Opened Book Holding Device
A device to hold an open book at an open page is disclosed in which the page is clamped between a lip (1, 21) and a resilient book cover support (3, 23). Two embodiments of the device (10, 20) are disclosed, the former being fabricated as a single piece, the latter being able to be folded for compact packaging. In either case pages of the open book can be turned at will.
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The present invention relates to book holders and, in particular, to an opened book holding device which permits a book to be held open at a selected pair of adjacent pages.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONReading a book usually requires the use of at least one of the hands of the reader. Generally both hands are required. This requirement arises because of the tendency of some books to self close either due to the resilience of the spine of the book, or for some external reason such as a breeze turning a page. Often the reader's hands are required simply because there are no other means to support the book at a convenient reading angle and reading distance.
Manually holding a book open for an extended period can be tiring, particularly for the elderly and infirm. Holding a book open is also inconvenient, for example, where a student requires their hands to make notes. Holding a book open can also cause discomfort, for example, on a cold winter's night.
In the past various ways and means have been devised to support books at a convenient angle. The simplest of these is a lectern or other inclined surface. Some of these devices go further and hold the pages of the book open as well. Yet other known devices also extend to turning pages of a book.
However, many of these devices are complicated to both manufacture and to use. The known devices can be arduous to use, especially where turning a page is involved. Other devices suffer from various disadvantages.
For example, clear plastic cook book covers are known to hold cooking or recipe books open at the page displaying a recipe, and also inclined at a convenient reading angle. However, such devices often cause distracting reflections and are very inconvenient for page turning.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of the present invention is to provide an opened book holding device to permit an open book to be held open at a selected pair of adjacent pages with the book being held at a convenient angle and distance from the reader.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an opened book holding device to permit an opened book to be held open at a selected pair of adjacent pages, said device including:
a base;
a lip extending upwardly from said base and dimensioned to abut with a lower edge of said book;
at least one cover support mounted on said base and dimensioned to support a corresponding outer cover of said book; and
biasing means to resiliently bias the or each said cover support towards said lip;
wherein said lip and said cover support(s) are dimensioned to resiliently clamp said opened book therebetween.
In preferred embodiments, the device includes a pair of said cover supports each of which is independently resiliently biased. More preferably, the cover support(s) are adjustably mounted on said base to alter the degree of inclination thereof relative to said base.
Preferably, the cover support(s) are selectively inclinable relative to said base into any one of a plurality of pre-selected positions, and the cover support(s) are hingedly mounted to said base.
In preferred embodiments, said cover support(s) are formed as a cantilever which constitutes said biasing means.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of holding open a selected pair of adjacent pages of a book having a front cover, a back cover, and a plurality of pages, said method including the steps of:
(i) opening said book at said selected pair of adjacent pages;
(ii) placing said front cover and said back cover on a cover support means; and
(iii) resiliently urging said cover support means towards a lip to abut said book with said lip to thereby clamp said book between said lip and said cover support means.
In preferred embodiments, the method includes the step of adjustably mounting said cover supports to a base such that said cover supports inclination angle can be altered.
It can therefore be seen that there is provided an opened book holding device that permits an open book to be held open at a selected pair of adjacent pages while the book is held at a convenient angle and distance from the reader.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings in which:
As seen in
Extending from the rear wall 8 in cantilever fashion are two cover supports 3 which are separated by a gap 5 which terminates in a bight 9 in the rear wall 8.
The length of the cover supports 3 is preferably selected so as to enable the free ends of the cover supports 3 to engage the lips 1 as illustrated in
In use, as illustrated in
In the configuration illustrated in
If the reader wishes to turn the page, two possible mechanisms are able to be used. In the first, the book 13 is pushed away from the reader, lifted clear of lip 1, the page turned, and the book replaced by reversing the sequence. Alternatively, one side (eg the right side) of the book 13 can be depressed and the corresponding (right) page turned by being slid out from underneath the corresponding (right) lip 1. The right page is then turned over so as to lie above the other (left) side of the book which is in turn depressed so as to permit the turned page to be located under the corresponding (left) lip 1.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the mechanical arts that the height of the book is not restricted by the length of the cover supports 3. Also, that the width of the pages is not restricted by the width of the lips 1.
Furthermore, it is not necessary for the free ends of the cover supports 3 to engage with the lips 1, it is only necessary for the cover supports 3 to be of a length sufficient to clamp the book 13 between the cover supports 3 and the lips 1. If the cover supports 3 are made too short, the book 13 will develop a tendency to be rotated about the upper edges of the lips 1 into a more upright position than is desired.
In an alternative arrangement to that illustrated in
An advantage of having two cover supports 3 is that a thick book 13 can be clamped with vastly different numbers of pages clamped between each pair of lips 1 and the corresponding cover support 3. The gap 5 accommodates the spine 12 of the book 13.
Turning now to
As best shown in
The foregoing describes only two embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, it is possible for the bight 6, gap 5 and bight 9 of
Also the base 7, 27 or real wall 8, 28 can include clamps for attachment to table edges, chair arms (including wheel chairs), and the like. The base or real wall can also be mounted on an upstand extending from a floor thereby permitting use alongside a bed or lounge chair.
Similarly, the base 27 can be dispensed with and the brace 24 used in the manner of a support for a photographic frame. In a further modification, the page engaging surfaces of the lip(s) 1 can be friction enhanced by, for example, knurling or adhering a frictional material thereon.
Claims
1. An opened book holding device to permit an opened book to be held open at a selected pair of adjacent pages, said device including:
- a base;
- a lip extending upwardly from said base and dimensioned to abut with a lower edge of said book;
- at least one cover support mounted on said base and dimensioned to support a corresponding outer cover of said book; and
- biasing means to resiliently bias the or each said cover support towards said lip;
- wherein said lip and said cover support(s) are dimensioned to resiliently clamp said opened book therebetween.
2. A device according to claim 1 including a pair of said cover supports each of which is independently resiliently biased.
3. A device according to claim 1 wherein said cover support(s) are adjustably mounted on said base to alter the degree of inclination thereof relative to said base.
4. A device according to claim 3 wherein said cover support(s) are selectively inclinable relative to said base into any one of a plurality of pre-selected positions.
5. A device according to claim 3 wherein said cover support(s) are hingedly mounted to said base.
6. A device according to claim 1 wherein said cover support(s) are formed as a cantilever which constitutes said biasing means.
7. (canceled)
8. A method of holding open a selected pair of adjacent pages of a book having a front cover, a back cover, and a plurality of pages, said method including the steps of:
- (i) opening said book at said selected pair of adjacent pages;
- (ii) placing said front cover and said back cover on a cover support means; and (iii) resiliently urging said cover support means towards a lip to abut said book with said lip to thereby clamp said book between said lip and said cover support means.
9. A method according to claim 8 including the step of adjustably mounting said cover supports to a base such that said cover supports inclination angle can be altered.
10. (canceled)
11. A device according to claim 2 wherein said cover support(s) are adjustably mounted on said base to alter the degree of inclination thereof relative to said base.
12. A device according to claim 11 wherein said cover support(s) are selectively inclinable relative to said base into any one of a plurality of pre-selected positions.
13. A device according to claim 12 wherein said cover support(s) are hingedly mounted to said base.
14. A device according to claim 11 wherein said cover support(s) are formed as a cantilever which constitutes said biasing means.
15. A device according to claim 2 wherein said cover support(s) are formed as a cantilever which constitutes said biasing means.
16. A device according to claim 3 wherein said cover support(s) are formed as a cantilever which constitutes said biasing means.
17. A device according to claim 4 wherein said cover support(s) are formed as a cantilever which constitutes said biasing means.
18. A device according to claim 5 wherein said cover support(s) are formed as a cantilever which constitutes said biasing means.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 8, 2005
Publication Date: Jun 26, 2008
Applicants: (Crows Nest, NSW), (Glebe, NSW)
Inventor: Noel Sidney Davidson Wood (New South Wales)
Application Number: 10/597,952
International Classification: A47B 97/00 (20060101); A47G 1/24 (20060101); A47B 19/00 (20060101);