Patent Publication Number: US-2003230888-A1

Title: Memorabilia album

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] The present invention relates to a memorabilia album that is useful for both storing and displaying memorabilia items such as photographs, autographs, sports and entertainment cards, tickets, stamps, coins and other collectible items.  
       [0002] Conventional photo and memorabilia albums are often constructed in a manner similar to a book. The album typically comprises a plurality of pages upon which photographs or other items are mounted. The pages are bound together or otherwise secured at a common binding edge between the front and back covers, which are joined together by a spine. The binding edges of the pages are secured at the spine.  
       [0003] If one attempts to stand a conventional album upright resting on the bottom edges of the front and back covers, the album is likely to fall over since the front and back covers are normally too close together to provide sufficient lateral stability for the album to stand upright. On the other hand, if one attempts to provide the necessary lateral stability by spreading the outside edges of the front and back covers apart from each other, the album may still be unstable since the outside edges of the pages are then unsupported and tend to buckle. The weight of the pages pulling against the spine of the album may cause the album to collapse by falling in a forward direction.  
       [0004] Various types of reclosable containers are used for packaging consumer articles. One common type of package is known as the “clam shell” box. “Clam shells” generally include a rear base and a front cover that are hinged together, and mating skirts around the cover and base which join together when the front cover is closed over the rear base. Expensive clam shell boxes have been used to store loose papers, photographs and valuable items. Such boxes tend to be put away in desk drawers or closets, and the contents are often not organized or readily accessible.  
       [0005] While photo albums and clam shell boxes have been used to store various memorabilia items, there is a continuing need for an attractive album for storing and organizing such items, which album has sufficient lateral stability to stand upright when placed on a piece of furniture such as a desk or bookshelf where it is readily accessible.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006] The present invention provides a memorabilia album comprising:  
       [0007] (a) a flat rectangular case support structure having opposing, mutually parallel, laterally extending edges, said case support structure being folded longitudinally to form a plurality of stiff panels joined to each other in articulated fashion by linear hinge connections that extend between said opposing laterally extending edges, wherein said plurality of panels comprise a pair of cover panels disposed on opposing sides of a central spine,  
       [0008] (b) an internal clam shell box structure having mating top, side and bottom flanges affixed perpendicular to said case support structure, said side flanges being located near the distal longitudinal edges of the case support structure and remote from the central spine, and  
       [0009] (c) a means for securing memorabilia items to said case support structure inside said clam shell box structure. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0010]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a memorabilia album according to the invention standing upright and fully closed.  
     [0011]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the album of FIG. 1 shown in a fully open condition.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     [0012] The memorabilia album of the present invention comprises a case support structure having front and back cover panels and a central spine, an internal clam shell box structure, and a means for securing memorabilia items to the case support structure on the inside of the clam shell box. The album performs the function of a conventional photo album, namely the storage and organization of memorabilia such as photographs, autographs, sports and entertainment cards, tickets, stamps, coins and other collectible items, and has the appearance of an attractive, freestanding book that has sufficient lateral stability to stand upright. The memorabilia album may thus be placed on a piece of furniture such as a desk, shelf, buffet, bookshelf or cabinet where it is readily accessible to the viewer.  
     [0013]FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a memorabilia album  10  constructed according to the present invention. Album  10  is comprised of a case support structure  12  having an elongated, rectangular shape, as best shown in FIG. 2 when case  12  is in a fully open condition. As shown in FIG. 1, case  12  has mutually parallel, laterally extending top and bottom edges  14  and  16  respectively, longitudinally extending front and back edges  17  and  18  respectively (which typically also are, but need not be, mutually parallel, and also need not be linear, e.g., they may be curved), a longitudinally extending central spine  20 , and a pair of generally flat, stiff, rectangular-shaped cover panels  22  and  24 . Panels  22  and  24  are delineated from spine  20  by longitudinally extending hinged connections  26  and  28 .  
     [0014] Case  12  may be constructed utilizing thin sheets of paper, plastic, fabric, leather, wood, or metal, or combinations thereof, to form or encapsulate therewithin flat, rectangular sections, for example core sections, that provide a certain degree of rigidity to cover panels  22  and  24 , and preferably to spine  20 . Spine  20  may also be made of a more flexible material, or it may not contain the core section that provides rigidity. The core sections may be formed of any suitable material such as fiberboard or a stiff sheet of plastic to provide the desired rigidity. Case  12  is preferably constructed of thin sheets of paper, plastic, fabric or leather, or combinations thereof.  
     [0015] As shown in FIG. 2, case  12  is divided by spine  20  that extends laterally between cover panels  22  and  24 . The longitudinal hinged connections  26  and  28  delineate spine  20  from adjoining cover panels  22  and  24 . Cover panels  22  and  24  are thereby located one on each side of spine  20 .  
     [0016] As also shown in FIG. 2, album  10  further comprises left clam shell structure  30  and right clam shell structure  32  which, when case  12  is fully closed, form a clam shell box such as known in the art. Left clam shell  30  has a base  34 , top flange  36 , side flange  38 , and bottom flange  40 . Right clam shell  32  has a corresponding base  42 , top flange  44 , side flange  46 , and bottom flange  48 . Left clam shell  30  and right clam shell  32 , and their component base and flange structures, may be constructed utilizing thin sheets of paper, plastic, fabric, leather, wood or metal, or combinations thereof, to form or encapsulate therewithin flat, rectangular sections, for example core sections, that provide a certain degree of rigidity to clam shells  30  and  32 , and to the clam shell box when case  12  is closed. The core sections may be formed of any suitable material such as fiberboard or a stiff sheet of plastic, and typically are formed of the same material as the core sections of cover panels  22  and  24  and spine  20 . Left clam shell  30  and right clam shell  32  are preferably constructed using thin sheets of paper, plastic, fabric or leather, or combinations thereof.  
     [0017] Left clam shell  30  and right clam shell  32  may be assembled by die-cutting and scoring fiberboard sheets, which are then formed and covered with the desired paper, plastic, fabric or leather material. This may be done by hand or by using a machine automated process. Once assembled, left clam shell  30  and right clam shell  32  are affixed to case  12  using, for example, glue, rivets, grommets, staples, adhesive tape, or other suitable materials and methods.  
     [0018] When case  12  is in a fully closed position, left clam shell  30  and right clam shell  32  fit together to form a clam shell box so that album  10  has the appearance of a book. As shown in FIG. 2, right clam shell  32  forms the inner portion of the clam shell box structure. In one embodiment, the dimensions of left clam shell  30 , including base  34 , top flange  36 , side flange  38 , and bottom flange  40  are slightly larger (for example, about 0.5 to about 2 mm larger) than those of right clam shell  32 , including base  42  and flanges  44 ,  46  and  48 , so that left clam shell  30  fits snuggly over right clam shell  32  when case  12  is fully closed. This provides improved lateral stability so that album  10  remains securely closed and is able to stand upright on a shelf or flat surface, even when it contains a large number of pages or other items to be stored therein. Alternatively, the dimensions of left clam shell  30  are slightly less than those of right clam shell  32  so that left clam shell  30  fits snuggly within right clam shell  32  when case  12  is closed.  
     [0019] Typically, the width of flanges  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  44 ,  46  and  48  (as measured perpendicular to base  34  and base  42 ), is slightly less (about 5 to 8 mm less) than the width of spine  20 . In a preferred embodiment, the length and width of flanges  44 ,  46  and  48  are slightly less than the length and width of flanges  36 ,  38  and  40 , which are slightly less than the width of spine  20 , respectively.  
     [0020] Album  10  further comprises a means for securing memorabilia items stored within its clam shell box structure. This securing means may be, for example, a ring binder mechanism, such as used in a typical three-ring binder; a clasp, sliding mechanism, snap-lock mechanism, poles or posts, nuts and bolts, or foldable prongs that can be used for locking and unlocking pages containing the memorabilia items; binding mechanisms using adhesives; or any of the various other loose-leaf mechanisms known in the art. Various securing means are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,213,370; 6,142,696; 6,267,413; and 6,379,070; all incorporated herein by reference.  
     [0021] In one embodiment of the invention, the securing means is a ringed binder mechanism which is formed by a spine (usually metal) having a plurality of split rings which can be opened and closed manually or via action of a lever. The split rings may also be biased closed via a spring mechanism. Various embodiments of the rings and binder are known in the art and may be used in the present invention, including the following. While three split rings are typically used in a binder, more or less may be used (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,841). Different shaped rings, e.g. a “D” shaped ring, are known (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,286 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,327), and different designs for the rings are known (see U.S. Pat. No. D408,851). Rings that slide within each other are also known (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,768), as are wrap-around covers (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,216). A flexible spine may be used as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,246. Various means for attaching the binder mechanism are known (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,019,538; 5,964,544; and 5,882,135). Mounting the ring binder mechanism on the rear cover (e.g., onto base  42  of right clam shell  32  in FIG. 2) instead of on the spine is also known (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,628; U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,246; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,327). Mounting the ring binder mechanism about a hinge to serve as an opening-closing mechanism is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,159. An expandable, double ring binder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,017, where the rings are mounted on the same cover spine portion. The disclosures of all of the above patents are incorporated herein by reference.  
     [0022] In a preferred embodiment as shown in FIG. 2, the securing means is a three-ring binder mechanism  50  comprising a spine  52 , which is typically metal, three rings  54 , also typically metal, and opening and closing tabs  56 , also typically metal. Spine  52  is affixed to central spine  20 , preferably using rivets or grommets (not shown). Rings  54  are shown in the closed position, and can be opened by applying force to tabs  56  in an outward direction parallel to spine  52 , as is known in the art.  
     [0023] In another embodiment, the securing means may be the flexible binding apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,925, Hugo Grummich, issued Mar. 8, 1983, incorporated herein by reference.  
     [0024] Album  10  typically contains a plurality of photograph or other memorabilia mounting pages (not shown) of conventional construction. For example, each mounting page may be formed of two sheets of thin, plastic material disposed in face-to-face contact and having mutually congruent perimeters, portions of which are heat sealed together to define at least one pocket therebetween.  
     [0025] A mounting page may also be sealed along its top and bottom edges, and along a horizontal line of sealing midway between the top edge and bottom edge to form an upper and lower pocket to receive two different photographs or other items therewithin. Pages containing three or more pockets (e.g., three rows containing three pockets per row) may be formed in a similar manner. The pockets are accessible for the insertion and removal of photographs or other memorabilia through the unsealed portions of the parameters of the transparent plies of sheet material forming each mounting page.  
     [0026] The foregoing invention has been described in terms of various embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made in the disclosed structures without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. The specification and examples are exemplary only, while the true scope of the invention is defined by the following claims.