EP0370961B1

EP0370961B1 - Portable, folding book-rest with adjustable incline

Info

Publication number: EP0370961B1
Application number: EP89830130A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giovanni Ciardo; Pasquale Collosi; Vito Claps
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-11-21
Filing date: 1989-03-23
Publication date: 1995-03-15
Anticipated expiration: 2009-03-23
Also published as: IT1230376B; EP0370961A2; IT8840438A0; EP0370961A3; ATE119748T1; DE68921702D1

Abstract

The object of this invention is the realization of a portable, folding book-rest in book form, with adjustable incline which can be used for any reading and/or writing situation. It consists essentially of an adjustable, reclining support on which the text is placed. The support is hinged on a horizontal-supporting base (4) and set on a bracket (7). The bracket is conveniently hinged on the horizontal base and can rotate to a certain degree supporting the text-supporting base (1) and providing, through its range of movement, the incline for the text itself. The text-supporting base contains useful devices which, together with the above-mentioned characteristics, give this invention its individuality.

Description

Everybody knows the utility of book-rests in order to ease and improve reading, especially a long-lasting one. Currently, book-rests available on the market are built for several needs: score-support for musicians, book-rest for missals in churches or those, in corporations, for looking up guides, year-books etc. Nevertheless, these book-rests, generally made of wood or metal, are quite encumbering and lightly versatile. A portable and folding bookrest according to the preamble of Claim 1 is known from US-A-4 555 128.
The object of the invention is to make the use of the book-rest easier thanks to a set of devices which make our creation peculiar. The present invention, apart from its general use, can be especially useful for establishing a correct reading position for children. Many problems of vision and posture are caused or worsened by an incorrect spine position when engaged in reading and/or writing. The cause of many cases of scoliosis or visual defects (close up reading, reading at wrong angle, etc.) originates right back to the early school years and these defects can persist or even become irreversible. The use of the above-named invention enables the child to assume the correct reading position, with regard to both eye-text distance and spine position, right from the beginning of his reading. The difficulty of reading in bed, sofas and particularly in cases of infirmity is also well-known. The use of this invention eliminates all these inconveniences, by making reading easy and as little tiring as possible in any situation: at a table, in bed, while travelling, etc. This object is accomplished by the characterizing features of Claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are set out in dependent Claims 2 to 6.
The above and other objects and advantages will become more apparent as the invention is described in greater detail with respect to the following drawings.
In figure 1, the bookrest is represented as seen laterally from the left, from what would be the reading position. The elements composing such a figure are: part (1) of the text support base, body (1,2,3) (see fig.2); part (4) of the horizontal support base, body (4,5,6) (see fig.2); the movable bracket (7); the flexible guide (8) for the bracket (7); the hook shaped lever (9) for the inclination adjustment; the book-pegs (10); the page-holding pegs (11) for the page-holder means (23) (see fig. 7); the grooves (12) for the bracket (7) hooking; the sheathed slider (13) (see zoom fig.1); the metal sheet (14) for over-sized texts; the hinge (15) which links part (1) and part (4); the guide stop (17); the upper half-ring (18) where the guide (8) is connected; the hinge (24) for the bracket (7). The main aim of figure 1 is to show how the bracket (7), linked by means of the slider (13) to the guide (8), assures that the bracket (7) itself; lifting or lowering the text support base, body (1,2,3), with the lever (9), does not fall upon the horizontal support based body (4,5,6). This makes the inclination of the body (1,2,3) adjustable by using a single hand and without gripping directly the bracket (7).
The figures 2 and 3, which represent exclusively the hinges (15) between the bodies (1,2,3) and (4,5,6), have the only aim to show the positions of the bookrest during the reading phase and the non-use one respectively. Part (2) is linked to part (1) and (3) as well as part (5) is linked to part (4) and (6); body (1,2,3) is linked to body (4,5,6) in the following way: part (1) is linked to part (4), part (2) to (5) and part (3) to (6). In this way the structure can be folded like a book (fig.3). The hinges (15) are opportunely carried out with the aim of assuring functionality and the possibility of closing our invention. The hinge function can also be accomplished by elastic-folding bodies, made of the same material of the bases or other material. The horizontal support base, body (4,5,6), and the text support base, body (1,2,3), can be made of any material (metal, plastic material, wood, etc.); this can be likewise said for the hinges or the folding bodies having the same function. The form and dimensions of the bases must be appropriately carried out in order to assure functionality and aesthetics, taking into account the weight and dimensions of the text to be supported. The bases pattern can have a square design or an empty-space design. The component parts making up the bases can be appropriately painted and/or covered with other materials as a decoration and thereby increasing their value (enamel, leather, silk, tortoise-shell, gold, etc).
Figure 4 represent in detail parts (5) and (2) of figure 2; in particular part (5) is seen from the side where the bracket (7) is hooked; part (2) is seen from the back of the body (1,2,3) and it has been drawn for greater evidence, letting it rotate forwards till laying on the same plane of part (5). The elements composing figure 4 are: the back of the text support base, body (1,2,3); the horizontal support base, body (4,5,6), seen from the side where the bracket (7) is linked; the bracket (7); the guide (8); the lever (9); the grooves (12); the slider (13); the hinges (15); the holes (16); the guide stop (17); the upper half-ring (18); the hinge (24) for the bracket (7). The guide (8) is made of metallic material or any other flexible material. The lever (9) which is connected with the guide (8) can be of curved shape (fig. 1 and 6) in order to assure a better hold. The grooves (12), with appropriate shape, number and dimensions, must be carried out in such a way as to contain the slider (13) (see zoom of figure 1) set upon the upper part of the bracket (7) in order to stop the bracket (7) itself in a specific position. The slider (13) is made of two hollow bodies at right angles to each wherein the horizontal hollow body covers the upper part of the bracket (7), while the vertical one covers the guide (8) (see fig.5). The holes (16) are predisposed in order to allow the joint of a common tripod or mechanical arm in case a support plane should be missing; more holes are required since the book-rest bary-centre varies because of the varying of the reading-plane inclination, and of the text weight and dimensions as well. The hinge (24) for the bracket (7) has the task of linking the bracket (7) to part (5), allowing the bracket itself (7) the sole rotatory motion shown, sketched in figure 1.
Figure 5, seen from the back of part (2), represents the vision, on the whole, during the working of the adjustment mechanism, including: bracket (7); guide (8); slider (13); grooves(12).
Figure 6 shows: the fixing of the guide (8) to part (2) by means of the guide stop (17); the introduction of the guide (8) into the upper half-ring (18); the hook shaped lever (9) for the inclination adjustment. The assembling of the elements, bracket (7), guide (8), lever (9), slider (13), composing the inclination adjustment mechanism is the following (see figures 4,5,6): the bracket (7) is linked to the guide (8) by means of the slider (13). The bracket (7) lower end is linked to part (5) by the hinge (24), while the upper end of the bracket itself is linked to the slider (13). The guide (8) has the lever (9) on its upper end. The slider (13) sheathes the guide (8) along which it slides. In the same time, the slider (13) binds the bracket (7) in order to avoid that, during the body (1,2,3) inclination adjustment, the bracket (7) itself may fall upon part (5). It is this kind of assembling which gives us the possibility of an easy and "at sight" inclination adjustment, simply by using a single hand. With the help of figures 1,2,4,5,6, is shown the working of the inclination adjustment mechanism. As starting condition we consider the text set and open upon the body (1,2,3) and this last placed upon the body (4,5,6), that is to say without any inclination. The first operation consists in lifting, by means of the lever (9), the body (1,2,3) from the body (4,5,6) thanks to the hinges (15). Thus, the body (1,2,3) assumes a certain starting inclination, thanks to the introduction of the slider (13) into one of the grooves (12). In order to vary the starting inclination, the reader, pressing the lever (9) towards himself, causes a flexion of the guide (8) in the opposite direction, provoking the slider (13) unhooking and that of the bracket (7) as well, from the groove (12) (fig.1 and 6).
Figure 7 shows the text support surface, body (1,2,3) and the devices set on it: the lever (9); the book-pegs(10); the page-holding pegs (11); the metal sheets (14); the hinges (15); the book-blocking means (19); the book-blocking pegs (21); the "tongues" (22); the page-holder means (23). The peg (10), preferably of a cylindrical shape, has two functions: it supports the text being read, secures the page-holder means (23). The peg (10) can even have, on its contact surface with the text, an appropriate groove in order to assure a better stability of the text itself. The peg (11) has the function of regulating the page-holding level, as this level can vary according to the thickness of the text. The pegs (10) and (11) can be in fixed sizes or varying sizes. Varying-sized pegs can be obtained by means of adopting the telescopic system (fig. 9). The peg (21) is basically similar, in its structure, to the pegs (10), (11) but of minor height. The element (14) represents a metal sheet secured on the text-support base, but with the possibility of rotating in order to increase the text-support base, in case of larger books. The means (19) has the function of binding the book on part (2) so that it passes along the inner part of the book cover-side link. The means (23) has, instead the aim of holding the page being read. The means (22) is an extra extension of body (4,5,6), useful when adjusting the text, and acting as a supporting base for a hand. This extension can be retractable-extendible with respect to the basic surface, or it can return and overlap, with the right rotation, over the base where a holding slot is provided in case of necessity. On part (3) is shown a part of an open book laying on the pegs (10), whose page, during the reading phase, is bound by the means (23) set in two different positions: the continuous line shows the means (23) in the non-use position; the sketched line, which is the right reading position, shows the means (23) passing through the page-holding peg (11).
Figure 8 represents an example of solution of the page-holder mechanism with a couple of movable pegs (10), which are free to slide along the tracks (24) set on the lower-upper ends of parts (1) and (3). The tracks (24), are provided with appropriate grooves (20) which serve to block the pegs (10).
In figure 10 is sketched a peg alternative to the solutions previously indicated for the page holder devices. This peg comprises a vertical support portion made of a cylindrical structure, a spring being inserted therein which supports an element in the shape of an "inverted L".
Various details of design and construction (for example: grooves-magnetization, use of new materials) may be modified without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended Claims.

Claims

Portable and folding bookrest with adjustable incline comprising a horizontal support base; a text-support base; a hinge (15) connecting said horizontal support base to one edge of said text-support base; a movable bracket (7) for holding said text-support base at an angle relative to said horizontal support base, said bracket being held by grooves (12) ; and page holder means (23) for resting the pages of a book against the text-support base, said page holder means comprising an elastic band characterized in that
several pegs are provided on the text-support base, said pegs consisting of book-pegs (10) supporting the text and securing the page-holder means (23); page-holding pegs (11) regulating the page holding level according to the thickness of the text; and book-blocking pegs (21) placed on the central part of the text-support base for securing book-blocking means (19),
in that one end of the movable bracket (7) is hinged on the horizontal support base by means of a hinge (24) and the other end of said movable bracket being linked to a flexible guide (8) by means of a sheathed slider (13),
the lower and the upper end of said flexible guide (8) being fixed respectively by a guide stop (17) and a half-ring (18) to the rear side of the text support base, said flexible guide (8) further comprising on its upper end a hook shaped lever (9),
in that said grooves (12) are provided on the text-support base for fixing the bracket,
in that metal sheets (14) are provided, said metal sheets (14) being rotatably secured on the text-support base and able to rotate so that the base can be extended in case of larger texts,
and in that means (22) are provided to extend the horizontal support base, said horizontal support base having a set of holes (16) for insertion of a tripod or mechanical arm .
Portable bookrest according to claim 1 characterized in that said horizontal support base and said text support base each consisting of three parts, each part (4, 5, 6) of the horizontal support base being hinged to the other and each part (1, 2, 3) of the text support base also being hinged to the other.
Portable bookrest according to claim 1 characterized in that said slider (13) comprises two hollow bodies at right angles to each other wherein the horizontal hollow body covers the upper part of the bracket (7), while the vertical one covers the guide (8).
Portable bookrest according to claim 1 characterized in that said book-pegs (10) are movable pegs which are free to slide along a track, said track being provided with grooves which serve to block said pegs (10).
Portable bookrest according to claim 1 characterized in that said pegs comprising a vertical support portion made of a cylindrical structure; a spring being inserted therein which supports an element in the shape of an "inverted L".
Portable bookrest according to claim 1 characterized in that said hinges (15) are flexible elastic parts.