Background Art In general, conventional bookmarks include a string type bookmark having a certain length and a thin plate type bookmark made of paper or synthetic resin.

A book having one or two string type bookmarks is bound with the string type bookmarks attached to the inner side of the cover of the book on the spine of the book. The thin plate type bookmark is separated from a book. Pictures or photos, the graduations of a ruler or advertising messages are printed on both sides or one side of the thin plate type bookmark.

The bookmark is inserted into a space between two pages, and serves to allow a user to easily mark and find a desired page of a book. While the bookmark is inserted into a space between the two pages of a book, a portion of the bookmark is exposed out of the book, thereby guiding a user to the desired page.

The string type bookmark is generally applied to dictionaries or the like having large thickness, whereas the thin plate type bookmark is generally applied to general books having small thickness.

However, in the case of the string type bookmark, since the string type bookmark is attached to the inner side of the cover of a book while the book is

bound, the string type bookmark can be applied to books having considerable thickness. Accordingly, the application of the string type bookmark is limited.

In the case of the thin plate type bookmark, since the thin plate type bookmark is separated from a book, there is a shortcoming in which the bookmark is easily removed from the book and is easily lost.

Disclosure of the Invention Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bookmark assembly, which can be applied to a variety of books including general books and dictionaries, which is not easily lost and which helps a user to easily mark and find a desired page of a book.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a bookmark assembly, comprising: a soft attachment plate having a slit at a portion thereof and a bonding agent applied portion at one side surface thereof, the attachment plate being attachable to the spine of a book; a decoration plate having a ring that is projected therefrom, the decoration plate being combined with the soft attachment plate with the ring inserted into the slit of the attachment plate; and one or more bookmark strings tied around the ring of the decoration plate, the bookmark strings being insertable into a space between the pages of the book.

In addition, the present invention provides a bookmark assembly, comprising: a sticker strip having a bonding agent applied portion at its inner surface, the sticker strip being attachable along the upper or lower portion of the cover of a book; one or more bookmark strings fixed to the center portion of the sticker strip ; and one or more bookmark tabs connected to the free ends of the bookmark strings.

In addition, the present invention provides a bookmark assembly, comprising : a clip for gripping the cover of the book, the clip having a stationary portion and an elastic portion that are connected to each other at the upper end thereof ; one or more bookmark strings fixed to the upper end of the clip; and one or more bookmark tags connected to the free ends of the strings.

In addition, the present invention provides a bookmark assembly, comprising: an anchor portion inserted into a space between the pages of a book at a position in the vicinity of the spine of a book ; a hook plate fixed to the anchor portion, the hook plate hooking the bookmark assembly over the spine of the book, one or more bookmark strings fixed to the upper portion of the hook plate ; and one or more bookmark tags connected to the free ends of the bookmark strings.

Brief Description of the Drawings The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a bookmark assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention ; Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the use of the bookmark assembly of Fig. 1 ; Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a bookmark assembly in which a ring is integrated with an attachment plate; Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the exploded bookmark assembly of Fig. 1 in a package ; Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views showing a bookmark assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention ;

Figs. 7 and 8 are perspective views showing a bookmark assembly in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention; and Figs. 9 and 10 are perspective views a bookmark assembly in accordance with an additional embodiment of the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Hereinafter, with reference to accompanying drawings, several bookmark assemblies according to the embodiments of the present invention are described.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, a bookmark assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is described. The bookmark assembly of this embodiment comprises an attachment plate 11 attachable to the lower or upper portion of the spine of the cover of a book B, a decoration plate 12 combined with the attachment plate 11, and a bookmark string 13 fixed to the decoration plate 12.

The attachment plate 11 is made of soft synthetic resin, and is provided with a slit 1 la at a portion thereof. The attachment plate 11 can be attached to the outer surface of the spine of the book B using a bonding agent that is applied to one side of the attachment plate 11.

As shown in Fig. 3, a ring 1 lb may be integrally formed on one side of the attachment plate 11 while being at a right angle to the attachment plate 11 or even with the attachment plate 11. The bookmark string 13 is tied around the ring 1 lb.

The decoration plate 12 is provided with a ring 12a that is inserted into the slit 1 la and projected from one side of the decoration plate 12. The decoration plate 12 is made of metallic material or synthetic resin by means of injection molding. The shape of the decoration plate 12 may be designed to correspond to the thickness of the book B. A logo or character is printed on the front surface of the decoration plate 12.

The bookmark string 13 is tied around the ring 12a, and is inserted into a space between two pages of the book B when in use so as to mark a desired page of the book B. The bookmark string 13 is a slender cord. The bookmark string 13 is divided into two portions by tying the bookmark string 13 into a knot at its center portion while the bookmark string 13 passes through the ring 12a formed on the decoration plate 12 or the ring 1 lb integrally formed on the attachment plate 11.

The attachment plate 11, the decoration plate 12 and the bookmark string 13 may be packaged and marketed while being disassembled, so that a user can assemble the attachment plate 11, the decoration plate 12 and the bookmark string 13 into the bookmark assembly.

The operation of the bookmark according to the present invention is described.

The attachment plate 11, the decoration plate 12 and the bookmark string 13 that are suitable for the thickness of the book B should be selected and assembled into the bookmark assembly. The attachment plate 11 is combined with the decoration plate 12 with the ring 12a of the decoration plate 12 inserted into the slit 1 la of the attachment plate 11. The bookmark string 13 is tied into a knot while being inserted into the hole 12b of the ring 12a.

Thereafter, the attachment plate 11 is attached to the upper or lower portion of the spine of the book B with a protective film (a reference numeral not assigned) that is attached to one side of the attachment plate 11 being removed, so that the ring 12a comes close to the top or bottom portion of the book B. In this state, the bookmark string 13 is inserted into a space between the two pages of the book B to mark a desired page of the book B.

Since the bookmark assembly of the present invention can be applied only to books chosen by a user, the user mounts the bookmark assemblies on books such as dictionaries that he frequently uses.

The bookmark assembly can eliminate an inconvenient process in which a conventional string type bookmark is fixed to the inner side of the cover of a book in binding the book. The attachment plate 11 can be made of soft material, so that the bookmark assembly of the present invention does not cause damage to the book B. The bookmark assembly of the present invention is attached to the easily worn-away portion of the book B, so that the bookmark assembly prevents the book B from being worn away. Additionally, the bookmark assembly of the present invention is fixed on the book B, differently from a conventional thin plate type bookmark, such that the bookmark is not easily lost.

Meanwhile, an accessory, such as a dried leaf, a decorative knot, a memo card or the like can be fixed on the end of the bookmark string 13 for a user's convenience or a decorative purpose. The present invention does not restrict this kind of use of the bookmark assembly.

The bookmark assembly of the present invention can be utilized as an appreciation gift, souvenir or sales promotion gift. The bookmark assembly provides a user an interest in the assembly of the variously designed component parts of the bookmark assembly into the bookmark assembly.

With reference to Figs. 5 and 6, a bookmark assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention is described.

The bookmark assembly of this embodiment can be used while being attached on a book that has no fixed bookmark. The bookmark assembly may be attached along the upper portion and/or the lower portion of the cover of a book B.

The bookmark assembly comprises a sticker strip 21, one or more bookmark strings 24 and one or more bookmark tags 25.

A bonding agent is applied to the inner surface of the sticker strip 21 to allow the sticker strip 21 to be attached along the outer surface of the cover of the book B. The sticker strip 21 is comparatively narrow and long. The

sticker strip 21 should be long enough to be folded at its both end portions for fixing the end portion on the inner surface of the cover of the book B so as to prevent the sticker strip 21 from being separated from the spine of the book B by contact with other books. Although in the drawings the sticker strip 21 is depicted to have a comparatively long length and both end portions of the sticker strip 21 are attached to the inner surface of the cover of the book B while being folded inwardly, a sticker strip having a comparatively short length does not depart from the scope and spirit of the invention as long as the sticker strip is not easily separated from the book B.

A decorative picture can be printed on the front surface of the sticker strip 21 for an aesthetic purpose. Alternatively, advertising matter can be printed on the front surface of the sticker strip 21 for an advertising purpose.

A protective film 23 is attached on a bonding agent that is applied to the sticker strip 21. The protective film 23 is preferably a vinyl coated film to be easily removed from the sticker strip 21.

The bookmark strings 24 are securely fixed on the center portion of the inner surface of the sticker strip 21. The number of the bookmark strings 24 may be different depending upon the thickness of a book, but is preferably two. The bookmark strings 24 preferably and respectively have lengths longer than the height of the book B. The bookmark strings 24 may have different colors to distinguish marked pages and find a desired page conveniently.

The bookmark tags 25 are connected to the free ends of the bookmark strings 25. The bookmark tags 25 are thin, rectangular, metallic plates. Both surfaces of each bookmark tag 25 can be utilized for an advertising purpose.

Although in the drawings the bookmark tags 25 are depicted as thin, rectangular, metallic plates, the shapes of the bookmark tags 25 are not restricted to the shapes of those An accessory, such as a dried leaf, a decorative knot, a memo card or

the like can be fixed on the end of the bookmark strip 13 for a user's convenience or a decorative purpose. The bookmark assembly of the present invention can be utilized as an appreciation gift, souvenir or sales promotion gift.

The bookmark assembly of this embodiment may be comprised of the sticker strip 21 and the bookmark strings 24, without the bookmark tags 25.

The sticker strip 21 is attached to the upper or lower portion of the book B with a protective film removed from a bonding agent 22. Both end portions of the sticker strip 21 projected from the book B are attached to the inner surface of the cover of the book B while being folded inwardly.

Since the bookmark strings 24 and the bookmark tags 25 are attached to the center portion of the sticker strip 21, a user can insert the bookmark strings 24 and the bookmark tags 25 into a space between the pages of the book B and can find desired pages easily.

With reference to Figs. 7 and 8, a bookmark assembly according to a further embodiment of the present invention is described.

A bookmark assembly of this embodiment comprises a clip 31 for gripping the cover of the book B, one or more bookmark strings 33 fixed to the upper portion of the clip 31, and one or more bookmark tags 34 connected to the free ends of the strings 33.

The clip 31 includes a stationary portion 31a and an elastic portion 31b.

The elastic portion 31b can be elastically moved away from the stationary portion 3 la. A guide bent portion 31c is formed on the lower end of the elastic portion 31 b to help the clip 31 to easily grip the cover of the book B.

A ring 32 is integrally formed on the top of the clip 31. The bookmark strings 33 are tied around the ring 32. The number of the bookmark strings 33 may be different depending upon the thickness of the book B, but is preferably two.

The bookmark strings 33 may have different colors.

The outer surfaces of the stationary portion 3 la and the bookmark tags 34 can be utilized for an advertising purpose.

The bookmark assembly is positioned to grip the cover of the book B that has no fixed bookmark, with the clip 31 being fitted over the upper or lower portion of the cover of the book B at a desired position. In such a state, a user inserts the bookmark strings 33 and the bookmark tags 34 into a space between the pages of the book B to mark and easily find desired pages. Since the guide bent portion 31c is formed on the lower end of the elastic portion 31b of the clip 31, the clip 31 is easily fitted over the cover of the book B while the elastic portion 31b is automatically pushed by the cover of the book B without the user's intentionally lifting the elastic portion 3 lb of the clip 31.

When the pages to be marked are numerous, a plurality of bookmark assemblies can be utilized to be fitted over a single cover of a book.

Now, with reference to Figs. 9 and 10, a bookmark assembly according to an additional embodiment of the present invention is described.

The bookmark assembly of this embodiment comprises an anchor portion 41 inserted into a space between the pages of a book B to anchor the bookmark assembly in the book B, a hook plate 43 fixed to the anchor portion 41 to hook the bookmark assembly over the spine of the book B, one or more bookmark strings 44 tied around a ring 43a formed on the upper end of the hook plate 43, and one or more bookmark tags 45 connected to the free ends of the bookmark strings 44.

The anchor portion 41 is pointed at one end to be easily inserted into a space between the pages of the book B. The hook plate 43 may be integrated with the anchor portion 41, or be separately manufactured and later fixed to the anchor portion 41 The length of the extension 42 of the anchor portion 41 should be designed to prevent the anchor portion 41 from being removed from the book B while a

user opens and closes the book B.

Although in the drawings the hook plate 43 is depicted to be circular, the shape of the hook plate 43 is not limited to this shape. A character, logo or number may be printed on the outer surface of the hook plate 43, or the hook plate 43 may be formed to have a character shape or graduations of a ruler for a user's convenience.

While the anchor portion 41 is inserted into a space between the pages of the book B at a position in the vicinity of the spine of the book B, the bookmark strings 44 and the bookmark tags 45 are inserted into a space between the pages of the book B to mark and easily find desired pages. The bookmark assembly can be securely anchored in the book B by means of the anchor portion 41 and the hook plate 43, so that the bookmark assembly is not easily removed from the book B.

As described above, the present invention provides a bookmark assembly, which can be applied to a variety of books including general books and dictionaries, is not easily lost and helps a user to easily find a desired page of a book. Additionally, in accordance with the present invention, the bookmark assembly can be utilized as an appreciation gift, souvenir or sales promotion gift, and can eliminate an inconvenient process in which a conventional string type bookmark is fixed to the inner side of the cover of a book in binding the book.