Patent Publication Number: US-2011049860-A1

Title: Assembly of a bookstand and a book

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a bookstand incorporated to a hardcover book, more particularly to an assembly of a bookstand and a book, facilitating an instant reading while minimizing fatigue to a reader&#39;s neck and shoulders. 
     It is often convenient for a reader to set a book down at an angle so that it may be easily read, thereby freeing the reader&#39;s hands. A bookstand may enable the elderly to be able to read a book without having to hold it, especially if the book is a particularly heavy hardcover volume such as a family bible. Several disadvantages are witnessed in conventional bookstands supporting a book at various desired angles. For example, existing bookstands typically have bulky or complicated mechanisms for holding a book at an angle. 
     A hardcover book like a bulky bible and other religious books may be convenient to make an instant reading if a bookstand is attached to a heavy book being read in a frequent manner. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is contrived to overcome the conventional disadvantages. Accordingly, an objective of the present invention is to provide an assembly of a bookstand and a book, facilitating an instant reading while minimizing fatigue to a reader&#39;s neck and shoulders. 
     Another objective is to provide a book-bookstand assembly enabling an easy setting down of a bulky book an a desired angle. 
     A still another objective is to provide an assembly of a bible and a releasable bookstand incorporated in the bible. 
     To achieve these and other objectives, a collapsible book assembly comprises a book having a hard cover, where the hard cover is defined by a base panel and first and second panels. The first and second panels extend from the base panel to serve as front and rear book covers. The base panel serves to cover and protect the binding of the book. The base panel has an opening. 
     A support may be releasably seated in the opening and engaged to a portion of the base panel adjacent to the opening so that when released from the opening the support serves as a book stand to secure a predetermined angle between the base panel and a flat area serving as a desk top. 
     In an embodiment, an upper end of the support may be hingedly engaged to a portion of the base panel adjacent to the opening. The assembly may further comprises a zipper tying the first and second panels to enclose the book. Alternately, the assembly may further comprise a pair of wings releasably embedded in the support, where the wings are released from the support when the support is released. 
     For a better performance, the assembly may further comprise a pair of wings releasably embedded in the support, where the wings are elastically released from sides of the support when the support is released. A push to the support may lead to its release from the opening or to its pop release from the opening. 
     Although the present invention is briefly summarized, the full understanding of the invention can be obtained by the following drawings, detailed description and appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a book-bookstand assembly according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view showing the setting of the assembly according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view showing a mechanism of the assembly according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view showing an embodiment according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view showing another embodiment according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing a further embodiment according to the present invention; and 
         FIGS. 7 and 8  are schematic views showing variations of the book support according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 to 8 , a bookstand-book assembly  10  according to the present invention comprises a book  12  having a hard cover  14 . A bulky book with a substantial volume may be applicable to the book  10 . The hard cover  14  covering the book is defined by a base panel  16  and first and second panels  18 . The first and second panels  18  extend from the base panel  16  to serve as front and rear book covers. The base panel  16  serves to cover and protect the binding of the book  12 . The base panel  16  has an opening  20 . 
     In this construction, a support  22  is releasably seated in the opening  20  and engaged to a portion  24  of the base panel  16  adjacent to the opening  20  so that when released from the opening  20  the support  22  serves as a book stand to secure a predetermined angle θ between the base panel  16  and a flat area  26  serving as a desk top. 
     The bookstand-book assembly  10  may further comprise a zipper  28  tying the first and second panels  18  to enclose the book  12 . A family bible is an example of a zipper book. Further comprised in the bookstand-book assembly  10  are a pair of wings  30  which are releasably embedded in the support  22 , where the wings  30  are released from the support  22  when the support  22  is released. Preferably, the wings  30  may be released from sides  32  of the support  22  when the support  22  is released so as to further stabilize propping of the assembly  10 . 
     In a preferred version, a spring mechanism may apply to the construction of the support  22  and the wings  30  so that the wings  30  can be elastically released from sides  32  of the support  22  when the support  22  is released. 
     In order to induce an easy release of the support  22  from the base panel  16 , a push-open may apply so that a push to the support  22  leads to its release from the opening  20 . Alternately, the support  22  may be engineered so a push to the support  22  leads to its pop release from the opening  20 . 
     Depending upon the demand, the support  22  may be color matched with the base panel  16  for esthetic purposes. Examples of the book  12  may be one selected from a religious book like a family bible, a dictionary, and a medical reference book with a volume. Other types of bulky and heavy books may also apply to the bookstand-book assembly  10 . 
     For a better performance, the support  22  may be automatically released from the opening  20  when a predetermined angle is made between the base panel  16  and the flat area  26  preferably with a bottom of the book abutting to the flat area  26 . The support  22  is detachably engaged to the portion  24  of the base panel  16  to allow a user to selectively remove the support  22  when needed. 
     The opening  20  may be substantially formed in rectangle or in trapezoid depending on the user&#39;s preference. 
     In an embodiment, the support  22  releasably seated in the opening can be formed such that an upper end  40  of the support  22  is hingedly engaged to the portion  24  of the base panel  16  adjacent to the opening  20 . As further shown in  FIG. 3 , the hinge mechanism of the assembly  10  includes a pin  34 , a pin hole  34  formed through a protrusion extending from the support  10  with a corresponding portion formed at an upper portion  40  of the support  22 . The hinge mechanism may reduce cost while improving reliability. 
     With respect to the above description, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the bookstand-book assembly  10 , to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and the 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.