Supporting stand for an independent column

Claim 1

A SUPPORTING STAND FOR AN INDEPENDENT COLUMN COMPRISING AN UPPER SUPPORT MEANS FOR RECEIPT OF A COLUMN, A LOWER SUPPORT MEANS SUPPORTINGLY ATTACHED TO SAID UPPER SUPPORT MEANS FOR ROTATION WITH RESPECT THERETO ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS, AT LEAST THREE LEGS, EACH LEG MOUNTED ON SAID LOWER SUPPROT FOR SEPARATE PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS, SAID UPPER SUPPORT MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF SLOT MEANS FOR PERMITTING UPWARD PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE LEGS TO A FOLDED POSITION ALONG THE COLUMN WHEN THE LEGS ARE ALIGNED THEREWITH, SAID UPPER SUPPORT MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF BOTTOM RECESS MEANS, ANGULARLY DISPLACED WITH RESPECT TO RESPECTIVE SLOT MEANS, FOR PREVENTING UPWARD MOVEMENT OF THE LEGS ALIGNED THEREWITH FROM AN UNFOLDED, SUPPORTING POSITION, THE UPPER SUPPORT MEANS COMPRISING A SOCKET FOR RECEIPT OF A COLUMN, THE LOWER END OF SAID SOCKET COMPRISING A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING ANNULAR FLANGE HAVING SAID PLURALITY OF SLOT MEANS AND SAID PLURALITY OF SAID RECESS MEANS, SAID FLANGE DEFINING A LOWER CYLINDRICAL RECESS, SAID LOWER SUPPORT MEANS BEING POSITIONED WITHIN SAID LOWER CYLINDRICAL RECESS.