Book cover

Abstract

Conventional book covers made of cloth or leather have traditionally been available on the market. They allow the edges of the cover to be folded at a desired position to accommodate different book thicknesses, and have a single strap on the back of the cover to secure the folded edges. However, because the optimal position of the strap changes depending on the book's thickness, there were limitations on the thickness of books they could accommodate. For example, in the case of a book cover for a book with a cover width of 105mm, which corresponds to a typical paperback, if the minimum thickness of the book that can be accommodated is set at 10mm, the total length of the cover must be 105 x 3 + 10 = 325mm or less. If it is longer than this, the edges will be too long when used with a thin book, resulting in inadequate covering. Furthermore, if a 30mm wide ribbon is attached to this book cover as a stabilizing strap, the book thickness that can be accommodated becomes approximately 10mm to 40mm. Based on the applicant's research, commercially available paperback books range from 4mm to 54mm in thickness, and conventional book covers were not adequately able to accommodate these. To address this problem, ideas such as creating book covers by dividing them into separate parts for the front cover, spine, and back cover have been registered as design patents and utility model patents (e.g., design patent 1647851, utility model patent 3218861). However, these designs had drawbacks, including their complex structure, the effort required to attach them to books, and their aesthetic appeal as book covers.

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