CA2019388A1 - Memorandum device with tethered tool - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A key and/or a writing implement is connec-ted to one end of a tether whose other end is connec-ted to a housing on which a re-usable pad is mounted.
The key or the implement is movable over the pad, for recording information thereon, in an open position of a cover pivotably mounted on the housing.

Description

MEMORANDUM DEVICE WITH TETHERED TOOL

BACKGROUND OF TH~ INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention This invention'generally relates to a re-usable, portable, memorandum device to which a tool such as a key or a writing implement is tethered, the tool being used - for recording information.
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2._Description of Related Art Re-usa~le, perpetual, memorandum pads of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,543,430; 1,729,916;
2,475,698; 2,663,095 and 3,579,871, with or without pres-sure-applying styli to record information on the pads, are known in the art. Although generally satisfactory 'for their intended purpose for recording information, the styli for such pads are often not replaced in their mountings on the pads' or supports therefor. Hence, the styli are typically unavailable for use, thereby render-ing the pads virtually useless.
Keys, usually hotel keys, are often tethered on chains attached to tags on which pre-printed indicia are applied. As disclosed,for example, in U.SO Pat. Nos.
1,066,129 and 1,841,780~ such indicia are printed on .
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sheets bound together. The indicia chiefly constitute inormation usefui to hotel guests. Such key tags serve two purposes: one, to prevent loss of the key due to.its attachment to the heavier tag with attached pre-printed sheets,'and the other,,to inform the travel-ing public of uscful information.

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SUMMAR~ OF THE IN~ENTION
l. Obiects of-the Invention It is a general object of this invention to provide a re-usable memorandum device on which informa-tion can be recorded with the aid of a tethered tool such as a household key.
It is another object of this invention to pro-vide a key tag carrier on which a re-usable memorandum device is supported.
Another object of this invention is to provide a combination memorandum device and key carrier.
A further object of this invention is to pre-vent loss of a tool used for recording information on such devices and carriers.
An additional object of this invention is to provide such a device or carrier of pocket- or purse-sized dimensions to enable it to be easily carried.

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2. Features of the In~ention In keeping with these objects, and others which will become apparent hereinafter,' one feature of this invention resides, briefly stated, in a memorandum device comprising a support on which a re-usable record means or pad is mounted. Information is recordable on, and erasable from, the pad. A tool is movable over the pad to record the information.
A cover is mounted on the support for movement between an open position in which access by the tool is permitted to the pad, and a closed position in which the - cover overlies the pad and restricts access of the tool thereto. In a preferred embodiment, the support is a pocket- or purse-sized housing having walls boundlng an interior in which the pad is mounted. The housing has I an open top which the cover overlies in the closed posi-I tion. The cover is advantageously pivotably mounted on ¦ the housing.
In accordance with this invention, an elongated ' tether has one end connected'to the'support, and another end connectable to the tool which, as previously noted, is operative for recording information on the pad in the open position of the cover. The tethered tool can never be misplaced or lost due to its connection to the support.

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The tether itself is flexible, and has a relatively long length to permit the tethered tool to be freely manipulable with multiple freedoms of movement so that the tool, accordins to one embodiment, while tethered, can be positioned against and moved across the pad.
The pad itself may take many different forms.
In a first embodiment, the pad includes a bottom sheet covered with a dark wax, an inte~nediate tissue sheet overlying the bottom sheet, and a light-transmissive top sheet overlying the tissue sheet. The top sheet is suf-ficiently flexible to yield upon application of pressure by the tool to press the tissue sheet against,and to adhere the tissue sheet to, the bottom sheet along dark ~ ~-marking lines which constitute the information to be recorded.
The tissue and bottom sheets are separable for erasing the recorded information. The tissue sheet can either be peeled from the bottom sheet, or the pad may further include a separator such as a sliding bar mounted for displacement between the tissue and bottom sheets, the latter being separated during displacement of the ;~ -bar for erasing the recorded information.

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In another embodiment, the pad includes a pair of overlying sheets, one sheet being light-trans-missive with a fluorescent or iridescent dye dispersed therethrough, the other sheet being light-blocking.
The light-transmissive sheet is pliable to permit the selective application of pressure by the tool on por-tions thereof to cause the sheets to come into intimate contact with, and to adhere to, each other a-t said se-lected portions. The sheets are separable from each other for erasing the recorded information at said se-lected portions, either by peeling the light-transmis-sive sheet from the ligh~blocking sheet, or by sliding a separator bar as described above.
In both aforementioned embodiments, the tool is a pressure-applying stylus, and may advantageously be constituted as a key, e.g. a household key, connec-ted to the other end of the tether. In an advantageous embodiment, the key has a mounting hole through which an openable keyring extends~ The keyring is directly at-tached to the other end of the tether.
In another embodiment of the pad, the pad may simply be a board or a sheet having a major surface on which the information is recorded. The tool may be any writing implement such as a pen, pencil or marker, ~ -~

Preferably, the recorded information is erasable from , :
the sheet or board. AdvantageousIy, the writing imple-ment is detachably mounted to the aorementioned keyring by means of a tubular holder. The holder has a mounting hole through which the ring exténds. The implement is frictionally retained within the holder and easily de-tached therefrom.
The memorandum device preferably has pocket-or purse-siæed dimensions to enable it to be easily car-ried in one's pocket or pursej thereby rendering it a :
practloal, useul, everyday~accessory. One rarely forgets his or her keys and, hence, this accessory is routinely avallable for one to record information of any type.
The novel eatures which are considered ascharacteristic of the invention are set forth in parti-cular in the appended claLms. The invention itself, how-1 ever, both as to its construction and its method of op-- ` eration, together with~addltional objects and advantages thereof, will be bes~ understood from the following desoription of speciio embodiments when read in connec-tion with the accompanying drawings. -. '~ ' ~ " .

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BRIEF DESCRIP~ION:OF THE D~AWI~TGS

FIGo 1 is a:perspective view of one embodi-ment of a memorandum device according to this invention, ~:: in an open position;
FIG~ 2 LS a sectional view of the device of FIG~ 1,1n a closed position;
FIG~ 3 is a sectional~view taken on line 3--3 ~ , of FIG~ 2t showing use of the device in phantom lines;

FIG~ 4 is a view analogous to FIG~ 3 of another embodiment of the dévice according to this invention; and FIG~ 5 is a perspective view of a modified detail of FIG~

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, ~-~ DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF TEE PREFERRED ÉMBO~IME~JTS
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reference numeral 10 generally identifies a memorandum device comprising a portable housing 12 having a gener-ally planar bottom~wall 14, a pair of mutua~y parallel ~ ^
side walls 16~ 8lextending perpendicularly of the bot-;tom wall 14, a~palr of mutua~y~parallel end walls 20, 22 extending perpendicularly of the bottom wall 14, and an ;open top. The~housing has a generally rectangular par-allelepiped shape whose walls bound an interior in which a re-usable record means~or pad~24, as described in greater detail be~low, is contained. A cover 26 is moun-ted on the housing 12 for movement between an open posi-tion (see FIG. l) in which access is-~permitted to the pad~24, and a closed positLon (see FIG. 2) in which the ;~
cover 26 overlies the~open top of the housing and re- -stricts~access to the pad. Preferably, the cover 26 is pivotably connected~to the housing at longitudinal hinge~28.
An elongated~tether, such as chain 30, has one end connected to~the housing. As shown in FIG. 2, the chain 30 has one end linked to a loop 32 that is connected to the end wall 22. At the other end of the ' ~9-'~
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chain 30 is an openable keyring 34 on which a key 36 and/or a writing implement holder 38 is haoked. The holder 38 and the key 36 have mounting holes 40, 42, respectively, through which the ring 34 extends. A
writing implement 44,~such as a pen, penall or marker, is detachably mounted in, and frictionally retained withln,~the holder 3a, ~ The implement 44 is detached from the holder~;38~by~exerting a pulling force. Either the key 36 or~the~implement 44;is~movable aver the pad 24 in~the open pasltion of the~aover for recording in~
formation on the pad. The inormation is erasable from the pad so that the same can be used over and over again. --;
; The pad~24 may have many forms. Thus, as shown in FIGs. 2 and 3, the pad 24 includes a bottom sheet 46 covered wi~th~ a dark wax, an intermediate tissue sheet 48 overlylng~the~ bottom sheet 46,-and a light-transmissive tap sheet 50 overlying the tissue sheet 48 and the bottom sheet 46. The top~sheet is a flexible film yieldable upon applioaton of~pressure by the key 36 to press the tissue~sheet 48 against, and to adhere the tissue sheet 48 to, the bottom sheet 46 along dark ~:,: . -marking lines whlch constitute the information to be recorded. The top sheet serves as a protector of the -~-tissue sheet.

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: :, In order to erase the recorded information, it is necessary to separate the tissue and bottom sheets.
One may simply peel the tissue sheét from the bottom sheet, or, in the embodiment shown in FIGs. 1-3, a sep- -arator bar 52 is mounted on the housing for displacement between the tissue and bottom sheets to separate the latter. The separator bar extends across the width of the housing, and is mounted for sliding movement length-wise of the housing. The separator bar has an outwardly-extending handle or actuator 54 which extends through the side wall 16 and is accommodated in a longitudinal -slot 56 for movement therealong.
In another embodiment of the pad, a pair of overlying sheets 58, 60, as shown in FIG. 4, are mounted in the housing 12. Upper sheet 58 is light-transmissive, and has a fluorescent or iridescent dye dispersed there-through. The lower sheet 60 is light-blocking. The upper sheet 58 is pliable to permit the selective appli-cation of pressure by the key 36 on portions of the upper sheet 58 to cause the sheets 58, 60 to come into intimate contact with, and adhere to, each other at thoæ selected portions. The sheets are separable from each other for erasing recorded inormation at those selected portions, .. --11--:- 2'~4i 93~

either by:peeling the upper sheet 58 away from the lower sheet,as schematically depicted at 58', or by moving a separator bar,such as bar 52 described above, between the sheets 58, 60. Details concerning the fluorescent and iridescent dyes, as well as the pads themselves, can be found by reference to U.S. Pat. Nos.
3,761,343 and 4,011,665, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
In both of the aforementioned embodiments, the key 36 is used as a pressure-applying tool to record information on the pad. The chain 30 is sufficiently long so that the key 36 is readily manipulable, even while tethered, to be positioned against the pad and movable thereover.
In still another embodiment, the pad can be a bcard 6~ having a smooth major surface on which the in-formation is recorded by the implement 44 which, for this purpose, is preferably a marker.whose markings on the board are erasable, typically by wiping (see FIG. 5).
The pad may.also be a single shee~ or multiple sheets, each having major surfaces on which the informa~
tion is recorded by the implement which advantageously is a pen, pencil, crayon., and the like, the written in-formation also being conveniently erasable from the sheet or sheets.
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In use, one may remove the device rom one's pocket or purse, since the device is conveniently of pocket- or purse-sized dimensions, and open the cover 26. In the event that the pad 24 is of the pressure-applying type, then the tethered key is movable across the pad to record information. Once finished, the cover 26 is closed. The cover 26 protects the recorded in-formation and prevents other objects within one's pocket or purse from appl~ing pressure against the pad and pos-sibly obscuring the recorded information. In the event that the pad 62 is of the type on which ink, graphite or crayon is applied thereto, then the implement 44 is removed from its holder 38~and the working end of the -untethered implement 44 is movable over the pad (see ~IG.5) for recording information thereon. Once the recording is completed, the implement 44 is returned to its holder 38 and the tether. The closed cover 26 protects the recorded information from being smudged or erased accidentally.

~ J3~8 It will be understood that each of the ele-ments described above, or.two or more together, also may find a useful application in other types of con-structions differing from the types described above While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a memorandum device with teth-ered tool, it.is not intended to be limited to the de-tails shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.
Without further analysis, the foregoing will ~.
so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that , others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from.the standpoint of prior art, fairly consti- ~.
tute.essential characteristics of the generic or speci-fic aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adap- ~ -tations should and~are intended to be comprehended within the meaning~and range of equivalence of the fol-lowing claims.
What lS claimed as new and desired to be pro- .
tected by Letters:Patent is set forth in the appended ~:
claims.

Claims (14)

1. A memorandum device, comprising:
(a) re-usable record means for enabling in-formation to be recorded on, and erased from, the record means;
(b) a support for supporting the record means, said support including a cover mounted thereon for move-ment between an open position in which access is permitted .
to the record means, and a closed position in which the cover overlies the record means and restricts access thereto;
(c) an elongated tether having one end connec-ted to the support, and another end; and (d) a tool mounted on at least one of the sup-port and the other end of the tether, said tool being movable over the record means in the open position of the cover for recording information on the record means.

2. The memorandum device according to claim 1, wherein the support is a pocket-sized housing having walls bounding an interior in which the record means is mounted, and also bounding an open top; and wherein the cover overlies the open top in the closed position and closes the interior of the housing.

3. The memorandum device according to claim 2, wherein the cover is pivotably mounted on the housing.

4. The memorandum device according to claim 1, wherein the record means includes a bottom sheet covered with a dark wax, an intermediate tissue sheet overlying the bottom sheet, and a light-transmissive top sheet overlying the tissue and bottom sheets; and wherein the top sheet is sufficiently flexible to yield upon application of pressure by the tool to press the tissue sheet against, and to adhere the tissue sheet to, the bottom sheet along dark marking lines which consti-tute the information to be recorded, said tissue and bottom sheets being separable for erasing the recorded information.

5. The memorandum device according to claim 4, wherein the record means further includes a separ-ator mounted for displacement between the tissue and bottom sheets to separate the tissue and bottom sheets during such displacement for erasing the recorded in-formation.

6. The memorandum device according to claim S, wherein the separator is an elongated bar mounted for sliding movement on the support.

7. The memorandum device according to claim 1, wherein the record means includes a pair of overly-ing sheets, one sheet being light-transmissive with a dye dispersed therethrough, the other sheet being light-blocking, said one sheet being pliable to permit the selective application of pressure by the tool on por-tions thereof to cause the sheets to come into intimate contact with, and to adhere to, each other at said selected portions, said sheets being separable from each other for erasing the recorded information at said selected portions.

8. The memorandum device according to claim 7, wherein the dye is a fluorescent dye operative for dispersing light impinging on the selected portions in a luminescent effect.

9. The memorandum device according to claim 7, wherein the dye is an iridescent dye.

10. The memorandum device according to claim 1, wherein the record means is a sheet having a major surface on which the information is recorded by the tool.

11. The memorandum device according to claim 1, wherein the tether is flexible and manipulable with multiple freedoms of movement to position the tool, while tethered, against, and to move the tool across, the record means.

12. The memorandum device according to claim 1, wherein the tether is a chain.

13. The memorandum device according to claim 11, wherein the chain is a keychain having a keyring at said other end, and wherein the tool is a key mounted on the ring, said key having a pressure-applying tip.

14. The memorandum device according to claim 12, wherein the chain has a ring at said other end, and a tool holder mounted on the ring; and wherein the tool is a writing implement detachably mounted on the holder.