EP2110264A1

EP2110264A1 - Newspaper or magazine holder group

Info

Publication number: EP2110264A1
Application number: EP08425270A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Luca Venturi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-04-18
Filing date: 2008-04-18
Publication date: 2009-10-21
Anticipated expiration: 2028-04-18
Also published as: ATE451250T1; EP2110264B1; CY1109875T1; DE602008000383D1

Abstract

A newspaper or magazine holder comprising two opposed portions (2a, 2b), the first (2a) positioned along the folding line of the central page of the newspaper, the second along the spine down the first page of the newspaper, the two portions (2a, 2b) being kept in position through at least one locking means (6, 8) so as to ensure a flow of air between them.

The invention foresees that at least one of the two opposed portions (2a, 2b) is made from Plexiglas and has a semicircular section providing, in addition to a support effect for the newspaper, also a magnifying effect.

Description

Field of application

The invention concerns a newspaper or magazine holder group. In the rest of the description when we refer to newspapers and newspaper holder groups we also implicitly refer to magazines and magazine holder groups.

Prior art

Newspaper holder groups are known that are made up of two portions, substantially two rods of the same shape, applicable on to one of the sides of the newspaper, the first at the first page, the other at the last page.
Usually, such rods are arranged along the long side of the newspaper.
The rods are usually mutually constrained with screw/nut groups through which adjustments keep the newspaper locked.
These rods have a substantial thickness and a fair width; they prevent easy reading because they make it impossible to read a vertical portion of all the pages adjacent to the side on which they are arranged.
In particular, in the case of newspapers with writing in tiny characters, like for example those with sales/purchase advertisements for goods or services, such a characteristic makes it hard to read substantial portions, making it difficult to understand.
One alternative solution to the group described foresees the arrangement of the two rods, the first along the folding line of the centre page inside the newspaper and the other on the spine down the first page.
The problem of poor visibility of some parts of the newspaper is less serious in this second solution than in the aforementioned one, but it still remains for the first and central page; however, no improvement has been made as far as the difficulty of reading very small print is concerned.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a newspaper holder group that allows an improved readability of the newspaper and an easy read of every part of it, irrespective of the print size, in order to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art.

Summary of the invention

The purpose indicated above is obtained by a newspaper or magazine holder group according to what is described in claim 1.
The invention achieves important advantages:

it is easy to assemble both as a support for the newspaper as well as a reading aid;
it allows easy reading of even the smallest characters in any point of the newspaper.

Characteristics and further advantages of the invention shall become clearer from the description, made below, of one of its embodiments given for indicating and not limiting purposes with reference to the attached drawings.

Brief description of the drawings

In figure 1 a newspaper holder group according to the invention is shown.
In figures 1b, 2 and 3 details of the group of figure 1 are shown.

Detailed description

In figure 1, a group 1, according to the invention is shown.
Such group 1 comprises two opposed portions 2a and 2b, both transparent; the group is made to be applied to a newspaper so that the first portion 2a is arranged inside of the newspaper along the folding line of the central page, whereas the other, 2b, is positioned on the spine down the first page of the newspaper.
According to the invention, the two portions 2a, 2b both have semicircular sections; as an example, the portion 2b is shown in figure 1b according to different views. The portion 2a has the same shape as portion 2b but the diameter size is slightly different; the inside portion 2a has a smaller sized diameter compared with the outer one 2b, so as to avoid as much as possible the obscuring of the characters on the central page close to the folding line and to also allow a better reading of the characters in articles in the other pages when the pages are turned.
As can be seen from figure 1b, the portions 2a, 2b have a three dimensional semi-cylindrical shape (i.e. obtained by cutting a cylinder along its vertical axis), from which the semicircular section of the portions can be gathered.
The portions are paired, when they form the newspaper holder group, along their flat side surfaces 12a, 12b.
The portions 2a and 2b are transparent and preferably made out of Plexiglass.
Locking means allow the inner portion 2a and the outer portion 2b to be mutually constrained; such means are substantially sleeves, in particular a handle 6 with a circular blind or through cavity 4, and a fitting 8 with a blind cavity 10, both easily fitted onto the ends of the aforementioned portions; the handle 6 and the fitting 8, respectively shown in figures 2 and 3, are made from PVC, rubber, leather or more generally from any plastic material. The handle 6 with a circular through cavity 4 can run along the newspaper holder 1 to an intermediate position between the two ends that allows optimal locking of a newspaper with a spine length smaller than the standard length of the newspaper holder group. The diameters of the cavities 4, 10 of the sleeves 6, 8 have a slightly larger size than the sum of the diameters of the two semicircular portions 2a, 2b so as to allow the flow of air in between the two portions in which the newspaper is placed.
According to the invention, at least one of the two opposed transparent semi-cylindrical portions 2a, 2b functions as a magnifying glass.
An inscription written in tiny characters close to the spine of the newspaper can therefore be enlarged and made clearly readable once the group 1 is mounted, providing an effective and clearly visible means of advertising.
Indeed, many newspapers publish articles or inserts with very small sized characters like for example classified advertisements, in order to save space and to minimise the cost for the advertisers; such characters are difficult to read in particular, but not only, by an elderly public.
The magnifying glass made from the two portions allows easy reading of the articles along the entire pages of the newspaper. The group, indeed, can be easily dismantled so as to separate the two portions from the sleeves, the portions being able to run following the reading direction.
The magnifying glass provided is a valid alternative to reading glasses.
The newspaper holder group 1 is also equipped, according to the invention, with an ultraluminous white LED bulb incorporated in to at least one of the two portions 2a, 2b and available in case of poor light conditions.
The group 1 can also be equipped with a portable scanner pen with a suitable chip for reading and storing information that can be loaded onto an appropriate removable memory able to be associated with the newspaper holder group through a USB port.
The portions 2a and 2b, can also be equipped with a luminous LED electronic display with scrolling letters for displaying the latest agency news (e.g. ANSA...REUTERS etc.) receivable through a suitable wireless connection.
Furthermore, the group 1 can be equipped with an integratable IPOD or, more generally, with a music or multimedia file player readable from the aforementioned removable memory.
In a second embodiment of the invention, the portions of the newspaper holder group can be telescopic, i.e. comprising two parts that can run one inside the other, so as make the group easier to transport.
In a third embodiment of the invention, the two portions can comprise a locking means that, in this case, guarantees that one of the two ends of a portion is pivoted together with the corresponding end of the other portion allowing the group to always be kept in a single body.
A last embodiment foresees the presence of all the characteristics just described, together, achieving the advantages of all of them.
From what has been described until now, it is easy to understand the operation of the group according to the invention.
After finding a newspaper or magazine that has not been bound, the first portion of the newspaper group is arranged inside the newspaper along the folding line of the centre page, while the other is arranged along the spine of the first page of the newspaper.
On the opposite ends of the portions, respectively on the upper and lower ends, the handles and the fittings are fitted, to keep the portions in their mutual positions, locking the newspaper contained inside of them.
In this way the newspaper can be leafed with ease, allowing almost the entirety of the text printed on the newspaper to be easily read.
In case there is text along the spine of the first page, it will be enlarged, being able to be used as an advertising space having a strong impact on the user.
For an easy read, the user dismantles the portions of the newspaper group taking off the handle or fitting from the respective ends, and uses the two portions as a reading aid arranging them one above the lines to be read and one under the page to be read.
The two portions are reassembled at one end allowing a user to make the newspaper holder group pass from top to bottom following the reading direction.

Claims

Newspaper or magazine holder group (1) comprising two opposed portions (2a, 2b), the first (2a ) being positioned along the folding line of the centre page of the newspaper and the second (2b) on the spine down the first page of the newspaper, the two portions (2a, 2b) being kept in position through at least one locking means (6 ,8) so as to ensure a flow of air in between them, characterised in that at least one of the two paired portions ( 2a, 2b ) is made from Plexiglas and has a semicircular section providing, in addition to a support effect for the newspaper, also a magnifying effect.
Group according to claim 1 wherein said portions (2a, 2b) are opposed on their flat side surfaces 12a, 12b.
Group according to claims 1 or 2 wherein said locking means (6, 8) are arranged at the ends of said opposed portions (2a, 2b).
Group according to one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said locking means (6, 8) comprise removable sleeves.
Group according to claim 1 wherein said locking means comprise a pin that ensures that one of the two ends of a portion is pivoted together with the corresponding end of the other portion, allowing the group to always be kept in a single body.
Group according to one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said portions (2a, 2b) are telescopic.
Group according to claims 5 and 6 wherein said portions are telescopic and comprise a pin that ensures that one of the two ends of a portion is pivoted together with the corresponding end of the other portion.
Group according to one of the previous claims wherein said sleeves are made from PVC, rubber, leather or more generically from any plastic material.
Group according to one of the previous claims wherein at least one said portion (2a, 2b) comprises an ultraluminous white LED bulb activatable in low light conditions.
Group according to one of the previous claims also comprising a portable scanner pen with a suitable microprocessor for reading and storing information from the newspaper.
Group according to claim 10 wherein said information can be loaded onto a suitable removable memory able to be associated with the newspaper holder group through a USB port.
Group according to one of the previous claims wherein the portions (2a and 2b) are also equipped with a luminous LED electronic display with scrolling letters to display the latest agency news (e.g. ANSA...REUTERS ecc.ecc.) receivable through a suitable wireless connection.
Group according to claim 11 or 12 comprising a player of music or multimedia files readable from the aforementioned removable memory.