Magnifier reader

• US 4,457,585 A
• Filed: 08/31/1981
• Issued: 07/03/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1981
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gerard M. Ducorday
• Original Assignee: Gerard M. Ducorday
• Inventors: DuCorday, Gerard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Punter, William H.
• Application Number:
  US06/297,980
• Time in Patent Office: 1,037 Days
• Field of Search: 350/114-116, 350/235-251, 350/255, 350/452, 350/143, D16/134-136, D16/101, 40/361
• US Class Current: 359/441
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/04 having collapsible parts
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/08 with discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lens diffractive Fresnel lenses G02B5/1876

Abstract

A clear, transparent, rigid plastic sheet is bent into an inverted U-shape to provide a top supported by continuous transparent legs. A fresnel lens, coextensive with the top, is secured to the top or actually formed in one of its surfaces to provide a hand-free, self-supporting large area magnifier capable of use in reading a complete printed page with little or no shifting of the magnifier. For various scientific and other purposes, scales, grids, or other reference marks or patterns are carried on transparent elements secured to the bottoms of the legs where they are likewise magnified for counting or measuring or other large area analysis, or study of a full page or document being read.

Claims

1. A clear, portable, one-piece, page size, and self-supporting magnifier reader comprising

a substantially page size top member adapted to be positioned parallel to and fixedly spaced from a page of a document to be read, said top member being formed of a rigid, clear, transparent, and flat member,

first and second legs joined to said top member for supporting said top member at a predetermined distance from and upon said page to be read, said legs being transparent for unobstructed transmission of ambient light to said page, the upper ends of said legs being coextensive with front and back edges respectively of said top member and forming therewith an inverted U-shaped and fully transparent rigid frame, and

a Fresnel lens formed in and substantially coextensive with said top member, whereby a magnified image of said page may be read solely with ambient light and with minimum movement of said reader over said page,

said top member and legs being formed of an integral sheet of flat plastic having an intermediate portion and first and second opposite outer portions, said intermediate portion forming said top member, said first and second outer portions forming said legs and being bent relative to said intermediate portion along mutually spaced parallel lines defining outer portions of said top member,

said intermediate portion of said plastic sheet having a plurality of grooves formed therein, said grooves collectively forming said Fresnel lens, whereby said lens is an integral part of said magnifier reader,

said legs each having a free end portion bent to extend at an angle relative to such leg to provide an extended foot therefor, said foot being provided with indicia useful in reading a page with said magnifier reader, the image of said indicia viewed through said lens being magnified thereby.

2. A clear, portable, page size, and self-supporting magnifier reader comprising

a substantially page size top member adapted to be positioned parallel to and fixedly spaced from a page of a document to be read, said top member being formed of a rigid, clear, transparent, and flat member,

first and second legs connected to said top member for supporting said top member at a predetermined distance from and upon said page to be read, said legs being transparent for unobstructed transmission of ambient light to said page, the upper ends of said legs being coextensive with and directly connected to front and back edges respectively of said top member and forming therewith an inverted U-shaped and fully transparent rigid frame, and

a Fresnel lens detachably secured to and substantially coextensive with said top member, said lens comprising a flat sheet substantially coextensive with said top member, whereby a magnified image of said page may be read solely with ambient light and with minimum movement of said reader over said page,

said legs each being formed with a plurality of lens support ribs mutually spaced along the length of the leg, said lens being detachably supported upon a selected pair of said support ribs whereby said lens may be adjustably positioned in said reader to adjust the focal distance and magnification thereof.

3. A clear, portable, page size, and self-supporting magnifier reader comprising

a substantially page size top member adapted to be positioned parallel to and fixedly spaced from a page of a document to be read, said top member being formed of a rigid, clear, transparent, and flat member,

first and second legs joined to said top member for supporting said top member at a predetermined distance from and upon said page to be read, said legs being transparent for unobstructed transmission of ambient light to said page, the upper ends of said legs being coextensive with front and back edges respectively of said top member and forming therewith an inverted U-shaped and fully transparent rigid frame, and

a Fresnel lens detachably secured to and substantially coextensive with said top member, whereby a magnified image of said page may be read solely with ambient light and with minimum movement of said reader over said page,

said lens being adjustably secured to said top member at different distances therefrom.

4. A clear, portable, one-piece, page size, and self-supporting magnifier reader comprising

a substantially page size top member adapted to be positioned parallel to and fixedly spaced from a page of a document to be read, said top member being formed of a rigid, clear, transparent, and flat member,

first and second legs joined to said top member for supporting said top member at a predetermined distance from and upon said page to be read, said legs being transparent for unobstructed transmission of ambient light to said page, the upper ends of said legs being coextensive with front and back edges respectively of said top member and forming therewith an inverted U-shaped and fully transparent rigid frame, and

a Fresnel lens formed in and substantially coextensive with said top member, whereby a magnified image of said page may be read solely with ambient light and with minimum movement of said reader over said page,

said lens having a diameter considerably greater than the height of said legs, whereby the focal point of said lens is spaced from a plane containing ends of said legs.

5. The method of making a portable, page size, and self-supporting magnifier reader comprising

dividing an elongated, rigid, rectangular plastic sheet into an intermediate portion and first and second end portions adjoining said intermediate portion along mutually spaced lines extending completely across said sheet,

forming a Fresnel lens in said intermediate portion of said transparent plastic sheet,

bending said first and second end portions along said lines to extend rigidly in the same direction from said intermediate portion, whereby said first and second end portions form rigid transparent legs for supporting said intermediate portion and the lens formed therein directly upon and at a fixed distance from a page of a document to be read,

further bending the free ends of each of said sheet end portions inwardly to provide inwardly projecting, enlarged supporting feet to firmly support the magnifier reader upon a document to be read, and

forming indicia on said supporting feet so as to project a magnified image of said indicia through said Fresnel lens.