INFORMATION RETRIEVAL DEVICE

Abstract: An information retrieval device (1) including an open ended circumferentially closed sleeve (3, 4, 5) with at least one aperture (17) in said sleeve to give viewing access to an information bearing slider panel portion (6) mounted in the sleeve (3, 4, 5) and retained therein by frangible connection means (15), said connection means (15) being adapted to be broken by a force applied to said slider panel portion (6) to slide it within said sleeve (3, 4, 5).

Description: INFORMATION RETRIEVAL DEVICE. This invention relates to a device to facilitate the retrieval of stored information. More particularly it relates to a device which has a form allowing economic manufacture and captivation of an element of the device, which needs to move to make the device operational, until the device is about to be first put into service. The storage and retrieval of information on related matters is an ongoing requirement in modern society. For example persons needing information relating dates of sporting fixtures and locations thereof, or conversions from one currency to another or from one system of measurement to another do not want to consult books or other bulky items and there is therefore a need for a more readily accessible information source. A device of known type where an information bearing slider panel is slid within a sleeve having a viewing aperture or apertures to allow related information on the slider panel to be seen has been widely used for the above purposes. Such devices can be made in convenient sizes that are readily housed in a wallet or the like. The possibility of using such devices as an advertising item of the give away type has been considered but the cost of the device as commonly manufactured mitigates against such use. The conventional methods of manufacturing such devices known to the inventors involve a large labour component with a corresponding manufacture cost. It is the object of this invention to provide an extremely low cost item by mechanising the production of the device. Broadly stated the invention provides an information retrieval device including a sleeve with a viewing aperture and an information slide panel in the sleeve where the slider panel is retained in the sleeve by a frangible connecting means until the device is to be used. The first force applied to the slider panel to move it in the sleeve destroys the frangible connection and the device can thereafter operate normally. The manufacture of the device of the above form is fully mechanical thereby eliminating the manual labour component required hitherto to fabricate such devices. The present invention, more specifically, provides an information retrieval device including an open ended circumferentially closed sleeve with at least one aperture in said sleeve to give viewing access to an information bearing slider panel portion mounted in the sleeve and retained therein by frangible connection means, said connection means being adapted to be broken by a force applied to said slider panel portion to slide it within said sleeve. A method of making an information card as above is also disclosed herein where the method includes the steps of providing a sheet of stiff material, forming parallel fold lines along said sheet to provide a front panel portion disposed between a back panel portion of substantially the same width as the front panel portion and a narrower glue panel portion and a further parallel fold line along said sheet which is perforated to provide a frangible connection means between said back panel portion and a slider panel portion, providing at least one viewing aperture in at least one of the front and back panel portions, followed by fabrication steps including forming a fold along said perforated fold line to place said slider panel portion in overlying relationship with an inner face of said back panel portion, forming a fold along the fold line between said front panel portion and said back panel portion to place the front and back panel portions in overlying relationship with said slider panel portion sandwiched therebetween, forming a fold along the fold line between said front panel portion and said glue panel portion to place said glue panel portion in an overlying relationship with part of an outer face of said back panel portion and gluing said glue panel portion to said back panel portion. A presently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference top the accompanying drawings in which: Fig.l is a perspective view of the front face of an information storage and retrieval device according to the present invention with the slider panel portion partly withdrawn following the destruction of frangible connection means provided at the time of manufacture to retain the slider panel within the housing sleeve, Fig.2 is a perspective view of the back face of the device of Fig.l with the slider panel portion fully housed in the sleeve, Fig.3 is a plan view of a blank from which the device can be formed, Fig.4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the device of the invention where the slider is of a multi-panel type. Fig.5 is an edge view showing the slider panels folded in concertina fashion for enclosing in the sleeve of the device, Fig.6 is an end view of a partially folded further embodiment of the invention and Fig.7 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in Fig.6 with a cover panel for the apertured panel slightly open. The device is made from a sheet of cardboard or like material capable of folding and gluing but with sufficient stiffness to maintain its form and withstand repeated handling. From Fig.3 it will be seen the blank 2 for the device 1 comprises a plurality of edge to edge connected rectangular panel portions identified 3,4,5 and 6. The panel portion 3 is a front panel portion with two long edges 7 and 8 respectively connected by fold lines 9 and 10 to one long edge 11 of the narrow panel portion 4 which is a glue panel and to a first long edge 12 of a sleeve back panel portion 5. The panel 5 has a second long edge 13 connected by frangible connection means to a connection edge 14 of a slider panel portion 6 carrying printed matter, represented schematically in Figs.l and 3 and identified 19. The frangible connection means comprises sections 15 of the cardboard sheet between the adjacent ends of cuts 16 in a line of cuts extending in the length direction of the panel portions. There is a viewing aperture 17 in the front panel portion 3 extending substantially the whole width thereof. There is a finger grip notch 18 in the end edge of the panel portions 3 and 5 to allow the slider panel portion 6 to be gripped when the device is fabricated into the Fig.l form. All of the above initial manufacturing steps including the printing of information on the slider panel (and the outer surfaces of the front and back panel portions if desired) can be done mechanically in known printing and cardboard handling machines. It will be understood that the above blank can be one of a number in a sheet of blanks fabricated in a conventional cutting and creasing operation as known in the cardboard industry. Such operation would involve blank forming, creasing and perforation on a forming plate of known type as a preliminary to collating the blanks and feeding them to a folding and glueing machine. In fabrication of the blank into the device of fig.l the folding machine would form a fold along said frangible connection means to place said slider panel portion 6 in overlying relationship with an inner face of said back panel portion 5 followed by forming a fold along the fold line between said front panel portion 3 and said back panel portion 5 to place them in an overlying relationship with said slider panel portion 6 sandwiched therebetween. A fold is then formed along the fold line between said front panel portion 3 and said glue panel portion 4 to place the glue panel portion 4 in an overlying relationship with part of an outer face of said back panel portion 5 to which it is glued. The device would be supplied in the Fig.2 form with the frangible connecting means intact and the user on the first application of force to move the slider panel portion in an information retrieval operation would rupture the frangible connecting means thereby rendering the device serviceable and as represented in Fig.l. Any references herein to front and back panels for the device is not to be taken as a limitation on the manner in which the device is to be used. It will be understood that the aperture 17 can be in either a front or back panel of the device or may be provided in both allowing information printed on both sides of the panel 13 to be read. It is further to be understood that multiple apertures may be provided in one or both of the panels which would normally be considered as the front or back face for the device. Whilst rectangular panels have been described in the specification it is to be understood that the panels may be of "square shape" rather than of rectangular shape where the panels would be provided with long sides and shorter ends. Referring now to Fig.4, the slider panel 6 has two extra panels 20 and 21 connected edge to edge by fold/hinge lines 22 and 23. In a manufacturing operation the panels 6,20 and 21 would be folded concertina fashion, as shown in Fig.5, before being enclosed in the sleeve of panels 3 and 5. Once the slider is separated from the sleeve the slider can be removed from the sleeve and the slider panels can be arranged by folding as desired so that the required information slider panel is viewable through the aperture 17. There can be more than two extra panels. if desired. Referring now to Fig.6, this is an end view which illustrates a folding sequence of an embodiment of the invention which provides a cover for the apertured panel 3. The arrangement includes an enlarged glue panel 4a connected through a fold line 24 to a cover panel 25. In the diagrammatic illustration that is Fig.6 glue lines 26 are shown, these secure the glue panel 4a to the external face of the panel 5. As will be understood the finished product will be as shown in Fig.7.

Claims: CLAIMS : 1. An information retrieval device including an open ended circumferentially closed sleeve with at least one aperture in said sleeve to give viewing access to an information bearing slider panel portion mounted in the sleeve and retained therein by frangible connection means, said connection means being adapted to be broken by a force applied to said slider panel portion to slide it within said sleeve. 2. An information retrieval device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sleeve and said slider panel portion are parts of a single sheet of material formed to provide said sleeve and said slider panel portion as an integral unit and said frangible connection means comprises sections of said material disposed between adjacent ends of material penetrating cuts in a line of cuts extending in the length direction of said sleeve. 3. An information retrieval device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 where said device includes a plurality of edge to edge connected panel portions of a sheet of stiff material, said panel portions include a sleeve front panel portion with two join edges respectively joined by fold lines to one join edge of a narrower glue panel portion and to a first join edge of a sleeve back panel portion which has a second join edge connected by frangible connection means comprised of sections of said material to a connection edge of said slider panel, and where there is a fold along said frangible connection means to place said slider panel portion in overlying relationship with an inner face of said back panel portion and there is a fold along the fold line between said front panel portion and said back panel portion to place them in an overlying relationship with said slider panel portion sandwiched therebetween and there is a fold along the fold line between said front panel portion and said glue panel portion to place said glue panel portion in an overlying relationship with part of an outer face of said back panel portion to which it is glued. 4. An information retrieval device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 where said device includes a plurality of edge to edge connected panel portions of a sheet of stiff material, said panel portions include a sleeve front panel portion with two join edges respectively joined by fold lines to one join edge of a glue panel portion and to a first join edge of a sleeve back panel portion which has a second join edge connected by frangible connection means comprised of sections of said material to a connection edge of said slider panel, and where there is a fold along said frangible connection means to place said slider panel portion in overlying relationship with an inner face of said back panel portion and there is a fold along the fold line between said front panel portion and said back panel portion to place them in an overlying relationship with said slider panel portion sandwiched therebetween and there is a fold along the fold line between said front panel portion and a first edge of said glue panel portion to place said glue panel portion in an overlying relationship with part of an outer face of said back panel portion to which it is glued and said glue panel has a second edge opposite its first edge connected by a cover fold line to a first edge of a cover panel which when folded on said cover fold line so as to embrace said first join edge of a sleeve back panel portion will overlie said sleeve front panel. 5. A method of making an information retrieval device including an open ended circumferentially closed sleeve with at least one aperture in said sleeve to give viewing access to an information bearing slider panel portion mounted in the sleeve and retained therein by frangible connection means, said connection means being adapted to be broken by a force applied to said slider panel portion to slide it within said sleeve; said method including the steps of providing a sheet of stiff material, forming parallel fold lines along said sheet to provide a front panel portion disposed between a back panel portion of substantially the same width as the front panel portion and a narrower glue panel portion and a further parallel fold line along said sheet which is perforated to provide a frangible connection means between said back panel portion and a slider panel portion, providing at least one viewing aperture in at least one of the front and back panel portions, followed by fabrication steps including forming a fold along said perforated fold line to place said slider panel portion in overlying relationship with an inner face of said back panel portion, forming a fold along the fold line between said front panel portion and said back panel portion to place the front and back panel portions in overlying relationship with said slider panel portion sandwiched therebetween, forming a fold along the fold line between said front panel portion and said glue panel portion to place said glue panel portion in an overlying relationship with part of an outer face of said back panel portion and gluing said glue panel portion to said back panel portion. 6. A method of making an information retrieval device including an open ended circumferentially closed sleeve with at least one aperture in said sleeve to give viewing access to an information bearing slider panel portion mounted in the sleeve and retained therein by frangible connection means, said connection means being adapted to be broken by a force applied to said slider panel portion to slide it within said sleeve; said method including the steps of providing a sheet of stiff material, forming parallel fold lines along said sheet to provide a series of edge connected panels consecutively comprising a cover panel, a glue panel, a sleeve front panel, a sleeve back panel and a slider panel with the fold line between said sleeve back panel and said slider panel perforated to provide a frangible connection means between said back panel and said slider panel, providing at least one viewing aperture in said sleeve front panel, followed by fabrication steps including forming a fold along said perforated fold line to place said slider panel portion in overlying relationship with an inner face of said back panel portion, forming a fold along the fold line between said front panel portion and said back panel portion to place the front and back panel portions in overlying relationship with said slider panel portion sandwiched therebetween, forming a fold along the fold line between said front panel portion and said glue panel portion to place said glue panel portion in an overlying relationship with an outer face of said back panel portion and gluing said glue panel portion to said back panel portion,folding said cover panel portion around the fold line between said sleeve front and back panel portions to embrace it to position said cover panel portion in overlying relationship with said sleeve front panel portion. 7. A method as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7 including the step of providing a finger grip notch in corresponding ends of each of the front and back and glue panel portions to allow the slider panel to be gripped for the application of force to break said frangible connection means and also to move the slider panel when separated from the back panel portion within the sleeve.

Inventors: NICKOLL DAVID ALEXANDER, UTZ JOHN STANLEY, NICKOLL, DAVID, ALEXANDER, UTZ, JOHN, STANLEY
Applicants: NICKOLL DAVID ALEXANDER, UTZ JOHN STANLEY, NICKOLL, DAVID, ALEXANDER, UTZ, JOHN, STANLEY
Application year: 1993
Main classification: G09F1
IPC codes: G09F1