend vertically and the hooks open downwardly to engage said slots.

15. The voting booth of claim 4, wherein the slots are centrally disposed between the side edges of the end panels to form a pair of individual voting compartments of about the same size on opposite sides of the center panel.

16. The voting booth of claim 15, wherein the respective slots each comprise a pair of slots in a closely spaced, parallel relationship to allow connecting thereto of an additional center panel with an additional end panel, opposite the center panel, to form at least one additional individual voting compartment adjacent said end panel.

17. The voting booth of claim 15, wherein there are at least two slots through each end panel in a spaced, parallel relationship, one of said slots being centrally disposed between the side edges of the respective end panels and one being disposed adjacent a side edge of the respective end panels, to selectively form a pair of individual voting compartments of about the same size on opposite sides of the center panel and a single individual voting compartment of a larger size on one side of said center panel.

18. The voting booth of claim 17, wherein the respective slots through the end panels each comprise a pair of slots in a closely spaced, parallel relationship to facilitate connecting an additional center panel with an additional end panel thereto, opposite the center panel, to form at least one additional individual voting compartment adjacent said end panel.

19. A portable, collapsible voting booth for forming at least one individual voting compartment when assembled on a table top, comprising:

a center panel having respective top and bottom edges, and a pair of side edges each having at least one connector;

a pair of end panels each having respective top and bottom edges, a pair of side edges, and at least one connector disposed between said side edges so as to correspond with said connector of said center panel; and

wherein said connectors of said center panel and said end panels are releasably interlockable to connect said end panels to said ends of said center panel at a generally right angle with said bottom edges of the respective panels coplanar for placement on a table top, and with the respective side edges of said end panels being laterally evenly disposed;

wherein there are at least two aligned connectors on the center panel and each end panel, each respective connector comprising a mating connector chosen from the group consisting of hooks and slots; and

wherein the center panel and each end panel include a handle cutout for gripping in-hand, said handle cutouts being generally centrally located on each panel adjacent the respective top edge thereof for balanced weight distribution while carrying the respective panels.