Abstract:
A method and apparatus for printing photo&#39;s on a page to create a photo “cube” using origami.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates generally to printer paper and more specifically to printer paper and a printer template for creating a disposable photo “cube”.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    People like to keep photos of their family, friends, pets, etc. on their desks and tables so they and others can look at them easily. This is often accomplished through a clear, hollow plastic cube with foam in the middle. Pictures can be inserted on the sides and the top of the cube and are held pressed against the sides by the foam. This can sometimes be difficult, as most photos don&#39;t come in exactly the right size to fit the cube and must be cut. The cube can also get scratched and battered over time, degrading the appearance of the pictures.  
           [0003]    What is needed is a method and apparatus to easily display photos. The apparatus needs to be cheap and easy enough to use such that, when it gets damaged, you can throw it away and make a new one.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    A method and apparatus for printing photo&#39;s on a page to create a photo “cube” using origami, or paper folding.  
           [0005]    Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 is a drawing of the crease lines and photo areas for a single page used to create a photo hexahedron with one open face in accordance with the current invention.  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 2 is a drawing of a folded photo hexahedron in accordance with the current invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0008]    A relatively inexpensive photo display method that does not require cutting the photos will allow a user to easily display photos on their desks. A user that has images in digital form, from a digital camera, a scanner, or some other method, can quickly create a photo “cube” using the current invention. In this application a photo “cube” means any hexahedron shape with one open face. An open face means that there would not be any paper occupying that face of the hexahedron, thereby leaving an opening into the structure. Using this method a user would select 5 images and drag and drop the images onto a template. The template would automatically scale and orient the images. Scaling may be done isometrically or non-isometrically. It is well known in the art how to scale an image to fit a predefined rectangular space. The template would orient the images such that once the page has been folded, four of the image bottoms would be adjacent to the open face of the hexahedron (see FIG. 2). Once the user has selected the 5 images and loaded the template the user can print a page. Once the page has been printed the user can create a photo “cube”, using origami, by folding the page.  
         [0009]    The paper that is used to print the page can be ordinary paper or the paper can be pre-creased. The pre-creased paper would have creases where the user would fold the paper to create the hexahedron (see FIG. 1). The pre-creased paper may come with adhesive ( 128 ) or some other mechanism for holding the hexahedron in place, once the user has folded the page. When ordinary paper is used, the user would have an option of printing fold line, along with the images, onto the page.  
         [0010]    The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and other modifications and variations may be possible in light of the above teachings. Other method can be used, for example a paper clip or piece of tape can be used to hold the hexahedron in place. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the appended claims be construed to include other alternative embodiments of the invention except insofar as limited by the prior art.