WO2006110959A1

WO2006110959A1 - Book cover

Info

Publication number: WO2006110959A1
Application number: PCT/AU2006/000535
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cameron Charles Spence
Original assignee: Cameron Charles Spence
Priority date: 2005-04-22
Filing date: 2006-04-21
Publication date: 2006-10-26

Abstract

Outer cover (10) for book having front and back covers, spine and pages, outer cover having cover member of flexible material, interior, exterior surfaces, opposed lateral edges (24, 26), flap (36) adapted to be associated with one of said lateral edges for receiving at least an outer portion of front or back cover of said book, sleeve (40) adapted to be associated with other lateral edge of cover for receiving at least an outer portion of other respective back or front cover when said other lateral edge is folded around or onto other front or back cover of said book and other lateral edge is moved along said other back or front cover in a direction towards spine of book.

Description

BOOK COVER

The present invention relates generally to protective or decorative book covers, and relates particularly, though not exclusively, to a book covering which is removably attachable to a book and which is adjustable to accommodate books of varying thicknesses.

Protective book covers in various forms are known. Conventionally books, in particular hard-cover books, have been fitted with protective or decorative covers, commonly referred to as book jackets, that loosely wrap around the hard cover of that book in order to provide a degree of protection for the same. Such jackets, usually made out of paper or plastics material, are generally designed in one-piece and include respective back, front and spine cover portions, along with two flaps making up the lateral edges of the jacket. The respective portions and flaps of the jacket are usually separated by permanent fold or crease lines formed therein. In use, a jacket is fitted to a book by being wrapped around the book such that respective portions of the jacket overlay and conform to adjacent portions of the book. The jacket is then retained on the book by way of the two flaps, which are folded around and onto the interior side of the front and back covers of the book, the retention being provided by the flaps being held between respective covers and the bound pages. While such jackets do provide a degree of protection for the books to which they are fitted, they have been found to suffer from the drawback of only being useable with a book of more or less exactly the same size, in terms of spine thickness (number of pages therein). Such jackets, by their very nature, are incapable of being used with other books of a different size or spine thickness. These prior art jackets are designed to accommodate a book of a particular size, and are not adaptable to be used with other differently sized books. This lack of adaptability is due primarily to the limitations of the size and positioning of the fold lines of each jacket. Thus conventional jackets are designed on a book-by-book basis and are non-adjustable in nature.

A book cover which is adjustable to suit books of varying dimensions is disclosed in US Patent No. 5,013,068, by David J. Maldonado. This book cover is constructed such that it includes a stretchable seam binding that is attached to and extends in a loop around the peripheral edges of the body covering material. Two pockets are provided at opposed lateral ends of the book cover for receiving front and back covers of a book. When fitting the book cover to a book the seam binding is stretchable to accommodate and adjust to the size of the front and back covers being inserted into the pockets and, when inserted, the seam binding compresses in order that the book cover may conform to the overall dimensions of the book.

A similar book cover is disclosed in US Patent No. 6,257,622, by Sharon A. Peker. Instead of having a stretchable seam binding, the entire body of this book cover is constructed of a stretchable fabric, such as spandex, in order that the book cover may conform to and be retained on the book to which it is fitted.

Both these adjustable book covers rely on the elastic properties of materials used in their construction to provide a means for retaining books of varying sizes. A major problem with book covers which utilise elastic or expansible retention means is that, when accommodating some books, especially paper-back books, tensile or compressive stresses induced by the expansible means can cause front and/or back book covers to crease or bend. In some instances it may even become difficult to actually read a book, as the stresses acting on the book cover may bias the book to an undesired open or closed position.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a book covering which is adapted to be attached to a book to cover the same and which is adjustable to accommodate books of varying thicknesses.

According to the present invention there is provided a cover for a book having respective front and back covers, a spine and a plurality of pages, said cover including: a cover member, of a flexible material and having respective interior and exterior surfaces and opposed lateral edges; a flap adapted to be associated with one of said lateral edges of said cover member for receiving at least an outer portion of one of said front or back covers of said book; and a sleeve adapted to be associated with the other lateral edge of said cover member for receiving at least an outer portion of the other of said front or back covers of said book when said other lateral edge is folded around and onto said other of said front or back covers of said book and said other lateral edge is moved along said other of said front or back covers in a direction towards said spine of said book.

Preferably said cover is adapted to be removably attached to said book. It is also preferred that said flap is a separate component to that of said cover member or is integral with said cover member and is formed by way of stitching or a fold in or relative to said cover member along one of said lateral edges. In a further preferred aspect said cover member, said flap and said sleeve are constructed from either the same flexible material or materials of similar properties.

In a practical preferred embodiment said flap is at least partially secured along respective top and bottom edges of said cover member such that said flap forms a pocket for receiving one of said front or back covers of said book.

In a further practical embodiment said cover further includes at least one strap secured to one of said top or bottom edges of said cover member and adapted to be used as a bookmark, to be inserted between selected ones of said plurality of pages of said book. In yet a further practical embodiment said cover member, said flap, said sleeve and said at least one strap are constructed from a soft flexible fabric, for example cotton or felt, which can be pressed to provide fold lines suitable for application to a particular book and can be later re-pressed to provide fold lines suitable for a different book. It is also preferred that said cover is constructed from a material that can be washed in a conventional house-hold washing machine should said cover become soiled.

In yet a further practical embodiment said sleeve is a band or strip secured to said interior surface of said cover member substantially at said top and bottom edges and positioned at or near said other lateral edge of said cover. In an alternative practical embodiment said cover member is constructed of two layers of material, each defining a respective interior and exterior surface of said cover member, said two layers of material having a cavity therebetween and wherein said sleeve is defined by a slot which opens into said cavity. In yet a further alternative practical embodiment said cover member has a slit formed therein passing through said cover member running substantially parallel to said other lateral edge and between said top and bottom edges, and wherein said sleeve is defined by said slit and a portion of said cover member at said other lateral edge.

In yet a further practical preferred embodiment said cover includes at least one retention means adapted to be utilised to retain said book in a closed position. In a practical embodiment said at least one retention means includes at least one retention band, which is preferably elastic, that can be drawn over an exterior surface of said cover to retain said book in said closed position against an opposite side of said cover.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and put into practical effect there shall now be described in a detail preferred construction an improved book covering in accordance with the invention. The ensuing description is given by way of a non-limitative example only and is with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the interior of a book covering made in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is aperspective view of the interior of the book covering of Fig. 1, shown arranged beside a book onto which the book covering is to be fitted;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view, illustrating a first stage of the application of the book covering of Fig. 1 to the book of Fig. 2;

Fig.4 is aperspective view, illustrating a second stage of the application of the book covering of Fig. 1 to the book of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is aperspective view, illustrating a final stage of the application of the book covering of Fig. 1 to the book of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the book of Fig.2 fitted with the book covering of Fig. 1 , showing application of a preferred feature of the book covering;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the book of Fig.2 fitted with the book covering of Fig. 1, showing the use of yet a further preferred feature of the book covering;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the interior of a book covering made in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the invention, shown arranged beside a book onto which the book covering is to be fitted; Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the book covering of Fig. 8, illustrating a first and second stage of the application of the book covering to the book of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the book covering of Fig. 8, illustrating a final stage of the application of the book covering to the book of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the book fitted with the book covering of Fig. 8, showing application of a first and second preferred feature of the book covering; and

Fig. 12 is a similar view to that of Fig. 11, showing an alternative application of the second preferred feature of the book covering.

In Figs. 1 to 7, there is shown a book cover or covering 10 made in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the invention and which can be removably attached to and detached from a book 12 (not shown in Fig. 1) having respective front and back covers 14,16, a spine 18 and a plurality of pages 20. Book 12 can be any suitable book, for example a novel, textbook, dictionary, yearbook, magazine or the like.

Referring firstly to Fig. 1, wherein the interior surface 22 of book cover 10 is shown in plan view in an unfolded state, book cover 10 includes opposed lateral edges 24,26, as well as top and bottom longitudinal edges 28,30 and is, in the present embodiment, generally rectangular in shape. The choice of the shape of book cover 10 is dependant on the shape of book 12 to which book cover 10 is to be fitted and, as such, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific example as shown.

Book cover 10 is shown constructed from respective inner and outer layers 22a,22b. Outer layer 22b constitutes the outer or exterior surface 32 of book cover 10 and inner layer 22a constitutes inner or interior surface 22 of book cover 10. Both layers 22a,22b are preferably constructed from the same or similar soft pliable fabrics such as, for example, felt, cotton or the like, and are joined along join lines 34 near edges 24,26,28,30 of book cover 10. Join lines 34 are represented in the drawings as being the lines where inner and outer layers 22a,22b have been stitched together. It should be understood that join lines 34 are only shown for illustrative purposes and are not essential to the invention. Inner and outer layers 22a,22b may simply be glued together or joined in some other suitable manner, and as such the positioning of join lines 34 is dependant on the specific interrelationship of inner and outer layers 22a,22b. Similarly, although shown constructed from respective inner and outer layers 22a,22b, book cover 10 could be formed from a single piece of a suitable material constituting only interior and exterior surfaces 22,32 of book cover 10. In the case a single piece of material, join lines 34 would not be required.

Book cover 10 includes a pocket 36 located at lateral edge 26. Pocket 36 is adapted, in use, to receive all or part of front cover 14 of book 12. Pocket 36 is preferably defined by a separate section of inner layer 22a which has been attached to interior surface 22 at lateral edge 26 by stitching along top and bottom longitudinal edges 28,30 and lateral edge 26. Pocket 36 is arranged such that it opens to interior surface 22 along pocket opening line 38 for receiving inwardly therefrom front cover 14 of book 12. Although illustrated as a pocket 36 being enclosed by stitching along edges 26,28,30, it should be understood that pocket 36 may be constructed in many other ways, for example, pocket 36 may be defined by a section of outer layer 22b which has been folded over interior surface 22 at lateral edge 26 and stitched along top and bottom longitudinal edges 28,30. Similarly, pocket 36 may be arranged at lateral edge 24, instead of lateral edge 26, in the same or similar manner to what has been described. Should pocket 36 be arranged at lateral edge 24 then pocket 36 would be adapted to receive all or part of back cover 16 instead of front cover 14 of book 12. In a further embodiment (not shown) pocket 36 may not be stitched or joined along longitudinal edges 28,30, or may be partially stitched if so desired. If not stitched along longitudinal edges 28,30, pocket 36 would constitute a flap joined to, or integral with, book cover 10 along lateral edge 26. It should therefore be understood that a pocket 36 enclosed along edges 26,28,30 is only represented as a preferred design and is not essential to the invention. A flap joined or folded at lateral edge 26, for example, would achieve a similar result and is therefore intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Book cover 10 also includes a sleeve 40 of any suitable type, for example a band or strip as shown, positioned on interior surface 22 proximate lateral edge 24. Sleeve 40, which is preferably constructed from the same or similar soft pliable material as that of inner and outer layers 22a,22b of book cover 10, may be positioned at any suitable location at or proximate lateral edge 24, the specific location thereof being chosen dependant on the intended application of book cover 10. sleeve 40 is joined to top and bottom longitudinal edges 28,30 by stitching or the like, and extends across interior surface 22 of book cover 10. In use, sleeve 40 is adapted to receive at least a portion of back cover 16 of book 12 when lateral edge 24 is folded around and onto back cover 16 and moved along back cover 16 in a direction towards spine 18 of book 12 (see Figs. 4 & 5). Back cover 16 being received within sleeve 40 in a sliding manner as lateral edge 24 is moved along back cover 16 towards spine 18. Sleeve 40 serves as a means for retaining book cover 10 attached to book 12.

It is to be understood that if pocket 36 was to be alternatively arranged at lateral edge 24, instead of lateral edge 26, sleeve 40 would be suitably arranged proximate lateral edge 26. In this alternate embodiment (not shown) pocket 36 and sleeve 40 would receive opposite covers 14, 16 of book 12.

What is also shown in the figures, as additional preferred features, is a book-mark 42 and a retention means 44, which when book cover 10 is attached to book 12, can be preferably used to retain book 12 in a closed position. Book-mark 42 is preferably arranged adjacent pocket 36 and is attached to book cover 10 by any suitable means, such as stitching or the like, along longitudinal edge 28. Although shown attached to top longitudinal edge 28 it should be understood that the same could be attached to bottom longitudinal edge 30. Book-mark 42 is preferably constructed from the same of similar materials to those used in the construction of inner and outer layers 22a,22b, pocket 36, and sleeve 40 of book cover 10. In use, when book cover 10 is attached to book 12, book-mark 42 can be lifted out from between front cover 14 and pages 20, away from pocket 36, and be placed at any location between pages 20 of book 12.

Retention means 44, which is preferably a band or strip having elastic properties, may be arranged on either the interior or exterior surface 22,32 of book cover 10 at any suitable location but is preferably located on exterior surface 32 at a point which is substantially midway between pocket 36 and sleeve 40. Retention means 44 is attached to book cover 10 by any suitable means, such as stitching or the like, along top and bottom longitudinal edges 28,30. In use, when book cover 10 is attached to book 12, retention means 44 can be used to maintain book 12 in a closed position (Fig. 7). If retention means 44 is constructed out of an elastic material then retention means 44 can simply be drawn (stretched) away from its rest position relative to back cover 16 and out and over exterior surface 32 of book cover 12 relative to front cover 14 in the direction of arrow E. Although depicted as a one-piece band or strip attached to book cover 10 at top and bottom longitudinal edges 28,30, retention means 44 may consist of two or more sections each co-operating with one another to achieve a similar result. Retention means 44 may include two straps (not shown) attached to respective top and bottom longitudinal edges 28,30 and adapted to be removably affixed to one another at any location by suitable means, for example, Velcro fasteners, a buckle or press-studs, such that when affixed to one another the composite retention means retains book 12 in a closed position. The invention is therefore not intended to be limited to the specific example as shown.

To provide a better understanding of the use of book cover 10 relative to book 12, reference is now made to Figs. 3 to 7, each of which illustrate various stages of the application of book cover 10 to book 12. In Fig. 3, book cover 10 is shown in a first stage of application to book 12, wherein front cover 14 of book 12 has been inserted into pocket 36, at pocket opening 38, and moved into pocket 36 towards lateral edge 26. It is preferred that the outer lateral edge of front cover 14 is hard against lateral edge 26 of pocket 36. Book pages 20 are then moved in the direction of arrow A towards front cover 14, which is now enclosed in pocket 36. As can be seen in Fig.4, lateral edge 24 is then folded around and onto back cover 16 of book 12 in the direction of arrows B such that back cover 16 is received in a sliding manner within sleeve 40 as lateral edge 24 is moved along back cover 16 in the direction of arrows B towards spine 18.

Should book cover 10 include a retention means 44 located on interior surface 22 rather than on exterior surface 32 as shown, back cover 16 of book 12 would first need to be inserted under and through retention means 44, between retention means 44 and interior surface 22 of book cover 10, before lateral edge 24 could be folded around and onto back cover 16.

The final stage of application of book cover 10 to book 12 is shown in Fig. 5, where it can be seen that book cover 10, at lateral edge 24, has been moved further along back cover 16 of book 12 in the direction of arrow C towards spine 18 maintaining book cover 10 attached to book 12 by way of sleeve 40. The action of moving lateral edge 24 of book cover 10 along back cover 16 towards spine 18 in the direction of arrow C draws more of book cover 10 around and onto back cover 16 which in turn adjusts book cover 10 such that it eventually fits snugly onto book 12. Should book cover 10 include a retention means 44 located on interior surface 22 rather than on exterior surface 32 as shown, book cover 10 at lateral edge 24 having sleeve 40 disposed proximate thereto would be required to pass through retention means 44 as lateral edge 24 is moved towards spine 18 in the direction of arrow C.

The extent to which book cover 10 at lateral edge 24 is moved towards spine 18 (and under retention means 44 if embodied on interior surface 22 of book cover 10) is dependant on the thickness of book 12 and the tension applied to lateral edge 24 in the direction of arrow C.

In Figs.6 and 7, book cover 10 is shown attached in a final state to book 12. It can be seen that book cover 10 now provides an exterior covering to book 12 provided by exterior surface 32 of book cover 10 that extends from lateral edge 26, over front cover 14, spine 18 and back cover 16 of book 12. Book cover 10 is retained on book 12 by means of pocket 36 at lateral edge 26, and sleeve 40 at lateral edge 24 which maintains attachment and facilitates adjustment of book cover 10 to book 12.

What is also shown in Fig. 6 is the application of book-mark 42 between pages 20. Here it can be seen that book-mark 42 is movable relative to longitudinal edge 28 into engagement with pages 20 in the direction of arrow D. Thus it can be seen that book-mark 42 can be placed into engagement with pages 20 at any suitable location and book-mark 42 cannot be lost due to attachment thereof the same to book cover 10 at top longitudinal edge 28.

' In Figs. 8 to 12, there is shown a book cover or covering 10 made in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the invention and which can be removably attached to and detached from a book 12 (Fig. 8) having respective front and back covers 14, 16, a spine 18 and a plurality of pages 20. Book 12 can be any suitable book, for example a novel, textbook, dictionary, yearbook, magazine or the like.

Referring firstly to Fig. 8, wherein the interior surface 22 of book cover 10 is shown in perspective view in an unfolded state, book cover 10 includes opposed lateral edges 24,26, as well as top and bottom longitudinal edges 28,30 and is, as in the case of the preceding embodiment, generally rectangular in shape. The choice of the shape of book cover 10 is dependant on the shape of book 12 to which book cover 10 is to be fitted and, as such, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific example as shown. Similarly, the length of book cover 10 along lateral edges 24,26 (as generally indicated by arrow F) is preferably chosen to match the spine (18) height of the book (12) to which book cover 10 is to be fitted, but may be any suitable length depending on its intended application.

Like in the case of the preceding embodiment, book cover 10 of Figs. 8 to 12 is preferably constructed from respective inner and outer layers 22a,22b, wherein outer layer 22b constitutes the outer or exterior surface 32 of book cover 10 and inner layer 22a constitutes inner interior surface 22 of book cover 10. Again, both layers 22a,22b are preferably constructed from the same or similar soft pliable fabrics such as, for example, felt, cotton or the like, and are joined along join lines 34 near edges 24,26,28,30 of book cover 10.

As before, book cover 10 includes a pocket 36 (of any suitable type and as hereinbefore described) located at lateral edge 26. Pocket 36 being adapted, in use, to receive all or part of front cover 14 (or back cover 16 if pocket 36 is alternatively located at lateral edge 24) of book 12. Pocket 36 opens to interior surface 22 along pocket opening line 38 for receiving inwardly therefrom front cover 14 of book 12.

Where book cover 10 of Figs. 8 to 12 differs from that of book cover 10 of Figs. 1 to 7 is that instead of having a sleeve 40 embodied as a band or strip affixed to interior surface 22 at or proximate lateral edge 24, book cover 10 of Figs. 8 to 12 includes a sleeve 40 which is defmed by an opening 39 (which is preferably a slot) in inner layer 22a which opens into the cavity formed between respective inner and outer layers 22a,22b of book cover 10. Opening 39 can be located at any suitable location but is preferably located at or proximate lateral edge 24 as shown in the drawings. Opening 39 extends substantially parallel to lateral edge 24, between top and bottom longitudinal edges 28,30, and the length of opening 39 between top and bottom longitudinal edges 28,30 is preferably only slightly larger than that of the height of back cover 16 (or front cover 14) such that back cover 16 can fitted snugly into sleeve 40 through opening 39. The cavity formed between respective inner and outer layers 22a,22b preferably extends the full length of book cover 10 between opposed lateral edges 24,26, but may alternatively be limited by stitching or gluing respective layers 22a,22b at any suitable location in order to form a predefined cavity or pocket within which back cover 16 of book 12 can be received in a sliding manner. Aside from the constructional differences between sleeve 40 of Figs. 1 to 7 and that shown and now described with reference to Figs. 8 to 12, the application of book cover 10 to book 12 of Figs. 8 to 12 is achieved in a very similar manner. In Figs. 9 & 10, book cover 10 is shown in various stages of application to book 12 of Fig.8. In a first stage of application (Fig. 9), front cover 14 of book 12 has been inserted into pocket 36, at pocket opening 38, in the direction of arrow G and has been moved into pocket 36 towards lateral edge 26. Book pages 20 can then been moved as necessary in the direction of arrow Htowards front cover 14, which is now enclosed in pocket 36. The second stage of application of book cover 10 to book 12 (again referring to Fig. 9) requires the folding of lateral edge 24 around and onto back cover 16 of book 12 in the direction of arrows i (following roughly the path defined by the phantom lines shown for illustrative purposes only) such that back cover 16 is received in a sliding manner within sleeve 40, through opening 39, as lateral edge 24 is moved along back cover 16 in a direction towards spine 18.

The final stage of application of book cover 10 to book 12 is shown in Fig. 10, where it can be seen that book cover 10, at lateral edge 24, has been moved further along back cover 16 of book 12 in the direction of arrow Jtowards spine 18 maintaining book cover 10 attached to book 12 by way of sleeve 40 (defined between respective inner and outer layers 22a,22b). As hereinbefore described, the action of moving lateral edge 24 of book cover 10 along back cover 16 towards spine 18 in the direction of arrowJdraws more of book cover 10 around and onto back cover 16 which in turn adjusts book cover 10 such that it eventually fits snugly onto book 12. It can now be seen (see particularly Figs. 11 & 12) that book cover 10 provides an exterior covering to book 12 provided by exterior surface 32 of book cover 10 that extends from lateral edge 26, over front cover 14, spine 18 and back cover 16 of book 12. Book cover 10 is retained on book 12 by means of pocket 36 at lateral edge 26, and sleeve 40 proximate lateral edge 24 which maintains attachment and facilitates adjustment of book cover 10 to book 12. Sleeve 40, defined by opening 39 into the cavity formed between respective inner and outer layers 22a,22b, provides a pocket for receiving as much of back cover 16 as is necessary in order to adjust book cover 10 to fit snugly onto book 12.

Like before, book cover 10 may also additionally include a book-mark 42 and/or a retention means 44 disposed on book cover 10 at the same or similar position as that described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7. In Fig. 11, it can be seen that book cover 10 includes a book-mark 42 (which preferably affixed to top longitudinal edge 28 by stitching or the like) which can be moved into engagement with pages 20 in the direction of arrow K at any suitable location between pages 20 and which cannot be lost due to its attachment thereto book cover 10. Referring particularly to Figs. 11 & 12, it can be seen that book cover 10 includes a retention means 44, which is preferably a band or strip having elastic properties, arranged on exterior surface 32 preferably at a point which is substantially mid-way between pocket 36 and sleeve 40. As previously discussed retention means 44 may alternatively be located on interior surface 22 of book cover 10 and as such the invention is not limited to the specific example as shown. In use, when book cover 10 is attached to book 12 as shown in Figs. 11 & 12, retention means 44 can be moved from its rest position relative to back cover 16 and used to maintain book 12 in a closed position (refer arrow M in Fig. 12) or alternatively may be used as an additional means of retaining book cover 10 attached to book 12 at back cover 16 (refer arrow L in Fig. 11) or as a means of marking a particular page (ie: as a book-mark) by being positioned between pages 20 of book 12 (not shown).

A book cover or covering 10 made in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the same drawings (Figs. 8 to 12) used to describe the preceding embodiment. This book cover 10 can also be removably attached to and detached from a book 12 (Fig. 8) having respective front and back covers 14,16, a spine 18 and a plurality of pages 20. Again, book 12 can be any suitable book, for example a novel, textbook, dictionary, yearbook, magazine or the like.

Like in the case of the preceding embodiments, this book cover 10 is preferably constructed from respective inner and outer layers 22a,22b, but may simply be a single layer of material constituting an interior and exterior surface 22,32, respectively.

Where this book cover 10 differs from that of the preceding embodiment is that opening 39 is a slit which passes through book cover 10 from interior surface 22 to exterior surface 32. In this regard, sleeve 40 is not defined by the cavity formed between respective inner and outer layers 22a,22b, but is instead defined by opening 39 (slit) and a portion of book cover 10 at lateral edge 24. In use, book cover 10 is applied to book 12 in a manner similar to that described with reference to the preceding embodiments. However, this time when lateral edge 24 is folded around and onto back cover 16 of book 12 (in the direction of arrow i - Fig. 9), back cover 16 passes through opening 39, and hence through book cover 10, and as lateral edge 24 is moved further along back cover 16 in the direction of arrow J (Fig. 10), back cover 16 slides through opening 39 allowing book cover 10 to fit snugly on book 12.

Although not specifically shown in the drawings, when applying book cover 10 to book 12, back cover 16 can enter and pass through opening 39 from either the interior or exterior surfaces 22,32 of book cover 10. Should book cover 10 be applied to book 12 by back cover 16 being passed through opening 39 from exterior surface 32, only the portion of book cover 10 at lateral edge 24 will reside on the interior side of back cover 16. In this regard, retention means 44 could be swung from its rest position relative to back cover 16 around and into engagement with the interior side of back cover 16 in the direction of arrow L (Fig. 11), in order to provide an additional means of retaining book cover 10 attached to book 12.

Although not shown in the drawings, book cover 10 according to any one of the embodiments described may be pressed or the like before or after application to book 12 in order to temporarily or permanently provide fold lines therein. These fold lines (not shown) can be formed at locations on book cover 10 which correspond to the folds of book 12 and/or at the location at which book cover 10 is folded around and onto back cover 16 and into engagement with sleeve 40. Pressing book cover 10 at predetermined locations can improve the conformity of book cover 10 with book 12.

The present invention therefore provides a useful book covering which can be adjusted to suit many different books of varying thicknesses. A book cover is provided which includes a pocket or flap disposed at one lateral edge of the cover for receiving the front or back cover of a book, and which can be wrapped around the exterior of a book and around and onto the other of the front or back covers of the book and into engagement with any one of various forms of a sleeve located at or proximate the opposite lateral edge of the cover. The provision of the sleeve allows the book cover to be wrapped around and onto one of the covers of a book enabling the book cover to closely conform with the exterior of the book which in turn maintains the book cover attached thereto. The sleeve therefore provides a means for accommodating books of varying thickness so long as each book has matching spine height. In the case of novels, which typically come in one of four common spine heights, it is expected that four sizes of the book cover of the present invention would accommodate approximately seventy percent of novels on the market. The invention provides a book covering which can be reused over and over with books of varying thickness in order to provide a temporary or permanent protective layer therefor. It provides the book with a level of protection against damage, while also providing privacy for the reader. The book cover can have ornamental designs or patterns applied to any of its surfaces for decorative or any other suitable purpose. The book covering can be made from any suitable material such as cloth, plastics or any other form of soft or pliable material. The preferred choice of soft pliable materials used in the construction of the book covering further allows the book covering to be pressed, or the like,, to provide temporary or permanent fold lines suitable for application to different books.

Finally the present invention provides a book covering which can be removably attached to or detached from books of varying thickness and which is not fixed or glued to a book at any location. Therefore the book covering of the present invention is a reusable product that does not damage a book or the book covering in any way when applied to a book.

The invention will be understood to embrace many further modifications, as will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art and which will be deemed to reside within the broad scope and ambit of the invention, there having been set forth herein only the broad nature of the invention and certain specific embodiments by way of example.

DATED this 2. V day of April, 2^ 6

CAMERON CHARLES SPENCE

Claims

1. A cover for a book having respective front and back covers, a spine and a plurality of pages, said cover including: a cover member, of a flexible material and having respective interior and exterior surfaces and opposed lateral edges; a flap adapted to be associated with one of said lateral edges of said cover member for receiving at least an outer portion of one of said front or back covers of said book; and a sleeve adapted to be associated with the other lateral edge of said cover member for receiving at least an outer portion of the other of said front or back covers of said book when said other lateral edge is folded around and onto said other of said front or back covers of said book and said other lateral edge is moved along said other of said front or back covers in a direction towards said spine of said book.

2. The cover as claimed in claim 1, adapted to be removably attached to said book.

3. The cover as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said flap is a separate component that is affixed to said cover member along one of said lateral edges.

4. The cover as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said flap is integral with said cover member and is formed by way of a portion of said cover member which has been folded into said interior surface of said cover member and which forms a fold-line that constitutes one of said lateral edges.

5. The cover as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein said flap is at least partially secured to said cover member along respective top and bottom edges thereof such that said flap forms a pocket on said interior surface of said cover member for receiving one of said front or back covers of said book.

6. The cover as claimed in claim 5, further including at least one strap secured to one of said top or bottom edges of said cover member and adapted to be used as a book-mark, to be inserted between selected ones of said plurality of pages of said book.

7. The cover as claimed in claim 6, including one strap secured to said cover member at one of said top or bottom edges, adjacent said flap.

8. The cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said cover member, said flap and said sleeve are constructed from either the same flexible material or materials of similar properties.

9. The cover as claimed in claim 6, wherein said cover member, said flap, said sleeve and said at least one strap are constructed from either the same flexible material or materials of similar properties.

10. The cover as claimed in claim 9, wherein said cover member, said flap, said sleeve and said at least one strap are constructed from a soft flexible fabric which is adapted to be pressed to provide fold lines suitable for application to said book and to be later repressed to provide fold lines suitable for application to a different book.

11. The cover as claimed in claim 10, wherein said soft flexible fabric is cotton or felt.

12. The cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, constructed from materials that are washable in a conventional house-hold washing machine.

13. The cover as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 12, wherein said sleeve is a band secured to said interior surface of said cover member substantially at said top and bottom edges and positioned at or near said other lateral edge of said cover.

14. The cover as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein said cover member is constructed of two layers of material, each defining a respective interior and exterior surface of said cover member, said two layers of material having a cavity therebetween and wherein said sleeve is defined by a slot which opens into said cavity.

15. The cover as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 12, wherein said cover member has a slit formed therein running substantially parallel to said other lateral edge and between said top and bottom edges, and wherein said sleeve is defined by the portion of said cover member at said other lateral edge disposed between said slit and said other lateral edge.

16. The cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further including at least one retention means adapted to be utilised to retain said book in a closed position.

17. The cover as claimed in claim 16, wherein said at least one retention means includes at least one retention band disposed on an interior or exterior surface of said cover member, secured to said cover member substantially at said top and bottom edges and positioned at a predetermined location between said flap and said other lateral edge of said cover member.

18. The cover as claimed in claim 17, wherein said at least one retention band is adapted to retain said book in said closed position by being drawn over said exterior surface of said cover member opposite said other lateral edge when said cover is attached to said book and said book is near said closed position.

19. The cover as claimed in claim 17 or claim 18, wherein said at least one retention band is constructed of an elastic material.

20. The cover as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 19, including one retention band.

21. A book covering, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to figures 1 to 7 of the accompanying drawings.

22. A book covering, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to figures 8 to 12 of the accompanying drawings.