WO1995020485A1

WO1995020485A1 - Sleeving material for film archiving and method of making

Info

Publication number: WO1995020485A1
Application number: PCT/US1995/000781
Authority: WO
Inventors: Huey-Ming Tan
Original assignee: Tan Huey Ming
Priority date: 1994-01-28
Filing date: 1995-01-17
Publication date: 1995-08-03
Also published as: CN1126326A; AU1604895A; DE19580153T1; FR2715604A1; FR2715604B1

Abstract

A sleeving material (10) for film archiving includes first and second flexible, translucent, continuous webs (12, 13) secured together to form multiple film receiving pockets (24), each pocket (24) having an opening adjacent to one of the lateral edges (14, 15). The webs (12, 13) are perforated at tear-off lines (16) evenly spaced along the webs (12, 13) such that the tear-off lines (16) organize the pockets (24) into sheets (18). Each sheet (18) has archiving retention features, which can take the form of 1) punched or cut holes (32) integrally formed in the webs (12, 13), or 2) channels shaped to receive conventional hanging file hangers. In addition, each sheet (18) includes a printed header (28) on which identifying material can be written and sensor marks (30) aligned with the pockets (24) to indicate the location of the respective pockets (24) for a film loading device. Continuous web converting methods are disclosed for fabricating this sleeving material (10).

Description

"SLEEVING MATERIAL FOR FILM ARCHIVING AND METHOD OF MAKING^*

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to sleeving material used for storing developed photographic film (either negative or positive type) , and to a continuous web method for producing the sleeving material. There is substantial need for an efficient means for storing developed film, such as 35mm negatives. For example, law enforcement agencies, magazine and newspaper publishers, and research facilities of all kinds are high volume users of photographic film, and they often need to archive developed film for future reference and use.

There are products on the market that enable developed film to be stored in pockets formed on transparent or semi-transparent plastic sheets or foils. Such plastic sheets with pockets are called "sleeving material." In its simplest form, this sleeving material consists of two transparent or semi- transparent plastic sheets or foils which define pockets formed by heat sealed seams. This sleeving material is produced on continuous web equipment and is supplied to the user on rolls. Photographic developers of the "one-hour" type almost universally use this simple form of sleeving material because the sleeving material is available at low cost, and machines that facilitate loading of film into the sleeving material are readily available. This simple sleeving material is not well suited for organized filing because there is no provision for dividing the sleeving material into separate sheets of uniform length, no provision for recording information about the film contained in the sleeving material, and no provision for holding the sleeving material in a ring binder or hanging file. A superior film storage system consists of individual, uniformly sized sheets of sleeving material that contain film storage pockets as in the simplest form described above. These sheets of sleeving material also have provision for recording information in a header area, as well as punched holes along one edge that correspond to standard ring binder spacing. Some of these individual sheet-type film storage systems also are designed to accept a standard, hanging file hanger which is commercially available. From the standpoint of film storage, this product is a substantial improvement on sleeving material that is currently produced on continuous web machines. However, a major disadvantage of this system is that the cost per sheet is relatively high since this sleeving material is not produced on a continuous web machine. Further, since the sleeving material is not supplied in roll form, it is more difficult and time consuming to load the film into the sleeving, even when a special machine is used, because of the need to handle individual sheets. A film storage system of this type which includes a special machine that can be used for loading film into the sleeving material is discussed in detail by Lorsch in U.S. Patent 4,787,766. When discussing the background of his invention, Lorsch states that sleeving material on rolls has no provision for filing in ring binders or in hanging files. At Column 1, lines 57-64, Lorsch states that the usual practice when it is desired to store film strips in a ring binder or the like is to remove the film material from the pockets of conventional roll type sleeving material, and then to place the film material manually into the pockets of sheet-type sleeving material adapted for archival storage. This is a cumbersome, labor intensive, and expensive approach.

A method for producing slide sleeving material by the continuous web process and including perforation lines for easy tearing into sheets of any length is described by True in U.S. Patent 4,911,777. The True patent relates to a storage system for individually mounted photographic slides rather than photographic film in strip form. Because the sleeving material produced by the True method can be supplied in roll form, it lends itself to the use of slide loading equipment to facilitate loading of slides into the sleeving material. However, with the True system, the structure that enables filing of the sleeving material in ring binders or hanging files is attached adhesively to each individual sheet after the sheet has been separated from the roll. While the economy of continuous web production is achieved for the sleeving material itself, the necessary additional structure to enable organized storage of individual sheets is obtained by an expensive secondary operation. Further, if the conversion of the roll sleeving material to storage sheets is done before the loading of the slides, which is the procedure described by True, then the opportunity for utilizing a machine to load slides in roll sleeving material is lost.

The elaborate method described by True to create the structure either for ring binder file sheets or for hanging file sheets demonstrates once again the importance of these features for a film storage system. True failed to incorporate these features in a continuous web manufacturing process, but instead resorted to an expensive secondary operation. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is a need for film sleeving material that incorporates all of the desired features found in the various types of film sleeving material described above, and that can be manufactured by the continuous web process, without secondary operations to provide a means for organized storage. This film sleeving material should preferably be supplied in roll form that is usable in a film loading machine. According to a first aspect of this invention, a sleeving material for film is provided comprising first and second flexible, translucent, continuous webs secured together to form a plurality of film receiving pockets. The webs define a longitudinal direction and have first and second lateral edges oriented along the longitudinal direction. The pockets are oriented transverse to the longitudinal direction, each pocket having an opening adjacent to one of the lateral edges. The webs are perforated at tear-off lines evenly spaced along the webs, and adjacent ones of the tear-off lines are separated by multiple ones of the pockets such that the tear-off lines organize the pockets into sheets. The webs comprise archiving retention features integrally formed in the webs such that each of the sheets comprises a respective set of the archiving retention features. The webs also comprise a plurality of identifying regions, each disposed on a respective one of the sheets and adapted to receive identifying information, and a plurality of sensor marks, each aligned with a respective one of the pockets to indicate location of the respective pocket for a film loading device.

According to a second aspect of this invention, a method is provided for forming film sleeving material comprising the following steps.

First and second web portions are provided which extend continuously in a longitudinal direction. Selected parts of the web portions are secured together to form

- film receiving pockets. These pockets extend transversely to the longitudinal direction, and each

- 5 pocket defines an opening positioned adjacent. to a lateral edge of the web portions. The web portions are perforated to form tear-off lines at evenly spaced intervals along the longitudinal direction. Adjacent ones of the tear-off lines are separated by multiple

10 ones of the pockets such that the tear-off lines divide the webs into sheets. At least one archiving retention feature is formed in each sheet, and each sheet is printed with a label indicating an identifying region adapted to receive hand written markings, and the web

15 portions are rolled about an axis after the preceding steps to form a roll of the sheets.

The sleeving material of the present invention is not limited to 35mm film applications. The sleeving material can also be manufactured to store

20 developed roll films in other formats, such as 120, 127 and 70mm.

The invention itself, together with further objects and attendant advantages, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed

25 description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a roll of film sleeving material that incorporates a first preferred embodiment of this invention. 30 Figure 2 is a plan view of a single sheet of sleeving material that has been separated from the roll of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a second embodiment of a sheet of sleeving material manufactured in accordance with the present invention that has been separated from the roll.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a third embodiment of a sheet of sleeving material manufactured in accordance with the present invention that has been separated from the roll.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a fourth embodiment of a sheet of sleeving material manufactured in accordance with the present invention that has been separated from the roll.

Figure 6 is a schematic view of a first preferred embodiment of a method for forming film sleeving material in accordance with this invention.

Figure 7 is a schematic view of the folding station of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a schematic view of the heat sealing station of Figure 6.

Figure 9 is a schematic view of the perforation station of Figure 6. Figure 10 is a schematic view of a gravure printing process suitable for use in the printing station of Figure 6.

Figure 11 is a schematic view of a flexographic printing process suitable for use in the printing station of Figure 6.

Figure 12 is a schematic view of a rotary hole punching apparatus suitable for use in the hole punching station of Figure 6.

Figure 13 is schematic view of a hole cutting apparatus suitable for use in the hole cutting station of Figure 6.

Figures 14 and 15 are cross-sectional views of two hole cutter drums suitable for use in the system of Figure 13. Figure 16 is a schematic view of a second preferred embodiment of a method for forming film sleeving material in accordance with this invention.

Figure 17 is a schematic view of the joining station of Figure 16.

Figure 18 is a schematic view of a third preferred embodiment of a method for forming film sleeving material in accordance with this invention.

Figure 19 is a schematic view of an apparatus suitable for use in the slitting station of Figure 18.

Figure 20 is a perspective view of a film loading machine that can be used to facilitate the loading of developed film into the pockets of the sleeving material of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Turning now to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a roll 10 of sleeving material for film, that incorporates a first preferred embodiment of this invention. The roll 10 is made up of two flexible, translucent, continuous webs 12, 13 which define lateral edges 14, 15 extending parallel to a longitudinal direction L.

The webs 12, 13 can be formed of a plastic sheet stock made from polyethylene or polypropylene resin. It should be understood that other resin types are also suitable for particular applications. Typically, the thickness of the webs 12, 13 is in the range of 1.5 mil. to 2.5 mil. Suitable plastic sheet stock is readily available from many manufacturers. In some cases, the plastic sheet stock is supplied in the form of a rolled-up flattened tube if the plastic sheet is produced by_N the process known as the "blown film process." Otherwise, the usual form of the plastic sheet stock is a large roll of single thickness sheet. The sheet stock can be transparent or semi-transparent, depending on the application. As used herein, the term "translucent" is intended to cover both types of sheet stock.

As shown in Figure 1, perforation lines 16 are formed at regularly spaced intervals along the longitudinal direction. These perforation lines provide tear-off lines that divide the webs 12, 13 into an array of successive sheets 18.

Within each sheet 18 multiple parallel heat sealed seams 20 are provided. In addition, heat sealed spots 22 are provided adjacent the lateral edge 14. The seams 20 and the spots 22 cooperate to form pockets 24 which are closed on three sides by the seams 20 and the spots 22 and define openings 26 adjacent the remaining side. As shown in Figure 1, these openings 26 are positioned adjacent to the lateral edge 15. Each of the pockets 24 is sized to receive a strip of film, such as, for example, a developed negative. The width of the individual pockets 24 should be chosen as appropriate for the intended film.

Each of the sheets 18 also includes a header 28 which acts as an identifying region. Each header 28 is printed with a label that indicates that the header 28 is intended to receive hand-written markings. The headers allow the user to mark each of the sheets 18 with identifying information. Optionally, the header 28 may also be printed with an ink that receives hand written markings, such as a white, background-forming ink. Each of the sheets 18 is also printed with an array of sensor marks 30. These sensor marks 30 are each aligned with a respective one of the pockets 24 such that the sensor marks 30 define the location of the associated pockets 24. The sensor marks 30 are used to indicate the location of the pockets for film loading devices used to load film into the pockets 24. The sensor marks 30 and the pockets 24 are not evenly positioned along the longitudinal direction L. Note that the headers 28 increase the separation between the last pocket on one sheet and the first pocket on the next sheet, as compared to the spacing between adjacent pockets on a single sheet.

The sheets 18 also define archiving retention features which in this embodiment take the form of holes 32 which are formed in the webs 12, 13 at a spacing appropriate to receive the rings of a ring binder (not shown) .

In the rolled form shown in Figure 1, the webs 12, 13 are wound in a spiral along the longitudinal direction. As shown in Figure 1 the pockets 24 extend substantially transverse both to the lateral edges 14, 15 and to the longitudinal direction L.

Figure 2 is a plan view of one of the sheets 18 after it has been separated from the roll 10. In this embodiment the pockets 24 are intended for use with 35mm film. Each sheet 18 allows six pieces of film to be stored, each piece of film having five frames. Preferred dimensions are indicated by reference symbols on Figure 2, and preferred values for these dimensions are shown in Table 1.

Figure 3 shows a sheet 18' of a second preferred embodiment. The sheet 18' has also been designed for use with 35mm film. In this case^*, there are four pockets 24' , and each pocket 24' is long enough to contain a length of film comprising seven frames. In this case the holes 32' are punched or cut along an axis extending parallel to the length direction of the pockets 24' . The header 28' is formed in two sections as shown, and a channel 31' is formed in the region of the openings 32' . This channel 31' is defined by heat sealed seams 20', 21', and it is open at each end. The end of the channel 31' adjacent the fold line can be cut or punched open at the same time the holes 32' are formed. A file hanger can be moved into the channel 31' after the sheet 18' has been removed from the roll. Such a file hanger 34' includes ends designed to hold the sheet 18' in place between parallel rails (not shown) . As with the first preferred embodiment of Figure 2, one of the lateral edges 14' is in this case formed by a fold line, while the other lateral edge 15' is formed by the exposed edges of the webs 12', 13'. Once again, representative dimensions are indicated with reference symbols on the drawing, and these reference symbols are defined in Table 1. Figure 4 shows a third preferred embodiment of a sheet 18'' which is quite similar to the sheet 18' of Figure 3. The principal difference lies in the fact that the webs 12'', 13'' are two separate pieces rather than one folded piece as described above. In this case heat sealed spots 22'' are provided to close one end of the pockets 24''. Table 1 provides typical dimensions.

Figure 5 shows a plan view of a sheet 18''' of a fourth preferred embodiment after it has been separated from the roll. The sheet 18''' is similar to the sheet 18 of Figure 2 except that the webs 12''',

13''' are formed as two sides of a continuous tube, and therefore, both of the lateral edges 14''', 15''' are formed as fold lines rather than as free edges. In this case a slit opening 36''' is formed in one of the webs 12''' to provide an opening for the pockets 24'''. A channel is formed for a file hanger 34' ' ' by the fold line at the lateral edge 14''' and the heat sealed spots 22'''. This channel is generally aligned with the openings 32''', and it is open at both ends to allow the ends of the file hanger 34''' to protrude. Table 1 provides typical dimensions. Table 1 Preferred Dimensions (mm)

Al = 3 A2 = 3 A3 = 3 A4 = 3

Bl = 18.4 B2 = 3 B3 = 3 B4 = 18.4

Cl = 279.4 C2 = 222.3 C3 = 222.3 C4 = 279.4

DI = 3 D2 = 3 D3 = 3 D4 = 3

El = 3 E2 = 277 E3 = 274 E4 = 195

FI = 215 F2 = 280 F3 = 280 F4 = 215

Gl = 17 G2 = 16.3 G3 = 16.3 G4 = 20

HI = 10 H2 = 200 H3 = 200 H4 = 10

11 = 42.5 12 = 40 13 = 40 14 = 42.5

J4 = 15

The first embodiment including the sheet 18 is in some ways the most straightforward to produce. The ring binder holes 32 are punched or cut along the left edge, and the left edge is the folded edge. The right edge is open for insertion of the film. The width of the sheet 18 is typically 215 mm (8.5 inches) . This embodiment is intended for use in ring binder archiving only, with the ring binder being used in standard book orientation.

The sheets 18' and 18'' (Figures 3 and 4) are intended for either ring binder or hanging file archiving. When used with a ring binder, the orientation of the binder is rotated by 90° in the clockwise direction with respect to the standard book orientation. The ring binder holes 32', 32'' are aligned transverse to the web direction. The left edge is the folded edge (Figure 3) or the heat sealed edge (Figure 4) , and the right edge is open for insertion of the film. When used in a hanging file, a standard hanging file hanger 34', 34'' is first inserted into the channel that is aligned with the punched or cut holes 32', 32'' . In this embodiment the width of the sleeving material is typically about 279.4 mm (11 inches) . The fourth embodiment of Figure 5 is the most difficult to produce of those illustrated but it does have important advantages. In this case both the left and right edges are folded edges. The top web 12' ' ' is slit the full length of the roll a short distance from the left edge. Film is inserted into the pockets 24''' through the slit 36'''. The ring binder holes 32''' are punched or cut along the left edge, and the width of the sleeving material is typically 215 mm (8.5 inches) . This embodiment can be used in ring binder archiving with the ring binder in standard book orientation. It can also be used in hanging file archiving after first inserting a standard hanging file hanger 34' ' ' into the channel that is aligned with the punched holes 32'''.

All of the embodiments described above initially have the sheets interconnected at the perforation lines to form the respective rolls. A film loading machine can be used to facilitate loading of film into the pockets for each of these embodiments. The general principal is the same in each case. The roll of sleeving material is loaded into the film loading machine, and the free end of the sleeving material is threaded into the drive mechanism of the machine. The machine is equipped with an optical sensor that precisely stops the sleeving material to align the successive pockets with a film feeding track each time a sensor mark is detected. With the pocket properly aligned, the film is then fed into the pocket. The film is then cut between frames so that the maximum number of frames is stored in each pocket. By alternately advancing the sleeving material and loading the film into a pocket, a complete roll of film can quickly be inserted into a sheet of sleeving material. If more space than one sheet is needed, the remainder of the film can be placed into the following sheet of sleeving material.

Figure 20 provides a perspective view of a suitable film loading machine. This film loading machine can be made in a manner similar or identical to conventional machines well known to those skilled in the art. Suitable prior art machines are manufactured by Omaga as Model S410, by Noritsu as Model ENV-M5, and by Crown as Model 4508. After the sheets have passed through the film loading machine, the sheets can be easily separated by tearing them off at the perforation lines. Identifying information can then be written onto the sleeving material sheets using a marker pen that is intended for use in writing on plastic. As discussed above, if the header is printed with a markable background-forming ink, a conventional ball point pen can be used.

It is sometimes convenient to make a contact print from the film negatives that are stored in a particular sheet of sleeving material. Such a contact print can be made directly through the sheet. If the identifying information is written directly on the plastic surface, this information will also be printed on the contact print. Figures 6, 16 and 18 are schematic views of three continuous web converting methods suitable for use in making the embodiments described above. The method of Figure 6 starts with a single sheet of continuous web 40 which is folded to form the two webs 12, 13 (Figure 2), and 12', 13' (Figure 3). The method of Figure 16 starts with two separate webs which are joined together to form the webs 12'', 13'' (Figure 4). The method of Figure 18 starts with a single tubular, continuous sheet which is slit to form the sleeving material of Figure 5. Turning now to Figure 6, this drawing illustrates a continuous machine or method suitable for producing the sleeving material shown above in Figures 1 through 3. This method starts with a large roll of single thickness plastic sheet 40 on the left-hand side of Figure 6. This large sheet is first folded in a folding station 42 before it reaches a heat sealing station 44. A suitable folding station 42 is shown, for example, in Figure 7. The continuous web 40 is folded over a folding form 43 to create a fold line at one lateral edge and to provide two free edges of the continuous web 40 at the other lateral edge.

The folded web then proceeds to a heat sealing station 44 that welds the two layers of plastic sheet together along seams that define pockets for the photographic film.

Figure 8 shows a typical heat sealing station 44. The station 44 includes a heat sealing drum 46 and an opposed supporting drum 48. The heat sealing drum 46 is made of steel with a plurality of embossing ridges which extend from the exterior surface of the drum and are positioned at locations corresponding to the desired locations of the heat sealed seams and the heat sealed spots on a sheet of sleeving material. The sealing drum 46 is heated by one or more cartridge heaters 50 embedded inside the drum 46. The supporting drum 48 is typically a metal cylinder coated with a silicone rubber capable of withstanding high temperatures. Returning to Figure 6, the heat sealed web then proceeds to one or more printing stations 52 that are used to print sensor marks on the sleeving material that correspond to the location of the individual pockets and to print labels in the headers used for identification purposes for each sheet. In addition, any other desired information can be printed. In general, the number of printing stations 52 will be dictated by the number of different colors that are to be printed.

Printing on the sleeving material can be done by any suitable process, including the well known gravure process and flexographic process. As shown in Figure 10, a typical gravure process includes three basic parts: an engraved gravure image drum 54, a doctor blade 56 and a rubber impression drum 58. A typical flexographic process is shown in Figure 11, which includes four basic parts: a fountain roller 60, an ink metering or anilox roller 62, a printing plate drum 64 and an impression drum 66.

Both the gravure and the flexographic processes are used widely in the printing trade.

Plastic shopping bags and pressure sensitive labels are usually printed with one of these two processes. Commercially available printing web presses employing these processes are widely available as, for example, from any of the following suppliers: Windmoeller and Hoelscher, Inta-Roto, Bielloni Castello, Mark Andy, Webtron, and Allied Gears.

Returning to Figure 6, the continuous web then proceeds to a hole punching or cutting station 68 that creates holes along an edge of each defined sheet of sleeving material with a spacing that corresponds to the standard spacing used in ordinary ring binders. In the illustrated embodiments the holes are formed by removing waste material from the webs. Alternatively, the holes can be formed as simple linear slits, without the removal of waste material, and the term "holes" is intended to cover both approaches.

There are several methods that can be used to form holes in the web as it passes through the hole punching or cutting station. The first method can be referred to as rotary punching, and it involves tooling that includes a punch drum 69 and a matching dies drum 67 (Figure 12) . These two drums are rotated in unison, and the web material is drawn between the two drums as they "rotate. The punches fit precisely into the die as they meet, and thus the workpiece material has holes punched in it as it passes between the drums. This method of creating holes works well for paper workpieces and lends itself to very high speed production. The rotary punching technique is, however, not always successful when used with thin and soft plastic sheets. This is because it is difficult to maintain the very minute clearance required between the punch and the die to obtain a clean shearing of the material. Of course, such clearance problems only become worse as the punch and die begin to wear. High precision punches and dies of the type described above are supplied by Tools and Productions, Inc. in the United States and Schober Gmbh in Germany. A process that works better for making holes in thin, soft plastic sheets is known as "kiss cutting". As shown in Figure 13, this process utilizes a first drum 70 that contains cutters 72 that are hollow and look like conventional gasket cutters. The ends of the cutters 72 are sharpened and are shaped as a circular or elongated loop. The cutter drum 70 is run against a perfectly smooth drum which is known as the anvil drum 74, and the workpiece material is drawn between these two drums. The ends of the cutter 72 run in perfect contact with the surface of the anvil drum

74 but do not bear against it. In this way the cutters are said to "kiss" the surface of the anvil drum 74 as they meet it.

As shown in Figure 14, the cutter drum 70 can be formed with a hollow interior in conjunction with the cutter 72. With this arrangement, the cutter 72 can be formed to cut the workpiece through in a closed loop. The holes made with this process separate the waste material from the webs, and the waste material can conveniently be removed via the hollow center of the drum 70. A suitable vacuum system can be attached to the drum through the drum shaft to draw the severed waste material away from the moving web. In this case the inside walls of the cutter 72 are tapered so that the waste material can drop into the hollow center of the drum easily.

Figure 15 shows an alternate embodiment in which the cutter 72' is provided with notches 74' . These notches prevent the cutter 72' from severing the waste material completely from the moving web, and the remaining material forms bridges that retain the waste material in place on the web. The user can remove the waste material at the time the sleeving material is filed into ring binders. In this case the center of the cutter drum 70' does not need to be hollowed out. Returning to Figure 6, after the web leaves the hole punching or cutting station 68, it next passes through a perforation station 76. The perforation station 76 forms transverse perforation lines that define the separation line between individual sheets of sleeving material and allow for easy separation of the sheets by manual tearing.

Figure 9 illustrates a typical perforation station 76. The perforation station 76 includes a perforation drum 78 and a supporting anvil drum 80. The perforation drum 78 is made of steel with perforation blades embedded in its body and protruding from the exterior surface of the drum. If the circumference of the drum is the same as the length of the defined sheet of sleeving material, only one perforation blade is needed. The supporting anvil drum is made of steel with its surface case hardened. This perforation method is another application of the "kiss cutting" process described above.

After the web has been perforated it is then rewound onto a disposable cardboard core as the finished sleeving material at a take-up station 82 (Figure 6) .

Turning now to Figure 16, this Figure shows an alternative method for forming sleeving material of this invention. In this embodiment the heat sealing station 44, the printing station 52, the hole punching or cutting station 68, the perforation station 78 and the take-up station 82 can all be as described above. This embodiment is designed for manufacturing sleeving material as shown in Figure 4 using two separate single thickness supply sheet rolls. These two separate webs or sheets are then joined together in a joining station 84 before the heat sealing station 44.

Figure 17 shows a schematic diagram of the joining station 84, which aligns the two webs 12'', 13'' in adjacent face-to-face relationship.

Figure 18 shows a third embodiment of the method of this invention for forming sleeving material, in this case the sleeving material of Figure 5. The starting material in this embodiment is a flattened plastic tube which is initially wound on a supply roll. After the flattened tube is unwound at an unwinding station 86, it is passed through heat sealing, printing, hole punching or cutting, and perforation stations similar to those described above. The tube is then slit to create an opening for inserting the film into the pockets.

A suitable slitting station 88 is shown in Figure 19, in which blades 90, 92 slit the flattened tube. Blade 90 is positioned to cut through both the upper and lower layers of the tube, and this blade is not used in making the sheet 18''' of Figure 5. Blade 92 bears against a separation plate 91 that is positioned between the upper and lower layers of the tube such that this blade slits only the upper layer, as for example to form the slit 36''' of Figure 5. The kiss cutting process can also be used for slitting the web in the slitting station 88.

Actually, all of the embodiments of sleeving material discussed above can be produced from sheet stock raw material in any form, i.e., rolled up flattened tubes or single thickness sheets. The single thickness sheets can be originally supplied on one or more supply rolls. The appropriate arrangement of the various stations in a continuous web converting process depends on the form of the supply sheet stock and the embodiment to be manufactured. If the starting material is in the form of a flattened tube, typically at least one slitting station will be required to open up the tube along or near one edge. If the starting material is in the form of a single thickness sheet, and only one supply roll is used, at least one folding operation will be required to produce the two layers of material that are closed along one edge and open on the opposite edge. The actual number of slitting stations and the actual number of folding stations will depend on exactly which embodiment of the sleeving material is being produced_,.

It should be apparent that the embodiments described above overcome the prior art drawbacks discussed in the initial section of this specification. In particular, the sleeving material is formed in a continuous converting operation in a high speed, efficient manner, and secondary operations to provide openings for ring binders are entirely eliminated. The resulting roll type sleeving material can readily be used in roll-type film loading machines which operate efficiently and reliably to facilitate loading of film into the pockets of the sleeving material.

Of course, it should be understood that a wide range of changes and modifications can be made to the preferred embodiments described above. The layout and dimensions of the sleeving material can be modified as appropriate for the particular film being archived. The method steps can be performed in any appropriate order, and the order listed above is not critical. Other types of suitable web converting stations can be used as desired. For example, seams can be formed by other techniques than that described above, such as by gluing, ultrasonic welding and the like. Also, the sensor marks do not have to be printed features, but can be other mechanical, optical, electrical or magnetic features. In addition, other hole punching methods such as the flat-bed reciprocating punch system can be used. It is, therefore, intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as a illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understood that it is the following claims, including all equivalents, which are intended to define the scope of this invention.

Claims

I CLAIM :

1. Sleeving material for film archiving, said sleeving material comprising: first and second flexible, translucent, continuous webs secured together to form a plurality of film-receiving pockets, said webs defining a longitudinal direction and having first and second lateral edges oriented along the longitudinal direction, said pockets oriented transverse to the longitudinal direction, each pocket having an opening adjacent to one of the lateral edges; said webs perforated at tear-off lines evenly spaced along the webs, adjacent ones of the tear-off lines separated by multiple ones of the pockets such that the tear-off lines arrange the pockets into sheets; said webs comprising archiving retention features integrally formed in the webs such that each of the sheets comprises a respective set of said archiving retention features; said webs comprising a plurality of identifying regions, each disposed on a respective one of the sheets and each adapted to receive identifying information; said webs further comprising a plurality of sensor marks, each aligned with a respective one of the pockets to indicate location of the respective pocket for a film loading device.

2. The invention of Claim 1 wherein the archiving retention features each comprise a hole in at least one of the webs, said holes positioned to receive rings of a ring binder.

3. The invention of Claim 1 wherein the identifying regions each comprise a printed region, said printed regions printed with an ink that receives handwritten markings.

4. The invention of Claim 1 wherein the pockets are arranged in sets on the webs, each set associated with a respective one of the sheets, adjacent pockets in two consecutive sets separated by a first distance, adjacent pockets within a set separated by an amount less than the first distance.

5. The invention of Claim 1 wherein the webs are rolled into a spiral configuration such that the longitudinal direction spirals from a smaller radius adjacent one end of the webs to a larger radius adjacent the other end of the webs.

6. The invention of Claim 1 wherein the ■ archiving retention features each comprise a channel formed between the webs and extending between the two opposed sides of the respective sheet, said channel shaped to receive a hanging file hanger.

7. A method of forming sleeving material for archiving film, said method comprising the following steps : a) providing first and second web portions which extend continuously in a longitudinal direction; b) securing selected parts of the web portions together to form film receiving pockets, said pockets extending transversely to the longitudinal direction, and each pocket defining an opening positioned adjacent to a lateral edge of the web portions; c) perforating the web portions to form tear-off lines at evenly spaced intervals along the longitudinal direction, adjacent ones of said tear-off lines separated by multiple ones of the pockets such that the tear-off lines divide the webs into sheets; d) forming at least one archiving retention feature in each sheet of the web portions; -5 e) printing each sheet with a label indicating an identifying region adapted to receive handwritten markings; f) forming a plurality of sensor marks on the webs, each sensor mark aligned with a respective 0 one of the pockets to indicate location of the respective pocket for a film loading device; and g) rolling the web portions about an axis after steps a) -f) to form a roll of the sheets.

8. The method of Claim 7 wherein the web 5 portions of step (a) are adjacent portions of a single folded, elongated sheet.

9. The method of Claim 8 wherein the folded sheet is tubular.

10. The method of Claim 7 wherein the web 0 portions of step (a) comprise two separate elongated webs.

11. The invention of Claim 7 wherein step (d) comprises the step of forming a plurality of holes in each sheet, said holes positioned to receive rings of a 5 ring binder.

12. The invention of Claim 7 wherein step (d) comprises the step of forming a channel on each sheet between the webs, each channel extending between two opposed sides of the respective sheet and shaped to 0 receive a hanging file hanger.

13. The method of Claim 11 wherein step (d) comprises the following steps: dl) passing the sheets between first and second rollers, wherein said first roller comprises a plurality of cutters, and wherein said second roller comprises a smooth annular anvil surface, said rollers positioned such that the cutters contact the anvil surface when the rollers are rotated; and d2) rotating the rollers to cause the cutters to cut the holes between the cutters and the anvil surface.

14. The method of Claim 13 wherein step (d) further comprises: d3) removing waste material of at least one of the webs from the cutters via the first roller.

15. The method of Claim -13 wherein the cutters are shaped to create holes that do not form a closed loop such that a portion of the webs within the holes remains connected to the webs outside of the holes after step (d2) .

16. The method of Claim 7 wherein the securing step (b) arranges the pockets in sets on the webs, each set associated with a respective one of the sheets, adjacent pockets in two consecutive sets separated by a first distance, adjacent pockets within a set separated by an amount less than the first distance.