Patent Grant
7988198
The present invention relates to a photo album, and more particularly to a folding arrangement coupling for a photo album, wherein the folding arrangement comprises a flexible sheet adapted to allow the front cover panel, the spine panel, and the back cover panel to from a planer backing for aligning on a surface so as to prevent the photo album from being damaged.
Nowadays, an album for a collection such as photo, CD, printing, and file is commonly used in our daily life. An album can be a record of the development of a baby, a wedding, traveling, and so on. Accordingly, a photo album comprises a relatively heavy and thick cover and a plurality of pages for holding the photos thereon. Through photo album, people can keep the best moment in their life. For example, she or he thoughts flashed back to their wedding day. However, the conventional photo album has several drawbacks.
In order to preserve the photos well, the photo album usually has heavy weighted papers as the photo pages. They provide a secure way to preserve the collection of photo, postcards or stamps. Even through constantly page turning, the photos in the album still remains in good condition. However, when the reader wants to turn to the next page, the present page cannot be fully turned to overlap on the previous page. The resultant force between the front cover, the back cover, and the album page is not even, the photo album will be opened in an unstable/unbalance manner such that the previous page cannot be fully covered on the previous page but still suspend in the air. It is really inconvenient for people to read the book because they always need to press on the previous page to ensure a completely plane on the surface of the photo album while reading.
Even the photo album is made of very heavy material, the frequency browsing the photo album in an unbalance manner makes the photo album is torn easily especially for the spin panel. In other words, the spin panel is folded when the front and back panels are folded on a table surface. Therefore, the edges of the spin panel will be kept sliding on the table surface when the album pages are turned. Once the spin panel is torn, the entire album cover is broken into pieces.
Furthermore, the common drawback of the above mentioned photo albums is that the photo folder is designed not to securely hold the photos in the photo album. Once the user wants to read the photo album, the unbalance manner of the photo album makes the photos change its original position. What make matter worse, the album may drop the photos out. It is obvious that how severely damage will impact on the photos. To sum up, it obviously can not achieve the current needs based on the existing photo album.
A main object of the present invention is to provide a photo album, wherein the folding arrangement comprises a flexible sheet adapted to allow the front cover panel, the spine panel, and the back cover panel to from a planer backing for providing a completely plane for aligning on a surface so as to prevent the photo album from being damaged.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a photo album, wherein the overall weight of the photo album is evenly supported by the front cover panel, the back cover panel, and each album page such that when the album cover is folded at an opened position, the center of gravity of the photo album will remain the same in a balance manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a photo album, wherein when the photo album is opened, the album pages are shifted to slide on the album cover to keep the two neighboring album pages are aligned in a planer manner, such that the photos on the corresponding album pages will be kept in a stable manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a photo album, wherein the structural configuration of the folding arrangement coupling is simple and the manufacturing cost is low but highly enhance the endurance of the photo album.
Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a photo album comprising a book-like album cover and an album retainer. The album cover comprises a front cover panel, a back cover panel, and a spine panel extending between the front and back cover panels edge-to-edge. The album retainer comprises a plurality of album pages to define a first album page overlappedly coupled with the front cover panel, a last album page, a plurality of intermediate album pages overlapping between the first and last album pages, wherein inner edges of the album pages are bound with each other such that the album retainer is adapted to be turned from the first album page to the last album page.
The photo album further comprises a folding arrangement coupling between the last album page and the back cover panel at a position that the last album page is overlapped with the back cover panel in a slidably movable manner, wherein when the album cover is folded at an opened position, the last album page is overlappedly slid along the back cover panel to allow the front cover panel, the spine panel, and the back cover panel to form a flat planer backing, while two neighboring album pages are aligned in a planer manner.
The folding arrangement further comprises a flexible sheet having two longitudinal edges coupling at an outer side of last album page and an inner side of the back cover panel to retain the last album page being overlapped on the back cover panel in a slidably movable manner.
These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
Referring to
The book-like album cover 10 comprises a front cover panel 11, a back cover panel 12, and a spine panel 13 extending between the front and back cover panels 11, 12 edge-to-edge.
The album retainer 20 comprises a plurality of album pages to define a first album page 21 overlappedly coupled with the front cover panel 11, the last album page 22, a plurality of intermediate album pages 23 overlapping between the first and last album pages 21, 22, wherein inner edges of the album pages are bound with each other such that the album retainer 20 is adapted to be turned from the first album page 21 to the last album page 22.
The album retainer 20 further comprises a plurality of edge leaves 24 connecting the inner edges of the album pages respectively, wherein each of the edge leaves 24 coupling between two sequent album pages at a position the inner edges of the sequent album pages are spaced part from each other such that two neighboring album pages are aligned in a planer manner when the neighboring album pages are folded to overlap on the front and back cover panels 11, 12 respectively at the opened position.
The folding arrangement 30 is coupling between the last album page 22 and the back cover panel 12 at a position that the last album page 22 is overlapped with the back cover panel 12 in a slidably movable manner, wherein when the album cover 10 is folded at an opened position, the last album page 22 is overlappedly slid along the back cover panel 12 to allow the front cover panel 11, the spine panel 13, and the back cover panel 12 to form a flat planer backing. In other words, when the album is opened, the album cover 10 is formed as the flat planer backing while the album pages can be turned flatly.
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In addition, the folding arrangement 30 further comprises a first retention sheet 32 overlappedly affixed to the outer side of last album page 22 to retain one of the longitudinal edges of the flexible sheet 31 in position, and a second retention sheet 33 overlappedly affixed to the inner side of the back cover panel 12 to retain another longitudinal edge of the flexible sheet 31 in position, such that the first and second retention sheets 32, 33 hold the last album page 22 being overlapped on the back cover panel 12 in a slidably movable manner. Preferably, the total width of the flexible sheet 31 and the first and second retention sheets 32, 33 is the same as the width of the back cover panel 12.
Accordingly, when the flexible sheet 31 is coupled between the back cover panel 12 and the last album page 22, the flexible sheet 31 may be detached from one of the back cover panel 12 and the last album page 22 accidentally by an excessive pulling force. Therefore, when the first and second retention sheets 32, 33 are mounted at the last album page 22 and the back cover panel 12 respectively, the longitudinal edges of the flexible sheet 31 can be securely affixed to the back cover panel 12 and the last album page 22 respectively so as to evenly distribute the pulling force between the back cover panel 12 and the last album page 22.
According to the preferred embodiment, an outer edge of the first album page 21 is affixed to an outer edge of the front cover panel 11, such that when the front cover panel 11 is folded at the opened position at the first album page 21, the album pages are concurrently and slidably shifted on the back cover panel 12 via the folding arrangement 30. Accordingly, the outer edge of the first album page 21 is affixed to the outer edge of the front cover panel 11 by glue as shown in
It is worth to mention that the album of the present invention can provide two folding arrangement 30 at a position one of the folding arrangements 30 is provided between the first album page 21 and the front cover panel 11 while another folding arrangement 30 is provided between the last album page 22 and the back cover panel 12. Therefore, the album retainer 20 is adapted to be self-adjustably slid at the front and back cover panels 11, 12. In addition, when two folding arrangements 30 are used, a total width of the two flexible sheets 31 is at least equal to a width of the spine panel 13.
Each of the album pages is made of photo printable material that the photo is directly printed on each of the album pages. Thereafter, the album pages are bounded at the inner edges via the edge leaves 24. Alternatively, each of the album pages can comprises a photo holder for retaining one or more photos being overlapped on the respective side of the album page. Accordingly, the photo holder can be a sheet of transparent layer overlapping on the respective side of the album page to hold the photo therebetween.
Accordingly, the sliding panel 34A has two spaced apart opening slits formed thereon to define a transverse sliding channel 35A between the two opening slits. In particularly, the peripheral edge of the sliding panel 34A is affixed to the inner side of the back cover panel 12 such that the sliding member 36A is adapted to slidably pass through the transverse sliding channel 35A through the opening slits. Accordingly, a width of the transverse sliding channel 35A is at least equal to a width of the spine panel 13.
The sliding member 36A is affixed to the outer side of the last album page 22 to slidably engage with the sliding channel 35A of the sliding panel 34A in such a manner that the last album page 22 is overlapped on the back cover panel 12 in a slidably movable manner. As shown in
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Accordingly, the difference between the above preferred embodiment and this alternative is that the first and second retention sheets 32, 33 of the preferred embodiment are partially overlapped with the front and back cover panels 11, 12 to ensure the attachment of the flexible sheet 31, wherein the first and second retention sheets 32B, 33B of this alternative are entirely overlapped with the front and back cover panels 11, 12 to link with the flexible sheet 31B. Likewise, the flexible sheet 31B has two longitudinal edges coupling between the first and second retention sheets 32B, 33B to retain the last album page 22 being overlapped on the back cover panel 12 in a slidably movable manner. It is worth to mention that a width of the flexible sheet 31B is at least equal to a width of the spine panel 13.
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According to the preferred embodiment, the present invention further provides a method of manufacturing an album, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a book-like album cover which comprises a front cover panel 11, a back cover panel 12, and a spine panel 13 extending between the front and back cover panels 11, 12 edge-to-edge;
(b) providing an album retainer 20 which comprises a plurality of album pages to define a first album page 21 overlappedly coupled with the front cover panel 11, a last album page 22, a plurality of intermediate album pages overlapping between the first and last album pages 21, 22, wherein inner edges of the album pages are bound with each other such that the album retainer 20 is adapted to be turned from the first album page 21 to the last album page 22; and
(c) overlapping the last album page 22 with the back cover panel 12 in a slidably movable manner, wherein when the album cover 10 is folded at an opened position, the last album page 22 is overlappedly slid along the back cover panel 12 to allow the front cover panel 11, the spine panel 13, and the back cover panel 12 to form a flat planer backing, while two neighboring album pages are aligned in a planer manner.
Accordingly, the step (c) comprises the step of:
(c.1) coupling two longitudinal edges of a flexible sheet 31 at an outer side of last album page and an inner side of the back cover panel 12 to retain the last album page 22 being overlapped on the back cover panel 12 in a slidably movable manner.
(c.2) overlappedly affixing a first retention sheet 32 to the outer side of last album page 22 to retain one of the longitudinal edges of the flexible sheet 31 in position; and
(c.3) overlappedly affixing a second retention sheet 33 to the inner side of the back cover panel 12 to retain another the longitudinal edge of the flexible sheet 31 in position, such that the first and second retention sheets 32, 33 hold the last album page 22 being overlapped on the back cover panel 12 in a slidably movable manner.
One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.
It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. The embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5403138 | Otake et al. | Apr 1995 | A |
| 20050269815 | Silverman | Dec 2005 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20090218804 A1 | Sep 2009 | US |
