Abstract:
The invention provides a loose leaf page for use in a binder such as an album, scrap book, and the like. The loose leaf page of the invention has a display panel and a binding panel. The binding panel is spaced apart from the display panel. The display panel and the binding panel are coated with a substantially transparent sheet that maintains the integrity of the page despite the space between the display and binding panels, and protects graphical content on the page from being scratched and other types of damage. The invention also provides a method for making the loose leaf page of the invention as well as an album, scrapbook and the like comprising the loose leaf pages of the invention.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to loose leaf pages and to methods of their manufacture. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Loose leaf binding is utilized in such articles as albums, scrapbooks, notebooks, and booklets. The loose leaves are typically bound using binding cloth and then sewn into a cover, or they may be bound using a spiral or screws passing through holes punched through the leaves. A common problem of existing binding techniques for such leaves is tearing around the binding region and other damage caused through repeated turning of the page. 
         [0003]    Various types of loose leaf binding techniques are known. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,746,050, a loose leaf is disclosed having a strip-shaped part firmly attached to an edge of the loose leaf which is suppler than the leaf material. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,138 is directed to a booklet album including a stack of double-sided photographs. Each double-sided photograph includes two photoprints, which are laminated with one transparent sheet on their front surface. The laminated sheets are folded between the photoprints. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    In one of its aspects, the present invention provides a loose leaf page suitable for binding. The loose leaf pages of the invention may be bound together, for example, into an album, scrapbook, booklet or notebook. The loose leaf page of the invention has a display panel suitable for displaying graphical material, and a binder panel adapted to receive a binding member when the pages are stacked and bound together. The display panel is spaced apart from the binding panel by an intervening gap. A surface laminate forms an outer layer on at least one surface of the page and maintains the integrity of the page, despite the gap between the two panels. The surface laminate overlies the graphic content and thus protects it from being scratched and other forms of damage. 
         [0006]    In another of its aspects, the invention provides a method for producing the loose leaf page of the invention. Graphical content is applied to the display portion of a page blank on at least one of its surfaces. The display portion is enclosed within two transverse margins and a lateral edge forming a longitudinal margin which will form the binding panel. Along part of the first longitudinal margin, a slot is formed to separate the display section from the binding panel while maintaining the integrity of the page blank by means of the transverse margins. The page is then laminated with a laminating material on one or both of its sides over the display section, the slot and at least part of the binding panel. The transverse margins are then cut off to leave the display section spaced apart from the binding panel, where the integrity of the page is maintained by the laminate. The laminating material may be transparent or translucent. 
         [0007]    In yet another of its aspects, the invention provides an album, scrapbook or the like comprising one or more loose leaf pages of the invention. 
         [0008]    Thus, in one of its aspects a loose leaf page comprising a display panel and a binding panel, the binding panel being spaced apart from the display panel, wherein, at least the portion of the display panel and at least a portion of the binding section are coated with a laminating sheet and the display panel and the binding panel are maintained in the spaced apart arrangement by the laminating sheet. 
         [0009]    In another of its aspects, the invention provides a method for producing a loose leaf page with an integrated flexible section, the method comprising the steps of:
       (a) providing a page blank having a display panel, a binding panel, and at least one of a top margin and a bottom margin, the binding panel being spaced apart from the display panel by an intervening section of the page blank;   (b) removing the intervening section while maintaining the integrity of the page blank;   (c) coating at least a portion of the binding panel and at least a portion of the display panel with a laminating sheet; and   (d) removing one or both of the top margin and the bottom margin so that the binding panel and a display panel are spaced apart and connected by the laminating sheet.       
 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  shows a front view of an album page in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2   a - 2   b  shows a back view of the album page of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIGS. 3   a - 3   e  show successive steps in the production of an album page according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  shows an album in a closed configuration comprising a plurality of album pages of  FIGS. 1 to 3  that are bound together through a binding section of each page; 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  shows the album of  FIG. 4  in an open configuration: 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  shows a rolled-up sheet of page blanks for the production of loose-leaf pages of the invention by web printing; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 7   a - 7   f  shows production of a loose-leaf page by web printing, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0022]    In the following, the invention will be described with reference to an album page. This is only for the sake of clarity in the description. It being evident that the invention may be applied to other loose-leaf pages such as loose leaf pages for binding into a scrapbook, booklet or notebook. 
         [0023]      FIGS. 1 and 2  show an album page, generally designated  10 , in accordance with one embodiment of this aspect of the invention. The album page  10  has a first surface  20  best seen in  FIG. 1  and a second surface  21  best seen in  FIG. 2 . The album page  10  includes a display panel  11  and a binder panel  13 . The display  11  and binding  13  panels are formed from a stiff material such as cardboard or a similar material. The display panel  11  bears thereupon graphic content  22   a  and  22   b  such as picture or text. Each of the first  20  and second  21  surfaces of the display panel  11  includes a respective display section  12   a  and  12   b . The graphic content  22   a  and  22   b  may be printed directly onto the display section  12   a  and  12   b  or may first be printed on a separate medium and then attached to the display section  12   a  and  12   b  by means of adhesive. 
         [0024]    The page  10  further comprises a preferably transparent surface laminate  18  (indicated by stippling in  FIGS. 1 ,  3 , and  7 ) that forms an outer layer on each of the two surfaces  20  and  21 . The surface laminate  18  is adhered to the display  11  and binding  13  panels by means of a preferably transparent adhesive. The surface laminate  18  overlies the graphic content  22   a  and  22   b  and thus protects it from being scratched and other forms of damage. The binding panel  13  is provided with through-going apertures  17   a  and  17   b  adapted to receive a binding member when several of such pages  10  are stacked and bound together. The display panel  11  is spaced apart from the binding panel  13  by an intervening gap  14 . The surface laminate  18  thus maintains the integrity of the page  10 , despite the gap  14 , between display  11  and binding  13  panels. 
         [0025]    Attention is now drawn to  FIGS. 3   a - 3   e , which show a method for forming the page  10  in accordance with one embodiment of this aspect of the invention. A page blank generally designated  30  made from a stiff material such as cardboard is provided ( FIG. 3   a ). Graphic content  22   a  is applied to the display portion  12  of the page blank  30  on at least one of the surfaces  20  and  21  of the blank  30  ( FIG. 3   b ). 
         [0026]    The display panel  12  is enclosed within two transverse margins  36   a  and  36   b  and a lateral edge  34  forming a longitudinal margin  38  which will form the binding panel  13  (see  FIG. 3   e ). The transverse margins and lateral edges may or may not be demarcated on the page blank. Optionally, the display panel  12  can be enclosed by two transverse margins  36   a  and  36   b  in the blank  30  and two longitudinal margins (not shown). The margin can have printed thereon information such as a page number, a serial number of a client order etc. which as shown below, is removed upon completion of the manufacture process. 
         [0027]    As illustrated in  FIG. 3   c , along part of the first longitudinal margin  38 , a longitudinal slot  15  is formed to separate the display section  12  from the binding panel  13 . The slot  15  is bounded by the display section  12 , part of the longitudinal margin  38 , and two connecting areas  32   a  and  32   b  being part of the transversal margins  36   a  and  36   b , respectively. 
         [0028]    The page is then laminated with a laminating material  18  on one or both sides (shown in  FIG. 3   d ), preferably covering most of each side of the page, including the display section  12 , the slot  15  and at least part of the binding panel  13 . The transverse margins  36   a  and  36   b  including the connecting areas  32   a  and  32   b  between the display section  12  and the binding panel  13  are then cut off to leave the display section  12  spaced apart from the binding panel  13  by the layer of laminating material  18 , forming an integral flexible portion  14  (as shown in  FIG. 3   e ). 
         [0029]    Thus, as shown in  FIG. 3   e , the completed album page  10  in accordance with the specific embodiment of the present invention has the display section  12  and the binding panel  13  spaced apart from each other by the integral flexible portion  14 . The integral flexible portion  14  according to this embodiment is formed by transparent laminating sheet  18 . The binding panel  13  of the display page  10  as illustrated in  FIG. 3   e  is then provided with two apertures  17   a  and  17   b  that are positioned and dimensioned to receive a binding member when several of such display pages are stacked together to form a bound album  40  as can be seen in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0030]    The loose-leaf page of the invention may be produced in a process of web printing. As shown in  FIG. 6 , in web printing an elongated sheet  62 , comprising two or more page blanks  60  that are initially joined together, is used. The sheet  62  may be initially rolled up, as shown in  FIG. 6 . A page blank  60   a , for example is integral with a page blank  60   b  at the left and right lateral edges of the pages  60   a  and  60   b , respectively, to form a border  64   a  between the two page blanks that may or may not be demarcated in the sheet  62 . The page blank  60   b , in turn, is integral with a page blank  60   c  at the left and right lateral edges of the pages  60   b  and  60   c , respectively, to form a border  64   b.    
         [0031]      FIG. 7  shows a method for producing a loose-leaf page in accordance with the invention by web printing. In this process, the page blanks,  60   a ,  60   b ,  60   c , etc. are processed sequentially. The page blank  60   a  is processed first. In  FIG. 7   a , graphic content  112  is applied to the display panel  111  of the page blank  60   a  of at least one of the surfaces  120  and  121  of the blank  60   a . As illustrated in  FIG. 7   b , a longitudinal slot  115  is formed to separate the display panel  111  from a binding panel  113 . The slot  115  is bounded by the display panel  111 , part of the longitudinal margin  138 , and two connecting areas  32   a  and  32   b  being part of the transversal margins  136   a  and  136   b , respectively. 
         [0032]    The page  60   a  is then laminated with a laminating material  118  on one or both sides (shown in  FIG. 7   c ), preferably covering most of each side of the page, including the display panel  111 , the slot  115 , and at least part of the binding panel  113 . The binding panel  113  of the display page  60   a  as illustrated in  FIG. 7   d  is then provided with two apertures  117   a  and  117   b  that are positioned and dimensioned to receive a binding member when several of such display pages are stacked together to form a bound album as described below. The page blank  60   a  is then detached from the sheet  62  by cutting the sheet  62  along the boundary  64   a . The transverse margins  136   a  and  136   b  of the page blank  60   a , including the connecting areas  132   a  and  132   b  between the display panel  12  and the binding panel  13  are then cut off to leave the display panel  112  spaced apart from the binding panel  113  with the layer of laminating material  118  forming an integral flexible portion  14  (as shown in  FIG. 7   f ). The process can then be repeated sequentially for the page blanks  60   b ,  60   c , etc. 
         [0033]      FIGS. 4 and 5  show an album, generally designated  40 , according to the present invention. The album  40  is shown closed and in a side view in  FIG. 4  and is shown open and in a perspective in  FIG. 5 . The album  40  comprises several album pages  10  of the present invention, such as the pages  10   a  and  10   b , and a front cover  16   a  and a back cover  16   b . The pages and covers are bound together with a binding member such as screws  16  or any other binding element known to a person skilled in the art through the apertures  17   a  and  17   b  to form the bound album  40 . The integral flexible portion  14  serves as a hinge region of the pages  10  so that the pages can be turned to view the graphic content printed thereon, without bending the display panels  11   a  and  11   b  of the pages  10   a  and  10   b , respectively, or the binding panels  13 , and thus reducing or preventing damage to either panel as well as to the graphic content printed on the page. 
         [0034]    When bringing two adjacent album pages  10   a  and  10   b  in the album  40  from a closed position, in which the graphic content of the two adjacent pages face each other, to an open position, in which the graphic content of the two adjacent pages is revealed, the display portion of each of the two adjacent pages are juxtaposed as shown in  FIG. 5 , without the binding panel  13  or the gap  14  intervening between them. Thus, graphic content such as a single photo  50  may be divided into two portions  50   a  and  50   b  and mounted as a spread on the two adjacent pages (see  FIG. 5 ) and viewed as a single integral graphical unit. 
         [0035]    Whilst some embodiments have been described and illustrated with reference to some drawings, the artisan will appreciate that many variations are possible which do not depart from the general scope of the invention, mutatis, mutandis.