EP1416459A2

EP1416459A2 - Holder for receiving inserts

Info

Publication number: EP1416459A2
Application number: EP03256817A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Patrick Nicolas Lennard
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-10-28
Filing date: 2003-10-28
Publication date: 2004-05-06
Also published as: GB2395344A; EP1416459A3; GB2395344B; GB0325183D0; GB0224908D0

Abstract

Advertisements and notices are sometimes placed outside where they are subject to the weather. They may deteriorate even if kept in a plastic bag or envelope. Herein, a holder 1 for an insert 2 bearing an advert, notice or other information comprises an envelope for receiving the insert, the envelope comprising two facing panels 3 and 4 made of plastics material and sealed around the whole of the periphery thereof, one of said panels having an aperture 10, preferably a slit, therein. The aperture permits insertion of the insert into the envelope. The aperture is well spaced from the periphery of the envelope so that water does not seep in at the comers and the aperture can be closed after such insertion by a layer of waterproof material fixed over the aperture by adhesive.

Description

This invention relates to a holder for receiving inserts, more particularly but not exclusively for displaying sheets bearing media such as advertisements, notices, warning signs, menu cards and the like. The holder also has other uses, for example it could be used for the convenient storage of items such as instructions, specifications and diagrams to be kept with the equipment to which they pertain. It could also be used for tags and other documentation intended to accompany freight especially where the journey is likely to be protracted and subject to the weather.
It has been proposed to provide a display holder comprising hinged front and back plastics material members. An insert in the form of a sheet of paper or card bearing the notice, advertisement or whatever is placed between the members and the latter are then held together by integral clip portions of the members. Another proposal comprises a rectangular plastics sleeve closed along three edges and with the fourth edge closable by a flap. The sleeve may be secured to a relatively stiff support panel such as a sheet of Correx (trade mark).
Display holders are often put up outside, eg on lamp posts and telegraph poles. To keep the contents in good condition, they need to be weatherproofed. With known holders, water can enter the holder at the corners, eg where the aforementioned flap reaches the adjacent sides of the holder. In addition, with known proposals, there are exchanges of the air inside and outside the holder, due to daily temperature variations for example, and this tends to cause the contents of the holder to be subject to increased humidity overall. This accelerates deterioration of the contents.
Similarly, documentation such as installation instructions meant to be kept with equipment to which it pertains (so that it can be easily accessed by a repairman for example) or tags and labels meant to be kept with items to be transported may be left fully exposed or kept in plastics bags or envelopes. Again, the items may be subject to deterioration due to rain and humidity variations.
An object of the invention is to provide a holder which may be preferred, particularly for economy of manufacture while providing better excusion of air and water entry.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a holder comprising an envelope for receiving an insert, the envelope comprising two facing panels made of plastics material and sealed around the whole of the periphery thereof, one of said panels having an aperture therein spaced from said periphery and operable for permitting insertion of said insert into said envelope, and said aperture being closable after such insertion by a layer of waterproof material fixed over the aperture by adhesive.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a display holder comprising a flat rectangular sleeve for receiving a sheet to be displayed, the sleeve comprising a front and a rear panel made of plastics material and the sleeve being sealed around the whole of its periphery, said rear panel having a aperture therein spaced from said periphery and operable for permitting insertion of said sheet into said sleeve, and said aperture being closable after such insertion by a layer of waterproof material fixed over the aperture by adhesive.
Preferably, said aperture is a narrow elongate slot.
In one embodiment, the sleeve includes an exterior flap positioned for overlaying said aperture and for being fixed over the aperture by adhesive.
Preferably, the flap supports a layer of adhesive for use in fixing said flap over the aperture.
Advantageously, said layer of adhesive extends over the whole of that surface of the flap which faces the aperture including right up to the extreme edge of the flap to prevent any tendency for the said edge to lift from the sleeve.
The aperture can extend parallel to and relatively close to one edge of said sleeve, and the flap may be a full-width flap fixed to the sleeve along said one edge such that the flap can overlie said aperture.
Preferably, the panels are sealed to one another by welding and the flap is fixed to the sleeve by being incorporated in the weld at said one edge.
Said plastics material may be poly-vinyl chloride (PVC).
The front and rear panels may each have a thickness of between 250 and 500 Microns, preferably this thickness is 300 Microns.
The sleeve may have two longer edges and two shorter edges and the said aperture can be elongate and extend parallel to and relatively near to one of said two shorter edges.
Instead of PVC, some other plastics material may be used for the panels, for example one of polypropylene PET polyester acrylic and polycarbonate.
Then the holder may include weld means, for example one or more spot welds, joining the front and rear panels for locating the said sheet.
It is not essential to provide the flap. Instead, a separate length of weatherproof adhesive sealing tape can be used to seal the aperture.
For mounting said display holder in a position of use, it may comprise one or more loops affixed to the back of the sleeve. Alternatively. or in addition, one or more lands may be formed in the sleeve, for example at respective comers of the sleeve, for receiving pins or nails to fix the holder to a notice board or the like. Also, the mounting means could comprise a self-adhesive block for attachment to said rear panel and tie means for being engaged in an aperture in said block and tied to a support.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
figure 1 is a rear elevation of a first embodiment of a display holder;
figure 2 is a section on line II-II in figure 1;
figure 3 is perspective view of the figure 1 display holder mounted on a pole;
figure 4 is a section on line IV-IV in figure 3;
figure 5 is a perspective view of a cable tie and cable tie base;
figure 6 is a rear elevation of a second embodiment of a display holder;
figure 7 is a section on line VII-VII in figure 6;
figure 8 is a perspective view of the figure 6 display holder mounted on a pole; and
figure 9 is a section on line IX-IX in figure 8.
The display holder shown comprises a flat rectangular sleeve 1 able to receive a sheet 2 of paper or card bearing an advertisement, notice or the like to be displayed. The sleeve comprises front and rear panels 3 and 4 repectively. The panels are made of poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) and the sleeve is sealed around the whole of its periphery, ie., along the two shorter edges 5 and the two longer edges 6 of the panels 3 and 4 and right up to the corners 7 by welding, preferably electronic welding. The width of the weld 8 is quite substantial to maintain the seal.
The front panel 3 is transparent while the rear panel 4 is opaque. Instructions, templates and/or diagrams may be printed on the rear surface of the rear panel 4 to assist the user. In the present case, two squares 9 are printed on the panel 4 to show the best positions for a display holder mounting device - this will be described later.
The front panel 3 could also carry printed matter, for example standard information to be included in notices put out by the owner of the display holder or a logo identifying such owner.
The rear panel 4 has a slit 10 formed therein. The slit is parallel to and is relatively close to, but spaced from, one of the shorter edges 5 of the sleeve. Its function is to permit insertion of the sheet 2 into the sleeve. The slit 10 is radiussed at its ends to make it expandable and hence easier to insert the sheet 2 with less danger of tearing of the panel.
At this one edge of the sleeve near the slit 10, there is a flap 13 which extends from the edge, where it is fixed by being incorporated in the weld 8 at this edge, down over the slit. The flap 13 extends the full width of the sleeve 2 and is large enough to extend well past the slit. The underneath surface of the flap carries a layer of weatherproof low-tack adhesive thereon. The adhesive extends right up to the edges of the flap. The adhesive is used to seal the flap down onto and around the slit.
The reason for using low tack adhesive extending right up to the edges of the flap is to better prevent the possibility of wrinkling of the flap due to temperature variation induced differential expansion of the flap 13 and rear panel 4, and lifting of the flap at the edges after the flap has been stuck down.
The panels 3 and 4 may each have a thickness of between 250 and 500 Microns. For preference, the thickness is 300 Microns, especially if the plastics material is PVC.
Instead of PVC, the panels 3 and 4 could be made of another sheet plastics material such as polypropylene or PET. Other suitable materials are polyester acrylic and polycarbonate. The best thickness for these other materials may or may not be the same as that for PVC. For example, 500 Microns may be best for PET. In general, the thickness should be just sufficient for the holder, ie the two panels 3 and 4 together, to stand upright on one edge. This is not essential in all cases however. A suitable thickness can be chosen by experimentation having regard to the expected application of the holder. Thus, a stand up table menu holder might need to be thicker and hence stiffer than a notice holder to be attached to a window. It may be preferable to use a semi-rigid plastics material rather than one which is generally quite flexible
In the embodiment shown, the rear panel is opaque but this is not essential. In fact, it may be advantageous in some situations for the panel 4 to be transparent. For example, this might be appropriate if the holder is used for an application such as a table-top menu card.
Whether or not the panel 4 is transparent, the aforementioned printed instructions, templates and such may or may not be provided.
The panel 3, and the panel 4 if it is transparent, could be provided with a non-glossy (matt) anti-glare surface finish.
The illustrated display holder is intended for display of an A4 size sheet and the internal dimensions of the sleeve could be 320 mm by 230 mm, and the slit could be 217 mm long and positioned centrally between the edges 6. The slit can be 12.5 mm from the nearest edge 5 and, if used, the tape 11 can be 20 mm wide by 230 mm long. Each spot weld 12 can be about 9 or 10 mm from the adjacent edge 5 of the sleeve and say 30 mm from the nearest edge 6.
Depending upon which material is used for the panels 3 and 4 (it may not be appropriate when PVC is used), two spot welds 12 may be formed between the panels 3 and 4 to form supports for the sheet 2. The holder can be used with the shorter sides at top and bottom to give a portrait position of the holder or at left and right to give a landscape position. In the portrait position, the spot welds 12 will maintain the lower edge of the sheet 2 spaced above the lower edge of the display holder.
To mount the display holder in a position of use, it is supplied with a suitable mounting item. For example, a clear adhesive tab or piece of double-sided adhesive tape for fixing the holder to a wall or window, or a weighted base with a clip or slot for standing the holder on a table.
To assist in fixing the display holder to a notice board, the illustrated display holder is provided with weld lines 24 cutting off the comers 7 of the sleeve 1 so as to define lands 25. The holder can then be pinned to the notice board by drawing pins or nails (not shown) through the lands 25. The weld lines 24 are made continuous with the weld lines 8 so that the perforations made by the pins or nails do not compromise the sealing of the sleeve.
The lands at the comers of the sleeve may be provided with punched holes for receiving central spigot portions of respective suction cup fixings (not shown).
To mount the display holder outside on a vertical post, eg a street lamp, as shown in figures 3 and 4, the holder may be supplied with a self-locking cable tie 14 and an adhesive cable tie base 15.
A self-locking cable tie is a well known item used in the electrical industry for tying bundles of electrical cables together but also having other uses as here. It comprises a plastics material strip with serrations along its length and an eyelet at one end with a catch in the eyelet. The other end of the strip can be inserted in the eyelet whereupon the catch engages the serrations with a non-return action allowing the tie to be tightened around a bundle of cables or indeed a lamp-post. In some cases, the catch can be disengaged to permit loosening of the tie.
The adhesive cable tie base 15 is also a known item. It comprises a shallow plastics material block 16 with an adhesive layer 17 on one side, covered when sold by a peel-off protective film (not shown). One or more slots 18 extend through the block for receiving the cable tie. In use, the adhesive layer 17 is exposed and the block 16 attached to a suitable position on the rear panel of the display holder. Suitable positions for the block 16 are indicated by the two printed squares 9 on the panel 4, one of the squares being best for portrait mounting of the holder and the other for landscape mounting. The cable tie 14 is then inserted through an appropriate one of the slots 18. The tie 14 is then tightened around the lamp-post to secure the display holder.
The second embodiment of the display holder, shown in figures 6 to 9, comprises some elements which are the same as elements of the first embodiment shown in figures 1 to 5. Herein, such common elements are given like reference numbers and the description thereof will herein be abbreviated. For further information about such elements, reference should be made to the description earlier herein.
The second embodiment comprises a flat rectangular sleeve 1 able to receive a paper or card insert 2 and comprising a transparent front panel 3 and an opaque rear panel 4, both panels being of PVC. As before, the sleeve is sealed around the whole of its periphery by welding.
The front panel 3 is transparent while the rear panel 4 is opaque. As before, instructions, templates and/or diagrams may be printed on the rear surface of the rear panel 4 to assist the user. In the present case, four squares 9A are printed on the panel 4 to show the best positions for two display holder mounting devices - this will be described later.
Instead of slit 10, the rear panel 4 in the second embodiment has a slit 10A formed therein. The function of slit 10A is the same as that of slit 10, namely to permit insertion of the sheet 2 in the sleeve. However, instead of being parallel to the shorter edges 5, the slit 10A is parallel to and is relatively close to, but spaced from, one of the longer edges 6 of the sleeve. Also, whereas the ends of slit 10 in the first embodiment are each radiussed through a quarter circle 26, the ends of slit 10A are each radiussed through a half circle 26A, ie each end makes a relatively small radius turn through 180 degrees. This provides even better resistance to tearing of the panel 4 and gives more clearance to enable manoeuvring of the sheet 2 into the sleeve.
Compared with the first embodiment, in the second, there is an increased distance between the welded spots 12 and the adjacent edges 6 of the sleeve. This permits easier entry of the insert 2 into the sleeve. The distance between spot 12 and the adjacent edge 6 on the slit 10A side could be larger than the distance between the spot 12 and the adjacent edge 6 remote from the slit 10A.
Two additional spot welds 12A are provided. These are located along the sleeve edge 6 furthest from the slit 10A. They are intended to support the insert 2 when the holder is used in the landscape position.
The positions of the spot welds could be modified as required. This may depend upon the size of the display holder. For example, if the holder is dimensioned for an A4 insert, and the spot welds 12A are provided, the two spot welds 12 might be replaced by a single spot weld in a more central location between the edges 6. For an A3 insert, this may not be preferred.
At that one of the longer edges of the sleeve which is near the slit 10A, there is a flap 13A which extends from the edge, where it is fixed by being incorporated in the weld 8 at this edge, down over the slit. The flap 13A extends the full length of the sleeve 2 and is large enough to extend well past the slit. Just like the flap 13 of the first embodiment, and for the same reason, the underneath surface of the flap 13A carries a layer of weatherproof low-tack adhesive thereon. As before, the adhesive extends right up to the edges of the flap 13A and the adhesive is used to seal the flap 13A down onto and around the slit 10A.
The thickness and material of the panels may be as described for the first embodiment. Similarly, the panel 4 in the second embodiment may or may not be opaque, and the panels 3 and 4 may or may not have a non-glossy finish just as described for the first embodiment
The second embodiment of the display holder is again intended for display of an A4 size sheet. The internal dimensions of the sleeve could be 332 mm by 245 mm, and the slit 10A could be 303 mm long and positioned centrally between the edges 5. The slit can be 16 mm from the nearest edge 6. Each spot weld 12 can be about 17 or 18 mm from the adjacent edge 5 of the sleeve and say 70 mm from the nearest edge 6. Similarly, each spot 12A can be about 17 or 18 mm from the adjacent edge 6 and around 70 mm from the adjacent edge 5.
To mount the second embodiment of the display holder outside on a vertical post, eg a street lamp, the holder may be supplied with two self-locking cable ties 14 and respective adhesive cable tie bases 15.
Suitable positions for the blocks 16 of the cable tie bases are indicated by the four printed squares 9A on the panel 4, two of the squares being best for portrait mounting of the holder and the other two for landscape mounting.
Naturally, some features of the first and second embodiments may be applied one to the other. For example, four squares such as 9A may be printed on the panel 4 of the first embodiment to accommodate mounting using two cable ties and bases. Similarly, the ends of the slit 10 in the first embodiment may have half circle (180 degree ) turns like the turns 26A.
In a modification applicable to the first and second embodiments of the display holder, the flap 13 or 13A is omitted and, in its place, the holder is supplied (for example, as part of a pre-packed kit of parts) with a separate pre-cut length of weatherproof adhesive sealing tape 11. Ideally the adhesive tape 11 has the adhesive side covered by a peel-off protective layer and this protective layer is removed when the tape is about to be used. As shown in dotted outline in the drawings, the supplied length of tape is carefully applied to the panel 4 over the slit 10 or 10A after the sheet 2 has been inserted into the sleeve 1. For the first embodiment, the tape could be 20mm wide by 230mm long and, for the second embodiment, the tape could be 20mm wide by 323mm long.
The tape 11 does not have to be a pre-cut piece of course. It could be simply cut from a separately purchased reel. Either way, however, the piece should be longer and substantially wider than the slit 10 or 10A so that, when it is applied over the slit, it can be ensured that the sides and ends of the slit are well covered.
The sides and ends of the slit are sufficiently well spaced from the edges of the panels so that the tape can be applied all round the slit without touching the panel edges. However, the slit is reasonably close to the closest edge 5 or 6 so as to make it easier to insert the sheet 2 without having to make the sleeve much bigger than the sheet 2 to be displayed.
In the case of the first embodiment, the slit could be 12.5 mm. from the nearest edge 5, or it could be between 10 and 15 mm. from that edge, or it could be between 5 and 15 mm. or 5 and 20 mm. from that edge. The slit 10 could have a length and a position on the panel 4 such that each end of it extends to no less than 4 mm. from the closest edge 6 of the sleeve. Better still, each end of the slit should be no less than 5 mm. or even better no less than 6mm. or even better than that 7, 8 or 9 mm. from the closest edge 6. Each end of the slit could be 10 mm. or less from the edge 6 of the panel.
The illustrated display holders are re-usable, ie the media item therein can be taken out and replaced if required or the holder may be taken down and put up in a different position.
The term slit as used herein in relation to the slit 10 or 10A means a very narrow elongate aperture of knife cut thickness say. However, this is not essential - instead the slit 10 or 10A could be replaced by a somewhat wider slot or aperture, say a slot one, two, three or even four or five mm. wide or perhaps even wider than this, provided that the slot or aperture can be effectively sealed by the application of the flap 13 or 13Aor the separate tape 11.
The display holder may be dimensioned to receive sheets of sizes other than A4. For example, it may be dimensioned to take A3 sheets or other metric, imperial or US sizes.
Particularly for sizes greater than A4, additional welded lands such as lands 25 may be provided to permit extra support of the holder. For example, there could be two intermediate lands half way along the long edges of the sleeve.

Claims

A holder comprising an envelope for receiving an insert, the envelope comprising two facing panels made of plastics material and sealed around the whole of the periphery thereof, one of said panels having an aperture therein spaced from said periphery and operable for permitting insertion of said insert into said envelope, and said aperture being closable after such insertion by a layer of waterproof material fixed over the aperture by adhesive.
A holder comprising a flat rectangular sleeve for receiving a sheet to be displayed, the sleeve comprising a front and a rear panel made of plastics material and the sleeve being sealed around the whole of its periphery, said rear panel having an aperture therein spaced from said periphery and operable for permitting insertion of said sheet into said sleeve, and said aperture being closable after such insertion by a layer of waterproof material fixed over the aperture by adhesive.
A holder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said aperture is a narrow elongate slit.
A holder according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the sleeve comprises an exterior flap positioned for overlaying said aperture and for being fixed over the aperture by adhesive.
A holder according to claim 4, wherein the flap supports a layer of adhesive for use in fixing said flap over the aperture.
A holder according to claim 5, wherein said layer of adhesive extends over the whole of that surface of the flap which faces the aperture including right up to the extreme edge of the flap to prevent any tendency for the said edge to lift from the sleeve.
A holder according to claim 3, 4, 5 or 6, wherein the aperture extends parallel to and relatively close to one edge of said sleeve, and the flap is fixed to the sleeve along said one edge such that the flap can overlie said aperture.
A holder according to claim 7, wherein the panels are sealed to one another around the entire periphery by welding and the flap is fixed to the sleeve by being incorporated in the weld at said one edge.
A holder according to any preceding claim, wherein the sleeve has two longer edges and two shorter edges and the said aperture is elongate and extends parallel to and relatively near to one of said two shorter edges.
A holder according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the sleeve has two longer edges and two shorter edges and the said aperture is elongate and extends parallel to and relatively near to one of said two longer edges.