IE20190145A1 - A book covering apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

A protective book covering apparatus (1) has at least two parts (2, 3), each part having a pocket (5, 8) shaped to envelope at least some of a book cover. Each pocket may have a depth to envelope at least some or all of the book (B) cover. Because the apparatus is in two parts a book cover may be fully inserted into a pocket without there being any difficulty in applying the apparatus in use. There is a flap (6) extending from the pocket (50) of one part, the flap having a length to surround and fold over the outside of the book spine. An adhesive (7, 9) strip is on each flap, for sticking the associated part to the other part when the pockets envelope opposed covers of a book and the flap or flaps extend around a book spine.

Description

"A Book Covering Apparatus and Method" Introduction The invention relates to book covers.

EPl85lO65 describes a book covering apparatus which is provided in sheet form or roll form.

IE8626l describes an apparatus having a web and pockets at each end.

Other book covering apparatus are described in EPO9 19401, US389l240, and GB262346.

The invention is directed towards providing a book covering apparatus which has additional versatility in terms of how it fits to books of differing sizes.

Summary of the Invention We describe a protective book covering apparatus comprising: at least two parts each part having a pocket shaped having a mouth extending in a lateral direction and facing a longitudinal direction and being configured to envelope at least some of a book cover, and at least one part having a flap extending longitudinally from the pocket, wherein at least one part has an adhesive for sticking to the other part when the pockets envelope opposed covers of a book and the flap or flaps extend around a book spine.

Preferably, there is a strip of adhesive on at least one part, said strip being substantially parallel to a laterally—extending edge of a flap. Preferably, both of the parts have an adhesive, one part having adhesive on an outer surface opposed to its pocket and the other part having adhesive on an inner side, the same side as its pocket. Preferably, at least one strip of adhesive is along and up to a flap laterally—extending edge. Preferably, at least one strip of adhesive is covered by a peelable layer which extends beyond the adhesive in the direction of the pocket of the part. _ 2 _ Preferably, the parts are joined by a tear seal for separation before use. Preferably, at least one part comprises at least two strips of adhesive aligned in the lateral direction. Preferably, at least one flap has a tapered shape at its longitudinal end.

Preferably, at least one pocket comprises a notch or cut in a leading edge to facilitate user opening of the pocket. Preferably, the apparatus material is at least partly biodegradable.

Preferably, the material is paper—based. Preferably, the material is translucent. Preferably, at least one part includes a window for viewing of a book cover. Preferably, the apparatus further comprises a protective film over the outer surface of at least one part.

Preferably, the apparatus further comprises at least one retainer configured to surround exposed longitudinal book cover and apparatus exposed edges, the retainer being in the form of a C- shaped clip configured to snap fit to said edges.

Preferably, at least one flap includes a longitudinal cut from a flap leading edge. Preferably, the flap also includes a marked line continuing from the cut to act as a guide for user continuation of the cut.

Preferably, at least one part includes marked longitudinal lines parallel to a lateral edge, as cut line indicators.

Preferably, there are a plurality of marked lines on each part, and said marked lines of one part are on a laterally opposed side of the part than those of the other part. Preferably, the marked lines are numbered sequentially from a lateral—most line inwardly.

We also describe a method of covering a book using an apparatus of any example described herein, the method comprising the steps of: inserting a book cover in the pocket of one part; inserting an opposed cover of said book in the pocket (8) of the other part; folding the flap around the book spine until it overlies the other part, and; sticking the parts together so that they form a single unit which is not movable relative to the book.

Preferably, the method comprises the further step of cutting excess material from at least one part.

Preferably, a top or bottom edge of the book cover is against a closed edge of a pocket when the cover is inserted into the pocket.

Preferably, both book covers are pressed against a closed edge of a pocket, and each cover is pressed against an a laterally opposed pocket edge so that one cover part extends on one lateral side from the book and the other part extends from the opposed lateral side of the book.

Preferably, the parts are cut to remove the excess laterally—extending material.

Preferably, at least some of the excess laterally—extending is folded over on book cover lateral edge. Preferably, a seal is applied to pocket edges which have been cut. Preferably, the seal comprises a resilient retainer (50, 60) which presses opposed faces of the combined book cover and pouch.

Preferably, the method comprising the steps of: cutting a flap in the longitudinal direction or the flap being pre—cut at manufacture, to provide a first portion flap portion and a second flap portion; folding over the first flap portion; cutting the apparatus part along the book edge including through the second flap portion; and folding over the remaining part of the second flap.

Preferably, the apparatus is pre—cut from a leading lateral, edge of flap and the cut is continued by the user.

Preferably, the flap includes a marked line continuing from the pre—cut and the user used the line as a cutting guide.

Preferably, the user aligns the book with a part and notes a marked line closest to the cover lateral edge, and cuts both parts accordingly.

Additional Statements We describe in various embodiments a protective book covering apparatus comprising: at least two parts, each part having a pocket shaped to envelope at least some of a book cover, and at least one part having a flap extending longitudinally from the pocket, _ 4 _ wherein at least one part has an adhesive for sticking to the other part when the pockets envelope opposed covers of a book and the flap or flaps extend around a book spine.

Optionally, there is a strip of adhesive on at least one part.

Optionally, there is a strip of adhesive substantially parallel to a side edge of the pockets.

Preferably, the adhesive is on an external surface of a part.

Optionally, both of the parts have an adhesive, one part having adhesive on an outer surface opposed to its pocket and the other part having adhesive on an inner side, the same side as its pocket.

Optionally, the parts are joined by a tear seal for separation before use.

Preferably, the apparatus comprises more than two strips of adhesive.

Optionally, the strips of adhesive are in the lateral direction and/or in the longitudinal direction.

Optionally, at least one pocket comprises a notch in a leading edge to facilitate user opening of the pocket.

Preferably, the apparatus comprises at least one longitudinal cut to allow multiple—part folding of the flap.

Optionally, the apparatus material is at least partly biodegradable, such as a paper—based material or a biodegradable plastics material. Optionally, at least one pocket includes a window for viewing of a book cover.

In one aspect, the apparatus further comprises a protective film over the outer surface of at least one part.

We also describe a method of covering a book using a customisable apparatus of any preceding claim, the method comprising the steps of: inserting a book cover in the pocket of one part; _ 5 _ inserting an opposed cover of said book in the pocket of the other part; folding the flap around the book spine until it overlies the other part, and; sticking the parts together so that they form a single unit which is not movable relative to the book.

Preferably, the method comprises the further step of cutting excess material from at least one part.

Optionally, the method comprises the further step of removing a section of the material which corresponds with the spine of the book cover.

In one embodiment, the method comprises the further step of trimming a corner edge of both pockets at an angle.

The method may comprise the further step of removing inner sections of at least one pocket extending from the book cover.

The method may comprise the further step of folding over remaining material into the interior of the book cover.

Optionally, a top or bottom edge of the book cover is against a closed edge of a pocket when the cover is inserted into the pocket.

Optionally, both book covers are pressed against a closed edge of a pocket, and preferably opposed edges are so pressed. Preferably, opposed edges are so pressed.

Optionally, material of the pockets extending in the longitudinal direction from the book are trimmed along the edge of the book.

Optionally, a seal is applied to pocket edges which have been cut.

Optionally, the seal comprises a resilient retainer which presses opposed faces of the combined book cover and pouch. _ 6 _ The method may comprise the steps of: cutting a flap in the longitudinal direction or the flap being pre—cut at manufacture, folding over a first flap part formed by the cut, cutting the apparatus part along the book edge including through the second flap part; and folding over the remaining part of the second flap.

Detailed Description of the Invention The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:— Fig. 1 is a plan view of a book covering apparatus of the invention, and Figs 2 to 5 are cross—sectional views in the directions of the arrows ll — II, III — III, IV — IV, and V—V respectively; Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the apparatus being separated into two parts; Fig. 7 is a view showing a first part being applied to a cover; and Fig. 8 shows the other part being applied to the other cover; Fig. 9 shows peeling of the liners from adhesives strips on both parts of the cover; Figs. 10 shows the two book cover parts folded over; Fig. 11 shows cutting of excess material; Figs. 12 and 13 show the final stage of securing the apparatus to a book; Figs. 14 and 15 show an alternative method of cutting excess material; Fig. 16 shows a covered book; Fig. 17 shows the apparatus being trimmed along the adhesive strip of the first book part Fig. 18 shows the apparatus being trimmed along the horizontal edge of the book; Figs. 19 and 20 show application of retainers to top and bottom free pocket edges; Figs. 21 show an alternative way of covering along a book cover edge; Fig. 22 shows an alternative embodiment of the apparatus with a plurality of strips of adhesive; Figs 23(a), (b) and (c) are perspective views showing use of an apparatus of a different embodiment; and Fig. 24 is a plan view of an alternative book covering apparatus, in this case with markings to assist cutting to size before application to a book.

Referring to Fig. l, a protective book covering apparatus 1 has at least two parts 2, 3, each part having a pocket 5, 8 shaped to envelope at least some of a book cover. The part 2 is larger than the part 3 and each pocket has a depth to envelope at least some or all of a book B cover.

Because the apparatus is in two parts a book cover may be fully inserted into a pocket without there being any difficulty in applying the apparatus in use. There is a long flap 6 extending from the pocket 5 of one part, the flap having a length to surround and fold over the outside of the book spine. There is also a short flap 30 extending from the pocket 8. An adhesive 7, 9 strip is on each flap, for sticking the associated part to the other part when the pockets envelope opposed covers of a book and the flap or flaps extend around a book spine. The adhesive 7 strip of the larger part 2 is on the inside of the book cover, with the adhesive strip 7 facing upwards on the same side as the pocket 5. The adhesive strip 9 of the smaller part 3 is on the outside of the book cover with the adhesive strip 9 facing downwards as viewed in Fig. l on the opposite side to the pocket 8.

In more detail, referring to Figs. 1 to 5 the book covering apparatus 1 comprises the two parts 2 and 3 joined along a line 4 of weakness. The line 4 is in this case a perforated line providing a tear seal so that as shown in Fig. 6 the parts 2 and 3 may be separated easily by pulling apart and leaving clear straight edges.

The part 2 has the pouch or pocket 5 with a mouth facing towards the centre of the apparatus 1.

Also, there is a web 6 which forms a lower wall of the pocket 5 and extends out to form a long flap. The lateral edge of the flap has tapered corners. At the inner end the web 6 has an adhesive strip 7 with a peelable liner 7(a) covering adhesive 7(b).

The part 3 comprises the pocket 8, the lower wall 30 of which extends inwardly to form the short flap 30 with an adhesive strip 9 having a peelable liner 9(a) covering adhesive 9(b).

Each pocket 5 and 8 has a notch 40 at each lateral side of the mouth, to facilitate easy lifting of the material to open. In other examples, there is a short cut at a corner of a flap instead of at least one notch.

The strips 7 and 9 are along the edge of the perforated line 4 with the liners 7(a) and 9(a) extending outwardly by about 2mm towards the respective pockets, for finger gripping. The adhesive may be permanent or peelable adhesive. It will be appreciated that any of a variety of different adhesives can be used, for example the strips of adhesive may be single—sided finger lift or double—sided finger lift tape. The adhesive strips 7 and 9 of the apparatus 1 have corners 41 cut at an angle providing a tapered shape, thereby ensuring no overlap of adhesive and easy insertion of the flaps into the pockets.

The pocket 5 has lower and upper sealed edges 10 and 11, and the pocket 8 has lower and upper sealed edges 12 and 13 respectively. The notches 40 are adjacent these edges.

Fig. 7 shows insertion of a cover of a book B into the pocket 5 of the first part 2, with the lower edge of the book cover against the lower edge 10 of the pocket 5. As shown in Fig. 8 the second pouch 8 is then used to envelope the other book cover, in this case with the top edge of the book cover against the corresponding top edge 13 of the pouch 8.

The liner 9(a) is peeled from the strip 9 of the second part 3, exposing the adhesive 9(b) and the liner 7 (a) is peeled exposing the adhesive 7(b). This is shown in Fig. 9. _ 9 _ As shown in Fig. 10, the user presses the large flap 6 around the book B spine and then down over the exposed adhesive 9(b) of the second part 3. The adhesive 7(b) of the flap 6 is used to adhere the flap 6 to the second pouch 3.

The corner edge of the excess pouch and web material at the upper side of the part 2, and the excess material at the lower end of the second part 3, are cut at an angle as shown in Fig. 11. The section of the excess which corresponds with the spine of the book is also cut out.

The next step after the relevant sections are cut, is that the excess of the parts 2 and 3 are folded over. This will result in a neat and efficient protection of the book being covered. This is illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13. The flaps may be adhered in the folded over position by either manually applying glue or a strip of adhesive may be present.

It will be appreciated also that the inner section of the excess pouch material may be cut away, resulting in less excess material, with the remainder outer material folded over. This is shown in Fig. 14 and 15.

It will be appreciated that, in use, as, the parts are pulled tight and the flaps are sealed against the adhesives, the parts become a single unit, which cannot move relative to the book because a closed pouch end is against an edge at both the top and bottom of the book. Also, of course, the lateral book cover edges are also tight against the corresponding pouch closed lateral edges.

This will result in the book being covered as shown in Fig. 16.

In another embodiment, a scissors may be used to cut the excess material from the flap 6, along the line of adhesive 9(b), resulting in the adhesive strip 7 not being required. This is shown in Fig. 17.

In another embodiment, the excess pouch and web material at the upper side of the part 2, and the excess material at the lower end of the second part 3, are cut as shown in Fig. 18. These cuts leave exposed edges of pouch material. These edges may be covered and retained by short retainers 50 or long retainers 60 as shown in Figs. 19 and 20. Each retainer is C—shaped to snap- fit around the exposed edges. The retainers 50 or 60 may be of a similar material to the remainder of the apparatus, such as the web 6 and the pockets 5 and 8. Alternatively, the _ 10 _ retainers 50 or 60 may be of a different material, for example a more resilient and durable material than the remainder of the apparatus. The use of a material such as this would provide additional protection to the book and the book edges.

The retainers 50 and 60 may comprise adhesive for attaching to the excess pouch and web material. The adhesive may be located on the majority of the underside of the retainer or may be in the form of strips along the edges of the retainer. The adhesive strips of adhesive may be single—sided finger lift or double—sided finger lift tape.

It will also be appreciated that the exposed edges could be covered using the cut away section of the pouch. The pouch could be slotted over the book cover as shown in Fig. 21.

In another embodiment, there may be several more strips of adhesive. This will result in the adhesive reaching more locations on the book cover and so a more secure attachment. It also provides more options in terms of where adhesive connections are made and so will facilitate cutting the book cover to different customisable sizes. This is shown in Fig. 22 with adhesive strips 100, 101, 102 and 103 at different locations of the apparatus. There may also be adhesive strips along the horizontal axis of the pockets. The strips are all advantageously parallel to the leading, lateral, edge of each flap.

Figs. 23(a), (b) and (c) illustrate use of an apparatus 201, having parts 202 and 203 with pockets 205 and 208 respectively in an arrangement generally similar to the above described embodiments. However, in this case the long flap 206 is split into two parts or portions 206(a) and (b). As illustrated the portion 206(a) may be easily folded over, leaving the portion 206(b) lying flat. This makes it easier for the user to cut along the book edge, as shown in Fig. 23(b), before folding over only the remainder of the portion 206(b) as shown in Fig. 23(c).

Referring to Fig. 24 an apparatus 301 has a part 302 with a long flap and a part 303 with a short flap. Both parts have marked lines 304 and 305 respectively parallel to the lateral edges. The marked lines 204 of the part 302 are on the upper lateral side as viewed in Fig. 24, and the marked lines 305 of the part 303 are on the lower lateral side. The marked lines 304 and 305 are numbered from the lateral edge inwardly. Hence when the user aligns the book with one part the applicable marked line 304 can be noted and the marked line 305 with the same number will apply for the other part 303. The marked lines 304 and 305 may be used as guides for pre—cutting _ 11 _ the apparatus before fitting the book. These marked lines therefore assist with alignment of a book on opposed lateral sides of the pockets.

It will be appreciated that the user has the ability to customise the book covering apparatus to fit any commercial book. The apparatus has the capacity to cover a broad range of books due to the fact that the apparatus material can adhere to itself and can also be cut down to size. As a broad range of books can be covered by a particular size of the apparatus, two or more different sizes of the book covering apparatus would ensure that all commercial books are catered for. For example, it is envisaged there could be a range of pre—set sizes, each suited to a particular application such as small notebooks or larger academic journals.

Because there can be no relative movement of the combined parts with respect to the book it is particularly easy to accurately to make the relevant cuts or remove any excess material where required. After these cuts, as there is still no relative movement, the apparatus has formed a neat outer cover for the book B.

Because each pouch has a single closed end the book may be covered in a manner which means that the apparatus cannot move relative to the book after use of the adhesive. This makes book covering particularly simple, easy, and convenient. Also, the method allows use of a standard- sized pair of parts to be used with any of a wide variety of book sizes.

The apparatus is in the illustrated embodiments initially one piece which is subsequently separated into two parts by pulling along a tear seal. Because of this, advantageously the product can be sold as one unit. It also means simpler manufacturing, easier storage and straightforward application by the end user. However, the apparatus may be provided with the parts separate.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described but may be varied in construction and detail. The material of the covers may be of any suitable material, plastics—based or paper—based, preferably fully recyclable. Where the material is paper—based it may be translucent to allow visibility of sufficient detail of the book cover. Also, the apparatus may include a discrete seal tab to be applied directly to the book. The material may include a window, either by virtue of a transparent or translucent part of the material framed by opaque part, or by a physically separate transparent or translucent part such as in a window envelope. _ 12 _ The book cover apparatus may be coded in a visual manner to indicate the size of book that it is intended to be used with, and such coding may be a by colour. The coding may alternatively be numeric or by letters or alphanumeric or coded for machine reading. The material may have a protective film which can be removed either when applying to a book or after use for a period of time. This is especially beneficial if the material comprises a bulk layer of recyclable material such as paper or light card and a protective layer is applied over this. Where there is a protective film it may be of biodegradable material, and preferably the underlying bulk material is also biodegradable. Also, the arrangement of adhesive strips and tear seal(s) may be different, suited to the target book size.

It is also envisaged that the flaps and adhesive strips are arranged so that the long flap fits inside the short flap. Also, the web material of the flaps may be narrower (smaller dimension between the top and bottom edges).

Claims (1)

1. Claims 2. A protective book covering apparatus (1) comprising: at least two parts (2, 3), each part having a pocket (5, 8) shaped having a mouth extending in a lateral direction and facing a longitudinal direction and being configured to envelope at least some of a book cover, and at least one part having a flap (6, 30) extending longitudinally from the pocket, wherein at least one part has an adhesive (7, 9) for sticking to the other part when the pockets (5, 8) envelope opposed covers of a book and the flap or flaps extend around a book spine. 3. A book covering apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein there is a strip (7, 9) of adhesive on at least one part, said strip being substantially parallel to a laterally—extending edge of a flap. 4. A book covering apparatus as claimed in claims 1 or 2, wherein both of the parts have an adhesive (7, 9), one part having adhesive on an outer surface opposed to its pocket and the other part having adhesive on an inner side, the same side as its pocket. 5. A book covering apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein at least one strip (7, 9) of adhesive is along and up to a flap laterally—extending edge. 6. A book covering apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least one strip of adhesive is covered by a peelable layer which extends beyond the adhesive in the direction of the pocket of the part. 7. A book covering apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the parts are joined by a tear seal (4) for separation before use. 8. A book covering apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one part comprises at least two strips (100, 102) of adhesive aligned in the lateral direction. 9. A book covering apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one flap has a tapered (41) shape at its longitudinal end. 35 11. ll. 12. l2. 13. l3. 14. l4. 15. l5. 16. l6. 17. l7. 18. l8. 19. .14. A book covering apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one pocket comprises a notch (40) in a leading edge to facilitate user opening of the pocket. A book covering apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus material is at least partly biodegradable. A book covering apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the material is paper—based. A book covering apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the material is translucent. A book covering apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one part includes a window for viewing of a book cover. A book covering apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a protective film over the outer surface of at least one part. A book covering apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising at least one retainer (50, 60) configured to surround exposed longitudinal book cover and apparatus exposed edges, the retainer being in the form of a C—shaped clip configured to snap fit to said edges. A book covering apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one flap includes a longitudinal cut (22) from a flap leading edge. A book covering apparatus as claimed in claim 16, in which the flap also includes a marked line continuing from the cut to act as a guide for user continuation of the cut. A book covering apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one part (302, 303) includes marked longitudinal lines (304, 305) parallel to a lateral edge, as cut line indicators. A book covering apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein there are a plurality of marked lines (304, 305) on each part, and said marked lines of one part are on a laterally opposed side of the part than those of the other part. 35 28. A book covering apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the marked lines (304, 305) are numbered sequentially from a lateral—most line inwardly. A method of covering a book using an apparatus of any preceding claim, the method comprising the steps of: inserting a book (B) cover in the pocket (5) of one part (2); inserting an opposed cover of said book in the pocket (8) of the other part (3); folding the flap (6) around the book spine until it overlies the other part, and; sticking (7, 9) the parts together so that they form a single unit which is not movable relative to the book. A method as claimed in claim 21, comprising the further step of cutting excess material from at least one part. A method as claimed in either of claims 21 or 22, wherein a top or bottom edge of the book cover is against a closed edge of a pocket when the cover is inserted into the pocket. A method as claimed in claim 23, wherein both book covers are pressed against a closed edge of a pocket, and each cover is pressed against an a laterally opposed pocket edge so that one cover part extends on one lateral side from the book and the other part extends from the opposed lateral side of the book (