US3351312A

US3351312A - Bookholder

Info

Publication number: US3351312A
Application number: US547220A
Authority: US
Inventors: William E Ballas
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1966-05-03
Filing date: 1966-05-03
Publication date: 1967-11-07
Anticipated expiration: 1984-11-07

Description

Nov. 7, 1967 w. E. BALLAS 3,351,312

BOOKHOLDER Filed May 5, 1966 INVENTOR WILLIAM E. BALLAS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,351,312 BOOKHOLDER William E. Ballas, 8037 Winona Ave., Allen Park, Mich. 48101 Filed May 3, 1966, Ser. No. 547,220 4 Claims. (Cl. 248448) The present invention is directed to a bookholder.

Heretofore it has been found fatiguing to some to hold a book while reading in bed or in any other article of furniture. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a bookholder construction which may be connected to the headboard of a bed or other article of furniture providing means by which the book may be adjustably mounted and retained for mounting a book or other reading material and anchoring the same thereon.

It is the further object to provide a bookholder which may be conveniently mounted upon an article of furniture such as a bed headboard and which when not in use, due to its flexible mounting, may be swung out of the way to one side and wherein furthermore the book support assembly due to its flexible mounting, may be adjustably retained in any desired position for convenient viewing of reading material.

These and other objects may be seen from the following specification and claims in conjunction with the appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present bookholder as applied to a bed headboard fragmentarily shown.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the present bookholder.

It will be understood that the above drawing illustrates merely a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that other embodiments are contemplated Within the scope of the claims hereafter set forth.

Referring to the drawing, the present bookholder generally indicated at 12 is mounted upon the headboard 11 of a bed fragmentarily shown, but is adapted for securing to any other article of furniture. The bookholder includes a clamp base 13 with a clamp 14, FIG. 2, which engages over headboard 11 and which is suitably anchored or secured thereto.

The elongated flexible support 15 is constructed of a flexible tube material and at one end is universally mounted as at 16, such as by a ball and socket connection to the upperr portion of the clamp base and projects upwardly and forwardly thereof.

The elongated flexible cross-support 17 is also constructed of a flexible tubing material and intermediate its ends is secured as at 18 to the outer end of support 15. End portions of cross-support 17 are reverse-turned inwardly in opposed relation as at 19 and are adapted to mount for universal adjustment the present book support assembly 21, which is universally connected as by a ball and socket connection at its opposite sides as at 20, FIG. 1, to the free end portions of the cross-support 17-19.

The present book support assembly 21 includes the substantially flat base 22 which has projecting from its lower edge forwardly and laterally thereof the book supporting ledge 23. An opposed pair of top and bottom channels 24 are arranged upon the rear surface of the base 22 adjacent its upper and lower edges adapted to slidably receive the laterally adjustable extension board 25 guid ably positioned within the said channels 24. Accordingly, the flexible or universal connections between the book support assembly 21 and the inturned ends of the crosssupport 17 includes suitable ball and socket connections for illustration which are arranged upon the central side portions of the respective

support assembly elements

22 and 25, FIG. 1.

Suitable spring clips 26 are secured to and overlie the Patented Nov. 7, 1967 forward surface portions of the

book support elements

22, 25 and are adapted to retainingly secure a page of written material for a book or similar object upon the book support assembly and resting upon the ledge 23.

A suitable lamp assembly is designated at 27 mounted over and joined to the base 22 of the book support assembly adjacent its upper end and including a suitable bulb and socket connection, 'FIG. 2, and employing a suitable wire 28 which extends therefrom and is enclosed Within the flexible tubular support 15 extending rearwardly to the rear of the headboard as shown in FIG. 1. By the foregoing construction the present bookholder provides a convenient means by which the book support assembly 22-25 may be universally mounted in between the inturned ends of the cross-support 17. Since the crosssupport 17 is constructed of a flexible tubing which may be freely bent at will and since the edge portions of the book support are universally connected as at 20 as by a ball and socket connection, for example, there is provided a universal mounting for the book support assembly by which said assembly may be turned to any desired position for convenient viewing with a book applied to said support resting upon the ledge 23.

It is contemplated that the universal connection 20 is assembled with such friction that the book support assembly once angularly adjusted will remain in such adjusted position for convenient use.

It is contemplated under some conditions that a reinforcement may be required for the support of crosssupport 15-17.

For this purpose there is provided upon the rear of the clamp base 13 tube clamp 29, friction fastener 30, which adjustably receives the vertically extending bracing tube 31, which mounts the guide means 32 at its upper ends, such as a pulley or the like.

The holder 33 is adjustably secured upon the flexible support 15, FIG. 1, and a suitable cord or wire 34 at one free end is secured to holder 33, extends over the guide means 32, through the tube 31 and is secured as at 35 to the extension 36 on the clamp base.

By the present construction and employing the flexible support 15 and the flexible tube cross-support 17 as well as the

universal mountings

16 and 20, the present book support assembly can be conveniently adjusted to various positions of use or non-use as desired to suit the convenience of the person reading from and employing the book support assembly.

In the illustrative embodiment the device is shown as mounted upon a headboard. It is contemplated that it could be mounted upon any other article of furniture which provides a convenient means for holding reading material without requiring the users hands.

The auxiliary support employing the bracing tube 31 is advantageous in those situations where the weight of the book mounted is such that auxiliary reinforcement is helpful to maintain the pre-determined adjusted position of the book support assembly in two or three dimensions.

Clips 26 also support a writing pad 37 on the rear surface of platform element 25, for use by rotating the assembly degrees.

Having described my invention reference should now be had to the following claims.

I claim:

1. A bookholder comprising a clamp base adapted for securing to a bed headboard or other article of furniture;

an elongated support of flexible tube material at one end universally mounted upon said clamp base;

an elongated cross-support of flexible tube material intermediate its ends connected to the other end of said tube support;

the ends of the cross-support being reverse-curved inwardly in opposed relation;

a book support assembly including a bottom ledge adjustably interposed between the ends of said crosssupport;

means universally connecting side portions of said book support assembly to the ends of said cross-support;

said latter connections being sufliciently tight as to secure the book support at the desired angular position for convenient usage;

and flexible clips on the book support assembly adapted to retainingly engage a book or other reading material thereon.

2. In the bookholder of claim 1, a lamp mounted on the book support assembly, including a wire extending through said flexible tube support.

3. In the bookholder of claim 1, said book support assembly including a base;

opposed channel guides adjacent its top and bottom at the rear thereof;

and an extension plate movably mounted in said channels adapted for lateral adjustments to regulate the 20 effective widthof said book support assembly.

4. In the bookholder of claim 1, a tube clamp on said References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,083,764 1/1914 Smith 248-445 1,916,667 7/ 1933 Hoogendyk 248445 2,538,318 1/1951 Mitchell 248455 X FOREIGN PATENTS 524,002 7/1940 Great Britain. 543,073 5/ 1956 Italy.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A BOOKHOLDER COMPRISING A CLAMP BASE ADAPTED FOR SECURING TO A BED HEADBOARD OR OTHER ARTICLE OF FURNITURE; AN ELONGATED SUPPORT OF FLEXIBLE TUBE MATERIAL AT ONE END UNIVERSALLY MOUNTED UPON SAID CLAMP BASE; AN ELONGATED CROSS-SUPPORT OF FLEXIBLE TUBE MATERIAL INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS CONNECTED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID TUBE SUPPORT; THE ENDS OF THE CROSS-SUPPORT REVERSE-CURVED INWARDLY IN OPPOSED RELATION; A BOOK SUPPORT ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A BOTTOM LEDGE ADJUSTABLY INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE ENDS OF SAID CROSSSUPPORT;