Drawing stands or the like

Claim 1

IN A DRAWING STAND OR THE LIKE; A BASE STAND, A TABLE TOP ADAPTED FOR ADJUSTMENT WITH RESPECT TO ELEVATION AND INCLINATION, MEANS FOR ADJUSTABLY MOUNTING SAID TABLE TOP ON SAID BASE STAND, SAID MOUNTING MEANS INCLUDING MEANS DEFINING AT LEAST ONE PARALLELOGRAM HAVING A LOWERMOST CORNER REMOTE FROM SAID TABLE TOP PIVOTABLY SUPPORTED ABOUT AN AXIS OF ROTATION BY SAID BASE STAND, SAID BASE STAND BEING PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF SPACED LAMINAE, SAID LOWERMOST CORNER OF SAID PARALLELOGRAM BEING DEFINED BY PIVOTABLY ARRANGED LEVER MEANS EACH HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED LAMINAE COOPERABLE WITH SAID LAMINAE OF SAID BASE STAND TO FORM AN INTERENGAGEABLE GROUP OF LAMINAE DEFINING A CLAMPING MECHANISM FOR FRICTIONALLY RETAINING SAID TABLE TOP IN A PRESET POSITION, MEANS COOPERABLE WITH SAID RESPECTIVE LAMINAE FOR URGING THE LATTER INTO FRICTIONAL CONTACT WITH ONE ANOTHER, SAID COOPERABLE MEANS INCLUDING CLAMPING JAW MEANS ADJACENT SAID GROUP OF LAMINAE, A BIFURCATED WEDGE MEMBER FOR COMPRESSING AND FREEING SAID CLAMPING JAW MEANS, AND PUSH ROD MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID BIFURCATED WEDGE MEMBER, AND AT LEAST ONE TORSION SPRING COAXIALLY ARRANGED WITH RESPECT TO THE PIVOTABLY SUPPORTED LOWERMOST CORNER OF SAID PARALLELOGRAM FOR COUNTERBALANCING THE WEIGHT OF SAID TABLE TOP.