TITLE OF THE INVENTION

INDEXING DIVIDER

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to printed publications, and in particular to the use of dividers and index tabs in printed publications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known to use index tabs on divider pages to divide looseleaf material into sections. Most commonly, a series of such divider pages are provided with laterally extending tabs that remain visible when the pages are closed onto one another. The tab includes printed material for identifying the section behind the tab. However, for printed books, the solution of providing indexing tabs along the edge of the page has not been found sufficiently effective and efficient to be widely used.

US Patent No. 5,630,626 to Harper teaches a printed book with pages that are spaced along the spine such that the outward edges of the pages overlap one another. Index information is printed on the overlapping edges such that all of the index headings are visible. The arrangement allows the rear of the overlapping edge to also be marked with index information so that the reader can see index information in both directions of the open book. Unfortunately, Harper's book requires specialized binding with each page separately placed on and glued to a cover. The resulting book is also relatively awkward to use since the turning direction of the pages and the fact that the pages are attached at right angles to the spine of the cover makes it preferable to support the book on a flat surface when using it, rather than simply holding the book in one's hand.

US Patent No. 6,659,506 to Erisalu teaches an improved displayed-index bound book which solves the awkwardness of use of the Harper book by having the pages, attached to a vertical spine, turn in the typical right-to-left manner of most printed books, while maintaining a permanently visible horizontally-disposed index partly below and partly above the main body of printed material. This book, while easy to use, does however present difficulties in its production. Typically each page is die-cut after printing and then is arranged during binding into a precise order so that the index tabs will present a complete, easily viewed index of the sections of the printed material regardless of the page to which the book is opened. The Erisalu book also requires that each different size of book have a differently-sized set of die-cut pages, making commercial production relatively expensive and greatly reducing the universal applicability of the system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the present invention, the type of indexing taught by Erisalu is refined by reducing the number of die-cut pages required, and by die cutting only the divider pages that are to be inserted into the body of printed material, and printing the other pages on standard size paper. The specially die-cut divider pages are then inserted at the appropriate points in the binding process.

Downward and upwardly projecting tabs on which indexing indicia are printed are so formed and spaced relative to each other that several tabs fit along one horizontal row with all tabs being simultaneously visible. If more tabs are required than will readily fit in one row of tabs, the divider pages that divide the printed material can present adjacent vertically spaced rows.

The indexing divider page as proposed herein may be made of transparent material so that the material behind the divider page is visible without having to turn the divider page itself.

Alternatively, the indexing divider page can incorporate the printed material that begins the section indicated by the divider or incorporate contrasting material, as determined by the book's publisher.

It should also be noted that the same principle of horizontally displayed indexing tabs, and vertically-spaced rows of horizontally displayed indexing tabs, can be applied to indexing carried out directly by the user, as for example for a three-ring binder containing varying types of information that is to be divided into sections.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a sketch of a book according to the preferred embodiment, with the book open to the last page.

Fig. 2 is a sketch of the book of the preferred embodiment that is open to an inside page.

Fig. 3 is a sketch of the book of an embodiment of the invention that includes two rows of index dividers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to Fig. 1 , there is shown a book according to the preferred embodiment with the book open to the last page.

The book 1 comprises a right cover 2 (mostly obscured in the drawing) and a left cover 3. The book includes a plurality of content pages of a standard size whose footprint extends between a top edge 7 and a bottom edge 8. Divider pages are provided with laterally offset

overlapping index tabs that extend beyond the footprint of the content pages past the top edge 7.

In the preferred embodiment, tab A on its divider page extends the full width of the divider page from the left to the spine of the book, with the letter A being printed at the leftmost side. Tab B begins adjacent tab A, i.e. at a point that is spaced from the leftmost side, and it extends rightward to the spine of the book. Similarly tab C is spaced even further from the leftmost side and extends rightward to the spine of the book. It will therefore be appreciated that successive tabs are in staggered overlapping relationship to one another. As noted below in this description, these tabs may also be die-cut in such a manner that the material to the left and right of the tab area where the indexing indicia are placed, is removed.

In addition to having index tabs along the tops of the divider pages, index tabs are also provided along the bottom of the divider pages. On the left side of Fig. 1 , the numeral 30 indicates the bottom of the divider page that contains tab F. Such bottom tab extends the full width of the divider page. Beneath it (in the view of Fig. 1) successive tabs E, D, C, B and A are gradually shorter in width so as to complement the arrangement at the top of the divider pages. The bottom tab markings are not visible in Fig. 1 as the markings appear on the reverse side of the bottom tabs, as will be more fully appreciated by reference to Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 illustrates the book of the preferred embodiment open to an inside page. The book has been opened to tab E by selecting bottom tab E from the closed book and turning the pages ahead of tab E from right to left. In doing so, the backs of the top index tabs for divider pages A-D have been made visible. When the pages of the book are fully closed so that all pages overlie the right cover, the bottom tab markings will all be visible while the reader will see the blank backs of the top tabs.

Thus, the reader has an easy reference to all sections by viewing the index tabs that will be visible either at the top or the bottom of the book, outside the footprint of the content pages.

The production of a book according to the invention is simplified in comparison to the Erisalu invention by requiring only the divider pages to be specially die cut to create the overlapping offset top and bottom tabs, but allowing the remainder of the pages, i.e. the content pages, to be of a standard size. The divider pages are die cut such that the tabs lie outside the footprint of the content pages.

In the preferred embodiment, the tabs extend from a point adjacent the previous tab to the spine of the book. However, an alternative embodiment contemplates each tab having a narrow width and extending only the width of the tab marking itself, such that all tabs are spatially offset but not overlapping.

In addition, this disclosure has characterized the pages other than the divider pages as "content pages". But as described in the summary of the invention, the divider pages may also themselves contain some of the content for their respective sections, or they may be transparent.

Fig. 3 illustrates a further embodiment wherein two top rows and two bottom rows of tabs and used. In such case the divider pages of the second row (G-L) are made shorter at the top, but longer at the bottom, than the divider pages of the first row (A-F).

It will be appreciated that the tabs of the invention may be blank rather than having printed material thereon and be made of a material that may be written or printed on by a user.

The invention has been described in its preferred embodiments but it will be understood that variations therefrom may be practiced without departing from the principles of the invention.