Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2131402
ADJUSTABLE BOOK HOLDER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
a) Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable
book holder.
b) Brief description of the prior art
Book holders are known ~ se and already form the
subject matter of a few patents.
Thus, Canadian patent No. 96538 of E.Power et al.
granted on November 23, lso5, describes a book holder for
supporting and holding covers of a book while pages thereof
are retained in an open position. The book holder comprises
a frame for the opened book covers to lay upon and fingers
for retaining the covers in position. Also, the book holder
comprises bearing brackets extending lengthwise from the
frame, rock-shafts carried in the brackets, and presser-feet
for retaining the pages of the book in the open position,
each one of the presser-feet fixed at one end of the
corresponding rock-shaft. Furthermore, the book holder
comprises springæ to rock the shafts and maintain the
presser-feet in pressure contact with the opened pages of
the book, and mechanism for simultaneously rocking the rock-
shafts against the action of the springs to raise the
presser-feet from the pages of the book.
Also known in the art, there are the following
patents which describe different adjustable book supporting
devices:
Canadian Patent Nos.:
43,089 of J.W. ZAVADIL, granted on February 22, 1893;
2131402
87,098 of P. PETTIT, granted on March 2, 1904;
120,520 of A. MORAND, granted on September 26, 1908;
1,244,312 of F.COTE, granted on November 8, 1988;
U.S. patent Nos.:
1,392,200 of J.A. NAKONEY, granted on September 27,
1921;
1,590,726 of B. CORSGREN, granted on June 29, 1926;
2,774,177 of J.B. MURGIA, granted on December 18, 1956;
3,076,285 of V.M. SPARKMAN, granted on February 5,
1963;
3,215,482 of B.J. LITKE, granted on November 2, 1965;
3,905,573 of J.M. DAVIS, granted on September 16, 1975;
4,275,863 of D.A. HARTMAN, granted on June 30, 1981;
15 and
4,925,144 of D.E. WHITE, granted on May 15, 1990.
If the known book holders are interesting, they
all have the common drawback of not having the necessary
means for firmly holding a book in a predetermined position
while allowing pages thereof to be easily turned.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore àn object of the present invention
to provide an adjustable book holder that is so devised as
to firmly hold a book in a predetermined position while
allowing pages thereof to be easily turned.
It is another object of the present invention to
provide an adjustable book holder that can readily be
adjusted to any size of books, magazines or other.
In accordance with the present invention, the
above objects are achieved with an adjustable book holder
which comprises a book resting frame including two
horizontally extending book supporting brackets, and means
2131402
for vertically adjusting at least one of the brackets with
respect to the other.
The book holder also comprises a vertically
adjustable telescopic left page holder rotatably connected
to the frame and having two opposite extremities, at least
one of the extremities being provided with a horizontally
adjustable book holding finger for retaining left side pages
onto the book resting frame, and a vertically adjustable
telescopic right page holder rotatably connected to the
lo frame and having two opposite extremities, at least one of
the extremities being provided with a horizontally
adjustable book holding finger for retaining right side
pages onto the book resting frame.
Means are provided for supporting the book resting
lS frame in a predetermined position.
The book holder further comprises means mounted on
the frame for opening and closing the right and left page
holders. These means include a lever connected to one of the
page holders for opening the same, a first horizontally
extending rack having one end operatively connected to the
one page holder via one pinion and another opposite end
extending toward the other one of the page holders.
The means for opening and closing also include a
second horizontally extending rack in line with the first
rack, the second rack having one end operatively connected
to the other one of the page holders via a set of two
intermeshed pinions and another opposite end extending
toward the one page holder and located at a predetermined
distance away from the opposite end of the first rack for
pushing against the same.
The means for opening and closing further include
spring means for permanently biasing the page holders back
to a closed position where the fingers bear against the
frame or the book resting on it when the lever is released
after it has been pulled, each spring means being connected
2I31402
between the corresponding page holder and the book resting
frame.
In operation, when the aforesaid lever is pulled,
the second rack slides on the frame, and its opposite end
pushes against the adjacent opposite end of the first rack
and the predetermined distance between the opposite ends
allows a delay in the opening of the other one of the page
holders.
Preferably, the book resting frame comprises a
first book resting frame member including one of the two
book supporting brackets and provided with two vertically
extending guiding slots, and a second book resting frame
member including the other one of the book supporting
brackets and having two opposite ends; and the adjusting
means comprise the two guiding slots provided in the first
frame member and the two ends of the second frame member
that are slidably mounted within the corresponding guiding
slots and frictionally engage with the same.
Also, preferably, the aforesaid one page holder is
the right page holder, the aforesaid other one of the page
holders is the left page holder and the lever is connected
to the right page holder, thereby allowing a right-handed
person to use the adjustable book holder.
Furthermore, preferably, the aforesaid one page
holder is the left page holder, the aforesaid other one of
the page holders is the right page holder and the lever is
connected to the left page holder, thereby allowing a left-
handed person to use the adjustable book holder.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order to impart full understanding of the
manner in which these objects of the invention are achieved,
a non-restrictive description of a preferred embodiment
thereof will be given hereinafter with reference to the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
21~1~02
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an adjustable
book holder according to the present invention holding a
book;
Figure 2 is a side view of the book holder of
Fig.l showing a supporting leg for supporting the same;
Figures 3a, 3b and 3c, are cross-sectional bottom
views of the book holder of Fig.l showing a mechanism
thereof for opening and closing the right and left page
holders in different successive operative positions;
10Figures 4a and 4b are partial front cross-
sectional views of the book holder of Fig.l showing a
vertically adjustable telescopic left page holder thereof in
a retracted and an expanded position respectively;
Figure 5 is a top view of the book holder of
Fig.l;
Figure 6 is a front view of the book holder of
Fig.l showing the book supporting brackets thereof adjusted
to the size of the book;
Figure 7 is a perspective view of an articulated
adjustable arm for supporting the book holder according to
the invention; and
Figure 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional front view
of the connecting member of the articulated adjustable arm
of Fig.7.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In the following description and in the drawings,
the same numerals will refer to the same elements.
30The adjustable book holder 10 according to the
present invention as shown in the accompanying drawings is
intended to be used to hold a book 14, a magazine or other,
in an open position onto a book resting frame 12. This book
resting frame 12 comprises a first book resting frame member
48 (shown clearly in Fig.6) provided with a first
horizontally extending book supporting bracket 30 and with
2I3I~O~
two vertically extending guiding slots, respectively
numbered 54 and 56. The book resting frame 12 also comprises
a second book resting frame member 46 provided with a second
horizontally extending book supporting bracket 28. This
second book resting frame member 46 has two opposite ends,
50 and 52, which are slidably mounted within the aforesaid
guiding slots and frictionally engage with the same. As
shown, stoppers, 68 and 70, are provided, for restricting
the vertical movement of the second book resting frame
lo member 46.
In operation, as shown in Fig. 6, the two book
supporting brackets 28 and 30 of the corresponding book
resting frame members 46 and 48 are adjusted to the width of
the book 14.
The book holder 10 also comprises a vertically
adjustable telescopic left page holder 16 rotatably
connected to the frame 12. The left page holder 16 has two
extremities, each of which is provided with a horizontally
adjustable book holding finger, 20 and 22, for retaining the
left side pages of the book 14 onto the book resting frame
12. The book holder 10 further comprises a vertically
adjustable telescopic right page holder 18 rotatably
connected to the frame 12. This right page holder 18 has two
opposite extremities, each of which is provided with a
horizontally adjustable book holding finger, 24 and 26, for
retaining the right side pages of the book 14 onto the book
resting frame 12. In order to allow a rotating movement of
the left or right page holder 16 or 18, the telescopic
members 72 of each page holder (see Figs. 4a and 5) have
square cross-sections and the corresponding sleeve members
74 have channels shaped to receive these telescopic members
72. However, as can be apparent to those skilled in the art,
instead of having square cross-sections, the telescopic
members 72 could have rectangular or hexagonal cross-
sections and the sleeve members 74 can be shaped to receivethe same, to allow the rotating movement of the left or
213I402
right page holders. Moreover, the sleeve members 74 could
also be of circular cross-section but provided with slots
therein for receiving keys to prevent rotational
displacement of the telescopic members 72 within the
corresponding sleeve members, thereby allowing the aforesaid
rotating movement of both members in unison.
As shown in Figs. 1 and 4a horizontal adjustment
of the telescopic book holding fingers 20, 22, 24 and 26, is
accomplished with the help of adjustment screws 32. In
operation, loosening of each screw 32 allows the user to
pull out or pull in the telescopic member of the
corresponding book holding finger to adjust to the size of
the book 14. Thereafter, retightening of the screw 32 allows
the telescopic member of the finger to be firmly held at the
desired horizontally adjusted position.
As can be seen, only the extremity of the left
page holder 16 provided with the book holding finger 20 and
the extremity of the right page holder 18 provided with the
book holding finger 26 are actually used for retaining the
pages of the book 14 onto the book resting frame 12.
The book holder 10 according to the present
invention further comprises a mechanism mounted onto the
frame 12 for opening and closing the aforesaid right and
left page holders, 16 and 18. As shown in Fig. 1, this
mechanism comprises a lever 34 connected to the finger 26 of
the right page holder 18 for opening the same. As shown in
Fig. 3a to 3c, this mechanism also comprises a first
horizontally extending rack 38 having an end 58 operatively
connected to the right page holder 18 via a pinion 44, and
another opposite end 60 extending toward a second
horizontally extending rack 36 that is in line with the
first rack 38. This second horizontally extending rack 36
has an end 62 connected to the left page holder 16 via a set
of two intermeshed pinions 40 and 42, and another opposite
end 64 which, as is shown in Fig. 3a, is normally located at
2131~02
a predetermined distance "d" away from the end 60 of the
rack 38.
In operation, as shown in Fig. 3b and Fig. 3c,
when the lever 34 is pulled away from the book holder lo
using line "X" as a pivot axis, the rack 38 slides until its
end 60 touches the end 64 of the rack 36. During that time,
that is just before the opening of the left page holder 16,
the user can turn right hand side page 15 of the book 14.
Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 3c, by continuing on
pulling the lever 34, the end 60 of the rack 38 pushes
against the end 64 of the rack 36 thereby slowly opening the
left page holder 16. As it can be understood, the aforesaid
distance "d" separating the ends of the racks, 60 and 64,
allows a delay in the opening of the left page holder 16.
When the left page holder 16 is partially opened, the user
can put the page of the book to be turned under the fingers,
20 and 22, for retainment. By continuing on pulling the
lever 34 away from the book holder 10 using line "X" as the
pivot axis, both pager holders 16 and 18 are opened, as
thereby allowing the user to remove the book 14 from the
book resting frame 12 when he or she has finished reading.
The mechanism of the book holder also comprises
two return springs (only one spring 66 is shown in Fig. 4a).
Each spring is connected between the corresponding page
holder and the book resting frame 12 and serve for
permanently biasing the page holders 16 and 18 back to a
closed position where the fingers 20, 22, 24 and 26 bear
against the book 14 or the book resting frame 12 when the
book has been removed therefrom.
As can be apparent, the above-described mechanism
for opening and closing the right and left page holders is
for use by a right-handed person. However, by connecting the
lever 34 to the book holding finger 22 and operatively
connecting the end 58 of the rack 38 to the right page
holder via two intermeshed pinions and the end 62 of the
` 2131402
rack 36 to the left page holder via only one pinion, the
book holder can be modified for use by a left-handed person.
Of course, the adjustable book holder 10 according
to the present invention is provided with a guiding
mechanism for holding each of the aforesaid racks 36 and 38
and for controlling sliding of the same when the lever 34 is
pulled. This guiding mechanism comprises a slot 49 (see
Fig. 3a) extending lengthwise inside the first book resting
frame member 48 and is sized and shaped to receive both
racks. As can be apparent to those skilled in the art, any
other suitable guiding mechanism, such as U-shaped members
having ends connected to the frame and defining passages
whereby the two racks 36 and 38 may be guided, could also be
used for controlling sliding of said racks.
The adjustable book holder 10 can be provided with
a supporting leg 108, shown in Figs. 2 and 5 having a T-
shaped connecting member 109 which can be connected to a
hook 106 fixed to the back of the book resting frame 12. The
aforesaid supporting leg 108 can be used for supporting the
book resting frame 12 on a table, or on any predetermined
object having a flat surface. Furthermore, the supporting
leg 108 can be made adjustable to allow the user to adjust
the angular position of the book resting frame 12 supported
on a table.
Alternatively, the book holder lo can be provided
with an articulated adjustable arm 76, shown in Fig. 7, for
supporting the book resting frame in a predetermined
position. This adjustable arm 76 comprises two horizontally
extending, pivotally interconnected arm members 78 and 80,
two vertically extending, telescopically interconnected arm
members 84 and 86, and a frame attaching member 85 pivotally
connected to the arm member 80. The arm attaching member 85
serves for connecting the adjustable arm 76 to the back of
the book resting frame 12 and is provided with a supporting
member 79 and a T-shaped connecting member 77 for connection
to the hook 106. As is better shown in Fig. 8, the T-shaped
21~1402
connecting member 77 is pivotally connected to the
supporting member 79 via a circular plate 101 and a
supporting plate 81. The circular plate 101 has a threaded
opening 110 for receiving a circular plate thumb screw (only
the opening 110 for the circular plate thumb screw is shown
in Fig.8). Also, the supporting member 79 is provided with
a threaded opening (not shown) aligned with the opening llo
for receiving the aforesaid circular plate thumb screw.
The supporting member 79 is pivotally connected to
an interconnecting arm member 105 via a second circular
plate 107. This interconnecting arm member 105 is provided
with a threaded opening 112 for receiving a member thumb
screw (not shown), and which is aligned with a second
threaded opening provided in the supporting member 79 for
receiving the same.
In operation, because of the pivotal connection
between the T-shaped connecting member 77 and the supporting
member 79, the book holder 10 can be readily adjusted with
respect to a pivot point "Z". Then by tightening the
circular plate thumb screw in the opening 110, the book
resting frame 12 can be firmly held at the desired reading
position.
Furthermore, in operation, the book holder 10 can
be adjusted with respect to a pivot point "Y". By
tightening the other member thumb screw in the other opening
112, the book resting frame 12 can be firmly held at a
second selected position.
The aforesaid pivotally interconnected arm members
78 and 80 allow adjustment of the position of the book
holder 10 in a horizontal plane "P". Furthermore, the
telescopically interconnected arm members 84 and 86 allow
vertical position adjustment of the book holder 10. As
shown, a tightenable holding member 100 provided with an
adjustable screw 104 is used to firmly hold the book holder
3S 10 at the desired vertical position.
2131qO2
The adjustable arm 76 further comprises one or
more C-shaped clamps 88 and 90 provided with corresponding
clamping plates 92 and 94, and with thumb screws 96 and 98.
This makes it possible to attach the arm 76 to a variety of
home furnishings, such as beds, tables and other supporting
environments, such as posts for instance, thereby allowing
very comfortable reading periods. As shown, the C-shaped
clamp is connected to tightenable holding members 102 and
104 respectively, provided with holding screws 82 and 83.
These holding members 102 and 104 are slidably mounted onto
the arm member 84 and serve for adjusting the position of C-
shaped clamps 88 and 90, for attachment to various objects
mentioned hereinabove.
As can be appreciated, there are various
advantages to the adjustable book holder according to the
present invention. In addition to being adaptable for use
with any type of soft cover and hard cover books, various
magazines and the like, the adjustable book holder is
devised to be easily transported or stored until it is to be
used again.
Furthermore, because of the above-described arm
attaching member and the page holders, the user can readily
adjust the position of the book resting frame with the book
thereon, even while lying in bed.
In connection to the above-mentioned advantages,
the book holder can be very useful in libraries, schools,
corporations and in any field where it might be desirable to
study a book, magazine, periodical or other manuscript for
the comfort of the user or when it is desirable for the user
to have his hands free for making or taking notes, dictating
etc...
Although a preferred embodiment of the invention
has been described in detail herein and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited to this precise embodiment and that
213I102
various changes and modifications may be effected therein
without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.
