Patent Publication Number: US-6702331-B2

Title: Foam book with concertina binding

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to bookbinding, and more specifically to a foam book which is bound in a concertina-type fashion. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Bookbinding has been a useful art for many centuries. After the advent of printing machines, book binding a widespread activity. There are numerous references both in the literature and in the patent archives detailing various bookbinding techniques. In a broad sense, binding techniques have been applied not only to create books, but also to retain loose-leaf papers and other materials. Numerous examples of these retainers exist in the patent literature. 
     Improvements in printing technology have allowed written pages to be adapted for many purposes, and have also allowed a greater variety of materials to be used for printing. A number of book binding techniques and materials have been provided in the patent literature, examples of which include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,189,932; 6,186,690; 5,219,437; 5,536,044; 5,499,847; and 6,257,622. 
     One drawback of typical paper books as well as many of the techniques used for binding them is that they often use water soluble components, which dissolve or disintegrate after a short period of immersion in water and which are difficult to clean. Children&#39;s books have traditionally been made of large sheets of paper with hard or semi-hard paper-based covers. In addition to being water soluble, these books also possess sharp edges which, combined with the books&#39; hardness can make them unsuitable and potentially dangerous for small children. Younger children tend to learn about their world through their tactile senses, so it would be desirable to provide soft non-paper books with which they can physically play and gain tactile experience. In addition, it would be desirable to provide books with binding mechanisms made from a material that is water resistant, so a child can read and play with them while in the bath or by the poolside and so that they can be cleaned easily. One of the materials particularly suitable for this purpose is foam. 
     In addition to the above characteristics, it would also be desirable to provide a binding mechanism that is not only water resistant, but that also allows the book to be opened such that long images may be displayed across a plurality of pages and in different directions. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention comprises a concertina-bound foam-based book that includes a plurality of foam pages. Each page includes a first edge and a second edge with the first edge opposite the second edge on each page. Each of the plurality of foam pages is bound along its first and second edges in a concertina fashion. The binding means is a water-resistant binding material such as foam, cloth, plastic, or nylon. When fully opened, the concertina-bound foam-based book opens as a string of pages and such that when closed, the pages of the concertina-bound foam-based book form a stack of pages. The binding means can cover at least a portion of each page of each pair of pages. 
     In another embodiment, each page may be formed of two pieces of foam pieced together in a sandwich-like manner, and where the binding means is fixedly attached between the two pieces of foam of each adjoining page in order to connect the adjoining pages. The binding material may be formed continuously across the plurality of pages that comprise the book. 
     In yet another embodiment, each page includes two faces, and at each page, a portion of the binding means is attached with the edge of one of the pieces of foam comprising each page such that the binding means forms a hinged connection where the edge of the piece transitions to the face of the page (typically a corner). 
     In a still further embodiment, each page includes two opposite faces, and the binding means on one side of a page is on the opposite face from the binding means on the other side of the page. 
     In another embodiment, each page is formed of three foam pieces sandwiched together with the two outermost foam pieces of each positioned to overlap and to be connected with the innermost piece of another page so that the pages are bound together. 
     The present invention also includes a method for making a concertina-bound foam-based book. In a first embodiment, the method comprises the steps of: providing a plurality of foam pages, each with a first and second edge with the first and second edges opposite each other on each page; and binding the foam pages along their edges in a concertina fashion with with a water-resistant binding means. The binding is performed such that when the book is fully opened, the concertina-bound foam-based book opens as a string of pages and such that when closed, the pages of the concertina-bound foam-based book form a stack of pages. 
     In a further embodiment of the method, the pages provided may be comprised of two pieces of foam assembled in a sandwich-like manner. The foam pages may be bound by a binding means fixedly attached between the two pieces of foam of each adjoining page in order to connect the adjoining pages. 
     In a still further embodiment, in the binding step, a portion of the binding means may be attached with the edge of one of the pieces of foam comprising each page such that the binding means forms a hinged connection where the edge of the piece transitions to the face of the page (generally a corner). 
     In yet another embodiment of the method of the present invention, in the binding step, the binding means is applied such that it the binding means on one side of a page is on the opposite face from the binding means on the other side of the page. 
     In a yet further embodiment of the method of the present invention, the pages provided and bound may be formed of three foam pieces pieced together in a sandwich-like manner. As such, the pieces include an innermost foam piece and two outermost foam pieces sandwiching the innermost foam piece. Each of the outermost foam pieces of each page are positioned such that they overlap and are fixedly connected with a portion of the innermost foam piece of another page, thus binding the pages together. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The novel features of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims. These features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention may be best understood in conjunction with the detailed description, with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     FIG.  1 ( a ) is an edge-view of a general embodiment of the foam book with concertina binding of the present invention, showing the book in a partially open position; 
     FIG.  1 ( b ) is a perspective view of a general embodiment of the foam book with concertina binding of the present invention, showing the book in a closed position; 
     FIG.  1 ( c ) is a is a perspective view of a general embodiment of the foam book with concertina binding of the present invention, showing the book in a partially open position; 
     FIG.  2 ( a ) is a front-view of a fully opened foam book with concertina binding depicting a first example binding technique where a binder material is layered between two pieces of foam forming each page; 
     FIG.  2 ( b ) is an edge-view of the foam book with concertina binding depicted in FIG.  2 ( a ) detailing the binding technique; 
     FIG.  2 ( c ) is an edge-view of the foam book with concertina binding depicted in FIG.  2 ( a ) detailing a modified binding technique; 
     FIG.  3 ( a ) is a front-view of a fully opened foam book with concertina binding depicting a second example binding technique where a binder material is layered on alternate sides of the foam pages; 
     FIG.  3 ( b ) is an edge-view of the foam book with concertina binding depicted in FIG.  3 ( a ) detailing the binding technique; 
     FIG.  4 ( a ) is a front-view of a fully opened foam book with concertina binding depicting a third example binding technique where the binder material is a foam layer incorporated into alternate sides of the foam pages; and 
     FIG.  4 ( b ) is an edge-view of the foam book with concertina binding depicted in FIG.  3 ( a ) detailing the binding technique. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention relates to the field bookbinding. 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. 
     An edge-view of a general embodiment of the foam book with concertina binding of the present invention, showing the book in a partially open position is presented in FIG.  1 ( a ). A plurality of pages  100  are hingedly connected by a binding means  102  such that they may open and close in a “concertina” or “accordion” like fashion. The pages used in the present invention are formed of soft, yet rigid foam such as EVA foam. The binding means  102  is of a water-resistant or water-proof foldable material such as cloth, nylon, plastic, foam, or nylon. A principal object of the present invention is to provide a foam book that is waterproof, easily cleanable, and that is soft so that it won&#39;t easily harm young children. A perspective view of the general embodiment of the foam book is presented in FIG.  1 ( b ), with the pages  100  in a closed position. When folded, the book has the general shape of a stack of pages. Another perspective view of the general embodiment of the foam book of the present invention is shown in FIG.  1 ( c ) with the pages  100  in a partially open position. In this view, the general configuration of the binding means  102  can be readily seen. With the exception of the first and last page, all of the pages are hingedly connected at two opposite edges  104 , providing the “concertina” folding mechanism. 
     Many potential binding means could be used to provide the general embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIG.  1 ( a )-FIG.  1 ( c ). Following, a description of three preferred binding means is provided. 
     A front-view of a fully opened foam book of the present invention is shown in FIG.  2 ( a ). In this embodiment, the binding means  200  is a binder material, preferably cloth, layered between two pieces of foam which form each page  100 . In this front-view, the binding means  200  is depicted through the use of dotted lines to indicate that it is sandwiched between the foam pieces, out of sight, except for the portion between the pages. 
     Greater detail of the book depicted in FIG.  2 ( a ) may be seen in the edge-view illustration shown in FIG.  2 ( b ). Each foam page is comprised of two foam pieces  202  with the binding means  200  sandwiched therebetween. Although depicted covering only a portion of the area between the pages, it is important to note that is also possible for the binding means  200  to cover the entire area between the pages. 
     An alternate embodiment of the binding mechanism depicted in FIG.  2 ( a ) and FIG.  2 ( b ) is depicted in FIG.  2 ( c ), where a portion of the binding means  204  is formed along the edge of one of the foam pieces  202  such that a hinge  206  is formed near the surface of the pages. This embodiment has an advantage in that the hinge  206  guides the opening and closing of the pages  200  and allows for more precise opening and closing of the book. In a book incorporating the embodiment of the binding mechanism depicted in FIG.  2 ( c ), each subsequent adjacent hinge  206  is positioned on the opposite side of the page to facilitate the “concertina” opening and closing of the book. 
     A still further embodiment of the binding mechanism is depicted in FIGS.  3 ( a ) and ( b ). In this embodiment, the binding means  300  is simply a strip of material attached on alternating sides of the pages  100  to allow for “concertina” opening and closing. As previously stated, the material is a water-resistant or water-proof material, non-limiting examples of which include foldable materials such as cloth, nylon, plastic, foam, or nylon. Top and edge-views of this embodiment are depicted in FIGS.  3 ( a ) and  3 ( b ), respectively. 
     Another embodiment of the binding means incorporated in the present invention is depicted in FIG.  4 ( a ) and FIG.  4 ( b ), where each of the pages  100  is formed of three foam pieces pieced together in a sandwich-like manner. The pieces include an innermost (or core) piece  400  including an innermost foam piece and two outermost pieces  402 . A portion of each outermost piece forms the binding means  404 . The binding means may be of any material previously discussed, but is preferably formed of a foam material. In this embodiment, each of the two outermost foam pieces  402  of each page  100  are positioned such that they overlap and are fixedly connected with a portion of the innermost foam piece  400  of another page. In this embodiment, different colors or textures of foam (or other materials) may be used in combination to produce many book combinations that are attractive for young children. In the figures, front and edge views of a fully opened foam book using this binding mechanism are depicted in FIG.  4 ( a ) and FIG.  4 ( b ), respectively. 
     The present invention may also be employed as a method for making a concertina-bound foam-based book, with the steps in a general embodiment including providing a plurality of foam pages  100 , each having a first edge and a second edge, wherein the first edge is opposite the second edge on the page. Next, in a binding step, the plurality of foam pages are bound along their first edges and second edges in a concertina fashion such that when the book is fully opened, the concertina-bound foam-based book opens as a string of pages and such that when closed, the pages of the concertina-bound foam-based book form a stack of pages. This embodiment of the method produces the embodiment depicted in FIG.  1 ( a )-FIG.  1 ( c ). 
     Additionally, in order to produce the embodiment depicted in FIGS.  2 ( a ) and  2 ( b ), the pages provided are each formed of two pieces of foam pieced together in a sandwich-like manner. In the binding step, a binding means is applied such that it is fixedly attached between the two pieces of foam of each adjoining page in order to connect the adjoining pages. 
     Further, in order to produce the modified embodiment depicted in FIG.  2 ( c ), in the binding step, a portion of the binding means is attached with the edge of one of the pieces of foam comprising each page so that the binding means forms a hinged connection where the edge of the piece transitions to the face of the page. Note that this typically occurs at a corner of the edge, assuming that the pages have 90 degree corners. On opposite edges of the page, the hinged connection is formed on the opposite piece of foam. 
     In an additional embodiment of the method, in the binding step, a binding means is applied such that the binding means on one side of a page is on the opposite face from the binding means on the other side of the page. This embodiment of the method results in the embodiment of the book depicted in FIGS.  3 ( a ) and  3 ( b ). 
     Finally, to produce the embodiment of the concertina-bound foam-based book depicted in FIGS.  4 ( a ) and ( b ), the pages provided and bound are formed of three foam pieces that are assembled in a sandwich-like fashion. The foam pieces include an innermost foam piece and two outermost foam pieces that sandwich the innermost foam pice. The two outermost foam pieces of each page are positioned so that they overlap and are fixedly connected with a portion of the innermost foam piece of another page, thus binding the pages together. 
     In any of the previously mentioned binding methods, excepting the last, the binding means may be applied continuously across the plurality of pages that comprise the book in order to bind the pages together, rather than just to a portion. 
     The binding means applied in the binding step of the method may be any water-resistant or water-proof foldable material such as cloth, nylon, plastic, foam, or nylon.