Phonograph record album and slip case

• US 4,453,631 A
• Filed: 12/16/1982
• Issued: 06/12/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lebanon Packaging Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lebanon Packaging Corporation
• Inventors: Mark, Frederick K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lowrance, George E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foster, Jimmy G.
• Application Number:
  US06/432,654
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 206/307, 206/309, 206/310, 206/311, 206/312, 206/313, 229/9, 229/19, 229/23 R, 229/23 BT, 229/40, 229/44 CB, 229/68 R, 229/87 R, 229/87 C, 229/DIG. 15
• US Class Current: 206/313
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/544 for gramophone records

Abstract

A record album and slip case cut and folded from sheet paper board stock to provide a relatively flat box-like container having similar side panels spaced apart a limited distance and having one open end provided with a relatively long access notch extending inward from the edges of the side panels of said container in which the access notch is formed and bounded therealong by smooth reinforced edges resulting from tongues of the material folded inwardly upon the inner surfaces of the side panels and secured thereto by adhesive, certain of the tongues being of substantial size to afford protective stiffness to a substantial area of the side panels extending inward from the edges of the access notches, whereby no raw board edges appear on the boundaries of the open end and access notches therein. The slip case also is formed from similar board stock and is of a flat shape complementary to the container and adapted to slidably receive the same through one open end and the edges of the panels defining the same being reinforced by narrow panels folded inwardly upon and secured to the side and edge panels of the case by adhesive, thereby providing smoothly rounded edges along the open end resulting from such folding of the narrow panels.

Claims

1. A blank for forming phonograph record albums from sheet paper board stock comprising in combination, a pair of similar generally rectangular side panels foldably connected along one edge and also having narrow rectangular panels along one end and opposite side edge of one side panel adapted to be secured to the opposite side panel to form a relatively flat container of limited thickness and having bottom flaps foldably connected to a lower edge of said side panels to form one closed end and an opposite open end to receive phonograph records, the upper edges of said side panels having similar relatively long access notches extending a limited distance into the edges of the side panels and defining said open end, said notches being formed by tongues of the material integral with and extending outwardly beyond said edges of the side panels forming the open end of the container and opposite sides of said tongues having incisions extending thereinto toward each other and angularly in a direction away from the outer edges of said tongues and additional parallel incisions extending into said panels from the inner ends of said angular incisions to form a stem of a generally tee-shaped tongue of substantial area and width, each tee-shaped tongue on said side panels being foldable inwardly respectively onto a common surface of said side panels and adapted to be secured thereto by adhesive to form a smoothly rounded edge along a fold defining the innermost boundary of said access notches, and said additional parallel incisions also forming one edge of small flaps foldable onto said common surface of said side panels along lines extending angularly from opposite ends of the fold of each tee-shaped tongue outwardly to the outer edge of each side panel which defines said opening whereby when said panels and small flaps have been folded smooth rounded edges for the entire length of said access notches are provided and also reinforcement of very substantial areas of said side panels is provided by doubling the thickness thereof where said tee-shaped tongues are disposed.

2. The record album according to claim 1 further characterized by said pair of side panels being foldable from opposite edges of a narrow edge panel extending the full length of the side edges of said side panels and said opposite edge of one side panel having a similar edge panel connected thereto between said opposite edge of said one side panel and the edge flap thereof to provide a space of limited thickness between said side panels within which phonograph records may be contained, and the ends of said narrow edge panels which are within the open end of the container when formed having additional short tongues of said material foldably connectable to said ends of said narrow edge panels and adapted to be folded inwardly upon said narrow edge panels and affixed thereto, thereby to provide smooth rounded ends upon said narrow edge panels to complement and continue the smooth rounded edges of the access notches of said open end of said container.

3. The record album according to claim 2 further including additional narrow end panels foldably connected to the bottom edges of the side panels which are opposite the ends of the side panels which form the open end and adapted to be folded in overlapping relationship with each other and adapted to be secured by adhesive to form a closed end for said container opposite the open end thereof.

4. The record album according to claim 1 wherein the opposite ends of the head portions of the tee-shaped tongues respectively are spaced a short distance inward from the opposite edges of the side panels to which they are connected and the length of the tee-shaped tongues outward from the folded ends thereof being at least half the length of the side panels from the open ends thereof to the opposite ends, whereby said tongues overlie substantially half the area of the inner surfaces of said side panels, and the portions of the ends of the side panels beyond the ends of the head of said tee-shaped tongues having additional short tongues foldable inward to form rounded edges.

5. The record album according to claim 4 in which said incisions are shaped to form a triangular cutout extending respectively from each side of said extensions on said side panels and extending into said side panels from where said extensions join the side panels and an additional straight incision extending from an inner corner of said triangle perpendicularly to the outer edge of said extension to define the stem of said tee-shaped tongue, the portion of each side panel formed adjacent said triangular cutout and said additional straight incision comprising small flaps which are folded onto said side panels to provide additional portions of the rounded edges of said access notches respectively extending angularly outward and away from the opposite ends of the rounded edge formed by the folds of said tongues.

6. The record album according to claim 5 in which the outermost side of said triangular cutout is parallel to the side edges of said side panels and spaced inwardly therefrom to form said additional short tongues.

7. The record album according to claim 1 further including a slip case complementary in size and shape to said record album and adapted to receive the same slidably through one open end, said slip case being formed from sheet paper board stock similar to that from which said album is formed and comprising a pair of side panels foldably connected along opposite edges of a narrow edge panel, additional narrow edge panels foldably connected to said side panels along the outer side edges and also the end edges thereof which are opposite said open end of said slip case, said narrow edge panels being foldable into overlapping relation and connected by adhesive, and the edges of said side panels and narrow connecting panels which form said open end having narrow reinforcing panels foldably connected to said edges and folded inwardly upon and secured to the inner surfaces of said side panels and narrow edge panel connected thereto to provide rounded outer edges to said open end of said slip case.

8. The record album and slip case according to claim 7 in which the side panels of said slip case are provided with still further narrow strengthening panels foldably connected respectively along the outer edges of said additional narrow edge panels connected respectively along one outer side edge and end edge of one of said side panels and adapted to be folded onto said additional narrow edge panels to which they are foldably connected and secured thereto by adhesive, thereby providing a double thickness to said respective additional narrow edge panels for being folded in overlapping relation onto the additional narrow edge panels on the side and end edges of said other side panel and thereby provide triple thicknesses to the side and end of the slip case respectively adjacent and opposite the open end of said slip case, and short end flaps foldably connected to the ends of the narrow connecting edge panel between said side panels and along one side of one of said side panels, said short end flaps being folded toward each other respectively over and secured to opposite ends of the overlapping additional narrow edge panels which are opposite the open end of the slip case.

9. A phonograph record album formed from sheet paper board stock and comprising in combination, a pair of similar rectangular side panels connected at one side edge and bottom edges by overlapping narrow rectangular side edge and bottom panels and the opposite side edges of said side panels being connected by a single narrow rectangular side panel foldably connected to said opposite side edges of said side panels and forming a relatively narrow container, the top edges of said side panels having relatively long access notches formed therein by tongues on the side panels which originally extended beyond the top edges of said side panels when in blank form, said tongues having stems which are narrower than the length of the tops of said tongues by means of incisions in said tongues and portions of said side panels extending angularly inward toward each other and downwardly a limited distance to a fold line spaced inward from and parallel to the open top of said container and along which said tongues are folded inwardly onto the inner surfaces of said side panels and affixed thereto by adhesive, said angular incisions also defining triangular flaps which also are folded inwardly against the inner surfaces of said side panels and affixed thereto by adhesive, thereby providing said access notches with rounded reinforced edges and the side panels with reinforcement on a major portion of the areas thereof to provide protection for records to be stored therein.