US3732773A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Automatic page turner
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1971-09-10
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Granted: 1973-05-15
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Expires: 1991-09-10
Abstract
Abstract A plurality of vertically disposed resilient wire rods are pivotally mounted in bushings which are spaced along the ends of the rods and secured on a base plate. Each rod pivots about a separate vertical axis through the bushings and is spring biased toward one side of the base plate. The opposite ends of each rod are bent to extend horizontally, with each horizontal extension being spaced apart vertically to avoid interference with the other rods. A pair of vertically extending clear flexible plastic strips are secured between the ends of the opposite horizontal extensions of each rod. The plastic strips of each pair are positioned one above the other to engage the front and back faces of a page of a book or a sheet of music which is inserted between the strips. The outer cover or pages are held in place against the base plate by clamps. In the latched position, the rods are pivoted to the right side of the base plate with each upper horizontal extension engaging a corresponding individual slot in a vertically disposed latching bracket. A lever release mechanism operates a vertical control rod having a pawl at the end which engages the teeth of a slideable rack. The rack is moved upwardly against the horizontal wire rod extensions which are pushed out of the slots to permit the spring biased vertical rods to pivot back to the left with the pages carried between the plastics strips. Each movement of the lever causes the pawl to move the rack upwardly another notch against the next horizontal rod extension to successively release all of the rods and turn the pages from right to left back into the normal position.
Inventors
- 👤 A Bombardi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 06:10
CPC Classifications
B; B42; B42D; B42D9/00; B42D9/04; B42D9/08
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
220 words
An automatic page turning device comprising a base plate adapted to support a publication having a plurality of pages; a plurality of vertically disposed resilient wire rods pivotally mounted on a central area of said base plate, each vertical wire rod having opposite horizontally extending end portions and being spring biased toward one side of said base plate, each horizontal end of each rod being vertically spaced from each adjacent wire rod end; a plurality of separate wire rod support means spaced vertically along said wire rods on said base plate, each wire rod being pivotable about a separate vertical axis through said support means; a plurality of vertically extending thin flexible page holding strips of narrow width spaced from the vertical portions of said rods and being connected respectively between said opposite horizontally extending end portions of each respective wire rod and accommodating the full length of a page between said ends; latching means having a plurality of vertically spaced slots therein each adapted to engage a respective one of said horizontally extending end portions in a pivoted position to retain said wire rods on the opposite side of said base plate; and control means for successively releasing each wire rod from engagement in said slots to permit said spring biased wire rods to return to said one side.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
220 words
An automatic page turning device comprising a base plate adapted to support a publication having a plurality of pages; a plurality of vertically disposed resilient wire rods pivotally mounted on a central area of said base plate, each vertical wire rod having opposite horizontally extending end portions and being spring biased toward one side of said base plate, each horizontal end of each rod being vertically spaced from each adjacent wire rod end; a plurality of separate wire rod support means spaced vertically along said wire rods on said base plate, each wire rod being pivotable about a separate vertical axis through said support means; a plurality of vertically extending thin flexible page holding strips of narrow width spaced from the vertical portions of said rods and being connected respectively between said opposite horizontally extending end portions of each respective wire rod and accommodating the full length of a page between said ends; latching means having a plurality of vertically spaced slots therein each adapted to engage a respective one of said horizontally extending end portions in a pivoted position to retain said wire rods on the opposite side of said base plate; and control means for successively releasing each wire rod from engagement in said slots to permit said spring biased wire rods to return to said one side.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
The device of claim 1 wherein said page holding strips comprise pairs of Clear plastic strips, each said pair being adapted to receive a page therebetween.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
The device of claim 2 wherein said wire rod support means includes a plurality of bushings and a plurality of tubular helical torsion springs secured between a pair of adjacent spaced bushings, each spring being positioned around and secured along a respective wire rod to bias said rods toward said one side.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The device of claim 3 wherein said bushings include a plurality of spaced channels, each channel providing a vertical axis for a respective wire rod.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
87 words
The device of claim 4 wherein said control means includes a vertically slideable rack having an extending end adjacent said latching means and a plurality of vertically spaced teeth along one edge, a vertical control rod having a pawl at one end engageable with said teeth, and lever means intermittently actuating said control rod and pawl to successively engage respective said teeth and move said end of said slideable rack against the end portions of said wire rods in said slots to successively release said wire rods.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
The device of claim 5 including upper and lower base plates, said bushings and control means being mounted between said base plates.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
55 words
The device of claim 6 wherein said latching means is mounted at an end of said upper base plate and includes an angled plate extending forwardly in said central area and having said slots to engage said horizontal wire rod portions, said end of said rack extending forwardly along a side of said angled plate.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
12 words
The device of claim 7 wherein said lever means is manually operable.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
The device of claim 8 including means connected to said lever means for remotely operating said control means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
94 words
The device of claim 7 wherein said control means includes a block having a channel for said slideable rack and an adjacent channel for said control rod and pawl, said adjacent channel including means for guiding said pawl into engagement with said teeth during actuation of said control rod and for preventing engagement at other times, and stop means to limit movement of said lever means and control rod to the spacing between said teeth and to release one horizontal wire rod portion from one said slot during each actuation of said lever means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
40 words
The device of claim 10 wherein the upper central area of said upper base plate is of a reduced length providing an open space between the opposite sides for accommodating said horizontal rod extensions, angled latching plate and rack end.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
28 words
The device of claim 11 wherein said bushings include a plurality of support plates having two parallel rows of channels therebetween accommodating two rows of vertical wire rods.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
The device of claim 12 wherein an outer support plate includes pairs of spaced slots, the ends of said springs around each wire rod being slideably engageable in said slots.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
48 words
The device of claim 11 including a pair of adjustable resilient clamping means pivotally mounted at said opposite sides of said upper base plate and having extending arms for holding outer portions of a publication on said upper base plate while inner pages engage said page holding means.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
35 words
The device of claim 14 including a further resilient clamping means pivotally mounted in said central area of said upper base plate and having an extending wire for holding a center fold of said publication.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
30 words
The device of claim 15 wherein said lever means includes levers positioned at each side of said upper base plate permitting operation of said lever means selectively from both sides.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-05-14 | 1976-11-13 | 1977-05-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-05-14 | 1980-11-13 | 1981-05-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-05-14 | 1984-11-13 | 1985-05-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |