AU649451B2 - Bookmark - Google Patents

Description

64 451

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION For a Standard Patent

ORIGINAL

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TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicants: NORMA MARGARET DORRINGTON and TOME PASKOV Actual Inventor(s): TOME PASKOV Address for Service: WRAY ASSOCIATES, Primary Industry House, Terrace, Perth, Western Australia, 6000.

239 Adelaide

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*000 Attorney code: WR Invention Title: "BOOKMARK" Details of Associated Provisional Application: No: PK0761 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us:- 2 THIS INVENTION relates to a bookmark.

It is an object of one aspect of the invention to provide a bookmark which is capable of fixed attachment to the spine of a book.

It is an object of another aspect of the present invention to provide a bookmark which is convenient and efficient to use in marking the page of a book.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bookmark comprising a fastening portion for attachment to the spine of a book and a pendent portion S"connected at one end to said fastening portion so that the too .connection between said portions may be disposed proximate to the top of said spine and the other end of said pendent portion being adapted to mark a position between the pages of said book; wherein said pendent portion comprises a string member extending from said one end and a weight disposed at said other end fixedly attached to the distal see.) end of said string member, and wherein said weight has a greater density and weight than the density and weight of said string member.

Preferably, said string member is elastically expandable.

Preferably, said weight is planar providing opposing surfaces for carrying suitable graphic information.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bookmark comprising a fastening portion for attachment to the spine of a book and a pendent portion connected at one end to said fastening portion so that the connection between said portions may be disposed proximate to the top of said spine and the other end of said pendent portion being adapted to mark a position between the pages 3 of said book; wherein said fastening portion comprises a pair of spine fastening means for fixed attachment to said spine at spaced apart locations along said spine, and an intermediate expandable member for biasing said fastening means towards each other to stabilise and ma-itain positioning of said fastening means with respect to said spine.

Preferably, said intermediate member comprises an elasticised string member.

Altarnatively, said intermediate member may comprise a tension spring.

Preferably, said spine fastening means comprises a hook for clasping the top or bottom of the spine.

S S The invention will be better understood in the light of the following description of several different embodiments thereof. The description is made with reference to the accompanying two sheets of drawings, wherein Figure 1 shows different embodiments of the bookmark; and Figure 2 shows the manner in which the bookmark is used in each case.

In the main embodiment, the bookmark 11 comprises a oeo* fastening portion 13 and a pendent portion The fastening portion comprises a pair of spine fastening means 17 and an intermediate expandable member 19.

Each spine fastening means is in the form of a hook 21 made from a curved steel pin which is fixedly attached tL, an end of the expandable memnber 19 by means of a plastic sleeve 23.

The intermediate expandable member is forme 'f elastic 4 string which is resilient so that it may be tensed upon displacing the opposing ends of the string away from each other and which will revert to its original length upon releasing the displacing force.

Each end of the expandable member 19 is fixedly attached to a respuci-ive spine fastening means so that one of the fastening means 17a can be attached to the top of the spine of a book and the other fastening means 17b can be attached t, the bottom of the spine of a book, the expandable member capable of being stretched between the top and bottom extremities of the spine, biasing the fastening means towards each other.

S.T -n order to achieve the fastening of an end of the expandable member to a fastening means, the elasticised string 19 is threaded through one end of the sleeve 23 as *g shown in the drawings and knotted at the point that it exists the other end of the sleeve. The pointed end 21a of the steel pin is. subsequently inserted into the sleeve along the bore until the pointed end protrudes from the outer axial end of the sleeve at which the elasticised string 19 is knotted. The steel pin 21 is inserted sufficiently for the head 21b thereof to abut against the inner axial end of the sleeve, whereupon the protruding portion of the pin may be bent inwardly to form a hook as shown in the completed bookmark.

The pendent portion 15 of the bookmark comprises a string member 25 which is attached at one end to the top fastening means 17a, and a weight 27 fixedly attached to the distal end of the string member.

The string member is elasticised, being formed of similar material as the intermediate expandable member 19 of the fastening portion and is laterally flexible to enable easy 5 manoeuvrability thereof into a position between the pages of the book and out from such a position.

The weight 27 is planar and formed of any suitable material having a greater density and weight than that of the string member The opposing planar surfaces of the weight 27 are sufficiently expansive to enable suitable graphic information to be carried and displayed thereon for advertising purposes or the like.

In use, the fastening portion 13 of the bookmark is fixedly eegr Sattached to the spine of the book by hooking the top SO fastening means to the top edge of the spine and the bottom fastening means to the bottom edge of the spine so that the sleeves are disposed along the outer surface of the spine i "and the hooks project inwardly over the edges of the spine to repose between a pair of opposing pages of the book, at S.an intermediate location between the first and last pages i: of the book. The distance between the fastening means 17 s hould be greater than the length of the spine of the book so that the intermediate expandable member is tensed upon displacing the fastening means apart and attaching them to the opposite ends of the spine.

0r In this manner, the expandable member effectively stabilizes and maintains the positioning of the fastening means with respect to the spine. Once located in this manner, the pendent portion 15 will simply hang from the top edge of the spine by the action of the weight 27 and can be simply flicked to repose between the pages of a book for marking a place in the book or alternatively simply flicked or swung out from such a position to repose outside of the book adjacent to the outer surface of the spine, as shown in the drawings. The greater density and weight of 6 the weight 27 than that of the string member 25 gives the weight 27 sufficient momentum and minimises deflection due to aerodynamic effects, to enable handling of the pendent portion 15 in the manner described above.

Consequently, a bookmark which is extremely simple to operate is provided which remains fixedly attached to the book during its operation.

Furthermore, it should be apparent that the bookmark can be simply detached from the spine of the book and hence the book itself upon completing the reading of the book without damaging the same and can be easily relocated on another .oi book for use as a bookmark once more.

As can be seen from the drawings, many variations to the aforementioned embodiment can be provided. For example, S".the expandable member need not be in the form of an elasticised spring, but may alternatively comprise a tension spring 29 as shown in the drawings. In such an arrangement, the books may again be formed from steel pins which are either crimped or provided with an eye which can :c be interconnected to a corresponding eye formed at a corresponding end of the spring.

go In addition, instead of a plastic sleeve 23 in the form of a cylinder being utilised, a crimping sleeve 31 can be utilised in conjunction with the steel pin to form the hooks 21.

Furthermore, in an alternative arrangement a clip 33 may be used in place of the elasticised string and bottom fastening means as also shown in the drawings which may similarly be fastened to the top edge and down the outside of the spine of the book.

7 As can be readily appreciLted the weights may take on an infinite number of shapes and sized, some circular as shown at 27, others elongated as shown at 35 or rectangular.

In addition, the bottom fastening means may be provided with a hook 21 which instead of being curved is orthogonal in cases where the longitudinal extent of the expandable member is much less than the length of the spine. In this manner, the bottom hook 37 is pressed into the spine of the book intermediate the opposite ends of the spine to fixedly attach the fastening means to the spine.

It should be appreciated that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein and variations from the same which are common knowledge in the art of manufacturing fastening means and weights are envisaged to fall within the scope of the invention.

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Claims (5)

1. A bookmark comprising a fastening portion for attachment to the spine of a book and a pendent portion connected at one end to said fastening portion so that the connection between said portions may be disposed proximate to the top of said spine and the other end of said pendent portion being adapted to mark a position between facing pages of said book; wherein said pendent portion comprises a string member extending from said one end and a weight disposed at said other end fixedly attached to the distal end of said string member, and wherein said weight has a greater density and weight than the density and weight of said string member. S 0: 2 A bookmark as claimed in claim 1, wherein said string member is elastically expandable. *ee

3. A bookmark as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said weight is planar providing opposing surfaces for carrying suitable graphic information. S0 0: 4. A bookmark as claimed in any one of the preceding

6.444 claims, wherein said fastening portion comprises a pair of spine fastening means for fixed attachment to said spine at spaced apart locations along said spine, and an intermediate expandable member for biasing said fastening means towards each other to stabilise and maintain positioning of said fastening means with respect to said spine. A bookmark as claimed in claim 4, wherein said intermediate member comprises an elasticised string member. 6. A bookmark as claimed in claim 4, wherein said intermediate member may comprise a tension spring. 9

7. A bookmark as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein said spine fastening means comprises a hook for clasping the top or bottom of the spine.

8. A bookmark substantially as herein described in any one of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings where appropriate. DATED this EIGHTH day of MARCH 1994 NORMA MARGARET DORRINGTON and TOME PASKOV Applicants Wray Associates Perth, Western Australia Patent Attorneys for the Applicant. s*e 9 9 0. *fee 9 ;ll \li o k e, CC' ~.4w ABSTRACT A bookmark (11) having a fastening portion (13) and a pendent portion The fastening portion (13) is equipped with a pair of fasteners (17) of any suitable design 21, 33) which can be fixedly attached to the spine of a book at spaced apart locations along the spine so as to affix the bookmark to the book. The pendent portion (15) includes a string (25) which is attached at one end to the fastening portion and a weight (e.g. 27, 33) of a planar form attached to the distal end of the string 0* o SO 00 e o S. s* a 9 J. .4 S