Retention device for collectibles in plastic collectibles pages

Abstract

An improved collectibles page for the storage and display of collectibles such as coins, sports cards, currency or business cards can be created by adding a flap to the front sheet of the page and corresponding slots to the back sheet of the page. These improvements allow for the retention of the collectibles within the collectibles page as well as providing an additional level of security against theft. These modifications can be implemented with minimal cost, providing product differentiation for the manufacturer while adding value to the collector. Adding these features involves altering the tooling used to create the collectibles page but does not add any additional materials or process steps.

Claims

1. A collectibles page comprising a front sheet attached to a back sheet, where the attachment of said front sheet to said back sheet results in the formation of pockets into which collectibles may be inserted and where said front sheet has cutouts that form flaps and where said back sheet has cuts that form slits, located where said flaps can be inserted into said slits and where the attachment of said front sheet to said back sheet is accomplished via a heat seal and where said front sheet has cutouts that additionally form removal relief cutouts at the bottom of the pocket.

2. A coin storage and presentation page comprising a front sheet attached to a back sheet, where the attachment of said front sheet to said back sheet results in the formation of pockets into which collectibles may be inserted and where said front sheet has cutouts that form flaps and where said back sheet has cuts that form slits, located where said flaps can be inserted into said slits and where the attachment of said front sheet to said back sheet is accomplished via a heat seal and where said front sheet has cutouts that additionally form removal relief cutouts at the bottom of the pocket.

3. A baseball card storage and presentation page comprising a front sheet attached to a back sheet, where the attachment of said front sheet to said back sheet results in the formation of pockets into which collectibles may be inserted and where said front sheet has cutouts that form flaps and where said back sheet has cuts that form slits, located where said flaps can be inserted into said slits and where the attachment of said front sheet to said back sheet is accomplished via a heat seal and where said front sheet has cutouts that additionally form removal relief cutouts at the bottom of the pocket.

Description

DRAWINGS

Figures

(1) FIG. 1Traditional collectibles page

(2) FIG. 2Improved collectibles page

(3) FIG. 3Improved collectibles page front sheet

(4) FIG. 4Improved collectibles page back sheet

(5) FIG. 5Triangular tab

(6) FIG. 6Square tab

(7) FIG. 7Slotted square tab

(8) FIG. 8Pocket cross section

DRAWINGS

Reference Numerals

(9) 1. Front Sheet 2. Back Sheet 3. Perimeter heat seal 4. Ring hole heat seal 5. Horizontal pocket heat seal 6. Vertical pocket heat seal 7. Front sheet cutout 8. Pocket 9. Flap 10. Slit 11. Relief cut 12. Collectible 13. Removal Relief Cutout
Theory of Operation

(10) FIG. 2 shows an improved collectibles page. The improvements involve modifying the collectibles page to include a flap 9 in the front sheet and a corresponding slit 10 in the back sheet at the open top of the pocket 8. By inserting the flap 9 in the slit 10, a collectible 12 present in the pocket 8 is positively retained. If the binder containing the collectibles page is dropped while the flap 9 is inserted in the slit 10, the collectible 12 will not fall out. Also, with the flap 9 engaged in the slit 10, additional actions are required to remove the collectible 12 from the pocket 8, making it more difficult to surreptitiously remove the contents. To remove a collectible, the flap 9 is removed from the slit 10 then the collectible 12 can be eased out of the pocket 8 by pushing on the collectible 12 through the removal relief cutout 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(11) An improved collectibles page can be manufactured using the same processes used to produce existing collectibles pages. To implement the improvement, the cutouts in the front sheet 1 are modified to produce a new front sheet cutout 7 that includes the flap 9, and the process used to cutout the back sheet 2 is modified to cutout the slits 10. The heat seal apparatus may need to be modified so that the horizontal pocket heat seal 5 leaves the flap 9 unattached to the back sheet 2. Other than these changes, the manufacturing process is identical between the traditional collectibles page and the improved collectibles page.

(12) To create the front sheet cutout 7 and the slits 10 in the back sheet, the production tooling would either receive a modified die or updated cutter programming. In designing the front sheet cutout 7, many different forms can be used for the flap 9. FIG. 5 shows a triangular shaped flap 9, FIG. 5 shows a rectangular flap 9 and FIG. 7 shows a rectangular flap 9 with a relief cut 11 on either side of the flap 9. The sharp corners of the flap 9 may be radiused as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 for ease of use, to provide better user comfort and to make tooling easier. The three flap 9 examples shown are just a subset of the possible flap 9 shapes. Other shapes will perform equally well and are envisioned as part of this patent.

(13) Production would involve cutting out the front sheet 1, including the front sheet cutout 7, the page profile and the binder ring holes; cutting out the back sheet 2 profile, the binder ring holes and the slits 10; then joining the front sheet 1 to the back sheet 2 with a heat seal press that would create the perimeter heat seal 3, the binder ring hole heat seal 4, the horizontal pocket heat seal 5 and the vertical pocket heat seal 6.

(14) Operation

(15) To operate, the user would lift the flap 9 away from the back sheet 2, insert the collectible 12 into the pocket 8, then insert the flap 9 into the slit 10 to secure the collectible.