Compact newspaper

Abstract

 A newspaper comprising a sheet which is divided into two halves (2,3), each of which can be folded into at least four portions (2a-2d,3a-3d), in order to obtain, in three steps for folding the sheet, a sheet size which is equal to the size of one of the four portions into which each half of the sheet is divided.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a compact newspaper. More particularly, the invention relates to a newspaper which is particularly adapted for dailies and the like and allows to reduce the space required by a conventional newspaper.

[0002] Dailies generally have a page size which, even in the case of compact dailies, is nonetheless not practical for reading for example on public transport means and the like.

[0003] It is known that the reader often has to open a daily in order to leaf through it, and that in order to read any article he is forced to fully open the newspaper, without the possibility of reading an article in full, since articles are printed without taking into account the fact that the user may want to fold up the newspaper and read it by opening only a portion of said newspaper at a time.

[0004] Therefore, in the case of dailies having large page sizes, the user is generally forced to use both hands in order to open the newspaper; this, together with the above-cited page sizes, makes reading difficult in crowded places such as, for example, public transport means, which are increasingly often environments in which readers spend a significant amount of time and in which it would therefore be desirable to read a newspaper.

[0005] On the other hand, the large amount of information that is present in a daily entails the need to have large pages which are very thin and use a small font in order to be able to arrange a larger number of articles on a same page.

[0006] The aim of the present invention is to provide a daily which can be folded to a compact size and whose opening allows the reader to read, at each degree of opening of the daily, a portion thereof which is in any case complete from the point of view of content.

[0007] Within the scope of this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a newspaper whose size, when folded, is such that it can be carried easily by a reader.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a daily in which the particular layout of the articles is such that opening the daily allows reading while having, at all times, the smallest possible newspaper size.

[0009] This aim, these objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter are achieved by a newspaper according to the invention, characterized in that it comprises a sheet which is divided into two halves, each of which can be folded into at least four portions, in order to obtain, in three steps of folding said sheet, a sheet size which is equal to the size of one of said four portions into which each half of said sheet is divided.

[0010] Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment according to the invention, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the newspaper according to the invention, shown in the folded configuration;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the newspaper according to the invention, shown in a first open configuration;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the newspaper according to the invention, shown in a second open configuration; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the newspaper according to the invention, shown in a third and final open configuration.

[0011] With reference to the above figures, the newspaper according to the present invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a sheet which is folded into two halves, designated by the reference numerals 2 and 3 respectively, each of which is in turn divided into four portions 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d for the first half 2 and 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d for the second half 3.

[0012] In practice, the sheet formed by the two halves 2 and 3 is divided into eight portions 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d and 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d with respective rear portions thereof indicated by the reference numerals 2a',2b',2c',2d' and 3a',3b',3c',3d'.

[0013] The newspaper according to the invention is provided with folds along the lines formed by said eight portions.

[0014] Figure 4 therefore shows the sheet divided into the eight portions, while Figure 3 shows the same sheet in a folded arrangement, with the portions 2 and 3 arranged in contact with each other, thus already halving the size of the newspaper sheet.

[0015] In this manner, the four portions 2a-2d face the reader's eyes in this partially folded configuration.

[0016] Figure 2 is a view of another folded configuration which can be obtained from the configuration shown in Figure 3 by folding the portions 2a' and 2b' on the portions 2c' and 2d', so that the portions that are visible before the eyes of the user are now the portions 3a' and 3b', i.e., the rear faces of the previously defined portions 3a and 3b.

[0017] The final folded configuration is obtained by folding the portion 3a' onto the portion 3b', so that the newspaper assumes the configuration shown in Figure 1, in which the cover of the newspaper is the portion designated by 3c', i.e., the rear face of the portion 3c shown in Figure 4.

[0018] Likewise, the rear cover of the newspaper folded as in Figure 1 is the portion 3d', which is the rear face of the portion 3d.

[0019] In practice, opening the newspaper starting from the configuration shown in Figure 1 entails a first opening movement, so as to make the newspaper assume the configuration of Figure 2, a second opening step in order to make the newspaper assume the configuration of Figure 3, and finally a third opening movement in order to make the newspaper assume the configuration of Figure 4.

[0020] At each newspaper opening movement, the user can read a corresponding article which is located in the open portion of the newspaper without having to open the newspaper further in order to finish reading the article.

[0021] Accordingly, printing is performed so that an article occupies at the most a portion of newspaper that corresponds to the portion that faces the user at each newspaper opening movement.

[0022] The dimensions of the newspaper are therefore very small when it is in the fully folded condition, and the opening of the newspaper can be adjusted gradually by the reader according to the article that he wishes to read, thus being able to contain its dimensions and comfortably read the newspaper even in confined spaces, as may occur for example on public transport means.

[0023] In practice it has been observed that the newspaper according to the invention fully achieves the intended aim. In practice, the materials employed, so long as they are compatible with the specific use, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

[0024] The disclosures in Italian Utility Model Application No. MI99U000384 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

[0025] Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. A newspaper, characterized in that it comprises a sheet which is divided into two halves, each of which can be folded into at least four portions, in order to obtain, in three steps for folding said sheet, a sheet size which is equal to the size of one of said four portions into which each half of said sheet is divided.

2. The newspaper according to claim 1, characterized in that printing on said sheet is performed so that in any open condition of said sheet each article occupies a space which is defined by said open configuration of said sheet.

3. The newspaper according to claim 2, characterized in that in the fully open configuration said newspaper assumes dimensions equal to eight times its fully folded dimensions.

Drawing