US2716390A

US2716390A - Bookmark

Info

Publication number: US2716390A
Application number: US203473A
Authority: US
Inventors: Archie L Goins
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1950-12-29
Filing date: 1950-12-29
Publication date: 1955-08-30
Anticipated expiration: 1972-08-30

Description

30, 1955 A. GOINS 2,716,390

BOOKMARK Filed Dec. 29. 1950 INVENTOR Archie L. Goins BY QuLHQ-JMM/ United States Patent BOOKMARK Archie L. Gains, Utica, Ky.

Application December 29, 1950, Serial No. 203,473

1 Claim. (Cl. 116-119) Generally speaking, the present invention relates to a bookmark. More specifically, it relates to a novel bookmark capable of removable cooperation with books of various diiferent sizes and also adapted to selectively mark a desired point on a selected page of the book. The improved bookmark is so constructed as to make it virtually impossible for the bookmark to become disengaged from a desired location in a book until it is manually removed therefrom.

I am aware of the fact that a great many prior art bookmarks have been developed heretofore. However all of such prior art bookmarks known to me have serious disadvantages.

The first and major one of these disadvantages is the fact that any book (which shall be understood throughout this application to mean any assembly of a plurality of pages) which has a selected page marked wih a prior art bookmark, may become inadvertently opened, dropped, or dislodged, from a selected position in which it normally rests. This will frequently cause the bookmark to become completely disengaged with respect to the book thus making it difiicult for the reader to locate the point at which he is to resume reading when he next picks up the book. The reason that this is so is because prior art bookmarks are merely positioned between adjacent pages of a closed book (although in a few cases the bookmark is in frictional engagement with the top of the page also). Thus it can become disengaged from the marked position very easily.

The second major disadvantage of prior art bookmarks is the fact that they merely mark a selected page but do not specifically mark a selected point or region on the page.

Generally speaking, the improved bookmark of the present invention includes flexible endless loop means (which may comprise an actual endless loop or means adapted to be fastened together to elfectively form an endless loop and which is preferably, though not necessarily, elastic) adapted to be removably slipped over a plurality of pages (which may include one or more covers of a book) preferably in a generally vertical direction with respect to said book. Also included is marking means (preferably, though not necessarily, flexible) carried by the endless loop in a manner such as to be capable of being selectively positioned in a desired location with respect to the selected page in a book. In one general form of the present invention this selective positioning feature just mentioned is accomplished by adjusting the entire endless loop means with respect to the book, while in another modified general form of the present invention the marking means is actually adjustably positioned with respect to the endless loop means.

In one general form of the present invention adjusting means may be provided in the endless loop means for selectively adjusting the overall length of the endless loop means so as to be capable of removable engagement with books of different sizes.

From the above general description of the present invention in several versions, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that all the hereinabove mentioned disadvantages of prior art constructions, are virtually entirely eliminated.

For example, oneportion of the endless loop means of the present invention actually engages the selected page of a book and is retained in said position by reason of the fact that another portion of the endless loop means is in engagement with the outside of the corresponding cover or outside page of the book. Thus it is practically impossible for the improved bookmark of the present invention to become inadvertently disengaged from the book so as to effectively lose the marked position.

The flexible endless loop means can be effectively engaged in the above mentioned manner with respect to books of different sizes either by means of the adjusting means for altering the effective overall length of the endless loop means or by reason of the elastic quality of the endless loop means in that particular form of the present invention.

Furthermore, the marking means of the present invention in either of the hereinabove general forms, is capable of being selectively positioned in virtually any desired location so as to mark any particular point on a particular page. This can be accomplished by vertically adjusting it either by vertically moving the endless loop means or by vertically relatively moving the marking means with respect to the endless loop means, and by laterally moving the endless loop means carrying the marking means. Thus virtually any selected point on any selected page can be effectively marked and located with the device of the present invention.

The marking means of the present invention, may in one form, comprise a relatively non-flexible material if the device is intended to be used in books having a stiff covers, whereas it may comprise a relatively flexible member in books having flexible covers so as to avoid injury to the pages thereof in the event the book is bent or flexed. Either of these arrangements are interchangeable.

With the above points in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel, cheap, simple improved bookmark virtually incapable of inadvertent disengagement with respect to a book having a place therein marked thereby.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide novel, simple, cheap bookmark means adapted to effectively mark virtually any selected point on any selected page in a book. i

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel, cheap, simple, improved bookmark virtually incapable of being inadvertently disengaged with respect to a book having a place therein marked thereby. The arrangement being such that virtually any selected point on any selected page can be effectively marked.

Other and allied objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a careful perusal, examination, and study of the accompanying illustrations, the present specification and the appended claims.

To facilitate understanding, reference will be made to the hereinbelow described drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one illustrative embodiment of the present invention in engaged position with respect to the right hand cover and a plurality of pages of a book, the lefthand side of which is illustrated in fragmentary form only. The book is shown in dashed lines because it is not a part of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view partly in vertical section, taken in the direction of the arrows IIII in Fig. 1 and primarily illustrates the adjustable marking means.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in vertical section, taken in the direction of the arrows IIIIII in Fig. 1 and primarily illustrates the adjusting means for selectively adjusting the overall length of the endless loop means so as to be capable of removable engagement with books of diflerent sizes.

Generally speaking, the present invention comprises flexible endless loop means adapted to be removably slipped over a plurality of pages of a book (which may be one or more and which may or may not include one or more covers) in a generally vertical direction with respect to said book. Also generally speaking, marking means is carried by said endless loop means and is adapted to be selectively positioned with respect to the text (or other displayed matter) on any selected page in a book so as to indicate virtually any desired point.

Preferably, though not necessarily, the flexible endless loop means may be elastic, and the marking means may be flexible. Also preferably, though not necessarily, the marking means may comprise a virtually laterally directed pointer.

Also generally speaking, adjusting means may be provided in the endless loop means for selectively adjusting the overall length of said endless loop means so as to be capable of removable engagement with respect to books of different sizes.

In the specific example described and illustrated, the flexible endless loop is indicated generally at 1 and is preferably, though not necessarily, made of a suitable elastomeric material such as rubber, certain plastics, or the like.

In the specific example described and illustrated, the marking means comprises a pointer indicated generally at 2, which is preferably, though not necessarily, of a flexible material, and which is adjustably carried on the loop 1 by means of suitably spaced apertures 3 separated by a central solid portion 4, all so arranged as to receive the loop 1 in a manner whereby it passes downwardly through the lefthand aperture 3 as viewed in Fig. 2, under the solid portion 4 and upwardly through the righthand aperture 3. This arrangement causes the pointer 2 to be carried by the loop 1 in a lateral directed position capable of vertical adjustment with respect to the loop 1 by sliding the marking pointer 2 up or down the loop 1 to any selected position with respect to the text (or other displayed matter) carried on the page 5 of the book indicated generally at 6, thus marking a selected position in the book which may correspond to the point at which the reader stopped reading.

In the specific example described and illustrated the adjusting means in the endless loop comprises a buckle indicated generally at 7 having two spaced apertures 8 therethrough and a central crossbar 9 separating the apertures 8. One end of the endless loop is looped around the crossbar 9 and fastened to itself by suitable fastening means such as the rivets 10. The other end of the endless loop is adapted to be extended upwardly through the righthand aperture 8, as viewed in Fig. 3, over the crossbar 9 and downwardly through the lefthand aperture 8 shown in Fig. 3. This will effectively frictionally lock the two ends of the loop 1 to effectively form an endless loop means 1 which is capable of selective adjustment as to overall length in a manner whereby the endless loop means will be capable of removable engagement with books of different size l umerous modifications and variations of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art after a careful examination and study hereof. All such properly within the spirit and teachings hereof, are intended to be included and comprehended herein as fully as if specifically described and illustrated herein.

For example, the endless loop means may be modified substantially from that described and illustrated herein, and in certain cases may be nonelastic, if desired. It may actually be one continuous endless loop or it may be a longitudinal member adapted to be fastened so as to effectively form endless loop means. and this is the meaning intended to be conveyed when 1 use the term endless loop means. It may be placed around any desired number of pages of a book, and may or may not include one or more covers.

Various types of fastening and/or endless loop adjusting means other than the forms specifically described and illustrated herein may be employed.

The marking means of the present invention is not limited to the specific form described and illustrated herein but may comprise any desired type of marking means whether employing a pointer or not and whether adjustably or non-adjustably mounted with respect to the endless loop means. In the latter case, to mark a selected point on a page of a book it will merely be necessary to adjust the vertical endless loop means and the marking means fixedly mounted with respect thereto. Furthermore, the marking means is not necessarily limited to a flexible construction.

The exact composition, construction, configuration, and relative positioning of the various component parts of the present invention are not critical and can be modified substantially within the spirit hereof.

The embodiments of the present invention described and illustrated herein are exemplary only and are not intended to limit the scope hereof which is to be interpreted in the light of the prior art and the appended claim only with due considcration for the doctrine of equivalents.

I claim:

An improved bookmark comprising: a flexible elastic flat belt defined by two edges and two surfaces and having opposite ends cooperable to be fastened together to eflectively comprise loop means cooperable to be laterally removably slipped over a plurality of pages of a book to cooperably said plurality of pages of said book in a generally vertically directed encompassing relationship with respect thereto; flexible marking means consisting of a virtually laterally directed flexible pointer provided with horizontal slot means therein, slidably cooperable with surfaces and edges of the fiat belt whereby to mount said flexible elastic pointer for virtually rectilinear vertical slidable movement along the vertically disposed belt and with respect to the text of a selected page of a book so as to indicate virtually any desired point thereon; and self-locking fastening and adjusting means I effectively connected. to one end of the belt and slidably cooperable with the other end of the belt and responsive to tension exerted in a direction tending to enlarge the loop means to frictionally lock the two ends of the belt with respect to each other in a manner selectively disengageable by relatively moving the two ends of the belt in the opposite direction to allow adjusting the overall length of said loop means so as to be capable of removable engagement with books of different sizes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 139,936 Ward et al. June 17, 1873 865,092 Erickson Sept. 3, 1907 934,970 Inman Sept. 21, 1909 952,185 Chelson et al. Mar. 15, 1910 1,003,481 Lopes Nov. 14, 1911 2,259,363 Baitinger Oct. 14, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 226,439 Great Britain Dec. 29, 1924