U.S. patent number 3,790,770 [Application Number 05/308,234] was granted by the patent office on 1974-02-05 for illuminated book support.
Invention is credited to Eric P. Stern.
United States Patent |
3,790,770 |
Stern |
February 5, 1974 |
ILLUMINATED BOOK SUPPORT
Abstract
An adjustable support apparatus to hold books or other reading
matter in position so as to enable lying or seated individuals to
read. The apparatus consists of a transparent plate, preferably of
acrylic plastic, which is supported by an adjustable arm attached
either to the bed head board or to a portable stand. Shielded
tubular light bulbs on each side of the transparent plate may be
rotated so as to cast light from either below the plate, or to a
position above the plate so that the reading matter may be
illuminated for reading from below, or from above the support
level.
Inventors: |
Stern; Eric P. (Quito,
EC) |
Family
ID: |
23193132 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/308,234 |
Filed: |
November 20, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
362/98; 248/445;
362/269; 362/801; 362/232; 362/413 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B
23/06 (20130101); Y10S 362/801 (20130101); A47B
23/046 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47B
23/00 (20060101); A47B 23/06 (20060101); F21v
033/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;240/2R,1EL,6.4B,2P
;248/445 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Moses; Richard L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Podell; Howard I.
Claims
1. A support apparatus for the purpose of holding books or other
reading matter in a position to be illuminated so as to be read by
a person without using his limbs to support the reading matter,
consisting of
a transparent support member affixed by a jointed support arm with
attachment means for fastening to a vertical support member, such
as a bed headboard or a portable stand, with a shielded light
source fixed to a side of said transparent support member so as to
illuminate material resting on the transparent support member in
order that such reading material may be viewed from either above or
below the transparent support member, as desired, in which the
shielded light source may be rotated from below the transparent
support member, to above the transparent support member, so as to
illuminate material resting on the transparent support member from
below, or from above the transparent support member, said light
source being pivotably mounted in a shielded housing to one side of
the transparent support member, with the axis of the pivot of the
mounting of the light source being parallel to the fastened side of
the transparent support member, together with stop means to fix the
light source mounting
2. The combination as recited in claim 1 in which two light sources
are employed, each pivotably mounted in shielded housings fixed on
opposing
3. The combination as recited in claim 1 in which the light source
mounting is enclosed in a fixed shield that extends above, to the
side of, and below the transparent support member, together with
handle means fastened to the light source mounting and extending
through the fixed housing to
4. The combination recited in claim 1 in which the transparent
support
5. The combination recited in claim 1 in which the transparent
support
6. The combination recited in claim 1 in which the transparent
support
7. The combination recited in claim 1 in which the light source is
of
8. The combination recited in claim 7 in which the shielded light
source is fixed to two opposing sides of the transparent support
member.
Description
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
The purpose of my invention is to enable reading matter to be
supported in a fashion that will permit lying or seated patients to
read, without requiring any use of their limbs to support the
reading matter.
My invention is an apparatus for supporting reading matter on a
transparent plate which is illuminated by shielded tubular light
bulbs from either below the transparent plate, or from above the
transparent plate, or any intermediate position of said light
bulbs.
The invention may be in the form of an adjustable device which is
fastened to the bed headboard, primarily for viewing from below, or
it may be fixed to a portable stand, so as to be viewed from either
below or above the support level.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING:
The objects and features of my invention may be further understood
with reference to the following detailed description of an
illustrative embodiment of the invention taken together with the
accompanying drawing in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of the device fastened to a
bed headboard;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the
device fastened to a portable stand;
FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a preferred means of fastening the
transparent support member to the supporting arm of the device;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of the adjustable joint of the
supporting arm;
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the mechanism that adjusts the light
tubes; and
FIG. 6 is an isometric view of an alternate adjustable supporting
arm for the device.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT:
Turning now descriptively to the drawing, in which similar
reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several
views, the reading matter support apparatus 10 is shown fastened to
the headboard 39 of bed 40 by support arm 34 which fastens to the
bed headboard 39 by clamp 38, as shown in FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, support arm 34 is joined to
support arm 32 which is fastened to reading matter support 11 by
bracket 30. Bracket 30 may be fastened to the edge of reading
matter support 11, or as shown in FIG. 3 bracket 30 may be of
U-shaped cross-section fitting over the top and bottom surfaces of
reading matter support 11 and affixed to it by fasteners 31.
Support joint 60 as shown in FIG. 4 consists of two facing
corrugated surfaced members 35 and 36, fixed to support arm 34 and
32 respectively, with thumb screw 37 serving to tighten the
corrugated surfaces of members 35 and 36 together so as to fix any
desired angle between support arms 32 and 34.
Reading matter support surface 11 is a transparent plate,
preferably a plate of polycarbonate or acrylic plastic or a pane of
glass, and is fitted with a retainer bracket 13 to hold the reading
matter from sliding off of the transparent support surface 11.
Shielded lamp units 12 are mounted on each side of the support
surface 11 so as to cast light upwards through the transparent
surface 11 to the reading matter or book 61 which is lying face
down on the transparent support surface 11.
An alternate embodiment 20 shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 is
mounted on portable stand 62. Forked legs 21 of stand 62, are
mounted on rollers 22 so that offset vertical arm 29 may be rolled
to the side of a bed or a chair. Vertical tube 24 slides over
vertical arm 29, and is fastened in position by thumb screw 23.
Tube 24 contains longitudinal slots 25 through most of its length
to permit thumbscrew 41 to be fastened over the desirable height
range. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, the reading support surface
11 and shielded side lamp units 50 are fastened to vertical tube 24
by flange 45. Flange 45 contains facing corrugated surfaces mating
with the facing corrugated surfaces of member 44 which is fastened
to clamp 43. The thumbscrew 41 is fitted with bearing spacer
bracket 64 which rests against clamp 42 such that tightening of
thumb screw 41 will fix clamp members 42 and 43 about tube 24 and
simultaneously set reading surface 11 at any desirable angle by
compressing the facing corrugated surfaces of members 44 and 45
together.
As shown in FIG. 5, light bulb 55 is fixed on arm 57 to shaft 56.
Shaft 56 is rotated by handle arm 51, and located angularly in
position by pin 52. Pin 52 is held by spring 53 in any one of holes
54 so as to hold light bulb 55 at any desired angle, from directly
below reading support surface 11 to directly above reading support
surface 11 to directly above reading support surface 11.
In this fashion, a book may be placed face upwards on the reading
support surface to be read and illuminated from above, or placed
face downwards so as to be read and illuminated from below.
A retainer bracket 13 is fastened on the lower vertical edge of
transparent support member 11, being fastened through L shaped
slots 65 in said retainer bracket to the edge of transparent
support member 11 by means of fasteners 66. The retainer bracket 13
may be slid about fasteners 66 as permitted by the L shaped slots
65, to rest in either a lower or a higher position, being shown in
the higher position in FIG. 2.
Since obvious changes may be made in the specific embodiment of the
invention described herein without departing from the spirit or
scope thereof, it is indicated that all matter contained herein is
intended to be interpreted in an illustrative sense and not a
limiting sense.
Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire
to secure by letters Patent of the United States is:
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