Abstract
A trading card mailer incorporating an envelope having left and right U transitions; left and right sleeves within the envelope, wherein each sleeve among left and right sleeves has a left side and a right side, and wherein the right side of the left sleeve abuts the left side of the right sleeve to form a seam; a flexible card having left and right ends, the flexible card being received within the envelope; and left and right anchors, wherein the left anchor includes a left U transition and card end combination or includes a left adhesive bond and left sleeve combination, and wherein the right anchor includes a right U transition and card end combination or includes a right adhesive bond and right seam combination.
Claims
1. A trading card mailer comprising: a. An envelope having left and right U transitions; b. Left and right sleeves within the envelope, wherein each sleeve among left and right sleeves has a left side and a right side, and wherein the right side of the left sleeve abuts the left side of the right sleeve to form a seam; c. A card having left and right ends, the card being received within the envelope; and d. Left and right anchors, wherein the left anchor comprises a left U transition and card end combination or comprises a left adhesive bond and left sleeve combination, and wherein the right anchor comprises a right U transition and card end combination or comprises a right adhesive bond and right sleeve combination.
2. The trading card mailer of claim 1, wherein the envelope is laterally oblongated.
3. The trading card mailer of claim 2, wherein the card is laterally oblongated.
4. The trading card mailer of claim 3, further comprising left and right fulcrum and lever arm combinations, the left fulcrum and lever arm combination's lever arm comprising the left sleeve, and the right fulcrum and lever arm combination's lever arm comprising the right sleeve.
5. The trading card mailer of claim 4 wherein the left and right fulcrum and lever arm combinations' fulcrums are positioned at the seam.
6. The trading card mailer of claim 5 further comprising a third sleeve having left and right sides, the third sleeve being received within the envelope.
7. The trading card mailer of claim 6 further comprising a second seam, the second seam being positioned at one of the third sleeve's sides.
8. The trading card mailer of claim 7, wherein the left U transition comprises a left floor, wherein the right U transition comprises a right floor, and wherein each combination among the left and right U transition and card end combinations places a card end in contact with one of said floors.
9. The trading card mailer of claim 8 wherein each sleeve among the first, second, and third sleeves has a lateral dimension, wherein the card has a lateral dimension, and wherein the lateral dimension of each sleeve is approximately of the card's lateral dimension.
10. The trading card mailer of claim 7, wherein each of the adhesive bond and sleeve combinations' adhesive bonds comprises a glue dot.
11. The trading card mailer of claim 10 wherein each glue dot connects one of the sleeves to the card.
12. The mailer of claim 6 wherein, upon a deflection of the seam toward the card, the card pulls the left and right sleeves toward each other.
13. The mailer of claim 12 wherein, upon said deflection, respective right and left sides of the left and right sleeves are frictionally compressed against each other.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the instant inventive trading card mailer.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the structure of FIG. 1, as indicated in FIG. 1.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a top loader trading card sleeve component.
[0019] FIG. 4 re-depicts the structure of FIG. 3, the view of FIG. 4 additionally showing an inserted trading card.
[0020] FIG. 5 is an alternative sectional view of the structure of FIG. 1, as indicated in FIG. 1.
[0021] FIG. 6 is a magnified view of a portion of the structure of FIG. 2, as indicated in FIG. 2.
[0022] FIG. 7 is a magnified view of another portion of the structure of FIG. 2, as indicated in FIG. 2.
[0023] FIG. 8 re-depicts the structure of FIG. 2, the view showing such structure bent or
[0024] bowed.
[0025] FIG. 9 presents an alternative configuration of the structure of FIG. 2.
[0026] FIG. 10 re-depicts the structure of FIG. 9, the view of FIG. 10 showing such structure bent or bowed.
[0027] FIG. 11 is a magnified view of a portion of the structure of FIG. 10, as indicated in FIG. 10.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] Referring to drawings FIGS. 1-8, an envelope component of the instant inventive trading card mailer is referred to generally by reference arrow 1. The envelope 1 suitably comprises a standard No. 10 envelope having dimensions of approximately 9.5 inches4.125 inches, such envelope being rectangular and laterally oblongated. The envelope has a front side or wall 6 and a back side or wall 4, the envelope's upper end being closed by and adhesive flap 8. Left and right U transitions 10 and 14 join the left and right edges of the envelope's front and back wall panels 6 and 4.
[0029] Referring in particular to FIG. 3, a protective top loader type of trading card sleeve is referred to generally by reference arrow 18l, such sleeve having a transparent front wall 22l and a transparent rear wall 20l. Left, right, and lower ends of the top loader sleeve 18l form thermally bonded edges 26l, such bonded edges forming the walls 20l and 22l into a pocket having a slot configured upper opening 24l. Referring further to FIG. 4, a rectangular trading card 28l may be slidably inserted into the sleeve's upper slot 24l to be protectively received within the interior of the top loader sleeve 18l.
[0030] Referring further simultaneously to FIG. 5, top loader sleeves 18m and 18r which respectively contain trading cards 28m and 28r are configured substantially identically with top loader sleeve 18l and its trading card 28l. Each of the top loader sleeves 18l, 18m, and 18r has approximate 3 inch4 inch dimensions, each holding a 3.6875 inch2.625 inch trading card, such cards being between 20 points and 35 points in thickness.
[0031] Referring simultaneously to FIGS. 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8, a rectangular tensioning card 30 is received within the envelope 1, such card overlying the top loader sleeves 18l, 18m, and 18r, and immediately underlying the envelope's front wall 6. In a preferred embodiment, the card 30 comprises at least 18 point card stock or at least 0.457 mm thick stock. The rearward surface of the card 30 is preferably glossy for enhanced removability of glue dots, as further explained below. The envelope's left and right U transitions 10 and 14 respectively include floors 12 and 16, the left and right ends of the envelope's rear and front walls 4 and 6 constituting and functioning as the U transitions' arms. Proximal ends of the U transitions' arms 4 and 6 are suitably formed wholly with upper and lower ends of the floors 12 and 16.
[0032] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the left and right ends of the tensioning card 30 may suitably span the entirety of the lateral width of the envelope 1 so that such ends respectively contact the inner surfaces of the U transitions' floors 12 and 16. Leftward and rightward compressive contacts of such tensioning card ends tend to narrow and retract the U transitions so that the proximal ends of their arms 4 and 6 compressively hold the extreme leftmost and rightmost edges 26l and 26r of the sleeves 18l and 18r against the left and right ends of the tensioning card 30. Such compressive contact enhance friction at the ends of the tensioning card 30, securely anchoring such ends of within the U transitions. The abutting contacts of the extreme left and right ends of the sleeves 18l and 18r with the U transitions' floors 12 and 16 advantageously assist in securely holding and positioning such sleeve ends at their anchored left and right positions within the envelope 1.
[0033] To achieve such lateral contacts of the ends of the tensioning card 30 with the U transitions' floors 12 and 16, the lateral width dimension of the tensioning card 30 is suitably closely fitted lateral for nesting receipt within the interior dimension of the envelope 1. Such close fitting preferably allows the card 30 to be slidably inserted into the envelope 1 and allows the ends of the card to bias against floors 12 and 16 upon insertion of sleeves 18l, 18m, and 18r. To allow the left edge of the leftmost sleeve 18l to similarly bias against the left floor 12 while the right edge of the rightmost sleeve 18r biases against the right floor 16, the lateral width of each of the sleeves 18l, 18m, and 18r may suitably be substantially equal to of the lateral width of the envelope 1 and tensioning card 30.
[0034] As shown in FIG. 8, a postal mail sorting machine (not shown within views) may flexibly bend the envelope 1 including its contents in the direction indicated, causing the seam abutments of the sleeves 18l, 18m, and 18r to deflect toward the overlying tensioning card 30. With the lateral ends of the tensioning card 30 anchored in the manner described above within the left and right U transitions 10 and 14, machine imposed bends tend to laterally stretch the tensioning card 30 over the sleeves' abutting seams. During such bowing or bending, the abutting junctures of the sleeves 18l, 18m, and 18r advantageously function as fulcrums or pivot points while the sleeves themselves function as lever arms. The lever arm and fulcrum tensioned card 30 compressively holds and drives the sleeves 18l, 18m, and 18r together at their abutting seams, advantageously increasing fictional forces at the seams. Simultaneously, the stretched and tensioned extensions of the card 30 over the deflected seams function as stops against sleeve misalignments. The frictional forces translated by the tensioning card 30 in combination with the card's misalignment stopping function, advantageously prevent misalignments of the abutting edges of the sleeves during such postal sorting machine processing. By keeping the sleeves aligned, the instant invention advantageously prevents undesirable slidable overlapping of the sleeves contained within the envelope.
[0035] Referring to the alternate configuration of FIG. 9, it may be seen that a relatively shorter tensioning card 40 is provided instead of the full width tensioning card 30 of FIG. 8. In the FIG. 9 configuration, the tensioning card 40 has a lateral length dimension which does not fully extend between the floors 12 and 16 of the envelope's left and right U transitions 10 and 14. As a result of such shortened card dimension, U transition effected anchoring of the lateral ends of the tensioning card 40 does not occur. To accommodate for the lack of U transition anchors at the ends of the tensioning card 40, adhesive bonds, suitably in the form of adhesive glue dots or glue patches 42l, 42m, and 42r may be provided. Such alternative tensioning card anchors adhesively attach the front walls 22l, 22m, and 22r of the top loader sleeves 18l, 18m, and 18r to the relatively short tensioning card 40.
[0036] As shown in FIG. 11, a postal sorting machine induced bend, similar to the bend experienced by the FIG. 8 structure, may deflect the sleeves' abutting seams toward the overlying tensioning card 40. Such bending effectively stretches the portions of the tensioning card 40 which span laterally between glue dots 42l, 42r and 42m. Referring to the mailer's right seam shown in FIG. 11, such card stretching action is provided by pivoting levering of the adjacent sleeves 18m and 18r about their laterally abutting seam, such pivoting contact functioning as a fulcrum. The sleeves' lever and fulcrum combinations induce stretching of the overlying tensioning card 40, causing the card to impose compressive friction at the seams while simultaneously functioning as an overlying misalignment preventing stop.
[0037] Regardless of whether anchoring of the instant invention's tensioning card is produced at the U transition captured ends of a full width tensioning card 30, or via adhesive bonds applied to the face of a relatively short tensioning card 40, the instant invention's anchor components allow portions of the tensioning card which span between the anchors to both compressively hold adjacent sleeves together at an abutting seam, while additionally functioning at the abutting seams as misalignment preventing stops.
[0038] While the principles of the invention have been made clear in the above illustrative embodiment, those skilled in the art may make modifications to the structure, arrangement, portions, and components, without departing from those principles. For example, the envelope 1 may have a shortened lateral dimension accommodating only two vertically oriented top loader sleeves. As another example, a laterally abutting pair of vertically oriented top loader sleeves may be substituted for the triple of such sleeves shown in FIG. 5. Alternatively, the orientations of such laterally abutting pair of sleeves may be lateral instead of vertical. Accordingly, it is intended that the description and drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in the limiting sense, and that the invention be given a scope commensurate with the appended claims.
