Books – strips – and leaves – Book – element thereof – or accessory therefor – Leaves
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-09
2001-07-03
Wellington, A. L. (Department: 3722)
Books, strips, and leaves
Book, element thereof, or accessory therefor
Leaves
C024S511000, C024S067500, C024S067900, C248S453000, C248S454000, C248S447000, C248S448000, C248S455000, C248S457000, C248S458000, CD19S034000, CD19S065000, CD19S091000, C116S234000, C116S236000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254136
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a page holder, in particular, a page holder for holding the pages of a book in an open arrangement. The page holder is also useful as a book marker.
BACKGROUND
When a book, especially a paperback book, is open at a desired page, the pages of the book have a tendency to flip over by themselves which is frustrating to the reader. To prevent the pages from flipping over, it is generally necessary when reading a book, to hold the book backwards against the binding and thus damaging the spine of the book.
Page holders designed to hold open the pages of a book are known. They generally have a means for engagement with the book such as arms or prongs. Pages of the book or the cover of the book can be inserted between the arms or the prongs. The page holder is retained in place by frictional resistance between the pages or cover and the arms or prongs. Page holders typically have an elongate body or a pair of arms which exerts pressure on the pages on each side of the spine of an open book. Thus a book can be held open at a required page.
However, in order that a page is turned, conventional page holders must be disengaged from the book, the page turned and the page holder re-engaged with the book. This procedure, requiring both hands, is cumbersome, time consuming and can be frustrating. In addition, repetitive disengagement and re-engagement of the page holder from and to the book often causes damage to the pages or the cover.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a page holder which overcomes these problems or at least provides the public with a useful alternative.
Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention there is provided a page holder for holding the pages of a book in an open arrangement having:
an attachment means for attaching the page holder to the cover or to one or more pages of the book;
a holding means having an elongate page holding member of dimensions suitable for holding, to the cover of the open book, one or more pages on each side of the spine of the open book; and
an elongate support member having a substantially perpendicular orientation relative to the plane of the open book when in use, the support member being fixed at one end to the attachment means;
wherein the support member is slideably engaged with the holding means so that the location of the page holding member can be adjusted to suit different book thicknesses and wherein the page holding member is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the support member and can be rotated about the longitudinal axis of the support member from a page holding position to a page releasing position so that one or more pages of the book can be turned without detaching the page holder from the book.
Preferably, the support member is constructed so that upon release of a force required to move the holding means from the page holding position to the page releasing position, the holding means returns to the page holding position.
It is preferred that the support member is a flexible elongate member constructed of a resilient material, such as a plastics material or a rubber or rubber-like material, or is a rigid elongate member connected to the attachment means by a resilient connector.
It is further preferred that the support member is connected to the attachment means so that the support member is substantially upright relative to the horizontal plane of the open book when the page holder is attached to the book.
Although the attachment means may be any means suitable for fixing the page holder to the book, a clip such as a spring clip or an alligator clip is preferred.
The holding means preferably comprises an arm attached at one end to the support member and engaged at the other end with a bar wherein the bar engages the surface of the one or more pages, and wherein the bar is in a substantially perpendicular arrangement to the arm.
It is preferred that the bar is slidably held within an aperture in the end of the arm. This enables the bar to be slid relative to the arm so that the bar is in the best location for holding the pages, i.e. when one side of the book is significantly thicker than the other side. When the bar is located on only one side of the book, the book can be closed and the page holder then operates as a book marker.
Preferably, the arm is attached to the support member by an adjustment means so that movement of the adjustment means along the support member causes movement of the bar relative to the cover of the book. Thus, the page holder is able to be used to hold open the pages of books of different thicknesses.
The adjustment means is preferably a concentric band slidably engaged with the support member in a firm fit so that a force is required to be applied for adjustment of the holding means relative to the support member.
Alternatively, the adjustment means may be a spring clip having a pair of lobes which when pinched together release the grip of the clip on the support member so that the location of the holding means relative to the support member can be adjusted.
In a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of holding the pages of a book in an open arrangement with a page holder of the first aspect of this invention comprising attaching the page holder to the cover or to one or more pages of the book and adjusting the holding means relative to the support member so that the page holding member engages with the pages on each side of the spine of the open book and holds those pages to the cover of the open book.
In a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method of turning one or more pages of an open book held to the cover of the open book by a page holder of the first aspect of the invention comprising moving the page holding member from a page holding position to a page releasing position, turning the one or more pages, and returning the page holding member to the page holding position.
In another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of marking a page location in a closed book with the page holder of the first aspect of the invention comprising attaching the page holder to the cover or to one or more pages of the book when in an open arrangement, adjusting the holding means relative to the support member so that the page holding member engages with the pages on each side of the spine of the open book, rotating the page holding member by approximately 90° about the longitudinal axis of the support member so that a portion of the page holding member lies substantially parallel to the spine of the book on one side of the spine, and closing the book.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 256806 (1980-09-01), Tisdale
patent: D. 269188 (1983-05-01), Tisdale
patent: D. 407517 (1999-03-01), Zeller
patent: 1862573 (1932-06-01), Grosz
patent: 2505590 (1950-04-01), Steele
patent: 4793632 (1988-12-01), Hoffman
patent: 4838198 (1989-06-01), Knox
patent: 4869529 (1989-09-01), Hoffman, Jr.
patent: 6089609 (2000-07-01), Denley
patent: 37459/97 (1998-03-01), None
patent: 1086172 (1994-05-01), None
patent: 3903543 (1990-03-01), None
patent: 2612841 (1988-09-01), None
patent: 10-35143 (1998-02-01), None
Dickinson Wright PLLC
Henderson Mark T.
Quality Improvements Limited
Wellington A. L.
LandOfFree
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