GB2312871A - A multi-compartment insert retainer for a pocket diary - Google Patents

Abstract

The insert retainer comprises a clear plastic pocket 2 attachable to the inside cover or an inside page of the diary 1 by means of a reusable adhesive initially covered by a protective backing. The pocket has two or more back-to-back compartments which retain the rear cover of a multi-page insert 3 (eg an address book) or loose documents 4. Two or three edges 5,6 of a compartment are closed to ease access. One or more of the compartments can be subdivided to accommodate smaller documents (eg stamps and timetables).

Description

INSERT RETAINER This invention relates to a means of retaining a loose insert such as an address book and other loose documents in a standard book such as a diary.

Standard diaries contain sections lbr addrcsses and other similar personal information which need to be rewritten in any replacement diary. I his is time consuming and it is therefore desirable to use a loose insert for this type of personalised information and transfer it to the new diary complete. This is possible with a ring binder type diary or organiser which allows sections to be replaced but not with a standard diary.

In order to allow for the addition of loose inserts, some diaries and pocket books are provided with a cloth (or other) retaining strap inside the front or rear cover. Others have a plastic (or other) pocket on the inside of one cover. It is also possible to purchase sleeves with pockets or slits in the inside covers through which the cover of a diary and/or other insert can be inserted. The sleeve therefore protects the different inserts and keeps them together.

The advantage of these approaches is that the documents are all held together which makes them much more convenient to carry, especially in a coat pocket. Additionally, the inserts need not have such a thick cover as they are protected by the outer cover.

The disadvantage of the strap/pocket approach is that these features have to be added to the diary even though many customers may not require them. The disadvantage of the sleeve approach is that the choice of diary would be restricted to those with thin covers. If a standard diary was used then the thickness would be significantly increased as there would then be two thick protective covers. This is made worse by the fact that the sleeve is intended for long term use and therefore has to be more substantial than for a diary/pocket book intended for regular replacement.

It is the object of the invention to provide a means of adding an insert plus loose documents to a standard diary or other book and retaining it without significantly increasing the overall thickness.

Accordingly, the invention provides a means of retaining one or more inserts plus other loose documents inside a standard diary or other book comprising a plastic (or other) stick-on pocket with one or more compartments attached to the inside of one cover or to an internal page.

The pocket may be dimensioned to accommodate inserts in more than one size to make best use of the available space in any book/diary but a size of approximately 7.5 x 15 cm is suitable for most diaries.

The pocket may be made from clear plastic in order to allow the page retained by the pocket to remain visible and therefore available for use. Alternatively the outer compartment of the pocket could be used for storage of documents which have to be shown to others such as rail passes.

The material used for the pocket should be as thin as possible while having sufficient strength to retain the inserts and other documents securely. It should also be flexible to allow for bending of the book/diary during use and for a range of different uses.

One or more of the compartments in the pocket may be sub-divided to accommodate and separate smaller documents such as stamps or railway/other timetables.

The compartments in the pocket can be closed at either or both sides to ease access to the other compartments and to reduce the chance of documents falling out.

The pocket will normally be fixed in place using adhesive on one surface which will initially be covered with protective backing paper to prevent the pocket sticking to anything before it is needed.

In order to allow the pocket to be located in the correct position in the book/diary the protective backing paper could be in two or more sections so that one section can be prcsentcd lo the diary and located first.

The adhesive may be made such that the pocket can be detached and re-located to ensure that the pocket can be located correctly or to allow its re-use in another book/diary.

Two specific embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures in which: Figure 1 shows in perspective one option for fixing the pocket into a diary/book with an insert shown dotted; Figure 2 shows a cross-section through the pocket with an insert plus one loose document shown in place; Figure 3 shows a cross-section through an alternative embodiment of the pocket with an insert plus one loose document shown in place.

Figure 1 shows a standard book/diary (1) with a pocket (2) located in place on the first page. The rear cover of an insert (3) which is shown dotted is held within the outer compartment of the pocket so that it can be opened and used as if it were extra pages in the original book/diary. A loose document (4) shown dotted is inserted into the inner compartment of the pocket. The ends of the pocket are closed at (5) and (6).

Figure 2 shows a cross-section through the pocket (2) between A and A' on figure 1. In this embodiment the pocket consists of three layers of a material such as plastic which are shown here in bold. These layers enclose two compartments. Although the ends of the pocket are closed this is not shown here to allow the distinction with the embodiment in figure 3 to be shown. An insert (3) is shown inside the outer compartment of the pocket. This is shown as a single sheet here for simplicity but it could consist of many sheets bound together. A loose document (4) is shown inside the inner compartment of the pocket.

In a real implementation the main advantage of having three layers in this configuration would be to allow the inner compartment to be subdivided (not shown) to accommodate and separate smaller documents such as stamps or railway/other timetables.

Figure 3 shows a cross-section through an alternative embodiment of the pocket (2).

The rear cover of an insert (3) is shown inside the outer compartment of the pocket.

Loose documents (4) are shown inside both compartments of the pocket. The edges of the compartments are closed at opposite sides. This means that there is only one opening on each side which avoids confusion when documents are inserted. The compartment shown on the left would be particularly secure as the front cover of the book/diary would prevent any document accidentally falling out unless it was fully open which would be unlikely to happen accidentally. Once again the inner compartment could be subdivided.

Claims (10)

1. A means of retaining one or more inserts plus loose documents inside a diary or other book comprising a stick-on container with two or more back-to-back compartments each closed at two or three edges which can be attached inside a cover or to an internal page.

2. An insert retainer as claimed in Claim 1 which is approximately 7.5 x 15cm to fit in typical pocket diaries.

3. An insert retainer as claimed in Claim 1 made from a clear material such as plastic.

4. An insert retainer as claimed in Claim 1 where one or more compartments are subdivided to accommodate smaller items.

5. An insert retainer as claimed in Claim 1 where ofle or more compartments are closed at a third edge to ease access and to reduce the chance of items falling out.

6. An insert retainer as claimed in Claim 5 where one or more compartments are closed at a third edge on alternate sides.

7. An insert retainer as claimed in Claim 1 where one surface is covered with adhesive protected by backing paper to prevent the container sticking to a surface before it is needed.

8. An insert retainer as claimed in Claim 7 where the backing paper is in two sections to allow one section to be presented and located first.

9. An insert retainer as claimed in Claim 7 where the adhesive allows the pocket to be detached and re-located.

10. An insert retainer substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.