Abstract:
An assembly including an album page adapted for inclusion on an album for displaying an applied display sheet, comprising in a page having retention shoulders proximate page corners, and a transparent protector sheet loosely applied to the page to extend over the display sheet and having edges retained by shoulders to orient the protector sheet relative to the page and the display sheet.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates generally to albums, as for example used to display pictures of photographs; and more particularly concerns provision of quick efficient protection of photographs or pictures applied to album pages.  
         [0002]     There is need for a way to easily, rapidly and positively protect display sheets, such as photographs and other display means, as mounted on album pages. There is also need for a way to remove applied protector means, to facilitate access to the mounted display sheets, as for example to enable mounting of another display sheet to the album page, or to adjust the originally mounted display sheet, and subsequent rapid re-deployment of the protective sheet or sheets. There is also need for a way to retain the protective sheet in a pre-determined oriented condition on the album page, without positively attaching it to the album page.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     It is a major object of the invention to provide apparatus and method to meet the above multiple needs. Basically, the apparatus comprises, for an album page the following:  
         [0004]     a) the page having retention shoulders proximate page corners,  
         [0005]     b) and a looping transparent protector sheet loosely applied to said page to extend over the display sheet and having edges retained by said shoulders to orient the protector sheet relative to the page and the display sheet.  
         [0006]     As will appear, first and second shoulders are typically defined at opposite ends of an elongated cut-out at an upper edge of the album page. Also, third and fourth of the shoulders are typically defined at opposite ends of a secondary elongated cut-out at the lower edge of the page.  
         [0007]     In assembled condition, the transparent protector sheet may have a primary elongated edge portion configured in said primary cut-out, between said first and second shoulders, and a secondary elongated edge portion confined in said secondary cut-out, between the third and fourth shoulders. As will appear, one of the primary and secondary edge portions is defined by a protector sheet fold; and the other of said primary and secondary edge portions is defined by protector sheet bonded edge extents.  
         [0008]     A further object is to provide the first and second shoulders formed by first and second page corner ears positioned to orient the protector sheet in predetermined location (for example centered) relative to the album page and display sheets such as photographs attached to it.  
         [0009]     Yet another object is to provide a method of forming the assembly as referred to, and including the steps: 
        x 1 ) folding the transparent sheet and bonding registered edges thereof to form a looping sheet configuration,     x 2 ) mounting a display sheet to the album page,     x 3 ) and looping the folded transparent sheet over the page in over-riding relation to at least two ears, to extend from said primary cut-out to said secondary cut-out for retention between said first and second shoulders, and between said third and fourth shoulders, to the display sheet.        
 
         [0013]     That method may also advantageously include bowing the page to displace its cut-outs relatively toward one another, to enable said looping step.  
         [0014]     An additional object is to provide the ears to be over-ridden by the looping transparent sheet, while the display sheet is in bowed condition. Relieving of bowing enables the transparent sheet to be edge oriented by the cut-outs, in overlapping relation to the photograph or photographs on the display sheet or page. Subsequent bowing of the display sheet in the album enables removal of the transparent sheet over two ears of the display sheet, enabling access to the photographs, for re-orientation, or for additional mounting of new photos.  
         [0015]     These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment will be more fully understood from the following specification and drawings, in which: 
     
    
     DRAWING DESCRIPTION  
       [0016]      FIG. 1  shows, an edge view, initial folding of a transparent sheet;  
         [0017]      FIG. 2  shows bonding of folded together edges of the transparent sheet;  
         [0018]      FIG. 3  shows the assembly of the folded transparent sheet onto an album page, with use of cut-outs and retention ears; and  
         [0019]      FIG. 4  shows bowing of the display sheet to enable assembly of the transparent sheet over two ears, and onto the display sheet. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0020]     In  FIG. 1 , a transparent protective sheet  10  is initially folded to form two like sections  10   a , connected by a folded edge  10   b . In  FIG. 2 , the free edges  10   c  of the sections are connected, as by bonding, to produce a very narrow-width sealed edge  10   d . A looping protector sheet  10 ′ is thereby produced. The sections can alternatively be integral at edge  10   d , in the shape of a fold.  
         [0021]     The resultant protector sheet  10 ′ is then loosely applied to i.e. over the page  11  of album  12 . Page  11  has a display sheet or sheets, such as a photograph  13 , or photographs, mounted to at least one side  11   a  of the page. The protector sheet  10 ′ is slipped edgewise over the page  11 , so that one face section  10   a  extends proximate the side  11   a  and over the display sheet  13 , and the other section  10   a ′ extends proximate the opposite side  11   b  of the page. See  FIGS. 3 and 4 .  
         [0022]     As shown, the page  11  of the album has retention shoulders proximate page corners. See for example first and second retention shoulders  15   a  and  15   b  defined at opposite ends of a primary elongated laterally extending cut-out  16  at the upper edge of the page; and third and fourth of such shoulders  15   c  and  15   d  defined at opposite ends of a secondary elongated laterally extending cut-out  17  at the lower edge of the page, longitudinally spaced from the primary cut-out.  
         [0023]     Shoulders  15   a  and  15   b  are respectively formed by upwardly projecting corner ears  16   a  and  16   b  of the album page; and shoulders  15   c  and  15   d  are respectively formed by downwardly projecting corner ears  16   c  and  16   d  of the album page. Such ears are narrow in width (height above the cut-out bottom), i.e. typically less than 3/16 inch in width.  
         [0024]     The transparent, protective, looping sheet  10 ′ is typically assembled progressively edgewise and laterally over the page ears  16   a  and  16   c  and toward ears  16   b  and  16   d , until folded edges or ends  10   b  and  10   d  register with the elongated cut-outs, and so that shoulders  15   a  and  15   b  retain one of the edges  10   c  and  10   d  in cut-out  16 ; and so that shoulders  15   c  and  15   d  retain the other of the edges  10   b  in cut-out  17 . The lengths of the edges  10   b ,  10   c  and  10   d  are typically about the same, and slightly less than the lengths of the cut-outs  16  and  17 .  
         [0025]     This construction assures that the protector sheet  10 ′ will be oriented to protectively extend over the display sheet or sheets  13  mounted on the album page and so that sheet lengthwise edges  10   e  and  10   f  extend generally parallel to page edges  11   e  and  11   f . See  FIGS. 3 and 4 . Display sheet  13  is shown as having lateral width w 1  less than the width w 2  of the protective sheet  10 ′, and less than the like lateral widths w 3  of the cut-outs, i.e. 
 
w 1 &lt;w 2  and w 1 &lt;w 3  
 
         [0026]      FIG. 4  shows how the sheet  10 ′ can be assembled over projecting ears  15   a  and  16   a . This is accomplished by in situ bowing of the album page at region  20  between ears  16   a  and  16   c , and to lesser extent than any bowing of the page at region  21  between ears  16   b  and  16   d , i.e. with the page  11  remaining mounted in the album. Region  21  is closer to the page edge binding region  22  of the album than region  20 . Such bowing at region  20  moves ears  16   a  and  16   c  closer to one another to enable slip-over of the looping sheet  10 ′, or removal of that sheet from installed position, to facilitate adjustment of the display sheet  13  or sheets, for addition or removal of display sheets. Accordingly, an easily shiftable protective sheet is provided, for inter-fit with an album page in fixed protective position.  
         [0027]     The overall method includes the steps: 
        x 1 ) folding said transparent sheet and bonding edges thereof to form a looping sheet configuration,     x 2 ) mounting a display sheet to said page,     x 3 ) and looping said folded transparent sheet over the page in over-riding relation to at least two ears, to extend from said primary cut-out to said secondary cut-out for retention between said first and second shoulders, and between said third and fourth shoulders, to protect the display sheet. 
 
 The method may also include preliminarily forming said first, second, third and fourth page shoulders and said cut-outs, bowing said page to displace said cut-outs relatively toward one another, and slipping said transparent sheet edgewise off said page, over-riding two formed ears, to enable access to the display sheet mounted to the page.