CA1042849A - Removable flexible card protecting flap for use in a credit card billford - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A billfold having a number of pockets situated in a flexible wall for holding and displaying cards in a attacked shingled relationship.
A flexible flap member covering the cards protects the cards and prevents them from slipping out of the pockets. The flexible flap which is remov-able includes a tab which is positioned in one of the pockets and behind the flexible wall to hold the flap in place. The flap covers the cards situated in the pockets and is liftable to afford access to the cards.

Description

~ ~)4Z849 B~C~GR0UND OF THE INVENT~ON
The present invention relates to multiple card wallets or billfolds which include means for holding a plurality of credit cards in an overlapping, shingled relationship. Such wallets or billfolds . . .
are shown for example, by the patent to Dengel, U.S. Patent 3,856,036 ~-issued December 24, 1974. Multiple card wallets or billfolds have also been proposed wherein a flexible flap is used to cover the cards which are held in overlapping, shingled relationship in separate pockets. The .
purpose of the flexible flap member is to prevent the cards ~om slipping out of the pocket. Wallets and billfolds of this type are illustrated by United States Patent No. 3,946,781 which issued March 30, 1976.
SUMMARY OF l~h INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided in a multi-pocket billfold of the type for carrying a plurality of cards in shingled and partially exposed relationship, said billfold comprising at least one flexible wall having a plurality of parallel and spaced apart slits therein, a plurality of pockets disposed ad~acent to and behind said ~ .
' flexible wall for receiving said cards through said slits in stacked, ;I shingled relationship, the improvement comprising, a removable flexible flap member for covering said cards to protect said cards from wear and to prevent them from slipping out of said pockets, said removable flexible . . ::
flap member removably received in one of said pockets and including a tab ~;

, received behind said one flexible wall for securing said flap member in ' said pockets, said flap member liftably covering the front surface of said '2` flexible wall to cover cards pro~ecting from said respective slits for ::

securing said cards in said pockets. - ~
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16)4~849 By providing a removable flexible flap which covers the cards received in the pocl;et, the cards are secured therein against inadvertent loss and are protected from accessive wear. Providing means for removaL
of the flexible flap permits easy replacement of the flexible flap if it is damaged or worn and also reduces the costs of assembly during the manu-facturing process.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become ap-parent with reference to the following description of the preferred embodi-ment.
10, BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAVVINGS
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the billfold embodiment, the view being taken generally from the inside of the wallet.
FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the line 2-2 in EIG, 1 but on an enlarged scale and showing the individual pockets pulled outwardly to illustrate their construction.
;` FIGURE 3 is a front view of a removable plastic flexible flap made -in accordance with the present invention.
- FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3.
FIGURE 5 is an isometric front view of the removable plastic 20. flexible flap of the invention.
FIGURE 6 is an isometric rear view of the removable plastic flexible flap of the invention, DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODI~qENT
The invention has been shown as embodied in a wallet or billfold ;
B which is made generally from leather for example, and comprises an out-~ side wall 1 lined with fabric 2, an inner flexible wall 3 which may be formed : .
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1gl4Z849 of fabric and another flexible wall 4, also formed of leather. It will be note~
that the usual edging and stitching 5 is pro-vided around the periphery. More specifically, the edging binds together the wall 1 and its lining 2 and also ~-~. .. - .
binds together the two flexible walls 3 and 4, The flexible walls 3 and 4 are secured together by the binding 5 around the upper side 6, the vertical side 7 and the lower side 8, thus pre-senting an envelope-like opening 10 along its other vertical side, and more specificaIly, between the walls 3 and 4. It is in this opening that flat objects such as various papers, etc. can be stored.
10. The flexible wall 4 has a series of slits 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 formed therein and arranged in parallelism with one another, and also being spaced a vertical distance apart, generally in the nature of 1/2 inch. It is in these slits that credit cards or the like can be inserted at least partially so as to extend therefrom and be readily found when in overlapping and shingled rela-tionship with one another.
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A one piece, plastic multi-pocket liner L is received between the walls 3 and 4 to provide pockets for holding the credit cards placed in slits 11-15. The multi-pocket liner can be formed of heat sealable plastic, such , as a 0. 0042 inch thick matte finish polyvinyl. This one piece plastic liner i~i 20- L is comprised of a back member 20 of generally rectangular shape and four ~ pocket members 30, 31, 32 and 33. Each of these pocket members has a ', generally rectangular shape and has an upper edge 30a, 31a, 32a and 33a, . '~, ' . .
respectively. The pocket members are arranged or laid together in a stacked relationship and against the back member 20, The members are heat sealed .

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~ C~4~849 toge~her, for e~ample, along their vertical edges and also along their bottom edges of each of the poc~iet members. The upper edges of the pockets 30-3 ' are arranged in overlapping and shingled relationship and are secured by - cementing, for example, to the front wall 4 in such a manner that the p~ckets 30-33 and sli~s 11-15 are arranged, as shown in :FIG. 2, for reception of credit cards in overlapping and accessible relationship.
- The billfold B of the present invention also includes a one piece removable flap member 60 which includes a ~ront flexible llap 62 for cover-ing the credit cards received in the sl*s 11-15. As shown in FIGS. 3-6, the 10. removable flap member 60 is folded so as to define a generally rectangular . :
front flexible flap 62 and a generally rectangular rear securing flap portion 64 which are integrally connected, The rear securing portion 64is of a width substantially the same as the width of the slits 11-15 and is receivable through the slit 1 so as to be received in the uppermost poc~et 30 as shown in FIG. 2. The rear securing portion 64 also includes an upwardly extending tab 66 which can be received between the front wall 4 and the rear wall 20.
The upwardly extending tab 66 is formed by a broad generally U- .~
shaped cut 68 in the rear secur ng portion ~4 which permits the upwardly ..
extendin~ t~b 66 to be received behind the front wall 4 when the removable flap . . ~.
member 60is received within pocket 30. The generally U-shaped cut 68is located in the rear securing flap portion 64 such that the tab 66 bends along a line closely adjacent to the slit 11. The rear securing portion 64 also includes a pair of outwardly extending notched wing members 70 projecting near the top oEthe sides o~ portion 64 which taper upwardly and outwardLy, and pr.ojecting .. . .

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1~4Z849 generally upwardly from each of its sides. The wing members 70 are lo-cated such that when the removable flap member 60 is placed in pocket 30, the upwardly e~tending ends 71 of the wing members 70 can be received be-hind the front wall 4 at the opposite ends of the slit 11, As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom edge 65 of the rear portion 64 is received in the bottom portion of pocket 30, and the tab 66 and wing members 70 prevent upward movement of the removable ilap member 60 in the pocket 30. The flap member 60 is thus secured against movement in the pocket 30.
It is generally desirable to construct the folded removable flap 10. member 60 from a thin transparent plastic material such as dry vinyl orpolyvinyl which does not obscure the view of the cards. The transparent material may be on the order of . 010 inches thick to provide the desired strength but to remain relatively flexible. Material comprising dry vinyl .. . .
- and polyvinyl of this` thickness~ also ' facilitates the creation of the permanent ~
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. crease or fold 72. Of course, the flexible member 60 may also be constructed of other suitable types of flexible materials including other types of plastics,leather or fabrics.
One of the primary functions of the folded removable flexible member 60 is to prevent the credit cards which may be received in the pockets 20. 30, from inadvertently slipping out of the pockets. As shown in FIG. 1, the .-. . : .
front flexible flap 62 may be tucked into the lower slit 15 and may be pulled flat against the credit cards received in each of the slits 11-15. The flexible i member also functions to prevent abrasive wear of the cards since it com-pletely covers the exposed portion of the cards.

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1~4Z~49 By providing the removable flap member 60 with means for per-mitting relatively easy insertion or removal of the rnember, the costs of manufacturing the wallet or billfold are substantially reduced and it is also possible for the user to replace the flap member in the event that it becomes worn or damaged. It is particularly desirable that the flap member 60 ~e . removable because the material used to make the flap is generally not as :~
durable as the rnaterial comprising the rest of the wallet, For example, :
the flexible plastic material may be scra~ched or cracked after continued : ~:
use to the point where it is desirable to replace the flap member. By pro~
10, viding means tc permit easy removal of the flexible flap, the utility and use-ful life of the wallet or billiold i~: greatly increased. .

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Claims (3)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a multi-pocket billfold of the type for carrying a plurality of cards in shingled and partially exposed relationship, said billfold comprising at least one flexible wall having a plurality of parallel and spaced apart slits therein, a plurality of pockets disposed adjacent to and behind said flexible wall for receiving said cards through said slits in stacked, shingled relation-ship, the improvement comprising, a removable flexible flap member for covering said cards to protect said cands from wear and to prevent them from slipping out of said pockets, said removable flexible flap member removably received in one of said pockets and including a tab received behind said one flexible wall for securing said flap member in said pockets, said flap member liftably covering the front surface of said flexible wall to cover cards projecting from said respective slits for securing said cards in said pockets.

2. The billfold set forth in Claim 1, wherein said flexible flap mem-ber includes a front flap portion and an integrally attached rear flap portion, said flap portions being connected in folded relationship, said rear flap portion being received in one of said pockets and said front flap portion liftably covering said cards.

3. The billfold set forth in Claim 1 wherein said rear flap portion includes said tab and further includes outwardly and upwardly extending wings projecting from the sides of said portion, said tab and said wings removably securing said flap member in said pocket.