US1950706A - Copyholder - Google Patents

Description

March 1934- B. E. VAN ALSTINE COPYHOLDER Filed April 25, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TOR. BONNIE E KJ/V 14L577NE.

A TTORN E Y5.

Patented Mar. 13, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 11 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in copy holders, and an object is to provide a copy holder of the character described that is comparatively simple in construction and at the same time will serve several distinct purposes. The

device illustrated and claimed in the present application is an improvement over the device described in my previous application Serial No. 380,- 163 filed July 22, 1929, patented May 16, 1933, No. 1,908,874.

More particularly it is proposed to provide a copy holder that will serve three different functions: of holding an end-bound note book of conventional form, individual sheets of paper, or endwise opening bound documents of varying thicknesses.

It is further proposed in the present invention to provide a new means for supporting a copy holding element in reading position at any desired angle.

It is further proposed in the present invention to provide a means for firmly holding a note book, sheets of paper, or endwise opening bound docu ments of varying thicknesses in reading position on the copy holder.

It is further proposed to provide a simple means for indicating the line which is to be copied from stenographic notes or typewritten matter and for indicating on said line indicator by means of scales various horizontal distances. These scales correspond with the scale on a typewriter, enabling a typist to make a copy with facilities for the utmost speed and accuracy.

It is further proposed to provide means for detachably securing the copy holding element to a supporting frame in such a manner that the former can be removed from the latter and the copy holding element may then be used advantageously by printers and public speakers. In this simple form, the copy holding element is particularly adapted to be placed in a horizontal position.

Moreover, it is proposed to provide means for allowing the copy holding element and its supporting member to be folded into a compact unit, and in this connection I provide yielding means for readily holding the device in folded position.

It is further proposed to provide means for adjusting the copy holding element into various angular positions with respect to its supporting member, these means being secured in an outof-the-way position when the device is folded.

It is further proposed to provide convenient means for supporting a note book that is hinged at its upper edge which allows the pages thereof to be turned over with ease and means incorporated therewith for firmly holding the book in reading position as the pages are turned.

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in connection with a line indicator, an adjustable column indicator which faciltates the downward reading of vertically aligned figures.

It is further proposed to simplify the various structural features necessary for carrying out the above objects in such a manner that the copy holder may be cheaply manufactured, easily manipulated, and readily prepared for the particular function which it is to serve.

Further objects and advantages of my inven tion will appear as the specification proceeds.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a front view of my device having a conventional note book attached thereto.

Figure 2 a side view of the device shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 a horizontal section taken along line 33 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 44 of Figure 2,

Figure 5 a sectional detail view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 a sectional detail view taken along 66 of Figure 5,

Figure 7 a vertical section taken substantially along the line '7'7 of Figure 2 with the U-shaped handle and the bracing members in raised position, and the note book omitted,

Figure 8 a fragmentary horizontal section taken along line 8-8 of Figure 7,

Figure 9 a perspective view of a portion of the device, and Figure 10 is a fragmentary side elevation of the upper part of the copy holding element showing sheets of paper secured thereto, the clamping means partly in section.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, I wish to have it understood that various changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the claims hereto attached without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In its present form my copy holder comprises a supporting frame 1, a copy holding element 2, and braces 3 supporting the latter relative to the former at any desired anglev The frame 1 may be of any suitable form and comprises a rectangular plate having parallel side edges 5 and suitably supported on folding legs 6. These legs are secured to the supporting frame 1 so as to be swingable against the underside of the frame for decreasing the height of the copy holder above the supporting surface. Any suitable means (not shown) may be employed for holding the legs in extended or folded position. The copy holding element 2 is detachably hinged to the front edge of the supporting frame as shown at '7 and has the two braces 3 pivoted to its back as shown at 8, the braces being adapted for engagement with sockets 9 formed in the side edges of the frame. These sockets correspond in position on opposite sides of the frame and are preferably numbered as shown in Figure 4 to indicate the location of corresponding sockets. It is easy for a stenographer, once she has lee-- come used to a certain reading position of the copy holder, to always obtain the same reading position by introducing the braces 3 into corresponding sockets of the same number.

It should be par cularly noted that the hinges '7 consist of two sections and 11 that are secured to the supporting frame 1 and the copy holding element 2 respectively by means of screws or other suitable fastening means. In the present illustration, the sections 11 are provided with laterally extending pins 12 that are slidably and rotatably received in aligned openings 13 in the sections 10.

Referring now to Figures 2 and '7, it will be observed that the component sections of the hinges '7 are normally prevented from becoming disengaged by a slidably mounted stop 14 which extends above the plane of the supporting me1nbeer and abuts against one of the sections 11. The stop 14 is fashioned with a hand-gripping portion at its outer end. When the stop 14 is retracted so as to clear the sections 11, the entire copy holding element may be moved laterally with respect to the supporting member 1 and may be detached therefrom for use around printing offices, by public speakers, or for any other use for which it may be adapted. In this simple form, the copy holding element particularly adapted to be placed in a horizontal position.

In Figure 7 I have shown the braces 3 as being moved in parallel relation with the back of the copy holding element and secured thereto by two spring clips 16. The braces are placed in this out-of-the-way position when the copy holding element is detached from the supporting memher. The two braces are only necessary for heavy law books, etc., one brace being entirely suflicient for ordinary work, the other being folded and locked in inactive position.

A spring clip 17 projects from the back or" the copy holding element as clearly shown in Figures 2 and '7, and is adapted to overlie the edge 18 of the supporting member 1 so as to firmly clamp the copy holder in a folded position. It should be understood that when the copy holding ele-- ment is clamped to the supporting member, the braces 3 are first placed in the clips 16.

The copy holdin element comprises a rectangular plate 19 having slightly raised side edges 20 forming an intermediate recess 22 across which is stretched a bar 21 that thus is spaced from the bottom of the recess of the copy ho1ding element by the normal thickness of the cover 23 of a note book, so that the latter may be intro duced between the bar and the plate, and be closely held to the holder with its upper edge substantially on the level with the upper edge of the plate. To accommodate the varying lengths of shorthand note books, which usually vary from eight inches to eleven and one-quarter inches, 2. slot 24 is provided in the plate and has a screw 25 sli able therein, the screw carrying a nut 26 which, when tightened upon the plate, will hold the screw in adjusted position for supporting the bottom edge of the note book cover. The bottom of the slot at 27 for facilitating the introduction of the screw into the slot. The sides 28 of the screw are preferably flattenec so as to prevent the screw from rotating in the slot.

The upper edge of the copy holding element has a supporting member 29 extending rearwardly therefrom, this member being used to give support to the overturned portion of the note book as clearly illustrated in Figure 2. The supporting member 29 may have clips 30 pivoted thereto, see Figure 7, which latter adapted to be sprung over the upper cover 23 of the note book for holding the same in place, if the weight of the over-turned cover and pages is not suflicient for this purpose.

A U-shaped strip of metal 31 is pivoted to the sides of the member 29 as shown at 32, and may be used for clamping sheets of paper and endwise opening bound documents of various thicknesses, if swung from the position shown in Figure 7 into the position indicated in Figures 1 and 2, while it may be used as a handle for carrying the entire device when swung into a vertical position.

If an endwise opening document is bound with such means that it will not be practicable to remove the fasteners, as, for instance, a large abstract of title, it is only necessary to insert the last one or a few pages of the document under the member 31, allowing the remainder of the pages to fall downward over the face of the member 31; in other words, the document is held in place on the face of the copy holding element.

Figure 1c shows the leading edge 32 of the U- shaped member 31 beveled on the inside thereof so as to firmly grip the sheets of paper on the copy holder, and will prevent them from being cut or marred as the member is swung into operative position.

Adjacent to the right edge of the supporting element 2 and in parallel relation thereto is mounted a fiat bar 33 attached in such a manner that it may easily be removed. For this purpose I provide guides 34 and 35 which are adapted to slidably receive the bar which latter is fastened in place at guide 35 by means of a bolt 36 and a wing nut 37. The bar 33 is reversible and has both of its ends bifurcated at 38 for receiving the bolt 36.

The bar 33 serves as a support for a line indicator 39 used for copying from stenographic notes and typewritten sheets or bound endwise opening documents. For supporting this indicator I utilize a sleeve 40 slidably mounted on the bar 33 and held thereon by a friction spring 41. This sleeve has a guide 42 extending therefrom, the guide being formed with guide grooves 43 extending the entire length thereof and adapted to receive the bent end 44 of the indicator. The end 44 is slightly curved so as to offer frictional resistance to upward and downward movement in the guide grooves. A small clip 45 extends from the sleeve 40 and serves as a handle for pushing the same downward or upward along the bar.

When the copy holding element is detached from the supporting member 1 in the manner hereinbefore set forth for use by public speakers or printers, the copy holder can be used in a horizontal position, resting at its upper end on the rearwardly extending supporting member 29. When the copy holder is so disposed, it is necessary to reverse the bar 33 so as to have the guide 42 extend in the opposite direction from that shown in Figure 5 and the line indicator is then inserted into the opposite end of the guide.

Referring now to Figures 5 and 6, the line indicator is found to present a cut-away portion 46 for permitting the line indicator to move into intimate contact with the copy, irrespective of the direction in which the guide 42 extends. For height adjustment, therefore, it is only necessary to pull up or press down on line indicator 39.

The line indicator 39 is preferably marked with two sets of figures, one set along the upper edge being scaled in pica type, that is, ten spaces to the inch, and the lower one elite type or twelve spaces to the inch, or vice versa. These scales correspond with the scale on a typewriter, enabling a typist to quickly make an accurate copy with facilities for the utmost speed and accuracy.

The indicator bar has also two or more column indicators 4'7 slidable thereon as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The indicators consist of body portions 48 that encircle the indicator 39 and are provided with vertically extending pointers 49. When not in use, they are removable. The bottom of the copy holder may be pro ided with a shelf 50 for supporting the bottom of a book.

It should also be noted that my supporting ar-- rangement for the copy holding element is particularly adapted for placing on the knee of a person taking notes when no table or nest: is available. It is understood, of course, that the device may be made in various sizes, and that if used exclusively for s enographic purposes and as a support for taking notes, it would be made of a smaller size than if used as a three-way holder, and when so used the rearwardly-extending member 29 with its attachments pivoted thereto would be omitted. When used for lap work, only one of the braces 3 is required, and it would be inserted in one of the sockets 9 remote from the hinges 7 so that the angle between the copy holding element and the supporting member 1 would be small.

I claim:

1. In a copy holder of the character described, a fiat frame having two parallel sides formed with corresponding perforations and reference indicia associated with each of the perforations, a copy holding element hinged to an end portion of the frame, and braces pivoted to the element and having bent over ends adapted to enter the perforations for holding the element in any desired angular relation to the frame.

2. In a copy holder of the character described, a cop holding element having a recess therein, a stretched across the same intermediate its length and slightly spaced from the bottom of the recess to allow the cover of an end-bound note book to be confined between the recess bottom. and the bar, means for anchoring both ends of the bar to the copy holding element and a rest adjustable in the recess for supporting the lower edge of the book.

3. In a copy holder of the character described, a supporting member, a copy holding element swingably secured thereto, means interposed between said member said element for holding the element in angular position w' th respect to the supporting member, said means being movable into an inactive position, and a second named means for holding the first named means in the latter position.

i. In a copy holder of the character described, a supporting member, a copy holding element swingably secured thereto, braces pivotally carried by said element and being bearable against said supporting member for holding the element in angular position relative to the supporting member, said braces being swingable into an inactive position against said clement, and yield ing means for holding said braces in the latter position.

5. In a copy holder of the character described, a copy holding element having parallel sides, a U-sliaped member pivoted to said element and having a copy-engaging surface beveled on the inside thereof and being swingable into close relation with said element with the beveled edge leading for presenting a cam action against the printed matter for clamping printed matter to the copy holding element, said member also being movable into a position whereby it serves as a handle for the copy holder.

6. In a copy holder line indicator, guide sockets adapted to be secured along the edge of a copy holding member adjacent to the top and bottom thereof, a bar mounted in the guide sockets and formed with bifurcated ends, a bolt member carried by one of the sockets adapted to receive a bifurcated end of the bar on opposite sides of the bolt, a wing nut threaded on the bolt for anchoring the bar in place relative to the sockets, and a line indicator slidably supported by the bar.

'7. In a copy holder line indicator, a bar adapted to be mounted relative to a copy holder in parallel relation with the latter, a sleeve slidable on the bar and fashioned with a guide, and a line indioator formed of spring material and having one end curved and slidably arranged in the guide with the curved end frictionally bearing against the guide for holding the indicator in adjusted position.

8. In a copy and book holder, a copy supporting frame having parallel sides, a U-shaped member pivoted rearwardly of the frame adjacent to the top of the latter, and being swingable over the top of the frame in intimate contact therewith for clamping a copy to the frame or for providing a trim strip along the upper marginal portion of the face of the frame.

9. In a copy holder for the character described, a horizontal base plate, a copy holding element swingably secured to one edge thereof and being movable into folded position against said base plate and yielding means engageable with the opposite edge of the base plate for holding the element and the base plate in folded position.

10. In a copy holder line indicator of the character described, a copy holding element, a bar detachably and reversibly secured thereto in parallel relation therewith and in the plane thereof, a member slidable on said bar and having a guide extending perpendicularly to the copy holding element in one direction, said guide projecting in the opposite direction when the bar is detached and reversed, and a line indicator carried by said guide and extending over the face of the copy holding element.

11. In a copy holder of the character described, a supporting member, a copy holding element, a hinge having two sections, a pin extending from one section and arranged to telescope into the other, one section being secured to the copy holding element and the other being secured to the supporting member whereby the copy holding element may be removed from the supporting member by sidewise movement of the element and a slide mounted for transverse movement relative to one of the sections for locking the latter against sidewise movement.

BONNIE E. VAN ALSTINE.

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