Patent Abstract:
A bidirectional album for the storage of photographs and the like in which typically rectangular photographs may be retained in either a latitudinal or longitudinal vertical orientation. Each page of an album leaf is partially covered by a transparent sheet attached along several of its edges to a leaf page. Additional lines of attachment between the transparent sheet and leaf page are disposed and oriented so as to permit horizontal storage of photos and the like between the attachment lines. Photos and the like can also be stored in a vertical orientation under the sheet adjacent the storage lines.

Full Description:
RELATED U.S. APPLICATION DATA 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/453,355, filed Dec. 1, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,475 B1, which is a division of application Ser. No. 08/482,171, filed on Jun. 7, 1995, now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/092,548, filed on Jul. 16, 1993, now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/555,063, filed on Jul. 18, 1990, now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 06/609,633, filed on May 14, 1984, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,948. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention concerns devices for the storage and display of photographs and the like, and more particularly to photo albums. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Devices for the storage and display of photographs and the like have taken many forms. One form, commonly referred to as a photograph album, comprises a plurality of bound leaves disposed within an outer cover with photographs or similar objects mounted on the two planar surfaces, or display pages, of each leaf. The leaves within the photograph album are commonly made of either a stiff cardboard material or a flexible transparent plastic. In the latter instance, two sheets of transparent plastic are bound together to form a plurality of pockets into which photographs are inserted. 
     A number of means for mounting photographs on the album pages are employed with cardboard-type leaves. One of the most common mounting means involves taping or gluing the photographs to the display pages. Another common mounting means involves a small adhesive-backed device, called a “corner,” having a triangular-shaped pocket to receive a corner edge of a photograph. Typically four “corner” devices are disposed over the corner edges of a photograph and retained on the display page by the adhesive backing on the “corner” device. 
     All of these adhesive mounting means suffer from a similar defect in that the adhesives employed dry out with the passage of time, enabling the photographs to fall out of the album. These mounting means further discourage the replacement of photographs mounted in an album since removal frequently damages or defaces the photograph and/or the display page. 
     Another mounting means employed in conjunction with cardboard-type leaves involves coating the entire album page with an adhesive substance which retains the photographs on the album page. A transparent plastic sheet is attached to the album page to cover the photographs and the album page and prevent adjacent album leaves from adhering together. While this approach does provide a good mount, it fails to provide a convenient “memo” area on which to place information pertinent to the stored photographs. The adhesive used in this approach can also change over time, either increasing the risk of damage to the photo when removed or allowing the photo to fall from the album. 
     The use of transparent plastic album leaves also suffers from a number of disadvantages. For example, the size and orientation of the album pockets are constant. An album designed to store and display a particular size photograph cannot store photographs in a larger format as may be subsequently offered by photograph film developing businesses. Photograph orientation is important since most commercially available photographs have a rectangular shape with the image displayed on the photograph usually having an obvious vertical (i.e., “up-and-down”) orientation. The vertical orientation of the photograph may coincide with the longer longitudinal axis of the photograph or the shorter latitudinal axis, depending upon the orientation of the camera when the photograph was taken. Photographers will occasionally orient a camera sideways to avail themselves of advantageous picture framing situations. The photographer thus develops a collection of photographs having both longitudinal and lateral vertical orientations. Prior art transparent plastic album leaves typically provide only a single longitudinal or latitudinal vertical orientation, thus limiting the photographer&#39;s framing choices. While a few prior art transparent plastic album leaves have been produced with album pockets having both longitudinal and latitudinal vertical orientations, the number of album pockets per leaf with each orientation is constant and transparent plastic album leaves of this type cannot permit both longitudinal and latitudinal vertical orientation within the same area on a single album page. To avoid wasting album space, the photographer is constrained to having the remaining space in his album dictate the framing orientation of his photographic composition. 
     Transparent plastic album leaves also fail to provide a convenient memo area. Pertinent information may be written on the back of the photograph, but only at the risk of damaging the photograph since the writing ink may seep through to the image side of the photograph. Further, use of the back side of the photograph as a memo area reduces the number of photographs that may be conveniently stored in each leaf. 
     Thus, there exists a need for a more versatile photo album permitting the bi-direction storage and display of photographs on the same portion of a display page without employing an adhesive mounting means which also includes a convenient information memo area. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an improved device for the storage and display of photographs and the like, i.e., an improved photo album. The improved bi-directional photo album of the present invention permits display of either longitudinal or latitudinal vertically oriented photographs on the same area of an album display page. Further, photographs may be easily inserted and replaced over any period of time without damaging either the album page or the photograph. Moreover, photographs will not slip out of the album regardless of the album orientation. Finally, a memo area is also provided on each display page for the recordation of information pertinent to adjacently stored photographs. An index sheet provides quick reference to the display page on which a particular photograph or like object is stored. 
     According to the preferred embodiment, the bi-directional photo album of the present invention comprises a plurality of bound leaves and an index sheet disposed within and coupled to an outer cover. A transparent cover is attached to three edges of each display page of each album leaf. Orientation ribs formed by lines of attachment between the transparent cover and the display page provide for the adjacent display of either several latitudinal vertically oriented photographs or a latitudinal vertically oriented photograph and a longitudinal vertically oriented photograph or two longitudinal vertically oriented photographs on the same display page. A writing surface is provided on each display page for recordation thereon of information pertinent to an adjacently stored photograph. 
     The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which a presently preferred embodiment and an alternate embodiment of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a further perspective view in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been opened to show opposing display pages of two adjacent album leaves; 
     FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a display page of an album leaf of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an album leaf of a preferred embodiment of the present invention taken along the line  4 — 4  in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an album leaf of a preferred embodiment of the present invention taken along the  5 — 5  in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 6 is a detailed view of a display page of an album leaf of an alternate embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a preferred embodiment of a bi-directional album, generally designated  10 , of the present invention. The bi-directional album  10  includes a plurality of leaves  12  and an index sheet  14  disposed within an outer cover  15  and bound together by a binding means  16  which is attached to the outer cover  15 . Each album leaf  12  has two oppositely directed planar surfaces, or display pages, generally designated as  20 , on which photographs  18  and  19  and like objects are stored and displayed. A transparent cover  22  is disposed adjacent and attached to a portion of each display page  20  so as to form a pocket. Photographs  18  and  19  are stored beneath the transparent cover  22 . The index sheet  14  is provided for recordation thereon information pertinent to the location of a particular photograph within the bi-directional album  10 . This index sheet  14  provides a simple and convenient method of accessing a particular photograph stored on a particular display page. 
     As shown in FIGS. 3 through 5, the transparent cover  22  is attached to the display page  20  along various lines of attachment generally designated as  23  through  27 . The transparent cover  22  may be attached to the display page  20  by any convenient means such as, for example, various well-known types of adhesives. Attachment lines  23  and  24  are disposed adjacent lateral album leaf edges  28  and  29 . A third attachment line  25  is disposed adjacent an album leaf edge  30  opposite an album leaf edge  31  engaging the binding means  16 . This arrangement prevents the photographs from slipping out of the bi-directional album  10  when the album  10  is oriented as shown in FIG.  2 . Two transverse lines of attachment further affix the transparent cover  22  to the display page  20  so as to form two orientation ribs  26  and  27 . 
     The orientation ribs  26  and  27  are in spaced relationship approximately the same distance from one another and the attachment lines  23  and  24  adjacent the lateral album leaf edges  28  and  29 . The orientation ribs  26  and  27  are approximately parallel to the attachment lines  23  and  24  and extend from the attachment line  25  adjacent the album leaf edge  30  towards the album leaf edge  31  engaging the binding means  16 . The length of the orientation ribs  26  and  27  should not exceed, approximately, the difference between the longitudinal and latitudinal measurements of the largest photograph  32  to be stored in the bi-directional album  10 . 
     The length, orientation, and location of the orientation ribs  26  and  27  permit adjacent storage of either latitudinal or longitudinal vertically oriented photographs on the same portion of the display pages  20  of the present invention. Thus, three latitudinal vertically oriented photographs having the same orientation as photograph  19  in FIG. 1 or two longitudinal vertically oriented photographs having the same orientation as photograph  18  or a combination of a latitudinal and a longitudinal vertically oriented photograph, as shown in FIG. 1 with photographs  18  and  19 , may be stored on the same display page  20 . Adhesives are not required to retain photographs and the like on the display page  20 . The orientation ribs  26  and  27  secure the transparent cover  22  in sufficient proximity to display page  20  to effectively retain latitudinal vertically oriented photographs of maximum dimensions, such as photograph  33  in FIG. 1, between the orientation ribs  26  and  27 . Longitudinal vertically oriented photographs of maximum dimensions, such as photograph  32 , are effectively retained adjacent the orientation ribs  26  and  27 . Photographs having dimensions less than the dimensions of the largest photographs to be stored in the bi-directional album  10  may also be conveniently stored within the album without the use of adhesives. Consequently, photographs and the like may be removed and replaced throughout the useful life of the bi-directional album  10  without risk of damage to either the stored photographs or the display page  20 . 
     It should be understood that a greater or lesser number of orientation ribs may be included, depending on the number and size of photographs and the like to be stored on the display page  20 , without departing from the spirit of the invention. Similarly, the length of the orientation ribs will vary depending on the maximum size of photographs intended for storage in the bidirectional album  10 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the transparent cover  22  is disposed over only a portion of the display page  20  surface. A writing surface  34  is provided on the uncovered portion of display page  20  adjacent album leaf edge  31  for the recordation of information pertinent to an adjacently stored photograph. This writing surface  34  obviates the need to record pertinent information on the rear surface of the photograph. The writing surface  34  may have imprinted thereon various indicia  35  and  36  to facilitate the recordation of information. 
     The surface area  37  of the display page  20  covered by the transparent cover  22  also has imprinted thereon contrasting indicia  38  for aesthetic purposes. As shown in FIG. 1, the contrasting indicia  38  are partially obscured by photographs and the like stored on the display page  20 . 
     Numerous alterations could be introduced without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the writing surface  34  shown adjacent the album leaf edge  31  engaging the binding means could be located adjacent the opposing album leaf edge  30 . Various types of binding means  16  could be employed, for example, engaging the album leaves  12  in a greater or lesser number of locations. A binding means permitting the insertion and removal of album leaves  12  from the album could also be employed. A greater number of orientation ribs could be included and disposed substantially as disclosed above for storage of a greater number of photographs. 
     In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, shown in FIG. 6, a display page  40  has two transparent panels  41  and  42  attached in the manner disclosed above. Two adjacent writing surfaces  44  and  46  are provided in the middle of the display page  40 , between the transparent panels  41  and  42 . 
     In a still further embodiment, two transparent panels and two writing surfaces could be provided on each page in an alternating arrangement, having a writing surface disposed adjacent an album leaf edge engaging a binding means and, adjacent thereto, a transparent cover followed thereafter by a second writing surface followed by a second transparent cover. 
     From the foregoing, it is believed that the invention may be readily understood by those skilled in the art without further description. As discussed above, numerous changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention, as set forth in the claims below.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1