Abstract:
The multi-use photograph album pages of this invention are configured with three overlapping clear polymer panels secured to a central panel. The transparent panels are overlapped so that the top edges are exposed and open. Each of the polymer panels is attached at its left and right edges and its bottom edge. The bottom panel is attached all along its bottom edge while the top and middle polymer panels have left, central and right attachment points which act as stops. The stops position horizontally oriented photographs and permit vertically oriented photographs to stand therebetween. The page configuration thus accepts vertical or horizontal orientation without modification.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE 
     This application relies for priority on my earlier filed Provisional Application, Ser. No. 60/178,279, filed Jan. 27, 2000. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is directed to a photograph album which has an opaque central panel and a plurality of transparent panels. The panels are permanently attached to the opaque central panel in specific locations so that photographs can be inserted and retained. The attachment is such that the photos may extend under several of the transparent panels so that photographs of different sizes and shapes can be accommodated. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The photograph album is a well-known system for the storage and display of photographs. An album usually comprises a plurality of leaves within an outer cover. The leaves are configured to hold photographs in a display position. One type of photograph album holds the photos by adhesive on the page. The present invention is directed to the type of photo album in which the photos are slipped into a pocket for retention and display. The use of a transparent covering over the photographs protects them and can be employed to hold them in position. The problem is that there is a large number of different “standard” sizes of photographs. The size range has recently been increased by the availability of cameras which can produce panoramic or correspondingly tall photographs. Thus, there is a need for a photograph album of the pocket or slip-in type which is arranged so that the pages thereof can be used in a plurality of different ways to store photographs of different sizes and shapes. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to aid the understanding of this invention, it can be stated in essentially summary form that it is directed to a photograph album having pages which can be used to store and display photographs of different sizes and shapes. A page of the album has a usually opaque center panel. On the display side of the center panel at least two clear leaves are attached. The attachment points are positioned so that photographs of different sizes and shapes can be accommodated under the clear cover leaves. 
     It is thus a purpose and advantage of this invention to provide a photograph album which has pages therein where the pages are configured so that photographs of different sizes can be stored therein. 
     It is a further purpose and advantage to provide a photograph album where several clear leaves are positioned over the center panel so that in some cases smaller photographs can be inserted under each leaf, but the attachment of the leaves is such that one larger photograph may be inserted under several of the leaves. 
     It is a further purpose and advantage of this invention to provide a photograph album which is configured so that photographs of different size and shape can be stored and displayed on one of the album pages without the need for making configuration adjustments so that an individual can use the photograph album simply by slipping photographs under the clear leaves. 
     Other purposes and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following portions of this specification, the claims and the attached drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a photograph album in accordance with this invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view of one of the pages thereof. 
     FIG. 3 is an edge section taken generally along line  3 — 3  of FIG.  2 . 
     FIGS. 4,  5 ,  6 ,  7 ,  8  and  9  are plan views of the photograph album page of FIG. 2, showing different possible arrangements of photographs stored within the album page. 
     FIG. 10 is a plan view, similar to FIG. 2, showing the utilization of a label in connection with photographs sorted and displayed on the page. 
     FIG. 11 is a section taken generally along line  11 — 11  of FIG. 10 showing a section including the applied label. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The photograph album of this invention is generally indicated at  10  in FIG.  1 . The photograph album comprises a plurality of pages, which may be identical. Pages 12, 14, 166, 18 and 20 are shown in FIG.  1 . The album may have a front cover  22  and a back cover  24 . The pages are preferably secured together by some kind of convenient binding, such as spiral binding  26 . The binding may be the inserting of the separate pages into a ring binder. Alternatively, the pages may be secured together by conventional book binding, including gluing and sewing of the bound edges. This is attachment structure on the central panel for securing the pages together. Pages 12-20 are preferably identical and are preferably double-sided. Page 18 is shown in plan view in FIG. 2, and in section view in FIG.  3  and is illustrative of all the pages. Furthermore, each of the pages is preferably double-sided so that photos may be inserted into the pockets formed on each side of the page. This is true of page 18, which is shown in FIG. 3 as a section near the edge. Page 18 has a central panel  28  which extends to the left to include fastening holes  30  adjacent to the left edge. As stated above, the fastening holes may be arranged in different manners for different kinds of binding. The central panel is preferably a paper board stock, although it may be a sheet polymer composition material. It is stiff enough to support the photograph pockets. The front face  31  may be of any convenient color. In most cases, a light color is preferred so as to not distract from the photographs. 
     Three transparent synthetic polymer composition sheet material panels  32 ,  34  and  36  are attached to the face of the central panel in an overlapping position. The top edge  38  of panel  36  overlaps the bottom edge  40  of panel  34 , with the lower panel  36  on the outside, see FIG.  2 . The top edge  42  of panel  34  overlaps the bottom edge  44  of panel  32 . The top edge  46  of panel  32  does not quite reach the top edge of the central panel  28  so that a small amount of the face  31  is exposed at the top edge. Similarly, the bottom edge  48  does not extend all the way to the bottom edge of the central panel  28 , but some of the face  31  is exposed. However, it must be noted that the transparent panels  32 ,  34 , and  36  all extend to the free edge, which is the edge opposite the fastening holes, of the central panel  28 . 
     Each of the transparent panels is attached to the central panel  28 . The bottom transparent panel  36  is attached to the central panel  28  adjacent its bottom by a long band of permanent adhesive  50 . This band is close to the bottom of panel  36  and extends from left to right under the panel to closely adjacent its left and right edges  52  and  54 . Adjacent to the left and right edges  52  and  54  are left and right bands  56  and  58  of permanent adhesive. These bands are slightly spaced from the lower band  50 . These bands are close to the edges but are spaced slightly inward from the edges. This is to prevent exposed adhesive. The left of adhesive band  56  is slightly wider than the narrower right adhesive band  58 . These adhesive bands permanently attach the panel  36  of the central panel  28  and leave an unattached top edge  38  for the insertion of photographs behind the transparent panel in the front of the central panel  28 . In order to prevent the transparent panel from bulging out, adhesive dot  60  is applied behind the top center of transparent panel  36 . The adhesive dot  60  is made of a pressure-sensitive adhesive but one which can be detached and reattached. It is not a permanent adhesive, but a detachable and reusable formulation of adhesive. 
     Transparent panel  34  is attached in much the same way. Thus, as seen in FIG. 3, the panel  34  is arranged so that it is overlapped at the bottom by panel  36 . The top of panel  36  overlies the bottom edge of panel  34 . Left and right attachments of the panel  34  to the center panel  28  by left edge of adhesive band  62  and right edge of adhesive band  64 , which are the same as adhesive bands  56  and  58  in lateral position and size. Along its bottom, the panel  34  is attached by three separate short adhesive bands  66 ,  68  and  70 . The left and right adhesive bands  66  and  70  are substantially under the left and right edge adhesive bands  62  and  64 . They extend inward a short distance from the inside edge of the upright adhesive bands  62  and  64  to form a stop which extends inwardly a short distance respectively from the bands  62  and  64 . The short band  68  is directly above the adhesive dot  60 , and of similar width, to not occupy any additional lateral space. Thus, the bottom edge of panel  34  is not permanently attached along its full bottom edge, so that there is not a complete bottom stop at the bottom edge of panel  34 . 
     Panel  32  is secured in a similar manner to panel  34 . There are left and right permanent adhesive bands  72  and  74  and left and right adhesive band stops  76  and  78  and center stop  80 . These are permanent adhesive attachments. The bands  76 ,  80  and  78  are respectively shorter than the bands  66 ,  68  and  70  to leave wider spaces therebetween as especially seen in FIG.  8 . There are detachable adhesive dots  82  and  84 , respectively, under the top center of the panels  34  and  32 . This arrangement of adhesive attachment and overlap of the transparent panels permit utilization of the face of each page in a plurality of different ways. Furthermore, as seen in FIG. 3, the page  18  is double-sided so that each side has similar construction. Furthermore, each of the pages may be of double-sided construction. 
     FIG. 4 shows how six photographs  86  of equal size can be inserted into the album page  18 . This is an illustration of the display of standard 4″ by 6″ photographs in horizontal orientation. A pair of photographs is inserted side-by-side into the pocket formed by transparent panel  36  from the top. The adhesive dot  60  is released and the two photos in the bottom row are put in place. They have end stops in the form of left and right adhesive bands  56  and  58 . They have a bottom stop in the form of adhesive band  50 . After the pictures are in place, the releasable adhesive dot  60  can be reattached to hold the upper corners of the two photographs in place. In the next upper row, two equal sized photographs are inserted under panel  34  by insertion behind the free top edge of the panel. The releasable adhesive  82  is open for this purpose. This pair of pictures rests between the end stops  62  and  64  and rests upon the bottom stops  66 ,  68  and  70 . Thus, they are maintained in position. The pressure-sensitive adhesive  82  can be reattached when the pictures are in place. In a similar manner, the upper pair of photographs  86  are inserted behind the open top edge of panel  32 . These pictures are engaged between the left and right adhesive bands  72  and  74  and rests on stops  76 ,  80  and  78 . In this way, the pictures  68  are retained in position. 
     In FIG. 4, it is presumed that each of pictures  68  is correctly positioned when in the horizontal orientation. FIG. 5 illustrates how the pair of photographs  88  are positioned in the horizontal orientation and a pair of photos  90  are positioned in the vertical orientation. The 4″ width of a standard 4″ by 6″ photograph in the vertical orientation fits between the stops  66  and  68  and between stops  68  and  70 . The photographs  88  are inserted behind the panel  32  and are held in the same position as described with respect to the upper row in FIG.  4 . The leftmost of the pair of photographs  90  in FIG. 5 is positioned between the stops  66  and  68  and rests upon the bottom band of adhesive  50 . The right-hand of the pair of photographs  90  is inserted behind the top edge of panel  34  and is moved down by and below panel  36  to rest on the adhesive band  50  which acts as its bottom stop. It is positioned between the intermediate stops  68  and  70 . The releasable pressure-sensitive adhesive spots can be reattached after all the photographs are in position. FIG. 5 thus illustrates a manner in which photographs of the same aspect ratio but of different orientation can be placed within and secured within the photograph album page  18 . 
     FIG. 6 illustrates how pictures of different aspect ratios and different orientations may be placed within the page 18 for display therein. Photograph  92  is a horizontal panoramic photograph which is usually 4″ by 11″. It lies behind the panel  32 . It rests between the left and right adhesive bands and rests on all of the adhesive band stops  76 ,  78  and  80  which attach selected portions of the lower edge of the panel  32  to the backing panel. Photograph  94  is the standard 4″ by 6″ size. Photograph  94  is displayed in the horizontal position. Photograph  96  may be a hi-vision 4″ by 7″ size and is displayed in the vertical position. Photograph  94  rests upon the stops  66  and  68  while photograph  96  extends between stops  68  and  70  and rests upon the bottom adhesive band  50 . Photograph  98  may be of the same size as photograph  94  because there is sufficient size for such in the display space it occupies. However, photograph  98  is in the horizontal position and is slightly smaller than photograph  94 . The reattachable adhesive spots  82  and  60  can be attached to retain the transparent panels in place. 
     FIG. 7 shows another display utilization of the page  18 . It shows standard 4″ by 6″ photo  100  in a horizontal position and it shows hi-vision 4″ by 7″ photograph  102  and panoramic 4″ by 11″ photograph  104  in a vertical position. The photograph  104  is a tall, narrow photograph and lies behind all three of the panels  32 ,  34  and  36 . It is introduced into the page behind the top edge of panel  32  and is inserted downwardly between the  78  and  80  as well as between the bottom stops  68  and  70 . It comes to a rest on the bottom adhesive band  50 . In this way, tall photographs can be introduced, stored and displayed behind all three panels. Similarly, photograph  102  is introduced behind the top edge of the middle panel  34  and moved downwardly between stops  66  and  68  to rest on the bottom stop band  50 . 
     Other arrangements of photographs within the page  18  are also possible. In FIG. 8, the leftmost of a pair of 5″ by 7″ photos  106  is introduced behind the top edge of panel  32 . The spacing between stops  76  and  80  and between stops  80  and  78  is larger than the distance between the stops  66  and  68  and stops  68  and  70 . When the photograph  106  is introduced downward behind the panel  32 , it passes between the stops  76  and  80  and engages upon the stops  66  and  68 . This holds it in position. Similarly, the right of the pair of photographs  106  is introduced down behind the top edge of panel  32  and between the stops  78  and  80 . It engages on the stops  68  and  70  to hold it in position. The lower pair of photos  108  can be introduced behind the top edge of the panel  34  and moved down to engage upon the bottom stop band  50 . When the photographs are in place, the pressure-sensitive adhesive spots can be reattached to hold the photographs in position. 
     FIG. 9 illustrates another manner in which the album page  18  can be used to display photographs of different sizes. Smaller standard sizes include 2 ¼″ by 3 ¼″ and 3″ by 4″. There are also different standard sizes in other countries. For example, Japan utilizes 3″ by 6″ and 3″ by 10″ as standard sizes. The two horizontal photographs  110  are slipped in under the free top opening of transparent panel  36 . They rest on the bottom permanent adhesive strip  50  which acts as the bottom stop when they are in the horizontal orientation. Also, in the horizontal orientation is the pair of photographs  112 . The pair of photographs  112  is wider and the photographs rest upon the bottom stops  66 ,  68  and  70  which are the bottom stops which attach the bottom of panel  34 . The top photo  114  is a panoramic photo in the horizontal orientation. It is inserted through the open top of panel  32  and rests upon the bottom stops  76  and  80  which attach the bottom edge of panel  32  to the central panel  28 . 
     It is to be noted that the stops  76  and  78  are the same as but are a slightly shorter length in the horizontal direction than the stops  66  and  70 , to leave more space therebetween. The stop  68  is wider than the stop  80 . This means that a photograph of a width suitable to just pass between the stops  76  and  80  will engage on the top of stops  66  and  68 . This is also true of the space between stops  78  and  80 . The space therebetween is greater than the space between stops  68  and  70 . 
     FIGS. 10 and 11 show further views of the page  18 , which has been described above. FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate the position of labels  116 ,  118  and  120 . These labels are provided for labeling the photographs. Each of the labels has a writing layer  122 , which may be of paper or other material suitable for either writing or typing thereon of labeling information. When marked, the label is placed on one of the pressure sensitive adhesive dots  60 ,  82  or  84  to releasably hold it in place. Thus, a label can be removed when no longer relevant and may be relocated at another position where it may be relevant. As indicated in FIG. 11, there are labels on both sides of the center panel  28 . The labels are optional and can be slipped in place after the photographs are put in place. 
     This invention has been described in its presently contemplated best mode and it is clear that it is susceptible to numerous modifications, modes and embodiments within the ability of those skilled in the art and without the exercise of the inventive faculty. Accordingly, the scope of this invention is defined by the scope of the following claims.