Abstract:
A presentation folder includes a backing having an outer surface and an inner surface; a fold line dividing the inner surface into a left side and a right side; a first pocket secured to either the left or right sides; and one or more inserts detachably connected to the inner surface, wherein the one or more inserts are partially contained within the first pocket. Each of the inserts includes a perforation defining a top portion and a bottom portion of the insert. The perforation allows the top portion to be torn from the bottom portion. The top portion may contain preprinted informational material on either one or both sides thereof. A functionally equivalent second pocket may be secured to the right side. A method for manufacturing the presentation folder is also disclosed.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/616,031 entitled “Presentation Folder and Method of Making Same,” filed Oct. 5, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     This invention relates generally to a folder having one or more pockets and/or inserts and to a method of making the folder.  
         [0004]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0005]     Folders are commonplace in today&#39;s society and are used by the young and old alike. Folders are typically used to store collected documents to keep the documents organized, generally according to relevance to one another. Folders are used in hospital settings, schools, board meetings, legal offices, and in virtually every American home. Folders currently of use are generally larger than a standard 8½×11 inch piece of paper with the contents therein stored in an unsecured fashion. The folders are generally expensive to manufacture and require manual insertion of papers to be contained within.  
         [0006]     Thus, what is needed and has not heretofore been developed is a folder produced in a cost effective manner, of an appealing size, and which does not require manual intervention to have desired papers placed within. Additionally, it has been desired to have a folder wherein the contents are fixedly attached so that papers are not lost during movement and transport of the folder. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a folder and method of making such folder that benefits the needs of the public.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention is a folder and a method of making the folder. Generally, the folder includes a backing having an outer surface and an inner surface; a fold line dividing the inner surface into a left side and a right side; a first pocket secured to the inner surface; and one or more inserts detachably connected to the inner surface, wherein the one or more inserts are partially contained within the first pocket.  
         [0008]     The first pocket is situated on the left or right side of the inner surface substantially along a lower edge thereof. The first pocket is removably secured to the left or right side of the inner surface by an adhesive. The adhesive is situated along a first pocket to folder horizontal junction and along at least one first pocket to folder vertical junction. The first pocket to folder horizontal junction is situated along the lower edge of the inner surface and the first pocket to folder vertical junction may be situated along a left edge of the left side, a right edge of the right side and/or along the fold line. The fold line may include a perforation. The backing of the folder is constructed of thicker gauge paper material than the inserts. The first pocket may be sized to accommodate additional paper material or other printed literature, including, but not limited to brochures and advertisements.  
         [0009]     Each of the inserts include a perforation defining a top portion and a bottom portion of the insert. The perforation allows the top portion to be torn from the bottom portion. The top portion may contain preprinted informational material on either one or both sides thereof. The bottom portion is secured to at least one of the inner surface and the left pocket, desirably, via an adhesive. Each of the inserts may be longer in length than a preceding insert, so that the inserts are arranged in an offset arrangement.  
         [0010]     The folder may also include a second pocket secured to the inner surface. Desirably, the second pocket is situated on the left or right side of the inner surface substantially along a lower edge thereof. Thus, for example, the left side may include the first pocket and the right side may include the second pocket. In such instance, the second pocket may form a substantially unitary piece with the first pocket. Another set of inserts may be detachably connected to the right side and may also be partially contained within the second pocket. Alternatively, the left side may include both the first and second pockets.  
         [0011]     The present invention also includes a folder including a first sheet having a fold line defining a left and right side and a second sheet of unitary construction substantially spanning from the left side to the ride side of the first sheet. The second sheet is secured along a bottom portion of the left and right first sheet and along a left and right edge of the left and right sides, respectively. Accordingly, a left and right pocket are formed on the left and right sides of the folder. One or more inserts are detachably connected to the left or right side and are partially contained within the left or right pocket.  
         [0012]     A method of manufacturing the aforementioned folder includes the steps of providing an outer sheet constructed of paper material and at least one insert sheet constructed of paper material. Thereafter, the insert sheet is positioned atop the outer sheet. As is known in the art, the insert sheet may then be chipped. A pocket body sized to partially receive the insert sheet therein is secured to the outer sheet to partially cover the insert sheet. The pocket body may be secured to the outer sheet via a cross-webbed gluing process. Furthermore, a perforation may be formed in the insert sheet such that the perforation defines a top portion and a bottom portion of the insert sheet. The top portion is therefore adapted to be torn from the bottom portion.  
         [0013]     Still other desirable features of the invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description, taken with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like elements throughout. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is a front plan view of a folder in accordance with the present invention in a laid open position having inserts secured therein;  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a front plan view of the folder depicted in  FIG. 1  in a closed position showing an outer front surface thereof;  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is a front plan view of the folder depicted in  FIG. 1  in a closed position showing an outer back surface thereof;  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  is a front plan view of the folder depicted in  FIG. 1  showing the outer front and back surface thereof;  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is a front plan view of the folder depicted in  FIG. 1  in the laid open position showing inner left and right pockets in an exploded-like view;  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  is a front plan view of the folder depicted in  FIG. 1  showing separation and removal of the inserts therefrom; and  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  is a flow chart illustrating the steps for manufacturing the folder depicted in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0021]     The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures. It is to be understood that the specific system illustrated in the attached figures and described in the following specification is simply an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and that the invention may assume various alternative variations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. For purposes of the description hereinafter, the terms “top”, “bottom”, “left”, “right”, “outer”, “inner”, “vertical” and “horizontal”, and derivatives thereof, shall relate to the invention as it is oriented in the drawing figures.  
         [0022]     The present invention is a folder and a method of making the same that contains removably attached inserts therein and is capable of having a size relating to standard 8½×11 inch paper. However, it is to be understood that the folder may be sized to accommodate various sizes of paper. The inserts may include various printed material, such as informational material (e.g., hospital contact information), or other typed or graphically depicted subject matter. The printed material may be on both sides of the insert.  
         [0023]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the folder  2  is shown in the laid open position. As can be seen from this view, the folder has an inner left side  4  and an inner right side  6 , both sides  4 ,  6  may contain one or more inserts  14 . The one or more inserts  14  may be partially covered by pockets  8 ,  10 . The outer surface left pocket  8  and the outer surface right pocket  10  are shown. A vertical fold line  12  is also illustrated showing the side separation of the folder  2  between the inner left side  4  and the inner right side  6 , as well as the outer surface left pocket  8  and the outer surface right pocket  10 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 2  illustrates the folder  2  in a closed position with the outer front surface  16  being shown.  FIG. 3  shows the folder  2  in the closed position with the outer back surface  18  of the folder  2  being shown.  FIG. 4  shows a folder  2  of the present invention in a face up laid open position. The vertical fold line  12  is a demarcation line between outer front surface  16  and outer back surface  18  of the folder  2 .  
         [0025]      FIG. 5  illustrates the folder  2  of the present invention in a laid open exploded-like view.  FIG. 5  illustrates the inner surface left pocket  20  and the inner surface right pocket  22 , as well as showing the pocket to folder horizontal junction  24  and the pocket to folder vertical junction  26 . As shown, more than one vertical junction  26  is formed by the cross-web glue unit. Arrows  27   a  and  27   b  indicate how the inner left and right pockets  20 ,  22  are matched to corresponding portions of the inner left and right sides  4 ,  6 , respectively.  
         [0026]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , a vertical perforation  28  is situated between the inner left side  4  and the inner right side  6  of the folder  2 . Horizontal perforations  30  are located at bottom portions of the one or more inserts  14  detachably secured to the folder  2 . Generally, the perforation defines a top portion and a bottom portion for each of the inserts  14 . The perforation allows the top portion to be torn, and thereby detached, from the bottom portion. The top portion may contain preprinted informational material on either one or both sides thereof. The bottom portion is secured to either the inner left side  4  and/or the inner right side  6  along a lower edge thereof. Each of the inserts  14  may be longer in length than a preceding insert  14 , so that the inserts  14  are arranged in an offset arrangement.  
         [0027]      FIG. 6  illustrates the folder  2  of the present invention in a laid open position with the outer surface left pocket  8  detached from the inner left side  4  allowing the detached one or more inserts  14  to be slidably removed from the inner left side  4 . The outer surface right pocket  10  is still intact. However, it is to be understood that one or both the outer surface left pocket  8  and the outer surface right pocket  10  may be detached or kept intact.  
         [0028]     With reference to  FIG. 7 , a flow chart illustrating the steps for manufacturing the folder  2  is depicted. The folder  2  of the present invention is ideally manufactured using a roll to roll printing press and collator. Exemplary sizes of rotary web offset press sizes that may be utilized include 14-inch, 17-inch, 22-inch, 24-inch, and 28-inch. Muller-Martini, Didde or Harris brand presses are preferred. A Hamilton 10 Station Roll Collator, with Tamarac chip unit, and cross-web glue capability is also preferred. However, there are many press and collator manufacturers that may provide the necessary hardware for manufacture of the folder  2 . It is to be understood that the folder  2  may alternatively be manually produced. The folder  2  is typically made of a relatively thick gauge paper material, such as 0.008 inches thick, on a roll with the desired one or more inserts  14  being of a lighter gauge paper material, such as 0.003 inches thick, and having printed materials thereon.  
         [0029]     First, an outer sheet, e.g., the folder material, and one or more insert sheets are provided, as shown in steps  40  and  41 . The paper materials are layered so that the folder material is the bottom layer and the generally thinner paper material of the one or more inserts  14  are layered thereon, as shown in step  42 . Desirably, the inserts  14 , or thinner paper material, are glued to each other one at a time after the underneath most insert has been glued to the folder material. Thus, the insert sheets  14  are effectively attached to the outer sheet, as shown in step  43 . The still intact inserts then, optionally, undergo a cutting process known as chipping in the art, wherein the insert sheets  14  are chipped and the chips are removed to allow the insert to fit inside the pocket, as shown in step  44 . Desirably, the layered insert sheets  14  are simultaneously chipped. The vertical perforations  28  and the horizontal perforations  30  are punched in where desired. The vertical perforation  28  may also be a scoreline and is used to direct the fold line of the folder  2 . The pockets  20 ,  22  (or a pocket body embodied as unitary left and right side pockets), sized to partially receive the inserts  14 , are provided, as shown in step  45 . Thereafter, the pockets  20 ,  22 , or pocket body, are secured to the outer sheet to partially cover the inserts  14 , as shown in step  46 . Specifically, the appropriate machine performs a cross-webbed gluing process at the pocket to folder horizontal junction  24  and the pocket to folder vertical junction  26 . However, it is to be understood that other securing techniques or mechanisms may be utilized including, but not limited to stapling and crimping. The completed folders are then ready for packaging and shipment.  
         [0030]     The aforementioned manufacturing process provides an efficient method of producing folders. Unlike prior art folder manufacture, the present invention requires no additional steps of folding or manipulating the underlying folder material. For example, prior art folders are created by folding a bottom portion of the folder material. Also, a machine must be configured to prepackage literature intended to be contained within the folder material. Alternatively, the prepackaged literature may be manually inserted into each folder. Additionally, the literature to be contained within the prior art folders may shift, be lost, or become disorganized during the manufacture, packaging, or shipment stages.  
         [0031]     Thus, the prior art approach to manufacture of folders may be a time-consuming, inefficient, ineffective, and costly process. It is believed that the present invention can produce a folder  2  with one or more inserts  14  for approximately one-third the cost of present folder/insert arrangements because the complete process is automated and requires no manual labor to place the inserts in a folder. The present invention, therefore, allows the prepackaged literature, embodied as the inserts  14 , to be efficiently and securely contained within the folder  2 .  
         [0032]     It is to be understood that the folder of the present invention may be modified in shape, size, as well as number of available pockets. The one or more inserts  14  need not be perforated and other types of sheets can be provided, such as carbonless paper forms. Additionally, the one or more inserts may be of varying shapes and sizes as well. Further, the one or more inserts  14  may not be detachably secured to the folder  2  at the time of manufacture. The inserts may have additional fastening to keep them together once removed from the folder.  
         [0033]     The invention has been described with reference to the desirable embodiments. Modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the