GB1595977A

GB1595977A - Gramophone record sleeves

Info

Publication number: GB1595977A
Application number: GB3103477A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Ringham M S
Current assignee: Ringham M S
Priority date: 1978-05-30
Filing date: 1978-05-30
Publication date: 1981-08-19

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO GRAMOPHONE RECORD SLEEVES (71) I, MICHAEL STANLEY RINGHAM, a British Subject, of 6, York Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the followng statement:- This invention relates to gramophone record sleeves.

Usually, a gramophone record is kept in a double sleeve assembly, the inner sleeve being relatively flimsy, being made of paper, plastics material such as polythene, or a combination of the two, and the outer sleeve of stiff cardboard. When playing a record, it has to be extracted from the inner sleeve and placed on the turntable. This exposes it to direct handling, and the side not being played to the face of the turntable.

Great care has to be taken to avoid touching the grooves, but there is no avoiding the face-to-face contact of the record with the turntable and the consequent risk of dust or other contamination of the grooves.

It is an object of this invention to provide a gramophone record sleeve which will avoid this direct handling and face-to-face contact with the turntable.

According to the present invention there is provided a sleeve for gramophone records comprising two disc-like members with mutually interengageable peripheries for covering opposite sides of a record to enclose the record apart from holes registering with the central record hole, each member being individually removable from the record and the other member to expose only one grooved side at a time.

In a preferred form the members are discs with interengaging ribs and chanels, and the ribs project and the channels face either axially or radially. The members may be of composite construction comprising peripheral arcuate elements providing the ribs and channels, attached to the discs. A preferred construction is for the arcuate elements to be of substantially semi-circular extent, one element on each member having a channel facing radially inwardly and the other element being a reinforcement of the other half of the periphery. Alternatively each member may be integrally formed, in which case one member may have a channel around its periphery and the other member a bead providing a rib which is a snap fit in the channel.Alternatively each member may have a channel around half of its periphery and a bead providing a rib around the other half, each bead being a snap fit in the channel of the opposite member. The discs may be of transparent, soft flexible material and may have an annular lining of tissue paper, leaving a central window in the material for viewing a record label.

For a better understanding of the invention some embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of the inside face of one part of a gramophone record sleeve.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the inside face of another part of the sleeve, Figure 3 is a diametral cross-section of the assembled sleeve with record encased, and Figures 4 and 5 are diametral cross-sections of further two part record sleeves.

The record sleeve of Figures 1 to 3 comprises two disolike members 1 and 2 which fit together around their peripheries to encase a record 3. The member 1 has a stiff ring 4 formed with two co-axial annular ribs 5 and 6 defining between them a channel 7 and, radially inwards of the inner rib 6, a shelf 8 which, when the member 1 is lowermost, serves as a seat for the periphery of a record.

The circular space within the ring 4 is spanned by a clear polythene sheet 9, and on the side of that to face the record there is an annular lining of tissue paper 10. This will cover the record grooves but leaves a window for the central label to be viewed through the sheet 9.

The latter has a central hole 11 through which the locating pin of the record turntable can pass.

The member 2 has a stiff ring 12 with a single annular rib 13 whose radius and crosssection make it a press-fit in the channel 7 when the two members are brought together as shown in Figure 3. Otherwise, the member 2 is similarly constructed to the member 1 and corresponding parts are similarly referenced, but with primes.

The rings 4 and 12 will be sufficiently rigid to provide a strong support around the periphery of the record, but with sufficient flexibility to be quite readily prised apart.

When not in use, the record and sleeve will generally be housed in an outer sleeve of slightly larger than usual form, or in abox. For use, the inner sleeve, holding the record, is removed from the outer sleeve or box and placed on the turntable, the locating pin entering through the hole 11 or 111 into the central hole in the record. The upper member 1 or 2, whichever it may be, is then removed leaving the playing surface exposed without having been handled, while the underside of the record is fully protected from the turntable.

To conform to one standard dimension small diametrically opposed segments may be "sliced off" as indicated by broken lines in Figures 1 and 2. The sleeve will then fit within a non-square outer sleeve or box which matches, along its shorter sides, the dimensions of a conventional outer sleeve or box.

This might be necessary where storage shelves already exist, spaced to take conventionally packaged records without much clearance. Such missing segments may make it easier to start the separation of the two parts. They need not be true segments: the "chords" might be curved.

Preferably, this sleeve will be of all-plastics construction, apart from the paper lining.

Rather than have the rib and channel smooth and vertically sided, as shown they may be formed to have more positive interengagement, for example with a slight dovetail cross-section. The resilience of the material will allow them to snap together.

A further embodiment is shown in Figure 4, where each sleeve part 25, 251 is an integrally formed disc of resilient plastics material.

One part 25 has a channelled rim 26 into which a peripheral bead 261 around the other part can be pressed in a snap fit action to seal the parts together.

Instead of two dissimilar parts, they could match, each having a bead around one half the periphery and a channel around the other half. This would mean producing only one type of sleeve part.

In the embodiment of Figure 5, there are two discs 27, 271 of stiff paper or cardboard, each of which has bonded around half of its periphery a U-section rubber or resilient plastics band 28, 281 and around the other half a reinforcing band 29, 291 which may be of stiff cardboard. The U-section has unequal legs projecting radially inwardly, the longer one being bonded to the disc and the shorter one providing a lip for containing the reinforced rim of the opposite disc.

It may be possible to have a stiff cardboard channel around the first half, instead of a rubber or plastics band, WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A sleeve for gramophone records comprising two disc-like members with mutually interengageable peripheries for covering opposite sides of a record to enclose the record apart from holes registering with the central record hole, each member being individually removable from the record and the other member to expose only one grooved side at a time.

2. A sleeve as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the members are discs with interengaging ribs and channels around their peripheries.

3. A sleeve as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the ribs project and the channels face axially.

4. A sleeve as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the ribs project and the channels face radially.

5. A sleeve as claimed in Claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the members are of composite construction comprising peripheral arcuate elements, providing the ribs and channels, attached to the discs.

6. A sleeve as claimed in Claims 4 and 5 wherein the arcuate elements are of substantially semi-circular extent, one element on each member having a channel facing radially inwardly and the other element being a reinforcement of the other half of the periphery.

7. A sleeve as claimed in Claim 2, wherein each member is integrally formed.

8. A sleeve as claimed in Claim 7, wherein one member has a channel around its periphery and the other member has a bead providing a rib which is a snap fit in said channel.

9. A sleeve as claimed in claim 7, wherein each member has a channel around half of its periphery and a bead providing a rib around the other half, each bead being a snap fit in the channel of the opposite member.

10. A sleeve as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein each member has a circumferential shelf for supporting the periphery of a record.

11. A sleeve as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 10, wherein the discs are of transparent, soft, flexible material.

12. A sleeve as claimed in Claim 11, wherein each disc has an annular lining of

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. the member 1 and corresponding parts are similarly referenced, but with primes. The rings 4 and 12 will be sufficiently rigid to provide a strong support around the periphery of the record, but with sufficient flexibility to be quite readily prised apart. When not in use, the record and sleeve will generally be housed in an outer sleeve of slightly larger than usual form, or in abox. For use, the inner sleeve, holding the record, is removed from the outer sleeve or box and placed on the turntable, the locating pin entering through the hole 11 or 111 into the central hole in the record. The upper member 1 or 2, whichever it may be, is then removed leaving the playing surface exposed without having been handled, while the underside of the record is fully protected from the turntable. To conform to one standard dimension small diametrically opposed segments may be "sliced off" as indicated by broken lines in Figures 1 and 2. The sleeve will then fit within a non-square outer sleeve or box which matches, along its shorter sides, the dimensions of a conventional outer sleeve or box. This might be necessary where storage shelves already exist, spaced to take conventionally packaged records without much clearance. Such missing segments may make it easier to start the separation of the two parts. They need not be true segments: the "chords" might be curved. Preferably, this sleeve will be of all-plastics construction, apart from the paper lining. Rather than have the rib and channel smooth and vertically sided, as shown they may be formed to have more positive interengagement, for example with a slight dovetail cross-section. The resilience of the material will allow them to snap together. A further embodiment is shown in Figure 4, where each sleeve part 25, 251 is an integrally formed disc of resilient plastics material. One part 25 has a channelled rim 26 into which a peripheral bead 261 around the other part can be pressed in a snap fit action to seal the parts together. Instead of two dissimilar parts, they could match, each having a bead around one half the periphery and a channel around the other half. This would mean producing only one type of sleeve part. In the embodiment of Figure 5, there are two discs 27, 271 of stiff paper or cardboard, each of which has bonded around half of its periphery a U-section rubber or resilient plastics band 28, 281 and around the other half a reinforcing band 29, 291 which may be of stiff cardboard. The U-section has unequal legs projecting radially inwardly, the longer one being bonded to the disc and the shorter one providing a lip for containing the reinforced rim of the opposite disc. It may be possible to have a stiff cardboard channel around the first half, instead of a rubber or plastics band, WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A sleeve for gramophone records comprising two disc-like members with mutually interengageable peripheries for covering opposite sides of a record to enclose the record apart from holes registering with the central record hole, each member being individually removable from the record and the other member to expose only one grooved side at a time.

7. A sleeve as claimed in Claim 2, wherein each member is integrally formed.

12. A sleeve as claimed in Claim 11, wherein each disc has an annular lining of

tissue paper, leaving a central window in the material for viewing a record label.

13. A sleeve for gramophone records substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 3, Figure 4 or Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.