GB2306913A - Cover for spiral or comb bound books - Google Patents

Abstract

The cover comprises a front cover portion 31 with an inner panel that is adhered at 24 to the back cover at a region adjacent the binding. The front cover portion is then folded back on itself to form a panel 26 that is adhered at 27 to the inner panel of the front cover portion. Further folding of the cover portion defines a spine portion 30 that covers the binding. Both cover portions can be printed prior to assembly.

Description

DESCRIPTION The invention relates to book, booklet and binder assemblies.

Certain binding systems use a process whereby a number of holes are punched or drilled in the leaves and a continuous wire or plastic binder inserted and 'closed' to keep the pages together. There are two major drawbacks to these systems. First - the lack of a spine which makes identification on the bookshelf difficult and second - the tendancy of pages to fall out along the closed edge.

These problems have been addressed by a variety of methods which can be summed up as follows: Boxes into which the entire bound document is placed for storage, or Flaps on the covers which wrap around the right hand side of the book, or Preformed folders with inside tabs for punching or drilling.

Each of these solutions have limitations for the user: Boxes are awkward and do nothing to enhance the bound document itself.

Flaps that wrap around the right hand side of the book require that the book be placed on the bookshelf the 'wrong way round'. This makes the book more difficult to handle and adjacent documents easily snag in the flaps. Flaps become worn out and tear off.

Preformed folders are not easily subjected to secondary manufacturing processes. They are not easily trimmed to size, they do not in general pass through computer printers and preformed inside tabs 'mask' areas on the inside from printing and similar processes.

The tendancy for papers to fall out along the closed edge (usually the inside back leaf) increases with use of the document as both drilled holes in the leaves and wire etc. bindings wear. The present invention seeks to remedy this altogether by locking the binding between the back cover and an extension to the front cover.

The Bind-a-Spine also addresses and solves the aforementioned limitations and provides covers which after assembly: Look like an ordinary spine bound book on the bookshelf, Allows the book to open flat, and which, just prior to assembly, permits the user to trim, print (both sides if required), or apply other processes to his individual requirements.

The drawings and key below describe the manufacture and assembly of the invention.

KEY TO DRAWINGS FIG 1 BACK COVER 1 The back cover is made from sheet material, paper, card, plastic or such other material as is suitable for the size and application.

2 The height of the binder. This height is usually a little more than the papers (etc.) to be bound.

3 The width of the back cover. This width is usually a little greater than the papers (etc.) to be bound.

FIG 2 FRONT COVER 4 The front cover is made from sheet material, paper, card, plastic or such other material as is suitable for the size and application.

5 The height of the binder (same as 2 above).

The front cover is wider than the back cover by the sum of measurements 6, 7, 8 & 9.

6 Spine tolerance. Approximately equivalent to the radius of the wire or other binding.

7 Spine. Equal to the sum of the thickness of materials used for front and back covers plus the diameter of the wire binding.

8 Wrap around tab.

9 gluing tab.

10 Crease for fold. See also 20 below.

11 Crease for fold. See also 20 below.

12 Crease for fold. See also 20 below.

The covers are assembled together with a batch of papers or other suitable pages, drawings etc. to the users requirements.

FIG 3 PUNCH HOLES IN THE BACK COVER 14 The back cover (the inside face is uppermost in the drawing.

13 Holes are drilled or punched for the particular binding system to be used. Similar holes are punched in the front cover.

FIG 4 PUNCH HOLES IN THE FRONT COVER 15 The front of the front cover is uppermost in the drawing.

Note that the holes in the left hand side should be aligned with the similar holes in the back cover.

FIG 5 ASSEMBLE 16 The assembly consists of the back cover (lowest), a batch of pages similarly drilled or punched (in the middle) and, on top of the stack, the front cover.

FIG 6 SIDE VIEW OF ASSEMBLY 17 The front cover 18 The batch of pages 19 The back cover 20 The creasess as shown in 10, 11, & 12 above. Note that the direction of the creases are for all folds to be made down into the plane of the drawing at fig 2.

21 The wire, plastic or other binding rings or spiral.

The rings or spiral or other binding is closed around the assembled covers and pages.

Note that any wire assembly having one side 'open' (typically loops of wire bent to pass through holes drilled or punched in the pages) should be pushed into the assembly from the bottom.

FIG 7 SLIDE THE TOP COVER ROUND THE BINDING 22 The top cover is dragged around the wire, spiral or other binding element. This action traps the lower or continuous part of the type of binding mentioned in 21 above, 2nd paragraph between the covers.

FIG 8 GLUE COVERS TOGETHER 23 The top cover is dragged right around to the back.

24 The glue may be applied to one or both faces, tape or pre gummed or any other method of adhesion to facilitate the sticking of the gluing tab (9 above) to the back cover.

FIG 9 GLUE GLUING TAB TO WRAP AROUND TAB 25 Fold wrap around tab towards spine.

26 Push towards back cover.

27 Glue etc. (as 24 above) along the gluing tab.

FIG 10 THE FINISHED ASSEMBLY 28 The gluing tab is firmly stuck both to the back cover and the wrap around tab. Looped wires are locked between back cover and gluing tab.

29 The wrap around tab extends the back cover clear of the wire etc. binding.

30 The spine is formed in the conventional place.

31 The front cover closes in conventional direction and opens fully to allow pages to lie flat when the book is in use.

Claims (3)

Claims A cover for punched hole bindings consisting of front and back parts which when folded and glued (or fastened) in the way described:

1 Incorporate a spine (whilst not interfering with the binding allowing the book to open and lay flat)

2 The spine is on the left when closed book is face up and up the right way that is to say the spine is in the conventional place for western books,inferior spine systems place them on the right with various inconvenient flaps)

3 Locks the wire binding securely which gives extra durability and reduces the tendancy for pages to fall out.

Note: The claim is that Bind-a-Spine covers do ALL of these things in one easy binding operation. The individual components are found in other products to varying degrees except claim 3 which has not been found elsewhere.

3 Secure the binding minimising the tendancy for pages to fall out.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows A two part cover for multiple punched hole bindings comprised of front and back parts which, prior to, and during the process of assembly and when folded and glued (or otherwise fastened) in the manner described do ALL of the following:

1 Prior to the act of binding the binder consists of two flat parts which can be subjected to any conventional printing process requiring a flat medium or modern processes, laser printing, ink jet printing and similar processes or hand printed by screen printing.

2 Produces, on the finished article, a spine which, when the product is placed on a bookshelf, has the appearance of a normal book spine. This spine' is on the left (that is to say that it is in the conventional format of a book) when the closed binder is face up. (This is in contrast with spine systems which have inconvenient flaps attached to or incorporated in the back cover or in which the front cover wraps around the right hand side of the pages.

The claim in this paragraph assumes a European language book where reading is from left to right and pages are turned from right to left as reading progresses through the book.

For systems that use left to right page turns the bind-a-spine may be assembled with the spine on the right.