1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to accessories for a photograph album. More particularly, this invention relates to an accessory which permits sound recordings to be associated with photographs in an album.
2. State of the Art
Wallet accessories for use with pre-existing wallets are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,105,057 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,913. These devices are typically destined for “after market” applications where a retailer who sells conventional wallets also offers special inserts for the wallets. The wallet accessory shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,105,057 is designed to provide extra storage space for carrying additional credit cards. The accessory may also be used to provide a credit card holder for wallets which are not so equipped. Although it would be possible to place photographs within these accessories, in order to view the photograph, the photographs would have to be removed from the receptacle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,913 shows a “sub-wallet” for use with a main wallet. The sub-wallet carries important items which the wallet owner always needs, while the remainder of the wallet carries items that are,not absolutely necessary. If necessary, the owner can subsist on the sub-wallet alone, and does not require the contents of the main wallet. Although photographs could be placed in the wallet or the sub-wallet, it would not be possible to view more than one of these photos unless one were to remove them from the wallet or sub-wallet, thereby causing the photographs to become worn and mutilated over time.
Other types of wallets are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,431,207 and 5,775,398. These patents disclose wallet accessories having compartmental arrangements for accommodating devices such as calculators, along with holders for accommodating sundries. None of the wallets or known accessories therefor are specifically adapted for use with audio devices in conjunction with photographs.
However, it is known to associate audio messages with photographs in an album. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,519 to Manico et al. teaches a system of a photograph album and an audio storage device attached thereto. Bar coded labels are associated with individual photographs in the album. Scanning a bar coded label with a scanning wand sends an infrared signal to the storage device to control playback of an audio file in the storage device associated with the label. In order to record an audio message for association with a photograph, the storage device must be put into a ‘record’ mode and the label associated with the photograph is scanned to access a designated message address in the storage device and the message is then input into the storage device via a microphone. As a result, the bar coded labels, scanning wand and playback device must be present to record a message. Thus, such a system is not highly portable, not well-adapted for intimate recordings, such as the spontaneous and cherished verbal interactions between a grandparent and a grandchild, and in practice essentially requires that the photograph album (with bar coded labels applied) be assembled with photographs before recordings associated with the photographs can be recorded.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a wallet accessory that is adapted to display photographs and to hold a portable digital playback device.
It is another object of the invention to provide a wallet accessory having a portable digital playback device that can store several files, e.g., audio and/or video messages, and reference each file to one of the several photographs stored in the accessory.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a photograph album which can easily be retrofit to playback sound recording associated with photographs therein.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a digital recording and playback device for a photograph album which is highly portable.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a digital recording and playback device for a photograph album which is compact.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a digital recording and playback device for a photograph album which can easily be provided with recordings and associated with photographs in an album even if such photographs are only placed in the photograph album after such recordings are made.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a digital recording and playback device which can be integrated with both permanently bound albums and albums adapted to receive additional photograph storage pages.
In accord with these objects, which will be discussed in detail below, a wallet accessory, according to a first embodiment of the invention, includes a plurality of photograph sleeves integrated with a dedicated sleeve for a digital playback device. In particular, the wallet accessory preferably comprises a panel having at one side the plurality of photograph sleeves coupled thereto, and at another side the dedicated sleeve for the playback device. The sleeve for the playback device preferably includes an opening within a face of the sleeve for permitting sound from a speaker of the device to be transmitted out of the dedicated sleeve.
The sleeves and the playback device are sized for placement within a wallet. To that end, an insert is coupled to a side of the panel and is adapted in size to be received in a pocket of the wallet to couple the panel, and thus the sleeves and the device to the wallet. In accord with one preferred embodiment of the invention, two inserts are coupled to the panel, one adapted for a horizontally-oriented wallet pocket and the other adapted for a vertically-oriented wallet pocket. The unnecessary insert is folded out of the way or removed.
According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the device preferably includes a plurality of buttons having individual indicia associated therewith, and a plurality of the photograph sleeves may be provided with indicia corresponding to the indicia associated with the buttons. As such, a photograph of a person in a photograph sleeve is associated with a recorded message by that person which is played back by pressing a corresponding button on the device.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the accessory is adapted for use in a photograph album. In such embodiment of the accessory, the photograph sleeves are preferably eliminated, while the accessory still includes a device sleeve for the playback device, a playback device therein, and preferably two inserts coupled to the device sleeve, one adapted for a horizontally-oriented oriented photograph pocket of such album and the other adapted for a vertically-oriented photograph pocket so as to couple the accessory to an album. The unnecessary insert is folded out of the way or removed. Alternatively, one or the other insert may be eliminated at manufacture. The device is coupled to the album by inserting the respective insert into a photograph pocket of the album and, as such, is particularly adapted for use in bound albums which are not adapted to receive additional pages. The messages stored in the device are associated with photographs according to the manner described above with respect to the wallet accessory, e.g., with labels corresponding to respective playback buttons on the device. In use, the sleeved device may be swung out relative to the page of the album so as to permit access to the playback buttons while viewing any page of the album. The recording associated with a particular photograph may be played by activation of an associated playback button.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, an insert page is provided for a photograph album designed to accept additional pages. According to one embodiment, the insert page is solely adapted for the storage and access of one or more of the above-described playback devices and includes coupling means for securing the insert page within the album. According to another embodiment, the insert page includes a combination of photograph pockets and at least one playback device pocket of a preferably relatively substantially smaller size, and coupling means for securing the insert page within the album. The recording and playback devices can easily be removed from the insert pages and transported, e.g., in a pants pocket, purse, or wallet to be available to capture recordings in a convenient manner and thereafter associated with photographs in an album in the manner described above.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the detailed description taken in conjunction with the provided figures.
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The digital playback device 30 is generally the shape and size of a credit card (e.g., 2″×3″), although it may be slightly thicker (e.g., 3/32″– 3/16″). The device 30 may include a power source (e.g., battery, not shown), a microphone 60 and an audio speaker 62, a memory (not shown) for storing digital files such as recorded messages, buttons 32, 34, 36, 38 operating playback functions and button 39 operating record functions, and an LED indicator 41. A credit card size audio recording and playback device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,028,752 to Chomette, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. As one of several distinctions from the Chomette device, device 30 preferably includes a plurality of playback buttons 32, 34, 36, 38 each having different indicia associated therewith. For example, button 32 has a ‘1’ thereon, button 34 has a ‘2’ thereon, button 36 has a ‘3’ thereon, and button 38 has ‘4’ thereon. Other indicia are shown on buttons 32a, 34a, 36a, 38a in
The device 30, by way of example, may be operated to record an audio message for storage in memory by pressing the record button 39 in conjunction with any one of the playback button 32, 34, 36, 38. During recording, the LED indicator 41 lights up, and sound, e.g. voice, is directed by the user toward the microphone 60. Recording is terminated and the message is saved upon release of the record button 39 or when the memory allocated for that message is full, whichever occurs first. Each message preferably may be up to sixty seconds in length. The recorded message may thereafter be played back by pressing the corresponding playback button only.
The device sleeve 26 for the device 30 preferably includes opening 40 within a face 42 of the sleeve 26 (coincident with the speaker 62 and microphone 60 of the device) for purpose of permitting sound to enter a microphone 60 of the device and permitting sound from a speaker 62 of the device 30 to be transmitted out of the device sleeve 26. The other portions of the device 30 remain protected by the device sleeve 26, and the device is retained (from inadvertent loss) within the accessory.
The photograph sleeves 24 are sized to receive wallet-size format photographs (e.g., approximately 1″×1.5″ to 3″×4″ size). The photograph sleeves 24 preferably include respective indicia 44, 46, 48, 49 which correspond to the indicia associated with respective ones of the buttons 32, 34, 36, 38. That is, the indicia on an associated button and sleeve need not be same, but should clearly indicate that a sleeve corresponds with a particular one of the buttons. As such, a photograph of a person in a first photograph sleeve 44 is associated with a recorded message by that person which is played back by pressing a corresponding first button 32 on the device. Likewise, each of the other photograph sleeves with indicia may hold a photograph of a person who recorded a message played back by pressing a corresponding button.
Alternatively, the indicia 44, 46, 48, 49 for the photograph sleeves 24 may be separately provided, e.g., as a sheet of stickers, and the user can apply the stickers to the respective sleeves, as desired.
The system 10 is sized for placement within a wallet 50. To that end, the first insert 28 is adapted in size and orientation to be longitudinally received in a lateral pocket 52 of a horizontal fold wallet. In addition, the second insert 29 is adapted in size and orientation to be transversely received in a vertical pocket of a vertical fold wallet. Depending on the type of wallet 50 with which the system 10 will be used, one of the first and second inserts 28, 29 will not be needed for coupling the insert 10 to the wallet. In
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The photograph sleeves 24 and device sleeve 26 are preferably made from acrylic, polyvinyl or another transparent plastic and are preferably flexible so as to prevent cracking or other damage to the sleeves when the system 10 is placed within the wallet.
With the wallet accessory 10 of the invention, it will be appreciated that the user of the wallet will have the opportunity to look at pictures contained in a photograph sleeve 24 and listen to a voice recording associated with that photograph by manipulating the audio device 30 in the device sleeve 26.
Turning now to
The photograph storage sleeves 120 of the album 102 include either a vertical slit 122 or a horizontal slit 124 through which photographs can be inserted into the storage sleeves 120. Where such slits are vertical, insert 114 is folded out of the way or removed, and insert 112 is slid horizontally through the slit 122 and into the photograph pocket 120 of one of the pages of the album to thereby couple the accessory 100 to the album 102. Where such slits are horizontal, insert 112 is folded out of the way or removed, and insert 114 is slid vertically through the slit 124 and into the photograph pocket 120 of one of the pages of the album to thereby couple the accessory 100 to the album 102. As the accessory 100 couples within a photograph pocket of the album, the accessory is particularly well-suited for use in bound albums.
The audio messages stored in the device 30 are associated with photographs of the album 102 according to the manner described above with, e.g., labels 49 corresponding to respective playback buttons 32, 34, 36, 38 on the device 30.
In use, the device sleeve 106 may be swung out relative to the panel 104, and thus relative the page 120 of the album 102 to which the panel is attached (to the position shown in
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It is preferable that when a plurality of such insert pages 300 and playback devices 30 are to be used within an album, and each insert page includes multiple device pockets 352, the playback devices 30, to the extent possible, should be offset in location on successive pages to permit the pages to lay together as flat as possible. By way of example, insert page 300 includes six device pockets 352 which each overlie photo pockets 350. On a first insert page, the device pocket in the upper left corner can be provided with a playback device, while the photo pockets which do not underlie that device pocket can be provided with photos. In successive pages, the device is provided in device pockets at different locations, while the remaining photo pockets are provided with photographs. Most preferably, the successive locations of the device is ordered, e.g., with a second insert page including the device in an upper right device pocket, a third insert page including the device in a middle left device pocket, a fourth insert page including the device in a middle right device pocket, a fifth insert page including the device in a lower left device pocket, and a sixth insert page including the device in a lower right device pocket (as shown in
In each of the above embodiments, the recording and playback devices 30 can easily be transported in a pants pocket, purse, or wallet, i.e., without the photograph album, to capture recordings in a convenient manner and thereafter associate those recordings with photographs in an album in the manner described above.
There have been described and illustrated herein embodiments of accessories for wallets and photograph albums which associate photographs in a plurality of photograph sleeves with recordings on an audio playback device. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it is not intended that the invention be limited thereto, as it is intended that the invention be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. Thus, while an audio device having recording and playback capabilities is described, the audio device might having playback capability only, and audio storage may be obtained from a download via a data port (not shown). In addition, the device may additionally or alternatively have video capability for playback of video files, where the video files are placed in device memory by a recording system of the device and/or via download. Also, while the wallet and album accessories are shown as having both horizontal and vertical inserts, it will be appreciated that only one insert is required. Moreover, while it is envisioned that the above invention will primarily be used to associate audio files with photographs, it is recognized that in accord with the invention audio files may be associated with other pictographic articles such as trading cards, postcards, and memorabilia. Furthermore, while the album inserts and accessories have primarily been described with respect to photograph albums, it is appreciated that such may be used with other albums, such as scrapbook albums. It will therefore be appreciated by those skilled in the art that yet other modifications could be made to the provided invention without deviating from its spirit and scope as claimed.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 10/420,647, filed Apr. 22, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,892,951, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20050023338 A1 | Feb 2005 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10420647 | Apr 2003 | US |
Child | 10638617 | US |