US2369597A - Theftproof billfold - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 13, 1945. B. MILLER THEN-PROOF BILLFOLD Filed March 19, 1942 :NVENTOR ATTORNEY.

Peienied Feb. 13, 1945 a TFIEFTPROOFISXLFLD nec B. Miller, West Bend, Wis. ,assignor to ngery Kress Company, West BenL-Wisf, acorpcration of. Wisconsin Aap'iiiioniion Minchia, 1942', sonni-No.- l135,333L

obiet oi niyyinvention is. to provide pocketbooku or billfold construction 'which will physically resist.: 'Withdrawal frm the DQGkt di the wearer yand will thus vgive warning to the wearer when a piclpocket or other unauthorized person attempts to'pilfe.

invention to .provide ya'vffo'ld" o f abillfold pocketbook' sosh'aped and' connected to the me.N structure of the 4device that upon attempted witE drawalfrom the pocket ofthe wearer the device wir increase its interni dimensions one resist WithdiWaL l f f In .thedrawlng1 Fier-1 is erperispeetive of `my improved their,

nroofbi'ufoid-wiihon ofthe parie in ioideo rele-f Fig. is a perspective of my open billfvold. Eig'. 3 i s a section on line 3-'-3 or Fig. 2. u

Fi'g`4 is averiicai section through o pocket of' I s whioh ifs butit is of importance that theV extension be stiff,"

- othersuitable material, and to provide the neces" a sueded Iagainst the pocl/et'of the wearer. Obviously, thisj a wearer of my"'billfold and shows my theft-proof billfold in somewhat diagrammatic outline.

Fig. 5 is ayiew similar to Fig'. 4 but showing my vtheftfproof billfold as it would be disposed when partially withdrawn from the pocket by an unauthorized person.

reparte are designated by `the. 'some ref elr ence" characters throughout the several viewsif;

The .ordmary binfoldhavine the usuai cherie acteristics of -s mootl'i leather and rounded core,v

ners lends itself readily to stealthy manipulation by apickpocket. 'I'he'pickpockets stealthy'nf gersi'riayreach into the pocket of the ownerljpf the billfold and, in grasping the billfold, may conne all'of the plies or folded elements of the billfod into one compact package which slips easily out of the pocket. My xinvention on the other hand relates not only to the provisionf'of special friction parts for a billfold but also-to the disposition of such parts in special relationship to elements of the billfold which may not .be readily grasped by the stealthy fingers of the pickpocket, and which will. become an impediment to stealthy release of the billfold from the wearers pocket.

As shown in the drawing, my billfold I Il includes the usual principal foldable elements :n II and I2 with any suitable device, such astheginsert I3, there forming a pocket for paper mony and the] entire fold being hingedly bendablej ;at I4. These elements II, I2, and I3 are custorfnarily made of leather or leather-like material lining iii.'l

Marginally ofthe extension I5, at I8, I provide and 1, therefore, usuallyl form my extension I5 of the sarneleather piece out of which'the'principal folding parts of the' billfoldare made.. I also providA a lining I6 for the inside surface of the extension I5. `I make this lining of leather or sary stiffness, I insert a fiber ply I1 under thel band as a'ifri'ction materialfto bear band' I8'y may bema'd'e off other 'material than suede leathersince theffundamental purposeis that of providing the friction `just referred to.; To" make "a,longlived construction, I also stiifen the'band I8 by means of an inserted stiff fiber I9,- as'sh'own'most clearly in Fig. 3.A .jFi'g'sLi and' 5 show somewhat diagrammati-- cally thedisposition yof' my billfold in a pocket 20" offa wearer., Thus, whenmy billfold is in` serted'g in the pocket of the wearer, as indicated the extensionfl is 'oflesser height than `the billfold iri.`genera1, and when the stealthyngers of thepickpocket are inserted in the pocket., of. the wearer to grasp 4the billfold,,

. the vnatural grasping point at 2| (Figs. 4 and 5) is so disposed that there is no tendency for the pickpockets fingers to grasp the extension I5. As the billfold is pulled upwardly, as shown in Fig. 5, the friction material at I8 tends to resist outward movement, and immediately, the exten-` sion assumes v an outstanding position from the billfold III so as to virtually block further movement. Obviously, by the time the billfold has assumed position shown in Fig. 5, further stealthy retraction is impossible, and even'if the attention of the wearer has lnot yet been called to the pilfering, the pickpocket must abandon his extension is hingedly disposed to hold the billfold in closed position, any'bulking of contents in the billfold will tend to thrust tlie band I 8 away from from rthe point of view of pliability, bendability,

the billfold and increase the frictional resistance of the extension against the pocket of the wearer, thus emphasizing the resistance of the billfold to any retreating movement unless the' fingers of the owner hold the extension flat against the folded billfold.

I claim:

1. In a billfold, the combination with a backing ply extending continuously the length of the billfold, and at least'l one receptacle forming ply, of a longitudinal extension of the backing ply having a flexible portion at the end of the billfold to comprise a transverse hinge upon'whlch said extension is pivotally movable to and from a position fiat against a face of the billfold,

means stiffening a substantial area of said ex-" terminating whereby the contents of said portion will tend to tension beyond said flexible portion whereby said stiffened area is movable unitarily as a lever upon said hinge, and pocket engaging means substan' tially at the free end of said extension and exf posed toward the face of the extension which is outermost in said position for-engaging the inside cf a pocket into which said billfold isinserted with said hinge down, thereby tending to engaging means comprises a band of rough sin'-` faced material extending transversely at the free 'end of, the extension and provided with an internal padmeans whereby it vprojects substantially from the face of' the'extension for pocket engage; ment.. l 4 f 3. The combination with a billfold, of a flap constituting an extension from the end of the billfold, said `flap comprising a relatively rigid: lever member having a flexible web connecting it with the endofthe billfold for hinged movement to and from a position fiat against the face of the billfold, said lever member being approximately the width of the billfold and materially shorter than the billfold and being provided at its free end remote from said web with a band of friction material extending across said free end and adapted for engagement with a pocket in which the billfold is carried with said flexible web down, said band being adapted by frictional engagement with said Ypocket to fulcrum internally against said pocket whereby to afford in-v creasing Vresistance to withdrawal of the billfold press'thefree end of said lever member outwardly, said'lever member being provided at such ir'ee eiidvwithv friction material exposed outfwardly from saidface and adapted for engagement with the inner surface of a pocket in which -thecontainer isY carried with said free end of said lever member projecting in the direction of withfrom the pocket.

drawal', said friction material being adapted for engagement with said pocket to cause said lever member to ful'crum internally against the pocket to increase its angularityrespecting the container to aiford increasing resistance to withdraw the containery from the pocket by deforming the pocket unless such lever member is, held to the container during such withdrawal. y

. 5. The combination withv a billfold having av transversely foldable currency receivingportion, of a flap in hinged connection with one end of said portion and normally folding across the other end of said portion, said ap being materially shorter than the billfold and having a. free end portion terminating substantially midway of the folded currency receiving portion ofthe billfold, means rendering said flap substantially .rigid to constitute .a lever, said flap having at its said free end a ba'nd of friction material outwardly exposed and adapted for engagement withv the pocket in which the folded billfold is carried with said free end of said lever member projecting in the direction of Withdrawal, the contents of the folded billfold being adapted to force such` free end toward the pocket and the frictional engagementof suchmaterial with said pocket being adapted to establish a fulcrum for the free endr of the flap upon whichit will pivot outwardly from the billfold to afford increasing resistance to withdrawal of the billfold from the` pocket unless such flap is manually held to the face of the billfold to disengage ,said friction material LEE B. MILLER.4

Images