AU595413B2 - Credit card holder - Google Patents

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION 5,4- 5 413 6 'K

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Slr A Applicant: OROTON PTY LIMITED Address 52 Balgowlah Road Balgowlah, NSW Address for Service: Chrysiliou Moore Chrysiliou P.O. Box 373 Collaroy Beach NSW 2097 Complete Specification for an invention entitled: "CREDIT CARD HOLDER" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: APPlICAT'ON ACCEPTED AND AMENOtENTS ALO W ED 1 -2- This invention is concerned with wallets or purses. More particularly, this invention relates to a wallet or purse which contains a credit card holder.

For many years, men's wallets have contained one or more compartments for paper money, often with other compartments for driver's licence, photographs, etc. Ladies' wallets or purses have been similar to men's wallets, except that usually they included a compartment for coins.

000 As credit cards became more popular, a credit card compartment .01..i was included in most purses and wallets. At first, the *9 compartment comprised a slot or flap which would accept a oses*: •single credit card. Users began to insert two or even three credit cards in the slot or flap; in most cases two cards would be retained in the slot or flap, but the third would usually fall out, because there was insufficient friction to enable it to be retained between the other two cards in the .slot or flap. In addition, the slot or flap was usually located on an outside face of the wallet or purse, to enable ready access. However, particularly when the wallet or purse was made of leather, the mouth of the slot or flap would stretch with use and the credit card would tend to fall out and be lost.

To overcome this problem, manufacturers began to insert in wallets and purses a credit card holder of the type resembling a booklet, each of the leaves of which would accept a credit card. Usually the leaves were of transparent material; the credit card holder was made of plastic material and was either i :1 -3removably inserted in the purse or wallet or was permanently attached thereto. There were many problems with this type of credit card holder; the plastic material from which the holder was made tended to tear when new or to become brittle with age and break into pieces. More importantly, however, the design of the holder meant that when a number of credit cards was inserted therein, each credit card exactly overlay the other when the holder was in the "book closed" position and this formed an area of bulk in the wallet or purse. Frequently 10 the material of the wallet or purse (eg, leather or vinyl) would wear iv the region of the credit card holder. In *6*S addition, when the credit card holder was inserted in the wallet or purse, access to the credit cards was difficult.

Lastly, it was not possible to see all the credit cards at a glance; it was necessary to open the "book" and turn the

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leaves until the desired credit card was located.

SThe present invention is intended to alleviate or eliminate some or all of the drawbacks described above in connection with the prior art and to provide a credit card holder which does not create unnecessary bulk and which enables credit cards to be hidden away securely in a wallet or purse yet permits ready access.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a credit card holder for a wallet or purse which has at least two parallel walls, the holder comprising: a leaf having one or more credit card holding means, each of which is adapted to hold a credit card in a substantially flat position in or against the leaf, and T T a joining strip adapted to attach the leaf to the wallet or purse between the parallel walls, the joining strip being dimensioned so that the leaf can assume two positions, wherein in the first position each credit card holding means is clear of said parallel walls and in the second position each credit card holding means is between said parallel walls.

The terms "wallet" and "purse'' as used herein are intended to refer to any paper money or document holding case which has at e. least two parallel walls. The term "credit card" includes 010 debit cards, business cards and identity cards and any other Pcard having similar dimensions. These cards are generally, but not necessarily, made of plastics material.

Preferably, the leaf is made of the same material as the purse or wallet, for example, leather or a leather substitute. The credit card holding means may be of any suitable construction.

Preferably the credit card holding means comirises a flat pocket slightly wider than the width or length of a normal credit card, but somewhat less in depth than the length or **5555 0 S width of a normal credit card, so that the card is retained in

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the pocket while protruding therefrom. In this way, part of the credit card can be seen and readily identified while it is retained in the pocket.

It is advantageous if the mouth of the pocket is cut obliquely with respect to the pocket, so that the depth of the pocket may be maximised (hence affording best retention of the card in the pocket) while still permitting ready identification of the card.

C~ Y--l The joining strip is preferably made of woven, textile or other pliable material and extends along the length of the leaf, to which it may be affixed by any suitable means, such as by stitching. The opposite edge of the joining strip is attached to the wallet or purse, preferbly by stitching along that edge.

This invention also provides a wallet or purse containing a credit card holder.

The invention will now be described in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be understood that •the scope of the invention is not limited by this description and the drawings. Other embodiments and modifications within the scope of the invention will be apparent to a man skilled in the art.

i o, SIn the drawings, Figure 1 is a representation of the credit card holder of the invention; Figure 2 shows the credit card holder of Figure 1 mounted in a wallet, with the holder in the fully extended position, clear of the parallel walls of the wallet; ~Figure 3 illustrates the wallet in Figure 2 with the holder in a semi-withdrawn position and is partially cut-away to show construction; and Figure 4 shows the wallet of Figure 3 with the holder in the fully-withdrawn position.

Referring first to Figure 1, credit card holder 1 comprises -6- 00*S see* 0 0 0 2p leaf 2, made of leather, and joining strip 3, made ot textile material. Leaf 2 includes a tab 4 and a plurality of credit card pockets 5. One of the pockets is detailed by dashed lines 6, 7 and 8. The other pockets are of the same dimensions, so that a credit card inserted in each pocket will have its leading edge visible between those of the credit cards inserted in the neighbouring pockets, and the credit cards wi.ll be staggered in overlapping positions, thus spreading the bulk of the cards over substantially the whole of the leaf.

Joining strip 3, which is of the same length as leaf 2, is attached to leaf 2 by stitching 9 along side 10. The opposite side 11 of joining strip 3 is intended for attachment to the wallet (not shown in this Figure) along stitching line 12.

Referring now to Figures 2, 3 and 4, wallet 13 is made of the same leather as leaf 2 and is shown in an open position. As is well-known in the art, wallet 13 has a zippered compartment 14, an outside pocket 15 and a pair of open compartments 16 and 17. Flap 18, which is adapted to fold over base 19 and secure the wallet in a closed position by engagement of stud in aperture 21, incorporates pockets 22 and 23. Pocket 23 has a clear window 24 for display of driver's licence or photographs or the like.

Joining strip 3 is stitched along stitching line 12 (refer Figure 1) by a line of stitches 25 on wall 29I, thus attaching credit card holder I to wallet 13 between parallel walls 27 and 28 (refer Figure It will be noted that the line of stitches 25 is located approximately halfway down wall 28, and that the dimension of joining strip 3 between sides 10 and 11

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is such that when credit card holder 1 is in the position shown in Figure 2, joining strip 3 is in a fully extended configuration. When credit card holder 1 is in the position shown in Figure 4, joining strip 3 is in a fully retracted configuration. When credit card holder 1 is partially withdrawn, as in Figure 3, joining strip 3 folds as illustrated.

It will be seen from the drawings that the credit card holder of the invention provides a neat and efficient means of 0 "1 storing credit cards in a wallet or purse. The cards have otloo their bulk evenly distributed and are readily accessible while being well displayed. Because the holder can be fully withdrawn into the wallet or purse, if there is any stretching of the pocket mouth which permits a card to fall ee out of a pocket, the credit card will tend to be retained between the parallel walls of the wallet or purse.

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The holder of the invention may be made of durable material, such as leather, which does not tear or become brittle with age. In the purse or wallet of the invention, wear caused by ooO o friction of the credit cards against surrounding surfaces is minimised. Further, the credit card holder of the invention can be adapted for use in wallets and purses of varying designs and sizes.

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Claims (8)

1. 2. A credit card holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said joining strip is made of textile material.
2. 3. A credit card holder as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein o o said joining strip extends along the length of one side of said leaf. aoo o
3. 4. A credit card holder as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 546055 S 3, wherein said credit card holding means comprises a flat pocket adapted to retain a credit card therein while permitting a portion of said credit card to protrude therefrom. A credit card holder as claimed i,l clnim 4, wherein said pocket has a mouth which is cut obliquely.
4. 6. A wallet or purse incorporating a credit card holder as claimed in any one of claims 1 to -9-
5. 7. A wallet or purse as claimed in claim 6, wherein said joining strip i3 attached to one of said parallel walls.
6. 8. A wallet or purse as claimed in claim 7, wherein a line of stitching attaches said joining strip to said parallell wall in a position approximately halfway from the base of said wall and parallel thereto and the distance between said line of stitches on said joining strip and said leaf at its .attachment to said joining strip is approximately the same as the distance between said base of said parallel wall and said line "It of stitching.
7. 9. A credit card holder substantially as herein described with reference to the Drawings.
8. 10. A wallet or purse containing a credit card holder substantially as herein described with reference to the Drawings. Dated this eighth day of January, 1988 OROTON PTY LIMITED By its Attorneys Chrysiliou Moore Chrysiliou