GB2406829A

GB2406829A - Foldable storage album

Info

Publication number: GB2406829A
Application number: GB0323831A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Waldman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-10-10
Filing date: 2003-10-10
Publication date: 2005-04-13
Also published as: GB0323831D0

Abstract

A foldable storage album comprises two strips of clear pockets 20. These are joined together at one end by a reinforced spine 201. Each strip consists of pairs of clear pockets 21, joined by a medial strip 202, which runs the length of the album strips dividing the pockets into two columns. The viewing pockets are formed along either side of each of the album strips. Along the inner edge of each pocket, adjacent to and parallel to the medial spacing strip, is formed an entrance slit 203 for insertion of flat articles such as photographs. Each album strip can be folded along the lines 204 separating adjacent pockets to form a stack of pocket pairs. The pocket contents can be viewed by flipping through the stack, re-extending the strip to lie on a flat surface, or suspending it vertically. The stacked album strip can be folded along the reinforced spine into book form.

Description

Title: Ma bum Function: F o 1 d a b 1 e S t o r a g e A 1 b u m This

invention relates to a dual functioning storage photo album which shall be refered to intermitently as the WALBUM TM, which is the trade marked name for the album. In particular, it is intended to reserve and store as well as acting as a means of viewing flat articles such as photographs, name cards and credit cards,as well as all manner of pictures.

Background

Photography is most often used in event based circumstances, whereby the photogapher is taking pictures at a specific event or events. Frequently, the developed pictures are not good enough to warrant putting in a glass frame or photo album and so remain in the paper envelopes they came back from the developers in, eventually ending up in drawers or stored in boxes.

The Walbum TM is designed to overcome this issue. It is easy to fill with photographs and to swap and change them around at will. It operates as a conventional folded album, whereby the viewer can hold it and flick through the photographs sequentially. It can be stored neatly and economically, with the photos protected within its clear pvc construction. Altenatively, it can be held up and, in one fluid motion, concertina out and form a flat wall hanging, displaying an entire sheet of photographs in one go, and be easy to hang on a wall for public viewing, where all the photos can be seen at once. Furthermore, it is double sided, so that it can be flipped over to display another spread of photos and so doubling its storage capabilities.

Figure 4 shows my initial patent application for a dual functioning photo album GB 001745755 |date of pubikadon 18 J'b 2000).Three individual legs concertina down from their folded format to become a wall hanging.They are joined across the middle by elastic, so that they snap in snugly against one another.

UK Patant application GB 2248584 A (date of publication: 10 / 04 / 1992) is a foldable stoarage album comprising of two strips of clear pockets (fig 6). However, it is not dual functioning, as both strips of viewing pockets are joined right down the middle (fig 206).This makes it impossible to fold the album up neatly into a single stack of pockets as, once concertinaed back up so that they stack on top of each other, it becomes impossible to fold it again down the centre spine due to the thickness of the folded album strips.

Essential technical features This current foldable storage photo album for which I am applying for patent provides a low cost and convenient album in which the contents of the album can be viewed either sequentially or all at once. It must be constructed in such a way as to be able to fold back on inself (fig 7.2, 201), once the strips of viewing pockets are folded up together (Figs 7.1 & 7.2).This is its unique selling point, as it is the only system available on the domestic market that allows the user to manipulate a folded up conventional photo album, whereby you flick through sequentially to view the photos,and transform it into an item that can be laid out into a flat format and which can then be hung on a vertical surface. and then, no matter how many days, weeks or years later, be folded back into a compact unit, being the width and depth of a single regular sized photograph (FIG 3).

To make it even more unique, the manufacturing aspects, whrereby clear pvc pockets are welded to a sheet of soft mix pvc, means pockets can be mounted either side of the softmix, thereby making it possible both sides of the album, doubling its capacity.

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Technical features continued The viewing pockets must be an identical size so as to fold up neatly and squarely.There must be two album strips, and each strip consisting of pairs of viewing pockets.The two strips of viewing pockets mustbe joined down the edges of the top edge of either pair. There must be a clear allowance of PVC so as to have somewhere to stick a pin through and therefore not puncture any valuable phtotogrpahs. The outstretched album strips lie flush with one another, with no substantial gaps occuring. If there are any gaps between the strips, the pictures won't sit comfortably with each other and will not fold up satisfactorily thereby failing in it's claim to be dual functioning.

Objectives The foldable storage album of the present invention provides a low cost and convenient album in which the contents of the album can be viewed either sequentially or all at once.

The present invention has as a first object a foldable storage album that allows access to the stored articles by either flipping through the stack sequentially or by unfolding the album so that articles lay in view. The present invention has as a second object a foldable storage album that can be manufactured at a low cost with a minimum number of manufacturing steps.

The folded album of the present invention comprises of two strips of viewing pockets, with each strip made up of pairs of viewing pockets laid out next to each other and joined by a spine.The two strips are joined at one end by a reinforced joint measuring the depth of one of the viewing pockets, plus a narrow strip across he top of the top four viewing pockets, where the pin holes can be placed.These holes will help people to hang their photo albums easily.

Each viewing pocket has an insertion slit formed on its inner side, parallel and adjacent to the spacing,for the purpose of inserting and removing flat articles., such as name cards, photos, recipies etc.Along the length of both album strips are formed a plurality of parallel fold lines which serve to separate adjacent viewing pockets and are also the lines along which the album strip is bent and folded, according to fashion, to form a two double stack of viewing pockets, joined on one edge, ready to be folded back on itself to close like a book and maximise its storage potential.

Descriptions of the drawings

F I G 1 Shows the current album partially folded, but not yet folded back on itself so that is folded like a book.

F I G 2 Shows the current album in its second state, hanging against a wall, with all the photos exposed and available for viewing.

F I G 3 Shows the current album in its fully folded state, it is now ready to be stored somewhere approprate, such as on a shelf, in a desk or anywhere safe.

F I G 4 Shows the original photo album.

FIG 6 Shows the design found in patent no. GB 2248584A, where both strips of photographs are securely joined down the centre spine.There is no indication that it does separate, and therefore no recognition of this design flaw that refrains the album from folding up completly FIG 7.1 & 7. 2 Show the photo album from edge profile, illustrating how it folds back on itself so as to become one neatly stacked pile of photos.

FIG 8 Shows the current album partially folded, with one pocket strip folded and one partially folded, highlighting that the strips are not joined together.The holes for hanging the photo album also feature here (206).

Detailed description

Refering to Figures 2,3 and 6, the foldable storage album comprises of a pair of album strips (20) consisting of a plurality of viewing pockets (21) joined exclusively accross the top row of pockets with a reinforced spine (201) and a hanging strip with holes in to make it possible to pin the album to a wall (206).

The Album strips (20) are made from rectangular pieces of transparent PVC welded onto a frosted soft mix sheet that allows the album to fold and unfold.The soft mix is crucial to the functioning of the product. A strip made out of normal clear pvc has too strong a memory of its folded state to hang out straight when held against a wall.

The pieces of clear PVC are welded to the front AND back of the strip of soft mix (Fig 6,207), being laid out in a descending fashion and at a precise distance apart from the adjacent pocket to form the spine ( Fig.1, 202). The same is done on the reverse side of the soft mix, so that two pockets are attached back to back, in a descending order, and the edge where they are welded to the soft mix becomes a natural fold (fig 6.208). These pockets are welded on three sides, leaving one side open (Figl,203), parallel to and adjacent to the medial spacing (fig 1,202) separating the two columns of viewing pockets. This serves to define the viewing pockets (Fig 1,21), which are now arranged in two columns separated by the spacing (Flg 1,202). Flat articles can be inserted or removed from the viewing pockets (Figl,21) through the insertion slits (Fig 1, 203).

The album strips (fig 9) are folded along the fold lines 209 with individual viewing pockets evenly spaced so that where they meet 209, a natural fold in the soft mix is created, giving a concertina effect as the pockets are unfolded.The album strips can then be stacked (fig 8) with adjacent viewing pockets 21 juxtaposed to each other (Fig 8).The stacked album strip can then be leafed through, in a sequential fashion, as with a conventional storage album. Alternatively, the album strips (Fig 1,20) can be unfolded on a flat surface or suspended vertically for simultaneous viewing of the stored articles.

The stacked album (Fig 3) can be folded along the medial spacing 202 and the reinforced spine (Figs, 201) for storage: it can be opened or closed along the reinforced spine much like a book. C1 m

Claims

1 A foldable storage album comprising: a pair of end pieces attached by a

reniforced spine; two album strips attached at one end; a plurality of pairs of viewing pockets formed along the length of both album strips, with the viewing pockets of each pair separated by a spacing exending down the length of said album strip; a plurality of viewing pockets on each side of the soft mix backing, allowing the user to display photos on both sides of the strip; a plurality of entrance slits, ones said entrance slit being formed on an inner edge of each said viewing pocket, parallel with and adjacent to said spacing, for the insertion of a flat article; whereby said album strips can be folded along a plurality of folding lines separatring adjacent said viewing pockets to formtwo stacks of connected said pairs of viewing pockets, and can be again folded along the medial said spacing thereof,and again down the centre reinforced spine,forming a closed book with said album strips folded and stacked neatly one on top of the other.

2 A foldable album according to claim 1 wherein said album strip compromises a plurality of columns of said viewing pockets, each adjacent pair of said columns separated by said spacing, with the side edge of the uppermost viewing pockets of two adjacent said strips attached to each other by means of a reinforced spine: a thin strip across the top of both album strips, joined in the middle and punctuated with 4 holes at regular intervals to facilitate hanging of the album on a vertical surface; 3 A foldable storage album substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 8 of the accompanying drawings