Container for reading material with dual method of coupling with a bed

The present invention includes a container with a rectilinear configuration for storage of reading material. Further provided is a mounting assembly including a first planar strip with a thin rectangular configuration. The first planar strip is integrally coupled along a first long edge coincidentally along a top edge of the rear face of the container. The mounting assembly also includes a second planar strip with a thin rectangular configuration hingably coupled to the first planar strip, whereby the mounting assembly may be situated on a bed rail of an associated bed or situated between two mattresses for affording a user in the bed convenient access to the reading material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a container for reading material with dual 
method of coupling with a bed and more particularly pertains to allowing a 
container for reading material to be situated adjacent a bed by utilizing 
a mounting assembly which either engages a bed rail or is situated between 
a pair of mattresses thereof. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
The use of containers for holding reading material is known in the prior 
art. More specifically, containers for holding reading material heretofore 
devised and utilized for the purpose of allowing convenient access to 
reading material are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and 
obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs 
encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the 
fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements. 
By way of example, the prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,649 to 
Heimstra; U.S. Pat. Des. No. 257,993 to DeMars; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 268,687 
to Rogers; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 359,404 to Svee; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 256,529 
to Van Koert; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,883 to Hoffman. 
In this respect, the container for reading material with dual method of 
coupling with a bed according to the present invention substantially 
departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and 
in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of 
allowing a container for reading material to be situated adjacent a bed by 
utilizing a mounting assembly which either engages a bed rail or is 
situated between a pair of mattresses thereof. 
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a 
new and improved container for reading material with dual method of 
coupling with a bed which can be used for allowing a container for reading 
material to be situated adjacent a bed by utilizing a mounting assembly 
which either engages a bed rail or is situated between a pair of 
mattresses thereof. In this regard, the present invention substantially 
fulfills this need. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of 
containers for holding reading material now present in the prior art, the 
present invention provides an improved container for reading material with 
dual method of coupling with a bed. As such, the general purpose of the 
present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, 
is to provide a new and improved container for reading material with dual 
method of coupling with a bed which has all the advantages of the prior 
art and none of the disadvantages. 
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a container 
with a rectilinear configuration. As shown in FIG. 1, the container has a 
front face, a rear face, a thin bottom face, a thin top opening, and a 
pair of thin side faces defining an interior space. The container is 
adapted to allow storage of reading material therein. Further provided is 
a mounting assembly having a first planar strip. The first planar strip 
has a thin rectangular configuration having a pair of long edges and a 
pair of short side edges coupled therebetween. The first planar strip is 
integrally coupled along a first long edge coincidentally to a top edge of 
the rear face of the container. As shown in FIG. 3, the first planar strip 
further resides in a horizontal orientation. Also included as a component 
of the mounting assembly is a second planar strip with a thin rectangular 
configuration. The second planar strip has a pair of long edges and a pair 
of short side edges coupled therebetween. The second planar strip is 
hingably coupled along one of the long edges thereof to a second long edge 
of the first planar strip. See FIG. 3. The mounting assembly further has a 
spring coupled between the first planar strip and the second planar strip. 
By this structure, the second planar strip has a first unbiased 
orientation with the second planar strip residing perpendicularly with 
respect to the first planar strip. The second planar strip further has a 
second biased orientation with the second planar strip residing within a 
plane in which the first plane resides. 
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features 
of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that 
follows may be better understood, and in order that the present 
contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, 
additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter 
and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention 
in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its 
application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the 
components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the 
drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being 
practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood 
that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose 
of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon 
which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the 
designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the 
several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, 
that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions 
insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present 
invention. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and 
improved container for reading material with dual method of coupling with 
a bed which has all the advantages of the prior art containers for holding 
reading material and none of the disadvantages. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved 
container for reading material with dual method of coupling with a bed 
which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and 
improved container for reading material with dual method of coupling with 
a bed which is of a durable and reliable construction. 
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and 
improved container for reading material with dual method of coupling with 
a bed which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to 
both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low 
prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such container for 
reading material with dual method of coupling with a bed economically 
available to the buying public. 
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and 
improved container for reading material with dual method of coupling with 
a bed which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some 
of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the 
disadvantages normally associated therewith. 
Still another object of the present invention is to allow a container for 
reading material to be situated adjacent a bed by utilizing a mounting 
assembly which either engages a bed rail or is situated between a pair of 
mattresses thereof. 
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and 
improved container with a rectilinear configuration for storage of reading 
material. Further provided is a mounting assembly including a first planar 
strip with a thin rectangular configuration. The first planar strip is 
integrally coupled along a first long edge coincidentally along a top edge 
of the rear face of the container. The mounting assembly also includes a 
second planar strip with a thin rectangular configuration hingably coupled 
to the first planar strip, whereby the mounting assembly may be situated 
on a bed rail of an associated bed or situated between two mattresses for 
affording a user in the bed convenient access to the reading material. 
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various 
features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with 
particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this 
disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating 
advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should 
be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there 
is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several 
views of the drawings. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1 thereof, a 
new and improved container for reading material with dual method of 
coupling with a bed embodying the principles and concepts of the present 
invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be 
described. 
The present invention, the new and improved container for reading material 
with dual method of coupling with a bed, is comprised of a plurality of 
components. Such components in their broadest context include a container 
and mounting assembly. Such components are individually configured and 
correlated with respect to each other so as to attain the desired 
objective. 
More specifically, it will be noted that the system 10 of the present 
invention includes a container 12 with a rectilinear configuration. As 
shown in FIGS. 1-3, the container has a front face 14, a rear face 16, a 
thin bottom face 18, a thin top opening 20, and a pair of thin side faces 
24 defining an interior space. Preferably, the surface area of the front 
and rear faces is greater than the that of the remaining faces. The 
container ideally has a height of approximately 12 inches, a length of 
approximately 14 inches, and a width of approximately 4 inches. Such 
dimensions afford a container which is sized to allow storage of reading 
material therein. The reading material may comprise of magazines, books 
and the like. 
Further provided is a mounting assembly 26 having a first planar strip 28. 
The first planar strip has a thin rectangular configuration having a pair 
of long edges and a pair of short side edges coupled therebetween. The 
first planar strip is integrally coupled along a first long edge 
coincidentally to a top edge of the rear face of the container. As shown 
in FIG. 3, the first planar strip further resides in a horizontal 
orientation. 
Also included as a component of the mounting assembly is a second planar 
strip 30 with a thin rectangular configuration. The second planar strip 
has a pair of long edges and a pair of short side edges coupled 
therebetween. The second planar is strip hingably coupled along one of the 
long edges thereof to a second long edge of the first planar strip. See 
FIG. 3. 
The mounting assembly further has a spring 32 coupled between the first 
planar Strip and the second planar strip. By this structure, the second 
planar strip has a first unbiased orientation with the second planar strip 
residing perpendicularly with respect to the first planar strip. The 
second planar strip further has a second biased orientation with the 
second planar strip residing within a plane in which the first plane 
resides. 
As shown in FIG. 5, the movement of the second planar strip with respect to 
the first strip is constrained to 90 degrees of rotation. To accomplish 
this, rectilinear grooves 40 are formed in at least a small portion of the 
lower adjacent edges of the first and second planar strip. Actual coupling 
of the strips is afforded by a plurality of alternately situated closed 
loops 42 with a common bore through which a rod 46 is situated. The spring 
is ideally situated about the rod with a first prong abutting a surface of 
the first planar strip and a second prong abutting a surface of the second 
planar strip. 
In use, upon the second planar strip of the mounting assembly being in the 
first orientation thereof, the mounting assembly may be situated on a bed 
rail of an associated bed. As such, the present invention is adapted for 
affording a user in the bed convenient access the reading material. Upon 
the second planar strip of the mounting assembly being in the second 
orientation thereof, both planar strips may be situated between a pair of 
mattresses of the bed for affording a user in the bed convenient access 
the reading material. 
As to the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same 
should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further 
discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. 
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the 
optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to 
include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of 
operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to 
one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those 
illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are 
intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the 
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and 
changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired 
to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and 
described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may 
be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.