EP0914782A1 - Protective case for credit cards or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

The upper face (2) of the case (1) is transparent and/or perforated (21) and a table or similar data (60) on a plastic film is glued to the outside of the lower face of the case with the data facing inward. The top edge (70) of the credit card (7) may then be used to accurately read the data (60) line by line.

Description

The present invention relates to a protective case for a credit card or a similar card.

Over the past decade, personal cards similar to bank cards have become widespread. Most of them carry an integrated circuit or "chip" endowed with memory (with microprocessor), and / or a magnetic identification track.

This kind of card is made of semi-rigid plastic, and has a format standard, rectangular in shape, dimensions 54 x 86 mm, and generally thick between 0.5 and 1 mm.

The uses of such cards are varied.

As examples, we can cite, alongside banking applications, ID cards, health cards, phone cards, subscription cards public transport, subscription cards to sports or cultural shows, warranty cards, loyalty cards for certain magazines or certain brands.

It is to this type of card that the object of the present invention is addressed.

There are protective cases adapted to receive such a card and avoid that it is not folded or damaged during periods of non-use, in particular when it found in a bag or in the pocket of its owner.

The protective case is generally a flat plastic case relatively rigid, of dimensions just larger than those of the card. It has two large rectangular parallel faces, between which the card can be inserted by sliding through a side slit. In general, one of the large faces - or face upper - of the case has an opening and / or a notch bordering the lateral slit which allows you to engage a finger to access and slide the card, which facilitates its extraction of the case.

The present invention aims to give the protective case a additional function, namely an informative function. More specifically, the invention proposes to provide the case with an informative table - whether or not related to the field of use of the card - whose reading is facilitated by the manipulation of the card contained in the case, the risks of error in reading the table thus being eliminated or, at the very least, reduced.

Like the conventional cases, the case which is the subject of the invention comprises two large parallel faces, between which the card can be inserted by sliding through a side slit.

• l'une desdites grandes faces, dite face supérieure, est ajourée et/ou transparente ;
• l'autre grande face, dite face inférieure, porte un tableau comprenant des lignes parallèles, ce tableau étant visible à travers la face supérieure en l'absence de carte ;
• ledit tableau est ainsi positionné qu'en faisant ressortir partiellement la carte de l'étui, on peut en découvrir une partie et en repérer une ligne par soulignement de celle-ci au moyen d'un bord de la carte.

It is remarkable in that:

• one of said large faces, called upper face, is perforated and / or transparent;
• the other large face, called the lower face, carries a table comprising parallel lines, this table being visible through the upper face in the absence of a card;
• said table is thus positioned that by partially highlighting the card from the case, one can discover a part of it and identify a line by underlining it by means of an edge of the card.

In one possible embodiment, its underside is transparent, the table being pasted under the latter.

According to another variant, the underside of the case is transparent and the table is directly printed on its external face.

When the underside is opaque, the table can be directly printed on its internal face.

In a possible application, the table is a conversion table of currencies.

• la figure 1 est une vue éclatée, en perspective - et avec arrachement partiel - de l'étui, du tableau destiné à être collé sous l'étui, et de la carte, celle-ci étant retirée de l'étui ;
• les figures 2, 3 et 4 sont des vues de dessus schématiques représentant différentes situations d'enfoncement de la carte dans l'étui ;
• la figure 5 est une vue de dessus schématique d'une variante de l'étui des figures 1 à 4, dans lequel la carte est partiellement enfoncée.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear from the description which will now be made of it, with reference to the drawings, in which:

• Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view - and with parts cut away - of the case, of the table intended to be glued under the case, and of the card, the latter being removed from the case;
• Figures 2, 3 and 4 are schematic top views showing different situations of driving the card into the case;
• Figure 5 is a schematic top view of a variant of the case of Figures 1 to 4, in which the card is partially pressed.

The case 1 illustrated in Figure 1 is a one-piece plastic case transparent, injection molded.

It is a flat case of rectangular shape, of the usual type, the faces of which upper and lower are referenced 2 and 3 respectively and the side edges (closed), corresponding to the two long sides, are referenced 4.

The case is opened laterally, at its short sides, by slots 1a, 1b. One of these slots, however, in this case 1b, is bordered by stops 5 which prevent the passage of the card. The introduction and withdrawal of the card is therefore exclusively through the opposite side slot.

This card, referenced 7, is for example a bank card; its edges corresponding to the short sides are referenced 70; its edges corresponding to large sides are referenced 71.

The upper face 2 of the case 1 is crossed by an opening 21; of more, it is notched by an edge in an arc of a circle 20 at the level of the slot 1a.

These recesses facilitate the extraction of the card using a finger.

According to an essential characteristic of the invention, this case is provided with a informative table 6. This is printed on a thin plastic sheet and flexible 60, intended to be glued under the underside 3 of the case, table inscriptions directed upwards (i.e. towards the inside of the case).

In the absence of a card in the case, the table is therefore visible from above, through side 2 (transparent and open), and side 3 (transparent).

Table 6 has online inscriptions.

In the example illustrated, table 6 is a conversion table of currencies, and more precisely a table of correspondence between "EURO" currencies and "FRANC". The table has a column "EURO" and a column "FRANC". Each row of the table indicates a value in "EURO", and its corresponding value in "FRANC".

The lines are parallel to the short sides of the case and, therefore, of the card, when it is in place in the case.

By simply observing Figures 2 to 4, it is easy to understand which way the table is read.

In these figures, the card is shown hatched.

In the storage position, illustrated in FIG. 2, the card 7 is completely pressed outside the case 1, abutted by one of its short sides 70 against the elements 5.

Table 6 is then completely hidden.

When the user wants to know the conversion rate between a value given in "EURO" and the corresponding value in "FRANC", it swipes the card to partially remove it from the case, and thus unmask part of the painting - which becomes visible by transparency -.

Thus, in the situation illustrated in FIG. 1, the card 7 has been slightly removed from its protective case 1, by traction over a limited stroke, symbolized by the arrow F.

Only the first line of the table, which teaches that 0.5 EURO = 3.25 FRANCS is then discovered, this information being underlined by the edge 70 of the card, and therefore easy to read.

A new traction F ' makes it possible to bring this edge 70 below another line, in this case corresponding to 15 EURO (FIG. 4).

The edge of the card therefore clearly highlights the last line discovery of the table, which reduces the risk of reading errors. Note that in the situation of figure 4, this line of the table is visible by transparency through the face lower 3 of the case, but directly through the window 21 of the upper face 2.

In the variant illustrated in Figure 5, the case 1 'has a face upper transparent, but without an opening; it is simply indented at the entrance slot. This last corresponds to a large side of the case, and of the card 8. So this time it's an edge 81 corresponding to this large side - and not to a small side 80 - which is used to underline a line in the table. This indicates here timetables daily, for example public transport, card 8 can be a card subscription to this mode of transport.

In the event that the upper face of the case is crossed by a opening of sufficient dimensions to fully discover the painting, it goes without saying that this upper face may be opaque.

The underside of the case could also be opaque, provided that the table is affixed - for example glued or printed - on its internal wall.

In an alternative embodiment, the lower face may be provided transparent and the table directly printed on the inside.

The printing techniques used are of the type already known, namely screen printing, laser printing, etc.

Such a table can be provided to give various information to the user of the card and the card holder.

Claims (5)

Protective case for a credit card or the like, which has two large parallel faces (2, 3) between which the card (7; 8) can be inserted by sliding through a lateral slot (1a), characterized in that: one (2) of said large faces, called upper face, is perforated and / or transparent; the other large face (3), called the lower face, carries a table (6) comprising parallel lines, this table being visible through the upper face (2) in the absence of a card (7; 8); said table (6) is thus positioned that by partially bringing out the card (7; 8) from the case, one can discover a part of it and identify a line by underlining it by means of an edge ( 70; 81) of the card (7; 8). Protective case according to claim 1, characterized in that its lower face (3) is transparent, said table (6) being glued under the latter. Protective case according to claim 1, characterized in that its underside (3) is transparent, said table (6) being directly printed on its wall external. Protective case according to claim 1, characterized in that its lower face (3) is opaque, said table (6) being directly printed on its wall internal. Protective case according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized by the fact that said table is a currency conversion table.

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