Abstract:
The present invention relates to an expandable protective pocket arrangement comprising a back panel, two or more front side panels and at least one connecting member for connecting said front side panels, the connecting member or members being arranged to adjust the distance between the front side panels. 
     The present invention provides for a protective system which is expandable and thus able to enclose paper documents and other essentially flat media such as a laptop computers and portable electronic devices. This kind of protection system is particularly well suited to holding office paperwork and study materials. In the form of a simple pocket, it is also a useful addition to many existing filing products, such as a ring binders and lever arch files, which frequently include a way in which to accommodate un(hole)punched pages and other loose documents and reports.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to protective size-adjustable pockets, such as document folders or encasing sleeves for substantially flat electronic devices. 
       STATE OF THE ART 
       [0002]    Practically every office in the world contains a number of loose-leaf document folders or wallets. One of the cheapest and most plentiful varieties of such folders is known as the Three Flap Folder given the fact that the document storage pocket is created by folding and overlapping front flaps (front side panels) on three of the four sides of a rectangular paper-sized back panel. The document entry point on the open side typically also has a larger flap on the fourth edge, which when folded down secures the documents on all sides. These simple folders are generally manufactured from stiff card or a plastic such as polypropylene, and although they are strong enough for their purpose, they are built from a relatively flimsy construction and hence have only a limited lifetime. 
         [0003]    Most Three Flap Folders also possess an element of expandability built into their design. The volume of documents that may be contained can be increased by adding a second fold to each flap, so creating a three dimensional box-like folder. Other common folders comprise an accordion-style expandable pocket, which is intrinsically better suited to carrying thicker document packages. However, given their complex structure, the manufacture of such accordion folders requires considerably more challenging manufacturing processes than do those for simple Three Flap Folders. 
         [0004]    Protective storage pockets are finding ever more applications in recent years given the popularity of portable electronic devices. These generally take the form of a substantially flat padded pouch, glued or stitched on three sides, with a zip or other closure on the fourth. Most cases and sleeves on the market are either designed to match the exact dimensions of a specific device, or approximate the dimensions of a range of similarly sized devices. Other products employ stretchy materials such as neoprene in their construction, so rendering them somewhat expandable, and hence able to hold a variety of devices. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    It is a goal of the present invention to provide a pocket of variable thickness. 
         [0006]    Therefore, the invention relates to an expandable pocket arrangement, the arrangement comprising a back panel, a plurality of front side panels which are connected to said back panel, and an adjustable connecting member or members for connecting said front side panels to one another, so enabling the effective volume of the pocket formed to be variable. 
         [0007]    The present invention provides for a protective system which is expandable and thus able to enclose paper documents and other essentially flat media such as a laptop computers and portable electronic devices. This kind of protection system is particularly well suited to holding office paperwork and study materials. In the form of a simple pocket, it is also a useful addition to many existing filing products, such as a ring binders and lever arch files, which frequently include a way in which to accommodate un(hole)punched pages and other unbindable documents and reports. 
         [0008]    In a particular embodiment the back panel is rectangular in shape such that its dimensions approximate that of a standardized paper size. A common example is the A4, or similar US Letter, paper format. 
         [0009]    In a further embodiment the back panel may be polygonal, quadrilateral, triangular, circular or elliptical in shape. 
         [0010]    In an embodiment the front side and/or back panels comprise a substantially rigid, bendable, sheet material, such as polypropylene, or rigid cardboard. 
         [0011]    In a further embodiment the front side and/or back panels comprise a low friction material. 
         [0012]    In a further embodiment the front side and/or back panels comprise a substantially flexible material, such as soft PVC, polyester, nylon, neoprene or leather. 
         [0013]    In an embodiment the front side and/or back panels comprise a material which can be bonded using standard electro-welding techniques or stitched with a sewing machine. 
         [0014]    In a particular embodiment the arrangement comprises three front side panels, two of which are essentially triangular, with one of each being connected to the back panel along its two short edges, and the other, which is essentially trapezoidal, being connected to said back panel along one of its two long edges. Furthermore, the longest edge of the trapezoidal front side panel is approximately the same length as the back panel&#39;s long edge, to which it is connected along its full length. The triangular front side panels are approximately two thirds the length of the back panel&#39;s short edges, to which they are connected along their full length, at the side nearest the trapezoidal front side panel. 
         [0015]    In an embodiment the front side panels have substantially self-complementary shapes. In a further embodiment the self-complementarily shaped front side panels together form a shape which is substantially rectangular. 
         [0016]    In a further embodiment at least one of the front side panels has a substantially non-rectangular shape. 
         [0017]    In a further embodiment the front side panels can all be cut from a single piece of material with substantially equivalent dimensions to those of the back panel. In a further embodiment the front side panels can all be cut from a single piece of material with substantially equivalent dimensions to those of the back panel using no more than two cuts. In a further embodiment the front side panels can all be cut from a single piece of material with substantially equivalent dimensions to those of the back panel using exactly two full length diagonal cuts. 
         [0018]    In a further embodiment the front side panels are separated into two or more independent groups, each with their own connecting member or members. 
         [0019]    In an embodiment the front side panels do not overlap one another when placed in their respective positions atop the back panel. 
         [0020]    In a particular embodiment any overlapping regions of the front side panels serve no essential structural function but serve only to shield the corner regions of the pocket. 
         [0021]    In an embodiment there are two connecting members, one each of which connects a point near the unattached apex of each triangular front side panel to a point on the nearest unattached angle of the trapezoidal front side panel. 
         [0022]    In an embodiment the front side panels are connected to the back panel by means of at least one connecting member. 
         [0023]    In an embodiment the connecting members comprise bands, threads, wires or strands. In a further embodiment the connecting members are flexible. 
         [0024]    In an embodiment the connecting members comprise a stretchable material, such as elastic or rubber. 
         [0025]    In an embodiment the three front side panels create a pocket arrangement when connected to the back panel and the connecting members without the need for the front panels to substantially overlap one another. This is significantly different from traditional Three Flap Folders, practically all of which require overlapping front side panels in order to form a viable pocket. 
         [0026]    In a particular embodiment the back panel and front side panels are cut from a single piece of material as a single entity. 
         [0027]    In an embodiment the connecting member or members are arranged to adjust the distance between the connected regions of the front panels. 
         [0028]    In a further embodiment the front side panels comprise at least one connection point for detachably fastening the connecting member or members. 
         [0029]    In an embodiment movement of one of the front panels in the plane of the back panel induces movement in one or more of the other front side panels. In a further embodiment movement of any one of the front side panels in the plane of the back panel induces movement in all of the other front side panels. 
         [0030]    According to a further embodiment an additional, independent panel is connected to a completely free edge of the back panel so creating a flap closure. In a particular embodiment an elasticated loop is added to the flap closure and a button-type fixture is added to a position on one of the front side panels, so creating a securable closure mechanism. Other suitable types of closures include Velcro tape and adjustable straps with poppers or buckles. 
         [0031]    In an embodiment the back panel comprises a plurality of panels, wherein the panels are connected with at least one connecting member. In a further embodiment a plurality of back panels comprise equivalent shapes to the front side panels, so resulting in the creation of a symmetrical pocket arrangement wherein the front-side resembles the back-side. 
         [0032]    The invention also relates to a method of creating an expandable pocket for protecting paper-based media, substantially flat electronic devices or other book-shaped objects by means of an arrangement described above. The method comprises:
       placing a back panel at a first side of the flat media;   placing a plurality of front side panels at a second side of the flat media, opposite the first side;   connection of front side panels to the back panel;   connection of front side panels by means of a connecting member;   adjusting the length of the connecting member.       
 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0038]    Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which corresponding reference symbols indicate corresponding parts, and in which: 
           [0039]      FIG. 1  is a front view (pocket side view) of the back panel of a ‘two corner’ expandable pocket; 
           [0040]      FIG. 2  shows the effective cutting pattern for the three front side panels of a ‘two corner’ expandable pocket when obtained from a single piece of material; 
           [0041]      FIG. 3  shows the shapes of the three front side panels required for the formation of a ‘two corner’ expandable pocket; 
           [0042]      FIG. 4  is a front view showing three side panels in position on the back panel prior to assembly of a ‘two corner’ expanding pocket; 
           [0043]      FIG. 5  is a front view illustrating the points at which the front side panels are connected to the back panel of a ‘two corner’ expanding pocket; 
           [0044]      FIG. 6  is a front view showing the position of the connecting members on the front side panels; 
           [0045]      FIG. 7  illustrates the connection of three front side panels with a single linear connecting member; 
           [0046]      FIG. 8  illustrates the connection of three front side panels with a circular connecting member; 
           [0047]      FIG. 9  illustrates the connection of three front side panels with a manually adjustable connecting member; 
           [0048]      FIG. 10  is a front view of an assembled ‘two corner’ expanding pocket with a securable flap closure; 
           [0049]      FIG. 11  is a front view of a ‘one corner’ expanding pocket formed from two front side panels; 
           [0050]      FIG. 12  is a front view of a ‘four corner’ expanding pocket formed from four front side panels; 
           [0051]      FIG. 13  is a front view of a ‘two corner’ expanding pocket formed from three triangular front side panels; 
           [0052]      FIG. 14  is a front view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expanding pocket cut from a single piece of material; 
           [0053]      FIG. 15  is a front view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expanding pocket and flap closure cut from a single piece of material; 
           [0054]      FIG. 16  is a rear view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expanding pocket and securable flap closure cut from a single piece of material; 
           [0055]      FIG. 17  is a front view of an expanded ‘two corner’ pocket when holding a quantity of flat media; 
           [0056]      FIG. 18  shows the shapes of the three front side panels required for the formation of a ‘two corner’ expandable pocket with corner modifications; 
           [0057]      FIG. 19  is a front view of an assembled ‘two corner’ expanding pocket with corner modifications; 
           [0058]      FIG. 20  is a front view of an expanded ‘two corner’ pocket with corner modifications when holding a quantity of flat media; 
           [0059]      FIG. 21  is a front view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expanding pocket with corner modifications cut from a single piece of material; 
           [0060]      FIG. 22  is a front view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expanding pocket with corner modifications and flap closure cut from a single piece of material; 
           [0061]      FIG. 23  is a rear view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expanding pocket with corner modifications and securable flap closure cut from a single piece of material; 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       [0062]    According to an embodiment, a protective expandable pocket arrangement comprises a back panel, a plurality of front side panels and one or more connecting members. Connecting members connect the front side panels to one another, so forming a pocket when the front side panels are also connected to the back panel. In an embodiment one or more of the connecting members may comprise a stretchable material, such as elastic, so rendering the pocket automatically expandable when media is inserted from one side. In an embodiment, a ‘two corner’ expandable pocket approximating the size of A4 (or similar US Letter) paper is constructed from a rectangular back panel of a thin sheet of a plastic, such as polypropylene, and three polygonal front side panels of a flexible material, such as polyester or polypropylene. 
         [0063]      FIG. 1  shows the back panel  1  for a ‘two corner’ pocket arrangement and its division into two distinct sections. Section  2  shows the area to be covered by the pocket once assembled, whereas section  3  remains uncovered. Line  4  illustrates this separation, and the point at which the pocket opening is created. 
         [0064]      FIG. 2  shows a rectangle of material  5  of the size of back panel  1  from which three self-complementary front side panels for a ‘two corner’ pocket arrangement’ are cut. Front side panel  6  is trapezoidal in shape and designed to stretch along the left edge of back panel  1 . Front side panels  7 , 8 , which are designed to stretch along the top and bottom edges of back panel  1 , are triangular in shape and approximately two-thirds the width of back panel  1 . 
         [0065]      FIG. 3  shows the self-complementary shapes of the three front side panels  6 , 7 , 8 . 
         [0066]      FIG. 4  shows the three front side panels  6 , 7 , 8  assembled in their respective positions above the pocket section  2  of back panel  1 . 
         [0067]      FIG. 5  shows the points  9  at which the front side panels  6 , 7 , 8  are connected to the edges of the back panel  1 . This join can be made in a number of ways, depending on the materials employed. In the case of an all plastic pocket, electro-welding is a very common way to join two pieces. Glue is also an option, depending on the plastic employed. Should the pocket be made from a fabric such as polyester (or polyester front side panels with a polypropylene back panel), then the component pieces can easily be stitched together with a sewing machine. The points  10  simply indicate the juncture of the trapezoidal front side panel  6  with the triangular front side panels  7 , 8 , illustrating that they meet at a point rather than needing to be overlapped to form the basis for a pocket. In contrast with most traditional Three Flap Folders, no overlap between the front side panels is required in this particular embodiment. 
         [0068]      FIG. 6  illustrates how two connecting members  11  are employed to join the attachment points  12  (on front side panel  6 ) and  13  (on front side panels  7 , 8 ), close to the juncture  10 , so creating a working pocket. A length of flat or round elastic is a natural choice for the connecting member  11  in this arrangement since its incorporation renders the pocket automatically expandable. The attachment points  12 , 13  could take many forms, depending on how the connecting member is terminated. The most simple solution being that the attachment points  12 , 13  represent small eyelet holes through which a length of elastic is threaded, before being knotted at each end. 
         [0069]      FIG. 7  shows an alternative connecting member  14 , made from a single length of material, such as elastic, which spans the distance between the attachment points  13  on the upper  7  and lower  8  triangular front side panels. In order to connect with the trapezoidal front side panel  6 , the connecting member  14  must therefore be able to pass freely through the routing points  15 , which necessarily take the form of a loop or eyelet. This approach is likely better in practice than that described in  FIG. 6 , since the connecting member spans the full width between the upper  7  and lower  8  triangular front side panels, without hindrance, hence increasing the pocket&#39;s overall expandability. 
         [0070]      FIG. 8  is a natural extension to the approach described in  FIG. 7 , with the connecting member  16  being circular rather than linear. In this instance, there are no attachment points for the connecting member, but instead it passes freely through the routing points  15 , 17  on the front side panels. 
         [0071]      FIG. 9  illustrates an extremely flexible solution in which the lengths of the connecting members  16 , 17  are determined by the manually adjustable link  18 . This ultimately allows for an element of control of the expandability of an elasticated connecting member, which is particularly useful when at its maximum stretch, since a small adjustment can considerably decrease the tension on the pocket. Furthermore, this approach also makes it practicable to employ an inelastic material, such as a thin nylon cord, as the connecting member given that it can be manually tightened or slackened in order to adjust the effective volume of the pocket. 
         [0072]      FIG. 10  shows a front view of an assembled ‘two corner’ expanding pocket  19  with an optional and securable flap closure  20 . This arrangement very much resembles the overall appearance of existing Three Flap Folders, while at the same time offering the added functionality of automatic expandability. The pocket illustrated here differs only from that described by  FIG. 6  in that it has a flap closure  20 , attached to the right edge of the back panel  1 . The pocket, which can at this point be considered to be a fully-fledged document folder, is closed by folding the flap closure  20  at the crease points  21 . The contents may be further secured by a connecting a fastening mechanism, such as the loop  22 , conceivably made from a stretchable material such as elastic, to the button  23  attached to one of the front side panels. Other low profile fastening devices such as poppers, buckles or Velcro tape could be employed for this purpose. 
         [0073]      FIG. 11  shows a front view of an assembled ‘one corner’ expanding pocket. Here, the design and construction is the same as that described by  FIG. 6 , with the exception that two adjacent triangular front side panels  24 , 25  are employed rather than three front side panels, with the result being that the pocket covers one rather than two corners of back panel  1 . Consequently, the front side panels are attached to back panel  1  along only two edges  26 , and only a single connecting member  27  is required. The result is a triangular pocket with an angled opening  28 . This kind of ‘L’ pocket is frequently found in leather portfolios and writing cases, where it is employed to hold a writing pad or a small quantity of documents. The added functionality of convenient expandability potentially gives the ‘L’ pocket a much greater capacity and many more uses. 
         [0074]      FIG. 12  shows a front view of an assembled ‘four corner’ expanding pocket. Here, the design and construction is the same as that described by  FIG. 6 , with the exception that four front side panels  29 , 30  are employed rather than three front side panels, with the result that the pocket covers the whole of back panel  1 . The front side panels are attached to back panel  1  along three edges  31 , with four connecting members  32  being employed to connect them to one another. The result is a rectangular pocket with an opening  33  along the right edge of back panel  1 . This kind of pocket is potentially applicable to the design of protective sleeves for portable electronic devices, given that it essentially forms an expandable pouch which encases the device on all sides. For such an application to be practical, a fastening mechanism such as a zip would be required to seal the open edge  33 . 
         [0075]      FIG. 13  is a simple variation of  FIG. 6 , which utilizes three triangular front side panels, rather than having a trapezoidal front side panel on the left edge. This variation is noteworthy in the fact that the total length of the connecting member  34  is as short as it can be, and hence the area of the gap created in the centre of the pocket when expanded is at its least for any given quantity of contents. A shorter connecting member leads to a lower volume, less expandable pocket. Apart from this, the choice as to whether to employ the system as described in  FIG. 6  or  FIG. 13 , or one in between, is simply an issue of design, and depends on the specific needs of the user. 
         [0076]      FIG. 14  is a front view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expanding pocket cut from a single piece of material  35 . In effect, this is the same arrangement that is described in  FIG. 6 . A one piece design is perfect for a material such as extruded polypropylene sheet, from which many existing Three Flap Folders are made, given that large quantities of products can be manufactured in an extremely cost-effective manner using well established procedures. Here, the back panel  36  is already connected to the three front side panels  37 , 38 , 39 , and assembly of the requisite pocket shape is readily achieved by folding them across the crease lines  40 . Further to this, the pocket is completed by joining the appropriately positioned attachment points  41  with one or more connecting members. 
         [0077]      FIG. 15  is a front view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expanding pocket and flap closure cut from a single piece of material  42 . Here, a rectangular flap closure  43  is added, on the right edge, to the same design described in  FIG. 14 , with the result being a folder that is very similar in appearance to that of many of the marketplace&#39;s most simple and least expensive Three Flap Folders. The flap closure  43  is closed by folding it across the crease line  44 . 
         [0078]      FIG. 16  is a rear view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expanding pocket and securable flap closure cut from a single piece of material  45 . Here, the flap  46  is enhanced, in that once closed by folding it across the crease lines  47 , it can be secured by securing the loop  48  to the button  49 , in a similar manner to that described with  FIG. 10 . 
         [0079]      FIG. 17  is a front view of an expanded ‘two corner’ pocket when holding a quantity of flat media  50 , such as a stack of A4 or US Letter sized paper documents with a height of approximately 4 cm. In this case, with a significant amount of expansion required, the connecting members  51  can be seen to have considerably lengthened. Additionally, gaps can be seen to have formed at the corners of the pocket  52 , as the narrower central regions (close to the connecting members) of the front side panels have been drawn apart by the thickness of the media and the resultant expansion. The wider outer regions of the front side panels are not visible given that they are held perpendicular to the back panel  1 , so cradling the media on three sides. What  FIG. 17  illustrates is that although the contents are strongly held on three sides when using diagonally cut front side panels, the corners of the contained media can be somewhat exposed without additional coverage. This last point is addressed from  FIG. 18  on. 
         [0080]      FIG. 18  shows the shapes of the three modified (with respect to those described in  FIG. 3 ) front side panels  53 , 54 , 55  required for the formation of a ‘two corner’ expandable pocket with additional coverage for the corners. A total of four triangular shaped modifications  56 , 57 , two each at the top and bottom, ensure full overlap at the corners when the pocket is expanded. The positions of the attachment points  58  for the connecting members are unchanged from those in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0081]      FIG. 19  is a front view of an assembled ‘two corner’ expanding pocket with corner modifications. At the left edge, what was formerly the trapezoidal side panel  6  of  FIG. 6 , is now observed to be a mostly rectangular polygon  53 . The polygonal front side panel  53  can be observed in full, since in this embodiment it sits above the upper  54  and lower  55  front side panels, which can therefore only be viewed in part due to the overlapping regions  56 . For the same reason, the points  59  at which the upper  54  and lower  55  front side panels are connected to the back panel  1  are only partially visible, whereas that for the left front side panel  60  is visible in full. Also shown are the free unattached, overlapping edge of the left front side panel  61  and the connecting members  62 . 
         [0082]      FIG. 20  is a front view of an expanded ‘two corner’ pocket with corner modifications when holding a quantity of flat media  63 , such as a stack of A4 paper documents with a height of approximately 4 cm. As in  FIG. 17 , a significant amount of expansion is observed with the connecting members  64  being considerably lengthened. However, with the inclusion of front side panel modifications, there are no longer exposed areas in the corner regions  65 . 
         [0083]      FIG. 21  is a front view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expanding pocket with corner modifications cut from a single piece of material  66 . This is effectively the same arrangement that is described in  FIGS. 18 and 19 . Here, the back panel  67  is already connected to the three front side panels  68 , 69 , 70 , and assembly of the requisite pocket shape is readily achieved by folding them across the crease lines  71 . Further to this, the pocket is completed by joining the appropriately positioned attachment points  72  with one or more connecting members. 
         [0084]      FIG. 22  is a front view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expanding pocket with corner modifications and flap closure cut from a single piece of material  73 . Here, a rectangular flap closure  74  has been added, on the right edge, to the same design described in  FIG. 21 . The flap closure  74  is closed by folding it across the crease line  75 . The result is a folder arrangement with an outward appearance that is extremely similar to many Three Flap Folders on the market today. 
         [0085]      FIG. 23  is a rear view of an unfolded one piece ‘two corner’ expanding pocket with corner modifications and securable flap closure cut from a single piece of material  76 . Here, the flap  77  is enhanced, in that once closed by folding it across the crease line  78 , it can be secured by attaching the loop  79  to the button  80 , in a similar manner to that described in  FIG. 10 . 
         [0086]    While specific embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be appreciated that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as described. The descriptions above are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Thus, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the invention as described without departing from the scope of the claims set out below.