Semifinished product for manufacturing a photo book, set for manufacturing a photo book, photo book, and method for manufacturing a photo book

Abstract

A semi-finished product for manufacturing a photo book, the semi-finished product (1) includes a film (2) having two surfaces with the first surface (3) being printable, and a plurality of carriers (4) continuously attached on the second surface (5) of the film (2), and the relative distance between the continuous carriers (4) is alternately 1 millimeter or less when the carriers extend in the same plane, or equal to twice the thickness of the carrier (4), or deviates less than 1 millimeter from the carrier, the semi-finished product.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a semi - product for manufacturing a photo - book, a set for manufacturing a photo - book, a photo - book, and a method for manufacturing a photo - book.

Background Art

[0002] A photo - book is understood to mean a book or album in which one or more photos can be seen. Although this application mainly refers to photos, the present invention is clearly also suitable for images, drawings, other types of printed matter, etc.

[0003] Conventionally, photo - books exist with separate bound pages, whereby the photos continue across different pages.

[0004] A drawback of the photo - book is that there is always a small space between pages where the photos are interrupted.

[0005] There are also photo - books in which the pages are provided with a fold near the center and the printed matter continues across the fold. The pages of such photo - books are relatively flat, but the space between pages still exists.

[0006] Another drawback is that the photo - book uses paper on which the photos are printed. Although the photos do continue across different pages, the paper fibers are broken at the height of the fold, so there is slight damage at these folds. A part of the photo that continues across the fold will thus look unclear or, in any case, no longer look perfect.

[0007] Existing methods for manufacturing such photo - books are such that the machines for manufacturing such photo - books are very expensive and can only be used for manufacturing such photo - books.

[0008] As a result, photo books manufactured using such machines are very expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a solution to the aforementioned drawbacks and other drawbacks.

MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEM

[0010] For this purpose, the present invention provides a semi-finished product for manufacturing a photo book, including a film having two printable surfaces, and a plurality of carriers continuously attached to the second surface of the film, wherein the relative distance between the continuous carriers is alternately 1 millimeter or less, or equal to twice the thickness of the carrier, or less than 1 millimeter away from the carrier when the carriers extend in the same plane. The semi-finished product is related to this.

[0011] It should be noted here that the relative distance between the carriers is defined here when the carriers extend in the same plane. The semi-finished product is intended to form a book, and the carriers are overlapped and stacked, but in reality, this means that the film and the carriers are flat on the surface.

[0012] Of course, it is also possible to regard this semi-finished product as a final product after printing without combining the semi-finished products or providing a cover or the like to the semi-finished products.

[0013] The advantage of the semi-finished product is that the film and the carriers can be fed into the plotter in a very simple manner, and the plotter can then print photos on the printable surface.

[0014] Therefore, special or expensive machines are not required to print on the semi-finished product. Almost any conventional plotter can print the film of the semi-finished product.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the carrier is 0.05 to 5 millimeters, and in the most preferred embodiment, the thickness of the carrier is 0.1 to 2 millimeters.

[0016] This thickness allows the semi-finished product to be fed into almost any conventional plotter, while at the same time the carrier still sufficiently supports the film.

[0017] A very thin carrier with a maximum thickness of 0.05 millimeters is possible when using synthetic materials such as, for example, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, or polystyrene.

[0018] The film is preferably made of polypropylene.

[0019] The advantage of using a film made of polypropylene is that it results in very neat folds where the visible fibers are not broken or damaged. As a result, the part of the photograph that continues across the fold will be fully visible, unlike when conventional paper is used.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the carrier is made of a synthetic material, for example polypropylene.

[0021] The advantage of such synthetic materials is that they do not absorb liquid and thus do not swell, allowing the adhered film to bend.

[0022] In other possible embodiments, the carrier can also be made of metal, plastic-coated or laminated cardboard, or plastic-coated or laminated paperboard.

[0023] Untreated wood, cardboard, or paperboard is not excluded, but should preferably be avoided due to the possibility of moisture absorption.

[0024] Such materials still provide sufficient strength at a limited thickness to support the film.

[0025] The dimensions of the carriers are preferably identical or nearly identical to each other.

[0026] This ensures that the carriers can be properly stacked on top of each other without uneven edges.

[0027] The film and the carriers preferably have a length and width such that the width of the film matches the width of the carriers.

[0028] This ensures that the film is fully supported across its entire width, while at the same time ensuring that the edges of the carriers do not protrude outside the width of the film. The latter is considered to be aesthetically unacceptable.

[0029] The length of the film preferably matches the total length of all the carriers, which increases with the relative distance between the carriers.

[0030] This is also advantageous in that the film is maximally supported vertically by the carriers and that the edges of the carriers do not protrude outside the outer shape of the film vertically.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the carriers on the film are attached by adhesion.

[0032] This ensures a strong and more quickly applicable connection between the carriers and the film.

[0033] The invention also relates to a set for manufacturing a photo book, said set comprising a cover and a semi-finished product according to the invention.

[0034] The cover includes a coupling element and a back part with two return parts, the back part includes a base part and two upright leg parts, the coupling element is attached within the back part of the cover, the coupling element includes a coupling leaf attached within the back part of the cover by an adhesive strip, and by all of this, two edges of the coupling leaf extend parallel to the longitudinal direction of the back part, the adhesive strip extends near the middle between the two edges, and a layer of self-adhesive is provided at the height of the edge on the surface of the coupling leaf facing away from the back part, and a protective film is provided on the layer of self-adhesive.

[0035] Such a set of cover and semi-finished product enables a photo book that looks like it was made by a professional to be manufactured very easily and at an affordable price, with photos continuing across different pages and without visible creases.

[0036] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a photo book, the photo book is manufactured using the set according to the present invention, and also relates to a method for manufacturing a photo book according to the present invention, the method comprising the following - the step of preparing a semi-finished product according to the present invention; - the step of feeding the semi-finished product into a plotter; - the step of printing on the printable surface of the semi-finished product; - the step of folding the semi-finished product by creating alternating mountain folds and valley folds so that the carriers overlap; - the step of attaching the semi-finished product within the cover and includes.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment, the step of attaching the semi-finished product within the cover comprises the following - the step of installing the semi-finished product within the back part of the cover; - the step of removing the protective film; - the step of pressing the layer of self-adhesive onto the semi-finished product and includes.

[0038] The step of pressing a layer of self - adhesive onto the semi - finished product is preferably realized by closing the cover.

[0039] By such a method, a photo - book that looks as if made by a professional can be manufactured very easily using very simple materials, having photos that continue over different pages and without visible creases.

[0040] With the intention of better showing the characteristics of the present invention, hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, as a non - limiting example, preferred embodiments of a semi - finished product for manufacturing a photo - book, a set for manufacturing a photo - book, a photo - book, and a method for manufacturing a photo - book according to the present invention will be described.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0041]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0042] FIG. 1 schematically shows a semi - finished product 1 including a film 2 having two printable surfaces with a first surface 3 printable, and a plurality of carriers 4.

[0043] The carrier 4 is continuously attached onto the second surface 5 of the film 2, and the relative distance between the continuous carriers 4 is, in this figure, alternately 1 millimeter or less, or equal to twice the thickness of the carrier 4, or deviates from the carrier by less than 1 millimeter.

[0044] Figure 2 shows the same semi-finished product 1 as that in Figure 1 from another perspective. This figure clearly shows that the carrier 4 on the film 2 is attached by an adhesive layer 6 attached to this end portion between the film 2 and the carrier 4.

[0045] In this figure, the adhesive layer 6 is attached only where the carrier 4 is provided, but the adhesive layer 6 can be continuously attached over the entire second surface 5 of the film 2. However, the disadvantages of such an embodiment are that in this way, the space between the carriers 4 is not flexible, and dust may remain stuck on the adhesive layer 6 in the space.

[0046] The adhesive layer 6 can be attached to both the film 2 and the carrier 4.

[0047] It should be noted here that the film 2 in Figures 1 and 2 is shown flat, and all the carriers 4 extend in the same plane.

[0048] Also, this example clearly shows that in this case, the width of the carrier 4 matches the width of the film 2, and the length of the film 2 matches the total length of all the carriers 4 that increases with the relative distance between the carriers 4.

[0049] The thickness of the carrier 4 is 1.2 millimeters in this example, but it is not excluded that the thickness is 0.1 to 2 millimeters, or even 0.05 to 5 millimeters.

[0050] The film 2 is, in this case but not necessarily always, made of polypropylene, and the carrier 4 is made of polyester. However, the carrier 4 can also be manufactured from another synthetic material, metal, plastic-coated or laminated cardboard, or plastic-coated or laminated paperboard.

[0051] Untreated wood, cardboard, or paperboard is not excluded, but should preferably be avoided due to possible hygroscopicity.

[0052] The film 2 can be manufactured from printable synthetic materials other than polypropylene, such as, for example, polyethylene or polyethylene terephthalate.

[0053] Figure 3 shows the same semi-finished product 1 as in Figures 1 and 2, but this time the film 2 is folded by alternating mountain folds and valley folds so that the carriers 4 overlap to form a stack or bundle 7.

[0054] In other words, the folds are placed between the carriers 4, which means that the carriers 4 themselves are not folded, but such folding is carried out between the carriers 4.

[0055] Figure 4 shows another embodiment, where the film 2 is also affixed covering the surfaces of the carriers 4 disposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the aforementioned stack or bundle 7.

[0056] Figure 5 shows a set 8 composed of the semi-finished product 1 from Figures 1 to 3 and a cover 9.

[0057] The cover 9 shown from Figures 5 to 8 is merely intended as an example, and the present invention is not limited to the use of the cover 9 of said type. The semi-finished product 1 is actually applicable in a very wide variety of covers 9.

[0058] Cover 9 includes a coupling element 10 and a back 11 with two return portions 12. The back 11 includes a base 13 and two upright legs 14, and the coupling element 10 is affixed within the back 11 of the cover 9.

[0059] The coupling element 10 includes a coupling leaf 15 affixed within the back 11 of the cover 9 by an adhesive strip 16, such that two edges 17 of the coupling leaf 15 extend parallel to the longitudinal direction of the back 11.

[0060] The adhesive strip 16 extends near the middle between the two edges 17, and a layer 18 of self - adhesive is provided at the height of the edge 17 on the surface of the coupling leaf 15 facing away from the back 11. A protective film 19 is provided on the layer 18 of self - adhesive.

[0061] Figure 6 shows a completed photo book 20 manufactured using the set 8 of Figure 3.

[0062] It should be noted here that the protective film 19 of the coupling leaf 15 is removed, and the layer 18 of self - adhesive is affixed in contact with the inner surface of the return portion 12 here.

[0063] Figure 7 shows the same photo book 20 as in Figure 6, but this time the photo book 20 is opened on a random page.

[0064] The carriers 4 that support the opened pages are placed almost flat or close to each other in contact and flat because of the structure of the film 2, and there is no visible fold in the middle of the opened pages, where the carriers 4 contact each other.

[0065] In Figure 8, the photo book 20 is opened on another random page. Here, it can be clearly seen that the carriers 4 are not attached to each other and they are connected only to the film 2 by the adhesive layer 6.

[0066] A method for manufacturing such a photo book 20 is as follows - preparing a semi-finished product 1 according to the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; - feeding the semi-finished product 1 into a plotter; - printing on the printable surface of the semi-finished product 1; - folding the semi-finished product 1 by creating alternating mountain and valley folds so that the carriers 4 overlap, as shown in FIGS. 3 or 4; - attaching the semi-finished product 1 into the cover 9, as shown in FIG. 5 and includes.

[0067] The method of attaching the semi-finished product 1 into the cover 9 is, in this example, as follows - placing the semi-finished product 1 into the back 11 of the cover 9; - removing the protective film 19; - pressing a layer 18 of self-adhesive onto the semi-finished product 1, as shown in FIG. 6 and includes.

[0068] In this embodiment, the method of pressing a layer 18 of self-adhesive onto the semi-finished product 1 is realized by closing the cover 9.

[0069] It is a common understanding that the cover 9 and the coupling element 10, and also the film 2 and the carrier 4, can have any form or dimension without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0070] It goes without saying that the adhesive strip 16 between the back 11, the coupling element 10 and the layer 18 of self-adhesive on the above-mentioned edge 17 of the coupling element 10 can be applied discretely instead of being applied continuously. For example, points of adhesive applied at appropriate distances from each other and in this way also form strips or layers.

[0071] Similarly, the adhesive layer 6 between the film 2 and the carrier 4 can be applied discretely instead of being applied continuously.

[0072] There is a common understanding that the adhesive layer 6 can be applied to cover the entire second surface 5 of the film 2, not only where the carrier 4 is provided.

[0073] As already mentioned, the cover 9 can be implemented in a wide variety of ways. The semi - product 1 is applicable in a wide variety of types of covers 9.

[0074] The semi - product 1 can be used as a final product without being combined within the cover 9.

[0075] If appropriate, the semi - product can also be attached within a suitable box or the like.

[0076] Although the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described by way of example and shown in the figures, the semi - product for manufacturing a photo - book, the set for manufacturing a photo - book, the photo - book, and the method for manufacturing a photo - book according to the present invention can be realized in any form and dimension without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0077] 1 Semi - product 2 Film 3 First surface 4 Carrier 5 Second surface 6 Adhesive layer 7 Stack, bundle 8 Set 9 Cover 10 Coupling element 11 Back 12 Turn - back portion 13 Base 14 Upright leg 15 Coupling leaf 16 Adhesive strip 17 Edge 18 Layer of self-adhesive adhesive 19 Protective film 20 Photo book

Claims

1. A semi-finished product for manufacturing a photo book, wherein the semi-finished product (1) includes a film (2) having two surfaces with the first surface (3) being printable, and a plurality of carriers (4) continuously attached on the second surface (5) of the film (2), and the relative distance between the continuous carriers (4) is alternately 1 millimeter or less, or equal to twice the thickness of the carrier, or less than 1 millimeter away from the carrier when the carriers (4) extend in the same plane. A semi-finished product characterized by this.

2. The thickness of the carrier (4) is 0.05 to 5 millimeters, and more preferably 0.1 to 2 millimeters. The semi-finished product according to claim 1, characterized by this.

3. The film (2) is manufactured from polypropylene. The semi-finished product according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by this.

4. The carrier (4) is manufactured from cardboard, thick paper, wood, metal, synthetic materials, etc. The semi-finished product according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by this.

5. The dimensions of the carriers (4) are the same as each other or almost the same. The semi-finished product according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by this.

6. The film (2) and the carrier (4) have a length and a width, and the width of the film (2) coincides with the width of the carrier (4). The semi-finished product according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by this.

7. The film (2) and the carrier (4) have a length and a width, and the length of the film (2) coincides with the total length of all the carriers (4), which increases with the relative distance between the carriers (4). The semi-finished product according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by this.

8. The carriers (4) on the film (2) are attached by an adhesive layer (6) under the carriers (4). The semi-finished product according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by this.

9. A set for manufacturing a photo book, wherein the set (8) includes a cover (9) and a semi-finished product (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8. A set characterized by this.

10. The cover (9) includes a coupling element (10) and a back (11) with two return portions (12), the back (11) includes a base (13) and two upright legs (14), the coupling element (10) is affixed within the back (11) of the cover (9), the coupling element (10) includes a coupling leaf (15) affixed within the back (11) of the cover (9) by an adhesive strip (16), whereby two edges (17) of the coupling leaf (15) extend parallel to the longitudinal direction of the back (11), the adhesive strip (16) extends near the middle between the two edges (17), and a layer (18) of self-adhesive is provided at the height of the edges (17) on the surface of the coupling leaf (15) facing away from the back (11), and a protective film (19) is provided on the layer (18) of self-adhesive, the set according to claim 9, characterized in that.

11. A photo book (20), characterized in that it is manufactured using the set (8) according to claim 9 or 10.

12. A method of manufacturing a photo book (20) according to claim 11, the method comprising: preparing a semi-finished product (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8; feeding the semi-finished product (1) into a plotter; printing on the printable surface of the semi-finished product (1); folding the semi-finished product (1) by creating alternating mountain and valley folds so that the carriers (4) overlap; affixing the semi-finished product (1) within a cover (9); a method, characterized by including.

13. The set (8) according to claim 9 or 10 is used, and the step of affixing the semi-finished product (1) within the cover (9) includes: installing the semi-finished product (1) within the back (11) of the cover (9); removing the protective film (19); pressing the layer (18) of self-adhesive onto the semi-finished product (1); a method according to claim 12, characterized by including.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that the step of pressing the layer (18) of self-adhesive onto the semi-finished product (1) is realized by closing the cover (9).

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