Improvements in or relating to Books, Music, Albums, and the like, to Facilitate Turning of the Leaves, and in the Tools and Implements therefor.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Sept., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 13th June, 1892-Accepted, 14th Sept., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Books, Music, Albums, and the like,
to Facilitate Turning of the Leaves, and in the Tools and
Implements therefor.
I PACIFICO TAGLIACOZZO VOLPRIGNANO of 14 May Street West Kensington
London W. do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
I fold or cut or mould paper so as to have on its margin one or more open-surfaces
of the underneath leaves alternatively, ready for the fingers to turn the leaf easily.
The said openings may be of any form, shape & configuration in the margin of
books, music periodicals, albums MSS. & of any volume or collection of leaves &
sheets made of any sort of paper or similar material. The tools & implements
necessary to form the above specified marginal openings, being an integral part of
the invention consist of knives, nippers, scissors, moulds & the like be they curved
or angular in any form shape & configuration to answer the aforesaid purpose.
14th September 1891.
P. T. VOLPRIGNANO.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Books, Musio, Albums, and the like,
to Facilitate Turning of the Leaves, and in the Tools and
Implements therefor.
PACIFICO TAGLIACOZZO VOLPRIGNANO of 14 May Street Kensington
London W. Clerk etc. do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
1. My invention refers to books in general, whether printed, manuscript, hand-
crafted or blanc, in fact to any collection of leaves bound or unbound.
2. The object thereof is to enable any person to get the leaves one by one at a
time with certainty & without difficulty: hence doing away with the blowing, wetting
of fingers, dogsears etc. etc.
3. To that effect I make or cut whole sheets of paper or of any suitable material
so, that when folded as for bookbinding, each leaf successively shall present on its
margin one or more openings in "alternation" through which a part or parts of the
underneath leaf is exhibited. Consequently referring to the annexed illustration,
to turn the page of a book, the only work is to put a finger or adequate object, on
the underneath leaf through one of the uncovered spots B. (Fig. I) when the upper
leaf A. will thereby be separated from the others & set free to be easily turned by
sliding the finger or said object along in between the two leaves A & B ; specially
in cases of gilded or varnished edges sticking together or of uncut volumes, this is
of a great help.
"
4. I mean by the aforesaid "alternation" the reciprocal permutation of ins &
outs one after the other, either singly or by series, at the same or different
places, on the margin of the leaves, whether obtained by cutting or folding or in
the original manufacture of the material itself or by simply folding the leaves out
of square like rhomboids, ellipsoids etc. (See Fig. II.)
5. The "tools & implements" specially made for this, are knives, scissors,
nippers, punches etc. etc. whether used by the hand or by machinery to cut one, or
more, thickness of the material at a time, the cutting edge of such instruments be

page_text: either undulated or in squares, angles or mixed or of any fancy, configuration, shape
or size. (See Fig. 1.)
6. As to the performance thereof, I put under the knife all the sheets whether
printed or not on one of the widest side C (Fig. III) together, taking care 1st, that
the middle of each sheet or the principal folding line D. shall correspond exactly
with the focussing point E. of the knife, that is to say at that terminal point of
inflession where the design ends and begins again. 2ly, that the same groove D. be
in a true-right-line with E. perpendicular to and at right angles with the knife.
3ly, that the printing be gauged equidistant from the knife on the whole line.
4ly, that the sheets be piled up in a perfect vertical line (plumb) on all the four
sides. After so cut the side C, turn, without disturbing it, the bulk as if on a pivot
and, with the same precautions as before, cut the side F. opposite to C. The sheets
so cut, when doubled in the usual way of the trade, must form that reciprocal contrast
of ins and outs, which gives the wanted "alternation."
Having now described my invention and how to work it I claim as my exclusive