Leaf for the composition of a photo album and photo album
provided with such a leaf.
The present invention concerns a leaf for composing a photo
album, comprising a support that is provided with a layer
of glue on either side.
From IT BO2004A000592, leafs are already known whereby the
above-mentioned layers of glue are made in the form of what
is called hotmelt glue.
By a hotmelt is meant a thermally activated glue here,
which melts under the influence of heat.
It is already known that, in order to compose a photo
album, said leafs with photos are alternately piled up,
after which the pile of leafs and photos is heated for
example in an oven so as to make the glue melt, after which
the glue is cooled again so as to make it set, in order to
adhere the photos and the leafs so as to form a photo
album.
A disadvantage of the known leafs is that, while the leafs
and photos are being alternately piled, the photos shift in
relation to the leafs, as a result of which these photos
will not be centred or will not be glued onto the leafs in
an entirely straight manner.
The present invention aims to remedy the above-mentioned
and other disadvantages.

To this end, the present invention concerns a leaf for
composing a photo album, comprising a support that is
provided with a layer of glue on either side, whereby the
above-mentioned layers of glue comprise at least a mix of a
self-adhesive glue and a hotmelt.
A major advantage of such a leaf according to the invention
is that, as the above-mentioned layers of glue consist of a
mix of self-adhesive glue and hotmelt, these layers of glue
have self-adhesive qualities, such that the photos already
adhere to the respective leafs before the hotmelt melts and
maintain their position in relation to said leafs.
The present invention also concerns a photo album that is
provided with one or several leafs as described above.
In order to better explain the characteristics of the
present invention, the following preferred embodiments of a
leaf according to the invention for composing a photo album
are given as an example only without being limitative in
any way, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which:
figure 1 schematically represents a leaf according to
the invention, seen in perspective;
figure 2 represents a section according to line II-II
in figure 1;
figure 3 represents a section according to line III-
III in figure 2.
The figures represent a leaf 1 according to the invention

for composing a photo album, provided with a support 2
which is in this case made in the shape of a piece of paper
or cardboard.
The above-mentioned support 2 is in this case, but not
necessarily, provided with a central folding line 3 which
extends over the width of the leaf 1.
The above-mentioned leaf 1 is provided with a layer of glue
4 on either side, which in this case extends over
practically the entire surface of the support 2, except for
a narrow glue-free part around the above-mentioned folding
line 3 in this case.
According to the invention, the above-mentioned layers of
glue 4 comprise at least a mix of a self-adhesive glue and
a hotmelt.
Every layer of glue 4 preferably contains some 25% of self-
adhesive glue and some 75% of hotmelt.
According to a preferred characteristic, the above-
mentioned hotmelt consist of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA).
The softening temperature of the above-mentioned layers of
glue 4, i.e. the temperature at which these layers of glue
melt, in this case amounts to 85°C to 95°C, whereas the
viscosity of these layers of glue at 160°C amounts to 3 to
3.6 Pa.s (3000 to 3600 centipoise).
In this case, the dimensions of the above-mentioned support

2 are practically the double of the dimensions of the
photos to be glued.
The use of a leaf 1 according to the invention for
composing a photo album is analogous .to that of the leafs
known until now and it is as follows.
In a first step, leafs 1 and photos are alternately piled
on top of one another, whereby the leafs 1 are folded
double according to the above-mentioned folding line 3 and
whereby the piling is carried out such that two photos are
inserted between every folded leaf 1 which are turned
towards each other with their respective images.
As the above-mentioned layers of glue 4 are formed of a mix
of self-adhesive glue and hotmelt, these layers of glue 4
have self-adhesive qualities, such that the photos are
glued onto the respective leafs 1 and are kept in position
in relation to these leafs 1.
Subsequently, the entire pile of leafs 1 and photos is put
in an oven to be heated, in order to make the above-
mentioned layers of glue 4 melt.
Finally, the whole is cooled again, as a result of which
the layers of glue 4 set again, such that a bound bundle of
leafs 1 with photos is obtained, forming a photo album.
According to a variant of a leaf 1 according to the
invention which is not represented in the figures, the
dimensions of the above-mentioned support 2 are practically

half as large as the dimensions of the photos to be glued,
and the leafs 1 are not provided with a folding line 3.
In this case, the photos are folded double, such that they
are folded with their respective images towards the inside,
after which these double-folded photos and the leafs 1 are
alternately piled.
By subsequently heating and then cooling the pile of leafs
and photos, a bound bundle forming a photo album is finally
obtained in a manner analogous to the one described above.
It is clear that the present invention is not restricted to
the examples described above and that the dimensions of the
leafs 1 and the photos may vary.
Nor is it necessary for the leafs 1 according to the
invention to be provided with a layer of glue 4 over their
entire surface; on the contrary, such a layer of glue 4 may
extend over only a part of the surface.
The present invention is by no means restricted to the
embodiments described as an example and represented in the
accompanying drawings; on the contrary, such a leaf
according to the invention for composing a photo album can
be made in all sorts of shapes and dimensions while still
remaining within the scope of the invention.

Claims.
1.- Leaf for composing a photo album, comprising a support
(2) provided with a layer of glue (4) on either side,
characterised in that the above-mentioned layers of glue
(4) comprise at least a mix of a self-adhesive glue and a
hotmelt.
2.- Leaf according to claim 1, characterised in that the
above-mentioned layers of glue (4) contain some 25% of
self-adhesive glue and some 75% of hotmelt.
3.- Leaf according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that
the above-mentioned hotmelt is formed of ethylene vinyl
acetate (EVA).
4. - Leaf according to any one of the preceding claims,
characterised in that the above-mentioned layers of glue
(4) have a softening temperature of 85°C to 95°C.
5.- Leaf according to any one of the preceding claims,
characterised in that the above-mentioned layers of glue
(4) have a viscosity of 3 to 3.6 Pa.s (3000 to 3600
centipoise) at 160°C.
6.- Leaf according to any one of the preceding claims,
characterised in that the above-mentioned layers of glue
(4) extend over practically the entire surface of the
support (2).
7. - Leaf according to any one of the preceding claims,

characterised in that it is provided with a central folding
line (3) which extends over the width of the leaf (1).
8. - Leaf according to claim 7, characterised in that the
above-mentioned folding line (3) is provided in a glue-free
part of the leaf (1).
9.- Leaf according to any one of the preceding claims,
characterised in that the dimensions of the above-mentioned
support (2) are practically the double of the dimensions of
the photos to be glued.
10.- Leaf according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
characterised in that the dimensions of the above-mentioned
support (2) are practically half as large as the dimensions
of the photos to be glued.
11.- Photo album that is provided with at least one leaf
according to any one of the preceding claims.

Leaf for composing a photo album, comprising a support (2) provided with a layer of glue (4) on either side, characterised in that the above-mentioned layers of glue (4) comprise at least a mix of a self-adhesive glue and a hotmelt.