Rotatable Pockets for Encapsulated Card Protection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional loose-leaf card holders are inadequate for storing and displaying professionally graded sports cards due to lack of strength, clarity, and ease of access, often causing damage and interference during card insertion and storage.

Innovation Solution

A loose-leaf card holder with rotatably mounted pockets made from high-clarity, acid-free archival quality material, featuring a binding portion with holes for secure attachment and a top-loadable design to prevent card stress and facilitate repeated access.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If conventional loose-leaf card holders are used, then card storage is simple, but they lack strength and cause damage during card insertion

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepocket strengthVSAvoidholder structure

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The card holder is divided into a frame structure with multiple separate pockets that can be individually attached or removed. Each pocket is a discrete component that can be independently reinforced, allowing strength improvement without requiring the entire holder structure to be complex and over-engineered.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The pockets are constructed from rigid, transparent material with reinforced edges and corners specifically at the locations where cards are inserted and stored. This localized reinforcement provides the necessary strength at critical points while keeping the rest of the structure simple and easy to manufacture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Illumination intensity

If conventional card holders are used, then storage capacity is adequate, but clarity and archival quality are insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvematerial clarityVSAvoidmaterial selection

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The pockets are made from a composite material that combines high optical clarity with acid-free archival properties. This composite material allows cards to be clearly displayed while being protected from degradation, meeting both the clarity requirement and the archival quality requirement simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

3Ease of operation

If conventional card holders are used, then storage is provided, but card access is difficult and causes interference

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecard accessVSAvoidcard damage

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The pockets are designed to be rotatably mounted on the frame, allowing them to rotate outward when a card needs to be accessed. This dynamic mechanism provides easy access to cards while preventing interference between adjacent cards, as each pocket can be independently rotated without affecting neighboring pockets.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

4Reliability

If cards are stored in conventional holders, then storage is achieved, but card loss and distortion occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecard protectionVSAvoidpocket design

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The pockets are pre-formed with precise dimensions and reinforcement features that automatically protect cards from loss and distortion upon insertion. The rigid structure and reinforced edges are built in advance, so that cards are protected from the moment they are placed in the pocket, without requiring complex active protection mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8826573B1Loose leaf card holder

Publication Date: 2014.09.09 MORERA LAWRENCE

AI summary

The present device is a loose-leaf card holder adapted for storing and displaying encapsulated collectible cards. The loose-leaf card holder comprises a frame adapted to mount pockets thereto. In an embodiment, the pockets are mounted rotatably onto the frame so as to be positioned out of the plane of the frame during insertion of a card.