Clipboard for spine bound pages
The present invention comprises a clipboard having a support back with a clip at the top of the support back where a center and forward cut away or recessed portion of the clip is removed leaving two extension legs that are adapted to hold down at least the outside covers of a number of spine bound pages. The invention provides a user with the capability of holding open and supporting on the support back the collection of spine bound pages while making it very easy for the user to turn the pages of the spine bound pages back and forth to view the contents thereon.
The present invention relates to clipboards adapted to hold spine bound pages such as those commonly seen in magazines, books and brochures.
Clipboards are exceedingly useful articles. They hold papers, documents and sometimes books and magazines. Spine bound materials are useful articles, too. They allow a user to turn pages at will to a desired pair of pages. Clipboards and book holders have in past required the user to choose a pair of pages that will be locked down for review.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,952,989, 5,067,682 and 5,797,578 show devices that are capable of holding books or magazines by using an rearward inclined plane and a bottom edge ledge to form a back support for a book, in combination with mechanisms at that bottom edge for holding the pages open. The rather obvious disadvantage of these devices is that text or graphics is blocked and obscured on the page where the hold down mechanism contacts the page.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,129 shows a book holder that uses side wire bails on right and left sides of the inclined plane that does not necessarily obscure the pages. However, turning a page requires release of a page from on wire bail, turning the page to the other side, lifting the other wire bail and tucking the page under that other wire bail.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,623 shows that a bottom edge flange can rotate about the bottom edge up to the bottom of pages of a spine bound set of pages, although the problem of obscuring and the necessity of lifting page securing means, turning a page and resetting the page securing means remains a problem with this and other prior art devices.
There is a need for a device that allows the user to secure spine bound pages to an inclined plane but that will allow the user to be free of the release securing means and reset securing means steps.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention comprises a clipboard having a support back with a clip at the top of the support back where a center and forward cut away or recessed portion of the clip is removed leaving two extension legs that are adapted to hold down at least the outside covers of a number of spine bound pages. The invention provides a user with the capability of holding open and supporting on the support back the collection of spine bound pages while making it very easy for the user to turn the pages of the spine bound pages back and forth to view the contents thereon.
The present invention also comprises a support lip at the bottom edge of the support back so that a bottom edge of the spine bound pages rest on that lip, especially the bottom end of the spine of the spine bound pages. In a preferred embodiment, a top end of the spine of the spine bound pages is located close to and almost underneath or slightly underneath an uppermost edge of the cut away portion of the clip and the bottom end is located on the support lip. The overall structural effect of the clipping action of the legs and bracing of the spine ends provides a surprisingly effective means for page turning about the axis of the spine. The primary invention effect is enhanced by providing sliding means among a back part of the clip and the support back so that the clip is capable of being secured in more than one position along the line intended for location of the spine of the spine bound pages. Moving the clip up or down along that line permits the user to more closely effect the preferred structure of the relationship between the support lip and the invention clip.
The present invention also comprises means for support of the support back at an acute angle to a tabletop or horizontal surface so that the user of the support back may more easily view the contents of the pages of the spine bound pages. The support back has attached to it by a hinge structure to a support frame adapted to make the entire structure free standing. The hinge structure is located at the top of the support back on its back side so that the support frame may rotate from a position flat against the support back to a position at an acute angle away from the support back, thereby allowing the user to rest the bottom edge of the support back and a bottom edge of the support frame on a tabletop or generally horizontal surface. Any papers or pages clipped to the front side of the support back may then be viewed by the user at the more convenient angle. In a preferred embodiment, the support frame is relatively narrow and is adapted to, in a latched position, lie near the edges of the support back, where the support frame is formed with an L. shaped cross-section. For the support frame, one edge of the L. shaped cross-section is intended to lie flat or close to the back side of the support back, that leg of the L. shaped cross-section lining closest to the edge of the support back. The other leg of the L. shaped cross-section extends toward the center portion of the back of the support back, thereby forming an center directed overhang held up with a peripheral wall. A substantial opening is defined by the support frame in a latched position against the support back, whereupon is attached by Velcro or other appropriate means a flexible sheet in a manner adapted to contain sheets of paper which the user may desire to store on the back side of the support back instead of under the clip of the clipboard.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is now discussed with reference to the Figures.
The invention clip 101 comprises, as shown in
The invention further comprises adaptation of the bottom piece of the invention clip and the support back so that the entire invention clip is movable up and down the length of the support back, where the invention clip is capable of being secured at one or more positions in that up or down track for the invention clip. This clip moving embodiment permits to the use of the invention clip with spine bound pages having widely varying spine lengths. A set of spine bound pages having a short spine may be effectively engaged with the invention clip and supported by the support lip upon a much longer support back by placing the bottom end of the spine of the spine bound pages against the support lip and moving downward for effective page retention function the invention clip until the top part of height 106/a is about at the top of the spine of the spine bound pages. It is intended that the embodiments of
Flexible sheet 164 comprises top edge Velcro tabs 156 and bottom edge Velcro tabs 157, whereby tabs 156 permit securable attachment of top edge 166 against the back side of support back 151 and tabs 157 permit securable to attachment of bottom edge 167 against the back side of support back 151 to thereby secure flexible sheet 164 to add a position slightly elevated but substantially parallel to the back side of support back 151 to permit storage of sheets 167 therein. Tabs 156 and 157 comprise mateable pieces, such as 156/a and 156/b, of Velcro to with adhesive backs, where in such backs are adhered to opposing services of flexible sheet 164 and the back side of support back 151.
It is preferred that support back 151 and frame 160 be adapted to be releaseably latchable against one another with flashing means such as extension 153 from the edge of support back 151, where such extension of 153 comprises a lip extension that will engage notch 171 at an opposing edge of frame 160. Flexible sheet 164 has sighed edges 165 the top edge 166 and bottom edge 163. The width 172 of flexible sheet 164 is adapted to be effectively less than width 173 in the opening of frame 160 so that as shown in
Referring to
The with of sides 161 and/or 163 may be increased so that the See with a removable or hinged door may be located thereover so that articles such as pens and pencils may be stored in those cavities and secured therein by closure of the doors were covers.
An alternate embodiment is now described for the slidable assembly as shown
Now an alternate embodiment of the device of
The invention comprises, with reference to the features analogously described above, a method for using a clipboard for securing and viewing spine bound pages on an inclined plane so that a user will not have to release a clip means to turn each page comprising:
(a) the spine bound pages comprise multiple pages bound along a common edge to form a straight spine with an upper spine end and a lower spine end, where the spine bound pages are adapted to lie in a stack when the spine bound pages are in a closed position and may be turned page by page by a user for viewing each page when a user grasps a free page edge at a page edge distal to the straight spine and intermediate pages are located between a front page and a back page;
(b) a flat, generally rectangular board plate with dimensions less than or equal to eleven inches wide by fifteen inches long, inclining the board plate along its length to between about thirty degrees to about eighty degrees so that an upper surface of the board plate presents an inclined plane;
(c) a lower edge of the board plate comprises a ledge extending generally upward and normal to the inclined plane and adapted to support the lower spine end and bottom page edges of pages extending laterally from the bottom edge of spine bound pages so that the spine bound pages cannot slide off of the inclined plane when the spine bound pages are placed on the inclined plane;
(d) a clip means for securing top edges the front page and back page near the spine upper spine end onto the inclined plane leaving at least most intermediate pages free to be turned page by page by the user, where clip means are movable with hand motion from a top position near the top of the inclined plane to a lowest position about halfway down the inclined plane and are adapted to be releasably secured at several intermediate positions between the topmost position and the lowest position;
(e) clip means further comprise a sliding plate slideably engaged in a slot extending from the top position to the lowest position and a pivoting plate is connected by a pivot to the sliding plate, whereby the pivoting plate is urged by a spring so that ends two legs of the pivoting plate extend down from the pivot to press on the inclined surface to hold down respectively the first and second pages, where a generally arcuate cutout is defined by a space the two legs so that the ends of the two legs are at least three inches apart;
(f) opening the spine bound pages, laying the first and second pages on the inclined plane, abutting the lower spine end and bottom page edges against the ledge, moving clip means from the top position toward the top spine end and elevating and releasing the ends of the legs from the surface of the inclined plane to capture the first and second pages respectively so that a topmost part of the arcuate cutout does not lie above any page, and a user turns at least most of the intermediate pages back and forth while the first and second pages are captured beneath the leg ends.
The invention also comprises a structure where the topmost part of the arcuate cutout lies always at least about 2.5 centimeters above the surface of the inclined plane.
The invention also comprises a structure where leg ends are separated by the arcuate cutout by at least 5 centimeters.
The above design options will sometimes present the skilled designer with considerable and wide ranges from which to choose appropriate apparatus and method modifications for the above examples. However, the objects of the present invention will still be obtained by that skilled designer applying such design options in an appropriate manner.
Claims
1. A method for using a clipboard for securing and viewing spine bound pages on an inclined plane so that a user will not have to release a clip means to turn each page comprising:
- (a) the spine bound pages comprise multiple pages bound along a common edge to form a straight spine with an upper spine end and a lower spine end, where the spine bound pages are adapted to lie in a stack when the spine bound pages are in a closed position and may be turned page by page by a user for viewing each page when a user grasps a free page edge at a page edge distal to the straight spine and intermediate pages are located between a front page and a back page;
- (b) a flat, generally rectangular board plate with dimensions less than or equal to eleven inches wide by fifteen inches long, inclining the board plate along its length to between about thirty degrees to about eighty degrees so that an upper surface of the board plate presents an inclined plane;
- (c) a lower edge of the board plate comprises a ledge extending generally upward and normal to the inclined plane and adapted to support the lower spine end and bottom page edges of pages extending laterally from the bottom edge of spine bound pages so that the spine bound pages cannot slide off of the inclined plane when the spine bound pages are placed on the inclined plane;
- (d) a clip means for securing top edges the front page and back page near the spine upper spine end onto the inclined plane leaving at least most intermediate pages free to be turned page by page by the user, where clip means are movable with hand motion from a top position near the top of the inclined plane to a lowest position about halfway down the inclined plane and are adapted to be releasably secured at several intermediate positions between the topmost position and the lowest position;
- (e) clip means further comprise a sliding plate slideably engaged in a slot extending from the top position to the lowest position and a pivoting plate is connected by a pivot to the sliding plate, whereby the pivoting plate is urged by a spring so that ends two legs of the pivoting plate extend down from the pivot to press on the inclined surface to hold down respectively the first and second pages, where a generally arcuate cutout is defined by a space the two legs so that the ends of the two legs are at least three inches apart;
- (f) opening the spine bound pages, laying the first and second pages on the inclined plane, abutting the lower spine end and bottom page edges against the ledge, moving clip means from the top position toward the top spine end and elevating and releasing the ends of the legs from the surface of the inclined plane to capture the first and second pages respectively so that a topmost part of the arcuate cutout does not lie above any page, and a user turns at least most of the intermediate pages back and forth while the first and second pages are captured beneath the leg ends.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the topmost part of the arcuate cutout lies always at least about 2.5 centimeters above the surface of the inclined plane.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein leg ends are separated by the arcuate cutout by at least 5 centimeters.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 16, 2004
Publication Date: Aug 24, 2006
Inventor: Michael Shields (Mammoth Lakes, CA)
Application Number: 10/768,539
International Classification: A47G 1/10 (20060101);