Bound book with reinforced fabric strips

Claim 1

A bound book comprising in combination: (a) a book cover comprising: (1) a generally rectangular cover sheet having opposed inner and outer faces and having inwardly foldable flap members defined along perimeter edge portions thereof; (2) a foldable spine strip with opposed longitudinal sides that is centrally located adjacent said inner face and extends transversely thereacross; (3) a pair of support boards each located adjacent said inner face and positioned in spaced, adjacent relationship to a different one of said longitudinal sides of said spine strip; (4) said flap members being folded over adjacent peripheral portions of said spine strip and of each one of said support boards; and (5) adhesive means bonding said cover sheet and said flaps to said spine strip and to said support boards; so that, in the resulting book cover, said spine strip and adjacent bonded portions of said cover sheet are together definable into a generally U-shaped channel; (b) a stack comprised of a plurality of adjacent pages, said stack having (1) a pair of opposed faces, (2) a straight side at which respective edge portions of each page are generally aligned, (3) a pair of end sheets, each one being adjacent a different one of said opposed faces and having respective edge portions that extend generally along said side, and each one of said end sheets secured to an adjacent reinforcing fabric strip, each one of said fabric strips extending in alignment along said side and overlapping laterally upon adjacent edge portions of said end sheets, and (4) stitching means securing together all of said pages, said end sheets and said fabric strips at said respective edge portions in laterally spaced adjacent relationship to said side, said stitching means extending transversely through said pages, said fabric strips and optionally said end sheets; (c) said side of said stack and said respective adjacent edge portions of said pages of said stack being positioned in said U-shaped channel so that the interrelationship between said channel and said stack is such that said channel extends around said side and said respective adjacent edge portions and over said stitching; (d) each one of said end sheets and said adjacent said fabric strip being outwardly folded into adjacent relationship with a different one of each of said support boards; and (e) adhesive means bonding each of said end sheets and said adjacent fabric strips to its adjacent said support board, thereby bind said stack to said book cover.