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Home | Alpha Telephone | Domain Names | Web Hosting | Get Traffic | xrEvidence | xrSoccer United States Patent
BOOK HOLDER A book holder consists of a base having a pair of upstanding plates spaced apart a sufficient distance to receive the book cover; the base has a fence in front of the plates spaced therefrom a sufficient distance to accommodate the pages of the book. The fence adjacent the spine of the book tapers toward the base to facilitate turning a page.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: What is claimed is: 1. A book holder comprising a base wide enough to hold a book, first and second spaced apart upstanding fences to said base lying substantially in the same vertical plane and high enough to contain the pages of said book, each fence having an inwardly disposed contoured edge which descends toward said base adjacent to the spine of said held book to facilitate turning over of a page, said base having a recess between said fences, said base having first and second spaced apart upstanding walls lying substantially in the same vertical plane and removed from said fence, a third upstanding wall to said base behind said first and second walls with respect to said fence, said third wall being spaced from said first and second walls a distance sufficient to receive the cover of said book, said first and second walls having an inner edge which diverge from each other in the direction of said base. 2. A book holder according to claim 1, which is formed of a single piece of material and said first and second walls flank said third wall to form a slot therewith, said slots corresponding substantially to the line of the said diverging inner edges of said first and second walls. 3. A book holder according to claim 2, in which said third wall has at least one aperture to frictionally receive from the rear a prop for said book holder. 4. A book holder according to claim 1 wherein one of said fences has a rotatable circular member eccentrically carried adjacent said contoured edge whereby the area of said circular member projecting from said edge may be changed on rotating said circular member. FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a book holder for supporting a book particularly in an open and readable position. PRIOR ART A number of proposals have been made for book holders but they mostly involve the use of elastic material. Thus U.S. Patent 2661568 shows in the preferred form a book holder made of spring-like material either of metal or of stiff plastic; also the device shown is intended to serve as a book end and when used as a book holder in the open position, a pair of these devices are necessary to accomplish this purpose while the assembly does not hold the pages open. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide a holder which will hold a book by its covers in a clamped, flat, open position with the pages so held open at any desired place in such a way that the reader can easily and with a natural movement turn the pages forward or back. It is a further object of the invention to provide a book holder which is conveniently holdable in one hand of the reader and in any plane without it closing, as for example, while lying in bed. It is another object of the invention to provide a book holder which may be propped up on a surface by means of a common item such as a pencil, ruler, etc. and may also be employed to hold or carry a closed book securely and without protrusion materially beyond the confines of the book which it is holding wherefor the book holder becomes very readily transportable for use in any location at which it may be desired to use the same. The book holder of the invention consists of a base; connected thereto are first and second spaced apart upstanding members. The distance between the members is sufficient to accommodate the cover of a book and their height is sufficient to provide the requisite support to the pages. Forward of the second member and secured to the base is an upstanding fence which is high enough to hold the pages in position behind it and yet not interfere with the reading matter. The base may be provided with a thumb cavity which intersects the fence and the edge of the latter is sloped toward the thumb cavity to facilitate turning the pages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described in relation to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a book holder constructed according to the invention. FIG. 2 is a back view of the book holder shown in FIG. 1, the holder being supported in a tilted position. FIG. 3 is another embodiment of a book holder constructed according to the invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a book positioned in the holder. FIG. 6 is a front view showing a book in a holder with the pages in position for reading. FIG. 7 is a cross section taken on the lines 7--7 of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a view of a holder in the upsidedown position. FIGS. 9 and 10 show the method of locating a book in a holder in the upsidedown position. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With particular reference to FIG. 1, the book holder comprises a base or platform 10, a back collectively designated 12, and a fence collectively designated 14. A book is designed to rest upon the platform 10 wholly behind the fence 14 as illustrated in FIG. 6. The fence 14 may comprise two parts 16 and 18, the perimeters of which are arcuate in form at least particularly where they descend at their inner edges towards the base 10. The parts 16 and 18 may have the same or different perimetrical configuration as illustrated in FIG. 1, but it will be understood that they are such as to facilitate turning of the pages because the arcuate or rounded portion promotes gliding over of the bottom edge of the page when it is turned by hand in the usual way. In the arrangement shown in FIG. 1 between the inner edges of the parts 16 and 18 and formed in the plaform 10 is an arcuate thumb cavity 20 whereby the book may be held with the thumb against the gutter of the said book when open as is usual. The back consists of a central portion 22, laterally disposed portions 24 and 26 which with the central portion define respectively slots 28 and 30 shown more particularly in FIG. 1. In connection with these portions 22,24 and 26 and the slots 28 and 30, it is to be understood that the spine of an open book rests against the front surface of the portion 22 while the front and back covers of the book extend respectively through the slots 28 and 30. The portions 24 and 26 occupy a plane parallel with that occupied by portion 22 though slightly advanced towards the fence 14. As a result the front cover of the book after passing through the slot 28 extends behind the portion 24. Similarly the back cover of the book after passing through the slot 30 extends behind the portion 26. From the foregoing it becomes apparent that the device fits a book within the compass of the width of the platform 10 very snugly, so as, figuratively speaking, to become part of the book but yet to hold it rigidly open as if it were a solid clamped object. The book holder may be readily propped with a book in it at an upwardly and rearwardly inclining angle if a pencil 29 is pushed through one of the apertures 32 provided in the portion 22, such pencil 29 then functioning in the manner of the prop of an easel. When it is desired to carry the holder with a book in it, obviously the book is simply placed on the platform 10 either with the spine up or the opened edge up and it is thus held closed for transportion in the hand. The lower portion of each slot 28 and 30 is set at an angle for a number of reasons. Two panels or wings 24 and 26 are positioned slightly in advance of the plane of the panel 22 as already stated so that the book covers are held and captured between the panel 22 and the panels 24 and 26 in a single plane (i.e. are in co-parallel relationship). The wings 24 and 26 also act as stops to limit sideways movement of the book at the spine. Thus when a book is held upsidedown in the holder as is possible when a reader is in a reclining position, gravity drops the book slightly forward away from panel or back 22 into the cavitated area defined by 20. This dropping of the book causes the pages to be pressed against the inside face of the portions 14 and 16 assisting in keeping the book open in this position. The book is prevented from sliding out of the cavitated area by the jamming effect developed by the covers between the back or centre panel 22 and the wings or lateral panels 24 and 26 because of the aforesaid angular slots 28 and 30. The perimetrical configuration of the fence portions 16 and 18 may be changed at will, depending on the type of paper in the pages, by means of a circular member 34 one of which is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 as attached to the portions 16 of the fence 14. The circular member 34 is mounted in eccentric relationship to the edge of the portion 16, by means of an arm 36, which may be a press fit as illustrated in FIG. 4. Rotation of the circular member will effectually vary the contour of the fence 14 in the region where a page in the process of being turned over exerts the greatest pressure on the fence 14. FIG. 3 shows a modification of the invention in which the back 22 extends the whole width of the fence 14 and the slots 28 and 30 are eliminated; a book is located in this modified holder as illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 show a further modification of the invention in which the book holder is used in an inverted position and a single panel 24 is utilised to cooperate with the fence 14 and the back 22. Various modifications may be constructed or performed within the scope of the inventive concept disclosed. Therefore what has been set forth is intended to illustrate such concept and is not for the purpose of limiting protection to any herein particularly described embodiment thereof. For U.S. patent law, rules, and procedures see MPEP. Disclaimer. Information presented on this page while believed to be reliable, is provided "as is" with no warranties of its accuracy or timeliness. For legal advice seek help of a licensed professional. |