US1893397A - Flexible pocket receptacle - Google Patents

Description

Patented Jan. 3, 1933 WARNER R. BUXTON, F LONGME'AIDOW, MASSACHUSETTS FLEXIBLE POCKET RECEPTACLE Application filed January 2, 1932. Serial No. 584,523.

This invention relates to an improved flexible pocket receptacle and more particularly, to one adapted and intended for carrying and displaying an automobile registration ,5 and operators driving license. 7

The invention has'for its general object the provision of a receptacle for the above and analogous purposes, which is of exceedingly simple andmaterially improved con- 19 struction and which is very convenient to use, whenever required, to display all essential portions of both the license and registration without withdrawingeither from the pockets in which they are contained.

The invention has for a particular object to provide a device for the above and analogous purposes which consists of afolder constructed from a one-piece blank of leather or like flexible material, and two containers made up of transparent material, such as celluloid or the like in the form of flattened down tubes. The leather folder and. tubular containers are combined, without stitching orv other fastenings, by slipping both containers over a portion of the folder, whereby they become hingedly connected to each other and to the folder. The license is slipped endwise into the containers between one side of the leather folder and one wall of each container and the registration is slipped endwise into the containers between the other side of the leather folder and the other wall of each container. Each paper, both registration and license, is displayed in part in one and in part in the other container and the two containers naturally swing into a common plane with their open ends in alignment so that allthat is necessary to see of each paper can be seen at a glance. v Other objects will appear as the detailed description proceeds and will be pointed out in the appended claims. The invention will be disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawing, inwhich i Fig. 1 is a View of the leather blank from which the folder is made;

Figs. 2 and 3 are front and end elevational views of one of the tubular transparent containers;

I of the completedarticle shown in open and display position Fig. 5is a plan view showing the receptacle closed;and I V Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional plan vlew taken on the line 66 of Fig. 4.

Referring to this drawing; the device consists simply of three parts, namely, the leather folder shown separately in Fig. 1, and two. of the tubular transparent containers 0 shown separately, in Fig. 2. These three parts are combined With-out requiring stitching or other fastenings, in the relationship. shown in Fig. 4 to-form' the completed article. The complete device shown in Fig. 4 folds up into thecompactformshown in The folder is simplya one-piece stripof leather divided off by lines of fold 6, 7,8 and 9 into four main sections 10, 11, 12 and 13 of approximately equal area and asmall fastening flap 14. The opposite-sideedgesof the folder along the sections 12 and 13 are cut out, forming in each a recess 15 bounded by two longitudinally spaced shoulders 16. Openings 17 may be cut through the folder to increase the'flexibility of the connected 7 parts 12 and 13 along-the line of fold 9. The folder has interengagcable snap fastener elements 18 and 19 secured thereto, one to section 11 and the other to flap 14.

Each container 20'is constructed of trans parent material, such as celluloid or the like, in the form of an open-ended, flattened-down tube and preferably, as shown, from one piece of such material bent up in the form shown in Fig. 3. The container has front and back walls 21 and 22, which are substantially parallel and closely spaced, and short connecting side walls 23. The ends of the strip, from which each container is made, overlap leaving asmall flap 2 1 which may be fastened to the underlying wall 20 or not, as desired. Since the material is somewhat flexible and resilient, the wall 21 can be bent enough to withdraw its upper end from under flap 24. This flap, being short, will not bend enough to cause accidental disengagement of the'connected parts and, as a practical matter, the adhesive connection of flap 24 and'wall 21 is Fig. 4 is a View tion 12- of the folder and the other in similar relation with the section .13., If the flaps 241 are not fastened to the underlying walls 21,

the assembly is facilitated because thewalls.

21 and 22 may then be sprung apart and slipped over the leather-folder after which theupper end of wall 21 may be sprung in under the flap. The'flaps may be fastened afterwards with adhesive if necessary or desired, although I prefer to'omit such fastening entirely. It is also possible to assemble the parts by slipping the tubular containers, while in the closed form shown in Fig. 3, endwise over sections 12 and 13, by bending down the small end ears 26 of the leather folder. It will be obvious thatthe constituent parts of the device are of exceedingly simple construction, susceptible to manufacture by simple methods at low unit cost. Also, that these parts may be quickly and easily. assembledwithoutrequiringany special skill.

In use, the registrction paper 1 is slipped in place between the leather folder and the front walls 21 of the two containers. It lies in part in one and in part in the other container and bridgesthe short space therebetween. The'license paper Z is slipped in place between the leather folder and the rear transparent walls 22. Each I paper is displayed jointly in the two containers, one being visible through the front walls and the other through the rear walls, as will be clear from Fig. 6. The containers are large enough so that at least all of the essential portions of the papers Z and 7' are visible and it is therefore unnecessary to remove them from the containers. Fig. 4 shows one position of the device, in which position the reg-istration is displayed. The parts may be folded about line 8 so that sections 12 and 18 are superposed on sections 10 and 11, respectively. WVith the parts thus positioned, the li cense Z will be displayed. The receptacle is closed into the form shown in Fig. 5, by first superposing the sections 12 and 13 on the. sections 10 and 11, respectively, and then folding these superposed parts about the two substantially coincident lines of fold 7 and 9. The-folded parts may then be held by bending the flap 14 over the wall 11 and engaging the fastener elements 18 and 19.

Viewing the device in another way, it consists of two hingedly connected transparent containers and a wrapper. The leather strip, which passes through and serves as an ideal means of hingedly connecting the celluloid containers, is extended far enough beyond one end of one of the containers to form an enclosing wrapper for the latter. With the two containers superposed one on the other, the remaining exposed portion of the leather folder is long enough to be wrapped around the containers to completely envelop and enclose the same.

Itis to be noted that the containers 20 are slidable'on the leather strip. They can move towardone another fromthe positions shown in Fig 4. The shoulders 16 limit the extent of separating movement and prevent accidental removal of the containers from the leather strip." The slidability of the container allows the intervening leatherportion, which I serves as a hinge, to be lengthened or shortened as necessary to take care of variations in thickness of the papers carried in the containers. It also enables the two containers, when superposed, to lie flatly one against the other in contiguous relation. I

The invention affords a device of simple and very desirable construction for carrying, and displaying when' necessary, automobile license and registration papers. The papers are normally concealed and protected and therefore carefully preserved. Yet each paper is conveniently accessible 'andlreadily displayed in all essential portions without withdrawing it from the pocket in which it is contained. The device folds up intothin, flat compact form to fit the pocket In the drawing, particularly in Fig. 6, it has been necessary to exaggerate the thickness of the parts to secure clearness of illustration. Actually the thickness of the five layers shown in Fig. 6 would be less than half that shown and need be no more than one sixteenth of an inch. The construction adopted enables the thickness of the parts to be reduced to a minimum. Overlapping parts are avoided, except for the flaps 24 which are very thin, and a construction has been sought for which will enable all the necessary results to be accomplished and which will nevertheless be small and compact.

The invention has been disclosed herein, in an embodiment at present preferred,.for illustrative purposes, but the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a pair of containers each constructed of flexible transparent material and in the form of a flattened-down open-ended tube with closely spaced-front and rear walls, and a strip of flexible material passing'through the open ends of both containers between said walls and bridging the space between said containers and serving to hingedly connect them so that they may be superposed or swung into a common plane, said strip having an extension beyond one end of one container of suflicient length to enable it to be wrapped completely around the superposed containers to enclose the same.

2. In a device of the class described, a pair of containers each constructed of flexible transparent material and in the form of a flattened-clown open-ended tube with closely spaced front and rear walls, a strip of'flexible material passing through the open ends of both containers between said walls and bridging the space between the containers and serving to hingedly connect them so that they may be superposed or swung into a common plane, said strip having an extension beyond one end of one container of suflicient length to enable it to be wrapped completely around the superposed containers to enclose the same, and means for fastening the wrapper extension in its enclosing relation with the containers.

3. In combination, a leather strip, and a pair of transparent containers slidably mounted for limited longitudinal movement on one end of said strip and each encompassing the strip so that a paper to be displayed may be placed between the strip and the front walls of said containers lying partlyin one and partly in the other and so that another paper may be similarly placed between the strip and the rear walls of said containers, said containers being hinged to-.

gether by the strip and movable into and out of superposed relation, the other end portion of said strip serving as a wrapper to be wrapped around the superposed containers for enclosing the same. 7

4. In combination, a leather strip having a recess in each side edge along a portion of its length to provide a part of less width than the remainder of the strip and having a shoulder at each end of each recess, a pair of transparent containers in the form of flattened-down open-ended tubes slidably mounted on said part of less width and limited in their sliding movement by said shoulders, the remainder of said strip being of greater length than said part and arranged to be folded around the containers to enclose the same.

5. In combination, a leather strip having a recess in each side edge along a portion of its length to provide a part of less width than the remainder of the strip and having closely spaced front and back walls one of which lies flat against one side of the leather strip and the other flat against the other side of said leather strip, said flexible transparent strip having overlapping ends to detachably hold the same in place, the remainder of said leather strip being of greater length than said part and arranged to be signature,

- WARNER R. BUXTON;

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