Patent Application
20080211220
The present invention concerns devices for the storage and display of photographs and the like, and more particularly to a photo album having a cap.
Devices for the storage and display of photographs and the like have taken many forms. One form, commonly referred to as a photograph album, comprises a plurality of bound leaves disposed within an outer cover with photographs or similar objects mounted on the two planar surfaces, or display pages, of each leaf. Due to the construction of a typical photo album, there is usually a space between the spine of the album and where the leaves are bound together. Dirt, dust and other detritus often get into this space and can damage the album.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article that includes a cover having a front, a back and a spine, a plurality of bound pages that are secured between the front and back of the cover, and at least a first cap having a spine portion and at least one flange portion extending at an angle from the spine portion. The spine portion is positioned between the spine and the bound pages and the flange portion includes a back edge, a front edge and first and second side edges. Neither of the side edges are attached to any portion of the cover. In a preferred embodiment, at least a portion of the flange portion extends over at least a portion of the bound pages.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article that includes a cover having a front, a back and a spine, a plurality of bound pages that are secured between the front and back of the cover, and first and second caps each having a spine portion and at least one flange portion extending at an angle from the spine portion. The spine portion is adhered to an inside surface of the spine and is positioned between the spine and the bound pages and the flange portion includes a back edge, a front edge and first and second side edges. The side edges of neither of the flange portions are attached to any portion of the cover, and the flange portions each at least partially extend over at least a portion of the bound pages.
The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which a presently preferred embodiment and an alternate embodiment of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.
As shown in the drawings, for purposes of illustration, a preferred embodiment of the invention is a photo album or the like that includes a cap.
For exemplary purposes only, described hereinbelow is a preferred embodiment wherein the cap is used with a photo album. However, this is not a limitation on the present invention. It will be understood that the cap can be used on other types of albums or books.
It will be appreciated that terms such as “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “side,” and “below” used herein are merely for ease of description and refer to the orientation of the components as shown in the figures. It should be understood that any orientation of the album, and the components thereof described herein is within the scope of the present invention.
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The front 13 and back 14 are joined together by the spine 15. As is shown in
In a preferred embodiment, the cap 20 is a single piece that includes a bend or fold between the spine portion 22 and the flange portion 24. However, this is not a limitation on the present invention.
In a preferred embodiment, the flange portion 24 of cap 20 includes a back edge 24a, front edge 24b and side edges 24c and 24d. Preferably, only the back edge 20a is affixed or secured to the spine 15. As is best shown in
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The embodiments described above are exemplary embodiments of a reinforcement member for a photo album. The invention is readily applicable to devices similar to photo albums, such as memory books and the like. For purposes of the claims, album shall include photo albums, memory books and the like. Those skilled in the art may now make numerous uses of, and departures from, the above-described embodiments without departing from the inventive concepts disclosed herein. Accordingly, the present invention is to be defined solely by the scope of the following claims.
