GB2452244A

GB2452244A - Handheld card holder adapted to call attention to the user's presence

Info

Publication number: GB2452244A
Application number: GB0713044A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Laurence Swann; William Dewick
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-07-05
Filing date: 2007-07-05
Publication date: 2009-03-04
Also published as: GB0713044D0

Abstract

A handheld card holder adapted to call attention to the user's presence comprises a card or badge holder with a light-reflective portion 19 on one face. The light-reflective portion may extend onto an edge, such as a spine of the card or badge holder. The light-reflective portion may comprise a number of spaced-apart light reflecting units and may be arranged so as to form a symbol conveying information about the user to the observer.

Description

IMPROVED CARD HOLDER

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to card holders, and in this patent specification the term "card holder" is intended to be given a broad and not an unduly literal interpretation. It includes within its scope wallets, luggage tags, travel pass holders and identity badges.

The State of the Art as Known to the Applicant Card holders -within the terms outlined above -are known in a variety of shapes, sizes *: and formats. Traditionally they may be made of leather or of a leather substitute such as . plastics materials and they may or may not be decorated to a greater or lesser extent.

Often they are made to fit in the user's pocket for easy everyday transport. Sometimes they will be adapted to contain several cards, for example credit cards, or alternatively to house one card only -or one principal card -such as a bus or train travel pass. * **

:.: The well known "Oyster" pass currently used in central London is one example of the Latter * 30 which is very often housed in a conventional card holder wallet.

A drawback of these known card holders is that, as far as the applicant is aware, they are neither designed nor specifically adapted to call attention to the user's presence. Indeed it may be argued that any such adaptation would be avoided by those approaching the subject in a conventional frame of mind; because of the risk of theft following undue attention attraction.

This nevertheless has a drawback of its own, namely, that if a number of people are standing at (for example) a bus stop, and the Light -as it frequently is in Britain in city centres in the non-summer months -is bad (or indeed at one of the many request stops where there is in fact no additional lighting), then a bus driver may or may not see a small number of people or a single person in these disadvantageous lighting conditions.

That problem wilt be made worse if -as again it frequently is -rain or drizzle is faLling at the time.

Summary of the Invention

In its broadest aspect the invention provides a hand-held card holder, a portion of which is designed to be presented face-on to third parties to display the card and/or identify the card user; characterised in that a portion of the card holder is adapted for signalling a third party to stop at the card user's behest and in that one surface of the card holder incorporates a light-reflective region.

This enables (reverting to the example above) a person standing at a bus stop to signal an oncoming bus driver to stop. It need not be positively waved, although it would be positively advantageous if it were adapted to do so. It could simply be displayed face-on in the general direction of the oncoming driver although the light-reflective region could alternatively or additionally extend along an edge -for example a spine -of the card S..... * .

holder. * . S...

In one embodiment of the invention the portion identifying the card user may be the same as the one incorporating the light-reflective region; although again this is not essential. It is advantageous in that it Lends itself to a further development of the invention in which the light-reflective region of the card holder comprises indicia identifying the card holder.

For example, it is conventional to house cards behind a transparent plastics screen in a conventional design of card holder so that the indicia on the card identifying the card user can be seen through the plastics screen. In such an arrangement, the plastics screen could be so treated optically that, with the (conventionally printed) card in place behind the screen, the printed user-identifying indicia were highlighted when light shone onto the plastics screen as the card holder was displayed face-on to an oncoming bus or taxi.

Alternatively or additionally, the light-reflective indicia identifying the card user could comprise symbols such as "60+" incorporated into an outer edge region of the card holder which, when presented face-on to an oncoming driver could signify at once that this person was automatically entitled to reduced rates because he or she was at least 60 years of age.

In another development of the inventive concept, the light-reflective region may comprise spaced-apart individually light-reflecting units. Such units could comprise LEDs which flash, either automatically, or in response to a touch-sensitive portion of the card hoLder which the user activates with his or her thumb whilst holding the card holder; or again the activation might be a heat-sensitive one in response to the user simply hoLding the card holder in his or her palm or between finger and thumb for the first few seconds after taking it out of the pocket of a garment or out of a handbag to attract attention.

In any embodiment of the invention, the light-reflective region may comprise stitch-displayed threads of fibre optic material. Substantially the whole of the light-reflective region could be comprised of optically reactive threads, displayed on an outer surface of the card holder, in this way. * . * * S **.*

The invention includes within its scope hand-held card holders substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in any appropriate combination of the * :...: accompanying text and drawings. S..

Brief Description of the Drawings

S.....

* 30 The drawings accompanying this description show two card holders each embodying the invention and each viewed in generally face-on three-dimensional perspective.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments

In figure 1 a card holder in the form of a single-spine-fold flat wallet is made of leather and can be opened about its spine 11, as shown, in a conventional manner. A card printed with indicia identifying the card user is referenced 12 and is visible through a clear plastics screen 13. The card 12 is inserted into an inside face pocket in one flap half 14 of the wallet whilst the screen 13 is incorporated into the other flap half 15. When the two are folded over flat, they overlie and so the card 12 indicia will be visible through the plastics transparent screen 13.

This card holder therefore makes it possible for a user to dispLay his or her identifying details without necessarily having to open the wallet about the spine 11.

The plastics screen 13, whilst transparent, is treated so that when light is shone on it -for example by the headlights of an advancing bus -it reacts optically to illuminate the printed indicia on the card 12 visible through the screen 13. Means of doing this are known in themselves. This feature alone will cause attention to be attracted to the card holder when it is displayed by any user in these circumstances.

Another feature however of the wallet illustrated is that a peripheral portion 16 of the wallet consists of a band of inherently light-reflective material. A user of this card holder : therefore has a choice, either of simultaneously attracting attention and displaying his or her personal details; or, by opening the wallet and folding the flap 14 away from the flap 15, by attracting attention -courtesy of the illuminating light-reflective band 16-without I.....

displaying any personal identifying details even though the plastics screen 13 will react to (for example) the headlights of the oncoming bus shining on it. * ** * S S S.. S

The means by which the wallet is stitched and/or seamed together can be selected from known alternatives by the intended skilled addressee of this specification. Similarly the way in which the card 12 with its printed indicia is accommodated into the wallet flap half 14 forms no part of the present invention.

S

In figure 2 a similarly spine-folded wallet is shown but there are some differences in construction.

First, the card 12 is not visible through the front flap half 1 5 of the wallet. Instead the wallet must be unfolded wholly to reveal all the card details. Only a small corner 12A of the card 12 is visible when the wallet is folded flat, because as figure 2 shows, whilst the wallet halves overlie one another they do not in this construction do so entirely. Instead the front flap half 15 of the wallet is generally L-shaped as shown.

This L-shape of the front of flap half 1 5 makes it possible for a user to hook his or her thumb or finger into the corner region 17 of the wallet front flap 15 when brandishing the card holder in order to attract attention. A thumb indent 18 is also provided and this has two purposes. The first is to enable a more secure grip on the thus-brandished card holder.

The second is to activate, at the user's will, a touch-sensitive contact built into the front flap 15 of the wallet.

This touch-sensitive contact when activated by the user, lights up the numbers "60" on the front of the flap half 15. Means of achieving this, with or without the numbers being illuminated by the headlights of an oncoming vehicle can be selected from known alternatives.

The numbers "60" are contained within one corner region of a generally crescent-shaped : patch 19 which is seamed, stitched, glued or otherwise secured to occupy a large corner region of the front flap half 15 of the waLlet. This region 19 is wholly light-reflective when the headlights of an oncoming vehicle approach it. Material with this property can again be selected from known alternatives by the skilled reader.

Finally, stitches 21 are displayed around the periphery of the crescent-shaped corner patch 19. These displayed stitches are successive portions of a continuous length of fibre optic thread built into the wallet front flap as shown. As and when the user activates the display of the numbers "60" the fibre optic threads 21 will also activate to sparkle or flash intermittently.

The wallet of figure 2 thus forms a card holder giving simultaneously the maximum protection of the card holder user's identity whilst doing the most to attract the attention of an oncoming driver.

A Lanyard 22 is looped to a spine 11 of the figure 2 walLet in conventional manner to form, again in conventional manner, in itself a security tie-on to the wrist of a user. What is not conventional however is the thought of providing such a lanyard in a cardholder embodying the invention when, as in the figure 2 embodiment, the card holder itself is designed to be brandished in a finger-and-thumb hold in order to attract maximum attention.

Other variations within the scope of the invention will occur to the reader and are encompassed within its broadest aspect Within that broadest aspect, the term "identifying the card user" includes within its scope "identifying a kind or category of card user" and is not to be limited to identifying a specific individual card user. * S * S. S * S *...

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Claims

1 A hand-held card holder, a portion of which is designed to be presented face-on to third parties to display the card and/or identify the card user; characterised in that a portion of the card holder is adapted for signalling a third party to stop at the card user's behest and in that one surface of the card holder incorporates a light-reflective region.

2 A hand-held card holder according to claim 1, wherein the portion identifying the card user is the same as the one incorporating the light-reflective region.

3 A hand-held card holder according to either of the preceding claims wherein the light-reflective region extends along an edge -for example a spine -of the card holder.

4 A hand-held card holder according to any of the preceding claims adapted to house cards behind a transparent plastics screen so that the indicia on the card identifying the card user can be seen through the plastics screen; the plastics screen being so treated optically that, with the card in place behind the screen, the printed user -identifying indicia are highlighted when light shines onto the plastics screen as the card holder is displayed face-on to an oncoming light source.

S A hand-held card holder according to any of the preceding claims wherein the light-refLective indicia identifying the card user comprises symbols such as "60+" incorporated into an outer edge region of the card holder. * * S..

6 A hand-held card holder according to any of the preceding claims wherein the S.....

* S light-reflective region comprises spaced-apart individually light-reflecting units. 5.1. * S S..'

: **

7 A hand-held card holder according to any of the preceding claims wherein the SI. S light-reflective region comprises stitch-displayed threads of fibre optic material.

*..S.. * .

8 A hand-held card holder substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in any appropriate combination of the accompanying text and drawings.