US498156A

US498156A - And story b

Info

Publication number: US498156A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1893-05-23
Anticipated expiration: 1910-05-23

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

O. L. OONDIT 85 S. B. LADD;

BOOK BEST.

No. 498,156. Patented May 23,1893.

HE "cams PEI'ERS o0. PHOTO-LIYKO wxsnmcrom n. c.

(No Model) v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

o. L. conmfr'av s. LADD. y BOOK REST.

No; 498,156. PatentedMay 23,1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

CHARLES L. CONDIT, OF BOONTON, NEW JERSEY, AND STORY B. LADD, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

BOOK-REST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,156, dated May 23, 1893.

Application filed February 6, 1893- Serial No. 461,226- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, CHARLES L. CONDIT,

residing at Boonton, in the county of Morris and State of New Jersey, and STORY 13. LADD, residing at Washington,in the District of Columbia, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Book-Rests; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip- IO tion of theinvention,such as will enable Others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and toletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part r5 of this specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide a rest or stand for large and heavy books which cannot be conveniently handled apart from a rest, and further, one which will allow the book to present a substantiallyhorizontal View of the open pages, or such a presentation as is convenient for use, wherever the book may be opened. For example, a work like a dictionary is the most serviceable in asingle volume, as reference has to be made to all parts of itand it is inconvenient to have to handle several volumes or to change from one volume to another. But an exhaustive work like the Century Dictionary, with its go more than seven thousand pages, is too bulky to handle as a single volume, and yet if constantly used it is just as desirable to have the complete work at hand as an entirety, as in the case of a smaller and less weighty book.

5 Moreover, in the case of such heavy books,

the strain on the binding from constant opening and handling is very great and soon destroys the binding. Therefore, as before stated, the object of the present invention is 0 to provide a rest on which to use a heavy book, like the Century Dictionary when bound in one volume, it being contemplated that the dictionary shall always be open on the rest in a position ready for reference. To secure these results the rest is so constructed or shaped as to have a convex support for the binding or back of the book and thereby, as the book lies open on the rest, to support each and every part of the binding and project the central part upward, causing the open pages of the book to lie flatter and more open than they otherwise could, in the case of such a large book. Further, by reason of thus arching upward the center of the book-rest it is possible to support the rest on a bearing or bearings above the center of gravity of the book-rest and its load; the point of support being beneath the book but close up under the arched central part of the rest, whereby the rest hangs suspended on its bearings, and as the leaves of the book are turned, one way or the other, the rest will adjust itself in its support by reason of the shifting of the center of gravity, so as to cause the open pages of the book, wherever theymay be, to present a fairly horizontal face, sufficiently so, at least, that the page on the steeper side of the open face will be within the angle of repose when the book is open at the extreme end.

The invention consists therefore of a book rest having a convex support for the back of the book whereby the binding of the book as it lies on this rest is arched upward, causing the book to lie open and the open pages to be flat.

It further consists of a book-rest having an arched central support for the back of the book and a bearing beneath the center and as high as the construction of the rest will admit of, whereby the point of support is 8 brought above the center of gravityof the rest and its load.

Further to assist the adjustment of the book rest and cause it to assume its maximum degree of inclination when opened near one end, the invention consists in allowing aslight lateral slip of the book on its rest, which, when the book begins to assume an inclined position by reason of its being opened near one endand the most of the weight thrown on tothe other side, will allow the book to slide a little on its then inclined bed, thereby throwing most of its weight on to the lower side of the rest and causing it to assume its maximum inclination.

The invention further consists of accompanying details of construction and arrangement, all of which will be fully described and then pointed out in the claims.

. In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a book-rest, or stand, with a book thereon indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 2 shows avertical sectional view of the book-rest with the supporting stand in side elevation. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken at right angles to the plane of Fig. 2. Fig.4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing another form of bearing, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of Fig. 4 taken on the line 5-5.

The book-rest Ais for convenience in moving it about, mounted on a base B of any approved form,having casters, and the standard O supporting the book-rest is capable of vertical adjustment in connection with the base, by means of a clamp screw 1) or otherwise, to change the height of the book as desired. In the modified form of bearing illustrated by Figs. 4: and 5 the standard 0 should be swiveled at its base to allow it to rotate. The book-restA is constructed with the central arched or convex portion a and the flat side extensions a a, the width of the former being substantially the same as the width of the back of the book to be used on the stand, and the width of the latter conforming to that of the covers of the book. The rest is supported at a convenient inclination as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and along the lower edge of the book-rest and the sides there is a View a to retain the book on the rest. The book-rest may be supported on any approved form of bearing; only it should be set as high as possible for the reason heretofore indicated. In the first form illustrated there is a single ball bearing 0 placed close up under the center of the arch and a little back or, above the middle point in the longitudinal line of the arch, as shown in Fig. 3, this being done to throw the point of support as high as possible. The arch brace D extending across from side to side beneath the book-rest has a central ver tical slot (Z through which the standard 0 passes, there being sockets d within the brace at the ends of the slot forming rests for the ends of springs E E placed within the slot on opposite sides of the standard. The other ends of the springs E E engage with studsf f carried by a collar F on the standard 0. The arch brace D is further provided with a lateral brace D in a transverse plane with the standard.

The object of the springs E, it will be seen, is to check the oscillations of the book-rest and allow it to remain in a position of rest at whatever inclination it may assume. Under this arrangement the book-rest will revolve freely on its ball bearing, and it can be brought into any position convenient for reference. It may be so constructed that the inclination of the rest in the line of the section of Fig. 3 can be changed if desired, as well understood. Provision can be made in binding the book for the protection of the exposed pages, and the frequent opening and closing of such a volume even on a stand is very hard on the binding. On the other hand so long as the book lies open on the stand there is no strain on the binding by reason of the fact that the back is supported at every point by the couvex support.

Referring now to the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the end of the standard 0' is bent backward to form a horizontal shaft G On the under side of the arch athere is formed a forked bearing G and a closed bearing G engaging with the shaft 0 The extra space to allow for the slip of the book on the rest as it begins to incline either to one side or the other is shown at a \Vhat we claim as our invention is- 1. A book-rest or stand having a central elevated portion in alignment with the back of the book, to throw up the same as the book is opened, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A book-rest or stand having a central elevated portion in alignment with the back of the book, and the lower lateral portions or wings, to throw the back of the book upward and to throw the lids downward respectively, substantially as set forth.

3. A book-rest or stand having a central con vex or arched upper surface, substantially as set forth.

4. A book-rest orstand having a convex or arched center and downward and outward inclined lateral portions substantially as specified.

5. The combination of a book-rest and a support therefor, said rest having a convex or arched center and its point of support beneath said center and above the center of gravity thereof and its load, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination of a book-rest and a support therefor, said rest having a centrally elevated portion and depressed side or wing portions, and having its point of support above the center of gravity of the rest and its load, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES L. OONDIT. STORY 13. LADD. Witnesses:

S. G. HOPKINS, WALTER NEALE.