Patent Publication Number: US-5897143-A

Title: Method of indexing a book

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The invention is applicable to the field of alphabetically indexed printed references. The obvious example of those references and for which this invention will be most applicable are dictionaries and thesauruses. The invention changes the standard method of arranging the pages of those reference materials in such a way that accessing the page which contains the items (words, articles, etc.), such as locating a certain word in a dictionary, will be less frustrating and requires less steps. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     The current method commonly used to layout alphabetically indexed printed references such as dictionaries and thesauruses requires certain steps for a user to look-up an item of interest. This method can become frustrating and time consuming. The invention attacks this problem and simplifies the way the item will be located. This is done by changing the method the pages are sited in those printed references. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the book and method according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
     The invention introduces a new method of looking up words (item) in an indexed reference material. It does that by eliminating the time and efforts needed to locate the page of the reference material the word (item) is located at. This method modifies the way the reference material pages are placed. The pages are sited in such a way that by using the header words (indexes) of each page of the reference material a user can locate the page of the word he is looking-up with less efforts. 
     The invention does not implement a new method in the layout of the page or the layout of the words in the page itself. It requires a standard method of page layout that many reference materials are already using. This method (invention) requires that each page of the reference material has two header words (indexes). One of the words is located at the left topmost portion of the page and the other word is located at the right topmost portion of the page. The word on the left will index the first word that page includes and the word on the right indexes the last word that page includes. The only requirement this invention requires is that the two index words of the page should be placed (printed) on the topmost portion of the page. The top margin of the page should be as small as possible. 
     The invention is to divide the reference material into sections with each section divided into a number of sub-sections (group of pages). Starting from the second page of the first section or subsection page, all pages in the sub-section should be sited just above the preceding page so that the header words (indexes) of each page will appear just above the header words (indexes) of the preceding page and can be used to locate the words in the page. 
     All the user has to do is flip to the section the word (item) is located within by browsing the header words (indexes) of the pages and then flipping to the page that contains the word he is searching for. 
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     This mode requires that pages of the reference material, for example a dictionary 8, be grouped into limited number of sections, preferably four or five sections; depending on the number of the total pages. Each section 10 (group of pages) will be divided into sub-sections 12. 
     The first page 14 of the sub-section 12 is considered a header page. The rest of the pages of the sub-section should be sited according to the following: each page starting from the third page of this subsection will be sited in a way that the header words 16 (indexes) of a certain page will appear just above the header words of the previous page. 
     All sub-section pages except the first or header page, should be attached and sited behind the header page 14 of the sub-section 12 in a way that the top of the header page will be higher than any subsequent page of that sub-section. 
     The header page 14 of a sub-section will serve as an index to the subsection 12. Now each sub-section page IS will be attached together and sited so that the top of the sub-section header page will show a just above the header page of the preceding sub-section in away that the header words 16 (indexes) of each subsection header page appear just above the header words 16 (indexes) of the previous sub-section header page. All this is done for all the sub-sections of all sections of the reference material. 
     What a user will do to locate a word (an item) in the reference material is as follows. First, locate the section the word is at and flip (turn) to that section. Second, the user needs to locate which subsection within which the word is located. All he has to do is to scan the header page of each sub-section, using the header words (indexes). Third, is to locate the page of the sub-section that contain the word he is looking-up. So, once he locates the sub-section he should flip to that sub-section by turning its header page to the left. Then he can browse (scan) the header words (indexes) on the pages with that sub-section. The final step is to flip to the page that contains the word he wants. 
     OTHER MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     This mode will work well for medium size or pocket indexed reference material (such as pocket dictionaries). The reference material will be grouped into four or five sections (group of pages). No sub-sections will be needed (see FIG. 2). 
     At each section 10, starting from the second page each page 18 will be placed a just above the preceding page so that the header words 16 (indexes) in any page will appear the header words of the previous page. 
     This method will increase the height of the reference material by almost double. All the user have to do to locate a word is at, then by browsing the header words 16 (indexes) on each page 18 of the section 10 he can locate the page the word is located at.