A portable bookstand is formed from a sheet of rigid card with transverse hinge lines dividing the card into a number of panels to form a base panel, an upstanding front panel, a rearwardly inclined edge receiving panel, an upwardly inclined book face receiving panel and a rearward support structure. Hook and loop fasteners are provided toconnect the junction line between the inclined panels to the base panel and to adjustably position the support panel structure to provide different inclinations of the book receiving panel. The device can be folded flat by lifting the inclined panels away from the base panel to allow the support panel to fold in between. Separate arms are pivotally and swivally mounted on the front inclined surface so that they can project upwardly and rearwardly from outer edges thereof to outer edges of the book receiving panel to engage the outer edges of the book.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a foldable stand for receiving and supporting a 
book or other reading material for reading. 
Various styles and designs of book stands have been provided both as 
disclosures in prior patents and in products available on the market 
place. These have many differing disadvantages which limit their use in 
particular ways. For example, some devices constitute merely an inclined 
surface on which a relatively flat paper can satisfactorily lean and be 
available for study. However the devices of this type are not suitable for 
receiving various types of books which have a tendancy to close or 
tendancy to slip away from the surface and collapse. Examples of this type 
of device are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,724,492 (MANUS) and 3,195,850 
(STEINER). Both of these devices are formed from foldable card with hinge 
lines in the card defining different panels which constitute a base, a 
book receiving surface and a support wall. 
Other devices are more complex in construction but have a disadvantage that 
they are relatively bulky and cannot be folded flat for transportation and 
hence are difficult to transport for example from home use to a library 
use. Yet further devices have a limitation that the angle of inclination 
of the book receiving surface is effectively fixed thus limiting the use 
of the device in a particular way since different positions or uses of the 
device often require different inclinations of the surface and hence the 
book or papers being read. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is one object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an 
improved book stand which overcomes one or more of the disadvantages. 
According to the first aspect of the invention, therefore, there is 
provided a foldable stand for receiving and supporting books comprising a 
single sheet of substantially rigid board material having a plurality of 
transverse hinge lines thereon defining, in an erected condition thereof, 
a base panel, an upstanding front panel hingedly connected to said base 
panel at a front edge thereof, an inclined edge receiving panel, for 
receiving and supporting an edge of a book, hingedly connected to said 
front panel at an upper edge thereof and inclined downwardly therefrom to 
a lower rear edge of said of edge receiving panel so as to contact said 
base panel at an intermediate position thereon, means for connecting said 
lower rear edge of said edge receiving panel to said base panel, a face 
receiving panel connected to said edge receiving panel at said lower rear 
edge, for receiving and supporting a rear face of said book, and a support 
panel section hingedly connected to said face receiving panel at an upper 
edge of said face receiving panel, said support panel section including 
means for releasably engaging said base panel to retain said face 
receiving panel at an inclined orientation. 
Preferably, said means connecting said lower rear edge and said base panel 
is arranged to allow at least a part of said support panel section to pass 
therethrough to allow folding collapse of said stand into a flattened 
condition. 
Preferably, the interconnection between the edge receiving panel and the 
face receiving panel is releasably connectable to the base panel so that 
the support panel section can be inserted therebetween in the collapsed 
condition thereof. 
Preferably, the support panel section includes an inwardly turned portion 
which lies parallel to the base panel and is attachable thereto at a 
number of different positions thus altering the angle of an upstanding 
support panel. 
Preferably, the support panel also includes a transverse hinge line with an 
upper part lying parallel to the face receiving panel and a lower part 
inclined downwardly and rearwardly therefrom to a rear edge of the lower 
portion. 
This structure therefore enables the stand to be folded flat or 
substantially flat in a collapsed condition thereof and in addition the 
unique support panel structure enables the inclination of the face 
receiving panel to be significantly altered for example between 
approximately 20.degree. and approximately 60.degree. to the horizontal. 
Preferably the device includes a pair of separately moveable arms each of 
which is mounted on the edge receiving surface adjacent a side edge 
thereof and is moveable so that a remote end of the arm can engage the 
face receiving panel at an outer side edge thereof and approximately the 
mid height thereof so as to engage the book sitting on the stand at the 
outer sides of pages so that they are readily viewable and can also be 
turned without difficulty. 
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a stand for 
receiving and supporting a book comprising a base member for resting upon 
a substantially horizontal surface, means defining a first surface having 
a front edge thereof adjacent a front of the base member and a rear edge 
thereof substantially parallel to the front edge and intermediate a depth 
of the base member, the surface being inclined downwardly from said front 
edge towards said rear edge, means defining a second surface having a 
front edge adjacent the rear edge of the first surface and a rear edge 
rearwardly and upwardly of the front edge of the second surface such that 
the second surface is inclined upwardly from said front edge thereof such 
that a book can be placed with an edge resting on said first surface and a 
rear thereof resting on said second surface, and a pair of arms each 
having one end thereof mounted adjacent a respective side edge of said 
first surface and an opposed end, each said arm being moveable from a 
position in which the opposed end lies adjacent said first surface to a 
second position in which said opposed end lies on said second surface 
adjacent a side edge of said second surface. 
With the foregoing in view, and other advantages as will become apparent to 
those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this 
specification proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference to 
the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a 
description of the best mode known to the applicant and of the preferred 
typical embodiment of the principles of the present invention, in which:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
The bookstand according to the invention is formed from a sheet of board 
material of the type which is suitably covered by an attractive and wear 
resistant coating and is commonly employed in the manufacture of a three 
ring binder and the like. Such board are relatively rigid and form for 
example from 1/16 inch cardboard which provides the necessary rigidity but 
which can be provided with crease or fold lines to allow it to readily 
bend at the required locations. The techniques for forming such fold lines 
and for forming the basic blanks from which the device is manufactured are 
well known in the trade and accordingly will not be described in detail 
here. 
However, it will be appreciated that the bookstand is effectively formed 
from a single sheet or strip of the board material which is formed with 
transverse fold lines as shown and as described hereinafter. 
Specifically the bookstand comprises a base panel 10 which is rectangular 
and of a size sufficient to provide a stable base when resting upon a 
horizontal surface for example table, desk or the like. An upstanding 
front panel 11 is connected at a lower edge 12 thereof to a front edge of 
the base panel 10. The panel 11 is relatively narrow and can be in one 
example the order of one inch high which is similar to the back of a 
common three ring binder. 
The upstanding front panel has an upper edge 13 at which there is provided 
a further hinge line interconnecting that panel to an edge receiving panel 
14 which is of a depth of the order of two inches which is significantly 
less than the depth of the base panel 10. The edge receiving panel 14 
inclines downwardly and rearwardly from the front edge 13 to a point of 
interconnection indicated at 15 between the panel 14 at its rear most edge 
and the best panel 10. A hinge line is provided at the rear edge of the 
edge receiving panel 14 from which a book face receiving panel 17 extends 
upwardly and rearwardly in an inclined orientation. The depth of the panel 
17 is such that the sum of the depth of the panel 14 and the panel 17 is 
substantially equal to the depth of the panel 10. 
At an upper edge of the panel 17, a further hinge line 18 is provided which 
connects that panel 17 to a support panel structure generally indicated at 
19 and consisting of three panel parts indicated at 20, 21 and 22 
respectively. The hinge line 18 is designed to allow hinging of the panel 
part 20 so that it can lie either directly back against the rear surface 
of the panel 17 or substantially at right angles thereto. In order to 
easily accomodate such movement, the hinge line 18 may consist of two 
separate hinge lines. A second hinge line 23 interconnects the parts 20 
and 21 consists of two hinge lines in opposing formation and allows 
hinging from a position in which the parts 20 and 21 are in line to a 
position as shown in FIG. 2 in which the part 21 is approximately at right 
angles to the part 20 and to a position shown in FIG. 3 in which the parts 
20 and 21 are approximately at right angles in the opposite direction. A 
further hinge line 24 is provided between the part 21 and the part 22. 
Suitable connecting means for interconnecting the parts together are 
provided at various locations on the panels. Preferably the connecting 
means comprises hook and loop fabric strips with one part carrying hooks 
being attached to one of the panels and the other part carrying loops 
attached to the other of the panels for the conventional interconnection 
which is of course readily releasable. 
Thus a first interconnection is indicated at 25 and is provided between the 
interconnection point 15 and the upper side of the base panel 10 so as to 
hold the lower most edge of the panel 17 tight against the base panel 10 
when in the erected position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The connection can of 
course be released when required. A further interconnection is shown at 26 
and is provided between the adjacent surfaces of the panel 17 and the 
panel part 20 so as, when connected, to hold those panels in closely 
adjacent relationship. A yet further interconnection is indicated at 27 
and is provided between the underside of the panel part 22 and the upper 
surface of the base panel 10. As shown the extent of the hook and loop 
fabric strips provided on the underside of the part 22 and the upper 
surface of the base panel 10 are longer in a direction longitudinal to the 
panel 10 than is necessary for the interconnection so that the angle of 
the panel part 21 to the base panel 10 can be adjusted by moving the part 
22 forwardly and rearwardly on the panel 10 thus changing the inclination 
of the book receiving face of the panel 17. In the examples shown, this 
adjustment may be achievable between angles of 25.degree. degrees to 
55.degree. degrees of the panel 17 to the horizontal. 
The outer surface of the panel part 21 also includes a strip of the 
connecting means indicated at 28 of the type which cooperates with the 
strip on the upper side of the panel 10 so that the stand can take up the 
position shown in FIG. 3 in which the panel 20 is pivoted away from the 
panel 17 to a position generally at right angles thereto so as to support 
the panel 17 at a significantly reduced angle which is of the order of 
18.degree. degrees. 
A collapsed condition of the stand is shown in FIG. 4 which is achieved 
simply by separating the interconnection 25 so as to provide two separate 
parts 25A and 25B, disconnecting the interconnection 27 so as to provide 
two parts 27A and 27B. The edge part 22 of the support panel structure can 
then be moved forwardly into the area beneath the panel 14 and through the 
disconnected parts 25A and 25B. 
To assist in supporting the book generally indicated at 30 on the device as 
shown in FIG. 1, a foam pad 31 is attached to the panel 14 on the upper 
surface thereof adjacent the lower most edge thereof so that papers or the 
edge of a book rest against the foam pad and are prevented from sliding 
upwardly along the panel 14. The foam pad has a depth of the order of one 
half inch and transverse width of the order of two or three inches so that 
it can cooperate with pages of a book across the width of the book and 
through the depth of for example a thick text book. 
For use with books which have a tendancy to close or for pages to move 
without further support, a pair of arms is provided for engaging pages of 
the book on either sides of the spine to hold them in the opened condition 
as shown in FIG. 1. Each of the arms comprises a rigid member indicated at 
32 with a rubber tip 33 at an upper end and a pivotal coupling 34 at a 
lower end. The pivotal coupling 34 is mounted adjacent the side edge of 
the panel 14 so that the arms are spaced well outwardly of the panel 14 
toward the side edges and also adjacent the front edge 13 of the panel 14. 
The pivotal couplings 34 are of a type including a boss 34A mounted in a 
sleeve 34B to allow rotation about an axis longitudinally of the arm. The 
sleeve 34B is mounted within the panel 14 at right angles thereto and is 
embedded in a suitable structural member 34C in the area underneath the 
panel 14 and immediately adjacent the front panel 11 and secured thereto. 
The arms are of a length such that they can move from a retracted and 
stored position shown in FIG. 3 in which each of the arms is folded 
inwardly and lies directly along the panel 14 with the rubber ends lying 
closely adjacent but not touching. The erected condition is shown in FIG. 
1 in which the arms move substantially directly upwardly but inclined 
rearwardly from the pivot coupling 34 to a position at the side edges of 
the panel 17 and approximately at the mid height of the panel 17 so as to 
engage a book again approximately at its mid height and adjacent the outer 
edges of the pages so as not to interfere with vision of the material on 
the pages. 
The arms are pivotal about an axis transverse to the swivel axis by way of 
a coupling 34D to allow the forward and rearward movement necessary to 
accomodate the storage position and the erected condition shown in FIGS. 1 
and 3. The arms are free from spring bias but the swivel 34A and the pivot 
34D both include a mechanical friction which acts to hold the arm at a set 
position. 
Further separate features of the invention comprise a sheet of 
substantially rigid board indicated at 35 which is of a length 
substantially equal to the width of the stand and of a width so that it 
can just be received within a storage pouch 36 on the underside of the 
panel 17. In FIG. 3 the board 35 is shown in the extracted and assembled 
position so that it lies along the panel 17 beyond the upper edge of the 
panel 17 so as to support for example single pages where necessary which 
do not have themselves sufficient rigidity to avoid bending over the upper 
edge of the panel 17. In FIG. 4 the panel is placed into the storage pouch 
36 where it can remain both in the collapsed and erected conditions or can 
be removed for use as required. The board 35 has clipped corners at one 
end to allow easy insertion into the storage pouch. 
In addition a base 37 is provided which is shown in FIG. 2 underneath the 
base panel 10. The base 37 is preferably of square plan with rectangular 
walls which are held apart by suitable spacers all of which can be folded 
flat and inserted into the interior of the stand as indicated at 38 in 
FIG. 4. When assembled and placed under the panel 10, the base 37 acts to 
reduce the footprint of the stand so that other papers or objects can be 
brought up into close proximity to the stand for example for writing. 
The device according to the present invention has therefore a number of 
advantages. 
Firstly, the case is simple in that its main body is one piece of cardboard 
with folds. Even the ledge on which the book is placed is part of the main 
body. The ledge being triangular has spaced inside it for the mounting of 
arms of the type shown or of other designs which are movable to hold the 
book open. The space can be used for a long plastic bar which can provide 
strong backbone or spine to add strength to the design as well as provide 
the place to mount the arms. 
The stand in the collapsed condition resembles a three-ring binder so that 
it is of a familiar appearance and familiar to handle and carry by 
students or other persons well acquainted with such binders. One of the 
major features in case of use for example in carrying the stand, 
preferably the rounded edge 18 extends over the straight edge of 10 so as 
to be easy on the hand when carried adjacent to the body like a book or 
binder. Also books may be placed on top of face 17 and carried as one 
normally carries his books. The effective thickness of the stand when 
carried with other books is approximately 1/2 inch. The rubber pad on the 
ledge of the stand prevents books from slipping and being spongy is less 
damaging to a book then would be a hard upstanding stop edge or the like. 
The panel 17 contacts a back face of a book from a position above the 
centre of the book all the way to the base and hence provides complete 
back support for the book. 
The design provides a substantially continous slope adjustment between 
18.degree. and 55.degree. which is easily adjustable by using the hook and 
loop strip fasteners which hold the stand in its required erected form. 
The holding power of the fasteners is very strong and the slope adjustment 
of the stand will not accidentally change due to slippage. 
The low slope of the device as shown in FIG. 3 is very suitable for 
classrooms or boardrooms where it is desirable not to obstruct the view 
between the user and others for example an instructor. Due to the folding 
design of the device, the low slope setting does not cause the panels to 
protrude. This keeps the stands "footprint" small in size basically 
defined by the base panel 10 and keeps it looking neat. The low slope 
setting also allows the stand to be placed in the users lap or used in a 
car, or other vehicle. 
The arms can be adjusted to hold almost any size of book from the smallest 
paperback to a large encyclopedia in a fairly flat state and without any 
text obscured. Each of the arms is independant of the other so that it can 
adjust for the thickness of a large book when it is opened to the first 
few pages, the middle or the last few pages. The arms are not spring 
loaded but use mechanical friction so that they can make use of the 
natural springiness of the book. This allows pages in all but very large 
books to be turned with just one hand so that each page slips out from one 
of the arms and can be simply placed under the other arm without 
difficulty. It is only necessary after a number of pages have been turned 
to readjust the position of the arms to accomodate the difference in 
thickness which has occurred. The arms hold the book flat without using 
distracting bars or elastic bands running across the front of the book. If 
the arms are set properly, no text is obscurred on small or large books 
and underlining or highlighting can be easily done. As the arms are 
inclined to the front place of the book a small ruler of the like can be 
slid underneath the arms if required by the user. 
Large books may require arms to be placed at the base of the book or in a 
combination of one arm at the side and one arm at the base of the book. In 
this case turning of pages may require some movement of the arms set at 
the base of the book. Note, however, that many of the larger sized books 
require little or no arm support at all, in which case the arms can be 
placed in their "home" position and will be completely out of the way for 
the reading of the book. 
An alternative construction is shown in FIG. 5 and is modified by the 
absence of the hinge line 23, the interconnection 26 and the strip of 
connecting member 28. In order to provide an increased amount of 
inclination adjustment of the panel 17, a tab 40 is provided extending 
outwardly from the edge of the panel 22 so as to yet further increase the 
movement of the lower end of the support panel structure across the base 
panel 10. 
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove 
described, and may apparently widely different embodiments of same made 
within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing from such 
spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the 
accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and 
not in a limiting sense.