Reusable environmentally friendly package and storage album

A combined display package and storage container for a multi-component product that contains at least first and second components that differ in size, comprising:

• first and second housing sections, said first and second housing sections for mating to one another in frictional engagement to place said package in a closed condition and define an internal region to hold said multi-component product;
• said first housing section for storing said first component and said second housing section for storing said second component;
• a spine;
• and
• a pair of hinges;
• said spine being hingedly attached to said two sections by said pair of hinges for permitting said first and second sections to be pivoted into mating frictional engagement to close said package and confine said multi-component product and, alternately, out of said mating frictional engagement to open said package, whereby said components of said multi-component product may be withdrawn from said package;
• said first and second housing sections, said spine and said pair of hinges being integrally formed in one piece of transparent plastic material;
• said first housing section including a first and second light transmissive windows, said first window being recessed from the outer side surface of said first section and protruding form the inside surface of said first section;
• a sheet of treated paperboard material having a front side and a back side and being opaque to light, said backside of said paperboard sheet being attached to an outside surface of said first and second housing sections and said spine to cover the outer surfaces of said package;
• said sheet of treated paperboard material including a plurality of openings there through, a respective one of said plurality of openings corresponding in size and geometry with a corresponding one of said first and second light transmissive windows of said first housing section (and said window of said second housing section), and being aligned with and overlying said corresponding one of said light transmissive windows of said first housing section for permitting transmission of light into and out of said internal region of said package when said first and second housing sections are in mating engagement;
• said sheet of treated paperboard material including a layer of printers ink on each of said front and back side at locations on each said front and back side overlying said first and second housing sections and said spine, said printers ink defining any of text and graphics, and said back side of said sheet of treated paperboard material further including a layer of treated paper board-to-plastic transparent bonding material;
• said printers ink on said back side of said paperboard being visible through said transparent plastic material.

A display and storage package for a product, comprising:

• first and second housing sections, said first and second housing sections for mating to one another in frictional engagement to place said package in a closed condition and define an internal region to hold said components of said product;
• a spine;
• and
• a pair of hinges;
• said spine being attached to said two sections by said pair of hinges for permitting said first and second sections to be pivoted into mating frictional engagement to close said package and confine said product and, alternately, out of said mating frictional engagement to open said package, whereby said product may be withdrawn from said package;
• said first and second housing sections, said spine and said pair of hinges being integrally formed in one piece of transparent plastic material;
• and
• each said hinges comprising an inverted rectangular U-shape geometry in section.

A display and storage package for a product, comprising:

• first and second housing sections, said first and second housing sections for mating to one another in frictional engagement to place said package in a closed condition and define an internal region to hold said components of said product;
• a spine;
• and
• a pair of hinges;
• said spine being attached to said two sections by said pair of hinges for permitting said first and second sections to be pivoted into mating frictional engagement to close said package and confine said product and, alternately, out of said mating frictional engagement to open said package, whereby said product may be withdrawn from said package;
• said first and second housing sections, said spine and said pair of hinges being integrally formed in one piece of transparent plastic material, said transparent plastic material comprising a member of the group of plastic materials consisting of:
• polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene and polystyrene;
• and
• each said hinges comprising an inverted rectangular U-shape geometry in section;
• a sheet of treated paperboard material having a front side and a back side and being opaque to light, said backside of said paperboard sheet being attached to an outside surface of said first and second housing sections and said spine to cover the outer surfaces of said package;
• said sheet of treated paperboard material including a layer of printers ink on each of said front and back side at locations on each said front and back side overlying said first and second housing sections and said spine, said printers ink defining any of text and graphics, and said back side of said sheet of treated paperboard material further including a layer of treated paper board-to-plastic transparent bonding material;
• said printers ink on said back side of said paperboard being visible through said transparent plastic material;
• and
• sealing means for sealing said first and second housing sections together when said package is closed, said sealing means comprising any of a tape, a glue, a heat sealable glue, an ultraviolet light sealable glue and an ultrasonic weld.

A reusable package for a multi-component product containing a paper book and a plug-in cartridge, said paper book having a rectangular shaped cover and being of a predetermined thickness, comprising:

• a first quadrilateral housing section;
• said first housing section including a base, a stepped raised hollow shoulder projecting from said base and defining a rectangular region on said base, said base including an opening underlying said stepped raised hollow shoulder, and an outer flange, said flange extending about the periphery of said first section;
• a second quadrilateral housing section;
• said second quadrilateral housing section including a base, a stepped raised hollow shoulder projecting from said base and defining a rectangular region on said base, said base including an opening underlying said stepped raised hollow shoulder, and an outer flange, said flange extending about the periphery of said second housing section;
• said stepped raised hollow shoulder of said first housing section being sized to matingly frictionally engage said stepped raised hollow shoulder of said second housing section when said package is closed
• a spine;
• a first hinge joining a longitudinal edge of said spine to said flange of said first housing section;
• a second hinge joining another longitudinal edge of said spine to said flange of said second housing section;
• and
• each said hinges comprising an inverted rectangular U-shape geometry in section;
• wherein said first and second housing sections may be pivoted relative to one another and relative to said spine to place said housing sections in face-to-face engagement with said spine positioned alongside said first and second housing sections to close said package;
• said second housing section including a hollow raised shoulder forming a closed loop, said hollow raised shoulder being located inside said rectangular region of said second housing section and defining an opening in said base underlying said shoulder and a first receptacle for receiving and frictionally engaging and holding said plug-in cartridge;
• said rectangular region of said second housing portion defining a tray for loosely receiving said book;
• said second housing section including a window portion recessed from the said base of said second housing section, said window portion being of a first predetermined area, said recessed surface of said window for providing a compression surface for pressing against said book when said book is received in said tray and said housing sections are in face to face frictional mating engagement;
• said first and second housing section, said spine and said hinges being a unitary one-piece thermoformed structure formed from a sheet of transparent plastic material, said plastic material comprising a plastic member selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene and polystyrene;
• a sheet of treated paperboard material having a front side and a back side and being opaque to light, said backside of said paperboard sheet being bonded to an outside surface of said first and second housing sections and said spine to cover the outer surfaces of said package including said openings in said base underlying said stepped hollow raised shoulders in said first housing section and said opening in said base underlying said hollow shoulder defining said first receptacle;
• said sheet of treated paperboard material including a plurality of openings there through;
• said plurality of openings including a first opening corresponding in area, shape, alignment in said base, and overlying said recessed window of said first housing section to provide a light transmissive path through said first housing section;
• said plurality of openings including a second opening corresponding in area, shape, alignment in said base, and underlying said first receptacle of said first housing section to provide a light transmissive path into said first receptacle;
• said sheet of treated paperboard material including a layer of printers ink on each of said front and back side at locations on each of said front and back sides overlying said first and second housing sections and said spine, said printers ink defining any of text and graphics, and said back side of said sheet of treated paperboard material further including a layer of treated paper board-to-plastic transparent bonding material, wherein said said printers ink on said back side of said paperboard is visible through said transparent plastic material of said housing sections;
• and
• tamper proof sealing means connecting opposite shoulders of said first and second housing section together when said housing sections are in mating engagement to temporarily prevent said housing sections from being withdrawn from mating engagement.