Patent Application
20230102308
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright or trade dress protection. This patent document may show and/or describe matter that is or may become trade dress of the owner. The copyright and trade dress owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright and trade dress rights whatsoever.
This application claims priority to UK Patent Application No. GB2010040.0 filed on Jul. 1, 2020, entitled “Support for a Book”, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to a support for a book or an electronic tablet.
Different types of supports are currently available. A first type, herein referred to as a bookrest, enables a book or tablet to be supported in a plane inclined to the horizontal with its lower edge resting on a desktop, or other horizontal surface. When reading while sitting at a desk, or watching a video on a tablet, the book or tablet is angled by the support to make it visible without the reader or viewer having to lean over the desk. Such bookrests are often collapsible and in the case of tablets may serve additionally as a protective cover for the tablet. Some bookrests also enable the angle of inclination to be adjusted.
A second type of support, herein referred to as a tabletop lectern, is intended for use by a person standing next to a table and its primary function is to raise the level of the book or tablet above the level of the tabletop to bring it closer to the reader's eyes. Lecterns are often made of wood and are more substantially constructed than bookrests, as they must support the entire weight of the book or tablet, not just prevent it from toppling.
In religious establishments, congregants commonly read from prayer books and would always prefer not to have to support their weight. Furthermore, at different times in religious services, congregants may be called upon either to sit or to stand.
The present invention seeks therefore to provide a support that can be used both when a person is sitting in front of a table or desk or when standing next to it.
The present disclosure teaches a support for a book, including a rectangular back panel, a top panel connected by a first top hinge to an upper edge of the back panel, the top panel being formed of a first top panel section connected by the first top hinge to the back panel and a second top panel section connected to an upper edge of the first panel section by a second top hinge that extends parallel to the first top hinge, and at least one side panel each connected to a side edge of the back panel by a corresponding side hinge that extends transversely to the first top hinge, such that the support is configured to transition between a compact configuration for storage, a lectern configuration, and a bookrest configuration, wherein in the compact configuration, each of the panels lies in a plane parallel to each of the other panels so as to minimize the longitudinal and lateral space occupied by the support, wherein in the lectern configuration, when the support is placed on a tabletop, the back panel and each of the at least one side panel are disposed in upright planes, relative to the tabletop, that are inclined to one another and the top panel is disposed in a plane parallel to the tabletop, so that both sections of the top panel rest on an upper edge of each of the at least one side panel, wherein in the bookrest configuration, when the support is placed on a tabletop, the back panel is disposed in a plane parallel to that of the tabletop and the sections of the top panel are hinged relative to one another and relative to the back panel, to permit the second panel section to serve as a support surface for supporting a book in a plane inclined to the plane of the tabletop, when a free edge of the top panel rests on the back panel or a side panel.
In an embodiment, clips are provided on at least one panel to permit panels to be secured to one another in at least one of the configurations.
In an embodiment, the top panel features a protrusion to prevent a book from sliding off the support in the lectern configuration. In an embodiment, the back panel or at least one side panel features a protrusion or groove to act as a stop, in order to prevent the top panel from sliding in the bookrest configuration. In other embodiments, the back panel or at least one side panel has a plurality of protrusions or grooves for enabling the inclination of the top panel to be adjusted in the bookrest configuration.
In an embodiment, the support comprises two side panels each connected by a corresponding side hinge to a respective side edge of the back panel.
In an embodiment, at least one of the at least one side panel comprises two sections, a first side panel section connected to the back panel by the corresponding side hinge, and a second side panel section connected to a side edge of the first side panel section by a first side section hinge parallel to the corresponding side hinge. In another embodiment, one of the at least one side panel comprises three side panel sections, a first side panel section connected to the back panel by the corresponding side hinge, a second side panel section connected to a side edge of the first side panel section by a first side section hinge parallel to the corresponding side hinge, and a third side panel section connected to a side edge of the second side panel section by a second side section hinge parallel to both the first side section hinge and the corresponding side hinge, which in the lectern configuration, define in conjunction with the back panel a triangular support base for the top panel, and wherein two panels or panel sections overlap one another to define one of the sides of the triangular support base. Preferably, the overlapping panel or panel sections each further comprise magnets so as to magnetically connect to one another.
The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the compact configuration, top panel sections 10a and 10b are together pivoted about hinge 12a and lie parallel to the back panel 14 with the front face of the top panel sections 10a and 10b facing the front face of the back panel 14. The side panel 16 may then be pivoted about hinge 12b so that its front face faces the rear face of the top panel sections 10a and 10b. The hinge 12b may be at least as wide as the thickness of the top panel section 10b to allow all panels to lie parallel with each other.
The combined length of the top panel sections 10a and 10b is preferably equal to the length of the back panel 14, but this is not essential as it is also possible for the combined length of the top panel sections to be shorter or longer than the back panel 14. In the case where the top panel is longer than the back panel 14, sections 10a and 10b of the top panel may be folded about the hinge 12c in the compact configuration in which case the width of the hinge 12b may need to be increased.
The support may be held in its compact configuration by various methods, including magnets, a separate band or sleeve, clips, snap fasteners, a zip, or hook and loop fasteners.
A primary lectern configuration allows the user to view a book whilst standing, with the support resting on a tabletop. In such a configuration, the back panel 14 is placed in an upright position and prevented from toppling forward by folding the side panel 16 about the hinge 12b to a position wherein the planes of the back and side panels 14, 16 form an angle of approximately 90°. The top panel section 10b is pivoted about hinge 12c so that the rear faces of the two top panel sections lie against one another. The front face of the top panel section 10a is then rested on the top edges of the back panel 14 and the side panel 16 to provide a surface on which a book may be supported in a plane higher than that of the tabletop. The top panel section 10b may feature a protrusion 18 on its bottom edge, adjacent the hinge 12C, extending at least partially across its width. Such a protrusion is used as a stop, to prevent a book from sliding off the top section 10a. As an alternative, the front surface of the top section 10a may be made of a non-slip silicone material.
To ensure the stability of the support in the lectern configuration, clips may be provided on the front surface of the top panel section 10a to engage with the top edge of the side panel 16. Similarly, other fixing methods may be used, including grooves, magnets or hook and loop fasteners.
In addition to the primary lectern configuration, a way of providing a secondary lectern configuration in the illustrated embodiment would be to stand the back panel 14 on its free side edge, to use the top panel sections 10b and 10b to prevent the back panel 14 from toppling forward and to rest the side panel 16 on the upper edges of the top panel sections 10a and 10b. The secondary lectern configuration differs from the primary lectern configuration in that the spacing of the book from the tabletop is determined by the width of the back panel 14 rather than its length.
To provide a bookrest configuration, with the back panel 14 lying on or parallel to a tabletop, the top panel sections 10a and 10b are pivoted about hinges 12a and 12c in order to form a triangle between the top panel sections 10 and 10b and the back panel 14, with the front faces of the top panel sections 10a and 10b facing the interior of the triangle. In this configuration, the rear face of top panel section 10b may act to support a book in plane inclined to the plane of the back panel 14 and the tabletop. The top or free edge of the top panel section 10b may be prevented from sliding relative to the front face of the back panel 14 (or the rear face of the side panel 16, by engagement in slots defined by further protrusions 20 provided on the face of the relevant panel. The provision of several protrusions 20, as illustrated, permits adjustment of the inclination of the top panel section 10b.
As an alternative to protrusions 20, the back panel 14 or the rear face of the side panel 16 may be formed with one or more grooves or slots to receive the free edge of the top panel section 10b. The hinge 12b permits the side panel 16 to be folded to overlie the back panel 14, to lie between the back panel 14 and the tabletop, when the support is in the bookrest configuration.
In the embodiments of the invention shown in the remaining figures, to avoid unnecessary repetition, like parts have been allocated reference numeral with the same last two digits and with the first digit dependent on the embodiment.
In the second embodiment, shown in
In the third embodiment of the invention shown in
In this third embodiment, hinges 212b, 212d, 212e and 212f may be sufficiently wide to allow the support to be folded into its compact configuration for storage or transportation. As in the first embodiment, side panels 216a, 216b, 216c and 216d may be folded behind, or in front of, the back panel 214 in order to save space when the support is in its bookrest configuration.
In the fourth embodiment shown in
In the bookrest configuration, the side panel sections 316a and 316b are folded about the hinge 321d so that either of the front faces or their rear faces contact one another, and the two sections are together folded about the hinge 312b to lie under the back panel 314.
In the compact configuration, the two top panel sections 310a, 310b are folded about the hinge 312a to overlie the back panel 314 and the side panel sections are first folded about the hinge 312d to over one another and then together folded about the hinge 312b to overlie the rear surface of the top panel sections 310a and 310b.
Last, in the lectern configuration, the side panel sections 316a and 316b are folded about the hinges 312b and 312d to bring the free edge of the side panel section 316b into contact with the side edge of the back panel 314 to form a base of triangular section. With the panels of the base resting upright on a horizontal tabletop, the top panel sections can be folded about the hinge 312a so that the front face of the top panel section 310a rests on the upper edges of the side panel sections 316a and 316b. The top panel section 310b may then be folded about the hinge 312c so that its rear face contacts the rear face of the top panel section 310a, in which position a book can rest on its front surface.
The fifth embodiment of the invention, shown in
The sixth embodiment, shown in
In all embodiments described, methods as have been described above may be used to prevent panel or panel sections from moving relative to one another in all configurations.
The panels and panel sections of the support may be manufactured from any material able to withstand the load of a book or tablet in both the book rest and the lectern configurations without collapsing or buckling. The hinges 12 are not load bearing in any configuration and may be made from any flexible material, such as a woven fabric or plastics sheeting. The support may thus be made of stiff boards of any suitable material (e.g. plastics, metal, fibreboard or card) covered in a flexible material (e.g. fabric, plastics sheeting, real or faux leather) that can also serve as the hinges.
As an alternative, the entire support can be moulded in one piece of a plastics material with the hinges constructed as so-called live hinges.
It will be seen that in all the described embodiments, the invention provides a reconfigurable support for a book that can serve both as a lectern and as a bookrest and that can furthermore adopt a compact configuration for storage and transportation.
While described above by reference to books, it will be appreciated that the support may also be used to support an electronic tablet or any other objection. For example, in the lectern configuration it may be used to support a laptop computer.
