US2863256A

US2863256A - Combined support and receptacle for books and the like

Info

Publication number: US2863256A
Application number: US644852A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hegarty Marie
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-03-08
Filing date: 1957-03-08
Publication date: 1958-12-09
Anticipated expiration: 1975-12-09

Description

Dec. 9, 1958 I M. HEGARTY 2,863,256

COMBINED SUPPORT AND RECEPTACLE FOR BOOKS AND THE LIKE Filed March 8, 1957 2 Sheets-Shet' 1 l n venlor Mar/e #566 157) A Home y M. HEGARTY Dec. 9, 1958 COMBINED SUPPORT AND RECEPTACLE FOR BOOKS AND THE LIKE Filed March 8, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A tlorney United States Patent O COMBINED SUPPORT AND RECEPTACLE FOR BOOKS AND THE LIKE Marie Hegarty, Sidmonton, Bray, Ireland Application March 8, 1957, Serial No. 644,852 3 Claims. (Cl. 45-59) This invention relates to a book-rest for attachment to the body of a person, and while the invention is primarily intended for use by hospital patients, it is to be understood that the book-rest according to the invention may advantageously be used by any person when, for instance, seated during travelling in a conveyance or whenever the holding of the book in hands may prove to be inconvenient. It is also to be understood that while the device according to the invention is described as a book-rest, it may be used conveniently as a desk support for the writing of letters or the like.

It is an object of the invention to provide at low manufacturing cost a book-rest for attachment to the body of a person in such manner that the book-rest will support a book in a convenient position for reading, thereby eliminating the necessity for the person to carry the book in the hands, and leaving the hands of the person entirely free. It will be appreciated that such a device provides considerable comfort to hospital patients when reading.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of an embodiment selected for illustration in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the book-rest in the position of use as worn by a hospital patient in bed.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the book-rest without the straps, the folded over position of the right hand half of the book-rest being shown in broken lines.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the supporting ledge.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the strap harness.

Referring to the drawings, the book-rest may be made of any suitable material, such as wood or metal, but is preferably moulded of a decorative plastic material such as that known under the name Perspex" (trademark). The book-rest comprises a flat panel consisting of two halves 1 and 2 hinged at 3 so as to pivot about the center line 4, the halves 1 and 2 having

upstanding side portions

5, 6, 7 and 8 so that a shallow compact box is formed when one of the halves is folded over the other half. This is shown in Fig. 2 in which the right-hand half 2 is folded over the half 1 into the position shown in broken lines. In this position of non-use, a strap harness 9, a detachable ledge 10 and a book may be stored in the interior of the shallow box which is sufficiently compact to be carried in a ladys handbag or the like.

Each of the halves 1 and 2 is provided with a row of parallel anchorage slots 11, the spacing between the two rows being equal to the spacing between a pair of screw-eyes 12 screwed into the rear side of the supporting ledge 10 which may also be of the same material as that of the book-rest halves. The supporting ledge 10 may therefore be maintained in a number of different positions on the front surfaces of halves 1 and 2 by inserting the eyes 12 in any desired aligned pair of anchorage slots 11 and turning the screw eyes 12 through 90. The supporting ledge 10 is preferably provided with a pair of book page retaining prongs 13 which may be screwed into the front surface of the ice ledge 10 and when the book-rest is in use may occupy a vertical book page retaining position or a horizontal inoperative position.

The bottom edges of halves 1 and 2 are contoured as indicated in Fig. 2, so that when the two halves 1 and 2 are in the position of use, thebottoni edge of the bookrest has an arcuate concave shape for engagement with the lower portion of the users chest. This arcuate portion may be covered or padded with a suitable material or lining 14 such as rubber or the like.

The sides 5 of the two halves 1 and 2 are provided with a plurality of downwardly inclined anchorage slots 15, any opposite pair of which may be engaged by any pair of a plurality of button type studs 16 carried by the free ends of a strap harness 9 (Fig. 4). This strap harness 9 in its simplest form comprises two straps of flexible material connected by a transverse strap 17. In use, the strap harness is passed over the shoulders so that the transverse strap 17 rests on the back of the user, one pair of studs 16 of each of the two longer straps being removably received in a selected pair of slots 15 one near the top and the other near the bottom of the book-rest. Preferably the ends of straps coming from underneath the shoulder of the user are attached to the top portion of the sides 5 of the book-rest, and the other ends of straps coming from over the users shoulder are attached to the bottom portion of the sides 5. The provision of a plurality of slots 15 and button studs 16 permits of a number of adjustments in the use of the book-rest as regards the angle of inclination of the book-rest and'the focal distance for convenient reading. The selective positioning of the eyes 12 of ledge 10 in the slots 11 also allows ample adjustment depending on the size of the book being read and its most convenient position on the book-rest for reading. The prongs 13 serve to maintain the pages of the book in open position. The transverse strap 17 prevents lateral displacement of the strap harness 9 off the users shoulders. b

Other means for adjustably positioning the ledge 10 on the book-rest may be adopted and, obviously, the adjustable attachment of the free ends of the strap harness 9 to the sides 5 of the book-rest may be effected in many different ways. For instance, the free ends of the straps of harness 9 may carry clips receivable in longitudinal slots provided in each side 5, each slot communicating with a plurality of engagement notches for the clips. Furthermore, the sides 5 may be provided with a row of perforations any opposite pair of which may selectively receive spring-hooks or similar detachable fastening devices secured to the free ends of the straps of harness 9. In addition, the length of the straps of harness 9 may be adjustable in the manner of gentlemens trouser suspenders.

It will be appreciated that apart from its primary r purpose as a book-rest, the device may be employed as a writing desk by hospital patients in bed by adjusting the ledge 10 to occupy its uppermost position by in serting the eyes 12 in the top pair of slots 1. By suitable attachment of the straps of harness 9, the inclination of the book-rest and its distance from the person may be adjusted within a wide range.

What I claim is:

1. A book rest attachable to the body of a person comprising, in combination, a pair of similar substantially rectangular rigid panels; side Walls connected to each of said panels and defining therewith a pair of shallow trays; hinge means for pivotally connecting two adjacent side walls of said panels in such a manner that said panels may be moved in a first position in a common plane and in a second position in which said panels are spaced from each other with said side walls therebetween, whereby said panels and said side walls define a closed receptacle; a book supporting ledge; means for for removably connecting said harness to said book rest.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein each of said panels has a plurality of elongated apertures disposed in a row parallel with said adjacent side walls, and said means for detachably connecting said ledge to said book rest comprises a pair of retaining members rotatably attached to said ledge, said retaining members being insertable into one of said apertures in each of .said panels in one position and lockingly engaging said .panels when turned with respect to said ledge.

3. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the side walls which are parallel with said adjacent side walls have a plurality of inclined open slots, and

said means for removably connecting said harness to said book rest comprises a plurality of button type studs on said harness and each receivable in one of said open slots.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 234,460 Daugherty Nov. 16, 1880 346,547 Holt Aug. 3, 1886 622,640 Shimoneck Apr. 4, 1899 632,384 Welch Sept. 5, 1899 643,164 Schnell Feb. 13, 1900 730,774 Kingsbury June 9, 1903 1,232,089 Riebe July 3, 1917 1,542,163 Morde June 16, 1925 1,593,166 Flach July 20, 1926 2,014,176 Henderson Sept. 10, 1935 2,563,671 Basinger Aug. 7, 1951