Patent Publication Number: US-2023145620-A1

Title: Trading card casing protector

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/276,852, filed Nov. 8, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes as if fully set forth herein. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The disclosed embodiments generally relate to a casing protector, and, more particularly, to a trading card casing protector. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The trading card industry is increasing in popularity, and thus the visual integrity of each card is increasingly important whether for display or sale. One variable in determining the appeal for either the display or for the sale of a card extends beyond the appearance of the card itself. The case, which holds a card, can negatively affect the visual appeal of a card. If, for example, the casing is scratched, clouded, discolored, or dented, the visual appeal is lessened both for display and for the potential sale of the card. 
     In the industry, a card of value may first be placed in a soft plastic sleeve. The card and sleeve may then slid into a harder plastic sleeve, of which may vary in dimension, in thickness or in general shape-appearance. If the card itself has an appearance of higher quality or if the owner finds heightened sentimental value in a card, an owner may pay to register the card and send the card away to a professional grading company in the hopes that the card will later be returned and be identified as having a grade attributed to it which is as near perfect as possible, i.e., is a “10.” When a graded card is sent back to its owner, the card is permanently encased in a thick casing. Each grading company&#39;s casing differs in appearance but, currently, the dimensions of casings are within a similar range of one another. A graded card case can however be subject to scratching, denting or other damage, all of which affects the appearance of the case and card. 
     SUMMARY 
     To overcome the problems described above and other problems of prior art, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a protector, including a first sheet of material having a first length and a first width, a second sheet of material that is different from the first sheet of material, the second sheet of material is affixed to the first sheet of material, wherein the first sheet of material is configured to be removed from the second sheet of material and affixed to a card protector case. 
     In an embodiment, the first sheet of material is a plastic or a tempered glass, wherein the first sheet of material includes a transparent front side and an adhesive back side. In an embodiment, the second sheet of material is a backing. In an embodiment, the second sheet of material is affixed to the first sheet of material by the adhesive. 
     The protector can further include a tab feature to assist in removing the first sheet of material from the second sheet of material. 
     The protector can further include a first sheet of material that includes at least one of a perforation or a cut-line, wherein the first sheet of material is configured to be removed from the second sheet of material and affixed to a card case protector. 
     The protector can further include a first sheet of material having a first length and a first width, a second sheet of material that is different from the first sheet of material, and the second sheet of material is affixed to the first sheet of material, wherein the first sheet of material includes at least one of a perforation or a cut-line dividing the first sheet into a first portion, the first portion having a second width and a second length, and the second portion having a third width and a third length, the third length being different from the second length, and wherein the first sheet of material is configured to be removed from the second sheet of material and affixed to a card case protector. 
     An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a kit, including at least one protector and a plurality of different sized templates configured to provide a guide for cutting a first sheet, wherein the first sheet of material is configured to be removed from a second sheet of material and affixed to a card case protector. 
     In an embodiment, the first sheet of material has a first length and a first width and the second sheet of material is different from the first sheet of material, the second sheet of material is affixed to the first sheet of material. 
     In some embodiments, a protector includes a substrate and a first sheet of a first material supported by the substrate. The first sheet of a first material may be configured to be removed from the substrate and coupled to a casing for a collectable. 
     In some embodiments, the first sheet of material may be a plastic or a tempered glass. 
     In some embodiments, the first sheet may have a first length and a first width that corresponds to a length and a width of the casing. 
     In some embodiments, the first sheet may have a first length and a first width that corresponds to a length and a width of a first predetermined area of the casing. 
     In some embodiments, the first area may include a slab area. 
     In some embodiments, the first area may include a card area. 
     In some embodiments, the first sheet may include at least one of a first perforation or a first cut. The at least one of the first perforation or the first cut may at least partially enclose a first protective area having a second length and a second width. 
     In some embodiments, at least one of the second length and the second width may be less than the first length and the first width. 
     In some embodiments, the first protective area may correspond to a slab area of the casing. 
     In some embodiments, the first protective area may correspond to a card area of the casing. 
     In some embodiments, the first sheet may include at least one of a second perforation or a second cut. The at least one of the second perforation or the second cut may at least partially enclosing a second protective area having a third length and a third width. 
     In some embodiments, at least one of the third length and the third width may be different from at least one of the second length and the second width. 
     In some embodiments, the third length may be the same as the second length and the third width may be the same as the second width. 
     In some embodiments, the first sheet of material may be formed from a material selected from the group consisting of plastic and glass. 
     In some embodiments, at least one of the first sheet of material or the substrate may include a removal feature configured to facilitate removal of the first sheet of material from the substrate. 
     In some embodiments, a kit may include a protector and a first template. The protector may include a substrate and a first sheet of a first material supported by the substrate. The first sheet of a first material may be configured to be removed from the substrate and to be coupled to a casing. The template may have a body including at least one surface configured to guide an instrument to facilitate cutting the protector. 
     The kit of claim  16 , wherein the body of the template includes an outer periphery and an inner periphery, at least one of the outer periphery and the inner periphery including the at least one surface and having dimensions corresponding to a dimension of an area to be protected on a casing. 
     In some embodiments, the area to be protected on the casing may include a slab area. 
     In some embodiments, wherein the area to be protected on the casing may include a card area. 
     In some embodiments, the body of the template may define a first guide extending through the body from a first side to a second side. The guide may include the at least one surface. 
     In some embodiments, the guide may at least partially enclose a first protective area having a first length and a first width. 
     In some embodiments, the first length may correspond to a length of a first area of the casing to be protected and the first width may correspond to a width of the first area of the casing to be protected. 
     In some embodiments, the first area to be protected may include a slab area of the casing. 
     In some embodiments, the first area to be protected may include a card area of the casing. 
     In some embodiments, the body of the template may define a second guide extending through the body from the first side to the second side and may at least partially include a second protective area having a second length and a second width. 
     In some embodiments, the at least one of the first length or the first width may differ from the second length or the second width. 
     In some embodiments, the first length may be the same as the second length. The first width may be the same as the second width. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1 A  is a plan view of one example of a casing that encases a slab and a card, in accordance with some embodiments; 
         FIG.  1 B  is a side view of the casing that encases a slab and a card, in accordance with some embodiments; 
         FIG.  2 A  is a side view of one example of a casing protector, in accordance with some embodiments; 
         FIG.  2 B  is a side view of the casing protector disposed on a substrate, in accordance with some embodiments; 
         FIG.  3 A  is a plan view of one example of a protector, in accordance with some embodiments; 
         FIG.  3 B  is a cross-sectional view of the protector illustrated in  FIG.  3 A  taken along line  3 B- 3 B in  FIG.  3 A , in accordance with some embodiments; 
         FIG.  4 A  is a plan view of another example of a protector, in accordance with some embodiments; 
         FIG.  4 B  is a cross-sectional view of the protector illustrated in  FIG.  4 A  taken along line  4 B- 4 B in  FIG.  4 A , in accordance with some embodiments; 
         FIG.  4 C  is a cross-sectional view of the protector illustrated in  FIG.  4 A  taken along line  4 C- 4 C in  FIG.  4 A , in accordance with some embodiments; 
         FIG.  5 A  is a top side plan view of one example of a template in accordance with some embodiments; 
         FIG.  5 B  is a cross-sectional view of the template illustrated in  FIG.  5 A  taken along line  5 B- 5 B in  FIG.  5 A , in accordance with some embodiments; 
         FIG.  6 A  is a top side plan view of another example of a template in accordance with some embodiments; 
         FIG.  6 B  is a cross-sectional view of the template illustrated in  FIG.  6 A  taken along line  6 B- 6 B in  FIG.  6 A , in accordance with some embodiments; and 
         FIG.  6 C  is a cross-sectional view of the template illustrated in  FIG.  6 A  taken along line  6 C- 6 C in  FIG.  6 A , in accordance with some embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure describes, according to various examples and embodiments, a case protector for trading cards, such as a graded trading card disposed in a case. The disclosed devices and kits advantageously enable card collectors to enjoy the functionality of stacking their graded (and encased) cards while also protecting the front and back surfaces of both their graded card casings and standard hard casings for the purpose of either personal display or for the purpose of sale. 
     In some embodiments, the disclosed case protectors may allow the graded card casings to enjoy one of their most appealing features, which is locking together like a puzzle when stacked one on top of one another. For example, a casing provided by a grading company typically is configured to allow cases to be stacked in an interlocking fashion, which makes transporting and handling the graded cards easier. Conventional sleeves that may be placed around a graded card case disable this feature as they obstruct the interlocking features. As a result, the sleeves allow the graded card casings to fall over much easier when being handled when stacked one on top of the other. It should be understood that while the disclosed protectors and kits described herein may be described with reference to a graded card casing, the disclosed protectors and kits are not so limited, as they may be configured to used in connection with any case or trading card sleeve. The disclosed casing protectors may also be configured to protect the hard card case sleeves in all variations from scratching and other damage. 
     In some embodiments, a single piece protector may be provided and/or used. For example, a single protector may be cut to fit and be placed on a first side (e.g., a front or back side) of a case. Another single-piece protector may be placed on a second side (e.g., the other of a front or back side) of a case. In some embodiments, a multiple-piece (e.g., two or more) protector may be used. In some embodiments, a first piece, which may be a front “card” piece, and a second piece, which a back “card” piece, is sized and configured to be placed on corresponding front and back sides of a case. In some embodiments, the protectors are provided in a pre-sized manner to fit a specific case. In some embodiments, the protectors may be provided in a kit with one or more stencils or guides to facilitate the cutting of a protector to a desired shape and/or size. In some embodiments, a height of the case protector(s) may be adjusted, whether front or back, when cutting a protector. However, it should be understood that the case protectors may be provided in different lengths and/or widths. 
       FIG.  1 A  is a front plan view of a card case  10 , and  FIG.  1 B  is a side view of the card case  10 . The card case  10  may be a case provided by a grading company and encasing a card C. As shown in  FIGS.  1 A and  1 B , the card C may be disposed within a case  10  having a first side  12 , which may be a front side, and a second side  14 , which may be an opposite or rear side. Case may further include a third side  16 , which may be a top side, and a fourth side  18 , which may be a bottom side. Opposed sides  20 ,  22  (e.g., left and right sides) may extend between the first and second sides  12 ,  14  and third and fourth sides  16 ,  18 , as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. 
     The card C may be any sort of collectible card (e.g., sports card, Pokemon card, or other trading card or collectible). However, it should be understood that the card C may be any graphical object that may be graded by a third party (e.g., card evaluator, auction house, authenticator, etc.), which may provide a case along with its grading or assessment of the card or object. In addition to encasing a card C, the case  10  may also encase a slab S. As will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the slab S may include information concerning the card C, such as a grade, card description, name and/or identification of the third party. The slab S may be located in a slab area SA, which may be positioned adjacent to the card C located in a card area CA. It should be understood that the slab area SA may be disposed above, below, or on a left or right side of the card area CA. Depending on the case  10 , the slab area SA and/or the card area CA may include a depression or protrusion to facilitate interlocking of multiple cases. 
       FIG.  2 A  illustrates one example of a protector  100  for protecting a case, such as case  10  illustrated in  FIGS.  1 A and  1 B . Protector  100  may include a film or other protective material  102  having an adhesive  104  disposed on a case-facing side  106 . In some embodiments, the protective material  102  includes a plastic material, such as those cellular phone removeable screen protectors made of polyethylene terephthalate (“PET”). The protective film  102  may be transparent such that a case  10  and a card C may be visible through the film  102  when the film  102  is coupled to (e.g., adhered to) the case  10 . The material used may vary in that variations of plastic material or variations of different forms of tempered glass may be used to form and makeup each protector sheet  22 . It should be understood that a transparency of the film  102  may vary. In some embodiments, the adhesive is a material configured to promote static adhesion to a case  10 . 
     The protector  100  may be provided (e.g., sold or otherwise distributed) affixed to a carrier or substrate  110  as shown in  FIG.  2 B . The substrate  110  may be another piece of film from which the protective film  102  is formed. In some embodiments, the substrate  110  may be formed from a different material from which the protective film  102  is formed. In some embodiments, the substrate  110  may have at least one different dimension (e.g., length, width, thickness) from the protective film, as illustrated in  FIG.  2 A , although it should be understood that the substrate  110  may have the same dimensions as protective film  102 . In some embodiments, a tab or other removal feature may be provided at a corner or along a length or width of the protector  100  to facilitate the removal of the substrate by a user. As will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the removal feature may minimize touching of the adhesive  104  of the protector  100  when the protective film  102  is removed from the substrate  110 . 
       FIGS.  3 A and  3 B  illustrate one example of a protector system in which a removable protective portion is provided on a substrate in accordance with some embodiments. The protector system  200  may include a protective film  202  coupled to a substrate  210  by an adhesive  204 , as best seen in  FIG.  3 B . A single protective area  212  may be provided by cutting or perforating (e.g., mechanically, using a laser, or via other suitable means) the protective film  202 . The perforation or cut  214  may extend entirely through the protective film  202  and adhesive layer  204 , as best seen in  FIG.  3 B . 
     In the example illustrated in  FIG.  3 A , the protective area  212  may be sized and configured to protect an entire side of a card casing, such as side  12  casing  10  illustrated in  FIGS.  1 A and  1 B , for example. However, it should be understood that the dimensions of the protective area  212  may have other dimensions, such as dimensions that are less than the length and width of the card casing  10 . For example, the protective area  212  may be dimensioned to cover one or both of the slab area SA and the card area CA of the card casing  10  illustrated in  FIGS.  1 A and  1 B . Although the perforation or cut  212  is illustrated as extending through the entirety of the protective film  202  and adhesive  204 , it should be understood that the perforation or cut  214  may not extend through the entirety of one or more of the film  202  and/or adhesive  210 . In some embodiments, the perforation or cut  214  may extend at least partially into the substrate  210 , as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. 
     Although a single protective area  212  may be provided on a substrate  210 , as illustrated in  FIGS.  3 A and  3 B , it should be understood that multiple protective areas (e.g., two or more) may be provided on a substrate.  FIGS.  4 A- 4 C  illustrate one example of a protector system in which multiple removable protective portions are provided on a single substrate. As shown in  FIGS.  4 A- 4 C , a protector system  300  may include a protective film  302  coupled to a substrate  310  by an adhesive  304 , as best seen in  FIGS.  4 B and  4 C . Protective areas  312 - 1 ,  312 - 2  may be provided by cutting or perforating (e.g., mechanically, using a laser, or via other suitable means) the protective film  302 . The perforations or cuts  314 - 1 ,  314 - 2  may extend entirely through the protective film  302  and adhesive layer  304 , as best seen in  FIG.  4 B . 
     In the example illustrated in  FIG.  3 A , the protective area  212 - 1  may be sized and configured to protect a slab area, such as the slab area SA illustrated in  FIG.  1 A , and protective area  212 - 2  may be sized and configured to protect a card area, such as card area CA illustrated in  FIG.  1 A , of a card casing  10 . Although the perforations or cuts  314 - 1 ,  314 - 2  are illustrated as extending through the entirety of the protective film  302  and adhesive  304 , it should be understood that the perforations or cuts  314  may not extend through the entirety of one or more of the film  302  and/or adhesive  310 . In some embodiments, the perforation or cut  314  may extend at least partially into the substrate  310 , as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Further, although the protective areas  314 - 1 ,  314 - 2  are shown as being separated from one another by a gap G in  FIG.  4 C , which may include a portion of the protective film  302  and adhesive  304 , it should be understood that the gap G may be eliminated such that only a cut or perforation  314  separates the first protective area  314 - 1  and second protective area  314 - 2 . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  4 A- 4 C , the protective areas  314 - 1 ,  314 - 2  have unequal dimensions (e.g., length and width), although protective areas  314 - 1 ,  314 - 2  may have equal dimensions. In some embodiments, the protective area  314 - 1  may be sized a configured to protect a slab area of a casing, such as slab area SA illustrated of the casing  10  illustrated in  FIG.  1 A , and the protective area  314 - 2  may be sized and configured to protect a card area of a casing, such as card area CA of the casing  10  illustrated in  FIG.  1 A . One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that any number of protective areas may be provided on a substrate, which may have different dimensions. 
     As noted above, a protector may be provided on a substrate that has equal length and width dimensions and without any cuts or perforations. In some embodiments, the protector may be sold in a kit along with one or more templates to facilitate the cutting or trimming of the protector to a predetermined size, which may correspond to a size of a commercially available casing.  FIGS.  5 A and  5 B  illustrate one example of a template that may be provided in a kit, in accordance with some embodiments. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  5 A and  5 B , the template  400  may include a body  402 , which may have an outer periphery  404 . In the example illustrated in  FIGS.  5 A and  5 B , the body  402  has a generally rectangular shape and the outer periphery  404  includes a first side  406 , a second side  408 , a third side  410 , and a fourth side  412 . Although outer periphery  404  is shown and described as having a generally rectangular shape, it should be understood that the outer periphery  404  may have other shapes, such as circular, triangular, polygonal, or arbitrary, which may correspond to a shape of an area of a casing to be protected. In some embodiments, the periphery  404  may be dimensioned to correspond to a size of an area of a casing to be protected, and thus the sides  406 ,  408 ,  410 ,  412  may be used as a cutting guide for a cutting or writing instrument (e.g., for drawing a line to facilitate cutting and/or trimming) as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Further, although sides  406 ,  408 ,  410 ,  412  of the periphery  404  are shown as being oriented at a right angles with respect to adjacent sides (e.g., top side  426  and bottom side  428 ), sides  406 ,  408 ,  410 ,  412  may be oriented at other angles (e.g., oblique angles) with respect to at least one of the top side  426  or the bottom side  428 . 
     The body  402  may include an aperture or opening  414 , which may be defined by an inner periphery  416 . The inner periphery  416  also may have a generally rectangular shape, although inner periphery  416  may have other shapes, such as circular, triangular, polygonal, or arbitrary, which may correspond to a shape of an area of a casing to be protected. In the example illustrated in  FIGS.  5 A and  5 B , the inner periphery  416  may include a first side  418 , a second side  420 , a third side  422 , and a fourth side  424 . In some embodiments, the periphery  404  may be dimensioned to correspond to a size of an area of a casing to be protected, and thus the sides  406 ,  408 ,  410 ,  412  may be used as a cutting guide for a cutting or writing instrument (e.g., for drawing a line to facilitate cutting and/or trimming) as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Further, although sides  418 ,  420 ,  422 ,  424  of the periphery  416  are shown as being oriented at a right angles with respect to adjacent sides (e.g., top side  426  and bottom side  428 ), sides  418 ,  420 ,  422 ,  424  may be oriented at other angles (e.g., oblique angles) with respect to at least one of the top side  426  or the bottom side  428 . 
       FIGS.  6 A- 6 C  illustrate another example of a template that may be provided in a kit, in accordance with some embodiments. As shown in  FIGS.  6 A- 6 C , the template  500  may include a body  502  having an outer periphery  504 . In the example illustrated in  FIGS.  6 A- 6 C , the body  502  has a generally rectangular shape such that the outer periphery  504  includes a first side  506 , a second side  508 , a third side  510 , and a fourth side  512 . Although outer periphery  504  is shown and described as having a generally rectangular shape, it should be understood that the outer periphery  504  may have other shapes, such as circular, triangular, polygonal, or arbitrary, which may correspond to a shape of an area of a casing to be protected. In some embodiments, the periphery  504  may be dimensioned to correspond to a size of an area of a casing to be protected, and thus the sides  506 ,  508 ,  510 ,  52  may be used as a cutting guide for a cutting or writing instrument (e.g., for drawing a line to facilitate cutting and/or trimming) as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. 
     Body  502  may define one or more guides for guiding a cutting and/or a writing instrument to facilitate the cutting or trimming of a protector. In the example illustrated in  FIGS.  6 A- 6 C , the body  502  defines a first guide  514 - 1  and a second guide  514 - 2  (collectively, “guides  514 ”), which may take the form of a channel or slot. The guides  514  may extend through the body  502  from a top side  516  to a bottom side  518 , as best seen in  FIGS.  6 B and  6 C . Although the walls of the body  502  that define the guides  514  are shown as being perpendicular with respect to the top side  516  and bottom side  518 , the walls of the body  502  defining the guides  514  may be oriented at other angles (e.g., oblique angles) with respect to at least one of the top side  516  or the bottom side  518 . 
     In some embodiments, the guides  514  may include one or more interruptions  520  along their length. For example, guide  514 - 1  may include an interruption  520 - 1 , which couples together the inner and outer walls that define the guide  514 - 1 , and guide  514 - 2  may include an interruption  520 - 2 , which couples together the inner and outer walls that define the guide  514 - 2 . Again, although a single interruption  520  is shown for each of the guides  514 , each guide may include additional interruptions to increase the stability of the guides as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. 
     The guides may be dimensioned to facilitate the cutting (or marking) of a protector that corresponds to an area of a casing to be protected. For example, the guide  514 - 1  may be dimensioned and arranged to facilitate the cutting (or marking) of a protector such that the resultant cut portion corresponds to a slab area of a casing, such as slab area SA of casing  10  illustrated in  FIGS.  1 A and  1 B . Similarly, the guide  514 - 2  may be dimensioned and arranged to facilitate the cutting (or marking) of a protector such that the resultant cut portion corresponds to a card area of a casing, such as the card area CA of casing  10  illustrated in  FIGS.  1 A and  1 B . 
     In use, a template  400 ,  500  may be placed over a protector, such as protector  100 , and a cutting instrument (e.g., a knife or straight edge) may be used to cut or trim the protector to a desired size. In some embodiments, a written instrument, such as a pen, marker, pencil, chalk, etc., may be used to mark a cutting path guided by a template. A cutting instrument, such as a knife, straight edge, or scissor, may be used to cut the protector to the desired size by following the markings. Once the protector has been cut or trimmed to the desired size, the film  102  may be removed from the backing or substrate and then affixed to the corresponding area of the card casing. 
     In some embodiments, the disclosed case protectors may be sold on the marketplace in a single-piece configuration, a multi-piece configuration, and/or in a kit that may include one or more case protectors and one or more templates. For example, a case protector may be provided or sold with a single casing protector. The single casing protector may be sized and configured to cover only a single area of a casing (e.g., all or part of a front or back of a case) or it may be configured to cover multiple areas a casing protector (e.g., one or more slab areas and/or card areas on a front or back of a casing). In some embodiments, the dimensions of the multiple pieces for the front are identical to the multiple pieces for the back, although one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the dimensions of the pieces for the front and the back may differ. 
     In some embodiments, kits may be provided within one or more protectors and one or more templates. Moreover, each kit may include one or more “wet wipes” and/or one or more “dry wipes” to clean the card casing set surface before adhering the unit set to the front and back of each case. Additionally, each kit may be packaged to include a card-like substance, with the size and rigid feel of a credit card, with those being used post-adhesion to displace and remove air pockets formed between the protector and the casing surface. 
     Although embodiments have been described in terms of exemplary features, they are not limited thereto. Rather, the appended claims should be construed broadly, to include other variants and embodiments, which may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and range of equivalents.