US2307143A - Book support - Google Patents

Description

Jam 5, 1943- v-. T. LITTLEJOHN' 2,307,143

BOOK SUPPORT `F'ild. Jan. 19, 1942 Patented Jan. 5, 1943 UNITED STATES eATENr oserei:

BOOK SUPPORTl Vance T. Littlejohn, Greensboro, N. C.

Application January 19, 1942, Serial No. 427,381

4 Claims.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in means for supporting a book at an inclination on a tab-le, desk or other like body, in a position so as to be easily readable.

The invention has for an object to provide a simple, lightweight device that can' be manufactured at low cost from plastics or other suitable materials.

A further object is to provide a book support which is held on the book by means of a blade that enters, downwardly, between the cover back and the leaf rib or binder-back, and which may be retained on the book and used as a place marker when the book is not in use.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

To the attainment ofthe aforesaid objects and `:nds the invention still further resides in the novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail front elevation of a portion of the support.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line -II of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the parts shown ,Y

in Fig. 3, the legs being folded together and moved ninety degrees from their Aposition in Figs. 3 and 4.

Fig. 'l is a detail cross section on the line 'I--l of Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a modication oi the device.

Fig. 9 is a detail View of a modification, hereinafter again referred to.

In the drawing, in which like parts are indicated by the same reference number in all the gures, I represents a blade having, preferably, a convex back face 3 and a flat front face 2.

The blade I is of a length sufficient to enter between the outside back Il (the cover binderface, which merge with lateral bevelled or inclined grooves 5 (see Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6).

Passing transversely through the head l is a pivot pin 1 on which the legs 8 are pivoted; the legs 8 have holes 9 of sufficiently larger diameter than that of the pin I to enable the legs to be spread apart into the grooves 5 (Fig. 5) or be folded together (Fig. 6), as desired. The combined thickness of the two legs 8 is such that when folded together the legs may be swivelled about the pin I in the slot I9 of the head '4 (see Fig. 6).

The ends of the legs 3 which are adjacent the pivot pin 'I are bevelled as at I0 so as to abut f one another, face to face, when the legs are spread apart and lie in the grooves 5 (Figs. 3 and 5). The other ends of the legs t are tapered as at II, or they may be provided with longitudinally adjustable rubberized inserts I8 (Fig. 9), or other suitable non-slipping means.

In order further to prevent the blade I from slipping outl of the book back, I provide a clip which may be formed by stamping out a tongue I3 from the blade as at I2 (Figs. 2 to 6), or it may be a clip I3a of the pencil-clip type, secured to the back of the blade by molding its lug 20 in the material of the blade (Fig. 8).

In Figs. 1 and 2 the book covers are indicated by I4 and the leaves by I5.

In using my invention the book is rst opened and the blade I is slipped down between the back II and the inside binding I6 with the clip I3 overlying the top edge of the back I'I. The legs 8 are rotated on the pin 'I until they assume a position parallel with the grooves 5, whereupon they are spread apart until they lie in the grooves 5, 5, as shown in Fig. 5. The parts will then be in the position shown in Fig. l and, in full lines in Fig. 2.

When one is through reading the book, the legs are brought together and turned in a clockwise direction, in Figs. 2 and 4 (see arrow in Fig. 4) until they assume the dotted line position of Figs. 2' and 4. The book is then closed (dot and dash lines in Fig. 2) with the legs 8 lying between the leaves as a book place mark, and the blade remaining in place in the binder back of the book.

In order that the legs 8 may be conveniently defiected when used as book place markers, especially toward the front and back of the book, the walls of the slot I9 are tapered apart downwardly from the grooves 5 as at lila. This enables the legs to be sprung or bent to one side or the other of the center of the book to allow for the thickness of the leaves.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a simple, light-weight and inexpensive device which is especially useful to students of shorthand or students of chemistry who must have the book available for reference while their hands are otherwise occupied.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it is thought that the construction, operation and advantages of my invention will be clear to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

l. A book support comprising, a blade insertable lengthwise between the back and the leafA binding of a book, a bifurcated head on said blade, a pair of legs pivotally mounted in the slot between the furcations of said head, and transverse grooves in the head, said legs being constructed so that they may be spread apart at their free ends to lie in part in said transverse grooves when the support is inuse to support an open book, said legs being of a combined thickness of less than the width of the slot between the furcations of said head, by virtue of which the legs may be swung from a position in back of said head to a position in front of the same.

2. A book support comprising, a blade insertable lengthwise between the back and the leaf binding of a book, a bifurcated head on said blade, a pair of legs pivotally mounted in the slot between the furcations of said head, transverse grooves in the head, said legs being constructed so that they may be spread apart at their free ends to lie in part in said transverse grooves when the support is in use to support an open book, said legs being of a combined thickness of less than the width of the slot between the furcations of said head, by virtue of which the legs may be swung from a position in back of said head to a position in front of the same, and a pivot pin passing through said head on which pin said legs are mounted, the position of said pin with respect to the length of the slot between the furcations of the head being such that when the legs are out of alignment with the grooves in the head the legs will be held together by the furcations of the head.

3. A book support comprising, a blade insertable lengthwise between the back and the yleaf binding of a book, a bifurcated head on said blade, a pair of legs pivotally mounted in the slot between the furcations of said head, and transverse grooves in the head, said legs being constructed so that they may be spread apart at their free ends to lie in part in said transverse grooves when the support is in use to support an open book, the adjacent side walls of the furcations being tapered apart downwardly from the transverse grooves and at the front of the head by virtue of which the legs when positioned for use as book-marks may be laterally deflected.

4. A book support comprising, a blade insertable lengthwise between the back and the leaf binding of a book, a clip on said blade to overlie the top edge of the book back, a bifurcated head on said blade, a pair of legs pivotally mounted in the slot between the furcations of said head. and transverse grooves in the head, said legs being constructed so that they may be spread apart at their free ends to lie in part in said transverse grooves when the support is in use to support an open book, the adjacent side walls of the furcations being tapered apart downwardly from the transverse grooves and at the front of the head by virtue of which the legs when positioned for use as book-marks may be laterally deected.

VANCE T. LITTLEJOHN.

Images