US2641484A - Protective book cover - Google Patents

Description

June 9, 1953 A. BRODY PROTECTIVE BOOK COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 14, 1950 w ls/ INVENTOR A27/402 520m BY E ATTORNEY June 9, 1953 A.. BRoDY PROTECTIVE BooK covER Filed July 14, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mmm W INVENToR.' 427,402 5200)/ xyz i, E

" Arron/Ey Patented June 9, 1953 f UNITED; ySTATES PAT ENT- Y QFFI'CE* f l l "i 2,641,484J- rRo'rEo'rIvE pool; oovER v Arthur BrodyNewark, l ,Y Application Jiy'n, 195o, seria-1i programs My present invention relates generally to book covers, and has particular referencev to the type of book cover devicethat'is customarily'applied forv protective purposesv to school books and the hkelm o. y Book coverscomposed of paper are'well-known and have been used for years to shield school books and other books likely to be subjected to extensive use.v They are relatively inexpensive and easy to use, but they have Aanumber of disadvantages. They are opaque and therefore concealthe title and Votherlettering on the book itself; they are not weather resistant; they soil readily; and they do 'not wear well. l j Attempts to use plastic sheet material in place of paper `has not been'wholly successfulp Those materialswhich have sufIicient-body and wear resistance are too brittle and cannot be readily folded. Other materials have a tendency to crack, and because of insufficient tear strength they are easily damaged and rapidly become unsuitable for continued use.- Those plastic sheet materials which have adequate 'resistance to tearing and which do not crack are usually of such limp character that the requisite body and formretaining qualities are lacking. Moreover,v such limp materials do not'retain a crease.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a protective book cover of novel structural character, coupling in a unique waythe desirable qualities of both plastic and paper and avoiding most of the disadvantages heretofore encountered. Y Y

-Another object of the invention lies in the provision of an improved and simplified procedure for making book covers of this kind.

Briefly stated, the present book cover consists of a laminated sheet formed of outer and inner layers adhesively bonded to each other. The outer layer is composed of a plastic sheet which is waterproof, translucid and tear resistant, but which is nevertheless too limp to retain a crease or to serve by itself as a satisfactory book covering material. The inner layer is composed of opaque relatively stiff paper having al1 thedesirable attributes of paper, especially the ability` to furnish the requisite strength and body, the ability to be marked or printed upon, and the ability to be folded and to retain a crease'. v'lfh'e paper layer has a cut-out which is so positioned that the medial region of the book cover consists only of a single ply of translucid material through which the spine of the book remains visible..

- One of the principal features of the present invention lies in forming the paper layer of separated .parts-whicharesegments of an initially single web. `l`fIhis is important because it permits the parts 'to bear "accurately aligned markings formed "by "a single marking impression on the Wiebf". y

l. Figure 4 is a perspective view ofthe book cover 1n' a folded condition" ready'to be applied toaA book;

. Figure 5 isa"diagrammatic plan View of a` preferred procedure in manufacturing the 'book cover-:,- j', Figure 6 is an elevational view'of Fign5;

` Figureis ay view similar toFig. 5`illustrating amodified procedure; V

Figure 8 isV a cross-sectional View similar to Fig. 3 through a book lcover constructedin accordancewithFig; j v

Figures 9 and `10 are views similar to Fig. 8 showing the way in which this book covercan bedadjusted Ito''lt books of varying thicknesses; Figure 11-is aperspective view of a covered Referring first to Figures -1,- 2 Aand 3, the book covery of the present invention-is `a substantially rectangular laminated sheet vwhich consistsof an outer layer l 0 of suitable plastic, and an inner layer composed of paperA andl consistingof-the two separated parts Il andl2. y 1 Y f The plastic sheet material may be of any suit able selected character, .and without limiting` the invention to any particular material or group of materials',`j1 may saythat the polyethylene resins, the `vinyl resins, ethyl.. cellulose tand rubber khy droohloride embody kthe qualities which `the .present 'A purposes call for, whereas ethyl acetate is typical of a number of plastic materials which are toov brittle and which tend to crack and disintegrate.l Thequalities ywhich the present plastic sheetmaterial ,should have are resistance to water and weather, good tensile strength, anda ilexibility that resists cracking and atoughness that resists tearing. kThe material need not be unusually thick -or heavy, and may in fact be relativelymlimp. It should also preferably be translucid;

The paper layer'may'be 'composed of sultiv 3 able kraft paper, or any paper of equivalent stiiness, opacity, foldability, and ability to retain a crease.

Any suitable adhesive may be used for bonding the two layers of the present book cover together. Preferably the adhesive should be transparent and colorless, so that printing or other markings on the paper layer may show through the translucid layer.v v

It win be observed that the parts H and I2 or the paper layer are spaced along Athe middle of the device so as to form a transverse region I3 in which there is only a single ply of the transe lucid sheet. It will also be noted that the paper layer has on it two sets I4 and I5 of parallel linear markings. For illustrative purposes I have shown each set as consisting of threeparallel lines. These groups of lines are arranged along opposite longitudinal margins of the bobk cover, serving to guide the folding of the book cover along parallel longitudinal lines to reduce the effective width of the boek cover to the height of the book to be covered. The markings on each part of the paper layer are accurately aligned, respectively, with the corresponding markings on the other, and this is achieved by making the two paper parts II and I2 segments lof an initially single web of paper, and by making the markings of each group segments of a single marking im-` pression.

The features of the invention will become more apparent upon inspection of Figs. `5 and 6, in which a preferred procedure is diagrammatically illustrated. A paper web P is fed from a roll 'or supply IB to and between a pair of laminating rollers I'I. Also fed to these rollers, from a roll or supply I8, is a Web P' of the plastic material. The webs P and P have exactly the saine width. The glue for the adhesion of the webs may be applied to either of them, and I have illustratively shown a gluing roller I9 adapted to apply a coating of suitable adhesive to the paper web P. As will be seen in Fig. 5, the roller I 9 preferably con# sists of two parts separated along the longitudinal axis of the web, whereby the' central or medial region of the web is lef't with no adhesive on it.

Prior to the passage of the paper web beneath the roller or rollers I9, it is subjected to the action of a printing roller which applies a series of successive markings t the web, each marking extending transversely across the web. These successive markings are indicated bythe reference numeral 2`I, and I have illustratively shown each group consisting ofy three parallel lines.

After the paper has been marked as yat and has passed beneath the gluing rollers I9, but before it reaches the laminatingrollers I'I, ,it is subjected to the slitting action of a pair of knives 22 which are spaced apart to slit from the web a medial ribbon which is indicated at 23 andwhich may be' discarded. The resultant laminated sheet which emerges from between therollers I I has a medial longitudinal region which consists of only a single ply. v y

Subsequently, the klairiinate'd sheet is subjected to the cutting or shearingy action of a pair of shearing elements 24, serving to c'ut from the strip' the successive book covers shown in Fig'- ures 1-3.

In applying the book cover to a book, the longer edges are rst turned in along parallel lines, as indicated by the folds 25 in Fig. 4. This folding is performed along lines which reduce the effec'- I4 tive width of the book cover to the height or approximate height of the book to be covered. The groups of markings I4 and I5 help to achieve this result, and the quality of the paper is such that the book cover remains creased in a highly desirable manner. The opposite ends of the book cover should then also fold inwardly as indicated at 26 and in this condition the book cover is ready lto be applied tohva book, This is done `in wellknow rashin, 'the front and rear shards of the book being slipped into lsition within the turned back portions 26. Obviously, the translucid central region of the present device leaves the spine of thebookexposed to view..y If the region I3 of the book cover is slightly narrower or slightly wider than the thickness of the book, no great harm results;

In Fig'.- 7 the procedure is the same as in Figs. 5

v and 6 and the same reference numerals have therefore been applied, eizcept that the two cutters 22 have been replaced by a single centrally disposed cutter 2'I; The result is that the book cover consists of an outer layer le of plastic, as before; and of the two parts II' and I2 of the paper layer. However, the paper layer remains unat: tached to the plastic layer in the regions 28 lying directly alongside the medial gap; In this way; the translucid part of the cover, indicated I3' in Figs.I 9, 19 and 1l, may be varied in width by folding back the parts 28 by varying amounts, as shown.

The advantages of the present device lie in the fact that it is relatively inexpensive to make, just as easy to use as the well=known paper covers, yet the wearing qualities are greatly enhanced. The lettering or printing on the spine of the book remains visible, the paper layer can be imprinted with scholastic insignia or the like, the device may be applied to books of varying sizes without requiring any cutting or complicated adjustments, arid the cover affords a protective sheath which is weather resistant, Washable, durable, and un-V usually able to withstand rough and prolonged usage and wear. l

It will be understood that those skilled in the art will readily be able to make changes in I'r'iany of the details herein described and illustrated, without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appr'ideti claims:

Having thus described my invention and illustra-ted its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A protective book cover comprising a lamihated sheet consisting of adhesively bonded outer and inner layers, the outer layer being composed of a plastic sheet which is waterproof, translucid and tear resistant but too limp to retain a crease, the inner' layer being composed Aof opaque relatively stiii' paper well adapted to be folded and to retain a crease, said paper layer being composed of spaced parts which denne between them a gap so positioned that the medial region of the book cover adapted to overlie the spine of the book to be covered consists only of said translucid rnateriall.

2. A protective book cover as se't forth in claim l, said spaced parts of the paper layer bearing accurately aligned markings that show through said translucid layer.

3. A protective book cover comprising a substatially'rectangular laminated sheet consisting of adhesively bonded outer and inner layers, the outer layer being, composed of a plastic sheet whichv is waterproof.- translucid and tear resistant but too limp to retain a crease, the inner layer being composed of opaque relatively stii paper Well adapted to be folded and to retain a creasey said paper layer having a gap therein which extends transversely across the midportion of the book cover so that in the region adapted to overlie the spine of the book to be covered there is only said translucid material, the spaced parts of said paper layer bearing parallel linear markings arranged along opposite longitudinal margins of the book cover, the markings on each part being accurately aligned, respectively, with the corresponding markings on the other, said markings serving to guide the folding of the book cover along parallel longitudinal lines to reduce the effective width of the book cover to the height of the book to be covered.

4. A protective book cover comprising a substantially rectangular laminated sheet consisting of adhesively bonded outer and inner layers, the outer layer being composed of a plastic sheet which is Waterproof, translucid and tear resistant but too limp to retain a crease, the inner layer being composed of opaque relatively stiff paper Well adapted to be folded and to retain a crease, said paper layer having a gap therein which extends transversely across the midportifon of the book cover so that in the region adapted to overlie the spine cf the book to be covered there is only a single ply of translucid material, said paper layer being unattached to said plastic layer in the regions directly alongside said gap, whereby the width of said single `ply of translucid material may be varied to suit books of various thicknesses by doubling back said unattached regions.

ARTHUR BRODY.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 444,821 Feist/er Jan. 20, 1891 745,475 Barker et al Dec. 1, 1903 752,537 Eneas Feb. 16, 1904 949,307 Smalley Feb. 15, 1910 2,052,151 Voorhis Aug. 25, 1938 2,105,041 Kafka Jan. 11, 1938 2,122,638 Douglas July 5, 1938 2,166,038 Chambon July 1l, 1939 2,232,640 Schwartzan Feb. 18, 1941 2,445,871 Brody July 27, 1948 2,508,128 Waarde May 16, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain Jan. 7, 1926

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