US1967780A - Card holding device - Google Patents

Description

July 24, 1934. v M, M, LLAK 1,967,780

CARD HOLDING DEVICE Filed Oct. 11, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Monroe M. Po lla ATTORN y 24, 1934- M. M. POLLAK CARD HOLDING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 11. 1932 INVENTOR Monroe M.Pqllak.

Patented July 24, 1934 PATENT OFFICE CARD HOLDING DEVICE Monroe M. Pollak,

Application October 11,

Claims.

This invention relates to card holding devices, and more particularly to a device for facilitating the teaching of the art of playing card games, especially the games of contract and auction I5 bridge whist.

One object of this invention is to provide a device of the above nature which is designed to hold a dealt hand of cards in open visible fanlike formation, so as to permit the individual cards to be Withdrawn therefrom, one at a time, without disturbing the remaining cards.

A furtherobject is to provide a card holderof the above nature which may be used to display a dummy'hand, or by employing four of such card holders, to display all four hands in view of the instructor and students.

A' further object is to provide a card holder of the above nature which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to manipulate, compact, ornamental in appearance.

and very efficient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, there have been illustrated on the accompanying drawings, several forms in which the invention may be conveniently embodied in practice.

In the-drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a perspective top view of one form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the same taken along the line 2-2 of'Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. a 1 I Fig. 3 is a perspective rear view of the same.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a modified form of spring clip for use on the card holding board.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of card holding board in which the holder clip is designed to hold only a single card.

Fig. 7 is a further modified form of card holding board adapted to rest upon a card table or tobe hung upon a wall or screen. I

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a card table upon which a plurality of card holding boards have been arranged.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a modified form of card holding board employing only a single spring clip and a cooperating spaced cushioning means.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 9 of a further modified form of the invention.

The present invention is especially designed for use by instructors for demonstrating the art of Waterbury, Conn.

1932, Serial No. 637,271 (01. 35-42) bidding and playing auction and contract bridge whist to one or more students.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 10 indicates a fiat board or base, preferably trapezoidal in shape, to which are attached four tapered angular spring clips 11, 12, 13 and 14, each of which is adapted to hold one of the four suits of the hand. Each clip is preferably slitted at its upper free end to increase the flexibility thereof and is attached at its lower end to the board 10 by means of a tubular eyelet 15.

Spaced from the clips, as best shown in Fig. l, are a similar number of cooperating cushion pads 16, 1'7, 18 and 19, the two lower pads 18 and 19 being preferably made slightly larger than the upper two pads 16 and 17 in order to accommodate the longer suits of the hand. Each of the pads 16, 1'7, 18 and 19 is preferably formed in a taper ing arcuate shape, gradually increasing in width and height from left to right. The pads are also preferably wedge shaped in cross-section, with their top faces inclined downwardly toward the position of the spring. clips.

The cushion pads 16, 17, 18 and 19 are preferably made of soft sponge rubber, and have a plurality of ribs or corrugations 20, or any other form of tread, formed on their top surfaces for the purpose of producing sufficient friction so that the glossy surfaces of the playing cards 21, not desired, will be retained when the desired card is being'withdrawn from the suit, which is preferably arranged fan-shaped, as shown in phantom in Fig. 1.

Each of the clips 11, 12, 13 and 14 is provided on the underside of its free end with a friction pad 22, substantially half -round in cross-section. and said pads 22 are pressed downwardly by the resiliency of the metal of said clips for holding the lower section of said cards against the top of the board 10.

The pads 22 are preferably made of rubber and are secured to the clips 11, 12, 13 and 14 by means of a pair of converging inclined ribs 23 and 24 formed integral with said clips, as shown in Fig. 2.

In order to reduce the drag upon the top card, and thus permit it to be more easily withdrawn when desired, each pad 22 is provided at its righthand end with a section 26 of relatively harder material than the remainder of said pad.

The rear surface of the board 10, as shown in Fig. 3, is provided with four anti-skid nubs or feet 27, 28, 29 and 30, preferably made of rubber 119 and adapted to support the board 10 upon a table top or any other smooth surface. The two rearmost feet 27 and 28 are preferably made slightly higher than the two front ones 29 and 30, so as to give the board 10 a slight inclination.

If it is desired to support the board 10 at a greater angle, provision is made of a pair of fold-- able tapering flaps 31 and 32, hingedly attached to the rear of the board 10 in a converging manner, as by means of strips of gurnnied mending tape 33, as shown in Fig. 3. When it is desired to use the flaps 31 and 32, they will be swung out from the board 16 and fastened together with their upper ends in abutment by means of a short lacing 33a passing through a pair of eyelets 34 located adjacent the upper edges of saidrlaps 31 and 32, and tied in a bow-knot. With the two flaps thus held together, a sort of easel support for the board 10 will be produced.

In order to reduce slippage of the board upon the card table, or skidding, the supporting edges 31a and 32a of the flaps 31 and '32 are each preferably provided with thin flexible rubber fins 35 and 36 projecting a short distance outwardly from said edges. When the flaps 31 and'32 are notin use, they may be folded down flat against the back of the board 10, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and held in that position by passing the lacing 33a under a spring clip 3'7, suitably attached to the back of the board 10 adjacent its upper edge, as by an eyelet 370..

In order to give sufiicient weight to the board 10, and also to render it immune to changes in weather conditions, the board 16 is preferably built up in thin plies or laminations, three in this instance. The middle ply preferably consists of a thin plate 38 of metal, such as lead, while the outer plies 39 and 40 are preferably made of cardboard, said plies being joined together in any desired manner, as by a plurality of rivet eyelets 41, cement, or both. Theedges of the board 10 will preferably be suitably bound with a narrow strip of'book binders cloth 42 or like material.

It is to be understood while the anti-skid means for the board is herein shown as nubs 2'7, 23, 29 and 30, and the rubber fins 35 and 36, it is within the scope of the invention to employ other devices, such as vacuum suction cups.

In Fig. 4 a modified form of spring clip 43 is shown having a tapering inclined section 44 provided with a transverse V -shaped rib 45 in order to render said clip more flexible. The short flat apertured section 46, by means of which the clip 43 is secured to the board 10, is provided with a pair of downturned blunt lugs 4'7 and 48 adapted to be imbedded in the cardboard cover 39 for preventing the clips from being accidentally rotated during use.

Fig. 6 shows a modified form of a card holding board 49 provided with four equally spaced spring clips 50 anchored to the board, as by eyelets 51. The clips 50 have upwardly curved sections 50a to facilitate the insertion of the cards thereunder. The upper sections of the cards 21 are adapted to be supported in an inclined position with respect to the face of the board 49 by means of four rubber cushion nubs 52 located a short distance above and in alinernent with the clips 56.

The form of clip shown in Fig. 6 is adapted to hold only a single card at a time, and the board 49 with its assembly of four clips 50 and four nubs 52 is designed to receive the cards as played from the four hands, so that the complete trick may be conveniently viewed at a glance.

Fig. '7 shows a further modified form of a card holding board 53 having a suspending cord 53a attached to its upper corners and passing over a hook 54 or other supporting device mounted on a vertical wall. The board 53 is provided with four sets of card holding clamps 55 and cooperating cushion pads 56, arranged at the north, east, south, and west playing positions, said .postions designated by the numerals 5'7, 58, 59 and 60, respectively. The center of the board 53 is provided with a trick holding section 61 constructed similar to the trick board 49, shown in Fig. 6. As herein shown, the cushion pads 56 are formed in the shape of hearts, clubs, diamonds and spades for indicating the respective positions in which the four suits of the dealt hand are to be placed.

Fig. 8 shows a plan View of a, card table 62 having arranged thereupon four card holding boards 63, 64, 65 and 66 of similar construction -,to the board 10 shown in Figs. 1 to 3, each board being provided with four clips 67 and four rest pads 68. In the center of the table 62 is located a trick holder board 69 identical with that shown in Fig. 6. By loosely arranging the various boards in this manner, they may be readily shifted to various positions to suit the wishes of the instructor or students. I

Fig. 9 shows a small trapezoidal-shaped board '72 having a single spring clip 73 suitably attached thereto. This board is designed to receive a complete hand of 13 cards which are adapted to be disposed in fanshape raised position with relation to the board '72 upon a curved tapered cushion pad '74 symmetrically arranged with respect to the clip '73. The cushion pad '74 is pref-- erably made from half-round soft rubber stock and is preferably cemented on its flat face to the surface of the board '72.

Fig. 10 shows a board having a still further modified form of cushion pad consisting of a resilient metal wire '75 of arcuate shape and spaced from a sheet metal spring clip '76 of the construction previously described. The wire pad 75 is secured to the board '77 by having its ends formed at right-angles thereto and securely imbedded within said board. The right-hand end '78 of said wire 75 is preferably made longer than the left end '79 so that said pad will be, inclined from one end to the other to facilitate the insertion and removal of the cards, as well as to increase the friction at the right-hand end.

Operation In the operation of the boards shown in Fig. 8, after the cards of the deck have been dealt, each hand will be sorted as usual intothe-four suits, and will then be frictionally clamped to its respective board by the spring clips 67 and supported in fan-like inclined formation by, the associated cushion pads 68.

In playing the tricks, when the card holding boards 63, 64, 65 or 66 are employed, the cards played from each hand will be temporarily inserted under the clips '70 adjacent said board, said cards being preferably removed therefrom before the next trick is played. The process will then continue until the play of the entire hand is finished.

It is to be understood that various other arrangements of boards instead of those herein disclosed may be utilized. For instance, the smaller boards '72 and 7'7 may in some cases be interchanged with the boards 63 to 66 inclusive,

its

to permit the entire dealt hands to be held displayed instead of segregating the suits.

While there have been disclosed in this specification several forms in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that these forms are shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosures but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following ,claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent is:

1. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to said base for pressing a portion of a group of cards against said base, said clip having means on its free end for engagement with said cards, and a wedge-shaped pad member spaced from said clip for supporting said cards in an inclined position with respect to said base, the sharp edge of said pad member being located adjacent said clip.

2. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to said base for pressing a portion of a group of cards against said base, said clip having a friction member attached to its free end for engagement with said cards, and a pad member spaced from said clip for supporting said cards in an inclined position with respect to said base said pad member being transversely wedgeshaped and longitudinally tapered, the sharp edge of said pad member being located adjacent said clip member.

3. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to said base for pressing a portion of a group of cards against said base, said clip having a friction member attached to its free end for engagement with said cards, and a wedge-shaped pad member spaced from said clip for supporting said cards in an inclined position with respect to said base, said pad member being arcuate in shape and provided with an embossed friction surface, the sharp edge of said pad member being located adjacent said clip member.

4. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to said base, the free end of said clip being provided with a flexible slitted section, a resilient pad attached to the underside of said slitted section, and a cushion pad spaced from said clip and attached to said base for supporting the upper sections of said cards in an elevated position with respect to said base.

5. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to said base, said clip having a tapered section inclining away from said base and a plurality of independently flexible fingers integral with its free end, a friction pad secured to the underside of said fingers for holding a plurality of cards in fan-like formation against the base, and a cushion pad spaced from said clip and attached to said base for supporting said cards in an inclined position with respect to said base.

6. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to said base, said clip having a tapered section inclining away from said base and aplurality of independently flexible fingers integral with its free end, a transverse V-shaped rib formed on said tapered section for increasing the resiliency of said clip, a friction pad secured to the underside of said fingers for holding a pluraiity of cards in fan-like formation against the base, and a cushion pad spaced from. said clip and attached to said base for supporting said cards in an inclined position with respect to said base.

7. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to said base, said clip having a tapered section inclining away from said base and a plurality of independently flexible fingers integral with its free end, a transverse V-shaped rib formed on said tapered section for increasing the resiliency of said clip, a friction pad secured to the underside of said fingers for holding a plurality of cards in fan-like formation against the base, and a cushion pad spaced from said clip and attached to said base for supporting said cards in an inclined position with respect to said base, said clip having a pair of downturned lugs adapted to be embedded in said base.

8. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to said base for pressing a portion of a group of cards against said base, said clip having a friction member at its free end for engagement with said cards, and a pad member spaced from said clip for supporting said cards in an inclined position with respect to said base in open fan-like formation, the right-hand end of said friction member being smooth to reduce the friction on the last card of said group.

9. In a card holding device, a base, an arcuate pad secured to said base for supporting a group of cards in an inclined position with respect to said base in open fan-like formation, and a resilient clip member having one end secured to said base and located along a radius passing through the center of curvature of said pad for pressing said cards against said pad and base, said pad being wedge-shaped transversely with respect to its length and inclined downwardly toward said clip.

10. In a card holding device, a base, a spring clip attached to said base, said clip having a section spaced from said base and provided with a transverse V-shaped rib for increasing the resiliency of said clip, a friction pad secured to the underside of the free end of said clip for engaging the front of a plurality of exposed cards, and a cushion pad spaced from said clip and attached to saidbase for supporting the rear of said cards.

MONROE M. POLLAK.

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