US3257128A

US3257128A - Picture book

Info

Publication number: US3257128A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1966-06-21
Anticipated expiration: 1983-06-21

Description

June 21, 1966 F. SCHNEIDER 3,257,128

PICTURE BOOK Filed May 11, 1964 //V VE N 7' 0R Frzdrzbk Sc'zzez'der WWW pages.

United States Patent 3,257,128 PICTURE BOOK Friedrich Schneider, 9 Maximiliansplatz, Munich, Germany Filed May 11, 1964, Ser. No. 366,344 Claims priority, application Germany, June 25, 1963,

' Sch 33,456

2 Claims. (Cl. 281-39) This invention relates to picture books, and more particularly to a picture book for very young children. Because of the normal conditions under which such picture books are used, they should resist wear and tear, and are preferably capable of being cleaned with water and soap. Any object to be handled by a very young child should be safe under all conceivable circumstances.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a picture book which meets the above requirements. An additional object is the provision of a picture book which is soft and pliable enough not to injure a child, yet of such structure that pages tend to present flat picture carrying surfaces.

With these and other objects in view, the invention, in one of its aspects, provides a book having a plurality of Each page has two facing members of pliable foil material, substantially impervious to water, and a core member of resiliently compressible plate material interposed between the facing members. The pages are hingedly connected for movement relative to each other.

Other features and the attendant advantages of this invention will become apparent from the'following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken with the appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 shows a book of the invention in fragmentary perspective view;

FIG. 2 shows a portion of the book of FIG. 1 in elevational section on the line II-II; and

FIG. 3 is an elevational side view of the book of FIG. 1 in the folded condition,

Referring now to the drawing in detail, there are seen three

pages

14, 16, 18 of a picture book. The book essentially consists of two elongated foils 10, 12 of pliable waterproof plastic, such as plasticized polyvinyl chloride, and several rectangular plates 20 of foamed rubber or plastics, such as polyurethane plastic.

The two foils 10, 12 are superimposed in each page on the opposite major faces of the corresponding plate 20 so as to form a laminar structure in which the plate 20 constitutes a core faced by the foil material. 10, 12 are wider than the corresponding dimensions of the plates 20, and the plates are spaced from each other in the direction of elongation of the foils. The projecting rim portions of the two foils in each page are bonded to each other so as to form two longitudinal seals 22 and two transverse, sealed hinges 23 associated with each page and extending from one seal 22 to the other.

As better seen in FIG. 2, the foils 10, 12 are of uniform thickness except along a crease 24 where they are reduced in thickness. Each foil thus has longitudinally alternating facing and hinge portions. The hinge portions are bonded to each other and include parts of reduced thickness along the crease 24 which extends over the full width of the book. The creases facilitate folding --of the book in accordion fashion as illustrated in FIG. 3.

The foils The three substantially

identical pages

14, 16, 18 carry respective image imprints of a ball 15, a cube 17, and of a rattle 19. These are merely illustrative of the objects whose pictorial representations are usually incorporated in picture books for the very young.

In making a picture book of the invention, the image imprints are first applied to one or both of the foils 10,

12 by screen printing or any other suitable method not in itself relevant to this invention. The several plates 20 are then positioned on the blank face of one of the foils in longitudinally spaced-relationship, and the other foil is superimposed on the plates. The foils 10, 12 are then bonded to each other about each plate 20, preferably by welding, thereby sealing each plate in a conforming pocket of pliable material impervious to water.

The welded double layer of foil material between two adjacent plates 20 constitutes the hinge element of the book. The creases 24 may be formed during welding by heat and pressure, or they may be formed in a sep arate operation.

The picture books of the invention are virtually indestructible by means available to their normal users. They are readily cleaned by washing, The cellular core of each page is sufiiciently compressible to perm-it some deformation of the page, and .thus to avoid injury to a child upon impact, but the resilience of the core tends to restore the normal flat shape of each page.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention here in chosen for the purpose of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A washable childrens picture book comprising, in combination:

(a) two superposed elongated foil members of pliable material substantially impervious to water, said foil members having longitudinally alternating face portions and hinge portions;

(b) at least three substantially identical plate-shaped core members of resilient, soft and pliable foam rubber or foam plastic,

(1) each core member being interposed between respective face portions of said foil members and longitudinally spaced from the other core members,

(2) the respective hinge portions of said foil members being bonded to each other longitudinally intermediate said core members,

(3) said foil members having respective rim portions projecting from said face portions transversely of the direction of elongation of said foil members,

(4) the rim portions of one foil member being bonded to the rim portions of the other foil member, whereby the bonded hinge and rim portions jointly constitute a seal between said foil members about each core member; and

(c) an image imprint on each face portion.

2. A book as set forth in claim 1, wherein said face portions and respective parts of each hinge portion adjacent said face portions are of substantially uniform thickness, and a part of each hinge portion elongated transversely of said direction of elongation is of reduced thickness.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Brelsford et a1. 53-180 Rankin 28129 X Forg-o 53180 Peterson 281-29 LAURENCE CHARLES, Primary Examiner.

EUGENE R, CAPOZIO, Examiner.

Claims

1. A WASHABLE CHILDREN''S PICTURE BOOK COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) TWO SUPERPOSED ELONGATED FOIL MEMBERS OF PLIABLE MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY IMPERVIOUS TO WATER, SAID FOIL MEMBERS HAVING LONGITUDINALLY ALTERNATING FACE PORTIONS AND HINGE PORTIONS; (B) AT LEAST THREE SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL PLATE-SHAPED CORE MEMBERS OF RESILIENT, SOFT AND PLIABLE FOAM RUBBER OR FOAM PLASTIC, (1) EACH CORE MEMBER BEING INTERPOSED BETWEEN RESPECTIVE FACE PORTIONS OF SAID FOIL MEMBERS AND LONGITUDINALLY SPACED FROM THE OTHER CORE MEMBERS, 32) THE RESPECTIVE HINGE PORTIONS OF SAID FOIL MEMBERS BEING BONDED TO EACH OTHER LONGITUDINALLY INTERMEDIATE SAID CORE MEMBERS, (3) SAID FOIL MEMBERS HAVING RESPECTIVE RIM PORTIONS PROJECTING FROM SAID FACE PORTIONS TRANSVERSELY OF THE DIRECTION OF ELONGATION OF SAID FOIL MEMBERS, (4) THE RIM PORTIONS OF ONE FOIL MEMBER BEING BONDED TO THE RIM PORTIONS OF THE OTHER FOIL MEMBER, WHEREBY THE BONDED HINGE AND RIM PORTIONS JOINTLY CONSTITUTE A SEAL BETWEEN SAID FOIL MEMBERS ABOUT EACH CORE MEMBER; AND (C) AN IMAGE IMPRINT ON EACH FACE PORTION.