The invention regards a self-adjusting, non-plastic laminar protector for books and the like.

More specifically, the object of the invention focuses on a protector for books, notebooks, and the like, as defined in claim 1, consisting of a laminar body that fits over a book's covers as a lining to prevent wear. Being of the sort that uses adhesive to stay attached, it is essentially distinguished by the particularity of being made of a non-plastic material made from a cellulose acetate film or vegetable parchment, which is derived from wood. Therefore, it is eco-friendly and compostable. Another feature that sets it apart is its structural configuration: in addition to improving on the preservative conditions, even if the user wishes to remove the protector, it allows the cover to be adapted to and fit different sizes of books.

The present invention's field of application is within the sector of the manufacturing industry that produces school supplies and stationery, particularly focusing on the field of linings and protective features for books and the like.

Book covers or linings used for protection and preservation are widely known on the market; these have adhesives or strips of adhesive material on one side that are attached to the front and back covers.

Some of these covers are adjustable, thus allowing a single type of cover to protect several book sizes. However, they are normally only suitable for books of different widths, but not for books of different heights.

In any case, of all the book covers that are currently on the market, when the user wants to remove one of these covers from the book, either to replace it with another one or to have it without a cover, the book's front and back covers deteriorate irreparably where said adhesives were attached. This is because some of the layers attached to the adhesive come off since these are usually made of materials like cardboard or paper, which can rip.

On the other hand, book liners, especially when they have the aforementioned adhesive strips, are currently made of sheets manufactured from plastic products that come from petroleum. This means, in both their production and when they become waste once their useful life is over, they involve a product that pollutes the environment, as it can take many years to disintegrate. It also makes it impossible to recycle the book it is used on.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved type of book protector which, in addition to being more environmentally friendly, is possible to remove practically without causing wear on the book and which may also be suitable for different book sizes.

On the other hand, regarding the current state of the art, it should be noted that, at least as far as the applicant is aware, no other book protector with the same or similar technical, structural, and constitutive characteristics as the one specifically claimed herein is known to exist.

Invention patent BE 834335 A may be cited in this regard. While it describes a covering element for paperback and hardcover books that may be ornate, printed, or decorative, it is an ornamental covering element, not a protective element as such.

At the same time, while the use of binding means where book covers are protected with biodegradable materials is known, such as in invention patent US2004 / 0108709A1, this is an industrial process to bring a particular product to market to be applied in an industrialized manner, not a protective element as such that the user utilizes directly to protect existing items.

The self-adjusting, non-plastic laminar book protector that the invention proposes makes it possible to achieve the aforementioned objectives in a satisfactory manner. The characterizing details that make this possible and which properly distinguish it are set forth in the final claims accompanying this description.

In particular, what the invention proposes, as noted above, is a protector for books, notebooks, and the like that consists of a laminar body that can be adjusted as a lining for book covers to prevent deterioration. As it is of the type that has an adhesive for attachment, it has the particularity of being made of a non-plastic material derived from wood and of offering a structural configuration that, in addition to improving preservational conditions even if the protector is removed, allows it to be adapted to fit different book sizes.

Thus, the invention's laminar protector for books and the like does not consist of a product made of plastic material that generates contaminating waste. Instead, it is a totally eco-friendly product since it is manufactured from a cellulose acetate film or vegetable parchment, meaning it is obtained from raw plant material such as cellulose, further allowing its recycling along with the book, notebook, or the like for which it will be used, if so desired.

More specifically, the invention's protector of books and the like is made from a transparent or translucent sheet, which may or may not be tinted or printed with graphic elements. It is essentially made from a cellulose acetate film or vegetable parchment, which has on one of its faces has one or more adhesive areas covering certain parts of it, acting as an adhesive means for attaching the protector. This area is covered by a protective siliconized material that is removed at the time of use to prevent the adhesive's deterioration prior to application.

Furthermore, this sheet of cellulose acetate or vegetable parchment is structurally shaped in such a way that it comprises an outer rectangular sheet, which may be of various dimensions depending on those of the book, notebook, or similar item to be covered, and two inner bands on both sides over said outer sheet and attached, at least, at their ends to the outer sheet, such that the front and back covers of the book can be inserted between the outer sheet and those bands.

In addition, the adhesive means mentioned for attaching the protector, consisting of the adhesive areas described, comprise at least one or two strips located at one or both lateral ends of the outer sheet and on its inner face. This way, once the book covers are inserted into the bands, and the protector is closed on them, the adhesive only comes into contact with the inner bands and not with the book covers. When the protector has a single adhesive strip, it closes on an open band, and this can be used to fit it to the size of the book. Meanwhile, the other band will be closed - that is, joined by its ends to the longer sides of the outer sheet, as well as by the side to the shorter side of that outer sheet, thus allowing the other book cover to fit into it.

Moreover, in the alternative embodiment, the inner bands, in turn, are each made up of two segments, one upper and one lower one. These are joined together to the upper and lower edges of the outer sheet and are closed on the book covers, overlapping one another to attach with two other adhesive areas provided for this purpose at the end of one of those segments.

As a result, in addition to the fact that the adhesive means of attachment are always applied to parts of the protector itself when applied to the book and not its covers, this protector can be fitted to the books, both with the lateral ends, where the adhesive strips are located, as well as with the upper and lower part, where the flaps can be adjusted, allowing it to be used with books of different widths and heights.

The outer sheet and the segments that make up the inner bands are preferably part of the same pre-cut sheet so that they fold over the book covers.

The protector has an advantageous means of closing that consists of reusable adhesive, preferably water-based (solvent-free).

To complement the description at hand and to aid understanding of the invention's features, the present specification is accompanied by technical drawings as an integral part thereof. The following has been represented for and not limited to illustrative purposes:

• Figure number 1.- It shows a schematic plan view of one example of a version of the self-adjusting, non-plastic laminar protector that is the object of the invention, shown without the book, in an example thereof with one open band and one closed one and a single adhesive strip at the lateral end.
• Figure number 2.- It shows a schematic plan view of another example of the protector according to the invention, also represented without the book. In this case, it is an example with two open bands and two adhesive strips at the lateral ends.
• Figure number 3.- It offers a perspective view of the example of the protector shown in figure 2, in this case, shown with a book to illustrate how one fits in the cover.
• Figure number 4.- It shows a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of the protector that is the object of the invention, also shown once added to a book. In this case, the example has inner bands that are divided into two segments that are then attached to each other.
• Figure number 5.- It shows a view of the example of the laminar protector for books and the like, according to the invention, that is shown in figure 4. Here, a plan view and its unfolded layout are shown without a book, allowing the configuration and parts thereof to be seen.

And figure number 6.- It shows a plan view and the folded layout of the laminar protector that is the object of the invention, according to the example shown in figures 4 and 5.

In light of the aforementioned figures, and in accordance with the numbering used, an example of a non-limiting embodiment of the invention of the self-adjusting, non-plastic laminar protector for books and the like can be seen therein, which is composed of that which is provided in detail below.

Thus, as can be seen in figures 1 to 3, the protector of the invention, which is composed of a laminar body (1) that fits on the covers (2) of the book (3) for which it is intended by means of attachment with adhesive, is made from a transparent or translucent sheet, which may or may not be tinted and/or printed with graphic elements. This sheet is essentially made of a non-plastic compostable material that's derived from wood, specifically from a cellulose acetate film or vegetable parchment that has on one of its faces areas with adhesive (4) covering some parts of it, acting as an adhesive means for attaching the protector; these areas are covered with a layer of protective siliconized paper (not shown);

• wherein said laminar body (1) is composed of:
  • an outer sheet (10) that is rectangular in shape, with dimensions similar to those of the book (3) for which it is intended,
  • and two inner bands (11) located on both sides on the inner face of the outer sheet (10) that are at least joined at their ends to the edges of the longer sides (10a) of the outer sheet (10),
• so that the book covers (2) can be inserted between the outer sheet (10) and those inner bands (11);
• and where the adhesive means for attaching the laminar body (1) that makes up the protector, consisting of the areas with adhesive (4), are composed of:
  • at least one strip-shaped adhesive area located on one of the two lateral ends of the outer sheet (10) giving shape to the shorter sides (10b) of said sheet, as well as on its inner face,
• such that, once the covers (2) of the book (3) have been inserted into the inner bands (11), when the protector is closed, the adhesive strip (4) attaches to one of the inner bands (11) without coming into contact with the covers (2) of the book (3).

It should be noted that, in an embodiment option like the one shown in Figure 1, the laminar body (1) has a first inner band (11) that is open, meaning only its ends are attached to the longer sides (10a) of the outer sheet (10) and at a certain distance from the shorter side (10b) where it has an adhesive strip (4) so that when one of the covers (2) of the book (3) is inserted into said band (11), it protrudes from the end. It has a second inner band (11) that is closed, meaning its two ends are attached to the longer sides (10a) of the outer sheet (10) as well as to the shorter side (1 0b) so that the book cover (2) fits inside.

In another embodiment, as shown in figures 2 and 3, the laminar body (1) has two open inner bands (11), meaning only their ends are attached to the longer sides (10a) of the outer sheet (10) and at a certain distance from the shorter side (10b), where it has respective adhesive strips (4). This way, in this embodiment, the adhesive means for attaching the laminar body (1), which consist of the adhesive areas (4), comprise two zones in the form of adhesive strips located on the two lateral ends of the outer sheet (10), giving shape to the shorter sides (10b) of said sheet, and on its inner face. Once the covers (2) of the book (3) are inserted into the inner bands (11) and the protector is closed, in this case by folding the two ends of the outer sheet (10), the adhesive strips (4) are attached on the inner bands (11) and do not come into contact with the covers (2) of the book (3).

Furthermore, as we can see in Figures 4 to 6, in another alternative embodiment, each of the two inner bands (11) is formed by two segments, one upper (a) and one lower one (b). These are joined to the upper and lower edges of the outer sheet (10) and close over the covers (2) of the book (3) by overlapping one another and attaching by means of two other zones with adhesive (4) provided for this purpose at the end of one of those segments, as additional adhesive means of attachment.

The outer sheet (10) and the segments (a, b) that make up the inner bands (11) are preferably part of one and the same pre-cut sheet, as shown in the example of Figure 2, so that they fold over the covers (2) of the book (3) to attach the protector.

To adjust the protector to the width of the book (3), simply fold the lateral ends of the shorter sides of the outer sheet (10) with the adhesive areas (4) in the form of strips to adjust it to that width.

To adjust the protector to the height of the book (3), simply trim any excess from the outer sheet (10) that exceeds one of the longer sides of the rectangle defining that sheet, except in the area occupied by the segments (a, b) that form the inner bands (11). Then, fold those segments over the covers (2) and adjust the size by overlapping their ends.

The adhesive provided in the adhesive areas (4) for attachment is preferably a reusable, water-based type.