Abstrict
An airline ticket holder comprises a front cover and a back cover
joined along a mutual inner edge or fold. A pocket is located between
the two covers and is attached to the front cover. Located between
the pocket and the back cover and attached to the covers adjacent
the fold is a booklet comprising a plurality of pages each having
advertising matter printed thereon.
Claims
We claim:
1. An article of manufacture comprising:
a pair of covers joined together along a junction;
a booklet comprising a plurality of pages;
said booklet being located between said covers;
means attaching said booklet to a cover;
and means on said article for holding an object;
said pair of covers, said booklet pages, and said holding means
having lateral and longitudinal dimensions;
each booklet page being joined together along an inner longitudinal
edge portion and having an unjoined longitudinal edge portion;
the longitudinal dimensions of both covers, of said booklet pages
and of said holding means being the same;
the lateral dimension of each cover and of each booklet page being
constant along the entire length thereof;
all of said booklet pages having substantially the same lateral
dimension;
the lateral dimension of one cover being different than the lateral
dimension of said booklet pages along substantially the entire length
of each to facilitate thumbing readily of said one cover without
obstruction by said booklet;
the lateral dimension of the other cover being different than the
lateral dimension of said one cover to facilitate thumbing readily
of said other cover without obstruction by said booklet and to facilitate
thumbing readily of either of said covers without obstruction by
another cover.
2. An article of manufacture as recited in claim 1 wherein:
the lateral dimension of said object holding means being different
than the lateral dimension of said one cover along substantially
the entire length of each.
3. An article of manufacture as recited in claim 1 wherein:
said means for holding an object comprises pocket means located
between said covers and attached to one of said covers.
4. An article of manufacture as recited in claim 3 and comprising:
a lateral slit in said one cover communicating with the interior
of said pocket means.
5. In combination, an airline ticket holder and an advertising
booklet, said combination comprising:
a pair of covers joined together along a junction;
pocket means located between said covers and attached to one of
the covers;
said pocket means comprising means for receiving and holding an
airline ticket;
and an advertising booklet comprising a plurality of pages;
said advertising booklet being located between said covers;
and means attaching said booklet to a cover;
said pair of covers, said pocket means and said advertising booklet
pages having lateral and longitudinal dimensions;
each booklet page being joined together along an inner longitudinal
edge portion and having an unjoined outer longitudinal edge portion;
the longitudinal dimensions of both covers being the same;
the lateral dimension of each cover and of each booklet page being
constant along the entire length thereof;
all of said booklet pages having substantially the same lateral
dimension;
the lateral dimension of each cover being different than the lateral
dimension of said booklet pages and also different than the lateral
dimension of the other cover to facilitate thumbing readily of either
cover without obstruction by said booklet and to facilitate thumbing
readily of either of said covers without obstruction by the other
cover.
6. A combination as recited in claim 5 wherein:
the lateral dimension of one cover is greater than the lateral
dimension of said booklet;
and the lateral dimension of the other cover is less than the lateral
dimension of said booklet.
7. A combination as recited in claim 5 wherein:
the longitudinal dimensions of both covers and of said booklet
are all the same.
8. A combination as recited in claim 7 wherein:
the longitudinal dimension of said pocket means is the same as
the longitudinal dimension of said covers.
9. A combination as recited in claim 5 and comprising:
an inner longitudinal edge portion on said pocket means laterally
spaced from said inner longitudinal edge portions of the booklet
pages;
said inner longitudinal edge portions of (a) the pocket means and
(b) the booklet pages defining a space therebetween;
the lateral dimension of said pocket means being constant along
the length thereof;
a lateral slit in said front cover behind said pocket means;
said slit comprising means for permitting the insertion of a portion
of an airline ticket into said pocket means from the outside of
said front cover;
said slit having an inner end extending into said space, said inner
end being located closer to said inner longitudinal edge portions
of the booklet pages than is any part of said pocket means;
said inner end of the slit and said advertising booklet being laterally
spaced apart a distance sufficient to permit said airline ticket
portion to be inserted readily into said pocket means without obstruction
by said booklet.
10. A combination as recited in claim 5 wherein:
said pocket means has a side entrance;
there is a space between said side entrance and said advertising
booklet;
and said space has a lateral dimension which is substantially less
than the lateral dimension of said one cover but greater than 12%
thereof.
11. A combination as recited in claim 10 wherein:
said space has a lateral dimension greater than 18% of the lateral
dimension of said one cover.
12. A combination as recited in claim 10 wherein:
said pocket means has the same longitudinal dimension as said one
cover.
13. A combination as recited in claim 5 wherein said combination
is intended for used with an airline ticket having a predetermined
lateral dimension and a longitudinal edge and wherein:
said pocket means has a constant lateral dimension along the entire
length thereof and which is sufficiently less than the lateral dimension
of the airline ticket to expose the longitudinal edge of said ticket
when the latter is in the pocket means and to facilitate grabbing
hold of said ticket.
14. A combination as recited in claim 13 wherein:
said pocket means has a lateral dimension sufficiently large in
relation to the lateral dimension of the ticket to hold the ticket
in the pocket means.
15. A combination as recited in claim 14 wherein:
said pocket means has a lateral dimension which is in the range
of about 75-93% of the lateral dimension of the ticket.
16. A combination as recited in claim 5 wherein:
said covers comprise an elongated front cover and an elongated
back cover, each having outer and inner surfaces and first and second
longitudinal edge portions;
said front cover and back cover being joined along the second longitudinal
edge portion of each;
said pocket means comprises a member disposed along the inner surface
of said front cover and attached to the front cover;
said pocket member and said front cover are longitudinally coextensive
and comprise means defining a pocket having an entrance for receiving
and holding an airline ticket;
said booklet is located between said pocket and the inner surface
of said back cover;
each of said booklet pages has first and second longitudinal edge
portions;
said plurality of pages are joined together along their second
longitudinal edge portions to define an inner longitudinal edge
portion of said booklet;
the first longitudinal edge portions of said pages are unjoined
and the laterally outermost of said first longitudinal edge portions
define an outer longitudinal edge portion of said booklet;
the inner longitudinal edge portion of said booklet is joined to
at least one of said covers adjacent the second longitudinal edge
portions of each cover;
said pocket member has a first longitudinal edge portion, joined
to the first longitudinal edge portion of said front cover, and
a second longitudinal edge portion;
said second longitudinal edge portion of the pocket member is spaced
laterally from the pocket member's first longitudinal edge portion;
the lateral dimension of said pocket member being constant along
the entire length thereof;
said inner longitudinal edge portion of said advertising booklet
and said second longitudinal edge portion of said pocket member
are laterally spaced from each other to define a space therebetween
adjacent said pocket;
said space comprising means, including the lateral dimension of
said space, for allowing an airline ticket to be inserted readily
into said pocket through said entrance without obstruction by the
inner longitudinal edge portion of said advertising booklet.
17. A combination as recited in claim 16 and comprising:
a lateral slit in said front cover behind said pocket member;
said slit extending laterally between said first and second longitudinal
edge portions of the front cover and terminating at an inner end
extending into said space adjacent said pocket and spaced from the
front cover's second longitudinal edge portion;
said slit comprising means for permitting the insertion of a portion
of an airline ticket into said pocket from the outside of said front
cover;
said inner end of the slit being located closer to the inner longitudinal
edge portion of the booklet than is any part of said pocket member;
said inner end of the slit and said inner longitudinal edge portion
of said advertising booklet being laterally spaced apart a distance
sufficient to permit said airline ticket portion to be inserted
readily into said pocket without obstruction by the inner longitudinal
edge portion of said booklet.
18. A combination as recited in claim 16 and comprising:
adhesive means joining together the second longitudinal edge portions
of said booklet pages and joining the inner longitudinal edge portion
of said booklet to at least one of said covers.
19. A combination as recited in claim 8 wherein:
the lateral dimension of said pocket means is constant along the
entire length thereof.
20. A combination as recited in claim 5 wherein:
said pocket means comprises a pocket member having a first lateral
edge portion secured to said one cover and a second lateral edge
portion unsecured to either of said covers.
21. A combination as recited in claim 5 and comprising:
adhesive means attaching said booklet to at least one of said covers.
22. A combination as recited in claim 5 wherein:
each of said covers has an inner longitudinal edge portion at said
junction and an outer longitudinal edge portion spaced from said
inner longitudinal edge portion by the lateral dimension of the
cover;
said pocket means has an outer longitudinal edge portion corresponding
to the outer longitudinal edge portion of said one cover to which
the pocket means is attached and an inner longitudinal edge portion
spaced from said outer longitudinal edge portion by the lateral
dimension of the pocket means;
the lateral spacing between the outer longitudinal edge portion
of the pocket means and said junction is greater than the lateral
spacing between said junction and the outer longitudinal edge portion
of the other cover and between said junction and the outer longitudinal
edge portion of any booklet page;
said inner longitudinal edge portion of a booklet page is located
at said junction;
the lateral spacing between the outer longitudinal edge portion
of a booklet page and said junction being greater than the lateral
spacing between the outer longitudinal edge portion of said other
cover and the junction;
the outer longitudinal edge portion of said other cover being separated
from said one cover, when the covers are closed, by a multiplicity
of page thicknesses corresponding to the number of pages in said
booklet. Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to airline ticket holders
and more particularly to a combined airline ticket holder and advertising
booklet.
An ordinary airline ticket holder generally comprises a folder
having a pair of covers joined together along a junction or fold
with a pocket located between the covers and attached to one of
the covers. The pocket has an outer edge joined to the one cover
and an inner edge which is normally open to define a pocket entrance
for receiving an airline ticket which is held within the pocket.
Typical dimensions of an airline ticket holder are 31/2"-4"
wide by 8"-9" long.
The number of airline tickets sold annually in the U.S.A. numbers
in the tens of millions. For each airline ticket sold, an airline
ticket holder is provided. Airline passengers include a disproportionate
number of persons whose income level is substantially higher than
average and who include the pacesetters and trend setters with regard
to the acquisition of goods and services.
Because of the huge number of airline ticket holders in circulation
and because of the demographics of the persons to whom the airline
ticket holders are distributed, airline ticket holders represent
an unusually desirable medium for advertising goods and services.
However, because of the scarcity of printing space available on
the ordinary airline ticket holder, generally, and because of the
even scarcer printing space available for advertising on an airline
ticket holder (e.g., one or two cover surfaces), there is a severe
restriction on the amount of goods and services which can be advertised
on an airline ticket holder.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, there is combined with
the airline ticket holder an advertising booklet located between
the covers of the ticket holder and attached to at least one of
the covers, along the junction of the two covers. The advertising
booklet comprises a plurality of pages, thereby increasing very
substantially the amount of space which can be devoted to advertising.
In combining an advertising booklet with an airline ticket holder
in the manner described above, there are a number of structural
considerations which should be taken into account. For example,
the advertising booklet must be located and disposed in relation
to the pocket so as to permit an airline ticket to be inserted readily
into the pocket without obstruction by the advertising booklet.
Moreover, desirably, the booklet should be so located and disposed
in relation to the pocket, as well as being appropriately structurally
configured, as to guide the airline ticket into the entrance of
the pocket.
The lateral dimension of one cover of the folder should be greater
than the lateral dimension of the booklet, and the lateral dimension
of the other cover should be less than the lateral dimension of
the booklet. The result of this lateral dimensional relationship
is to facilitate thumbing readily of either of the covers without
obstruction by the other of the covers or by the booklet and to
facilitate thumbing readily of the booklet without obstruction by
either of the covers.
To facilitate economical manufacturing, the longitudinal dimensions
of both covers and of the booklet all should be the same, and the
booklet should be attached to the airline ticket holder by adhesive.
Other features and advantages are inherent in the structure claimed
and disclosed or will become apparent to those skilled in the art
from the following detailed description in conjunction with the
accompanying diagrammatic drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective illustrating a combined airline ticket
holder and advertising booklet in accordance with an embodiment
of the present invention and showing the holder in an open condition;
FIG. 2 is a front view of the combined holder and booklet;
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the combined holder and booklet;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the combined holder and booklet, viewed
from the inside, with the holder in an open condition;
FIG. 5 is a side view of the combined holder and booklet with the
front cover open;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6--6 in FIG. 4, with
the booklet partially pivoted and partially opened; and
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to that in FIG.
6, but with the booklet fully closed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The figures illustrate an airline ticket holder comprising a planar
front cover 11 and a planar back cover 12 joined together along
a junction or fold 13. Located between front and back covers 11,
12 and attached to front cover 11 is a pocket member 14 which together
with front cover 11 defines pocket means 18 for receiving and holding
an airline ticket (FIGS. 6-7). Also located between the covers is
an advertising booklet 15 comprising a plurality of pages 16, 16.
Booklet 15 is attached to the airline ticket holder along junction
13 by adhesive means 17.
Referring particularly to FIG. 6, front cover 11 is elongated and
has an outer surface 20 and an inner surface 21. Back cover 12 is
also elongated and has an outer surface 22 and an inner surface
23. Referring to FIGS. 2-3, front cover 11 and back cover 12 have
respective first or outside longitudinal edge portions 24, 26, and
a mutual second or inside longitudinal edge portion at fold 13.
Pocket member 14 is disposed along the inner surface 21 of front
cover 11 and is attached to the front cover along the latter's first
longitudinal edge portion 24. Pocket member 14 has an inner longitudinal
edge portion 28 which is unattached to front cover 11. The gap between
inner surface 21 of front cover 11 and the unattached portion of
pocket member 14 along its inner longitudinal edge portion 28 constitutes
a pocket entrance 29 for receiving an airline ticket. Pocket member
14 also comprises a first lateral edge portion 30 secured to front
cover 11 and a second lateral edge portion 31 unsecured to either
of the cover members 11, 12.
Advertising booklet 15 is located between pocket member 14 and
the inner surface 23 of back cover 12. As noted above, advertising
booklet 15 has a plurality of pages 16, 16, and each of these pages
contains advertising matter printed thereon. Each page 16 has a
first or outer longitudinal edge portion 34 and an inner or second
longitudinal edge portion joined with the other inner longitudinal
edge portions of the pages to define an inner longitudinal edge
portion 35 of the booklet. The first or outer longitudinal edge
portions 34, 34 of the pages are unjoined, and the laterally outermost
of longitudinal edge portions 34, 34 defines the outer longitudinal
edge portion 36 of the booklet (FIGS. 3-4). In the illustrated embodiment,
all of the edge portions 34, 34 extend laterally outwardly an equal
amount.
The booklet's inner longitudinal edge portion 35 is joined by adhesive
means 17 to back cover 12 adjacent fold 13. The inner longitudinal
edge portions of pages 16, 16 are joined together at 35 by adhesive
means (not shown).
The booklet's inner longitudinal edge portion 35 and the pocket
member's inner longitudinal edge portion 28 are laterally spaced
from each other to define a space 37 therebetween and adjacent the
pocket. Space 37 has a lateral dimension large enough to allow an
airline ticket to be inserted readily into pocket 18 through pocket
entrance 29 without obstruction by the booklet's inner longitudinal
edge portion 35.
As noted above, the pocket member's inner longitudinal edge portion
28 is substantially free, and at least a substantial part of inner
longitudinal edge portion 28 is unjoined to either of the covers
11, 12. Pocket entrance 29 is defined by the substantially free
inner longitudinal edge portion 28, and space 37 is adjacent to
and disposed alongside entrance 29.
In the illustrated embodiment, pocket member 14 is attached to
front cover 11, advertising booklet 15 is attached to back cover
12 at junction 13 and the booklet is no closer to pocket 18 than
is the junction 13 of the two covers 11, 12.
As is best shown in FIG. 3, the lateral dimension of back cover
12, which terminates at outer longitudinal edge portion 26, is less
than the lateral dimension of booklet 15 terminating at outer longitudinal
edge portion 36, and the lateral dimension of booklet 15 is less
than the lateral dimension of front cover 11, which terminates at
outer longitudinal edge portion 24. The result of this lateral dimensional
relationship is to facilitate thumbing of either of the covers without
obstruction by the other of the covers or by the booklet and to
facilitate thumbing of the booklet without obstruction by either
of the covers.
The longitudinal dimensions of both covers 11, 12 and of booklet
15 are all the same. This facilitates economical manufacture of
the combined airline ticket holder and advertising booklet. In the
illustrated embodiment, the longitudinal dimension of pocket member
14 also is the same as that of covers 11, 12, for reasons similar
to those advanced in the preceding sentence.
Located in front cover 11 behind pocket member 14 is a lateral
slit 40. Slit 40 is disposed between the front cover's first longitudinal
edge portion 24 and fold 13, and the slit terminates at an inner
end 41 spaced from fold 13 (FIGS. 2-3). Slit 40 comprises means
for permitting the insertion of a portion of an airline ticket into
pocket 18 from the outside of front cover 11. The slit's inner end
41 and the advertising booklet's inner longitudinal end portion
35 are laterally spaced apart a distance sufficient to permit the
airline ticket portion to be inserted readily through slit 40 into
the pocket without obstruction by the booklet's inner longitudinal
edge portion 35.
Referring now to FIG. 7, indicated in dash-dot lines is a plane
43 which extends away from front cover 11 at pocket entrance 29
and is substantially tangential to the booklet's inner longitudinal
edge portion 35. There is an angle between plane 43 and planar front
cover 11, and this angle is substantially less than 30.degree.,
preferably less than 15.degree.. The magnitude of the angle is determined
by the thickness of booklet 15 and the width of spacing 37 between
the booklet's inner longitudinal edge portion 35 and pocket entrance
29.
Plane 43 constitutes the guide path for directing an airline ticket
into pocket 18 through pocket entrance 29. This guide path has a
relatively small but substantial directional component perpendicular
to the plane of front cover 11 and a relatively large directional
component parallel to front cover 11. The parallel component substantially
exceeds the perpendicular component when that part of the airline
ticket closest to the pocket is at pocket entrance 29. If the guide
path were too steep (i.e., too large an angle), there is a possibility
that the leading edge of the airline ticket may get hung up on the
inner surface 21 of front cover 11, thereby obstructing ready entry
into pocket entrance 29. Conversely, if the guide path were too
shallow (too small an angle), the leading edge of the airline ticket
might not readily slip under the longitudinal edge portion 28 of
pocket member 14, at pocket entrance 29. The angle is preferably
greater than 3.degree..
As noted above, the lateral dimension of space 37 is an important
consideration. In order to facilitate entry of an airline ticket
into pocket entrance 29 without obstruction by the booklet's inner
longitudinal edge portion 35, and in order to provide the desired
angle for guide path 43 (FIG. 7), the width or lateral dimension
of space 37 is, or course, substantially less than the lateral dimension
of front cover 11 but should be greater than about 12% (preferably
greater than about 18%) of the lateral dimension of front cover
11 which typically has a lateral dimension in the range 31/2"-4".
In a typical embodiment, front cover 11 is 3 13/16" wide, and
space 37 is 13/16" wide or 21% of the width of the front cover.
The width of pocket member 14 in relation to the width of the airline
ticket it is extended to receive is also an important consideration.
In order to expose a longitudinal edge of a ticket received in the
pocket and to enable one to readily grab hold of the longitudinal
edge of the ticket when the latter is in the pocket, the lateral
dimension of pocket member 14 should be less than the width of the
ticket and preferably less than about 93% of the width of the ticket.
For example, assuming a typical airline ticket width of about 31/4",
and a front cover 11 and space 37 with the lateral dimensions described
in the preceding paragraph, the lateral dimension of pocket member
14 is 3" or about 92% of the width of the ticket. The lateral
dimension of pocket member 14 should also be at least about 75%
of the width of the ticket in order to properly hold the ticket
in the pocket.
Providing space 37 and pocket member 14 with lateral dimensions
within the ranges described in the preceding two paragraphs is especially
important where the longitudinal dimension of pocket member 14 is
the same as that of front cover 11 so that ticket insertion into
and removal from the pocket is through a side entrance such as 29
rather than a top entrance, such as at edge 31.
As used herein the term "advertising booklet" includes
a booklet having other printed information therein in addition to
advertising. The subject ticket holder may also be used with other
passenger tickets, such as railway tickets, if such other tickets
are of a similar size and shape as airline tickets, and, as used
herein, the term "airline tickets" includes such other
passenger tickets.
As shown in the drawings, the longitudinal dimensions of both covers
11, 12, of pocket member 14 and of booklet 15 are all the same.
The lateral dimension of each cover 11, 12 and of pocket member
14 is constant along the entire length thereof, as is the lateral
dimension of each booklet page 16.
The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness
of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be
understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those
skilled in the art. |