US2423911A - Billfold - Google Patents

Description

- July 15, 1947. e. STANLEY B I LLFOLD Filed 001;. 9, 1945 INVENTOR ST MM! ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 15, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v BILLFOLD Leopold G. Stanley, Maplewood, N. J.

Application October 9, 1943, Serial No. 505,621

1 Claim.

. This invention is a novel billfold, or pocket receptacle of the kind which has one or more long pockets to carry paper money or the like, and is composed of leather or analogous limp material, and closes by folding or doubling endwise into a compact form and is readily openable for access to the money bills, and usually with accessory pockets for carrying tickets or other small fiat articles.

The general object of the present invention is to afford a billfold which is of strong and durable structure, compact and of improved convenience in use. A particular object is to providea billfold of a structure wherein the corners, near the ends of the long bill pocket, are of improved arrangement and strength. A further object is to provide an efficient billfold structure which is convenient and economical in manufacture, and which presents a sightly appearance, free of unfinished edges. Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be explained in the hereinafter following description of one or more illustrative embodiments. To the attainment of such objects and advantages the present invention consists in the novel billfold and the novel features of structure and arrangement herein illustrated or described.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a face view of a leather blank of a form suitable for the manufacture of the billfold hereof, and preferably consists of'a single integral piece of leather of designated conformation and structure; the blank being shown in its original or fully open condition excepting that the lower one of the righthand side sections is shown upfolded upon another section, but its original disposition is shown in dot-and-dash lines.

Fig. 2 is an interior face view similar to Fig. 1 but with both lefthand and both righthand sections completely upfolded, into their final positions but not yet there attached.

Fig. 3 is a similar interior face view of the completed billfold, including the elements shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and an additional element or bridging piece extending across the general hinge line, and with a superposed small interior pocket added at the lefthand side, and also with an inserted object occupying a righthand pocket.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the section line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the section line 5--5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6, showing a modification, is a view similar to the lower lefthand portion of Fig. 1, illustrating a somewhat difierent'form of structure;

while Fig. 7, on an enlarged scale, is a view similar to the upper lefthand corner of Fig. 3, but showing the modified corner structure of Fig, 6.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 5, these illustrate a billfold composed of general left and right sections foldable together about a central vertical hinge line w, and consisting essentially of three layers A, B and C all formed preferably from a single integral flat leather blank. As in the original blank the three layers may be described as follows. The first or outer layer comprises a lefthand section A and a righthand section A mutually continuous across the transverse hinge line w, this layer eventually forming the outer wall of the long bill pocket and of the billfold. A top marginal band consisting of continuous left and right integral sections D and D is adapted to be folded down about a first fold line :1: upon the first layer AA, and to be secured adhesively there, in a manner that will appear by comparing Figs. 1 and 2, thus to provide a finished top edge a: to the completed billfold, and a narrow width of interior margin, the lower raw edge of which becomes concealed by other elements.

The second or inner layer of the billfold comprises the lefthand section B and righthand section B integral with the outer layer alon the foldline y. Like the first layer the second is of the full length of the billfold, whereas its end sections each terminates short of the central hinge line w, so that interference is avoided with the easy closing and opening of the case about such hinge line. For their main extent however the inner layer sections are of slightly less vertical width than the outer section or wall, so that the margin strip DD shows above them, but wide enough to overlap and conceal the lower edge of the downfolded marginal strip.

The third or intermediate layer comprises the opposite end sections C and C" integral with the second layer along the foldlines z and z and spaced apart or with a gap so as to be clear of the hinge line and facilitate opening and closing; and the sections CC preferably extend endwise to the full length of layers A and B, as shown, thus to be caught and held by the stitched seam.

This assemblage of the three layers A, B and C, when'folded up in the manner shown in Fig. 2, and stitched around as in Fig. 3 provides, first, an upwardly opening full length bill pocket, between the sectional layers BB and CC and the first or main layer AA, and, second, twoshortlength inner pockets, each provided between a second layer section B or B and a third layer sec- 3 tion C or C, and these pockets opening toward the hinge of the billfold.

The stitching to attach the elements together and complete the billfold is very simply provided by a continuous seam tuv extending up along the left end. at t, connecting the elements A, B and C, and thence along the top at u including the tabs G and G and marginal band DD, and thence down along the right end at u, connecting the elements A, Band C.

An advantageous corner construction is shown, referring to the upper left and right corners of the billfold. It is noted that the second or inner 1ay-' er BB is slightly narrower than the main or outer layer, other than at the corners, but is wide enough to overlie the lower edge of the top marginal band D, which lies turned downand, ad-

hering upon the outer layer or wall, thus in conjunction with a bridge piece to be described covering and concealing the lower edge of the marginal band. The main or billpocket is more readily opened by having-the outerlayer or wall slightincisions being cut into one of the end sections C or commencing at af'point on the foldline z or z and extending thence to'the end of the section'C or C, thus producing notches in the sections C and C which later become concealed and producing tabs G and G on the contiguous portion of the sections B and B of the inner layer. These'tabs are of such-extent that when the ele 'ments are folded up as in Fig. 2 each of the tabs reaches fromthe fold line 2 or z outwardly and upwardly to the extreme corner of the billfold; in

other words the width ofeach tab G and G is the same as the distance between the parallel fold lines a and cc. Each tab conforms to the end of the oblong billfold, and -is shown in Fig. 3 as extending for a short distance along the upper edge, in other words around the substantially square corner, so that each tab is securely fixed and'held by the general peripheral stitching of the-billfold. As thus specifically constructed and attached, the. tabs Gand G produce an apprecable overhang which. correspondingly restricts theentrance-to the bill pocket, At a slight sacrifice in corner strength this objection can be overcome as illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7 in which the incision]? at each end is so'disposed that the corresponding tab G reaches clear to the extreme upper'corn'er of the'ou-ter layer but does not extend appreciably along the top edge thereof.

In order to span the gap between the left and right sections of the inner and intermediate layers and thus completethe closure of the bill pockct abridge-piece H is provided, being preferably aseparate membercf "leather, positioned by the spaced-apart sections and extending across the hinge line w, and preferably being long enough to extend well within the two facing inner pockets, a-s shown in Fig. 3,-partly in dotted-lines, and in Figshiand 5. For example, the bridge-piece at its righthand end may be attached or stitched 'to the section C" before the billfold is peripherally seamed, and its left-hand end may be extended slidingly within thepocket between sections 3 and C, thusto adapt itself to opening and closing movements.

A specific preferred arrangement isthat While the'bridge-piece His behind theinner layer sections BB, it is disposed in front of the upstanding tongue E of the inner layer, thus concealing the tongue. As seen in Figs. 1 to 3 the slots or recesses E, E" of the inner layer between the tongue E! and the adjacent sections are preferably terminated slightly short of the lower foldline 1/; so that the bridge-\piece, passing through these two slots, in front of the tongue but behind the sections, is positioned with its lower edge slightly above the lower edgeor foldline y of the billfold. Stated otherwise, the'ton'gue is tucked beneath the bridging element and the latter is kept above the bottom edge, which thus presents a sightly finished appearance, along the foldline 1/, extending the entire length of the billfold.

As appears on the drawing the upstanding tongue E which straddles the hinge line is afforded and defined by the slits E", E in the inner layer, these slits terminating well short of the fold line y between the outer and inner layers A and B, thus to leave (an uninterrupted lower'marof substantial width'of inner'layer for'the'entire'length of the billfold, thus affording a lower edge finish without interruption from end to'end.

Further features illustrated on the drawings comprise anextra or attached'interior pocket J, iownin-Figs. '3, i and 5, consisting of a piece of leather stitched around three sides-upon one of the second layer sections B or B, for example the lefthand'section B, such a pocket being useful tocarry tickets or similar smallfiat articles, and the pocket preferably opening toward the hinge for greater safety of its contents. Figs. Band 4 aiso show'the innerpocket between the righthand sections B and C as occupied by a small article X which may 'be'in the natureof an index or booklet, or a miniature case with'inside pockets of its own for carrying business cards and the like; If desired the main, long or bill pocket may be subdivided-into two compartments-in a well known manner, for example by inserting or securing within the'pocket an inside wall or divider so that for-example billsof large denomination may be segregatedfrom others; and such divider wallconstruction may be provided ana- 'logouslyto the divider'wall Dshown-in theeprior patent of Stanley No. 2-,328,40Q of August 31, 1943.

There have thusbeen described representative embodiments of the present invention, and the several features-thereof; but-since many matters of combination, construction, arrangement and design may be variously modified without departfrom the novel-principles, it is-not intended to limit theinvention te-such matters except to the extent set forth in the-appended claim.

What-is claimed is A billfoldhaving left and right halves foldable together aboutacentral vertical hinge line, and consisting essentially of three, connected layers formed froma'single fiat blank,'and characterized as follows;.the'first or outer layer beingof the full length and vertical-width of the billfold; the second or'inner layer being an upfoldedpart the blank "contiguousto the outer layer-and comprising spaced-apart left and-right end sections ea'cliterminating shorttof the central hinge line'and'comprising'alsoat the lower middle betweensaid end sections an upstanding tongue straddling :the' hinge line, whereby said inner layer'endsebtionsand tongue in cooperation withthe outer layerzpreserit a continuous finished bottom edge orlfoldf saidic'entral :tongiie being defined by slits-in? the inner layer 'ext'e nding ;doiwnwardly between the end "sectionsand tongue butitermiriat'ing well short 'of thefold line between the outer and inner layers thereby to leave an uninterrupted lower margin of substantial width of inner layer; the third or intermediate layer being a part of the blank contiguous to the inner layer and comprising spaced-apart and downfolded left and right end sections disposed between the outer and inner layers; together with a longitudinally slidable bridge wall extending across the hinge line behind the left and right sections of the inner layer but through such slots and in front of and concealing the said upstanding tongue, said bridge wall being attached at one end only to one of the walls between which it lies and spanning the gap between such left and right end sections, and slidable at its unattached other end with the opening and closing of the billfold; such arrangement of layers being end-closed by edge stitching through the ends of the outer and inner layers and said outer and intermediate layers providing an upwardlyopening full length bill pocket the inner side of which is centrally closed by said bridge layer; and said billfold being further characterized in that the third or intermediate layer at the outer end of each section is formed with an incision extending from an end edge point, which is located below the foldline between the intermediate and inner layers by a distance equal to the width of the exposed top margin of the outer layer, to a point on said foldline which is located 6 somewhat inwardly from the end edge, thereby to form an upstanding corner tab on said inner section of a size to reach upwardly beyond the inner layer to the extreme upper corner of the outer layer along the end edge thereof and appreciably around the corner for a short distance along the top edge of the outer layer, and in that the aforesaid end-closing stitching extends upwardly to attach said upstanding tab to the outer layer along the end and thence around the corner to attach the tab partly to the upper edge of the outer section.

LEOPOLD G. STANLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,209,486 Trollen July 30, 1940 1,866,618 Buxton July 12, 1932 1,939,761 Buxton Dec. 19, 1933 2,007,469 Gardner July 9, 1935 2,176,987 Buxton Oct. 24, 1939 2,291,259 Sherwood July 28, 1942 2,294,635 Sherwood Sept. 1, 1942 2,158,913 Bauhaus May 16, 1939 2,328,400 Stanley Aug. 31, 1943

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