Clipboard for spine bound pages

Abstract

The present invention comprises a clipboard having a support back with a clip at the top of the support back where a center and forward cut away or recessed portion of the clip is removed leaving two extension legs that are adapted to hold down at least the outside covers of a number of spine bound pages. The invention provides a user with the capability of holding open and supporting on the support back the collection of spine bound pages while making it very easy for the user to turn the pages of the spine bound pages back and forth to view the contents thereon.

1 . A method for using a clipboard for securing and viewing spine bound pages on an inclined plane so that a user will not have to release a clip means to turn each page comprising: 
 (a) the spine bound pages comprise multiple pages bound along a common edge to form a straight spine with an upper spine end and a lower spine end, where the spine bound pages are adapted to lie in a stack when the spine bound pages are in a closed position and may be turned page by page by a user for viewing each page when a user grasps a free page edge at a page edge distal to the straight spine and intermediate pages are located between a front page and a back page;    (b) a flat, generally rectangular board plate with dimensions less than or equal to eleven inches wide by fifteen inches long, inclining the board plate along its length to between about thirty degrees to about eighty degrees so that an upper surface of the board plate presents an inclined plane;    (c) a lower edge of the board plate comprises a ledge extending generally upward and normal to the inclined plane and adapted to support the lower spine end and bottom page edges of pages extending laterally from the bottom edge of spine bound pages so that the spine bound pages cannot slide off of the inclined plane when the spine bound pages are placed on the inclined plane;    (d) a clip means for securing top edges the front page and back page near the spine upper spine end onto the inclined plane leaving at least most intermediate pages free to be turned page by page by the user, where clip means are movable with hand motion from a top position near the top of the inclined plane to a lowest position about halfway down the inclined plane and are adapted to be releasably secured at several intermediate positions between the topmost position and the lowest position;    (e) clip means further comprise a sliding plate slideably engaged in a slot extending from the top position to the lowest position and a pivoting plate is connected by a pivot to the sliding plate, whereby the pivoting plate is urged by a spring so that ends two legs of the pivoting plate extend down from the pivot to press on the inclined surface to hold down respectively the first and second pages, where a generally arcuate cutout is defined by a space the two legs so that the ends of the two legs are at least three inches apart;    (f) opening the spine bound pages, laying the first and second pages on the inclined plane, abutting the lower spine end and bottom page edges against the ledge, moving clip means from the top position toward the top spine end and elevating and releasing the ends of the legs from the surface of the inclined plane to capture the first and second pages respectively so that a topmost part of the arcuate cutout does not lie above any page, and a user turns at least most of the intermediate pages back and forth while the first and second pages are captured beneath the leg ends.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the topmost part of the arcuate cutout lies always at least about 2.5 centimeters above the surface of the inclined plane.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein leg ends are separated by the arcuate cutout by at least 5 centimeters.