Abstract:
The invention relates to a book that can be displayed on a vertical surface like art work, a fastening mechanism for keeping the front and back covers of a book closed while the book is displayed vertically, a kit for use with a book that enables the book to be displayed on a vertical surface with a fastening mechanism, a method for displaying a book on a vertical surface, and a process for manufacturing a book that provides the same functionality.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority and the benefit thereof from a U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/318,488, filed on Mar. 29, 2010 and entitled BOOKS AS ART, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to a book that can be displayed on a vertical surface like art work, a fastening mechanism for keeping the front and back covers of a book closed while the book is displayed vertically, a kit for use with a book that enables the book to be displayed on a vertical surface with a fastening mechanism, a method for displaying a book on a vertical surface, and a process for manufacturing a book that provides the same functionality. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    As seen in libraries and bookstores, books are typically stored on bookshelves with only the spine of a book visible to its audience. Books can take up much space and bookshelves are an efficient way to display books. Unfortunately the spine of a book usually contains only the book&#39;s title, which may tell the reader nothing about its subject matter and does little to attract a potential reader&#39;s attention. 
         [0004]    Book covers are important in the publishing industry and typically designed by professional illustrators. The book cover design is one method used by publishers to advertise and market the book. Book covers can visually attract potential readers to read and potential purchasers to purchase the books. 
         [0005]    The importance of a book&#39;s cover can also be seen in bookstores, where some books are displayed with its front cover visible along a rack, similar to how magazines are displayed “face up” on a magazine rack. In libraries, some books are displayed in whole by placing the book free standing on top of the bookshelf, on tables, and on other flat horizontal surfaces. Books are displayed this way to make them more visually appealing and may enable these books to be checked out or purchased more frequently than books visible only by its spine. This may be particularly true for children, especially young children when selecting children&#39;s books such as board books or picture books. In book selection, young children may not be reading the book summary located in the back or inside book cover, but rather may gravitate towards visually stimulating books that catch their attention. However, the number of books that can be displayed in this manner is limited by the flat horizontal space available. 
         [0006]    There is a need for books such as children&#39;s books to be displayed showing the book&#39;s front cover on a vertical surface such as a wall, refrigerator, or desk in an efficient space saving manner while visually enticing and stimulating the audience to take the book and read it. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The invention, as described below discloses hardcover and soft cover books, such as children&#39;s books, displayed as hanging pieces of art on a vertical surface and a method for displaying such books as works of art. The invention also describes closing or fastening mechanisms for keeping the front and back covers of a book closed while the book is displayed vertically. The invention also describes a kit for use with a book that enables the book to be displayed as art. The invention also describes a process for manufacturing a book that provides the same functionality as a book as art. 
         [0008]    The invention involves a book including a front cover, back cover, top, bottom, and two sides. The book includes at least one attachment mechanism that attaches the back cover of the book (or the front cover) to a vertical surface such as a wall. The book attachment mechanism may be provided as part of an assembly kit for users to temporarily or permanently attach the attachment mechanism to the book cover. Alternatively, the attachment mechanism may be embedded in or permanently affixed to the book by the manufacturer during the book&#39;s manufacturing process. The attachment mechanism may by any known method, including without limitation, self-adhesive hook and loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro), magnets, rubber cement glue, string, or the like. Alternatively, the book may include at least one front or back cover including magnetic material where no attachment mechanism may be necessary to attach the book to a metal surface such as a refrigerator or white board. 
         [0009]    The invention also involves a book closing or fastening mechanism to keep the book in a closed position while the book is being displayed as art in a vertical position. The fastening mechanism may be provided as part of an assembly kit for users to temporarily or permanently attach the fastening mechanism to the book. Alternatively, the fastening mechanism may be embedded in or permanently affixed to the book by the manufacturer during the book&#39;s manufacturing process. The fastening mechanism may originate from the back outside cover to fasten to the outside front cover of a book, or may be a fastening mechanism fastening the back inside cover to the front inside cover. The fastening mechanism may be by any known method, including without limitation, self-adhesive hook and loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro), magnets, leather, string, buttons, snaps, clamps, latches, links, hooks, or the like. 
         [0010]    One advantage of this invention is that books as art may visually entice and stimulate users, such as a children, to take a book down from a vertical surface and read the book or request that the book be read to them. Books as art may inspire reading literacy, particularly in children, who may be more apt to gravitate towards a visually appealing book, rather than the book that is “out of sight, out of mind” when placed spine facing forward in a bookshelf. In addition, the placement of the book makes it easy to remove from a vertical surface, read, and put back on a vertical surface when done. 
         [0011]    Another advantage of this invention is that the books themselves may be transformed into a work of art, to display as one would any piece of art such as a painting or sculpture. Books as art may be displayed along any vertical surface, including metal surfaces, and used to decorate a child&#39;s bedroom or playroom, a parent&#39;s desk, or even the refrigerator. Books as art also has an added benefit of being a space saver and effectively using free space such as walls, and can un-clutter a child&#39;s bookshelf, bedroom or play area. 
         [0012]    Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the invention may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description and drawings. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the invention and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the invention as claimed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the invention. No attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention and the various ways in which it may be practiced. In the drawings: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  shows examples of books displayed on a wall and a refrigerator. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2A  shows an example of a front inside cover of a book using magnets as the attachment mechanism to display the book on a vertical surface and a magnet as the book&#39;s fastening mechanism. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2B  shows an example of a back inside cover of a book using magnets as the attachment mechanism to display the book on a vertical surface and a magnet as the book&#39;s fastening mechanism. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3A  shows an example of a back outside cover of a book using self-adhesive hook and loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro) as the attachment mechanism to display the book on a vertical surface. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3B  shows an example of self-adhesive hook and loop fasteners attached to a wall in strategic locations in order to display a book using self-adhesive hook and loop fasteners as the attachment mechanism. 
           [0019]      FIG. 4A  shows an example of a front outside cover of a book using string fastened to the back cover and a button fastened to the outside front cover as the book&#39;s fastening mechanism. 
           [0020]      FIG. 4B  shows an example of a back outside cover of a book using Velcro as the attachment mechanism to display the book on a vertical surface and string as the book&#39;s fastening mechanism. 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  shows an example of outside front covers of books using magnets as the attachment mechanism to display the books on a magnetic vertical surface and Velcro as the books&#39; fastening mechanism. 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  shows an example of back outside covers of books using magnetic strips as the attachment mechanism to display books on a magnetic vertical surface and cloth fastening straps as the books&#39; fastening mechanism. 
       
    
    
       [0023]    The invention is further described in the detailed description that follows. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0024]    The embodiments of the invention and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the attached description. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the invention. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the invention may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the appended claims and applicable law. Moreover, it is noted that like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
         [0025]    The invention describes a new approach to books as art, an assembly kit used to convert books to books as art, a process for manufacturing the books as art, as well as a mechanism for displaying books as art. 
         [0026]    The book may also include at least one closing or fastening mechanism so as to keep the book in a closed position while the book is displayed on the vertical surface. The fastening mechanism may be secured along the back cover or back inside cover, and at least the other end of the fastening mechanism may be secured along the front cover or front inside cover of the book to securely fastening the book. The fastening mechanism may include any known mechanism, such as buttoning; pressing; tying; latching, hooking, snapping, and sticking. The book may be displayed as art in an open or closed position. 
         [0027]    The invention may be sold as a kit, with or without a book, and may contain assembly components such as a fastening mechanism to secure the front and back of the book together, and an attachment mechanism to attach the book to any vertical surface such as a wall, door, and the side of a dresser, bookshelf, or desk. This kit can be used to modify the book in accordance with the aspects of the invention. 
         [0028]    The invention may include at least one attachment mechanism and at least one fastening mechanism may also be affixed directly in the book during the book&#39;s manufacturing process. In this aspect, the book is ready for display without use of a kit to display the book. 
         [0029]    The invention also involves a methodology for readily and easily displaying the book along a vertical surface in an aesthetically pleasing manner. At least one attachment mechanism is attached to or integrated into the back outside or back inside cover of the book. The corresponding attachment mechanism is attached to the vertical surface, if applicable. Alternatively, the book may include at least one front or back cover including magnetic material. A book including a magnetic front and or back cover, or using a magnetic attachment mechanism will not require a corresponding attachment mechanism to be attached to a metal vertical surface. The book is displayed along the vertical surface by aligning the attachment mechanism on the back of the book with the corresponding attachment mechanism along the vertical surface and applying pressure. The fastening mechanism may be attached to at least the back outside or back inside cover of the book, and the other end to the front outside or front inside cover of the book. The books as art may be closed by taking the unattached end of the closing or fastening mechanism and attaching it to the front of the book by at least one of buttoning; pressing; tying; latching, hooking, snapping, and sticking. The books as art may be displayed in an open position by releasing the closing or fastening mechanism by at least one of unbuttoning; untying; unlatching; unhooking; unsnapping; and unsticking the closing or fastening mechanism from the front of the book. 
         [0030]      FIG. 1  shows examples of books displayed on a wall and a refrigerator. 
         [0031]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , books  130 A,  130 B may be displayed like artwork on any vertical surface such as a wall, or a door  100  by using an attachment mechanism of the invention. Books  120 A,  120 B may also be displayed like artwork on a metal vertical surface such as a refrigerator  110 , chalkboard, metal door, or the like. 
         [0032]      FIG. 2A  shows an example of a front inside cover of a book using magnets as the attachment mechanism to display the book on a vertical surface and a magnet as the book&#39;s fastening mechanism.  FIG. 2B  shows an example of a back inside cover of a book using magnets as the attachment mechanism to display the book on a vertical surface and a magnet as the book&#39;s fastening mechanism. 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , in this aspect, magnets may be used as the attachment mechanism to display the book on a metal vertical surface  200  and as the fastening mechanism to close the book, where the magnets are strategically placed. For example, the magnets may be placed on the book&#39;s upper right corner  240 A of the back inside cover  280 , the bottom right corner  240 B of the back inside cover  280 , the top left corner  240 C of the front inside cover  210 , and the bottom left corner  240 D of the front inside cover  210 . Magnetic strips may also be placed in the inside edge  250 A of the front inside cover  210  as well as in the outside edge  250 B of the back inside cover  280 . The magnets used may be of any shape, size, color or number, so long as the shape, size or number are adequate for the book to display correctly on the vertical surface and to close correctly when in the closed position. In this aspect, all the pages of the book from the front inside page  220  through the back inside page  270  may have the corners cut from the pages  230  in order to place the magnets inside the book. However, arrangements without cut corners are also contemplated. The reader may close the book along the books spine  260  by aligning magnets  240 A with  240 C,  240 B with  240 D, and  250 A with  250 B. This book may have a front cover  210  or back cover  280  including a magnetic material and no attachment mechanism would be necessary to display the book on a metal surface  200 . This book may also use other attachment mechanisms not shown in this  FIG. 1  such as Velcro to display the book on a non-metal vertical surface. 
         [0034]      FIG. 3A  shows an example of a back outside cover of a book using self-adhesive hook and loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro) as the attachment mechanism to display the book on a vertical surface.  FIG. 3B  shows an example of self-adhesive hook and loop fasteners attached to a wall in strategic locations in order to display a book using self-adhesive hook and loop fasteners as the attachment mechanism. 
         [0035]    Referring to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the back outside cover of a book  300  is shown using Velcro as the attachment mechanism. In  FIG. 3A , the Velcro, with a self-adhesive back, may be strategically placed on the book&#39;s upper right hand corner  310 A and pressed firmly into place. Other Velcro pieces may be strategically placed anywhere on the book such as along the book&#39;s bottom right hand corner  310 B, the upper left hand corner  310 C, and the bottom left hand corner  310 D and pressed firmly into place. The corresponding Velcro pieces may be placed on a vertical or semi-vertical surface  320  such that when the book is displayed on the vertical surface  320 , Velcro piece  310 C is aligned with  320 A,  310 D is aligned with  320 B,  310 A is aligned with  320 C, and  310 B is aligned with  320 D. In addition to self-adhesive, the Velcro may also be attached to the book by other means such as sewn, stapled, and glued or the like to the book. The corresponding Velcro pieces may be attached to the vertical surface with self-adhesive, glue or other sticky materials. The Velcro used may be of any shape, size, color or number, so long as the shape, size or number are adequate for the book to display correctly on the vertical surface. 
         [0036]      FIG. 4A  shows an example of a front outside cover of a book using string fastened to the back cover and a button fastened to the outside front cover as the book&#39;s fastening mechanism.  FIG. 4B  shows an example of a back outside cover of a book using Velcro as the attachment mechanism to display the book on a vertical surface and string as the book&#39;s fastening mechanism. 
         [0037]    Referring to  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the back outside cover of a book  450  is shown using Velcro as the attachment mechanism to display the book on a vertical surface  400 , with a string  420  and button  430  fastening mechanism. In  FIG. 4B , the Velcro, with a self-adhesive back, is strategically placed on the book, such as the book&#39;s upper right hand corner  460 A and pressed firmly into place. Other Velcro pieces may be strategically placed on the book such as along the book&#39;s bottom right hand corner  460 B, the upper left hand corner  460 C, and the bottom left hand corner  460 D and pressed firmly into place. In addition to self-adhesive, the Velcro may also be attached to the book by other means such as sewn, stapled, or glued to the book. The Velcro used may be of any shape, size, color or number, so long as the shape, size or number are adequate for the book to display correctly on the vertical surface. 
         [0038]    A piece of string  420  is attached to the back outside cover  450  of the book at  440  along the books outside edge. A button  430  is attached to the front outside cover  410  of the book along the book&#39;s outside edge to align with the string  420  attached at  440 . The book may be closed by taking the unattached end of the string  420  and attaching it to the button  430  at the front of the book by winding the string  420  around the button  430  until the book is properly secured in the closed position. The string  420 , button  430 , and string attachment  440  may be of any shape, size, color, or number, so long as the shape, size or number are adequate for the book to display correctly on the vertical surface and close correctly when in the closed position. 
         [0039]      FIG. 5  shows an example of outside front covers of books using magnets as the attachment mechanism to display the books on a magnetic vertical surface and Velcro as the books&#39; fastening mechanism. 
         [0040]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , magnets may be used as the attachment mechanism to display the books  510 A,  5108  on the refrigerator  500  or any other metal surface. Alternatively, a book with at least one front or back cover including a magnetic material may be used in lieu of an attachment mechanism to display the books  501 A,  5108  on the refrigerator  500  or any other metal surface. Straps with Velcro at the end of the strap  530 A,  530 B may be used as the books  510 A,  5108  fastening mechanism. The straps with Velcro at the end  530 A,  530 B are attached to the back outside cover or back inside cover of the book using attaching methods as previously described. The corresponding Velcro pieces  520 A,  520 B may be attached to the front of the book using glue, self-adhesive, and other methods as previously described. The book  510 A may be closed by taking the Velcro on the end of the strap  530 A and pressing it into the corresponding Velcro piece  520 A. The book  510 A may be closed by taking the Velcro on the end of the strap  530 A and pressing it into the corresponding Velcro piece  520 A. The Velcro  520 A,  520 B and strap  530 A,  530 B used may be of any shape, size, color, or number, so long as the shape, size or number are adequate for the book to close correctly when in the closed position along the vertical surface. 
         [0041]      FIG. 6  shows an example of back outside covers of books using magnetic strips as the attachment mechanism to display books on a magnetic vertical surface and cloth fastening straps as the books&#39; fastening mechanism. 
         [0042]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , magnets may be used as the attachment mechanism to display the books on the refrigerator  600  or any other metal surface. Cloth fastening straps  620 A,  620 B may be used as the books&#39; fastening mechanisms. A magnetic strip  630 A may be attached to the edge of the top back outside cover  610 A, and a magnetic strip  630 B may be attached to the edge of the bottom back outside cover  610 A of one book. A magnetic strip  630 C may be attached to the edge of the top back outside cover  610 B, and a magnetic strip  630 D may be attached to the edge of the bottom back outside cover  610 B of the other book. Alternatively, the magnetic strips may be embedded in the book cover. The cloth fastening straps  620 A,  620 B may be affixed along the edge of the back outside cover  610 A, and  610 B respectively, by glue or any other means as previously described. The magnet strips  630 A-D used may be of any shape, size, color or number, so long as the shape, size or number are adequate for the book to display correctly on the vertical surface. The fastening straps  620 A,  620 B may be of any shape, size, color or number, so long as the shape, size or number are adequate for the book to close correctly when in the closed position along the vertical surface. 
         [0043]    While the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications in the spirit and scope of the appended claims. These examples given above are merely illustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible designs, embodiments, applications or modifications of the invention.