Rotatable writing support notebook insert

A notebook insert for use in a notebook that has a front cover and a back cover hingedly connected to an elongated spine where the spine has either at least two axially-aligned, openable rings evenly spaced longitudinally along the spine or a helical coil. The notebook insert includes a C-shaped frame and a rectangular support. The frame has a center portion and a pair of substantially equal-length arms, where the center portion has a plurality of openings near one edge for receiving the notebook rings and/or a plurality of catches for projecting through the loops of the coil. The support is pivotally connected to the frame by at least two axially-aligned, snap-together journals. The outer bearing surface of each journal is defined by the inner surface of a cylindrical depression located in a protrusion from one of support surfaces, where the cross section of the cylindrical depression forms an arc greater than 180.degree.. The inner bearing surface is the surface of a cylinder connected between the opposite edges of a notch in the remote end of one of the arms.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to insertable writing surfaces for notebooks, 
more specifically, to writing surfaces that can be inserted into ringed 
and/or spiral notebooks and that are rotatable so that the writing surface 
can be used while viewing either page of an open notebook. 
2. The Prior Art 
The art of notebook inserts discloses a number of different ways of 
providing a person with a surface hard enough for writing on that can be 
inserted into a notebook. Three such notebook inserts are disclosed in 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,213 entitled DEMOUNTABLE WRITING TABLE FOR A NOTEBOOK 
issued to Meservy et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,869 entitled HYPERTEXT BOOK 
ATTACHMENT issued to Schwartz, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,239 entitled 
ROTATABLE BINDER INSERT issued to Bianco. Meservy '213 discloses a 
platform that is inserted into the rings of a notebook and that provides a 
writing surface. A riser is held by the notebook rings in an upright 
position, essentially tangent to the notebook rings. The writing surface 
is rotatably attached at one edge to the riser The platform simply 
provides a hard surface for writing on paper that resides in the ringed 
notebook. When used as shown in the '213 disclosure, with fingers 24 and 
25 engaged in the rings, the platform will not lay flat within the 
notebook without first removing it from the rings and replacing it without 
the fingers engaging the rings. 
Schwartz '869 discloses a book attachment that mounts in the binding of a 
book via a long rigid rod. The book attachment provides sheets and a hard 
surface that either extend beyond the book pages or that reside within the 
book pages. When the attachment is used in the extended manner, it 
requires much more tabletop area than the book alone. 
Bianco '239 discloses a rotatable notebook insert that includes a C-shaped 
frame that snaps into the rings of a notebook and a surface that rotates 
within the arms of the frame. The axis of rotation is defined by a pair of 
opposed pins extending from the upper and lower edges of the rotating 
surface that fit into mating holes in the frame arms. The design of the 
pins allows the surface to rotate 360.degree. about the axis. The surface 
is held planar with the frame by a depression in a side edge of the 
surface that mates with a protrusion from the edge of the frame cross 
piece. Depressions on opposite edges of the surface hold the surface in 
either of two position 180.degree. of rotation from each other. The main 
drawback of this design is that the pins form the only built-in support 
for the rotating surface. A relatively small amount of pressure on the 
rotating surface without firm support behind it can cause the pins to snap 
off, destroying the device. 
Thus, there continues to be a need for device that can be inserted into a 
ringed or spiral notebook that provides a sturdy surface for writing and 
that can be rotated so that the same side can be used regardless of which 
side of the notebook is being viewed. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the rotatable writing platform notebook insert of the present 
invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art notebook inserts. 
One form of the notebook insert is intended to be used in a ringed 
notebook with two covers hinged to a spine. Axially-aligned, openable 
rings are evenly spaced longitudinally along the inside surface of the 
spine. A second form of the notebook insert is intended to be used in a 
spiral notebook having a helical coil. 
The notebook insert has two components, a support and a frame. The basic 
function of the support is to provide a hard smooth surface for writing 
and/or holding a sheet of paper for viewing. The support is pivotally 
attached to the frame, which retains the support in the notebook. 
The support is a substantially flat sheet of a substantially rigid plastic. 
Preferably, at least a portion of both support surfaces is smooth in order 
to function as a writing surface, as a surface for attaching self-adhesive 
removable note sheets, or as a surface for attaching instruments using 
microcatch patches. The support has a variety of possible embodiments in 
addition to the smooth surfaces. Any combination of these embodiments can 
be combined into a particular design for the support. In one embodiment, 
the support has a plurality of clips for securing sheets of paper. In 
another embodiment, an electronic data processing device, such as the 
calculator, is built into the support. Preferably, the electronic data 
processing device is solar-powered so that there is no need for a battery. 
In another embodiment, at least one compartment is molded into the 
support. In another embodiment, a plurality of leafs are bonded to the 
support surface, where the leafs are flat sheets, for example, sheets of 
transparent plastic having pockets for holding papers and/or photographs. 
The frame is a C-shaped, flat sheet, preferably composed of a substantially 
rigid plastic. The frame has three portions, a center portion, a lower 
arm, and an upper arm. In one form, there are a plurality of cutouts in 
the center portion for temporarily securing the notebook insert into a 
ringed notebook. In another form, the center portion is provided with 
extending catches that project through the loops of a spiral notebook 
coil. These two forms may coexist on one frame. The arms extend 
perpendicularly from opposite ends of the center portion and are the same 
length. In one embodiment, the height of the frame and support are 
approximately the same height. In an alternate embodiment, the frame 
extends above the support so that the frame can act as a marker in the 
notebook. 
The axis about which the support pivots is implemented by journals at the 
ends of the arms and on or near the vertical center line of the support. 
The journal inner bearing preferably includes a pair of aligned cylinders 
at the outer edge of the arm that are attached to the arm at the center 
edges of a pair of notches in the end of the arm. The journal outer 
bearing is located on the support center line and includes a pair of 
aligned concave cylindrical surfaces adapted to mate with the inner 
bearing, the cross section of which extends over an arc of between 
190.degree. and 250.degree.. The journal is assembled by aligning the 
cylinders with the concave surfaces and snapping the components together. 
The journal design limits the support to rotating in a 180.degree. arc 
about the frame, rather than a full 360.degree.. When the support is at 
either of the extremes of its rotation, portions of the support adjacent 
to its upper and lower edges are in contact with the frame, providing a 
supported surface for writing. Unlike the notebook inserts of the prior 
art, if pressure should be applied to the support, the chance that the 
support will snap away from the frame is minimized. Also unlike the prior 
art, if the support should snap away from the frame, the notebook insert 
of the present invention is not destroyed but can be reassembled by 
snapping the journal back together.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
The rotatable writing platform notebook insert of the present invention 10 
is intended to be used in a ringed notebook 12, such as the one shown in 
FIG. 1, or a spiral notebook 126, such as the one shown in FIG. 2. The 
ringed notebook 12 has two substantially rectangular cover panels 14, 16, 
each attached by a hinge 18, 20 to an elongated spine panel 22. At least 
two axially-aligned, openable rings 24 are evenly spaced longitudinally 
along the inside surface of the spine panel 22. The rings 24 are typically 
spring-loaded so that the two legs 26 of the ring 24 snap shut on the 
application of a small amount of pressure. The most common ringed notebook 
size in the United States is designed for punched paper sheets that are 
81/2.times.11 inches in dimension. However, smaller and other dimensioned 
ringed notebook sizes and shapes are contemplated by the present 
invention. 
The spiral notebook 126 has two substantially rectangular cover panels 128, 
130, a plurality of sheets of paper 132, and a spine in the form of a 
helical metal or plastic coil 134. The sizes of such spiral notebook 126 
vary widely. 
The notebook insert of the present invention 10, one embodiment of which is 
shown in FIG. 3, includes two components, a support 30 and a frame 32. The 
support 30 has one or more of several functions depending on the 
particular embodiments implemented, including a hard surface for writing 
and holding a sheet of paper for viewing. The frame 32 retains the support 
30 in the notebook 12 described above. The support 30 pivots substantially 
180.degree. about the frame 32 along an axis substantially parallel to the 
notebook spine 22. 
The support 30, shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, is a substantially rectangular, 
flat sheet 34, preferably composed of a substantially rigid plastic, such 
as polyethylene or high-impact styrene. The size of the sheet 34 depends 
upon the size of the sheet of paper that is to be held (shown in phantom 
at 36) and the size of the notebook 12 into which the notebook insert 10 
is to be inserted. Preferably, at least a portion of one support surface 
38 is smooth in order to function as a writing surface, as a surface for 
attaching self-adhesive removable note sheets, or as a surface for 
attaching a microcatch patch to which a device with a mating microcatch 
patch is attached. 
The support 30 has a variety of possible embodiments in addition to the 
smooth surface. Any combination of these embodiments can be combined into 
a particular design for the support 30. In one embodiment, shown in FIGS. 
4 and 5, the support 30 includes a plurality of clips 42 for securing 
sheets of paper 16. Preferably, there are two clips 42, one located near 
each upper corner of the support 30. The actual number of clips 42 in any 
particular embodiment of the present invention can vary and will generally 
depend on the size of the paper 36 that is intended to be secured; the 
larger the paper 36, the more clips 42 may be needed. 
There are two embodiments of the clip 42. The first embodiment is shown in 
FIGS. 6 and 7. This clip 150 includes a part 152 molded into the support 
30 and a metal part 154 that fits into the molded part 152. The metal part 
154 is a length of thin sheet spring steel with three bends. A rear 
segment 156, top segment 158, and front segment 160 are formed by two of 
the bends 164, 166 such that the front bend 166 is at about 90.degree. and 
the rear bend 164 is greater than 90.degree.. The result is that the rear 
segment 156 and front segment 160 are not parallel but are farther apart 
at the top segment 158. The bottom segment 162 is formed at the bottom end 
of the front segment 160 by a lower bend 168 that bends away from the rear 
segment 156. There is a rectangular aperture 170 in the rear segment 156 
for holding the metal part 154 to the molded part 152, as described below. 
The molded part 152 includes a notch 172 in the edge of the support 30. The 
length of the notch 172 is slightly greater than the width of the metal 
part 154 and is deep enough to prevent the metal part 154 from sliding out 
of the notch 172. The notch 172 extends down the rear surface 40 of the 
support 30 as a depression 174 that is approximately the size and shape of 
the rear segment 156 of the metal part 154 so that the rear segment 156 
fits into the depression 174. A protrusion 178 extends from the center of 
the depression 174 that fits into the aperture 170 in the rear segment 
156. The upper edge 180 of the protrusion 178 is contiguous with the 
surface 176 of the depression 174 so that the metal part 154 can slide 
into the depression 174. The lower edge 182 of the protrusion 178 extends 
perpendicular from the depression surface 176 to latch the metal part 154 
in place by hooking the aperture 170. 
Just below the notch 172 and extending from the front surface 36 of the 
support 30 is a spacer 184. The sum of the height of the spacer 184 and 
the thickness of the support 30 at the depression 174 is about the same as 
the distance between the rear segment 156 and front segment 160 at the top 
segment 158. The spacer 184 keeps the upper end of the front segment 160 
away from the support surface 38. When the metal part 154 is installed, 
the surface of metal part 154 at the lower bend 168 is in contact with the 
support surface 38 and the bottom segment 162 extends away from the 
support surface 38. The fact that the front bend 166 is greater than 
90.degree. causes the metal part 154 to push against the support surface 
with enough force to hold a sheet of paper. To insert the paper, the user 
pulls the bottom segment 162 away from the support surface 38, slides the 
paper between the metal part 154 and the support surface 38, and releases 
the metal part 154. 
The second clip embodiment is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. This clip 190 is 
integrally molded into the support 30 and consists of an aperture 192, 
post 194, and finger 196. The aperture 192 is an opening in the support 
30. The post 194 is located adjacent to the aperture 192 and extends a 
short length substantially perpendicularly from the front support surface 
38. The finger 196 extends from the remote end of the post 194 over the 
aperture 192. The finger 196 is not parallel to the front support surface 
38, but angles toward and extends into the aperture 192, preferably at an 
angle of less then 20.degree.. The remote end of the finger 196 curves 
outward away from the aperture 192 until it is outside the plane of the 
front support surface 38. 
The length of the aperture 192 is preferably about the same length as the 
finger 196. The width of the post 194 and finger 196 are substantially the 
same. The aperture 192 is slightly wider than the finger 196 so that the 
finger 196 can flex into and out of the aperture 192 without making 
contact with the sides of the aperture 44. The finger 196 has a thickness 
that provides both the flexibility to be manually bent outward from the 
front support surface 38 and the stiffness to hold a sheet of paper. A 
preferred thick is approximately 0.020 inch. The paper is held by the 
force of the finger 196 attempting to press the paper into the aperture 
192. The friction of the finger 196 on the paper and the friction of the 
paper against the edges of the aperture 192 normally prevent the paper 
from moving. 
In a second support embodiment, an electronic data processing device, such 
as the calculator 52 shown in FIG. 10, is built into the support 30. 
Preferably, the electronic data processing device is solar-powered so that 
there is no need for a battery. This preference, however, does not 
preclude the use of a battery-powered electronic data processing device in 
any particular embodiment. Examples of preferred electronic data 
processing devices include a calculator, a language translator, a 
thesaurus, a speller, and a dictionary. Depending on the size of the 
support 30, the electronic device keyboard 54 and display 56 may only take 
up a portion of the support surface 58. The remainder of the support 
surface 58 is smooth to function as a writing surface and may include 
surface components from other embodiments of the support 30. 
A third support embodiment includes at least one compartment in various 
locations for holding various stationery items, such as pens, pencils, 
erasers, rulers, small sheets of paper, etc. Two possible shapes of 
compartments 66, 68 are shown in FIG. 11. Preferably, the compartments are 
molded into the support 30. 
A fourth support embodiment, shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, includes a plurality 
of leafs 60, 62 bonded to the support surface 64. One edge of the 
bottom-most leaf 60 is bonded to the support surface 64 near one edge and 
the edges of the remainder of the leafs 62 are bonded to each other in a 
stack on top of the bottom-most leaf 60. The leafs 60, 62 are flat sheets, 
for example, sheets of transparent plastic having pockets for holding 
papers and/or photographs. 
The support 30 is mounted in the notebook 12 by the frame 32, shown in FIG. 
14. The frame 32 is a substantially C-shaped, flat sheet 70, preferably 
composed of a substantially rigid plastic, such as polyethylene or 
high-impact styrene. The frame 32 has three portions, a center portion 72, 
a lower arm 74, and an upper arm 76. 
In one form of the frame 70, there are a plurality of cutouts adjacent to 
the outer edge 78 of the center portion 72 for temporarily securing the 
present invention 10 into the notebook 12. Each cutout has one of a 
variety of shapes and any particular frame 32 embodiment may have cutouts 
of more than one shape. FIG. 14 shows the different shapes for cutouts and 
is not intended to show a particular preferred combination of cutouts. The 
circular shape consists solely of a circular hole 80 in the interior of 
the center portion 72. Preferably, the circular hole 80 is located from 
the outer edge of the center portion 78 so that it does not interfere with 
the operation of the notebook 12. With this cutout, the notebook ring 24 
into which the circular hole 80 is to be inserted is opened, typically by 
pulling the two ring legs 26 away from each other until they snap apart 
due to spring loading. The open end of one of the ring legs 26 is inserted 
into the circular hole 80 and the rings 24 are closed by applying inward 
pressure to the rings legs 26 until they snap together. 
The slot shape 82 consists solely of an elongated hole in the interior of 
the center portion 72. Preferably, the long axis of the elongated hole 82 
is parallel to the outer edge 78 of the center portion 72. Notebook 
inserts with this cutout are installed in the same manner as the circular 
hole cutout 80. 
The open shape 84 consists of a circular hole 86 in the interior of the 
center portion 72 that is open to the outer edge 78. The opening to the 
outer edge is a slot 88 defined by a pair of parallel edges that are 
substantially perpendicular to the outer edge 78. The width of the slot 88 
is smaller than the diameter of the circular hole 86. Typically, notebook 
inserts with this cutout are installed by pressing the notebook rings 24 
into the slot 88 until it snaps into the circular hole 86. Alternatively, 
the notebook insert can be installed in the same manner as described above 
in reference to the circular hole cutout 80. 
The keyhole shape 90 consists of a circular hole 92 in the interior of the 
center portion 72 that is open to the outer edge 78. The opening to the 
outer edge is a slot 94 defined by a pair of edges that are approximately 
radial to the center of the circular hole 92. The slot 94 at the circular 
hole 92 is narrower than the diameter of the circular hole 92. Notebook 
inserts with this cutout are installed in the same manner as those having 
the open shape 84, as described above. 
In another form of the frame 70, there are a plurality of catches 124 
extending from the outer edge 78 of the center portion 72 for temporarily 
securing the present invention 10 into the spiral notebook 126. The 
catches 124 are approximately spade-shaped and project through the loops 
136 of the coil 134. The shape of the catches 124 allows the them to be 
inserted between the loops 136 relatively easily but prevent inadvertent 
removal of the catches 124 from the loops 136. Any particular embodiment 
of the present invention may have only catches, only cutouts, or both 
catches and cutouts. 
The lower arm 74 extends perpendicularly from the bottom end of the center 
portion 72 and the upper arm 76 extends perpendicularly from the top end 
of the center portion 72. The lower arm 74 and upper arm 76 are 
substantially the same length. In one embodiment, the height of the frame 
32 is substantially the same as the height of the support 30. In an 
alternate embodiment, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the frame 32 extends above 
the support 30 so that the frame 32 can act as a marker in the notebook 12 
into which it is mounted. 
The axis about which the support 30 pivots is implemented by journals 96 at 
the ends of the arms 74, 76 and on a line 98 of the support 30. The 
journal inner bearing 100, shown in FIG. 16, is located at the outer end 
of the arm 74, 76 and includes a pair of aligned cylinders 102, 104 at the 
edge of the outer end of the arm 74, 76. The cylinders 102, 104 are 
attached to the arm 74, 76 by the connection between the ends of the 
cylinders 102, 104 and the opposed side edges of a pair of notches 106, 
108 in the end of the arm 74, 76. Preferably, the cylinders 102, 104 are 
integrally molded with the arm 74, 76. 
The outer bearing 112 of the journal 96, shown in FIG. 15, is preferably 
located on the support vertical center line and includes a pair of aligned 
concave cylindrical surfaces 114, 116 adapted to mate with the inner 
bearing 100. Each concave cylindrical surface 114, 116 is formed by the 
inner surfaces of a pair of inwardly curving protrusions 118, 120 that 
extend from the rear support surface 40. Between the outer ends of the 
protrusions 118, 129 is a gap 122. Preferably, the concave cylindrical 
surfaces 114, 116 each have a cross-sectional inner diameter that is 
slightly larger than the diameter of the inner bearing cylinders 102, 104. 
Preferably, the cross section spans an arc of approximately 210.degree.. 
The arc must be great enough that the inner bearing cylinders 102, 104 
snap into and are retained by the outer bearing concave cylindrical 
surfaces 114, 116, but not so great that the inner bearing cylinders 102, 
104 cannot be snapped into the outer bearing concave cylindrical surfaces 
114, 116. 
The outer bearing of the journal does not have to be along the vertical 
center line of the support. It may be located along any line, for example, 
along a vertical line offset from center. In this example, the distance 
that the support extends from the notebook spine depends on the rotational 
position of the support relative to the frame. The farther extending edge 
of the support can act, for example, as a bookmark when needed. 
The journal 96 is assembled by aligning the cylinders 102, 104 with the 
opening between the corresponding two curving protrusions 118, 120 and 
snapping the cylinders 102, 104 into the gap 122 between the curving 
protrusions 118, 120. 
When the support 30 is at either of the extremes of its rotation, which are 
180.degree. apart, portions of the support 30 adjacent to the upper and 
lower edges are in planar contact with the frame 32, providing a supported 
surface for writing. If pressure should be applied to the support 30, the 
possibility that the support 30 will snap away from the frame 32 is 
minimized. If the support 30 should snap away from the frame 32, the 
notebook insert of the present invention 10 is not destroyed, unlike the 
notebook inserts of the prior art; the inner journal bearing 100 and outer 
journal bearing 112 can merely be snapped back together. 
When the support 30 is at its center position relative to the frame 32, the 
design of the journals 96 would permit the support 30 and frame 32 to side 
apart along the pivot axis. To prevent this, a pair of stops 138 extend 
from the support surface 40 in the same direction as the outer journal 
bearings 112. The preferred position is along the line of the pivot axis 
98 and inboard of the outer journal bearings 112, as in FIG. 5. The stops 
138 are positioned so that the inner edge of the upper and lower frame 
arms 74, 76 abut the stops 138, preventing the frame from sliding along 
the pivot axis a significant amount. 
OPERATION 
The notebook insert of the present invention 10 is installed in a ringed 
notebook 12 or spiral notebook 126. How it is installed in a ringed 
notebook 12 depends on the form of the holes of the notebook insert frame, 
as described above. In a spiral notebook 126, the catches 124 are forced 
between the coil loops 136. 
The notebook insert 10 is moved from one side of the notebook to the other 
side like any other page of the notebook. Both surfaces of the support 30 
are used by rotating the support 30 about the journal 96 until it is 
stopped by the overlapping portions of the frame 32. 
Thus it has been shown and described a notebook insert which satisfies the 
objects set forth above. 
Since certain changes may be made in the present disclosure without 
departing from the scope of the present invention, it is intended that all 
matter described in the foregoing specification and shown in the 
accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting 
sense.