US781890A - Book-supporter. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED FEB. '7, 1905.

L. H. LATIMEE.

BOOK SUPPORTER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1904.

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LElYlS H. LATIMER, OF FLUSHING, NElV YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF Patented February '7, 1905.

NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TO EDIVARD CALDIVELL, ()F PLAIN FIELD, NElV JERSEY.

BOOK-SUPPORTER- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 781,890, dated February '7, 1905.

Application filed June 3, 1904. Serial No. 210,930.

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Be it known that I, Lewis H. LA'IDIER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Flushing, county of Queens, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Book-Supporters, of which the following is a specification.

The need of some convenient supporter for books arranged upon the shelves of ordinary bookcases is well known. If a given set of books fills a certain shelf, it is difficult to withdraw any selected book, while if the books do not exactly fill the shelf some or all of the books tend to tip over more or less at the top, thereby causing one or more of the books to become distorted in shape by reason of the fact that the weight of the books in their inclined position bears upon one edge of the cover or binding. Books so placed soon get out of shape and are both unsightly in appearance and difficult to handle.

Various devices have been proposed as book supporters, and the present invention relates to a device of this general class. The present invention, however, is adapted for use as a support either for the tops or bottoms of books arranged upon a shelf, and this adaptability of the device is one of the distinctive features of the present invention.

Another feature is that the book-supporter herein described can easily be cut and pressed from a single piece of sheet metal, so that it has the advantage of being easily constructed and involving small expense.

In the accompanyingdrawings, illustrating my invention, Figure l is a perspective of my device as it appears in the position which it occupies in supporting the tops or upper ends of a shelf of books. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the device in the position which it occupies when supporting the bottoms or lower ends of a shelf of books. Fig. 3 is a reduced perspective of the device as it appears in actual use in the position illustrated in Fig. 1, and Fig. I is a perspective of the device as it appears in actual use in the position illustrated in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a piece of sheet metal bent over at one end so as to form an upright or vertical piece 2 and a horizontal or nearly horizontal piece 3. The parts thus described are adapted to slide over the edge of a shelf, as clearly indicated in Fig. 3. At the opposite end of the piecel a slit is made in the metal and the metal beyond the slit is first bent upward, the part which remains integral with the piece 1 being shown at I in Figs. 2 and I. The portion along the slit is then bent twice at right angles, one side of the bend being shown at 5 and the other at 6. The bend is so made that the edge of the part 6 will be substantially flush with one edge of the piece 1. The parts l, 5, and 6, however, will appear above the sheet 1 and the edges of the partsand 6 will form a support against which the bottoms of the books may rest when the device is attached, as shown in the second and fourth figures of the drawings. On the other hand, when the device is arranged as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the tops or upper ends of the books will rest against the side 5 and be duly supported thereby.

I prefer to stamp up the book-supporter herein describcdfrom a single sheet of metal and to provide the sheet in the first instance with rounded corners, as shown. So far as the finished product is concerned, however, I do not wish to confine myself to a book-supporter which is stamped up from a single sheet of metal, nor do I desire to limit myself to using sheet metal to the exclusion of other material, such as thin pieces of wood built up into the described shape. I prefer, however, the sheet-metal construction, as providing ease of manufacture and as being otherwise adapted to the purposes of the invention.

It is manifest that the support formed by the parts 4, 5, and 6 may be made of any desired length, so as to support the books over any desired distance. For this purpose the slit made across a portion of the sheet will be cut nearer to or farther away from the end of the sheet which is remote from the parts 2 and 3. For example, if the length of the supportis to be smaller the slit will be out near the remote end of the piece 1, whereas if the length of the support is to be considerable the slit will be cut farther away from the said remote end. Moreover, the width of the support may be regulated by other means. For example, the original strip of sheet metal need not be symmetrical, but the part beyond the slit may be longer or shorter than the width of the sheet-metal piece 1. If it is shorter than the normal width of the sheet, then when the portion beyond the slit is bent as described it will occupy less space as to width than it would if it Were originally of the same Width as the sheet. On the other hand, if the strip beyond the slit is longer than the said normal width of the sheet it will When bent as described occupy a greater space. In general, however, I stamp up the book-supporter from a symmetrical piece of sheet metal, as already indicated. hen the metal has been formed into the proper shape or prior to such forming, it may be treated with any paint or coloringmatter to render it attractive to the eye or it may be left uncoated at will. As another means of providing variation in the Width of the support I may mention the fact that a slit across a portion of the sheet of metal may be made longer or shorter, as the case may be. IVhen the slit is made of considerable length, reaching nearerto the remote side of the piece 1, a greater proportionate Width may be given to the part 5, thus increasing the width of the support as a whole.

I claim as my invention A sheet-metal book-supporter provided at one end with means for grasping a shelf, and at the opposite end with a rest for books, the said rest being formed by bending a portion of the metal at right angles to the main body of the sheet and afterward bending a portion of the bent-up part twice at right angles until the edge of the bent-up part is brought flush with the edge of the main body of the sheet.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 18th day of May, A. D. 1904:.

LEWVIS H. LATIMER.

Vitnesses:

THos. H. BROWN, WVM. H. CAPEL.

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