Patent Publication Number: US-6712396-B2

Title: Soft book

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present invention is a continuation in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/886,161, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,507, issued May 21, 2002. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to books and more particularly to a book comprised of, and bound by, a flexible and supportive material. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Reading materials in general and books specifically, have existed for thousands of years. New materials have been developed since the time of papyrus, and have been utilized in the construction and binding of reading materials. Books have traditionally been produced utilizing paper for the pages and thicker paper or cardboard for the covers. These materials can be extremely heavy, unwieldy, and in the case of children, can create the risk of injury due to lacerations and abrasions. Several patents have contemplated replacing these traditional materials with alternatives for both page and cover. U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,241 discloses a book construction technique in which the pages are constructed of cloth, and filled with plastic or rubber. While that patent discloses a book construction by surrounding soft rubber with a cloth material, a multitude of difficulties are presented. Cloth is a material with considerable limitations. These limitations are due in part from cloth&#39;s limited durability. Cloth must be sewn into or printed onto in order to create suitable reading material. Additionally, the construction technique required to construct the above book, mandated the use of sewing needles and thread. 
     A children&#39;s book comprised of foam leaves is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,909. While recognizing the benefits of foam construction, the &#39;909 patent contemplates the absence of a cover material in order to create a book that is washable, and that may be used in a bathing environment. Additionally, the &#39;909 patent contemplates the die cutting of foam parts from the leaves of the books as puzzle pieces. However, without additional support, foam is highly malleable and easily deformed due to changes in pressure or heat. 
     Therefore, a need exists in the art to provide a book suitable for small children which has pages constructed of a soft foam material, is bound with a flexible and supportive material, and is easily die cut. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to books and more particularly to foam materials and methods for binding. 
     These and other advantages of the present invention will be made more apparent with reference to the detailed description and the drawings provided herein. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG.  1 ( a ) is a front view of a soft book with front cover; 
     FIG.  1 ( b ) is a side view of a page of a soft book showing the relationship between the foam and the binding portion; 
     FIG. 2 is an open side view of the soft book in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is an open side view of the soft book with a die impressed page; 
     FIG. 4 is an open side view of the soft book with a die-cut page, with the die-cut piece removed in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is an open side view of the soft book in accordance with the present invention, in which a ring-binding is used; 
     FIG.  6 ( a ) is a perspective view of a plurality of pages according to the present invention, to which a concertina-type binding is applied; 
     FIG.  6 ( b ) is a perspective view of a plurality of pages according to the present invention, to which a concertina-type ring-binding is applied; 
     FIG.  6 ( c )( 1 ) is a side view of four pages bound in a concertina-type fashion according to the present invention, using binding patches as a binding means; and 
     FIG.  6 ( c )( 2 ) is a top view of the embodiment of FIG.  6 ( c )( 2 ). 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention provides a book comprised of, and bound by, a flexible and supportive material which may be tailored to a variety of applications. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and to incorporate it in the context of particular applications. Various modifications, as well as a variety of uses in different applications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to a wide range of embodiments. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments presented, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. 
     The present invention provides a novel and useful soft book. An embodiment of the device of the present invention is presented in FIG.  1 ( a ). A front cover  100  having a perimeter and substantially comprised of foam is shown, as well as a book-binding portion  102  fixedly attached to, and covering, at least a portion of the front cover  100 . The perimeter  104  of the front cover page  100  is preferably flush with the binding  102 . However, depending on the needs of a particular embodiment, the relationship of the perimeter  104  of the front cover page  100  may be approximate with respect to the binding  102 , either falling short of the binding  102  by about ½ inch or extending beyond the binding  102  by up to about a half-inch. The book binding portion  102  is comprised of a flexible and supportive material. Non-limiting examples of binding materials include paperboard, laminated paperboard, plastic, and cloth. Note that the front cover  100  shown in FIG.  1 ( a ) may also represent any other page of a foam book. 
     The front cover  100  is a leaf comprised of a foam material, which provides rigidity, printability and usability. In the preferred embodiment, all foam utilized in the present invention is comprised of ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA). EVA as a material is soft, very easily manufactured into various shapes and thickness, and is rugged and sturdy making it a good material for children&#39;s books whose pages prone to ripping. 
     A side view of a page of the soft book is shown in FIG.  1 ( b ), more clearly depicting the relationship between a foam page (leaf)  106  and a pair of binding (support) portions  108 . This page may represent a cover page, such as the front cover  100 , or one of possibly several pages between two cover pages. The binding portions  108  may represent a bookbinding portion or a page binding portion. In FIG.  1 ( b ), the perimeter  110  of the page shows a flush relationship between the foam page  106  and each of the pair of binding portions  108  though, as previously mentioned, this relationship may be approximate. Note that an individual binding portion  108  may be made to cover two foam pages  106  such that the pages are fixed to each other by the binding portion  108 . 
     An open side view of the soft book is shown in FIG.  2 . As can be seen in FIG. 2, the front cover  100  is open hingedly and the book binding portion  102  is fixedly attached thereto. A foam page  106  is shown, where an edge of a set of multiple pages comprises a spine  204 , which is covered by the book binding portion  102 . The book binding portion  102  is fixedly attached to both the front cover  100  and a rear cover  200 . The book binding portions  102 , and the page binding portions  206 , may be attached by one of many means, non-limiting examples of which include glue, resin, paste and adhesives. At the outermost portion of each page  106 , the page binding portions  206  are approximately flush with the foam pages  106 . Depending on the specific embodiment, however, the page binding portions  206  may fall short of or may extend beyond the foam pages  106 , thereby varying the composition of the perimeter  108  of the book. The foam pages  106  are fixedly attached with each other by the page binding portion  206 . One page binding portion  206  resides between each pair of pages  106 . A plurality of the page binding portions  206  attach with and cover the pages  106  such that the perimeter of each of the pages is approximately flush with (e.g. falls just short of, is flush with, or extends slightly beyond) the page binding portion  206 . Both the book binding portion  106  and the page binding portions  206  attach to allow the pages  106  of the book to open and close, whereby the book binding portion  102  and the plurality of page binding portions  206  serve to bind all of the pages  102  of the book together and allow for opening and closing the book. The page binding portions  206  are comprised of a flexible and supportive material, non-limiting examples of which include paperboard, laminated paperboard, plastic, and cloth. 
     An open side view of soft book and die cut page is shown in FIG.  3 . As can be seen in FIG. 3, a shape  300  is impressed into the page  106 . The shape  300  can be impressed or stamped to varying depths and for varying purposes non-limiting examples of which include words, shapes, and pictures. 
     A open side view of the present invention is shown in FIG.  4 . As can be seen in FIG. 4, the page portion  106  and the page binding portion  206  can be cut wholly through to form a cut-out shape  400 . The cut-out shapes  400  may optionally be replaced into the portions of a page  106  where they are cut from. The cut-out shapes  400  can be cut in varying sizes, and may, for example, be cut in the shape of puzzle pieces. Due to the cut-out shapes  400  being cut from both the foam material that comprises the pages  106  and the flexible and supportive material that comprises the page binding portions  206 , and the book binding portions  102 , the cut-out shapes are sturdy and flexible. 
     In alternative embodiments, one or more of the page binding portions  206  may be comprised of an erasable writing surface. Additionally, the book binding portion  102  and the page binding portion  206  may be composed of differing materials. Although the preferred embodiment includes both book binding portions  102  and page binding portions  206 , the book binding portion  102  may be omitted where the page binding portions provide adequately for the pages to remain attached. 
     In a still further embodiment, the binding technique used may be a ring-type binding as shown in FIG. 5, where a plurality of pages as depicted in FIG.  1 ( a ) and FIG.  1 ( b ) are bound using loops  500 . “Ring-type binding” as used herein includes any binding mechanism where the pages are held together by a loop of material. The loop may be permanently closed, such as through the use of a solid ring of metal or plastic, a fused strip of rubber, or a sewn strip of cloth. Alternatively, the loop may be non-permanently closed, such as through the use of tied strings or vinyl or a metal or plastic ring that may be opened and closed. 
     In another embodiment, the binding technique used may allow for concertina-type opening of the pages. FIG.  6 ( a ) shows a plurality of pages  600 , of the type depicted in FIG.  1 ( a ) and FIG.  1 ( b ), partially opened in a concertina-type fashion. Binding means  602  are provided at opposite sides of the pages in order to provide the proper opening mechanism. FIG.  6 ( b ) is a view similar to that of FIG.  6 ( a ), in which the binding means are loops like those depicted in FIG.  5 . FIG.  6 ( c ) shows an alternative binding mechanism for producing a concertina-type book, in which FIG.  6 ( c )( 1 ) is a side view of four pages  600  with alternating binding patches  610 . FIG.  6 ( c )( 2 ) is a top view of the book shown in FIG.  6 ( c )( 1 ). The binding patches  610  may be formed to function as the binding portions  108 , and may be enlarged beyond the size shown so that the overall perimeter of each binding portion  108  approximates the combined perimeter of two pages  600 . The alternating binding patches may be formed of any flexible and durable material, non-limiting examples of which include cloth and rubber strips. A wide variety of potential binding mechanisms for concertina-type binding may be used, some of which may be seen in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/997,189, titled “Foam Book With Concertina Binding”, filed on Nov. 20, 2001 and incorporated herein by reference. 
     The pages of the soft book of the present invention may be cut (preferably die cut) in any desired shape, non-limiting examples of which include houses and animals. This cutting may be performed on all of the pages as a group or on individual pages. The resulting cut set of pages then may be combined into a shaped soft book.