US2526270A

US2526270A - Book binding

Info

Publication number: US2526270A
Application number: US680409A
Authority: US
Inventors: Phillips Erwin
Original assignee: EVA CLARKE; JOHN V CLARKE
Current assignee: EVA CLARKE; JOHN V CLARKE
Priority date: 1946-04-22
Filing date: 1946-06-29
Publication date: 1950-10-17
Anticipated expiration: 1967-10-17

Description

Oct. 17, 1950 p -u ps 2,526,270

BOOK BINDING Filed June 29, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

, FIG. -1

by v

Oct. 17, 1950 E. PHILLIPS 2,526,270

BOOK BINDING Filed June 29, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 10 4 5 9 V 6! filzauwauvmfimmvlgmt gji?m anaxmmez mnai 1 9 6 5 9 2 FIG-5 fRA/l/Y PH/LL/PJ IN v5 m-oa Patented Oct. 17, 1950 Erwin Phillips, New York, N. Y., assignor of onehalf to John V. Clarke and Eva Clarke, jointly,

New York, N. Y.

Application June 29, 1946, Serial No. 680,409 In Great Britain April 22, 1946 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to a boo k-b-ind- I ing method, and the product thereof as disclosed in the following specification and claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. Ordinarily, books are made up of a number of sections, sometimes called signatures. Each section is formed of from two to thirty-two leavesf which, when laid one on top of another and folded across the narrowest dimension, make up a section having from eight to one hundred twenty-eight consecutively numbered pages of reading matter. In the production of books on alarge scale, each section is usually printed as one large sheet and then folded in such fashion that when the folded edges, except the center fold, are cut, the pages of reading matter will be in pro er order in the section. The sections thus formed are then assembled in proper order and the component leaves stitched along the section fold, securing one leaf to another within each section, and. by continuing the stitching from one section to another, uniting the several sections into a complete book.- Occasionally the leaves of each section are held together by means of staples through the center fold, the several assembled sections being stitched or even additionally stapled together to form the book.

After havin been assembled the book is then trimmed, rounded, and backed. The latter two steps determine the finished shape of the book and provide for accommodation of the front and back cover members by means of the shoulders or ledges formed in the backing step. As part of the backing step it is .usual to apply a, reinforcing material, such as a loosely woven, heavily 'starched cotton cloth material, known variously as super, leno, crash, etc., over the folded edge portions of'the assembled sections, bymeans v of a glue which when dry is relatively hard and inflexible.

Although a book bound in the usual manner is fairly substantial and durable, if properly done, it has several defects which cannot be avoided. The binding described above is naturally stiff and inflexible, and may be broken unless the book is'opened and held properly. Also, dueto the thickness resulting from the assembly of the leaves in folded sections, and the increased bulk caused by the stitching or stapling steps, it is not possible to open such a book so as to have the pages lie flat, or the book remain open naturally at any desired place. Furthermore, it is not possible to include illustrations which extend over more than one page without interfercnce or distortion when-viewed.

It is an object of the present invention to avoid these deficiencies of the usual book-binding, and to reduce the number of individual, precision steps which have been necessary previously. In the preferred method, according to this-inven tion, the need for assembly of leaves in sections,

the stitchin of sections, and of section to'section, and the steps of rounding and backing of the assembled book may be eliminated or greatly simplified. I It is contemplated, however, that where desired, the conventional method of forming the book sections as described above may be employed, with the final assembly. and binding of such sections to form the finished book accom plished in accordance with the present disclosure. Some of the advantagesof the invention may be thus obtained without the necessity'for departing entirely from customary procedures.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a book-binding which is flexible and not easily broken by careless handling, and further to provide a book which may be opened to lie flat at any page selected, permitting double page illustrations without distortion, or interference as a 7 result of the method of binding.

Another objectof the invention is to provide a case covered book in which the case is entirely rigid when the book is'closed and which, when the book is open, will lie flat-and offer no interference to manipulation of the pages of the book which is contained by the case.

These and other objects of the invention may be fully understood from the followin specification when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view from the head or foot of a book produced and bound in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the book and case when closed.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view from the head or foot of a modified form of a'book produced "in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 4 is a cross. sectional view of the book of V cover of a book produced in the usual manner.

Thebacking board '3 should be substantially equal A stiffened back of 3 in width to the thickness of the book. The numeral 4 designates the cover material for the book boards to complete the case with the cover papers 5.

As shown in Fig. l, the elements I, 2 and 3 are disposed in spaced relation, one to the other, and joined together by means of the cover material 4. The spacing of these elements is critical in the obtaining of a cover which will close properly to form acase having a substantially rectangular shape, as shown in Fig. 2. The spaced relation of elements I and 2 to. element 3 is determined by the thickness of the material of which they are formed. In every instance this spacing must be substantially equal to the thickness of the material used for elements I, 2 and 3.

As illustrated, the book, composed of pages 6 and end papers I is bound by means of a thin strip of a tough flexible, and resilient material 8 applied to the inner edge portion of the book and secured thereto by means of a flexible, resilient adhesive material. Such an adhesive may be substantially non-drying and have the characteristic of permanent tackiness. In any event, it is desirable that the adhesive retain a flexibility and resiliency similar to that of the binding material 8.

To secure the book in the case therefor, deformable hinge members are provided. In the embodiment illustrated by Fig. l, the hinge members are formed by lateral extension of the binding material 8 to such extent as to provide two hinges, each having two

leaf portions

8a and 8b, the latter of sufficient width to permit adequate engagement with the cover boards I and 2 respectively, to which they are secured adjacent the respective inner edges thereof. The cover papers 5 are extended at the inner edges sufficiently to provide a portion 5a, which may be joined to the hinge leaf portions 811 and 8b as reinforcing therefor. Preferably the end papers I are secured to the inner leaf portions 8a and the extensions 5a of cover papers 5 as shown.

In the embodiment illustrated by Fig. 3, the hinge members are separate elements havin leaf portions 96: and 9b, the portions 9b being secured to the cover boards i and 2 in the same fashion as the portions 3b in Figure 1. In this embodiment also, the binding. material 8 is preferably extended to provide a hinge leaf portion 8a which is secured to and encloses the portion 9a of the separate hinge member. The separate hinge member may be formed from any flexible and deformable material which will resist damage by extensive flexing'and deformation in use. As in the embodiment illustrated by Fig. 1, the hinge leaf portions 9a, are preferably secured to the face of end papers I, with 'or without an interposed stiffening element H of paper, cardboard or the like.

Where the hinge leaf portions 8a or 9a are not attached to the end papers 1, the lateral dimensions of the hinge member are to'be recognized as being of critical importance in the proper operation of the assembly. In order that the juncture of the leaf portions may always eX- tend toward the outer edge of the book when the book is closed, and to permit proper manipulation of the book pages without interference from the hinge leaf portions when the book is open, it is essential that the lateral width of each leaf portion 80: and 8b, or 9a and 92), be not less than one-half the product of. the thickness of the book times the square root of two and preferably not more than equal to the thick- I ness of the book.

In Figs. 4 and 5, the relationship of the several elements when the book is opened at the first page, as in Fig. Fl, and at approximately the quarter mark, as in Figure 5, are illustrated. As shown, the case at all times lies fiat and is entirely undisturbed by manipulation of the book pages, and by reason of the hinged construction offers no interference with such manipulation. From the illustration provided in Fig. 5 the flexibility of the binding 8 is demonstrated, showing the manner in which it is adapted to be folded back on itself to permit the exposed and opposite pages to provide a substantially fiat and uninterrupted viewing or writing surface.

In assembling the book and case such as illustrated by the drawings, the component pages of book, whether as individual single pages, folded leaves, preassembled sections or otherwise are brought together and stacked so that the inner edges or binding portions are in proper alignment, and the individual pages in proper order. The stack is then firml compressed to a minimum thickness, and a coating of a nonhardening adhesive material is applied in a thin film over the inner edge portion. This adhesive should have such characteristics when set as to be flexible and resilient, and may be non-drying or permanently tacky. Various plastic and synthetic compositions may be found suitable for use, especially film forming materials, without limitation other than that the stated characteristics are obtained.

, Following application of the adhesive, the strip of binding material 8 is centered and applied over the adhesive to the inner edge portion of the assembled book, and pressure may be applied to obtain complete adhesion. If desired, a binding material may be used to which previously has been applied a pressure sensitive, permanently tacky adhesive. As indicated above, it is preferred that the strip of binding material extend beyond the book at either side of the inner edge portion sufiiciently to provide a means for securing or forming the hinge members utilized in joining the book to a hard bodied case or cover with the portions 8b and/or 8a formed as extensions of the binding material 8.

In the event that the assembl illustrated in Fig. 1 is to utilized, the book is then secured to the case by securin the outer leaves 8b, as with an adhesive, to the elements I and 2 respectively. The cover papers 5 are then applied, with the portion 5afolded over and secured to the hinge leaf portions 841 and ,-8b, and then the inner leaf portions Baand 5a are glued to the outer surface of the end papers '1. The assembly of the modified embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3 is accomplished in a substantially similar fashion, the hinge leaf elements 9a being secured to the extended binding material portion 8a and the elements 9?) to the case elements I and 2 respectively, with the cover papers 5 applied thereafter. As indicated above a stiffenlllg member It may or may not be inserted between the hinge leaf members 9a before secured to the outer surface of the end papers 1. I

Obviously, many modifications of the assembly procedure and of the several elements may be made without substantial departure from the inventive concept as disclosed. For example, a book bound in accordance with the invention y b e ployed with a flexible, 9 soft-ewe t) rather than the hard-bodied case illustrated, and described above. In such instance the use of hinges to join cover book would not be essential, and it would be possible to apply a soft cover by gluing its back portion directly to the binding material by means of an adhesive having the same characteristics as that used for the binding. Also h i-bodied front and back covers connected by a flexible backing terial may be used in a si iar manner. The principal requirement in either event would be to maintain the feature of a highly deformable binding such as has been disclosed and specifically illustrated by 5.

The invention having been described with reference to specific embodiments, and the methods as applied thereto, is not to be considered as limited by any such description or illustration presented merely for the purpose of providing an understandin of the invention, and it is contemplated that the invention shall be 1iirited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A case covered book, comprising a book having a flexible resilient binding, a hard-bodied case for said book including hard-bodied front and back cover members, and a hard-bodied back portion, all of substantially uniform thickness, laterally spaced one from another along their adjoining edges by a dimension substantially equal to their thickness and flexibly joined by deformable hinge means, including an outer cover material for said case, and means for mounting said book in the case, whereby the leaves of said book may be turned substantially without interierence from the case when opened flat, including front and back hinge members extending longitudinally of the book and case, each hinge member having a stiifened leaf portion secured to an inner edge of said book, and a deformable leaf portion secured to an inner edge of an adjoining cover member, the juncture of said hinge leaf portions extending toward an outer edge portion of said book at all times.

CII

6 2. A case covered book according to claim 1, in which said leaf portion of each hinge member secured to the inner edge of said book is stiffened solely by face to face attachment of said leaf portion to an end paper of said hook over the entire surface of said leaf portion.

3. A case covered book according to claim 1,- in which said resilient binding for the book extends laterally beyond the inner edge portions thereof, and is attached in face to face relation with at least the stiffened leaf portions of the respective hinge members, over the entire sur-- face thereof. 7

i. In combination with a case covered book of the character described a means for flexibly mounting a book in a hard-bodied case, comprising front and back hinge members extending 10ngitudinally of the book and case, each hinge member having a stifiened leaf portion secured to an inner edge of said book and a deformable leaf portion secured to an inner edge of an adjoining cover member, the juncture of said hinge leaf portions extending toward an outer edge portion of said book, at all times, each of said hinge portions being of a lateral dimension equal to not less than one-half the product of the thickness of the book times the square root of two, nor more than the thickness of the book.

ERWIN PHILLIPS.

orrnio The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS