US3224573A

US3224573A - Envelopes for phonograph records

Info

Publication number: US3224573A
Application number: US446777A
Authority: US
Inventors: David G Way
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-03-31
Filing date: 1965-03-31
Publication date: 1965-12-21
Anticipated expiration: 1982-12-21

Description

D. G. WAY

ENVELOPES FOR PHONOGRAPH RECORDS Filed March 51. 1965 "sills, c*

Patented Dec. 2l, 1965 3,224,573 ENVELOPES EUR PHNUGRAPH RECORDS David G. Way, Boxborough, Mass. (REED, West Acton, Mass.) Filed Mar. 31, 1965, Ser. No. 446,777 4 Claims. (Cl. 2de- 62) The present invention relates to record-receiving and protecting envelopes and is a continuation-in-part vof my copending application, Serial No. 260,602, filed February 25, 1963.

Records, particularly high fidelity records, are easily so damaged that the enjoyment of listening to them is lost. For that reason, it is the practice for high fidelity records to be sold in an inner envelope of plastic -or paper contained in an outer, cardboard envelope. Users are warned to handle the records only by their outer edges, since even ngerprints destroy the accuracy of the minute sound-producing grooves of the playing surfaces.

This dual packaging of records has .severe disadvantages for the users. It is a nuisance to attempt to insert a record, holding it only by its extreme outer edges, into a relatively limp and unmanageable inner envelope, and then still face the chore of inserting this assembly into an outer envelope against severe resistance due to interference between the inner envelope and the narrow slot of the outer envelope.

Many users, in frustration, throw away the inner envelope and insert the fragile record directly into the harsh outer envelope, thereby severely scratching the record playing surface and ruining the fidelity of the record.

Another disadvantage is that neither the inner nor the outer envelope has any spacing between the walls at the sides and bottom, thus adding to the difficulty of removal and insertion.

The general objective of the present invention is to provide record-receiving envelopes that require no inner envelope, `are easy and conventient to use, economical to produce, and afford effective protection to the records. In accordance with the invention, this objective is attained by providing an open-ended envelope for a phonograph record comprising a rectangular sheet having a pair of closely spaced holds transversely of its central part providing a narrow envelope bottom. Each fold also defines with the poximate end of the sheet an envelope wall, each wall including marginal portions secured to its inner face and to the corresponding portions of the other wall, the thus secured and interconnected marginal portions providing narrow envelope sides. The two sides and the bottom position the walls in spaced and approximately parallel relationship to provide a record receiving space greater in thickness than the record over the complete surface of the record. Secured to the inner faces of the envelope walls between the sides thereof there is a soft yieldable coat of an area and thickness yieldably supporting the received record and preventing its contact with the envelope walls.

It is preferred either that the soft yieldable coat cover the entire inner surface of the walls between the sides or that it be in the form of stripes or bands extending from top to bottom thereof and it is also preferred that the side establishing portions of the walls be inturned wall margins, each margin being folded against its wall and secured thereto and to the corresponding margin of the other wall. Such envelopes are free of objectionable features of an envelope formed by folding a sheet upon itself with the fold line providing an envelope side.

ln the accompanying drawings, there are shown illustrative embodiments of the invention from which its several objectives, novel features, and advantages will be apparent.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a blank ready to be folded and marginally united to form an envelope,

FIGURE 2 is a view of the record receiving envelope formed therefrom,

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of another envelope-forming blank in accordance with the invention, and

FIGURES 4 and 5 are sections, on an increased scale, taken along the generally indicated lines 4 4 and 5 5, respectively, of FIGURE 2.

In FIGURE 1, a sheet of cardboard or the like, generally indicated at 10, has inturned side margins 1l notched as at 12 intermediate their ends to enable the sheet 10 to be folded upon itself to provide a front wall 13, a back wall 14, `and an envelope bottom 15. Between the notches 12, there are transverse crease lines 16, so spaced that the width of the bottom 15 is substantially equal to the space between the walls when their margins 11 are sealed together and to the walls of which they are a part as by means of an adhesive to provide envelope sides.

The sheet 10, before it is folded, is provided with a series of transversely spaced rows 1'7 of adhesive disposed parallel to and between the envelope sides by which flock material 18, spread on the unfolded sheet 1li, is anchored to provide record protecting rows after the excess iiock material is removed. The flock rows of each envelope wall provide the only contact surface with the proximate face of a record 19 inserted in the envelope. If desired, the flock material may carry an antistatic impregnant such as a silicone oil.

As shown in FIGURE 3, a sheet 20, otherwise similar to the sheet 1li, may have an adhesive coat 21 applied from end-to-end thereof between the envelope sides so that, on the application of ock material 18 thereto, the resulting envelope becomes completely lined to protect both faces of a record.

In practice, lengths of suitable material, typically cardboard, are fed through apparatus wherein their side margins are creased, formed and sealed to the walls of which they are a part, and the adhesive and flock material are applied. The envelope is then completed by making two transverse creases for the bottom folds, folding the sheet, and sealing together corresponding margins of the envelope walls. It is understood that the lengths may be left joined together in long webs during the first operations, and parted from the web just previous to the nal folding operation.

It will, accordingly, be appreciated that the invention makes possible the efficient and economical production of record-receiving envelopes that are well designed to combine convenience in use with protection of the record grooves against becoming damaged either by dirt or by damaging contact with hard wall surfaces, as each envelope has its walls spaced apart in approximately parallel relationship thereby providing a space greater than the thickness of the received record over the complete surface of the record loosely confined in it with the soft yieldable coat yieldably supporting the received record and preventing its contact with the envelope walls.

I claim:

1. An open-ended envelope for a phonograph record, said envelope comprising a rectangular sheet having a pair of closely spaced folds transversely of the central part thereof providing a narrow envelope bottom, each fold also defining with the proximate end of the sheet an envelope wall, each of said walls including narrow portions secured to the side margins of its inner face and to corresponding marginal portions of the other wall, the thus secured and interconnected marginal portions providing narrow envelope sides, said two sides and said bottom positioning said walls in spaced and approximately parallel relationship providing a space receiving the record and greater than the thickness of the record over the cornplete surface of the record, and secured to the inner faces of said walls between said sides, a soft yieldable coat of an varea and thickness yieldably supporting the received record and preventing its contact with said walls.

2. The envelope of claim 1 in which the narrow, sideestablishing portions are margins extending lengthwise of each side of each wall and folded against the inner surface thereof.

3. The envelope of claim 1 in which the coat is in the form of spaced parallel rows of ock extending lengthwise of the sheet.

4. In combination, an open-ended envelope, and a phonograph record, said envelope comprising a rectangular sheet having a pair of closely spaced folds transversely of the central part thereof providing a narrow envelope bottorn, each fold also defining with the proximate end of the sheet an envelope wall, each of said walls including narrow marginal portions secured to the side margins of its inner face and to corresponding marginal portions of the other wall, the thus secured and interconnected marginal portions providing narrow envelope sides, said two sides and said bottom positioning said walls in spaced and approximately parallel relationship providing a space in which the record is confined, the space being ygreater than the thickness of the record over the complete surface of the record, and secured to the inner faces of said walls between said sides, a soft yieldable coat of an area and thickness yieldably lsupporting the received record and preventing its contact with said walls.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 804,747 11/ 1905 MacKenzie 229-5 3 2,333,798 11/1943 Kner 229-68 2,440,022 4/ 1948 Salsberg 229-48 2,691,440 10/ 1954 Spugios 20G-62 3,132,795 5/1964 Allison 229-68 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. AN OPEN-ENDED ENVELOPE FOR A PHONOGRAPH RECORD, SAID ENVELOPE COMPRISING A RECTANGULAR SHEET HAVING A PAIR OF CLOSELY SPACED FOLDS TRANSVERSELY OF THE CENTRAL PART THEREOF PROVIDING A NARROW ENVELOPE BOTTOM, EACH FOLD ALSO DEFINING WITH THE PROXIMATE END OF THE SHEET AN ENVELOPE WALL, EACH OF SAID WALLS INCLUDING NARROW PORTIONS SECURED TO THE SIDE MARGINS OF ITS INNER FACE AND TO CORRESPONDING MARGINAL PORTIONS OF THE OTHER WALL, THE THUS SECURED AND INTERCONNECTED MARGINAL PORTIONS PROVIDING NARROW ENVELOPE SIDES, SAID TWO SIDES AND SAID