Hinged case providing sectional cover with anti-pinch interleaving through

• US 4,913,463 A
• Filed: 10/27/1988
• Issued: 04/03/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Hicks, Patrick P., Tlapek, Steve H., Valella, Julio E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yost, Frank T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hamill Jr., Tom
• Application Number:
  US07/263,469
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 281/29, 281/49, 281/45, 16/355, 16/356, 402/77
• US Class Current: 281/49
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 7/367 by covering the gap between the door and the door frame at the hinge side

Abstract

Interleaving troughs (28-30) are securely fixed to a front cover (12) and a back cover (14) of a hinged apparatus (10). The first and second troughs (28-30) are generally semicircular in shape and are dimensioned to slidably cooperate with each other. A gap (34) is formed between the second trough (30) and the back cover (14) to receive the first trough (28) when the apparatus (10) is in a fully opened position. When the apparatus (10) is closed, first and second troughs (28-30) form a generally cylindrical container (36) for holding a wire spiral (26) of a book (20). When the apparatus (10) is closed, a void (38) of less than 3/16 inch is formed between the first and second troughs (28-30). The void (38) meets the ASTM standards for toy safety with regard to a pinching hazard.

Claims

1. A book assembly comprising a case providing a sectional cover within which a substantially flat spirally bound book-like object is retained, said book assembly comprising:

a front cover having a first flat inner surface;

a back cover having a second flat inner surface;

said front and back covers having respective marginal edges arranged in juxtaposed relation to each other;

first and second hinge means having a common longitudinal axis and pivotably connecting said front and back covers along said juxtaposed marginal edges thereof to provide for pivoting movement of said front and back covers about said longitudinal axis relative to each other between open and closed positions of said case;

said first and second hinge means being respectively disposed at opposite ends of said juxtaposed marginal edges of said front and back covers and having a longitudinally extending space therebetween along a central portion of said juxtaposed marginal edges of said front and back covers;

a first elongated member along said marginal edge of said front cover proximally related to said back cover and forming a part of said front cover, said first elongated member being disposed in the space between said first and second hinge means and being arcuately curved along its extent to define a first trough;

a second elongated member along said marginal edge of said back cover proximally related to said front cover and forming a part of said back cover, said second elongated member being disposed in the space between said first and second hinge means and being arcuately curved along its extent to define a second trough;

said first and second flat inner surfaces of said front and back covers facing each other with said first and second elongated members having the respective first and second troughs thereof disposed in facing relationship to define a substantially cylindrical cavity between said first and second elongated members and extending in the space between said first and second hinge means in the closed position of the case;

a substantially flat book-like object having at least first and second pages;

spiral binder means connecting said pages of said substantially flat book-like object along a longitudinally extending marginal edge thereof, said spiral binder means being received within said cylindrical cavity between said first and second elongated members with said pages of said book-like object lying between said first and second flat inner surfaces of said front and back covers in the closed position of the case;

one of said first and second elongated members being slidably received within the trough of the other elongated member in overlapped interleaved relationship with respect thereto in response to relative pivoting movement of said front and back covers about said longitudinal axis of said first and second hinge means from the closed position of the case to the open position thereof; and

said one elongated member and the other elongated member being disposed in nested relationship with said first and second flat inner surfaces of said front and back covers lying in substantially coplanar relationship and with said spiral binder means of said book-like object lying in the uppermost trough of said elongated members when the case is in its open position;

whereby the respective pages of said book-like object may be turned when the case is in its open position such that successive pages of said book-like object may be disposed in substantially flat relationship as respectively located above said first and second flat inner surfaces of said front and rear covers in a fully exposed state.

2. A book assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said one elongated member is said second elongated member forming a part of said back cover, and said other elongated member is said first elongated member forming a part of said front cover.

3. A book assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first and second elongated members are respectively connected to the corresponding marginal edges of said front and back covers to form unitary structures therewith.

4. A book assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first and second elongated members are respectively provided with marginal lips along the extents thereof;

the marginal lips of said first and second elongated members being disposed in opposing spaced relationship defining an elongated gap therebetween when said first and second elongated members are disposed in facing relationship in the closed position of the case; and

the widthwise dimension of said elongated gap defined between the opposed marginal lips of said first and second elongated members in the closed position of the case being so restricted in magnitude to substantially prevent pinching of a human finger during relative pivoting movement of said front and back covers between the closed and open positions of the case.

5. A book assembly as set forth in claim 4, wherein the widthwise dimension of said elongated gap defined between the opposed marginal lips of said first and second elongated members in the closed position of the case is less than 3/16th inch.

6. A case providing a sectional cover for a substantially flat object adapted to be retained within the sectional cover, said case comprising:

a front cover having a first flat inner surface;

a back cover having a second flat inner surface;

said front and back covers having respective marginal edges arranged in juxtaposed relation to each other;

hinge means having a longitudinal axis and pivotably connecting said front and back covers along said juxtaposed marginal edges thereof to provide for pivoting movement of said front and back covers about said longitudinal axis relative to each other between open and closed positions of said case;

a first elongated member along said marginal edge of said front cover proximally related to said back cover and forming a part of said front cover, said first elongated member being arcuately curved along its extent to define a first longitudinally extending trough;

a second elongated member along said marginal edge of said back cover proximally related to said front cover and forming a part of said back cover, said second elongated member being arcuately curved along its extent to define a second longitudinally extending trough;

said first and second flat inner surfaces of said front and back covers facing each other with said first and second elongated members having the respective first and second troughs thereof disposed in facing relationship to define a substantially cylindrical cavity between said first and second elongated members in the closed position of the case;

one of said first and second elongated members being slidably received within the trough of the other elongated member in overlapping interleaved relationship with respect thereto in response to relative pivoting movement of said front and back covers about said longitudinal axis of said hinge means from the closed position of the case to the open position thereof; and

said one elongated member and the other elongated member being disposed in nested relationship with said first and second flat inner surfaces of said front and back covers lying in substantially coplanar relationship when the case is in its open position.

7. A case as set forth in claim 6, wherein said one elongated member is said second elongated member forming a part of said back cover, and said other elongated member is said first elongated member forming a part of said front cover.

8. A case as set forth in claim 6, wherein said first and second elongated members are respectively connected to the corresponding marginal edges of said front and back covers to form unitary structures therewith.

9. A case as set forth in claim 6, wherein said first and second elongated members are respectively provided with marginal lips along the extents thereof;

the marginal lips of said first and second elongated members being disposed in opposing spaced relationship defining an elongated gap therebetween when said first and second elongated members are disposed in facing relationship in the closed position of the case; and

the widthwise dimension of said elongated gap defined between the opposed marginal lips of said first and second elongated members in the closed position of the case being so restricted in magnitude to substantially prevent pinching of a human finger during relative pivoting movement of said front and back covers between the closed and open positions of the case.

10. A case as set forth in claim 9, wherein the widthwise dimension of said elongated gap defined between the opposed marginal lips of said first and second elongated members in the closed position of the case is less than 3/16th inch.

11. A case providing a sectional cover for a substantially flat object adapted to be retained within the sectional cover, said case comprising:

a front cover having a first flat inner surface;

a back cover having a second flat inner surface;

said front and back covers having respective marginal edges arranged in juxtaposed relation to each other;

first and second hinge means having a common longitudinal axis and pivotably connecting said front and back covers along said juxtaposed marginal edges thereof to provide for pivoting movement of said front and back covers about said longitudinal axis relative to each other between open and closed positions of said case;

said first and second hinge means being respectively spaced from each other and located at the opposite ends of the juxtaposed marginal edges of said front and back covers;

a first elongated member along said marginal edge of said back cover proximally related to said front cover and forming a part of said back cover, said second elongated member being disposed in the space between said first and second hinge means and being arcuately curved along its extent to define a second trough;

a second elongated member along said marginal edge of said back cover proximally related to said front cover and forming a part of said back cover, said second elongated member being disposed in the space between said first and second hinge means and being arcuately curved along its extent to define a second trough;

said first and second flat inner surfaces of said front and back covers facing each other with said first and second elongated members having the respective first and second troughs thereof disposed in facing relationship to define a substantially cylindrical cavity between said first and second elongated members and extending in the space between said first and second hinge means in the closed position of the case;

one of said first and second elongated members being slidably received within the trough of the other elongated member in overlapped interleaved relationship with respect thereto in response to relative pivoting movement of said front and back covers about said longitudinal axis of said first and second hinge means from the closed position of the case to the open position thereof; and

said one elongated member and the other elongated member being disposed in nested relationship with said first and second flat inner surfaces of said front and back covers lying in substantially coplanar relationship when the case is in its open position.

12. A case as set forth in claim 11, wherein said one elongated member is said second elongated member forming a part of said back cover, and said other elongated member is said first elongated member forming a part of said front cover.

13. A case as set forth in claim 11, wherein said first and second elongated members are respectively connected to the corresponding marginal edges of said front and back covers to form unitary structures therewith.

14. A case as set forth in claim 11, wherein said first and second elongated members are respectively provided with marginal lips along the extents thereof;

the marginal lips of said first and second elongated members being disposed in opposing spaced relationship defining an elongated gap therebetween when said first and second elongated members are disposed in facing relationship in the closed position of the case; and

the widthwise dimension of said elongated gap defined between the opposed marginal lips of said first and second elongated members in the closed position of the case being so restricted in magnitude to substantially prevent pinching of a human finger during relative pivoting movement of said front and back covers between the closed and open positions of the case.

15. A case as set forth in claim 14, wherein the widthwise dimension of said elongated gap defined between the opposed marginal lips of said first and second elongated members in the closed position of the case is less than 3/16th inch.