Document holder

Abstract

 A document holder comprising:

a bottom support surface (25) which supports a bottom edge of one or more documents; and

a side support surface (21) which supports a side edge of one or more documents, the bottom support surface (25), in use of the holder, being inclined to the horizontal such that the or each document is tipped towards and rests on the said side support surface (21).

Description

[0001] This invention relates to document holders, and particularly, although not exclusively relates to document holders which are used to hold and display printed literature such as brochures, leaflets and the like.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

[0002] Conventional brochure/literature holders have been made in many forms, notably straight, vertical containers, or containers having a back wall which is "slanted" back from the vertical so that the literature rests on the back wall. In such holders the literature is stacked in a pocket which is broader than the width of the documents, as a smaller pocket would inhibit insertion of the literature. Such holders thus provide the stack of literature with freedom of movement in the pocket, resulting in uneven sideways alignment. In contrast, the self-weight of the stack constrains the stack to align on a bottom wall of the holder.

[0003] Holders are also known which are made to closely constrain literature of a specific size and may have fixed or adjustable side supports set to the literature dimensions. These holders are, however, unable to prevent unwanted motion of smaller documents, if the holder is used to accommodate literature of differing sizes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention seeks to provide a means of alignment of the literature in a lateral direction.

[0005] According to the present invention, there is provided a document holder comprising:

a bottom support surface which supports a bottom edge of one or more documents; and

a side support surface which supports a side edge of one or more documents, the bottom support surface, in use of the holder, being inclined to the horizontal such that the or each document is tipped towards and rests on the said side support surface.

[0006] By offsetting the bottom support surface of the holder from the horizontal, such that, in use of the holder, the left and right edges of the literature are at substantially different heights. The resulting "tilt" causes a component of the weight of the literature to act so as to direct the literature into alignment along a side support surface of the holder. This results in a holder in which literature of varying sizes can be displayed in a neat and eye-catching manner.

[0007] Preferably, the holder also has a front panel and/or a side flange, so that the literature is constrained from falling out of the holder even if the stack is thick.

[0008] Preferably, the holder further comprises a back support surface which supports a rear face of the documents, and which, in use of the holder is inclined to the vertical such that the rearmost document is tipped towards and rests on the said back support surface. It will be appreciated that this combination of tilt of the bottom support surface and tipping back of the back support surface renders one side of the holder unnecessary and permits the front support surface to be reduced in size, allowing provision for greater freedom in product design and improving access to the literature, as it can be accessed from the side as well as from the top of the holder.

[0009] Preferably, the bottom support surface is also slanted backwards such that in use of the holder, the or each document is tipped towards and rests on the said back support surface.

[0010] Preferably, the holder is substantially rectangular so as to complement the shape of the literature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a front view of a conventional holder;

Figure 2 is a front view of a holder in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of holder, viewed in perspective from the right hand side;

Figure 4 shows the holder of Figure 3, viewed in perspective from the back;

Figure 5 is a front view of a third embodiment of holder, with reduced front support.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Figure 1 shows a document holder representative of the prior art. The holder comprises a base support 10, side panels 11 and 14, back panel 12 and front panel 13, which together define a document holder pocket 15. It will be appreciated that the back panel 12 holds the literature upright, whereas the side panels 11, 14 prevent the literature from falling out of the pocket 15.

[0013] Figure 2 shows a "tilted" holder in accordance with the present invention, which comprises a side support surface formed by a side wall 21, a back support surface formed by a back wall 22, a front support surface formed by a front wall 23 and a bottom support surface formed by an upper wall 25 of a wedge shaped base 24 of the holder. A document holding pocket is defined between the walls 21, 22, 23 and 25.

[0014] The literature rests on the wall 25 which due to the tapered profile of the base 24, is inclined to the horizontal, so that in use the documents are tipped towards and rest on the side wall 21.

[0015] The side wall 21 is perpendicular to the wall 25, so that the documents are in full length contact with the side wall 21 and hence are evenly supported.

[0016] In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the upper wall 25 of the base 24 is inclined to one side and the back wall 22 is inclined backwards, so that, when placed in the holder, the literature falls towards the back wall 22, as well as towards the side wall 21.

[0017] It will be appreciated that because the literature generally lies in full length contact with the side wall 21 and back wall 22 it is evenly and firmly supported, even if the side of the holder opposite to the side wall 21 is left open and/or if the front wall 23 is partially or completely removed. An embodiment having a cut away front wall 23 and a cutaway base 24 is shown in Figure 5. This embodiment provides very easy access to documents stored in the holder.

[0018] It will also be appreciated that a holder in accordance with the present invention can be subject to variations which are not described above but fall within the scope of the claims. For example, the holder could contain multiple pockets at different angles of tilt or could be adapted for wall mounting, by providing screw holes through the back wall. The holder could also comprise an element of a multi-holder display on a carousel stand. Further, the tilting of the base 25 side wall 21 and/or back wall 22 could be achieved by providing legs of unequal length on an otherwise conventional holder or by fixing an otherwise conventional holder in a tilted configuration on, for example, a carousel stand.

Claims

1. A document holder comprising:

a bottom support surface which supports a bottom edge of one or more documents; and

a side support surface which supports a side edge of one or more documents, the bottom support surface, in use of the holder, being inclined to the horizontal such that the or each document is tipped towards and rests on the said side support surface.

2. A document holder as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a back support surface which supports a rear face of the documents, which back support surface, in use of the holder, is inclined to the vertical such that the rearmost document is tipped towards and rests on the said back support surface.

3. A document holder as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which, in use of the holder, the bottom support surface is slanted backwards as well as to one side such that the rearmost document is directed towards and rests on the said back support surface.

4. A document holder as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the side support surface is perpendicular to the bottom support surface.

5. A document holder as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the side of the holder opposite to the side support surface is open.

6. A document holder as claimed in claim 5, in which the bottom support surface does not extend for the full width of the document holder.

7. A document holder as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the said container is moulded in one piece from plastics material.

Drawing