Abstract:
A protective holder for storing and displaying articles, such as photographs, baseball cards, game cards, and the like. The holder is formed from a front sheet that is welded to a back sheet to form a plurality of pockets. Cuts are made in the back sheet to create flaps with tabs that facilitate lifting of the flap for insertion and removal of articles in a manner that minimizes contact damage between the articles and the holder. The flaps are coplanar with the back sheet at all times to prevent indentation of the stored articles when pressure is applied to the flaps. This also enables insertion of entire holder into a thicker, stiffer sheath for further protection, if desired, without the problem of objects dislodging and falling out in the thicker, stiffer sheath.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention pertains to a device for holding and protecting articles, and, more particularly, to a transparent, protective holder for storing and displaying sports cards, trading cards, game cards, photographs, and the like, and method of using the same. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Numerous designs have been proposed for pages that store and protect thin, substantially flat objects. These pages are typically formed from plastic and have pouches to hold the objects. Multiple pages are generally bound in releasable binders to provide an additional level of protection and to facilitate viewing of the objects stored therein. Pouches formed with an open top or side have the disadvantage of allowing objects stored therein to dislodge or fall out. Partially exposed or loose objects are easily subject to being lost, damaged, or destroyed. 
     Another disadvantage is the damage the page itself causes to stored objects. Collectable objects, such as rare photographs, baseball cards, and trading cards, generally increase in value as they age. Worn or bent display faces, and frayed edges and corners will substantially reduce their value. Many page designs facilitate such damage by exposing the faces and edges of stored objects to chafing. Chafing can occur, for example, when objects are being inserted into or removed from the pouch, when the pages themselves are being turned, or when pages are stored on top of each other. 
     More recently, very valuable or potentially valuable objects are placed within individual sleeves before insertion into the pouch. This facilitates removal and inspection without risk of soiling or damaging the object. Because a sleeved object has extra bulk, it is difficult to insert into and remove out of existing pouches. Hence, there is a need for a protective holder that securely stores and displays sleeved and unsleeved articles, and facilitates easy insertion and removal in order to minimize contact damage. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a transparent, protective holder for storing and displaying articles. The holder comprises a front sheet formed from transparent material and having an exterior surface and an interior surface; a back sheet having an exterior surface and an interior surface, the back sheet being attached to the front sheet to form a plurality of pockets. Ideally the pockets are sealed along all sides. Each pocket has a cut formed in the back sheet that is sized and shaped to enable insertion of an article into the pocket. The cut forms a flap on the back sheet to cover a portion of the article in the pocket. The flap includes a flap member and a tab formed on the flap member, the tab having a size and shape to enable manual grasping and lifting of the flap, thereby minimizing contact with the article during insertion and removal. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a matching cutout is formed in the back sheet, and the flap is received in the cutout such that the flap is coplanar with the back sheet. 
     In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, either of the front sheet and the back sheet include holes to facilitate placement of the holder in a releasable binder. 
     In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a storage system for holding and displaying substantially thin, planar articles having a display face and a back face is provided. The storage system comprises a page formed from a front sheet and a back sheet; the front sheet having a top edge, a bottom edge, an interior edge, and an exterior edge, and is formed from at least translucent, plastic material with an exterior surface and an interior surface; the back sheet formed from plastic material and having an exterior surface and an interior surface. The interior surface of the back sheet is attached to the interior surface of the front sheet along a plurality of seam lines to form one or more pockets. Ideally, each of the pockets has a rectangular shape with a longitudinal dimension greater than a transverse dimension, the longitudinal dimension defined by a pair of parallel longitudinal side seams and the transverse dimension defined by a pair of parallel transverse side seams, the longitudinal side seams and the transverse side seams sealing all sides of the pocket. Each pocket has a cut formed in the back sheet that is sized and shaped to enable insertion of an article into the pocket. The cut divides the back sheet of the pocket into a first portion and a second portion, with the first portion comprising a tab that is sized and shaped to enable manual grasping of the tab and lifting of the first portion of the back sheet of the pocket. It is to be understood, however, that other shapes may be used, such as a square shape. 
     In accordance with yet a further aspect of the present invention, the tab of the storage system is attached to the first sheet by one of either the longitudinal side seams and the transversed side seams. 
     In accordance with still yet a further aspect of the present invention, the storage system further comprises at least one thin, substantially flat article having a display face and a back face, the article being slidably received within one of the pockets. The tab associated with each pocket is sized such that when the article is fully inserted within the pocket, the article holds the tab against the interior surface of the first sheet; and bending and unbending the page along the seam that attaches the tab to the first sheet urges the tab out of the pocket and against the back face of the article such that the tab is coplanar with the second portion of the pocket. 
     In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of using a storage system that includes a flexible page for storing substantially thin, planar articles having a display face and a back face is provided. The page has a front sheet with an exterior surface and an interior surface, and a back sheet with an interior surface and an exterior surface. The back sheet has its interior surface attached to the interior surface of the front sheet to form a plurality of pockets, each pocket having a cut in the back sheet sized and shaped to enable insertion of the article in the pocket. The cut divides the back sheet of the packet into a first portion and a second portion and forms a tab in the first portion. The first portion is held to the front sheet by a seam. The method involves inserting the article in a selected pocket through the opening formed by the cut in the back sheet of the selected pocket such that the article holds the tab against the interior surface of the front sheet; bending the page along the seam to urge the tab out of the pocket; and unbending the page to position the tab against the back face of the article. 
     In accordance with yet another aspect of the method of the present invention, the method further comprises grasping the tab of a selected pocket and lifting the tab to form an opening to the pocket; and removing the article from the pocket through the formed opening. 
     As will be readily appreciated from the foregoing, the present invention securely retains articles in a pocket regardless of the orientation of the pocket. In addition, articles can be inserted into the pocket through an enlarged opening, preventing or minimizing contact between the display face of the object and the edge of the cut in the back sheet. The back of the pocket has a planar, flat surface that prevents indentation of the stored articles. Flaps are formed on the backside of the pocket, providing an unobstructed view through the front side. Pocket flaps can be lifted individually, permitting items to be inserted and removed in user-selected pockets without disturbing and risking damage to the contents of other pockets. Finally, because the holder is flat, it can be more easily inserted into a larger, thicker sheath to provide a greater level of protection. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily appreciated as the same become better understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a protective holder formed in under one embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a front sheet of the protective holder of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the back sheet of the protective holder of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of an alternative embodiment of the protective holder; 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view of a pocket corner of the protective holder of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged elevational view of the intersection of four pocket corners of the protective holder of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of a front sheet of the alternative embodiment of the protective holder of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of a back sheet of the protective holder of FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of a second alternative embodiment of a protective; 
     FIG. 10 shows alternative embodiments of pocket flap and tab configurations on a protective holder page; 
     FIGS. 11A and 11B show alternative embodiments of pocket flap and tab orientations on a protective holder page; and 
     FIGS. 12A-12C illustrate a method of using the protective holder. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring initially to FIGS. 1-3, shown therein is a protective holder  10 . The protective holder  10  is formed from a front sheet  12  and a back sheet  24 . The front sheet  12  has a top edge  14 , bottom edge  16 , exterior edge  18 , and interior edge  20 . Positioned at selected points along the interior edge  20  are a plurality of holes  22 . 
     The back sheet  24  shown in FIG. 3 has a top edge  26 , bottom edge  28 , exterior edge  30 , and an interior edge  32  with holes  34  adjacent thereto. The holes  34  in the back sheet  24  have the same size and relative positioning as the holes  22  in the front sheet  12  when secured together to enable placement in a releasable binder (not shown) when the holder  10  is assembled. The holes  34  can be formed after the front and back sheets  12  and  24  are secured together. Cuts  36  are formed in the back sheet  24  (in this embodiment there are nine cuts  36 ). Each of the cuts  36  is separated from the other cuts  36  by an uncut space  38 . The cuts  36  can be formed by die cutting or other suitable method known in the art, prior to assembly of the holder  10 . 
     Ideally, the front sheet  12  and back sheet  24  are formed from plastic sheets of vinyl, polypropylene material, although other polyolefin material may be used. These sheets  12 ,  24  have a thickness in the range of 0.001 inch (1 mil) to 0.025 inch (25 mil). In one embodiment, the sheets have a preferred thickness of 3 mil. Thicker sheets could have a thickness of 25 mil such as for a large protective sheath. 
     The protective holder  10  is formed by attaching the back sheet  24  to the front sheet  12 . The back sheet  24 , which has an interior surface  40  and an exterior surface  42 , is preferably thermal contact welded to the front sheet  12 , which has an interior surface  44  and an exterior surface  46 . As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 12A, the interior surface  40  of the back sheet is attached to the interior surface  44  of the front sheet. 
     The welding of the back sheet  24  to the front sheet  12  forms weld lines or seams  48  that intersect to create a plurality of pockets  50  (in this case nine). In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the seams  48  intersect in the uncut spaces  38  between the cuts  36 . The comer seams  74  and seam intersections  76 , are shown in greater detail in FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively. The dashed lines shown inside each pocket  50  represent an article  52 , such as a baseball card. The cuts  36  form a flap  54  in each pocket  50  and a corresponding cutout  56  in the back wall  58  of the pocket  50  to create an opening through which the article  52  is inserted. 
     Thus, each pocket  50  has a rectangular shape that is defined by the pair of parallel longitudinal seams, i.e., exterior longitudinal seam  60  and interior longitudinal seam  62 , and the pair of parallel transverse side seams, i.e., upper transverse seam  64  and lower transverse seam  66 , that seal all sides of the pocket  50 . The only opening into the pocket  50  is that formed by the cut  36 . 
     The flap  54  has a flap member portion  68  that is attached to the front sheet  12  by the upper transverse seam  64 . A tab  70  projects from the flap member  68  into the cutout  56  formed in the back wall  58  of the pocket  50 . Ideally, the flap  54  is coplanar with the back wall  58  at all times, both when an article  52  is inserted in the pocket  50  and when the pocket  50  is empty. 
     FIGS. 4, and  7 - 8  show an alternative embodiment wherein a protective holder  72  has flaps  54  positioned so that the flap member  68  is attached to the front sheet  12  along the exterior longitudinal seam  60 . (For convenience and ease of reference, the same reference numerals from the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1-3 will be used with respect to the other embodiments of the protective holder described herein.) The cuts  36  of this second embodiment are oriented longitudinally so that articles  52  are inserted from the exterior side of the pocket  50 . Other than the repositioning of the flap  54 , with appropriate sizing and reorientation of the cuts, as shown in FIG. 8, this embodiment shown is essentially identical to the embodiment of the protective holder  10  shown in FIGS. 1-3. 
     Referring next to FIG. 9, illustrated therein is a further alternative embodiment of a protective holder  78 . In this embodiment, the flaps  54  are attached to the front sheet  12  along the interior longitudinal seam  62 . This embodiment of the protective holder  78  is essentially a mirror image of the first alternative embodiment of the protective holder  72  shown in FIG. 4, and it incorporates the features of the embodiments described above. 
     The flaps  54  can be made in a variety of shapes. FIG. 10 shows nine variations of the flap  54 , but other shapes and configurations are possible. Each of these flaps  54  can be positioned along any of the four seams or across adjacent seams. FIGS. 11A-11B illustrate alternative positions of the flaps  54  on thirteen different pages numbered 1-13. The construction of the embodiments shown in FIGS.  10  and  11 A- 11 B is essentially the same as that described in connection with the protective holders  10 ,  72 ,  78  above. Page 13 in FIG. 11B shows alternative positioning of the cuts  36  with respect to each individual pocket  50 . As shown therein, the cuts  36  extend from adjacent sides of the pocket  50 , i.e., across a corner, instead of along only one side as in the previous embodiments. 
     A method of using the system for protecting articles is shown in FIGS. 12A-12C. In accordance with one embodiment, an article  52  having a thin, substantially flat shape, such as a baseball card, and having a display face  80  and a back face  82 , is initially positioned inside the pocket  50  with its display face  80  facing the interior surface  44  of the front sheet  12 . The back face  82  of the article  52  is positioned against the interior surface  42  of the back wall  58  of the pocket  50 . When so inserted, the display face  80  bears against the exterior surface  42  of the tab  70  to hold the interior surface  40  of the flap  54  against the interior surface  44  of the front sheet  12 . 
     To reposition the tab  70  to the back side  82  of the article  52 , a user bends the holder  10  along the seam  48  that holds the flap  54  to the front sheet  12 . As the holder  10  is bent, the force and the resilience of the material of the flap  54  urges the tab  70  out of the pocket  50  as shown in FIG.  12 B. Releasing the bending force on the seam  48  allows the holder  10  to return to its original position with the flap  54 , including the tab  70 , positioned so that the interior surface  40  is against the back side  82  of the object  52 . The flap  54  does not overlap the back wall  50  but is essentially coplanar with the back wall  58  of the pocket  50 . This avoids indentation of the stored article  52  when the flap  54  is under pressure, such as when stacked vertically with other holders or pages. 
     In order to remove the article  52 , the tab  70  can be grasped and the flap  54  lifted up. An opening is then created that enables the article  52  to be removed from the pocket  50  while minimizing contact between the article  52  and the holder  10 . The foregoing method is especially useful with articles  52  that have been initially positioned inside a sleeve before being inserted into the pocket  50 . It is also useful with articles  52  where contact between the display face  80  and the flap  54  is of little or no consequence. 
     From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the back sheet  24  may be opaque, translucent, or transparent. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims. 
     In accordance with another method of use, a system for protecting and displaying articles is provided. Here, the protective holder  10  is inserted within a protective sheath that is formed from thicker, heavier material, ideally transparent plastic. The sheath  84  can be formed with the holes to enable secure binding of the sheath  84  and the holder  10  in a releasable binder  86 . With this system, articles have an additional layer of protection, and the thicker, stiffer sheath  84  resists or prevents bending of the articles as the combined sheath  84  and holder  10  are turned in the binder  86 . One commercially available sheath without holes for binding is known as a “top loader” available from PKK, Seattle Wash. This sheath will need to be formed with holes for binding. 
     Hence, the invention is to be limited only by the scope of the claims that follow.