Patent Publication Number: US-9895920-B2

Title: Self-supporting book

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/934,298 filed Jul. 3, 2013, which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/862,208 filed Aug. 24, 2010 and now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,485,557, issued on Jul. 16, 2013, which is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/548,825 filed Aug. 27, 2009, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/862,208 claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 61/263,133 filed Nov. 20, 2009; the entirety of each are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The invention to self-supporting books. 
     Background 
     This invention relates to a book. More specifically, and without limitation, this invention relates to a self-supporting book. 
     Traditional books are well known in the art and generally comprise a plurality of pages positioned between a front cover and a back cover which are connected by way of a binding therebetween. These books are convenient for reading and studying when held in a reader&#39;s hands or placed in their lap, but are difficult to hold open when placed on a flat surface due to the bindings. More specifically, these books often have stiff bindings which involuntarily change pages or close the book altogether if a user&#39;s hand or other object is not present on the book to hold the book open. 
     To address these issues various designs were introduced to prop the book up. In particular, one design had a folding member which folded under the book perpendicular to the binding. Although this arrangement propped the book up, the folding member weakened the cover and the binding. Additionally, this arrangement lacked the necessary structural rigidity to support the book in a sturdy manner. 
     Additional designs have mating tabs with opposing hook &amp; loop portions allowing the user to prop the book up at various angles. This design also has deficiencies as the connection does not provide sufficient structural rigidity. Also, the hook and eye arrangement has a tendency to interfere with the user&#39;s clothing. 
     Therefore, a need exists in the art for a book that addresses these deficiencies. 
     Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a book that is capable of being propped up in a secure manner. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a cover arrangement which allows a user to easily display the pages of the book. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a hands-free book that, when opened, is capable of being propped up in a secure manner with lay-flat pages. 
     These and other objects, features, or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the specification and claims. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is directed to a 
     A book has a front cover having a first edge which is unconnected, and an opposing second edge which is connected to a spine that wraps around the book&#39;s binding. A back cover has a first edge which is connected to the spine and an opposing second edge which is connected to flexible joint or fold-line. The book has a third cover having a first edge which is connected to a flexible joint and an opposing second edge which is connected to binding which contains pages and a stabilizing sheet 
     The summary of the invention is provided as a general introduction to some of the embodiments of the invention, and is not intended to be limiting. Additional example embodiments including variations and alternative configurations of the invention are provided herein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is an elevational view of a book in a closed position; 
         FIG. 2  is an elevational view of a book in a propped-up position; 
         FIG. 3  is an elevational view of an alternate embodiment of a book in a closed position; 
         FIG. 4  is an elevational view of an alternate embodiment of a book in a propped position; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a self-supporting book in an open position with the front cover rotated up having a supporting strip extension from the extended end, or first outer edge of the front cover; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a self-supporting book in a propped position with a page holder; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a self-supporting book in a propped position with a page holder slid up to a page supporting orientation; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a self-supporting book in a propped position with a page holder supporting a page; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a self-supporting book in a propped position with a page being pushed through the cavity of the page holder; 
         FIG. 10  is a left-side view of a self-supporting book in propped position with a page holder slid up to a page supporting orientation; 
         FIG. 11  is a bottom view of an exemplary page holder having channels that extend around the sides of the third cover and a bottom bar that extends between the left and right side members of the page holder; and 
         FIG. 12  is a back view of a self-supporting book with the third cover in an upright position and the front and back covers extend out from the third cover and the page holder slid up to a page supporting orientation. 
         FIGS. 13 and 14  are back views of a self-supporting book with the third cover in an upright position and a binder and a plurality of pages detached from the binding retainer in the third cover. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS 
     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the figures. The figures represent an illustration of some of the embodiments of the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner. Further, the figures are not necessarily to scale, some features may be exaggerated to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention. 
     As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Also, use of “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components described herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the scope of the invention. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise. 
     In cases where the present specification and a document incorporated by reference include conflicting and/or inconsistent disclosure, the present specification shall control. 
     Certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described herein and are illustrated in the accompanying figures. The embodiments described are only for purposes of illustrating the present invention and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention. Other embodiments of the invention, and certain modifications, combinations and improvements of the described embodiments, will occur to those skilled in the art and all such alternate embodiments, combinations, modifications and improvements are within the scope of the present invention. 
     Traditional book measures longer from top to bottom, called its “height,” than it does from side to side, called its “width.” All embodiments described herein present a book in which the book&#39;s binding and spine extend the height of the book, on one side or the other; yet the indicia on the pages of these embodiments is disclosed as being in the horizontal (landscape) position so that the book is propped in the horizontal position as well. This arrangement not only provides a long spine for viewing on the bookshelf, but also the horizontal propped position is most stable. However, all such embodiments described herein can accommodate the binding and spine being placed along the width of the book instead of its height, wherein such a book would have its binding at the top and open from the top, its indicia would be oriented on the pages would be placed as in a traditional book, and such a book would be propped in the vertical position. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a book  10  has a front cover  12  with a first outer edge  14  and a second inner edge  16 . The inner edge  16  of the front cover  12  is connected to a spine  18 . A back cover  20  has an inner edge  22  and an outer edge  24  and is connected to the spine  18  along the inner edge  22 . 
     A third cover  26  has a first inner edge  28  and a second outer edge  30 . The first inner edge  28  of the third cover  26  is connected to the outer edge  24  of the back cover  20  along fold-line  32  by any conventional manner. The inner edge  22  of the back cover is coupled with the inner edge  16  of the first cover  12  along the spine  18   
     Connected to the outer edge of the third cover  26  is a binding  34 . The binding  34  is of any type such as a spiral, comb, rings, twin wire, double loop, or the like. Preferably, the binding is an o-wire. Attached to the binding is a plurality of pages  36  and a stabilizing sheet  38 . The stabilizing sheet  38  preferably made of plastic and generally is the same size as the pages and is positioned on top of the pages  36  and away from the third cover  26 . Preferably, stabilizing sheet is thicker, denser and heavier than a page  36  so as to provide the necessary strength, weight and support. 
     The pages  36  contain printed indicia  40 . While the indicia is printed in any format, preferred is that the indicia be printed two column, double sided on a horizontal plane such that pages one, two, three, and four follow the order shown in the Figures by reference numerals  41 ,  42 ,  43  and  44  respectively. 
     In a closed position, the third cover  26  sits on top of the back cover  20  and the pages  36  and stabilizing sheet  38  are positioned between the front cover  12  and the third cover  26 . In this position the spine wraps around the book&#39;s binding, connecting it but not connected to it. To move to a propped position, the front cover  12  is folded outwardly along the spine away from the stabilizing sheet  38  and the third cover  26  is folded outwardly away from the back cover  20 . Once folded outwardly, the outer edge  14  of the front cover  12  is moved inwardly and the outer edge  30  and binding  34  of the third cover  26  are moved inwardly such that the outer edge  14  of the front cover  12  engages the outer edge  30  and binding  34  of the third cover  26  in a supporting manner to form a triangle between the front cover  12 , the back cover  20 , and the third cover  26 . Once positioned, the stabilizing sheet  38  is flipped so as to engage the outer surface of the front cover  12 . The stabilizing sheet  38 , which extends down the outer surface of the front cover  12 , provides support that prevents the outer edge  14  of the front cover  12  from sliding up over the third cover  26  and over the binding  34  causing the triangle formation to collapse. To fully stabilize the book&#39;s propped position (built-in bookstand) in a preferred embodiment, so that it cannot collapse, an elastic member  45  that preferably is a rubber band is placed around the front cover  12  and stabilizing or plastic sheet  38  so that they remain unified. In an alternative embodiment, a hook and loop is utilized on the front cover and stabilizing sheet to connect the two together. The width of the spine  18  affects the angle of the propped position and the ease of reading. Thus, preferred is that the width of the spine  18  be greater than the width of fold-line  32 . 
     Additionally, the third cover  26  has a stop  46  that is positioned on the surface of the third cover  26  away from the pages  36  such that the outer edge  14  of the front cover  12  engages the stop  46  in a propped position. The stop  46  is a groove or projection formed to engage edge  14 . 
     The book  10  can also be read without using its built-in bookstand. This is made possible by adding an extra joint  48  on the back cover  20  of a preferred embodiment. The extra joint  48  allows the front cover  12 , spine  18 , and small portion of the back cover  50  to fold inward at this extra joint  48  until all of the three book covers  12 ,  20 ,  26  lie against each other, with the front cover  12  extending a few inches beyond the other two covers  20 ,  26 . 
     The book  10  is then placed on a flat surface so that the pages  36  and stabilizing sheet  38  can be rotated 180 degrees over the wire binding  34  to lie apart from the covers  12 ,  30 ,  26 . The stabilizing sheet  38  is rotated 180 degrees back again until it lies flat against the covers  12 ,  20 ,  26 . The elastic member or rubber band  45 , is then placed around the three book covers  12 ,  20 ,  26  and the plastic sheet  38 , unifying them together. The book&#39;s pages  36  are then rotated 180 degrees so that they lie against these unified components  12 ,  20 ,  26 ,  38 . The book  10  is now ready to read in its non-propped position. With the reader in a sitting position, she/he can hold the book&#39;s sides with both hands, with the bottom of the front cover  12  resting against the reader&#39;s thighs, the book&#39;s sides with both hands, with the bottom of the front cover  12  resting against the reader&#39;s thighs, hips, or belly. Hands can be freed by also resting the back of the book against the edge of a table or desk. 
     In another embodiment, the outer edge  14  of the front cover  12  includes an extension  15  which extends perpendicularly downwardly from the outer edge  14  of the front cover  12  at a 90 degree angle in the book&#39;s  10  closed position by a fold line  17 . In the book&#39;s  10  closed position, the extension  15  is adjacent to the outer edges of the book&#39;s pages  36  on the edges of the pages  36  opposite the binding  34  and spine  18 , hiding the pages  36  from view wherein the end  19  of the extension  15  is adjacent to and touches the inner edge  28  of the third cover  26 . The width of the extension  15  is determined by the total thickness and number of pages  36  included in the book  10 . The angle defined by the front cover  12  and the extension  15  does not exceed 90 degrees; however, in a preferred embodiment the angle of the extension  15  flexes inwardly by 20-30 degrees toward the front cover  12  to permit a flush attachment between the extension  15  and the third cover  26  when the book  10  is propped. In a preferred embodiment, at least one Velcro™, hook-and-loop fastener attachment  21  is attached to the outer surface of the extension  15 , and at least one complimentary hook and loop attachment  21  is secured to the back of the third cover  26  adjacent to and just below where the third cover connects to the binding  34 . Alternatively, the attachment  21  is any type of fastening element  21  such as magnets, a tab and slot arrangement or the like. Preferably, two or more complimentary hook and loop attachments  21  approximately ½ inch in diameter are attached to the outer surface of the extension  15  and the back of the third cover  26 . In order for a user to prop the closed book  10  up, the user lifts the front cover  12 , and while holding the front cover  12  erect, the third cover  26  with the pages  36  lying upon the third cover  26  is lifted. The third cover  28  and front cover  12  are moved toward each and the third cover  26  to be placed upon the extension  15  of the erect front cover  12  such that the hook and loop attachments  21  of the extension  15  mate with and adhere to the complimentary hook and loop attachments  21  placed on the outside surface of the third cover  26 . The propped book  10  is now ready to read. 
     In another embodiment, the front cover  12  has a strip or flap  52  near the first outer edge  14  which is defined by fold-line  54 . Preferably, attached to the top of the strip are fasteners  21  that are positioned to align with fasteners  21  on the third cover  26  when the book  10  is in a propped position. 
     To move a closed book  10  to a propped position, the front cover  12  is lifted and the strip  52  is pushed downwardly along fold-line  54 . The front cover  12  and strip  52  are then folded over such that the fasteners  21  on the strip  52  align with and engage the fasteners  21  on the third cover  26 . 
     For use with the propped book  10 , provided is a removable page holder  56 . The page holder  56  has a top bar  58 , and a bottom bar  60  that are spaced apart and connected at their ends by a pair of side members  62  and  64 . Preferably the side members  62  and  64  have U-shaped channels that are formed to frictionally and slidably engage the edges of the third cover  26  or any other cover of the book. 
     In operation, the edges of the cover  26  are received within the channels of the U-shaped sides  62  and  64  and the page holder  56  is slid along the cover such that top bar  58  and bottom bar  60  are near or engage the cover  26 . In a propped position, the page holder  56  is slid such that the top bar  58  extends beyond the edge of the cover  26  while the bottom bar  60  remains adjacent the cover  26 . In this position a page  36  may be raised to rest against the top bar  58  and or side members  52  and  64  so that the page may be read. A page  36  resting against the top bar  58  can easily be pushed through the cavity of the page holder  56  so that page  36  falls to the other side of the propped book to rest against the front cover  12 . All such rotated pages  36  can be pushed back through the cavity  59  of the page holder  56  to lie as against the front cover  12 . The page holder  56  can then be pushed down to remain attached to the third cover  26 . The book can then be closed with the page holder  56  still attached inside. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , an exemplary self-supporting book  10  is in an open position with the front cover  12  rotated open about the inner edge  16 . The front cover has a extension  15  that extends from the first outer edge  14  of the front cover. The extension strip  52  has hook-and-loop fasteners  21  for engaging with hook-and-loop fasteners on the back side of the third cover  26  to support the book in a propped up and reading orientation. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , an exemplary self-supporting book  10  is in a propped position with a page holder  56  partially slid up along the third cover  26 . The left side member  62  of the page holder comprises a channel that extends over the left side edge  29  of the third cover and a bottom bar  60  extends to the right side member  64  to provide stability for the page holder. The bottom bar may extend across the back-side of the third cover, the front-side of the third cover or both. In a preferred embodiment, the bottom bar extends only along the back-side of the third cover as it would not be sliding against the pages of the book on the front-side. The right side member  64  comprises a channel that extend around the right side edge  31  of the third cover. The page holder is configured to slide up and down to support a page  36 . The back cover  20  is resting on a surface and the front cover  12  is supporting the third cover in a propped up reading orientation. The supporting extension  15  from the front cover is supporting the third cover and hook-and-loop fasteners  21  configured on both the extension  15  and the back side of the third cover retain the book in a propped up orientation. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , an exemplary self-supporting book  10  is in a propped position with the page holder  56  slid up to a page supporting orientation. The page holder can support a page along the top bar  58  and/or along the left or right side members,  62 ,  64  respectively. A page  36  can be pushed through the cavity  59  of the page holder, or the open area between the left side member  62  and right side members  64  and between the top bar  58  and the binding  34  of the book. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , an exemplary self-supporting book  10  is in a propped position with a page holder  56  supporting a page  36  of the book in a page supporting orientation. The page holder extends from the second outer edge  30  of the third cover. The extended end  37  of the first page  36 ′ of the book is being supported along the top bar  58  of the page holder  56 . The attached end of the page  39  is retained by the binding, a plurality of rings that extend through apertures in the pages. The back side of the first page, or page 2,  42  is exposed for the reader to read. The third page  43  is exposed below the second page to allow for easy reading of multiple pages at one time. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , an exemplary self-supporting book  10  is in a propped position with a page  36 ′ being pushed through the cavity  59  of the page holder  56 . The extended end  37  of the page  36 ′ slides from the top bar  58  and falls through the cavity  59  while the attached end of the page  39  rotates about the binding  34 . The next page of the book can then be rotated up to be supported by the page holder, thereby exposing page four and page 5 of the book. A person may use their hand to simply push the page through the cavity. The page will flex and fall to rest on the front face  13  of the front cover. The back face  99  of the front cover is facing the third cover  26 . The back cover has an exposed face  23 , or face that is exposed when the book is in a closed position, and an inner face  25  that is opposing the exposed face. 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , an exemplary self-supporting book  10  is in a propped position with a page holder  56  slid up to a page supporting orientation. The front cover  12  extension  15  is shown supporting the third cover  26 . Hook-and-loop fasteners  21  on both the extension and the third cover keep the book secure in the propped up position. The extension  15  or supporting strip may be rigid and extend substantially perpendicular from the plane of the front cover  12 , or it may be flexible, wherein it can rotate about the fold line  17  along the first outer edge  14  of the front cover. 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , an exemplary page holder  56  has channels  63 ,  63 ′ that are configured for extended around the sides of the third cover and a bottom bar  60  that extends between the left side member  62  and right side member  64  of the page holder. The bottom bar may extend along the back face  27  of the third cover  26 , as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 12 , an exemplary self-supporting book  10  book is configured with the third cover  26  in an upright position and the front cover  12  and back cover  20  extend out from the third cover. The page holder  56  is slid up to a page supporting orientation and hook-and-loop fasteners  21  are configured on the back face  27  of the third cover to couple with hook-and-loop fasteners on the extension  15  of the front cover  12 . The front cover  12  is configured to fold up along the spine  18  between the front and second covers. The extension is configured to rest against the back face  27  of the third cover  26  with the hook-and-loop fasteners coupled together. The bottom bar  60  of the page holder  56  extends across the back face  27  of the third cover  26 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 4 to 10 and 12 to 14 , the binding  34  and the plurality of pages  36  may be attached to the third cover  26  or detachably attachable to the third cover. In one embodiment, the binding comprises a plurality of rings  35  that extend through the pages of the book and also extend through the third cover, proximal to the second outer edge  30  of the third cover. In another embodiment, a binding and plurality of pages are detachably attachable to the third cover, wherein the binding is coupled to the second outer edge  30  of the third cover. The second outer edge of the third cover may comprise a binding retainer  70 , such as a plurality of slots or grooves for receiving the plurality of rings  35  of the binding  34  as shown in  FIG. 13 . The binding  34  and plurality of pages  36  may be placed such that the rings slide into the slots of the binding retainer  70  to detachably attach the binding and pages to the third cover. In this way, any number of books may be detachably attached to create a self-supporting book. A binding is described as comprising a plurality of rings and these rings may all be coupled such as a spiraling ring. A binding retainer  70  may also be a detachably attachable to the third cover, such as an adapter that has a groove or channel for sliding down over the second outer edge of the third cover. The third cover or the binding retainer may comprise slots or apertures for attaching a binding thereto. As shown in  FIG. 13 , the slots  72  or grooves of the binding retainer  70  may be more narrow than the retainer portion  74  that is a circular aperture for receiving the rings, a keyway aperture  77 . As shown in  FIG. 14 , a binding retainer  70  may also have a slot  72  having a narrow portion from the opening  71  of the slot to the retainer portion  74  for retaining a  35 . The narrow portion may be smaller in dimension than the opening and the retainer portion, as shown. Any type of mechanical binding can be used, such as Wire-O, spiral, comb, rings, or the like. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the third cover  26  has apertures that the rings  35  extend therethrough. 
     As used herein, the extension from the front cover extends substantially perpendicularly to the front cover when the angle between the plane of the front cover and the extension is between about 75 and 105 degrees. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Specific embodiments, features and elements described herein may be modified, and/or combined in any suitable manner. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications, combinations and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.