According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a pad wherein a plurality of leaves are assembled together face to face with one another and with a plurality of intermediate leaves stiffer than the first-mentioned leaves in a configuration in which said first-mentioned leaves and the intermediate leaves fan out from one another substantially radially from a common axis, said first-mentioned leaves being individually releasable from the pad by withdrawal from between their adjacent leaves, and wherein the intermediate leaves are distributed through the pad for maintaining support for it in said configuration following withdrawal of first- mentioned leaves as aforesaid.

The configuration of the pad may be substantially that of a spheroid, or other solid of revolution about said axis, with said first-mentioned leaves all of the same shape as, and in register with, one another. Furthermore, said first-mentioned leaves may be releasably attached to one another by strips of pressure-sensitive adhesive that enable them to be attached elsewhere when withdrawn from the pad.

The pad may be erected from a stack of leaves, and in this respect and according to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a pad which comprises a plurality of leaves assembled together face to face with one another into a stack that includes top, bottom and intermediate leaves that are stiffer than the first- mentioned leaves, the stack having a bendable binding along one of its edges to enable the top and bottom

leaves to be brought round face to face with one another into a configuration of the stack in which said first- mentioned leaves fan out from one another substantially radially from a common axis and are individually releasable from the pad by withdrawal from between their adjacent leaves, and wherein there are a plurality of said intermediate leaves distributed through the pad for maintaining support for it in said configuration following withdrawal of first-mentioned leaves as aforesaid.

The pad of the invention may take the form of a notepad with said first-mentioned leaves formed by sheets of note-paper.

A notepad in accordance with the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of the notepad of the invention; Figure 2 is a part-sectional side-elevation of the notepad, the section of Figure 2 being taken on the line II-II of Figure 1; Figures 3 and 4 are, respectively, a plan and side- elevation of the notepad of the invention prior to its erection to the configuration illustrated in Figures 1 and 2; and Figures 4 and 5 are illustrative of a possible format for decoratively-shaped note-paper sheets of a notepad according to the invention, Figure 4 showing the obverse, blank area for writing, and Figure 5 the reverse, decorated area.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the notepad has a generally spheroidal configuration being assembled from some 350 sheets or leaves 1 of note-paper in a face-to-face relationship fanning out from one another radially about an upright axis 2 of a hollow, cylindrical core 3. The leaves 1, as shown by the section of Figure 2, have the form of a major segment of a circle defined within curved and straight edges 4 and 5 respectively, and are adhered together at their straight edges 5 along the core 3.

More especially, the core 3 is defined by a plastics binding-strip 6 to which the edges 5 of the leaves 1 adhere releasably. In this respect, any leaf 1 can be released from the core 3 for note-use simply by pulling it outwardly from the strip 6 for withdrawal from between the two leaves 1 either side of it. Each leaf 1 has a strip 7 of pressure-sensitive adhesive along the margin of its edge 5 so as to enable it, once withdrawn from the notepad, to be attached elsewhere.

Five sheet-elements 8 of card or other material stiffer than the paper of the leaves 1, together with a pair of thicker card-elements 9, are interleaved with the leaves 1 at regular intervals round the notepad. The elements 8 and 9, which are of the same shape as the leaves 1 and are tightly secured to the binding-strip 6 so that they cannot be pulled free, ensure that the notepad does not collapse but retains its general configuration with the axis 2 upright when leaves 1 are withdrawn.

The notepad is erected from an initial form as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 in which the leaves 1 are assembled in register and face to face upon one another in a vertical stack. The two card-elements 9 form the top and bottom of the stack, and the elements 8 are located intermediate successive blocks of 50 leaves 1, with the whole bound together into the stack by the binding-strip 6.

The strip 6 is flexible enabling the two card-elements 9 to be pulled round (as indicated by the dashed arcs in Figure 4) to abut one another face to face. This erects the notepad into its spheroidal form with the leaves 1 and elements 8 fanned out from one another around the central core 3 formed by the bent strip 6. The notepad is retained in this form by retention of the elements 9 in firm abutment with one another. This may be by bonding the elements 9 together using adhesive areas that are carried by one or both of them and are revealed when cover strips are peeled from the adhesive areas prior to bringing the elements 9 together.

The hollow, central core 3 may be used to retain a pencil or pen with the notepad, and the notepad may be scented.

More especially in the latter respect, the scenting may be located in or on the elements 8 and/or elements 9.

The notepad leaves 1, in particular the edges 4, may be of any shape and may have printing on obverse and/or reverse surfaces. The printing on at least one of the surfaces may be related to the shape of the edge 4 of the leaf 1. For example, the shape of the edge 4 may outline half the face of a person or animal, or half a fruit, a tree or any other object, with printing on the reverse (at least) giving an appropriate pictorial representation related to the shape.

The obverse and reverse of a typical note-paper leaf having the half-shape of a Christmas tree are illustrated by Figures 5 and 6 respectively. The obverse in this example is blank for note-writing, whereas the reverse has the decorative printing. The notepad when erected takes up the configuration of a solid of revolution of the relevant shape which, in this case, gives the erected notepad the general three-dimensional appearance of a Christmas tree.

The form of pad according to the invention lends itself to the provision of a novel form of greetings card'in which the withdrawable leaves have pictorial significance, whether in common or individually, in relation to the intended recipient (s) and/or the greeting to be conveyed. In this regard, the leaves need not make any provision for note-writing, but may have pictorial or other printing on both obverse and reverse, and may be for selection for withdrawal randomly, or in turn according to some indicated sequence.

The leaves may in the more general context provide a resource, for example for amusement, education, comfort or encouragement, the user withdrawing one when desired, or periodically; for example there may be 365 or 366 leaves to provide for one to be withdrawn day by day throughout the year. A child might be assisted to learn, say, the alphabet, the meaning of words, or arithmetic (for example, multiplication tables) by use of a pad in which the different leaves contain visual assistance with memorising the relevant aspects of the topic concerned.

More specifically, for example, the pad may take the form of an Advent Calendar in which the leaves have significance for the days of Advent and are for withdrawal one by one as each day passes. In this specific case and where a greetings card'is involved there would normally be significantly fewer withdrawable leaves than in the notepad described above.