Reversibly bound book

A reversibly bound book is provided. A first cover strip is wrapped around the first edge of a first cover board, passes over the first side of the first cover board and along the first side of the second cover board. One end of a second cover strip is wrapped around the second edge of the second cover board, strip passes along the second side of the second cover board and over the second side of the first cover board. The cover boards are only attached to each other via the cover strips and can be rotated and turned inside-out. One book can have two different appearances simply by rotating the cover boards with respect to each other. At least one floating spine is bound to one cover board, serving as a spine in one configuration and a closure in the other.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to book binding methods and techniques, and more specifically to a book binding and method of same that can be turned inside-out and back again to enable a single volume to have more than one preferably non-detachable cover.

2. Description of Related Art

Bookbinding is a centuries-old art that has remained largely unchanged over the last 100 years or so. Advances in paper-making and printing have occurred, but book-binding itself has remained fairly consistent.

Increasingly, many books such as children's books or instruction manuals are being printed in more than one language. A first set of pages may be printed in English, and then a second set may be printed in Spanish, for example. The pages may be bound as a regular book, perhaps the back cover of the English side serving as the front cover of the Spanish side. One set of pages (e.g., one language version) may be upside-down in relation to the other so as to avoid having to read the second set of pages in the opposite direction to that of the first set (e.g., from right to left, if the first set is in English or another left-to-right language).

One of the disadvantages of this conventional model of bilingual works is that the book only effectively has a front cover; the rear cover is being used as the front cover of the second half of the book written in the other language. If the book is an instruction manual and it is left “face down”, then the “un-preferred” language front cover will be facing up, possibly confusing the user (who reads the other and hence “preferred” language). If the book is a children's book or a work of fiction, then the ability to utilize the entire cover of the book for artwork, games, or similar purposes is compromised.

Even apart from bilingual books, there is a long-felt need to create new and interesting types of bookbinding in an industry that has remained fairly stagnant from a creativity perspective.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a reversible book binding and cover and a book including same. The inventive binding and cover can be manipulated to be completely reconfigurable between a first and second configuration—giving the same book two potentially wholly different covers or appearances—without removal of the cover from the rest of the book. The binding includes a plurality of cover strips, at least one of which passes over a first cover board and then under a second cover board, and at least another of which passes under the first cover board and then over the second cover board. Preferably, there are at least three such strips, and they are more preferably arranged in an alternating pattern. That is, in a preferred embodiment, the first strip is an under-over strip, the second strip is an over-under strip, and the third strip is an under-over strip. The two cover boards are preferably not otherwise attached to each other save via the cover strips. Two separate sets of pages are preferably provided, one set attached to the first cover board, the other set attached to the second cover board. The cover strips thereby form an openable double hinge in between the two cover boards that is capable of being bent fully back on itself and actually split apart as the cover boards rotate relative to each other substantially 720 degrees.

When the book is in a first configuration, the first set of pages is presented as in a conventional book. When the reader is finished with the first set of pages or otherwise desires to go to the second set of pages, the reader separates the two cover boards at the double hinge and rotates the front cover board with respect to the rear cover board. As a result, the strips are flipped inside-out, the second set of pages is now presented as in a conventional book, and the rear cover board is now the front cover board. The book is now in its second configuration.

Preferably, at least a portion of one side of the cover strips is imprinted or otherwise provided with a first image or pattern, etc. (design), and the second opposite side opposite the first is provided with a second image or pattern, etc. (design). In this manner, both the front and rear covers may be utilized fully in both configurations. The content of the first and second set of pages may correspond to the first/second cover image or pattern, respectively.

In a preferred embodiment, at least one floating spine is provided in association with one of the cover boards. More preferably, both cover boards are each provided with a floating spine (for a total of two). The floating spine is preferably fixedly bound to its respective cover board in a fairly conventional manner, so that the hinge between the floating spine and the cover board is not an openable double hinge but a more conventional book-binding hinge. Fastening means may be provided on at least one floating spine for attachment to the opposite cover board, which also may be provided with a mating fastening means. In the first configuration, the first floating spine serves as the spine of the book, while the second floating spine may serve as a closure (e.g., for a diary). When the book is reversed in the second configuration, the second floating spine serves as the spine of the book, and the first floating spine serves as the closure.

In its most general embodiment, the invention is a reversibly bound book, configurable between a first configuration and a second configuration, having first and second cover boards each having a first side and a second side and a first edge and a second edge. A first cover strip has a first end that is wrapped around the first edge of the first cover board and secured to the second side of the first cover board. The second end of the first cover strip is secured to the first side of the second cover board, the first cover strip passing over the first side of the first cover board and along the first side of the second cover board. A second cover strip has a first end that is wrapped around the second edge of the second cover board and secured to the first side of the second cover board. The second end of the second cover strip is secured to the second side of the first cover board. The second cover strip passing along the second side of the second cover board and over the second side of the first cover board. When the book is in the first configuration, the first cover board is part of a front cover of the book and the second cover board is part of a back cover of the book, and when the book is in the second configuration, the second cover board is part of a front cover of the book and the first cover board is part of a back cover of the book.

For purposes of explanation and clarity, the “first side of the first cover board” as defined herein is the front cover of the book in its first configuration, while the “second side of the second cover board” is the rear cover of the book in its first configuration. Similarly, in the second configuration, the second side of the second cover board forms the front cover of the book, and the first side of the first cover board forms the back cover. Thus, the first side of the first cover board always faces out, and the second side of the second cover board also always faces out. Put another way, that which is defined as the first side of the first cover board and the first side of the second cover board will face the same direction when the book is closed, regardless of which configuration the book is in (in the first configuration, both first sides will face up assuming the front cover is facing up, and in the second configuration, both side will face down assuming the front cover is facing up). It does not matter which of the two cover boards of a book is the “first” and which is the “second”.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND DRAWINGS

Description of the invention will now be given with reference toFIGS. 1-8. It should be understood that these figures are exemplary in nature and in no way serve to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the claims appearing hereinbelow.

A basic embodiment of the invention is shown open inFIG. 1as reversible book10. Book10includes a first cover board12, having a first side12A and a second side12B (shown inFIG. 1), and a second cover board14, having a first side14A (shown inFIG. 1) and a second side14B, as do many conventional books. However, cover boards12and14are held together via at least two cover strips16. In the preferred embodiment, three cover strips16are provided: cover strip16A passes under cover board12and over cover board14; cover strip16B passes over cover board12and under cover board14; and cover strip16C passes under cover board12and over cover board14. The ends of cover strips16A-C wrap around and are glued down near (but preferably not directly at) respective edges13A-D of cover boards12and14(seeFIG. 4).

Specifically, in the preferred embodiment shown open to a center spread inFIG. 4, first end16A′ of cover strip16A is glued to side12B of cover board12near edge13A and wraps around edge13A. The bulk of cover strip16A passes over (but is not glued to) side12A of cover board12. The other end16A″ of cover strip16A is glued to side14A near edge13C. Similarly, first end16B′ of cover strip16B is glued to side14A of cover board14and wraps around edge13D. The bulk of cover strip16B passes over (but is not glued to) side14B of cover board14. The other end16B″ of cover strip16B is glued to side12B near edge13B. Finally, first end16C′ of cover strip16C is glued to side12B of cover board12near edge13A and wraps around edge13A. The bulk of cover strip16C passes over (but is not glued to) side12A of cover board12. The other end16C″ of cover strip16C is glued to side14A near edge13C.

Cover boards12and14are not attached to each other in any way other than by the cover strips16A-C. The strips16A-C thus form a double hinge40in between cover boards12and14(the space between the cover boards is greatly exaggerated for clarity). Not only does the double hinge40allow for the complete bending or folding of the cover boards 360 degrees around so that the front cover can contact the rear cover, but the cover boards may be completely flipped or rotated with respect to one another, a total of 720 degrees. By doing so, the side of the cover strips16that was facing the reader is now facing the cover boards12and14, and vice versa.

FIG. 2depicts an exemplary cover strip16having a first side16-1and a second side16-2. First side16-1is provided with one image, texture, color, pattern, text, or combination thereof, and second side16-2is provided with another image, texture, color, pattern, text, or combination thereof. When the book is in its first configuration, one side (either16-1or -2) is presented to the reader, and when the book is in its second configuration, the other side is presented to the reader. This makes the book perfect for bilingual tomes such as instruction manuals or children's books.

This is shown schematically but in more detail inFIGS. 7 and 8.FIGS. 7A-Bshow the front and rear covers of book10(or110). InFIG. 7A, cover strips16A and C have sides16A-1and16C-1visible to the reader. Side12A of cover board12is visible in the central portion of the front of the book. Preferably, sides16A-1and16C-1and the central section of side12A visible inFIG. 7Aform a cohesive design, image, or pattern. The rear cover of book10,110is shown inFIG. 7B. Here, side16B-1of cover strip16B is visible to the reader, as are top and bottom sections of side14B of cover board14. Preferably, side16B-1and the top and bottom sections of side14B form a cohesive design, image, or pattern on the rear of the book. More preferably, the rear of the book in configuration1(i.e.,16B-1plus the top and bottom sections of side14B) form a unified cohesive design with the front of the book (i.e., sides16A-1and16C-1, and the central section of side12A).

The book is shown in its second configuration inFIGS. 8A and 8B;FIG. 8Adepicts the front of the book andFIG. 8Bdepicts the rear of the book. Sides16A-2and16C-2visible to the reader. Side14B of cover board14is visible in the central portion of the front of the book. InFIG. 8B, side16B-2of cover strip16B is visible to the reader, as are top and bottom sections of side12A of cover board12. As with the first configuration of the book, it is preferred that the cover strips and respective exposed sections of the cover boards form a cohesive image or design, and it is more preferred that a unified design appears on the front (FIG. 8A) and rear (FIG. 8B) of the book.

When the book is in one configuration, a first language might appear on the cover, and when it is flipped to its other configuration, another language might appear on the book. If a single set of pages (not shown inFIG. 1) is bound into this type of book, then the reader will be presented with the last page of the set (assuming she does not turn the book over). The embodiment with a single set of pages is especially well adapted for bilingual use where one language is read left-to-right (e.g., English, Spanish, French, etc.) and the other is read right-to-left (e.g., Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, etc.).

A preferred embodiment of the inventive book appears inFIGS. 3-6. Like elements are represented by like reference numerals, and their respective descriptions will not be repeated. As best shown inFIG. 3, in addition to cover boards12and14, reversible book110includes at least one and preferably two floating spines17and18. Binding section15A wraps around cover board12and floating spine17, and binding section15B wraps around cover board15B and floating spine18. Since each binding section15(A or B) is preferably made from a single sheet of material, the fabric of a section15wraps around its floating spine to create a pocket19for the floating spine. Thus, binding section15A secures floating spine17within pocket19A, and binding section15B secures floating spine18within pocket19B. The hinges30(seeFIGS. 4 and 5) formed between each cover board and its respective floating spine are much more like a conventional bound book hinge, which allows for between 90 and 180 degrees of relative movement, owing to the stiffness of the binding fabric.

Once the cover boards12and14and their respective spines17and18are bound together, reversible cover strips16A-C are applied as before.FIG. 4illustrates the final assembly of cover strips16A-C on reversible book110without pages, andFIG. 5is a bottom view schematic illustrating the finished book110(the cover strips are shown in dotted lines for clarity). As with the simpler embodiment ofFIG. 1, since the cover boards12and14are only attached together via reversible cover strips16, a double hinge40is created therebetween, which enables cover board12to be rotated 720 degrees with respect to cover board14and which enables the reversal of cover strips16. As explained above, the end of a strip16that has passed over a cover board extends across the cover board and folds around the outer edge and is glued to the underside of the cover board. The end that weaves under the cover board is glued directly onto the underside of the board without extending across. This creates hinge40. As shown inFIG. 5, the cover strips cross each other at hinge40, with strips16A and C going one way and16B going the other way.

In the preferred embodiment, two sets of pages52and54are bound to the book, as best shown inFIG. 5. Set52is bound to cover board12and floating spine17, and set54is bound to cover board54and floating spine18. Since flipping the book from one configuration to the other changes which set of pages is presented as the “front” set, there is a clear delineation of which set of pages corresponds to which cover. Pages52and54are preferably bound to their respective cover boards via conventional means, and may include end paper56, for example. End paper56preferably (but not necessarily) sits atop the various glued down ends of cover strips16A-C for aesthetic reasons.

When book110is in a first configuration, floating spine17(for example) serves as the spine of the book, while floating spine18sticks up or out from the distal end of cover board14. In a preferred embodiment, the floating spine that is not currently being used as the spine of the book (that is, the “free” floating spine in a given book configuration) may be used as part of a closure mechanism securing the book closed to some extent. As shown inFIGS. 3 and 4, book110may be provided with closure mechanisms20and22to effect book closure and securement. Closure20includes a first closure half20A disposed on one end of cover board12and a mating second closure half20B disposed on one end of floating spine18. Similarly, closure22includes a first closure half22A disposed on one end of cover board14and a mating second closure half22B disposed on one end of floating spine17. When book110is closed as shown by arrow A inFIG. 5, closure half20A contacts and is secured to closure half20B, and the book is shut tightly. A similar result occurs when the book is in its second configuration and closure half22A contacts and is secured to closure half22B. The closure mechanisms20,22may be snaps, hook and loop fasteners such as Velcro®, magnets, or the like, and they may employ a locking mechanism (not shown) in the style of a diary or journal. Closure mechanisms20and22may be of the same type (e.g., both pairs of magnets) or of different types.

Manipulation and operation of the inventive book is shown sequentially inFIGS. 6-1through6-20. InFIG. 6-1, the reader is viewing the front cover of book110′, which is in its first configuration. Book110′ has central cover strip16B on its front side and top and bottom cover strips16A and C on the rear side, the opposite of what is shown inFIGS. 4,7, and8, but the principles are the same. In any event, here, cover strips16A-C have side16-1facing the reader as part of front and back cover #1. The book is opened inFIG. 6-2as a regular book would be opened, presenting first set of pages52. The first set of pages52are read and turned inFIG. 6-3. When the reader has finished with the first set of pages52, and the book is open to the center of the book as shown inFIG. 6-4, the center spread reveals floating spine17and a second set of pages54. Pages54are attached to cover board14as described above on the opposite side as pages52. InFIG. 6-4, the last of pages54is visible.

At this point, the book is begun to be folded backwards upon itself as shown inFIG. 6-5at hinge40until the front and back covers meet 360 degrees from whence they started (seeFIG. 6-6) as the book is turned inside-out. As shown inFIG. 6-7, the reader's left thumb holds floating spine17as the reader's right thumb holds the opposing cover board14(other fingers can be used, of course). The double hinge action created by cover strips16A-C allows the book to open the opposite way, as shown inFIG. 6-8revealing back cover #2(strip sides16A-2and16C-2and central section of board side12A) and front cover #2(upper and lower sections of board side14B and strip side16B-2). The book folds back on itself as shown inFIG. 6-9, and floating spine18is revealed inFIG. 6-10. The book is now completely reversed as shown inFIG. 6-11, and cover #2(sides16-2of cover strips16) serves as the front and back cover of the book.

The book is now opened inFIG. 6-12to reveal the second set of pages54, which are read and turned as conventional pages inFIG. 6-13. When the reader has finished with the second set of pages54, and the book is open to the center of the book as shown inFIG. 6-14, the center spread reveals floating spine18(and the last page of first set of pages52).

The book is begun to be folded backwards upon itself as shown inFIG. 6-15at hinge40until the front and back covers meet (seeFIG. 6-16) as the book is turned inside-out. As shown inFIG. 6-17, the reader's left thumb holds floating spine18as the reader's right thumb holds the opposing cover board12(other fingers can be used, of course). The double hinge action created by cover strips16A-C allows the book to open the opposite way, as shown inFIG. 6-18revealing back cover #1and front cover #1, i.e., sides16-1of the cover strips16. The book folds back on itself as shown inFIG. 6-19, and the book is back to its first configuration inFIG. 6-20.

The invention is not limited to the above description. For example, while three cover strips are shown and described in the preferred embodiment, the invention may utilize as few as two cover strips or as many as physically practical. Also, the two sets of pages are largely described above as being different language versions of the same text, however the two sets of pages could have a different relationship. For example, one set of pages could be the sequel to the other. Also, the two sections of the book could represent yellow pages and white pages of a telephone directory. Other contemplated relationships include travel journals, diaries, notebooks, etc. Moreover, the term “pages” as used throughout the specification and claims in connection with the invention (e.g., “first set of pages”, “second set of pages”) is not limited to typical hardbound or paperback book pages. Rather, it is contemplated that the term “pages” incorporate anything that can be bound in book form, including but not limited to sleeves (for photographs, cards, ticket stubs, etc.), folders, stickers, templates, stencils, etc. Also, the two sections could have no relationship at all apart from being bound together in the same physical book. That is, the invention is not text- or content-specific. Additionally, the various embodiments of the invention have shown the “first” cover board to be on the left side when the book is in its first configuration and open and the “second” cover board on the right side. The invention is not so limited, and it does not matter which cover board is the “first” one and which is the “second” one.

Having described certain embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the above description or the attached exemplary drawings. Rather, the scope of the invention is defined by the claims appearing hereinbelow and any equivalents thereof as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art.