Book-like holder and method for making book-like holders

A book-like storage container for cassettes or the like is formed from a single thermoplastic sheet of PVC plastic which has a pair of stackable trays formed on an inner face thereof that are connected together by an integral spine in side-by-side relation. Each tray is defined by C-shaped walls and the spine has flanges adjacent each end thereof for interlocking with the interfitting walls of the trays when the holder is in a closed position to form an enclosure therein. The PVC sheet has a living hinge defined therein along the connecting edges of the spine and each of its respective trays. In a preferred embodiment, a second thermoplastic sheet of flexible vinyl is placed back-to-back with the PVC sheet and thermally bound thereto about the sheets' peripheries. The PVC sheet is notched at the intersection of each living hinge and the periphery of the PVC sheet, so that when the peripheries of the PVC sheet and vinyl sheet are thermally bound together, there is no thermal seam at those notches. During the heat sealing step of holder formation, the vinyl sheet is gathered toward the spine section thereof by urging it down between the living hinges of the PVC sheet. This aids in eliminating wrinkling of the vinyl sheet and in keeping it properly formed in all opened and closed positions of the holder.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention. 
This invention relates to book-like holders or albums, and specifically to 
a holder which is compact, economical, easy loading, having a durable 
hinge-like construction and creating a substantially dust-free environment 
for an article held therein, and also to a method for making such holders. 
2. Description of the Prior Art. 
Many prior conventional style albums or containers for cassettes (audio or 
video tape) have had a four-sided interior wall design and two tray PVC 
plastic parts (male and female) which are die cut into two separate 
sections. The two sections are then heat sealed into an album format. The 
male section acts as a regular tray that is heat sealed onto a plasticized 
vinyl back cover of the album, which houses the actual cassette. With this 
style, a cassette can only be loaded into the album by placing it within 
the four walls of the male tray section. The female tray section acts as a 
dust cover that is mounted inside the front cover of the album, and nests 
onto or into the back cover (male tray) to form a dust-proof enclosure 
album construction. The four inner walls of the male tray section hold the 
cassette in place, making it hard to load and unload the cassette. It also 
makes it hard to locate the front cover tray with the back cover tray when 
closing the album. 
Such cassette albums have been formed by molding the PVC plastic tray 
sections in a multiple-up thermal forming stage, and then die cutting the 
two tray sections apart. The two tray sections are then taken into a heat 
sealing operation where they are bonded together with an outside vinyl 
lining which constitutes the album cover. Often, board liners are placed 
behind each tray section and also as stiffeners for the spine which is 
formed to bind the tray sections in a book-like manner. In the prior 
cassette albums, the tray sections were heat sealed (bonded) to the vinyl 
cover, with the hinges along the edges of the spine being two pieces of 
parallel bonded vinyl. Through normal wear and tear, and especially in 
cold weather conditions, this created a tendency for the vinyl to crack or 
split along the spine. 
Examples of these types of vinyl-backed cassette containers are shown in 
the following patents: 
______________________________________ 
U.S. Pat. No. Inventor Issued 
______________________________________ 
3,315,718 C. H. Berman 
4/25/67 
3,640,379 Weingarden 2/8/72 
3,743,081 Roberg et al. 
7/3/73 
4,341,307 Shyers 7/27/82 
______________________________________ 
Another prior art holder is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,407,410 (issued 
10/4/83) and 4,432,827 (issued 2/21/84), both to Graetz et al. The holder 
of this design had the trays formed from an inner thermoplastic sheet 
integrally with a spine liner between them. The inner sheet was then heat 
bonded to an outer thermoplastic cover sheet, but not along the length of 
the spine, and the spine bowed outwardly when the holder was closed. Even 
with this design, however, the inner sheet cracked along the spine. 
The four wall construction of the album trays of such prior art cassette 
containers also created a constraint on the ability to reduce the size of 
such containers. Size is a critical feature in bulk storage of such 
containers and cassettes therein, and also in allotting shelf space in 
facilities which might use such containers, such as video cassette sale or 
rental stores. 
In addition, no prior method was known for forming a book-like container 
which allowed for the use of transparent materials so that the edge of a 
cassette or the like contained therein is visible to the extent a bar code 
reader can be operated through the container to read coded information on 
the edge of the cassette itself. Such a feature is useful not only to 
create time savings in handling such album-contained cassettes, but also 
so that the cassette may be viewed to determine its contents and to 
determine whether it has been damaged or properly rewound. 
Existing vinyl-backed cassette holders have thus been bulky, hard to load 
and unload, expensive and not sufficiently durable to hold up well in an 
environment where constantly handled, such as the retail video tape rental 
market. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides a book-like container (and method for making 
same) which overcomes the above-referenced disadvantages of such prior art 
schemes. The container of the present invention is extremely durable, can 
be formed from completely transparent materials, is smaller in overall 
size than prior containers for cassettes and the like, is extremely easy 
to load and unload with a cassette, and provides a substantially dust-free 
environment for a cassette therein when the holder is in its closed 
storage position. 
The book-like holder of the present invention includes a one-piece molded 
sheet having integral tray portions and an integral spine liner section 
between the tray portions connecting the tray portions in laterally spaced 
side-by-side relation. Each tray portion has a raised wall section 
projecting therefrom with the wall sections of the tray portions being 
formed to interlock together and define the edges of a hollow enclosure in 
the holder in combination with the spine liner section when the holder is 
in its closed position. The molded sheet also has lowered ridge portions 
defining the spaced connecting edges of the spine liner section and tray 
portions thereof and creating a living hinge between the spine liner 
section and its respective tray portions. 
In a preferred embodiment, the holder also includes a one-piece flexible 
sheet having integral first and second flap portions and an integral spine 
cover section between the flap portions connecting the flap portions in 
laterally spaced side-by-side relation. The molded and flexible sheets are 
aligned so that each of the flap portions covers an outer face of one of 
the tray portions and the spine cover section covers an outer face of the 
spine liner section. The molded and flexible sheets are bound together 
around the peripheries thereof, resulting in a book-type holder with front 
and rear cover panels, interlocking trays on the inner faces of the cover 
panels, and a spine connecting the cover panels. 
In the preferred embodiment, the molded and flexible sheets are bound 
together around the peripheries thereof except at points immediately 
adjacent to the lower ridge portions. The molded and flexible sheets are 
also preferably transparent and the flexible sheet is plasticized vinyl 
and the molded sheet is PVC plastic. The vinyl is more pliable than the 
PVC plastic and the sheets are bound together by a thermal seal bond about 
their peripheries. 
In the preferred embodiment, the raised wall sections projecting from each 
tray portion are integrally formed from the second sheet in a C-shape. A 
raised stub wall portion projects from adjacent each of the end edges of 
the spine liner section and is aligned for interfitting engagement with 
adjacent raised wall sections of the tray portions when the holder is in 
its closed position, thus forming a substantially dust-free enclosure 
within the holder. In one preferred embodiment of the holder of the 
present invention, a rigid stiffener panel is mounted between the flap 
portion of each flexible sheet and the tray portion of each molded sheet, 
with the panel abutting one of the lower ridge portions formed in the 
molded sheet. 
The method of making a book-like holder of the present invention starts 
with the step of thermal forming a first thermoplastic sheet to define a 
pair of adjoining stackable trays on a first side of the first sheet. 
These trays are aligned in side-by-side relation and connected by an 
integral spine liner section. The thermal forming also defines a pair of 
parallel raised ridges on a second side of the first sheet, with each of 
the raised ridges creating a living hinge in the first sheet extending 
along and defining connecting edges of the spine liner section and its 
respective trays. The first sheet is then covered with a second 
thermoplastic sheet, and then a spine cover section of the second sheet is 
urged toward the first sheet between the parallel raised ridges thereof. 
The peripheries of the first and second sheets are heat sealed together to 
provide a book-type holder with two cover panels, interlocking trays on 
the inner faces of the cover panels and a spine connecting the cover 
panels. 
In a preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention, after 
thermal forming, a notch is cut out of the periphery of each first sheet 
at the intersection of each raised ridge with the periphery of the first 
sheet. The heat sealing of the peripheries of the first and second sheets 
is thus completed except at the notches in the periphery of the first 
sheet. 
In the preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention, the 
first thermoplastic sheet is thermal formed in a multiple-up arrangement 
to define a first set of at least two pairs of adjoining stackable trays 
on a first side of the first sheet, with the trays of each pair of trays 
in side-by-side relation and connected by an integral spine liner section 
and with the pairs of trays in tray side-by-side relation and connected by 
peripheral marginal portions of the first sheet therebetween. The thermal 
forming also defines a pair of parallel raised ridges for each pair of 
trays on a second side of the first sheet, with each of the raised ridges 
creating a living hinge in the first sheet extending along and defining 
connecting edges of each spine liner section and its respective trays. 
Next, at least two first sets of pairs of trays are aligned in first set 
side-by-side relation. This defines a plurality of second sets of adjacent 
pairs of trays in tray end-to-end relation. Each second set of adjacent 
pairs of trays are then covered in tray end-to-end relation with a 
separate second thermoplastic sheet, and spine cover portions of the 
second sheet are urged toward each first sheet therebelow between the 
parallel raised ridges of those first sheets. The first and second sheets 
are then heat sealed together around the peripheral margins of each pair 
of trays, and the adjoining pairs of trays are severed along the heat 
sealed margins to provide a plurality of book-type holders, each with two 
cover panels, interlocking trays on the inner faces of the cover panels 
and a spine connecting the cover panels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The holder 10 has a pair of relatively rigid interfitting tray portions 12 
and 14 which are stacked together in the closed position as shown in FIGS. 
1, 2 and 5, and which are separated in spaced parallel side-by-side 
relation by an integral spine liner section 16 when the holder is in its 
flat opened position of FIG. 4 (and partially open position seen in FIG. 
3). In one embodiment, a cover 18 has a first flap portion 20 overlying 
the tray 12 and a second flap portion 22 overlying the tray 14, with an 
integral spine section 24 connecting the flap portions 20 and 22. 
Trays 12 and 14 are formed by thermal vacuum molding of a single first 
thermoplastic sheet 26. Peripheral margins of the first thermoplastic 
sheet 26 with the tray portions 12 and 14 formed thereon and the 
complimentary cover 18 are bound together. Preferably, the cover 18 is 
formed from a second thermoplastic sheet 28 and the first and second 
sheets 26 and 28 are are bound together by a thermal seal which creates a 
peripheral seam 29 therebetween. When so bound, the spine section 24 
overlays the spine liner section 16 as well. A book-type holder is thus 
provided with front and rear cover panels, interlocking trays on the inner 
faces of the cover panels and a spine connecting the cover panels. 
Molded tray portion 14 of the second sheet 28 has a stepped raised hollow 
peripheral wall section 30 which is C-shaped to run along the peripheral 
edges of the tray portion 14, except for that edge adjacent the spine 
liner section 16. The wall section 30 thus includes an outer wall 32 and 
integral top and bottom walls 34 and 36, all of which surround a planar 
side wall 38 which consists of the inner face of the tray portion 14. 
Each wall of the wall section 30 has a flat inner face 40 with a flat 
shoulder 44 on top thereof, and a stepped upstanding outer face 42 with a 
horizontal rim 45 intermediate the height of the outer face 42 of the wall 
section 20. The outer face 42 on the outer wall 32 has at least two dimple 
recesses 46 just above the rim 45 thereon which are preferably positioned 
proximate the top and bottom walls 34 and 36. 
The other molded tray portion 12 of the second sheet 28 provides, in 
effect, a lid for the tray portion 14 and also has an upstanding hollow 
peripheral wall section 50 integrally formed thereon. The wall section 50 
is also C-shaped and extends along the peripheral edges of the tray 
portion 12, except for that edge adjacent the spine liner section 16. The 
wall section 50 includes an outer wall 52 and integral top wall and bottom 
walls 34 and 56, all of which surround a planar side wall 58 which 
consists of the inner face of the tray portion 12. 
Each wall of the wall section 50 has a flat outer face 60 with a flat 
shoulder 64 on top thereof, and a stepped inner face 62 with a horizontal 
rim 65 intermediate the height of the inner face 62 of the wall section 
50. The stepped inner face 62 of the wall section 60 is sized to interfit 
and snuggly mate with the stepped outer face 42 of the wall section 30 
with the shoulder 64 resting on the rim 45 and the shoulder 44 resting on 
the rim 65 when the trays 12 and 14 are in closed stacked condition as 
shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5. The stepped inner face 62 on the outer wall 52 
preferably has projecting nibs 66 therein aligned to be received in the 
dimple recesses 46 when the trays 12 and 14 are stacked as shown in FIG. 
5. The interfitting projections 46 and 66 snap together as the book-type 
holder is closed to hold the trays 12 and 14 in closed sealed stacked 
relation. The wall sections 30 and 50 are sufficiently flexible to 
accommodate the snapping together and the unsnapping of the dimple 
recesses 46 and nibs 66. 
As best seen in FIG. 5, when the holder 10 is in its closed position the 
inner faces 40 and 62 of the wall sections, side walls 38 and 58 of the 
tray portions and the planar inner face of the spine liner section 16 
combine to form an enclosure for a cassette or the like in the holder. 
When the holder 10 is in its closed position, the generally parallel spine 
liner section 16 and inner faces 40 and 62 are generally perpendicular to 
the generlly parallel side walls 38 and 58. The overall size (width and 
height) of the holder 10 is substantially reduced by using the inner 
surface of the spine liner section 16 as an inner wall of the enclosure, 
rather than placing or forming an additional inner wall on each tray 
portion 12 and 14. The enclosure is also of size to closely mate with the 
exterior shape of a cassette, such as a VHS video cassette. Such a 
cassette 70 is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 in various positions 
relative to the holder 10. 
The C-style tray configuration eliminates the necessity for an inner wall 
on each tray portion and allows the cassette 70 to rest flush to the spine 
liner section 16 when the holder is in its closed position. A cassette 
fitted in one of the tray portions of the present invention is not dropped 
into a four-sided recess as in prior art designs, but is easily and 
quickly aligned within the respective C-shaped wall section of the present 
invention. The present invention thus provides quick access and easy 
loading and unloading of the cassette 70 within the holder 10. The 
cassette 70 can be loaded in either tray portion 12 or 14, with the 
cassette 70 automatically locating itself to the inner face of the spine 
liner section 16 when the holder 10 is moved to its closed position to 
interlock the wall sections 30 and 50. The wall sections 30 and 50 are 
sufficiently high to retain a cassette in place on either tray portion 14 
or 12 while the holder 10 is being closed. Preferably, the height of the 
wall section on each tray portion is at least half the width of the spine 
liner section 16. 
The first thermoplastic sheet 26 preferably comprises a rigid Polyvinyl 
Chloride (PVC) sheet or film material of approximately 0.015 inch 
thickness, and the second thermoplastic sheet preferably comprises a 
plasticized vinyl sheet of approximately 0.012 to 0.015 inch thickness, 
and which is more flexible than the PVC sheet. In a preferred embodiment 
of the present invention, the first and second thermoplastic sheets are 
transparent. In such a holder, since the cassette retained therein is 
visible through the walls of the holder, identifying labels on the holder 
may be unnecessary. Because the edge of a cassette 70 abuts an inner 
surface of the spine of the holder when closed, a bar code label 71 (see 
FIG. 1) on the edge of the cassette 70 is accurately readable through the 
spine of the transparent holder 10. 
Whether or not the first and second sheets 26 and 28 are transparent, a 
third transparent thermoplastic sheet 72 may be aligned to overlay a 
portion of the cover 18 of the holder 10, as seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5. The 
third transparent sheet 72 overlies a bottom half of the cover 18, being 
wrapped around both flap portions 20 and 22 and the spine section 24 of 
the cover 18 and bonded at its ends and at its bottom to adjacent side and 
bottom peripheral edges of the cover. The third sheet 72 is preferably a 
vinyl material of approximately 0.006 inch thickness which is even more 
flexible and stretchable than the first vinyl sheet 26, with the third 
sheet 72 heat sealed to the first and second thermoplastic sheets 26 and 
28 along the peripheral seam 29. The third transparent sheet 72 thus 
provides an outer transparent envelope for the reception of labels or 
other identifying material (as seen in FIG. 2) to identify the cassette 
retained within the hollow enclosure of the holder 10. 
The spine liner section 16 formed in the second thermoplastic sheet is 
connected to its respective tray portions 12 and 14 by a pair of living 
hinges. At the same time the tray portions 12 and 14 are thermal vacuumed 
molded to create the upstanding hollow peripheral wall sections 30 and 50 
on one side thereof, a pair of parallel ridge portions 80 and 82 are 
formed to be upstanding on the other side thereof. Each of these ridge 
portions 80 and 82 act to define the spaced connecting edges of the spine 
liner section 16 and its respective tray portions 12 and 14, as seen in 
FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. The ridge portions 80 and 82 are formed to permit the 
inner faces of the trays 12 and 14 and spine liner section 16 to be 
generally coplanar when the holder 10 is open to a position wherein the 
cover panels thereof are generally coplanar, as seen in FIG. 4. The ridge 
portions 80 and 82 are precisely formed to create living hinges which 
allow the wall sections 30 and 50 of the tray portions 14 and 12 to 
interlock together when the holder 10 is placed in its closed position, as 
seen in FIG. 5. The use of specifically formed living hinges reduces 
stress and helps eliminate cracking of the second sheet 28. 
The ridge portions 80 and 82 formed in the second thermoplastic sheet 28 
are not thermal bound to the first thermoplastic sheet 26, thereby further 
reducing the likelihood of cracking or tearing along the living hinges. In 
addition, after thermal vacuum molding of the second thermoplastic sheet 
28, the sheet is die cut for further processing, and at that time, notches 
84 and 86 are cut out of the periphery of the second sheet 28 at each 
intersection of the ridge portions 80 and 82 therewith, as seen in FIG. 6. 
The notches 84 and 86 are provided to eliminate heat sealing across the 
living hinges of the ridge portions 80 and 82. This serves to further 
eliminate minor cracks in the thermoplastic sheets. The thermal bond area 
adjacent the peripheral margin of the second thermoplastic sheet 28 is 
illustrated as the shaded phantom area 88 in FIG. 6 (once bonded to the 
first sheet 26, area 88 constitutes the peripheral heat seal seam 29). As 
shown, the notches 84 and 86 prevent any sections of the ridge portions 80 
and 82 from being subject to the thermal bonding process, thereby 
retaining the purity of the living hinge in the second thermoplastic sheet 
and not subjecting it to thermal stresses, or the stress of being bound to 
the first thermoplastic sheet. 
The cover panel and spine of the holder 10 are relatively rigid because of 
the use of the PVC plastic. The holder 10 is rigid enough to stand alone 
on edge when closed (even without a cassette therein). Additional rigidity 
in the cover flaps is achieved by insertion of a rigid stiffener panel 90 
between the opposed flap and tray portion of each cover panel of the 
holder 10. The rigid stiffener panel 90 may be formed of cardboard, chip 
board or the like and a stiffener panel 90 is typically positioned in each 
cover panel of the holder 10 as seen in FIG. 4. The panels 90 also assist 
in keeping the first sheet 26 taut and wrinkle-free. The ridge portions 80 
and 82 advantageously provide a surface against which an edge of each 
rigid stiffener panel 90 abuts when sandwiched between the first and 
second thermoplastic sheets 26 and 28, as also seen in FIG. 4. No such 
panel need necessarily be placed between the sheets along the spine of the 
holder 10, however. 
The spine liner section 16 has a pair of spaced top and bottom flange stub 
walls 100 and 102 integrally thermal vacuum formed thereon. The flange 
stub walls are generally parallel and extend outwardly from the same side 
of the second thermoplastic sheet as the wall sections 30 and 50. In fact, 
the flange stub walls 100 and 102 are formed adjacent the ends of the 
spine liner section 16, with the top flange stub wall 100 in alignment 
parallel to opposed top walls 34 and 54 and with the bottom flange stub 
wall 102 in alignment parallel to opposed bottom walls 36 and 56, to aid 
in aligning those walls in interfitting engagement and also to further aid 
in creating a rigid and stable holder 10. 
Portions of the top flange stub wall 100 nest within portions of the top 
walls 34 and 54 when the holder 10 is placed in its closed position, and 
portions of the bottom flange stub wall 102 nest within portions of the 
bottom walls 36 and 56 when the holder 10 is placed in its closed 
position. This relationship with respect to the top flange stub wall 100 
is seen in FIG. 5 (the overlap of nested portions is shown in phantom). 
Each top wall 34 and 54 has an inner end 104 and 106, respectively, 
adjacent the spine liner section 16 which is recessed with a fitted groove 
to receive portions of the top flange stub wall 100 therein when the 
holder 10 is in its closed position. Similarly, each bottom wall 36 and 56 
has an inner end 108 and 110, respectively, adjacent the spine liner 
section 16 which is recessed with a fitted groove to receive portions of 
the bottom flange stub wall 102 therein when the holder 10 is in its 
closed position. 
FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of the holder 10 of the present 
invention when in its closed position, with the section taken through the 
top flange stub wall 100 and its cooperating top walls 34 and 54 to 
illustrate the interfitting engagement of those walls. As seen, the flange 
stub wall 100 is preferably formed in a generally triangular 
configuration, having a long base 112 extending across the inner face of 
the spine liner section 16 and two similar angle faces 114 and 116. Each 
angle face is two-faceted, having a greater slope adjacent the base 112 
than at the peak where the angle faces 114 and 116 intersect. The inner 
ends 104 and 106 (and recesses therein) of the cooperating top walls 34 
and 54 are slanted to cooperate with the facets of the angle faces 114 and 
116 of the top flange stub wall 100 and lay in parallel alignment with the 
upper facets thereof when the holder 10 is in its closed position. These 
cooperating wall configurations are designed to engage and guide the spine 
liner section 16 and interlocking wall sections 30 and 50 into engagement 
when the holder 10 is placed in its closed position. The top and bottom 
walls are thus held by the interlocking flange stub walls in generally 
perpendicular alignment with the inner face of the tray portions to aid in 
the rigidity of the holder 10. Without the flange stub walls, the top and 
bottom walls would tend to bend inwardly toward the hollow enclosure. 
In addition to aiding in the overal rigidity of the holder 10 and providing 
means for aligning the interfitting of the tray portions 12 and 14 when 
the holder 10 is closed, the top flange stub wall 100 also cooperates with 
the top walls 34 and 54, and the bottom flange stub wall 102 cooperates 
with the bottom walls 36 and 56, to stack together when the holder is in 
its closed position and form a substantially dust-free enclosure within 
the holder. A video tape stored within such a holder may be a 
one-of-a-kind tape bearing unique images. Dust and other contaminants can 
damage such a tape and thus it is highly desirable that any storage 
container be as tightly sealed as possible with respect to the elements. 
The flange stub walls 100 and 102 thus combine with the other components 
of the holder 10 to create a protective environment for an article stored 
within the holder 10. 
Holders of the present invention are economically and accurately formed at 
high speeds by a method illustrated in FIG. 8. A reel 120 of rigid PVC 
plastic or film material 122 in sheet form is unwound to pass the sheet 
through a heater station 124 which softens this PVC plastic to thermal 
forming temperatures. The softened plastic 122 is then vacuumed formed in 
a vacuum mold station 126. The vacuum mold die at the mold station 126 is 
shaped to form a plurality of pairs of interfitting tray portions 12 and 
14 and a pair of flange stub walls 100 and 102 for each spine liner 
section 16 therebetween on one side of the PVC plastic 122, and a 
plurality of pairs of ridge portions 80 and 82 on the other side of the 
PVC plastic 122 as described above. 
The PVC plastic sheet 122 is then advanced to a next die cut station 128 
where a molded tray portion sheet 130 is severed from the preceding PVC 
plastic sheet 122. Two pairs of tray portions 12 and 14 (for video 
cassette holders) can be formed in tray end-to-end relation across a sheet 
of PVC plastic of typical width, with the adjoining pairs of tray portions 
being connected by a first peripheral marginal portion 131a of the molded 
sheet 130. Preferably, the molded sheet 130 is of length to include at 
least two pairs of tray portions 12 and 14 in tray side-by-side relation, 
with adjoining pairs being connected by a peripheral marginal portion 131b 
of the molded sheet 130 (the marginal portion 131b being generally 
perpendicular with respect to the peripheral marginal portion 131a). In 
the preferred arrangement wherein two pairs of tray portions 12 and 14 are 
formed in tray end-to-end relation across the width of the PVC plastic 
122, the die cut station 128 also severs apart the molded sheet 130 along 
the peripheral marginal portion 131a into two generally identical first 
tray sets 132, 132, each of which has at least two pairs of adjoining 
stackable tray portions 12 and 14 in tray side-by-side relation. The 
notches 84 and 86 adjacent the ridge portions 80 and 82 of each pair of 
tray portions 12 and 14 are also cut out at the die cut station 128. 
Once formed, the first set of tray portion pairs 132 are then deposited 
into a support frame or "nest" 140 on a turntable 142. The frame 140 is 
designed to support each first set 132 in an inverted position so as to 
expose the hollow outer face of the molded sheet 130 to the top. A portion 
of the frame 140 is seen in FIG. 9, which also shows upstanding supports 
144 which form the frame and combine to hold the molded sheet 130 (which 
comprises the thermoplastic sheet 28) in a generally flat configuration. 
The turntable 142 has a plurality of support frames 140, as seen in FIG. 8. 
The turntable has several operational stations, and the position and 
functional nature of the stations can be varied depending upon the number 
of workers, desired production volumes, and different holder 
configurations to be made (e.g., with or without stiffener panels 90). In 
FIG. 8, a first sheet receiving station 150 is shown adjacent the top of 
the turntable 142. At the first station 150, two first sets 132 are 
aligned within the support frame 140 in tray end-to-end relation. This 
alignment of the first sets 132 defines a plurality of second sets of 
adjacent pairs of tray portions 12 and 14 in tray end-to-end relation. 
Stiffener panels 90 are next placed atop each tray portion, if desired, by 
abutting an edge of the stiffener panel 90 against one of the ridge 
portions 80 or 82. 
As seen in FIG. 8, the turntable 142 is rotatable clockwise from the first 
sheet receiving station 150 to a second assembly station 152 wherein the 
covers 18 are laid over the first sets 132. A separate cover 18 is 
provided for each second set of adjacent pairs of tray portions and once 
the covers 18 have been applied, the turntable 142 is again rotated to a 
third assembly station 154 where the pocket forming third thermoplastic 
sheet 72 is laid over the covers 18. 
Once the various components of the holder 10 have all been aligned together 
within a support frame 140, the turntable 142 is rotated to a fourth 
forming station 154 which is provided with a heat sealing, cutting and 
cover gathering die 160. Typically, the heat sealing and cutting portion 
161 of such a die 160 constitutes a high frequency current electrode which 
acts to heat the thermoplastic sheets, bond them together along the seam 
29 and sever from marginal scrap portions 162 adjacent thereto. 
The die 160 is lowered toward the support frame 140 to engage the assembled 
components of the holders 10. Sealing and cutting portions 161 of the die 
160 combine to heat the marginal portions of the thermoplastic sheets 
around the cover flaps and spine of each holder 10 and create the seam 29 
and also create a tear strip adjacent thereto to define the edges of each 
holder 10. The thermoplastic sheets are thus bound together at the seem 29 
about the periphery of each book-type holder. As seen, each support frame 
140 is designed to permit the assembly and formation of four holders 10 
simultaneously. This bonded multi-book unit is cut at the same time as 
heat-sealed to form the individual book-type holders 10 described above. 
Once the die 160 has completed its tasks, it is raised from the support 
frame 140, and the turntable 142 is rotated clockwise back to the first 
station 150 where the individual fully-formed holders 10 are removed from 
the support frame 140. Scrap portions 162 of the thermoplastic sheets 
which have been severed apart from the holders 10 are then removed and 
discarded. 
In order to eliminate wrinkling of the covers 18 once bonded to the tray 
portions, the die 160 has a block 170 extending thereunder which, as the 
die 160 is lowered, engages the spine section 24 of the first 
thermoplastic sheet 26 (cover 18) and urges it toward the second 
thermoplastic sheet 28 (first set 132). The block 170 is aligned to engage 
the cover 18 only at points between the upstanding ridge portions 80 and 
82 of the second sheet 28 therebelow. Thus, as the flexible cover 18 is 
pushed down between the ridge portions 80 and 82, portions of the cover 18 
move inwardly toward the spine section 24 thereof (as illustrated by 
arrows 172 and 174 in FIG. 9) to provide sufficient cover sheet material 
to permit the holder 10 to be placed in its closed position without 
binding of the cover 18. This "gathering" of the cover 18 during the heat 
sealing step is necessary to eliminate wrinkling of the cover 18 and keep 
it relatively taunt and formed in all opened and closed positions of the 
holder 10. 
A separate cover 18 is provided for each adjacent pair of tray portions in 
tray end-to-end relation because of the necessity for gathering each cover 
18 during the heat sealing step. If the cover 18 were positioned to cover 
two or more pairs of tray portions in tray side-by-side relation, the 
simultaneous heat sealing and cover gathering for those pairs of tray 
portions would not permit the cover sheet to be gathered in opposite 
directions at the same time. Thus, the cover sheets as applied to the 
pairs of tray portions at the second assembly station 152 are split along 
the peripheral marginal portions 131b of adjoining pairs of tray portions 
on each first set 132. 
A holder 10 formed by the above-described method thus provides a book-type 
album for video cassettes or the like from a molded plastic tray sheet 
with a flexible plastic cover sheet. The cover panels and spine of each 
holder are connected by living hinges and the two sheets are heat sealed 
together about their peripheries, which define each album's spine and its 
respective pair of cover panels. No portion of the living hinges is 
subjected to the heat sealing process, which eliminates the cracking and 
tearing which typically occurs in such vinyl/PVC plastic cassette holders. 
The tray portions of the holder have C-shaped interior walls and the 
cassette enclosure formed therein is formed by those interior walls which 
interlock and also in combination with the inner face of the spine of the 
holder which has additionally interlocking flange walls thereon. Thus, a 
cassette placed within the wall sections of one of the trays is 
automatically aligned and positioned for protective storage as the cover 
flaps of the holder are interlocked in the holder closed position. In 
forming the holder 10 of the present invention, the outer flexible cover 
sheet is gathered slightly between raised parallel ridge portions of the 
living hinges as the vinyl and PVC plastic sheets are heat sealed together 
to eliminate wrinkling and stress between the sheets. This unique 
arrangement provides for a finished product container for cassettes which 
is attractive, easy to use and economically and efficiently produced. 
Another form of the holder of the present invention can be made using only 
one thermoplastic sheet. The method for creating this alternative holder 
10a is illustrated in FIG. 8. The method is the same as described above, 
except that at the die cut station 128, each pair of spine-connected tray 
portions 12 and 14 are cut apart. After being severed apart at the die cut 
station 128, the single sheet albums 10a (as indicated by arrows 180) are 
then finished products, ready for use. Any marginal scraps 162 are then 
discarded. Each holder 10a is thus simply comprised of the second 
thermoplastic sheet 28 formed as described above and shown in the drawing 
figures. No cover 18 or first thermoplastic sheet 26 is applied to the now 
molded sheet 28. Thus, the details of the sheet 28 are as shown in FIGS. 
3-7, where applicable. Because of the unique form of the single sheet 
holder 10a, it is still sufficiently rigid to stand alone on edge, even 
without a cassette mounted therein. In addition, when the holder 10a is 
formed from clear material (such as a PVC plastic or a high impact 
styrene), there is only one material fitness to the holder 10a which 
permits even greater ease in using a bar code reader or the like to poll 
information from a cassette 70 stored within the holder 10a. The wall 
sections 30 and 50 are still formed as described, along with the flange 
stub walls 100 and 102. These components provide a cushion space around 
the edge of a cassette 70 within the holder 10a to protect it. As formed, 
the material of the holder 10a has a "memory" which thus allows it to 
rebound to its originally formed shape when bent or otherwise abused. 
Thus, a single sheet holder 10a also provides an attractive easy loading 
and easy-to-use product. In addition, the elimination of a number of 
production steps results in a much more economically and efficiently 
produced product than was previously available. 
Although the present invention has been described with reference to 
preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that 
changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit 
and scope of the invention.