EP0063856A1

EP0063856A1 - Memo card organizer

Info

Publication number: EP0063856A1
Application number: EP82300796A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Marvin E. Williams; Edward W. Jones
Original assignee: Marvin E Williams
Current assignee: Marvin E Williams
Priority date: 1981-04-29
Filing date: 1982-02-17
Publication date: 1982-11-03
Also published as: AU8021982A; JPS57178896A

Abstract

The information organiser is an essentially passive device (10) that includes a number of memo cards (11) or other vehicles upon which various information may be provided, it features a vehicle holder (12) formed from sheet material and provided with a number of paired, relatively opposing surface openings (13) that converge towards one another but do not meet and that removably the information vehicles (11).

Description

The present invention rebates to passive information organising devices and more particularly to those which include a number of memo cards, credit cards, pictures or other information vehicles and a carrier or holder having vehicle-receiving openings.
In the past, information vehicle holders of this type have been provided with one or more pockets or slots, each having a single opening into which one or more information vehicles were inserted. U.S. Patent No. 4008742 is an example of such a device which discloses a credit card holder having a slitted outer layer in which one slit is provided for each card and a liner having a plurality of card-receiving flaps which is inserted behind the slitted layer. The present information organiser, in contrast, has a relatively simpler construction in which a pair of opposing and converging openings are provided for each information vehicle in one outer layer of the holder.
In addition to Patent No.4008742, U.S. Patent No.2532132 and U.S. Patent No.3073052 represent the closest prior art known to the applicants Patent No. 2532132 discloses a card or picture holder provided with a multiplicity of generally W-shaped slits which form fingers that interconnect with the various edges of the card. The present information organiser, in contrast, has a larger capacity because the opposing openings provided therein actually receive portions of the information vehicle and because the construction of the openings allows the information vehicle to lie in overlapping relationship with one another.
Patent No.3073052 discloses an index card holder having a plurality of inverted, generally U-shaped, card-receiving slits lying on a common axis of symmetry. The present information organiser, in contrast, is sturdier because the vehicle-receiving openings converge but do not meet, thereby minimising the discruption in the integrity and strength of the material in which the slits are formed.
The present passive information organising device comprises, in combination, one or more information vehicles formed from sheet material and an information vehicle holder having one or more pairs of relatively opposing, vehicle-receiving openings. The vehicle-receiving openings are continuously separated from one another and are disposed to removably receive an information vehicle. Each of the vehicle-receiving openings has a converging portion which converges towards the opposing, vehicle-receiving opening.
The primary objects of the present information organising device are to display simultaneously a portion of each information vehicle releasably housed therein, to permit the information vehicles to be variably organised, to form a sufficiently compact structure that it may be housed in a notebook or pocket-sized folder and to provide a durable structure which is simple and economical to construct.
The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig.1 is a front elevation of one form of information vehicle holder, with two credit cards or other information vehicles removably received therein;
Fig.2 is a side elevation of the information organising device shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of another form of information organiser adapted for use in a pocket-sized folder and provided with vehicle-receiving openings having outwardly angled guide portions;
Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of yet another form of the invention adapted for use in a notebook and provided with a plurality of pairs of vehicle-receiving openings arranged in two vertically aligned rows;
Fig.5 is a front elevation of a preferred form of the information vehicle provided with peripheral surface portion which contrast in colour with adjacent surface portions of the information vehicle;
Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the information organiser on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4; and
Fig. 7 is a fragmented, vertical section similar to Fig. 6, particularly illustrating an alternative form of construction for the intetrmediate layer of the information vehicle holder.

As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 2, the present information organising device, generally designated 10, is a substantially passive structure comprising one or more information vehicles 11 formed from sheet material, and an information vehicle holder 12 having one or more pairs of relatively opposing, vehicle-receiving openings, generally designated 13, continuously separated from one another and disposed to removably receive therein an information vehicle 11. Each of the vehicle-receiving openings 13 has a converging portion 13a. which converges towards the opposing vehicle receiving opening 13 and which, in the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1, and 2, runs the entire length of the vehicle-receiving opening 13. The converging portions 13a of the opposing vehicle-receiving openings permit information vehicles of various dimensions to be removably received therein. The information vehicles 11 may be any of a variety of relatively planar objects upon which various information may be provided, such as credit cards, photographs, index cards or relatively small sheets of paper. Since the opposing, vehicle receiving openings 13 do not meet, the vehicle-receiving holder 12 forms a seat 15 between the lower ends 13b of each pair of opposing openings 13 against which the leading edge portion 11a of the vehicle 11 abuts. In this manner, the vehicle receiving holder 12 may be formed from a single layer of material without requiring additional flaps or pouches. Preferably, the holder 12 is formed from flexible material which bows somewhat when an information vehicle 11 is inserted therein, so that the vehicle may be more easily inserted and withdrawn and in order to reduce wear and tear on the various structures.
The pairs of opposing, vehicle-receiving openings 13 are preferably arranged in at least one longitudinally aligned row and are disposed to receive less than the entire length of the relatively opposing, lateral edge portions 11b and 11c of the information vehicle. Similarly, the seats 15 formed between the lower ends 13b of the opposing openings are aligned on a common axis of symmetry. In this manner, the information vehicles 11 lie in overlapping relationship to each other, with a, portion of each vehicle projecting above the vehicle lying immediately above it.
As illustrated in Fig. 3, each of the opposing vehicle-receiving openings 13 may be provided with a guide portion 13c which is continuous with and is angled obtusely and laterally outwardly from the converging portion 13a. The distance between the outelmost ands of the convrging portion 13a. The distance between the outelmost ands of of the guide portions 13c located on opposing vehicle-receiving openings 13 is greater than the distance between the relatively opposing, lateral edge portions 11b and 11c of the information vehicle 11 inserted there between, the guide portions therefore provide entrances for the information vehicle into the opposing openings, further reduce wear and tear on the present device and facilitate insertion and removal of the vehicle 11.
Fig. 3 also illustrates, in outline form, a billfold or other pocket-sized folder 16 into which the present information organiser may be inserted.
As illustrated in Fig.5, the present information organiser may be provided with one or more information vehicles 11 which are substantially square pieces of sheet material. Notes or other information may be provided thereon and since a portion of each vehicle preferably projects beyond the vehicle lying immediately above it, the square vehicle may be inserted into its respective openings 13 in four different directions to expose various portions of the information provided on the vehicle. In addition, the information vehicle is preferably provided with a border 17 on its peripheral surface portion which contrasts in colour with the adjacent interior surface 18 of the vehicle. In this manner, a plurality of information vehicles lying in overlapping relationship in their respective opposing openings 13 are visually more distinguishable from one another.
Fig. 4 illustrates another modification of the present invention wherein the information vehicle holder 12 is inserted into a loose-leaf notebook 19, and the pairs of relatively opposing vehicle-receiving- openings 13 are arranged in two, spaced-apart, longitudinally aligned rows.
Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate preferred forms of construction for the vehicle holder 12 adopted for use in the loose-leaf notebook 19 illustrated in Tig.4. As indicated in both Figs. 6 and 7, the holder 12 is preferably provided with at least one intermediate layer 20 of relatively rigid sheet material and with an outer layer 21 of relatively flexible material having first and second portions 21a and 21b dispersed on opposite sides, respectively, of the intermediate layer 20. The intermediate layer 20 is substantially uninterrupted, but each of the first and second portions 21a and 21b of the outer layer 21 are provided with a plurality of pairs of vehicle-receiving openings 13. Thus, the holder is adapted to receive information vehicles 11 on both sides of the page.
The information vehicle holders illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 are distinguishable in that the intermediate layer 20 of Fig. 6 is formed from a relatively rigid, central layer 20a of cardboard sheet material enveloped in a layer 20b of synthetic resin material. A single intermediate layer 20 of relatively rigid synthetic resin material is provided in Fig. 7.
The outer layer 21 of the holder 11 in both Figs. 6 and 7 is preferably formed from relatively flexible, synthetic resin material. Referring to Fig.4, one will note that outer edges 22 and longitudinally extending stripes 23 of the holder 12 are formed preferably by conventional heat sealing processes. In this manner, the first and second portions 21a and 21b of the outer layer 21 are secured to each other along the outer edges 22 and to the intermediate layer 20 along the longitudinally extending stripes 23, and the guide portions 13c of the vehicle-receiving openings 13 are prevented from extending laterally outwardly.

Claims

1. A passive information organising device comprising an information vehicle holder (12) having at least one pair of slots (13) adapted to receive at least one information vehicle (11) formed from sheet material characterised in that the information vehicle holder (12) has at least one pair of relatively opposing, vehicle-receiving openings (13) continuously separated from one another and disposed to removably receive the information vehicle (11), each of the vehicle-receiving openings (13) having a converging portion (13a) which converges towards the opposing vehicle-receiving openings (13).

2. A device according to claim 1, characterised in that the information vehicle holder (12) is provided with at least one intermediate layer (20) of relatively rigid sheet material and with an outer layer (21) of relatively flexible sheet material having first and second portions (21a and 21b) disposed on opposite sides respectively of the intermediate layer (20), each of the first and second portions (21a and 21b) having at least one pair of vehicle-receiving openings (13).

3. A device according to claim 2, characterised in that the outer layer (21) is provided with a plurality of pairs of vehicle-receiving openings (l3) disposed in at least one longitudinally aligned row in each of the first and second portions (21a and 21b).

4. A device according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that intermediate layer (20) is formed from relatively rigid cardboard sheet material enveloped in synthetic resin sheet material and the outer layer (2l) is formed from relatively flexible synthetic resin sheet material.

5. A device according to claim 1, characterised in that each of the vehicle-receiving openings (l3) is provided with a guide portion, (13c) which is continuous with and is angled obtusely and laterally outwardly from the converging portion (13a) which provides an entrance for the information vehicle (11) into the vehicle-receiving opening (13).

6. A device according to any preceding claim characterised in that the information vehicle (11) is provided with relatively opposing, lateral edge portions, (llb and llc) the vehicle receiving openings (13) being disposed to receive less than the entire length of the lateral edge portions (llb and llc).

7. A device according to any preceding claim characterised in that the information vehicle (11) is a substantially square piece of sheet material.

8. A device according to claim 7, characterised in that the peripheral surface portions (17) of each information vehicle (11) contrast in colour with adjacent, interior surface portions (18) of the vehicle.