Hypertext book attachment

• US 5,380,043 A
• Filed: 03/16/1989
• Issued: 01/10/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Productive Environments Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Productive Environments Incorporated
• Inventors: Schwartz, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bell, Paul A.
• Application Number:
  US07/324,417
• Time in Patent Office: 2,126 Days
• Field of Search: 281/15.1, 281/16, 281/51, 281/29, 281/3, 281/5, 281/19, 281/42, 281/43, 281/47, 402/4, 402/70, 402/73, 402/76, 402/78, 402/80 R
• US Class Current: 281/15.1
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 1/00 Books or other bound products match books A24F27/12; picture books with additional toy effects A63H33/38; indexing features B42F21/00; educational or demonstration appliances G09B, e.g. textbooks for teaching foreign languages G09B19/08

Abstract

A blank book attachment having a mark and sweep leaf with a fold out feature is provided. The leaf is pivotably retained along one edge on a frame, and the frame is pivotably retained at the binding spine of the host blank book. Pulling outward on the leaf causes the leaf to extend out and beyond the pages of the book allowing the pages to turn freely. When the leaf is placed within the host book, with the book open or closed, the leaf can be turned as a page, in which case it also acts as a mark to identify a specific position in the host book. Alternatively, the leaf may be pivoted on the frame to allow the host book pages to be turned past it in either direction.

Claims

1. A frame attachment for a book, said frame attachment comprising:

a frame member capable of being pivotably attached to said book comprising at least a first arm and a second arm, each arm having a length, said first and said second arms being substantially orthogonal to one another, said first arm further comprising a length adjustment means for allowing the changing of the length of said first arm;

an orientation structure pivotably attached at a first end thereof to an attachment location on said second arm of said frame member; and

a mounting surface pivotably attached to said orientation structure at a second end of said orientation structure, said mounting surface having a face and perimeter features;

wherein;

said orientation structure enables said mounting surface to be placed in any of two substantially coplanar, non-overlapping and adjacent positions, said positions being on either side of said attachment location, with preservation of orientation of said face and perimeter features of said mounting surface in both positions.

2. An electronic surface attachment, forming a hypermedia structure, for attaching a hypermedia structure to an object, of which it may become a part, said electronic surface attachment comprising at least:

a first section of material having first and second ends and a length between those ends, and having a pivotal fold along a line substantially transverse to said length to define (a) an orientation flap between said first end and said pivotal fold, and (b) a mounting surface portion, between said second end and said pivotal fold;

an electronic device having a surface and perimeter features, and being attached to said mounting surface such that said pivotal fold is located between opposing ends of said electronic device and and away from said opposing ends, wherein said electronic device may pivot freely thereon; and

a pivotal retention structure having a first end and a second end, and being pivotally hinged at said first end of said retention structure to said first end of said section of material, for pivotally coupling said electronic surface attachment to an object.

3. A book having front and back covers and a spine, said each of said covers having perimeter features including at least one free cover edge, said covers having an attachment system thereon comprising a book coupling structure configuration, said coupling structure configuration comprising a plurality of coupling structures at least one of said coupling structures being at said book spine, for receiving leaf pages therein, and one or more additional coupling structures, each one or more additonal coupling structures comprising a pivotal hinge portion for receiving a pivotal attachment structure therein, said each of said additional pivotal hinge portions being located away from said spine;

and

one or more attachments, said attachments being coupled to said book at one or more of said book coupling structures, each said attachments selected from the group consisting of;

(a) a frame attachment comprising;

a frame member;

a leaf member having a plurality of faces and perimeter features;

first binding means for binding said leaf member to said frame member;

second binding means for binding said frame to said book at one of said coupling structures; and

orientation maintaining means for allowing preservation of orientation of said faces and said perimeter features of said leaf relative to said book;

such that;

said frame member, said leaf member and said first binding means define a frame/leaf pair;

when said frame member is bound to said book at said coupling structure, said leaf member may be moved about said frame, and said frame moved about said coupling structure, such that said leaf member can be positioned in any one of a plurality of locations, at least two of said locations being non-overlapping and coplanar, each of said two locations being substantially adjacent to at least one of the other said two locations, the same face of said leaf member retaining its face and perimeter feature orientations in said two adjacent ones of said two locations; and

(b) a frame set attachment comprising;

a plurality of frame attachments, each said frame attachment comprising;

a frame member,

a leaf member having a plurality of faces and perimeter features, and

first binding means for binding said leaf member to said frame member, thereby defining a frame/leaf pair;

second binding means for binding a plurality of frame attachments into a frame set; and

ordinal positioning enabling means for enabling the ordinal positioning of frame/leaf pairs of a frame set;

such that;

when said frame/leaf pair is bound to said frame set and said frame set bound to said book at said coupling structure, said leaf may be moved about said frame, and said frame moved about said frame set and said frame set moved about said coupling structure, such that said leaf can be positioned in any one of a plurality of locations, each frame/leaf pair being capable of moving substantially freely past any other frame/leaf pair in such a manner that any frame/leaf pair may be placed in any ordinal position relative to any other frame/leaf pair.

4. A book having front and back covers and a spine, said each of said covers having perimeter features including at least one free cover edge, said covers having an attachment system thereon comprising a book coupling structure configuration, said coupling structure configuration comprising a plurality of coupling structures at least one of said coupling structures being at said book spine, for receiving leaf pages therein, and one or more additional coupling structures, each one or more additonal coupling structures comprising a pivotal hinge portion for receiving a pivotal attachment structure therein;

and

one or more attachments, said attachments being coupled to said book at one or more of said book coupling structures, each said attachments selected from the group consisting of;

(a) a frame attachment comprising;

a frame member;

a leaf member having a plurality of faces and perimeter features;

first binding means for binding said leaf member to said frame member;

second binding means for binding said frame to said book at one of said coupling structures; and

orientation maintaining means for allowing preservation of orientation of said faces and said perimeter features of said leaf relative to said book;

such that;

said frame member, said leaf member and said first binding means define a frame/leaf pair;

when said frame member is bound to said book at said coupling structure, said leaf member may be moved about said frame, and said frame moved about said coupling structure, such that said leaf member can be positioned in any one of a plurality of locations, at least two of said locations being non-overlapping and coplanar, each of said two locations being substantially adjacent to at least one of the other said two locations, the same face of said leaf member retaining its face and perimeter feature orientations in said two adjacent ones of said two locations;

(b) a frame set attachment comprising;

a plurality of frame attachments, each said frame attachment comprising;

a frame member,

a leaf member having a plurality of faces and perimeter features, and

first binding means for binding said leaf member to said frame member, thereby defining a frame/leaf pair;

second binding means for binding a plurality of frame attachments into a frame set; and

ordinal positioning enabling means for enabling the ordinal positioning of frame/leaf pairs of a frame set;

such that;

when said frame/leaf pair is bound to said frame set and said frame set bound to said book at said coupling structure, said leaf may be moved about said frame, and said frame moved about said frame set and said frame set moved about said coupling structure, such that said leaf can be positioned in any one of a plurality of locations, each frame/leaf pair being capable of moving substantially freely past any other frame/leaf pair in such a manner that any frame/leaf pair may be placed in any ordinal position relative to any other frame/leaf pair; and

(c) a frame attachment comprising;

a frame member;

a leaf member having a plurality of faces and perimeter features; and

an orientation member;

first binding means for binding said leaf member to said orientation member;

second binding means for binding said orientation member to said frame member;

third binding means for binding said frame to said host object at one of said coupling structures;

said orientation maintaining means for allowing preservation of orientation of said faces and said perimeter features relative to said host object;

such that;

said frame member, said leaf member, said first binding means, and second binding means define a frame/leaf pair;

when said frame member is bound to said host object at said coupling structure, said leaf member may be moved about said frame, and said frame moved about said coupling structure, such that said leaf member can be positioned in any one of a plurality of locations, at least four of said locations being non-overlapping and coplanar, each of said four locations being substantially adjacent to at least one of the other said four locations, the same face of said leaf member retaining its face and perimeter feature orientations in at least two adjacent ones of said four locations.

5. The combination comprising:

a book having a spine and front and back covers, said covers defining a first perimeter foot print of said book when said book is open and a second perimeter footprint when said book is closed;

a composite coupling structure supported by said book at said book spine comprising a pivotal hinge portion for receiving a pivotal attachment structure therein and a leaf binding means for attaching leaf pages thereto;

a plurality of leaf pages attached to said leaf binding means;

at least one frame member providing a pivotal attachment structure, pivotably coupled to said book at said composite coupling structure pivotal hinge portion;

an orientation structure pivotably attached at a first part thereof to an attachment location on said at least one frame member; and

a mounting surface having a face and perimeter features pivotably attached to said orientation structure at a second part of said orientation structure;

wherein;

said orientation structure enables said mounting surface to be placed in any two substantially coplanar, non-overlapping, and adjacent positions, said positions being on either side of said attachment location on said frame member, with preservation of orientation of said face and perimenter features of said mounting surface in both positions, and wherein;

said pivotal coupling of said frame member to said book enables said surface to be positioned in two additional locations, with all four locations being substantially coplanar, non-overlapping, and adjacent, one to the next, with said mounting surface retaining it'"'"'s face and perimeter feature orientations in all four of said four locations, and wherein;

at least one of said four positions can lay substantially within the perimeter footprint defined by said covers of said book when said book is closed, at least two of said four positions can lay substantially within the perimeter foot print of said book when said book is open, and at least two positions can lay subtsantially outside said perimeter footprint defined by said covers of said book when said book is open, and wherein;

said mounting surface may additionally be placed between any of said plurality of leaf pages when said book is opened or closed, where said each of said plurality of leaf pages may be turned past said mounting surface at will without obstruction by said mounting surface or said leaf pages, and further where said mounting surface may be placed on the outside of said book resting on a cover thereof.

6. A leaf attachment for an object, of which it may become a part, said leaf attachment comprising at least:

a sheet of material having first and second ends and a length between those ends, wherein;

said material includes a first fold transverse to said length between said first and second ends;

said material includes second and third folds substantially parallel to and equidistant from said first fold;

said material is folded together at said first fold, said material between said first fold and said second fold and said material between first fold and said third fold having means therefore for being attached one to the other to form an orientation support member; and

said sheet of material is folded apart at said second and third folds to form a pivotally hinged mounting surface for receiving a surface, said surface being comprised of said material between said first end, said second fold, said third fold, and said second end.

7. The leaf attachment of claim 6 wherein said first fold substantially bisects said sheet of material.

8. The leaf attachment of claim 6 wherein said pivotally hinged mounting surface has a second substantially stiff surface mounted thereon.

9. The leaf attachment of claim 8 wherein said leaf attachment further comprises means for semi-permanently joining said pivotally hinged mounting surface to said orientation support member when said pivotally hinged mounting surface is folded into at least one position where said pivotally hinged mounting surface and said orientation support member are substantially coplanar one atop the other.

10. A leaf attachment comprising at least a retaining structure having first and second ends, an orientation member having first and second ends, and a mounting surface having first and second ends, wherein said second end of said orientation member is pivotally hinged to said mounting surface between and away from said opposing ends of said mounting surface, and said first end of said orientation member is pivotally hinged to said second end of said retention structure, and wherein said retaining structure, said orientation member, and said mounting surface are made from flexible material, and at least said structure comprising said mounting surface and said orientation member is made of one piece of said flexible material, where said hinge effect of said pivotal hinges is created soiey by the inherent flexibility of the material itself.