Transparent Mount for Photograph Album

The present invention relates to the mounts for photograph albums.

There are known mounts for photograph albums formed from transparent sheets of weldable plastic material, welded to each other at their edges to form pockets with sizes suitable for containing one or two photographs back-to-back. In the mounts of the above type, the pockets for containing the photographs vary in size according to the format of the photographs, and are open on one side only, generally on a short side, and therefore the photograph has to be inserted into the pocket with a certain disposition, even if it should be orientated differently in order to be seen correctly without the necessity of rotating the album.

It is the scope of the present invention to provide a mount for photograph albums which avoids to the drawbacks and disadvantages of the known prior art mounts.

According to the invention a mount for a photograph album is provided, having at least one pocket with dimensions in a plan view sufficient to contain at least one photograph with either a horizontal disposition or a vertical disposition, the pocket being open on two consecutive sides to form two apertures, at an angle of 90.degree. to each other, through wich the photograph can be inserted into the pocket with a horizontal disposition or a vertical disposition as required.

According to another feature of the invention, the mount is further provided with suitable internal welds, which ensure the correct centering and retention of the photograph in the pocket or pockets of the mount, independently of the orientation of the photograph.

Advantageously, each mount is preferably formed from three superimposed sheets of suitable plastic material, the outer ones of which are transparent, while the intermediate sheet is opaque, has a colour such that it forms an effective perimetric contrast for the photograph, and has its surfaces suitably rough to retain the photographs in the mount.

When looking through a photograph album made with mounts according to the invention, it is possible to correctly view the photographs with horizontal disposition or with vertical disposition, without the necessity of rotating the album as is the case in the known art.

Further characteristics of the mount according to the invention, and the advantages derived therefrom, will be evident from the following description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a mount according to the invention.

FIG. 2 shows further details of the mount shown in FIG. 1, in section along the line II--II; and

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of the mount according to the invention.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the photograph mount S shown is formed from one pair of transparent weldable plastics sheets 1 and 2, between which a third sheet 3, which is also made from weldable plastics material, is disposed. The sheet 3 is made of opaque material and has a colour suitable for the formation of a contrasting background for the photographs. Advantageously, the intermediate sheet 3 may be provided with surfaces which are embossed, micro-pitted, satin-finished, or otherwise toughened, and is for example black in colour.

The sheets 1-2-3 are of identical shape, proportionate to the format of the photographs to be stored, and are for example quadrilateral, with the corners bevelled at 45.degree. or rounded and are welded together in all the corner areas, as indicated by 4-104-204-804. The size of the mount is such that the photograph of the predetermined format can be contained in it with a sufficient play, in either horizontal or vertical disposition.

The sheets 1-2-3 are welded together on two consecutive sides, as indicated by 5 and 6, and one of these sides, for example 5, of the mount S formed by the sheets 1-2-3 is made so that it can be joined in a book with other identical mounts, to form a photograph album. The other welded side 6 is orientated downwards. In the example, illustrated purely as an indication and without restriction, the mount S has, on the short welded side 5, symmetrically disposed holes 7 with which the mount can be connected and hinged to the openable rings 108 of a clamp 8 of known type fixed to the inner face of the spine of a photograph album cover. Preferably, the holes 7 have welded edges and/or are surrounded by a weld which has the purpose of reinforcing the edges and preventing them from breaking when they slide on the rings 108.

At a short distance from and parallel to the welded side 9, the mount S is provided with a weld line 9 and the holes 7 are located in the space between this weld line and the side 5. The distance between the weld line 9 and the apertures 10 of the mount S is substantially equal to the distance between the welded side 6 and the apertures 11 of the mount, and this distance is proportionate to the format of the photograph for which the mount S was designed. If the photograph F is to be orientated horizontally, as indicated by the broken line in FIG. 1, it is inserted into the mount S through one of the apertures 10, so that it is visible through one of the transparent walls 1 or 2, and until it meets the weld line 9, while the opposite side of the photograph F passes conveniently beyond the aperture 10 so that it is contained within the mount. Conversely, if the photograph F' is to be orientated vertically, as indicated by the dot-and-dash line in FIG. 1, the photograph is inserted into the mount S through one of the apertures 11, until it meets the welded side 6, while the opposite side of the photograph passes conveniently beyond the aperture 11 so that it is contained within the mount.

To ensure that the photograph is conveniently centered and orientated in the mount S, independently of the orientation with which it was inserted in the mount, the mount S is provided, in the areas of the external angles of the hypothetical intersection of two differently orientated photographs F--F', with welds 12, preferably of annular and round shape, to provide an effective guide for the correct insertion of photographs into the pockets of the mount S.

If the photographs are inserted into the two pockets of the mount with different orientations, the intermediate opaque sheet 3 impedes the view of the intersection of the photographs, which would be rather unattractive. The sheet 3 not only forms an effective frame for the photographs, but also, with its rough surface, retains the photographs in the mount and prevents them from falling out unintentionally.

Minor modifications to the mount as described are possible. For example the welds on the side 5 and possibly also at the corner areas 204-304 or also at 4-104 may be eliminated. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the welds 12 may be replaced by weld lines 112, for example of V shape, with a rounded corner area, reaching the apertures 10-11, with a guiding shape which facilitates the insertion of the photographs into the pockets of the mount.