DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a support. In particular, the present invention relates to a support for sheets of paper connected by respective lateral edges or in an organized manner or in a book-like manner. More in detail, the present invention refers to a support for sheets of paper connected by respective lateral edges or in an organized manner or in a book-like manner and adapted to protect them from air currents.

DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF THE ART

One of the problems most felt by those who play in public, reading music from a musical score placed on a lectern, and comprising sheets of paper organized in a book-like manner or connected by respective edges (to define a single body of height equal to that of an individual sheet and of width equal to the sum of the width of the individual sheets of paper connected together) is caused by the air currents, which can ruffle the sheets of paper of the musical score making it impossible to read the music and therefore play, if not "by heart".

Normally, to obviate the above problem, the sheets of paper of the musical score are fixed to the lecterns by using clips of various types even if it is understood that this solution is not easy to apply, mainly because the management of the sheets of paper and the retaining clips is not easy and it preferably requires the use of both hands, which is not always possible during public performances .

As described above, the problem of keeping the musical score sheets of paper tidy even when playing outdoors in windy environments is currently unsolved, and represents an interesting challenge for the applicant who, as a musician, feels the problem above all and has solved the same as described in the following.

In consideration of the situation described above, it is desirable to have a support which, in addition to limiting and possibly overcoming the typical drawbacks of the known prior art illustrated above, defines a new standard for these types of products.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention relates to a support. In particular, the present invention relates to a support for sheets of paper connected by respective lateral edges or in an organized manner or in a book-like manner. More in detail, the present invention refers to a support for sheets of paper connected by respective lateral edges or in an organized manner or in a book-like manner and adapted to protect them from air currents.

The above problems are solved by the present invention according to at least one of the following claims. According to some embodiments of the present invention, a support for sheets of paper is provided in which a pair of rectangular flat bodies of laminar type are placed side- by-side along respective adjacent first sides oriented according to a given direction and are hinge-coupled by first coupling means so that they can be folded like a book; said flat bodies being delimited by respective first edges aligned and transversal to said direction; a rectangular plate being made of transparent material for each said flat body and connected to the respective said first edge in a rotatable manner; the two said plates having respective adjacent sides oriented according to said direction and hinge-coupled by third coupling means in order to be foldable together with said flat bodies. According to an embodiment, each said flat body is connected to a respective said plate by the interposition of a rectangular strip of equal length; each said strip being hinge-coupled to the respective said flat body by fourth coupling means; each said plate being connected to a respective said strip by the interposition of second coupling means.

According to an embodiment, said strips have adjacent sides oriented according to said direction and are hinge-coupled by fifth coupling means.

According to an embodiment, each said flat body is laterally delimited by a lateral face parallel to said direction; each said lateral face being delimited externally by an edge line and being selectively foldable like a book towards said first adjacent sides on the respective said flat body.

According to an embodiment, each said strip is delimited externally by a flap of equal extension measuring along said direction and are hinge-coupled by sixth coupling means; said lateral faces and each corresponding said flap having an identical extension, measuring transversally and parallel to said direction, respectively.

According to an embodiment, each said plate extends transversely to said direction by more than a width of the respective said flat body and less than the distance between said edge lines of said lateral faces when, in use, the latter are coplanar to each other and to said flat bodies.

According to an embodiment, each said flap and respective said lateral face arranged on the same side with respect to said first line have respective fixing means suitable to keep them overlapped when, in use, each said strip is arranged orthogonal to the corresponding said lateral face and the corresponding said plate rests on said lateral face in contact with the respective said edge line. According to an embodiment, said fixing means are of a ferromagnetic type, with interference or tear-off fitting, and comprise a first fixing member for each said lateral face and a second fixing member for the corresponding said flap; said first and second fixing members being located in given positions and such as to be overlappable in use. According to an embodiment, non-slip means are associated with at least one of said flat bodies in a respective end edge transverse to said direction.

According to an embodiment, anchoring means are associated with at least one said flat body and comprise a tab rotatable with respect to an intersection point common with the at least one said flat body.

According to an embodiment, at least one of said flat bodies is produced with a sheet made of a material selected from cardboard, plastic, steel, aluminium, glass, Plexiglass, carbon, fiberglass, in a single layer or multilayer .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Further characteristics and advantages of the support according to the present invention will become clearer from the following description, shown with reference to the attached figures which illustrate at least one non limiting embodiment example, in which identical or corresponding parts of the support are identified by the same reference numbers. In particular:

- Figure 1 is a plan view of a support for sheets of paper shown in its extension on a plane;

- Figures 2-11 show Figure 1 on a reduced scale and folded in a plurality of different ways, each of which corresponds to a distinct use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION Before describing in detail the preferred embodiments of the present invention or details thereof, it is considered useful to specify that the respective scope is not limited to the particular embodiments described in the following. The disclosure and description herein are illustrative and explanatory of one or more currently preferred embodiments and variations, and it will be clear to the experts skilled in the art that various changes in design, organization, order of operation, operating members, in the structures and position of the equipment, in the methodology and use of mechanical equivalent elements may be made without thereby being extraneous to the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the accompanying drawings are intended to clearly illustrate and disclose embodiments currently preferred to an expert skilled in the art, but are not drawings illustrating how said embodiments should be performed in reality or actual representations of final products; on the contrary, said figures may comprise simplified conceptual views to facilitate understanding or to allow an easier and faster explanation to be provided. Furthermore, the respective dimensions and arrangement of the components may differ from those shown and still function in the spirit of the invention.

On the other hand, it will be understood that various directions such as "upper", "lower", "bottom", "top", "left", "right", "front", "rear" and so on are used only with respect to the explanation in combination with the drawings and that the components can be oriented differently, for example during transport and production, as well as during operation. Since many different and distinct embodiments can be made within the concepts described herein, and since there are many modifications that can be made to the embodiments described here, it is to be understood that the details given in the following are to be interpreted as illustrative and not limitative of the scope of the invention.

In Figure 1, number 1 denotes, as a whole, a support for rectangular sheets of paper organized in a book/booklet like manner, or arranged continuously as they are connected by respective lateral edges so as to define a single body having a height equal to that of an individual sheet of paper and having a width equal to the sum of the width of the sheets of paper connected together. Both modes are frequently used among musicians who organize their musical scores in one of these two ways.

Said support 1 comprises a pair of flat laminar and rectangular bodies 10 and 10', produced with sheets of a material chosen from cardboard, plastic, wood, steel, aluminium, glass, plexiglass, carbon, fiberglass, in single layer or multilayer, without losing generality. These flat bodies 10 and 10' are internally delimited by respective first sides 12 and 12' both oriented according to a given direction D; these first sides 12 and 12' are adjacent and side-by-side and, thanks to the combination of these circumstances, hinge-coupled by the first coupling members 20 which allow the flat bodies 10 and 10' to be folded like a book on top of each other. Again, with reference to Figure 1, each flat body 10/10' is laterally delimited by a lateral face 11/11' parallel to the direction D, where each lateral face 11/11' is delimited externally by an edge line 110/110' and selectively foldable like a book towards the first adjacent sides 12/12'.

In addition, the flat bodies 10 and 10' are delimited at the top by respective first edges 16 and 16' aligned and transversal to the direction D.

For each flat body 10/10' the support 1 comprises, furthermore, a rectangular strip 19/19' of equal length where each strip 19/19' is delimited, transversely to the direction D, by a second lower side 191/191' and by a third upper side 192/192' parallel, and both transversal to the direction D. Each strip 19/19' is adjacent to a respective flat body 10/10'. In addition, the second sides 191 and 191' and the third sides 192 and 192' of the two strips 19 and 19' are aligned and each edge 16/16' is adjacent and hinge-coupled to a second side 191/191' by fourth coupling members 60/60'; in addition, the two strips 19 and 19' are hinge-coupled along the direction D by the fifth coupling members 70.

Again, with reference to Figure 1, the support 1 comprises a rectangular plate 30/30' for each flat body 10/10' where each plate 30/30' is made of transparent material and is hinge-coupled to a third side 192/192' of the strip 19/19' by second coupling members 40/40'. The two plates 30 and 30' have respective adjacent dual sides 32 and 32' of the first sides 12 and 12' of the flat bodies 10 and 10', where said adjacent sides 32 and 32' are oriented in the direction D and aligned to the latter, in addition to being hinge-coupled by third coupling members 50. The purpose of said third coupling members 50 is to make the two plates 30 and 30' foldable like a book together with the flat bodies 10 and 10'.

It should be noted that each plate 30/30' extends transversely to the direction D by more than a width of the respective flat body 10/10' and less than the distance between the edge lines 110/110' of the lateral faces 11/11' when in use, the latter are arranged coplanar to each other and to said flat bodies 10/10' as in Figure 1. Again, with reference to Figure 1, each strip 19/19' is delimited externally by a flap 190/190' of equal extension measuring along the direction D, and are hinge-coupled to the respective strip 19/19' by sixth coupling members 80/80'; the lateral faces 11/11' and each corresponding flap 190/190' having an identical extension by measuring respectively transversely and parallel to the direction D. As described above, it is possible to state that the support 1 comprises a plate 30/30' for each flat body 10/10', where each plate 30/30' is connected to the first edge 16/16' of the respective flat body 10/10' in a rotatable manner by the interposition of the respective strip 19/19' and, therefore, by the second coupling members 40/40', which hinge each plate 30/30' to the respective strip 19/19', and the fourth coupling members 60/60', which hinge each strip 19/19' to the respective flat body 10/10'. Again, with particular reference to Figure 1, each flap 190/190' and the respective lateral face 11/11' arranged on the same side with respect to the first line 12 have respective fixing members 90/90 designed to maintain them overlapped when, in use, each strip 19/19' is arranged orthogonal to the corresponding lateral face 11/11' and the corresponding plate 30/30' rests on said lateral face 11/11' in contact with the respective edge line 110/110'. Since the components of the support 1 described above are all made of cardboard or light plastic, materials not particularly resistant to tearing, the fixing members 90/90' must allow the connection to be established in a simple and practical way, as well as the detachment. For this reason, without limiting the scope of the present invention, the fixing members 90 will preferably, but not limitedly, be of the ferromagnetic type, for example elements in ferromagnetic metal, or with interference or tear-off type, for example by using a pair of discs provided with micro hooks or micro-housings for said hooks, as in the case of Velcro®, produced by the "Velcro Companies" .

In any case, the fixing members 90/90' will have a first fixing member 91/91' for each lateral face 11/11' and a second fixing member 92/92' for the corresponding flap 190/190'. In particular, with reference to Figures 1 and 6, each first fixing member 91/91' is carried by the lateral face 11/11' on the respective external face under an edge portion 110B/110B' of the respective edge line 110/110', inclined by 45° with respect to direction D and, of course, on the side of the corresponding flap 190/190'. For this reason, this first fixing member 91/91' is shown with a dashed line in Figures 1 and 4 and with solid line in Figure 6. On the other hand, each second fixing member 92/92' is carried by the flap 190/190' on the respective external face and for this reason it is shown with a dashed line in Figures 1 and 4 and with a solid line in the Figure 6. With reference to Figures 6 and 7, an adhesive connection 94 is illustrated between a diagonal section of each flap 190 and 190' and the respective edge portion 110B/110B' of the edge line 110/110' of the lateral face 11/11. Coupling each flap 190/190' with a respective lateral face 11/11' allows to constrain the movement of said components. This constructive peculiarity will be particularly in use as it will be better specified in the following .

Again with reference to Figure 1, each flat body 10/10' comprises a respective end edge 101/101' opposite and parallel to the respective first edge 16/16'; associated with said end edge 101/101' are non-slip members 100, for example, but not limited to, rubbers applied by clamping or in an adhesive manner to the same edge 101/101', the function of which is to increase the friction between the flat bodies 10 and 10' and the support edge of the lecterns, on which the support finds its natural location in order to allow the reading of musical scores or written texts.

Furthermore, with reference to Figures 5 and 7, the support 1 comprises anchoring members 102 associated with at least one flat body 10/10' and comprising at least one tab 1020 carried rotatable with respect to an intersection point 104 which can be conveniently positioned, but not limitedly, in any rear portion of the same flat body 10/10'. Each tab 1020, shown in Figure 5 in two limit angular positions, can be used to tighten a portion of a lectern between a respective free end 1022 and the same flat body 10/10' to which it is fixed.

The use of the support 1 is easily understood from the above and does not require further explanation. However, it is useful to specify that the first coupling members 20, the second coupling members 40, the third coupling members 50, the fourth coupling members 60/60', the fifth coupling members 70, the sixth coupling members 80/80' are of the hinge type, since they are suited to stably connect two flat bodies by respective adjacent sides, leaving the two connected bodies free to rotate one with respect to the other around the common direction of the two connected flat bodies. Therefore, they can be made with cloth or transparent adhesive tape, according to the need. Therefore, the support 1 can be folded like a book as can be seen in Figure 6 once it has been arranged as in Figure 4 and then in Figure 7. To arrange the support 1 as in Figure 4, it is possible to start from the arrangement of Figure 1; in particular it is necessary to pass through the configurations illustrated in Figure 2, in which the two plates 30 and 30' have been rotated by 180° with respect to the position of Figure 1 around the second coupling members 40 and 40', but not before having rotated the strips 19 and 19' by 90° and around the first edges 16 and 16' and rotated the two plates 30 and 30' back by 90°, as in Figure 3 and, subsequently, having completed the rotation of the strips 19 and 19' by further 90° and to have brought back the two plates 30 and 30' by 90° to make them coplanar to the strips 19/19', as in any of the Figures 4, 5 and 8. On the other hand, when the support 1 is arranged as in Figures 4, 5 and 8, all its parts are arranged flat, the flat bodies 10 and 10' are coplanar to the lateral faces 11 and 11', the strips 19 and 19' are overlapped on the flat bodies 10 and 10' together with the plates 30 and 30' which, together with the flaps 190 and 190' are overlapped on part of the lateral faces 11 and 11'. In this way, space is provided between the plates 30 and 30' and the flat bodies 10 and 10' to arrange the sheets of paper of a musical score S formed by sheets of paper connected on the side edges as can be seen in Figure 8. Said musical score S is therefore resting on the flat bodies 10 and 10' and on the lateral faces 11 and 11' and held in position by the plates 30 and 30' and, in use, the support 1 is therefore designed to be held "standing" on a lectern by the non-slip members 100.

It may be worth noting that, with reference to Figures 4, 5 and 8, the plates 30 and 30' have the same extension along the direction D and therefore respective extreme lower edges 31 and 31' are one an extension of the other transversely to the direction D when the plates 30 and 30' are arranged as in Figures 4, 5 and 8 and overlapped when the plates 30 and 30' are folded like a book as in Figure 6. In addition, the plates 30 and 30' have a measured extension along the direction D which is smaller than the difference between the dimensions of the flat bodies 10 and 10' and of the strips 19 and 19' measure along the direction D. Therefore, the extension of the plates 30 and 30' is such that when in use they are overlapped on the flat bodies 10 and 10' as in Figures 4, 5, 6 and 8, the respective extreme edges 31 and 31' rest on the flat bodies 10 and 10', therefore above the end edges 101/101' of the flat bodies 10 and 10' when the support 1 is kept upright on a lectern. This makes it very practical to lift the two plates 30 and 30' from the position in contact with the flat bodies 10 and 10' or from the musical score, in the case of Figure 8.

The musical score S can be removed from under the plates 30 and 30' simply by grasping one of the two plates 30 and 30' by a respective extreme or lateral edge 31/31', since the two plates 30 and 30' are connected by the third coupling members 50, after which the support 1 can be folded like a book, as in Figure 6, starting from the configuration of Figure 7.

Otherwise, starting from the configuration of Figures 4, 5 and 8, the conformation of the support 1 can be modified so as to allow it to conform similarly to a box-shaped container provided with an opening as in Figures 9-11. In particular, with the support 1 arranged as in Figures 4, 5 and 8, the simple upward thrust exerted on the edge 31/31' of one of the plates 30 and 30' will involve the rotation of the strips 19 and 19' around the fourth coupling members 60/60'. Due to the presence of the connections 94 and 94', this rotation determines the clockwise rotation of the lateral face 11 and the counter clockwise rotation of the lateral face 11', which will end when the first fixing members 91 and 91' are in contact with the respective second fixing members 92 and 92'. In this configuration, shown in Figures 9-11, each flap 190/190' has a respective triangular portion overlapped on the respective lateral face 11/11' in an end position under the respective edge portion 110B/110B' and a parallelepiped-like space between the lateral faces 11 and 11', the strips 19 and 19' and the plates 30 and 30', engageable by a musical score, or a book, open on the flat laminar bodies 10 and 10'. In said configuration of the support 1, the plates 30 and 30' form a cover for the underlying a parallelepiped-like space and engageable by an open book-like musical score, where said space is freely accessible at the front, from opposite side to the strips 19 and 19', following the rotation of the plates 30 and 30' around the third upper sides 192 and 192' of the strips 19 and 19' made possible by the second coupling members 40/40'.

The use of the support 1 in said configuration is shown in Figure 11, in which it contains a musical score S' shaped like a book.

Finally, it is clear that modifications and variations can be made to the support 1 described and illustrated herein without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention.

On the basis of what has been described above, it is easy to understand that the support 1 solves the problem of keeping the musical scores sheets of paper when playing outdoors in windy environments both when the musical scores sheets of paper are organized in a book-like manner and when they are connected on respective top ends in a continuous way, as well as being of particularly practical use, due to the ease with which its shape can be transformed from the flat configuration of Figures 4, 5, 6 and 8 to the solid configuration of Figures 9, 10 and 11.