US2337405A - Tearing guide for ration book stamps - Google Patents

Description

Dec.21,1943. HgQNOEl. V 2,337,405

TEARING GUIDE FOR 'RATION BOOK STAMPS Filed April 10, 1943 ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 21, 1943 UNITED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE TEARING GUIDE FOR RATION BOOK STAMPS Henry D. Noel, New York, N. Y. Application April 10, 1943, Serial No. 482,653

' 4 Claims. (ci. 28s-12) This Ainvention relates to tearing guides for use in the tearing of stamps or coupons from books. f

The primary object of the invention resides in a tearing guide for use in facilitating the neat and easy tearing of stamps or coupons from ration books.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a tearing guide which `is captively carried by the book for ready sliding to alined position with the stamp to be torn away for use.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of a tearing guide which is formed from a single piece of fiat rigid material such as Celluloid, plastic, fibre, or the like; which is inexpensive of manufacture; and which may contain an advertisement and the guide to be given away by the advertiser. y

Other novel features of the invention will become apparent as the following specification is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the tearing guide per se.

Figure 2 is a top plan View of a ration book in open position with the tearing guide overlying one of the inside pages for use.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3 3 of Figure 2, the dotted lines indicating the guide swung over the opposite page for use thereon.

Referring to the drawing by reference characters, the numeral Ill designates my tearing guide device in its entirety which is constructed of a single piece of relatively thin flat stiff material such as, Celluloid, fibre, plastic or the like. For reasons to be hereinafter explained, I prefer to make the device I of a transparent Celluloid or plastic substance, but the same may be made of a non-transparent substance if desired.

The tearing device IIJ includes a leaf-like body II having a straight vertical side edge I2. Adjacent the side edge I2, the body I I is provided with a vertical elongated rectangular shaped slot I3, the same being of a length equal to or slightly greater than the height of the book to which the tearing guard device is to be operatively connected. Thus the maximum height of the body I I is slightly greater than the height of the book to which it is to be connected. The side edge of the body II opposite to the edge I2 is provided with a series of upwardly receding step portions I4, three of which are shown in the drawing, although more or less may be provided, depending upon the number of horizontal rows of stamps or coupons arranged within 'the pages of the book. Each step portion I4 com,- prises a straight horizontal tearing guide edge I5, equal in length to the width of the stamp or coupon to be torn away, and a straight Vertical tearing guide edge I6 of a length equal to the height of the stamp or coupon to be torn away. The tearing guide edges I5 and I6 of each step portion are disposed at right angles to each other and cooperate to provide a continuous angular tearing guide edge for any one stamp or coupon of a horizontal rowy bound in a book. Extending at right angle to the lowermost horizontal tearing guide edge I5 is a Avertical tearing guide edge Ilia., which functions tofacilitate the tearing away of the stamps or cou` pons of the bottom horizontal row.

In order that the stepped tearing guide portions of the body II will lie within the confines of the pages of a book, the lower edge of Ythe same is stepped inwardly as at I'I.

In Figures 2 and 3 of the drawingI have illustrated the tearing guide device I0 as being applied for use upon a Government food ration book I8 which includes flexible front and back covers I9-I9 within which pages 20 are bound. The pages 20 are provided with vertical and horizontal lines of tear 2l and 22 respectively which may or may not be perforated and which in this instance divides each page into four horizontal and six vertical rows of stamps or coupons 23, suitably printed with indicia indicating their point value and an identifying symbol for period of use.

In use, the tearing guide device Iii is operatively associated with the ration book I8, by first opening the book to the page containing the stamps or coupons for current use. One end of the open book is threaded through the slot I3 with the stepped tearing guide edge overlying the open pages of the book as best illustrated in Figure 2. Normally, the device I0 is slid to a position so that the slot I2 is in alinement with the hinge connection 24 between the pages 2U and covers I Si-I 9 to enable the closing of the book with the stepped tearing guide portion sandwiched between adjacent pages. Due to the fact that the ends of the slot I2 terminates adjacent the top and bottom edges of the body II, the narrow width of the material therebetween is capable of iiexing to enable the at positioning of the body II over the pages of the book. However, when the book I8 is opened, the device I Il is free to be swung to a position over either the right or left page and subsequently slid to a position in alinement with the boundary edges of the selected stamp or stamps 23 to be torn free. For instance, if stamp H8 is to be torn free, the device I0 is slid over to a position to cause the tearing guide tearing edges I5 and I6 to aline 5 with the tear lines.2I and 22 which form right angle side boundaries of said stamp, whereas the free corner of the stamp is grasped and torn by pulling the same against. the guidetearing. edges I5 and IS. Should it.' be desired toA tear away; l0 any of the 1 volume stamps, the edge I Ba, is brought into alinement with the tear line forming one side boundary of said stamp. Other stamps along intermediate rowsmay berer-noved` f by operations similar to that described for the` I5'= ofV a multiple coupon page book, the other side tearing away of stamp H3. Assuming that,V stamps on the opposite page are to be torn free, f the device I0 may be -swung to apositon thereover as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3.. The transparency of the device I0 permits the viewit() ing of underlying: stamps and' enables thel more rapid positioning of thedevice; with the.- selected stamps;toebeftorn-away;1 y

the: use.y of thel tearing: guide. device |20; upon ration books, it:` is:` possiblefor a: purchaser to g5 expedite the removal of the; stamps in. ther presence Yof the storef. clerk, and venables: theV stamp to be torn; evenly.. Furthermore*1 it prevents, ac-

cidentalll mutilation of the: stamps. and imparts a neat, appearanceatp the partially' usedz pagesl ofthe 30 book.; Also; the: device Ilii acts as. a marker to ena'biathei holderrofv the. book to; quickly turn the pages: bearing current.: use stamps..

The tearing-guidedevice- IgII is relatively simple and inexpensive o'rnaufactureVA and may beI used 35 by the.` manufacturers.y ofg food. products in goodwill advertisingz by placing' an advertisement upon either` or bothsides othe body' Ill'.

While I"l haveshown andi-described whatI'consi'der to be the preferred embodiment of my in- 40 vention, I wish` it' to, be understoodi that such changes inconstruction, design, and material mayY be resorted to if; desiredl without departing from the'spirit ot the' invention asset forth in the appendedE claims. 45

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A tearing guide comprising a relatively thin flat stiff body having a vertical elongatedslot adjacent one of its side edges to threadedly receive the open pages of a coupon book, the other side edge of the body having a series of stepped tearing; edges. adapted, to be brought into selective, alin'ement with two. sides ofthe boundaries of the coupons to be torn from the pages.

2. A tearing guide comprising a leaf-like body of lthin stii transparent material having a straight vertical slot adjacent one of its side edges for threadedly receiving the open pages edge of the body having a series of upwardly receding rig-ht angle step tear guide edges adapted to be brought into selective registration with the two sides of the tear boundaries of the coupons.I to be torn reef from the-pages.

3; In combination, a book having bound 'pages of vertical and horizontal crossing rows of tea-r away stamps, aY tearing guide. device comprising a leaihke;body.l off stii material having a vertical elongated'V slot; saldi book havingpages threaded through said slot whereby the guide is slidably and; hingedlyconnected to said book with a .portion disposed therein. between adjacent pages, that portion disposed' within` the hookhaving a stepped tearing edgev for selectiveali-nement with the stamps. tobe'- torn from! the pages when the book' is: opened thereto- 4. In combination, a book having bound pages ot` vertical andI horizontal' crossing rows ofvv tear away stamps, a tearing guide device comprising a leaf-likebody of' stii material', means on said body for slidably mounting the same upon; the book to lie' betweenl adjacent pages thereof', and upwardly" receding stepped tearing edges provided on said' bodyy for'selectiven registration with two ofV the boundaries of a tear away stamp, to guid'ethe tearing away thereof from the bound pages.

HENRY' D; NOEL.

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