HK1069082B - Card holder and ejector - Google Patents

Description

Card holding and ejecting apparatus

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on a U.S. (U.S.) provisional application No.60/174,570 entitled "Card Holder and Ejector", filed on 5.1.2000 and a continuation of the U.S. (U.S.) patent application No.09/755,263, filed on 5.1.2001 by the same inventor.

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to bag or wallet management devices, and more particularly to a device that manages, stores and protects wallet-sized cards, such as those containing credit or identification information.

Background

Inside a typical wallet or purse, half-dozens or more of cards may be found, such as drive cards, credit cards, check cards, automated teller machine (ATM card) and loyalty cards, among others. The typical dimensions of these cards are approximately 8.5cm long by 5.5cm wide by less than or equal to 1mm thick. The holding, management and retrieval of wallet-sized cards has resulted in the need for compact and efficient holding devices.

A standard wallet or purse may contain a bag or insert of clear plastic wrap for storing or managing the card. However, these characteristics are not ideal because: first, the card is not easily retrieved or placed into a deep bag or plastic sleeve. Second, there is often space available for a single card, requiring multiple cards to be stacked together in a single bag or sleeve. In this way, removal of a particular card is hindered because all cards stacked together must be at least partially moved or displaced during picking. Also, the card may fall out of a purse or wallet pocket, or be messy and fall when a person picks from a pile of cards to find a particular card.

U.S. patent No.4,697,698 entitled "Credit and Identification Card Holder," issued to Holder, describes a case for holding wallet-sized cards. Each card is located on its own sliding drawer that can be advanced and moved individually from the cassette. The sliding extractor secures the card by using a stopper at the end of the extractor. In this way, the falling of the card is prevented.

However, the need for a sliding extractor portion necessary for Holdener increases the thickness of the card retaining means. The problem with this extra thickness is that: for bag size card holding devices, it is undesirable to have the device exceed the required volume to store the card. In addition, prior to the claims of Holdener, as the most significant part of the last paragraph, if more than 6 cards were to be accommodated, the sliding extractor design may result in a card retention device that is very inconvenient to operate. Moreover, if the required sliding extractor portion is lost or damaged, the capacity of the holding device apparatus will be reduced or practically unusable.

Thus, there is a continuing need in the current art for card retention devices that store, manage, protect, and easily retrieve individual cards that are stored in boxes of more compact design without separate components that would be lost or destroyed, as has heretofore been known.

Disclosure of Invention

The primary, general object of the present invention is to provide a card holder that is as simple as possible, and that stores and manages wallet-sized cards.

It is another object of the present invention to simplify the card identification and retrieval process so that individual cards can be quickly and easily selected and ejected from the card holder.

It is another specific object of the present invention to provide a compact card holder that does not rely on a sliding extractor mechanism to store and extract cards within the interior of the holder.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a holding device that securely retains a card inside the holding device, thereby preventing the card from accidentally falling.

It is a further object of the present invention to protect the card from damage or possible erasure of the card therein.

It is another object of the present invention to efficiently store from 1 to 12 cards in a single bag size device.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a compact card retention device that can be inexpensively manufactured from commonly available components.

Thus, in accordance with these and other objects of the present invention, the present invention generally provides a compact, portable device designed primarily for storing, selecting and ejecting up to twelve wallet-sized cards, such as a driver's license or debit card.

More particularly, the present invention provides a three-dimensional box, preferably flat and rectangular in shape, comprising an internal cavity defined by top and bottom sheets connecting two side walls and a rear wall, with an opening at one end of the box. Through this opening, the card is inserted into one of several parallel slots provided in each side wall of the box until the cards are frictionally engaged, preferably by means of resilient pads placed on each side wall, and ejected by ejection tab means located at the rear wall of the box. This design allows the cards to be individually moved by a special tab arrangement that is attached to a load button located on the exterior of the case. Each button is preferably labeled to alert the user to the location of the slot and the nature of the ejected card.

Urging the spring-loaded button in the direction of the opening of the cassette also preferably activates the ejector tab means. The button is connected to a U-shaped tab that is aligned with the rear edge of the card. Thus, when the button is slid toward the opening, the end of the U-shaped tab pushes the card forward, moving the card approximately 1.5 inches away from the device, so that the card can be pushed out for use. Once the button is released, the compressed spring returns to its original position.

As described above, the card is prevented from falling out of the case of the present invention by virtue of frictional engagement with the elastic material. In view of the fact that the cassette itself can provide this engagement, resilient pads placed parallel to the side walls of the cassette and adjacent to the back wall are preferred. However, the frictional engagement force provided by the present invention is significantly less than the ejection force provided by the tab arrangement, so that the card can be ejected from the case.

The bottom sheet of the cassette may optionally include a permanent or removable clip that can hold the note or attach the cassette to another object. Moreover, the case of the present invention may include one or more card-like accessories suitable for storing or displaying mirrors, banknotes, photographs, nail files or other items commonly carried in wallets or purses. Finally, protective jacketing made from, for example, leather or vinyl, may be used in conjunction with the present invention.

Various other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the ensuing description in the present application and the innovative features particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Therefore, to the accomplishment of the objectives described above, this invention, consisting of the features hereinafter illustrated in the drawings, is fully described in the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, particularly pointed out in the claims. However, such illustration and description disclose only one of various ways in which the invention may be practiced.

Drawings

FIG. 1A schematically illustrates a top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2B schematically illustrates a bottom perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention including an optional clip. The topsheet is inverted for showing and describing the internal structure of the topsheet.

Figure 3 schematically shows a front view of the topsheet of the embodiment shown in figures 1A-1B.

Fig. 4 schematically illustrates an enlarged perspective view of the ejection tab device of the preferred embodiment.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a front view of the rear wall of the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1B.

Fig. 6A schematically shows a partially exploded side view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6B schematically shows an enlarged view of section a' showing the relationship between the spring of the preferred ejector tab arrangement and the lever placed on the top sheet of the cassette.

Figure 7 schematically shows an alternative embodiment of the invention.

Figure 8 schematically illustrates some of the card-like accessories of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The present invention relates generally to a card holder box that stores and protects a standard wallet size card until the user selects and removes a particular card from the holder by sliding a loader's button that engages an ejection tab that aligns the back of the card.

As used herein, the term "wallet-sized card" (wallet-size card) is meant to include any card, such as driving license cards, credit cards, check cards, automated teller cards (ATMcard), and loyalty cards, which are approximately 8.5cm long, 5.5cm wide, and less than or equal to 1mm thick. The invention may also utilize an accessory card adapted to provide common utility functions such as reflective surfaces, magnifying glasses, displaying photographs or securing nail files or paper currency. Of course, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that: the card holder case of the present invention can be manufactured to a size that conforms to the size of the card-carrying or other size card-like article.

Referring to the drawings, like parts are designated by like numerals and symbols throughout. FIG. 1A schematically illustrates a top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Generally, the main body of the packet 2 comprises a top sheet 4 and a bottom sheet 6 which are jointly connected at a seam 8, an opening 9, and a rear wall (not shown in this view) connected to the rear of the top sheet 4.

The top sheet 4 more particularly comprises a top surface 10 and a pair of side walls 12 connected in parallel to the top surface 10. A plurality of buttons 14 are located within a cut-out section (not shown) of the top surface 10. Each button 14 actuates movement of card 16 by sliding the button in the direction of arrow 18, causing card 16 to partially eject in the direction of arrow 20. As shown, each button 14 preferably contains a tag 22 that identifies the card corresponding to a particular slot 24.

The top sheet 4 also preferably includes a sloped region 26 corresponding to a height of approximately 1/4 inches of the region of the top surface 10 that provides space for structure of an ejector tab device (not shown) without interfering with placement of the card in the slot 24. However, such design choices are not necessary for the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 1B schematically illustrates a bottom perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, the rear wall 28 is evident. A rear wall 28 is secured to each side wall 12 by screws 30 (the area shown in phantom). However, any other means for attachment known in the art may be used in place of the screw 30. The clips 32 may be added as an optional accessory and used to hold notes or to secure the cassette 2 to a user, for example by attaching to the user's clothing. The clip 32 can be made removable, if desired, by means of, for example, screws mounted thereon.

Figure 2 shows schematically the top sheet of the preferred embodiment of the invention itself, and has been inverted to better show the internal details. The 6 parallel grooves 24 on each side wall 12 are formed by notches 36 machined or otherwise formed into the side walls 12 of the cassette 2. The slots 24 on each side wall 12 are aligned so as to be in plane so that up to 6 cards (not shown) can be stacked parallel to each other. Facing sideways, opposite the opening 9, an elastic gasket 38 is adhered, or otherwise placed, parallel to each side wall 12.

The shim 38 is typically less than 1mm thick, and the shim 38 extends no further than the width of the slot 24. Also, the pad 38 is resilient so that it deforms to frictionally engage a card placed in the slot 24. The resiliency of the spacer 38 is a key factor in accommodating and securing the various cards in the slot 24, as different card thicknesses can vary. Thus, cards of virtually any thickness can be stored completely inside the box 2, and the cards will not fall off even if the box falls off. However, it should be understood to one of ordinary skill in the art that: the frictional holding force provided by the spacer must be less than the force generated by moving the card.

The topsheet 4 further comprises a plurality of cut sections 40. The cutout section 40 provides space through which each tab means (see fig. 4) is placed. Preferably, a lever 42 projecting from the inside of the top sheet 4 near the terminal edge of each cut-out section 40 preferably engages a spring located in a track of each tab arrangement (see fig. 4). However, the present invention does not require the use of a spring-loaded tab arrangement.

Some structural features of the top sheet 4 that can be assembled with the other components of the cassette 2 are also shown in fig. 2. The apertures 44 are used to attach a back wall (not shown) to the topsheet 4. Moreover, the flat surface 46 and the notch 48 on the exterior of each sidewall 12 allow the backsheet 6 of FIG. 3 to slidingly engage the topsheet 4, making assembly very straightforward.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a front view of the backsheet of the embodiment of FIGS. 1A-1B. The base sheet 6 is essentially U-shaped and includes a tongue 50 at each end of the U which slides into the notches 48 of the side walls 12 during assembly.

Fig. 4 schematically illustrates an enlarged perspective view of an ejector tab device 51 of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The device 51 includes a button 52 connected to a U-shaped tab 54. Each button 52 is made wider than its attached tab 54 so that the device 51 remains within the cut-out section 40 of the topsheet 4. In addition, each tab 54 is made to a specific length so as to be in-plane aligned with the location of a particular slot 24 (see fig. 6A-6B).

In a preferred ejection tab device, the device is spring loaded. Thus, the track 56 is placed within the top of the tab 54. The track 56 contains a spring 58 which engages the lever 42 of the top sheet 4 (as shown in figure 2) so that when the device 51 is pushed in the direction of the opening of the cassette, the force provided by the compression of the spring 58 will return the device to its initial position. An example of a label 60 is also shown. This label 60 is used to identify the type of card that will be ejected by a particular device 51.

Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a front view of the rear wall 28 of the preferred embodiment of fig. 1B. The rear wall 28 also preferably includes a stabilizing strip 62. As shown, the stabilizing strip 62 is in a stepped configuration. This stepped configuration helps to keep each tab 54 aligned in a particular slot position so that the operation of the ejector tab arrangement is not impaired by normal wear, such as when the cassette is slid off.

Fig. 6A schematically illustrates a partially exploded side view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the present invention is broken down into 3 main components: a topsheet 4, a backsheet 6 and a back wall 28. Arrows 66 and 68 generally illustrate the sequence and orientation of the device processing, i.e., the bottom sheet 6 is slid onto the top sheet 4, engaging the notches 70, and then each end of the back wall 28 is attached to the top sheet 4 by fasteners such as screws 72 placed through holes 74. In addition, as shown in section A' of sidewall 12, button 76 is connected to tab 78A. Thus, the size and spatial arrangement of each of the U-shaped tabs 78A-78F can be clearly distinguished.

Fig. 6B schematically shows an enlarged side view of the section a'. As depicted, the lever 42 of the preferred embodiment enters the interior of the track 56 (shown in phantom) of the U-shaped tab 78A, wherein the lever 42 contacts the spring 58 (shown in phantom).

Figure 7 schematically shows an alternative embodiment of the invention. Whereas the volume of the preferred embodiment shown can accommodate six cards, the cassette of the present invention can be manufactured in a "back-to-back" fashion, thereby accommodating up to twelve cards. That is, the twelve card holder 82 may simply consist of two boxes 84A and 84B joined by each bottom piece 86A and 86B. Thus, buttons 88 are placed on each side of the case 82 for ejecting the card 90. The twelve card box 82 is optionally manufactured to share a single common bottom so that the box 82 is as thin as possible.

Figure 8 illustrates some of the card-like accessories of the present invention. The invention may include an accessory card adapted to provide common utility functions such as reflective surfaces, magnifying glasses, displaying photographs or securing nail files or paper currency. Referring to the accessory card 100, the card 102 features a mirror (or reflective surface) 104 and contains a recess for holding an additional button 106 on the outside. The button may simply pry the key of the retention means for the card from the recess (see fig. 1A). A different accessory card, card 108, is also depicted. The card 108 includes a separable nail file 110 that frictionally engages within a recess 112 of the card 108. Other card-like attachments are equally possible, such as a hollow card for storing paper currency notes or a smooth magnifying glass (e.g., configurable by a longitudinal slot through the card), or a card for displaying a photograph in a frame configured by a cut-out portion of the card in which the photograph is placed (not shown).

Various changes in the details, steps and components that have been described may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed and as defined in the appended claims. Thus, while the invention has been shown and described herein in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is therefore to be understood that: changes may be made therein without departing from the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and processes.

Claims (18)

1. A holder for a plurality of wallet-sized cards, comprising:

a box comprising a top sheet and a bottom sheet connected by two side walls to a back wall, defining an internal cavity with an opening along an end of the box;

a plurality of parallel slots disposed in the side walls of the box, the plurality of slots adapted to receive wallet-sized cards;

a plurality of parallel cut-out portions in the top sheet of the box; and

a plurality of ejector tab means, each means adapted to slidably move toward said opening of the cassette and comprising a U-shaped member having an end aligned with one of said parallel slots in the direction of said opening, and a button connected to said U-shaped member through one of said plurality of parallel cut-out portions.

2. The holder of claim 1, further comprising resilient means for frictionally engaging a wallet-sized card within the case.

3. The holder of claim 2, wherein the means for frictionally engaging the card comprises a resilient pad disposed on the sidewall.

4. The holder of claim 2 wherein the means for frictionally engaging the card comprises a plurality of parallel grooves made of a resilient material.

5. The holder of claim 1, further comprising at least one card-like accessory disposed within the holder.

6. The holder of claim 5, each card-like accessory adapted to hold a mirror, nail file, photograph, magnifying glass or banknote.

7. The holder of claim 1, further comprising a protective sleeve adapted to receive the holder.

8. The holder of claim 1, further comprising a clip mounted on the bottom panel of the box.

9. The retainer of claim 8, wherein said clip is removable.

10. The holder of claim 1, wherein the plurality of slots receive wallet-sized cards in a direct sliding arrangement within the slots.

11. The holder of claim 10, further comprising resilient means for frictionally engaging a wallet-sized card within the case.

12. The holder of claim 11, wherein the means for frictionally engaging the card comprises a plurality of parallel grooves made of a resilient material.

13. The holder of claim 11, wherein the means for frictionally engaging the card comprises a resilient pad disposed on the sidewall.

14. The holder of claim 10, further comprising at least one card-like accessory disposed within the holder.

15. The holder of claim 14, each card-like accessory adapted to hold a mirror, nail file, photograph, magnifying glass or banknote.

16. The holder of claim 10, further comprising a protective sleeve adapted to receive the holder.

17. The holder of claim 10, further comprising a clip mounted on the bottom panel of the box.

18. The retainer of claim 17, wherein said clip is removable.