Abstract:
The protective paper holder has a pair of adjacent, planar, generally transparent and waterproof sheets sealed to one another about a portion of their periphery to form an interior, paper-sheet receiving compartment and an access opening for the paper-sheet receiving compartment. A sealing means associated with the access opening selectively seals the access opening from the surrounding environment. Preferably, this sealing means forms a watertight seal via a zip-lock seal, a set of tongue-in-groove fasteners, a zipper, or a set of hook and loop fasteners.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention is generally directed to a device for holding media. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a protective paper holder capable of protecting media sheets from adverse environmental conditions. 
         [0002]    Protection and transportation of media is important as exposure to the environment and direct handling can result in physical damage to the media. For example, media such as photographs or paper having indicia printed thereon are vulnerable to ambient humidity and other moisture, such as rain, especially when exposed to the environment in an unprotected state. The photograph or printed paper may also be accidentally damaged, crumpled or otherwise wrinkled during handling. In response, sheet protectors have been devised to protect photographs, printed material and the like. A conventional protective device, such as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,434, generally includes a cover sheet of transparent material disposed over an opaque backing sheet with several circular perforations for retention in a corresponding loose-leaf binder. 
         [0003]    Conventional protective devices, such as the one described in the &#39;434 patent, have certain disadvantages. For example, the protective device must be constantly carried by hand or in a bulky, heavy loose-leaf binder. Other protective devices may endeavor to protect the media from directly contacting the environment. But, moisture may still access the media if no environmental seal between the media and the environment is provided. Another disadvantage of conventional protective devices is the inability to protect and display multiple media objects within the same device. 
         [0004]    Several patents have endeavored to improve on these conventional protective devices. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,544 discloses a transparent sleeve for protecting printed media. The sleeve is still either carried by hand or requires placement in a loose-leaf binder. U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,027 discloses a transparency folder having an opaque backing sheet that prevents at least one side of the media stored therein from being visible. Like the device in the &#39;544 patent, this folder must still be carried by hand or in a loose-leaf binder. Alternatively, U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,089 discloses a transparency sheet protector that also incorporates an opaque backing sheet that prevents at least one side of the media stored therein from being visible. Like the devices in the &#39;544 and &#39;089 patents, the sheet protector must be carried by hand or in a loose-leaf binder. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,539 discloses a flexible sheet protector that must also be carried by hand or in a loose-leaf binder. 
         [0005]    Accordingly, there is a need for a protective paper holder that improves on conventional sheet protectors that otherwise must be held or stored in a loose-leaf binder at all times. Such a protective paper holder should provide visibility to all sides of the media held therein, provide an environmental seal, provide a convenient and quick manner of opening the holder, provide a mechanism for carrying the protective paper holder hands free, and provide a simple design that is economical to manufacture. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention is for a protective paper holder having a pair of adjacent, planar, generally transparent and waterproof sheets sealed to one another about a portion of their periphery. The sheets form an interior, paper-sheet receiving compartment that is accessible via an opening formed therein. A sealing means selectively seals the access opening from the surrounding environment. Preferably, the sealing means forms a watertight seal using a zip-lock seal, a set of tongue-in-groove fasteners, a zipper, or a set of hook and loop fasteners. 
         [0007]    The protective paper holder of the present invention further includes a strap for releasably attaching the protective paper holder to a person or an object. The strap is preferably adjustable and includes a fastener configured for attachment to an extender for expanding the size of the strap. The strap may further include a swivel for rotationally mounting the sheets to the strap. The strap may attach to an aperture formed around the periphery of the sheets. Alternatively, the periphery may include a plurality of apertures for holding the protective paper holder in a ring binder. Furthermore, the present invention may include a grommet for structurally reinforcing the aperture or apertures. 
         [0008]    In another embodiment, the protective paper holder of the present invention includes a second pair of adjacent, planar, generally transparent waterproof sheets sealed to one another about a portion of their periphery to form a second interior, paper-sheet receiving compartment and a second access opening for the paper-sheet receiving compartment, wherein the second pair of sheets are connected to the first pair of sheets about a spline. The first and second pair of sheets are rotatable about a fold formed in the spline. The first and second sheets may be secured to one another in a closed configuration with a fastener that comprises VELCRO, a button, a snap, or a magnet. 
         [0009]    Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is frontal perspective view of a protective paper holder embodying the present invention, illustrating connection to a neck cord; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is frontal perspective view of the protective paper holder of  FIG. 1 , illustrating connection to a belt cord; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the protective paper holder of  FIG. 1 , illustrating a user holding the protective paper holder in a closed configuration; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the protective paper holder of  FIG. 1 , illustrating a user holding the protective paper holder in an open configuration; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a top view of a protective paper holder of the present invention, in a closed configuration; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a top view of the protective paper holder of  FIG. 5 , in an open configuration; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a top view of the protective paper holder of  FIG. 6 , illustrating insertion of a sheet into a sealable protective sleeve; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a top view of an alternative protective paper holder of the present invention, in a closed configuration. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0019]    As shown in the representative figures for purpose of illustration, the present invention resides in a protective paper holder that includes a mechanism for being carried by means other than by hand or a loose-leaf binder. The protective paper holder of the present invention also provides increased visibility to all sides of the media held therein. 
         [0020]    With reference to  FIG. 1 , a protective paper holder  10  includes a body  12  formed by a first and second relatively thin, flexible sheets  14 ,  16  that define at least one retaining pocket  18  therebetween. An opening  20  to the retaining pocket  18  is positioned along any of the edges  22  ( FIG. 2 ) of the protective paper holder  10 . The remaining edges  22  are accordingly closed. The sheets  14 ,  16  may be joined together using various methods known in the art that include, but are not limited to, heat sealing, mechanical fasteners or the like. The opening  20  is sealed from the environment using a sealing mechanism  24 , such as a zip-lock seal, tongue in groove fasteners, zipper, hook and loop fasteners or the like. Alternatively, the body  12  includes a flap (not shown) positioned over the opening  20 . Fasteners may be used to secure the flap to the body  12 . 
         [0021]    A pair of borders  26 ,  28  are disposed between the retaining pocket  18  and the closed edges  22  of the protective paper holder  10 . The borders  26 ,  28  each include at least one bore  30  ( FIG. 1 ). A grommet  32  is inserted into the bore  30  for structural reinforcement. The grommet  32  may be made of various materials including, but not limited to, metal, plastic or the like. 
         [0022]    The first and second sheets  14 ,  16  are preferably formed from a transparent material sturdy enough to protect various objects placed within the retaining pocket  18 . Preferable objects include, but are not limited to, sheets of printed material, photographs, photographic negatives, postcards, awards, coupons or certificates.  FIGS. 1 -4  and  7  show at least one sheet of printed media  34  having an indicia  36  printed thereon and held within the pocket  18 . The protective paper holder  10  and the pocket  18  may be sized and shaped as needed to retain various pieces of paper  34  that include 8.5 inch by 11 inch paper, A4 paper, legal size paper sheets or the like. 
         [0023]    A strap assembly  38  may be attached to one of the bores  30  to enable a user to carry the protective paper holder  10  hands free as generally shown in  FIG. 2 . The strap assembly  38  may also retain the protective paper holder  10  about the neck, wrist, belt or the like, without danger of the protective paper holder  10  falling to the ground when released. The strap assembly  38  may be a strap and corresponding buckle, multiple straps, multiple buckles or other similar retainer mechanisms. As best shown in  FIG. 8 , the strap assembly  38  includes a fastener  40 , such as a snap hook, for engaging the bore  30 . The snap fastener  40  is itself pivotally connected to one half of a buckle fastener  42  while the other half of the buckle fastener  42  is connected to a strap  44 . The buckle fastener  42  is preferably a side release buckle while the strap  44  may include a strap, lanyard, cord or the like. The strap  44  extends through an eyelet  46  of the buckle fastener  42 . Opposite ends  48 ,  50  of the strap  44  are joined by another buckle fastener  52  to form a loop  54 , best shown in  FIG. 5 . Preferably, the buckle fastener  52  is a side release buckle or a detent release buckle. The size of the loop  54  is adjustable by a slide  56  running along the length of the strap  44 . The ends  48 ,  50  of the strap  44  pass through a bore (not shown) in the slide  56  before the ends  48 ,  50  are joined by the buckle  52  to form the loop  54 . The loop  54  is adjustable to fit around a body part such as a wrist or a neck (illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  3  and  4 ) or for attachment to a garment, such as a belt ( FIG. 2 ). For example, the buckle fastener  52  secures the protective paper holder  10  to a belt by adjusting the size of the loop  54 . The strap assembly  38  may include additional extender straps  58  ( FIG. 8 ) to expand the largest adjustable size of the loop  54 .  FIG. 8  illustrates two of the extender straps  58  interconnected within the loop  54  of the strap  44 . The buckle fasteners  52  in the strap  44  and the buckle fasteners  52  in the extender straps  58  are compatible for easy interchangeability. 
         [0024]      FIGS. 4-7  illustrate an additional protective paper holder  60 , including the previously described features of the protective paper holder  10 . The protective paper holder  60  has a body  62  formed by a third and fourth sheets  64 ,  66  that define at least one retaining pocket  68  therebetween. An opening  70  to the retaining pocket  68  is positioned along at least one edge  72  of the protective paper holder  60  with the remaining edges  72  being closed. The sheets  64 ,  66  may be joined together using various methods known in the art that include, but are not limited to, heat sealing, mechanical fasteners or the like. The opening  70  is likewise sealed from the environment using the sealing mechanism  24 . A pair of borders  74 ,  76  are disposed between the retaining pocket  68  and the closed edges  72  of the protective paper holder  10 . The borders  74 ,  76  each include at least one bore  30 . The grommet  32  is inserted into the bore  30  for structural reinforcement. 
         [0025]    The third and fourth sheets  64 ,  66  are formed from the same or similar material as the first and second sheets  14 , 16 . The bodies  12 ,  62  are joined by a binding spine  78  having a fold  80  along which the bodies  12 ,  62  may fold toward one another in book-fashion. The fasteners  82  are positioned around the edges  22 ,  72  to secure the protective paper holder  60  in a closed book configuration. Preferably, the fasteners  82  are positioned generally near the corners of the bodies  12 ,  62 . The fasteners  82  may include hook and loop fasteners, snap fasteners, male/female fasteners, VELCRO, or the like. Alternatively, the first and second sheets  12 , 14  may be held together in the open book configuration by a series of connectors  84  placed through a series of corresponding binder bores  86  illustrated in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . In this configuration, the first and second sheets  12 ,  14  may be used like a flip chart. The connectors  84  may be any suitable connector or clamp known in the art to retain multi-page documents, including binder rings that manually open and close. 
         [0026]    The strap assembly  38  may be secured to the protective paper holder  60  through a single bore  30  in one of the bodies  12 ,  62  to facilitate movement of the protective paper holder  60  between open and closed book configurations, as illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , respectively. Alternatively, the protective paper holder  60  may be aligned through the bores  30  of the bodies  12 ,  62 , to keep the protective paper holder  60  secured in a closed book configuration.  FIG. 7  illustrates at least one sheet of paper  30  held within the pocket  18  of the body  12  while two sheets of paper  30  are inserted, back-to-back, into the pocket  68  of the body  62 . 
         [0027]    The transparent material forming the sheets  14 ,  16 ,  64 ,  66  may be formed from materials that include, but not limited to, organic materials, synthetic materials, plastics, polypropylenes, acetates, diacetates or the like. The material may be non-stick or include a sticky layer of light adhesive. Alternatively, one ore more of the sheets  14 ,  16 ,  64 ,  66  may be opaque, translucent, colored or non-colored. 
         [0028]    Alternatively, one or more of the border sections  22 ,  24 ,  64 ,  66  may include at least two bores to facilitate insertion of the protective paper holder  10 ,  60  into a loose-leaf binder. A washable marker can be used to write on top of the sheets  14 ,  16 ,  64 ,  66  since the indicia  36  on the paper  34  is visible through the sheets  14 ,  16 ,  64 ,  66 . This allows a user to repeatedly reuse the same worksheet paper  34 . In an alternative embodiment, one of the respective sheets  16 ,  66  of each body  12 ,  62  may be a relatively thick, hard sheet to which the soft, flexible sheet  14 ,  64  is connected to form the pockets  18 ,  68  of the body  12 ,  62 . 
         [0029]    All features of the various embodiments discussed above can be mixed and matched to define an embodiment that is not directly illustrated in the accompanying figures. 
         [0030]    Although several embodiments have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made to each without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.