An Improved Cover for Protecting the Bindings of Books.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application. 26th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 25th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 28th Dec., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Cover for Protecting the Bindings of Books.
I EDWARD WILLIAM HANSCOMB of No.. 14 South Hill Park Hampstead in
County of Middlesex Publisher's Assistant do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
:-
My invention consists of the improved cover hereinafter described which is
designed for application to bound books for the purpose of protecting the bindings
thereof while they are being read and carried about.
In making a book cover according to my invention I take a sheet of cloth or
leather or other suitable material of suitable width and length relatively to the
range of size of books to which the cover is to be applied. And I take three
slips of celluloid or other suitable stiffening material each of a length nearly
equal to the width of the said sheet and secure them by means of paste or
otherwise to the inner or back face of the said sheet in a transverse direction
relatively to the said sheet and parallel to each other one at or near the middle of
the length of the said sheet and the others respectively near its two ends. I then
turn the edges of the sheet of cloth or other material over the said slips and
secure the said edges by means of paste or otherwise and form slits through the
said slips near their ends and through the cloth or other material to which they
are secured and pass pieces of elastic web or elastic cord through the said slits
from the outer or front side of the cover and connect the ends of each of the
said pieces of elastic web or cord together on the inner side of the cover. The
said cover is then complete and ready for use. In applying it to a book the
book is opened at or near its middle and passed under the elastic web or cord
in the middle of the cover until the said web or cord is engaged with the book
at the middle of the opening. The elastic webs or cords near the ends of the
protecting cover are then severally extended and passed over the outer edges of
the covers of the book in such a manner as to cause the outer portions of the
applied cover to be respectively held by the said webs or cords in contact with
the inner faces of the front and back covers of the book.
A book cover made according to my invention is capable of application to books
of various sizes and thicknesses.
Dated the 26th day of February 1895
I EDWARD WILLIAM HANSCOMB of No. 14 South Hill Park Hampstead in
the County of Middlesex Publisher's Assistant do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained-in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists of the improved cover hereinafter described which is
designed for application to bound books for the purpose of protecting the bindings
thereof while they are being read and carried about.

page_text: In making a book cover according to my invention I take a sheet of cloth or
leather or other suitable pliant material of suitable width and length relatively to
the range of size of books to which the cover is to be applied. And I take three
Flips of celluloid or other suitable stiffening material each of a length nearly equal
to the width of the said sheet and secure them by means of paste or otherwise to
the inner or back face of the said sheet in a transverse direction relatively to the
said sheet and parallel to each other one at or near the middle of the length of the
said sheet and the others respectively near its two ends. I then turn the edges of
the sheet of cloth or other material over the said slips and secure the said edges by
means of paste or otherwise and form slits through the said slips near their ends
and through the cloth or other material to which they are secured and pass pieces
of elastic web or elastic cord through the said slits from the outer or front side of
the cover and connect the ends of each of the said pieces of elastic web or cord
together on the inner side of the cover. The said cover is then complete and
ready for use.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents the inner face of a book
cover made as herein before described and Figure 2 is a section of the same taken
on the line A A Figure 1.
Referring to the said figures a is the sheet of cloth or leather or other suitable
material which constitutes the main part of the cover. bcd are the slips of
-stiffening material. e f g h are the inwardly turned edges of the sheet of cloth a
which are secured over the said slips of stiffening material bed. ijk are the
pieces of elastic web and cord by which the cover when in use is secured to a book.
The method of applying the cover is as follows;-The book is opened at or near
its middle and passed under the elastic cord k until the said cord is engaged with
the book at the middle of the opening. The elastic webs ij are then severally
extended and passed over the outer edges of the covers of the book in such a
manner as to cause the portions of the applied cover in which the said webs are
secured to be held by the said webs in contact with the inner faces of the front and
back covers of the book.
Figure 3 represents a book to which a cover made according to my invention is
applied as herein before described.
Where the main part of the cover is formed of sufficiently stiff material the
turning inward of the edges eh may be omitted and in some cases the slip of
stiffening material c and the elastic cord k may also be dispensed with.
A book cover made according to my invention is capable of application to books
of various sizes and thicknesses.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is ;-
A cover for protecting the bindings of books formed substantially as hereinbefore
described that is to say a cover consisting essentially of a sheet of cloth or leather
or other suitable pliant material stiffened at the parts which are designed for
-connection to the covers of a book and provided at the said parts with bands of
-elastic web or elastic cords by means of which the protecting cover may be secured
in place on a book substantially as herein before described.
Dated the Twenty-third day of November.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.