US2486788A

US2486788A - Cigarette case with secret pocket

Info

Publication number: US2486788A
Application number: US716337A
Authority: US
Inventors: Knee Simon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-12-14
Filing date: 1946-12-14
Publication date: 1949-11-01
Anticipated expiration: 1966-11-01

Description

Nov. 1, 1949 s. KNEE CIGARETTE CASE WITH SECRET POCKET Filed Dec. 14, 1946 You FIND TM: a T12 INVENTQR .Sl/VONKNEE ATTO R N EY Patented Nov. 1, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIGARETTE CASE WITH SECRET POCKET Simon Knee, Newark, N. J. Application December 14, 194.6, Serial No. 716,337

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to cigarette cases or similar containers.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette case or similar container with a secret pocket in which paper money or other articles may be placed.

The above object of the invention and other objects ancillary thereto will be fully understood from the following description, reference being had to accompanying drawings which are to be considered as illustrative of the invention but not in limitation thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cigarette case embodying the present invention, the case being Fig. 2 is a sectional view on a larger scale on the line 22 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of part of the case, as shown in Fig. 1, having a removable pull tab;

Fig. 4 is a front perspective view of part of the case showing the secret pocket partly open;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the pull tab.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the container l3 embodying the present invention, and here illustrated as a cigarette case, comprisesthe receptacle bodies I2 and I4 hinged to each other as indicated at l6 so that one of these bodies forms a cover for the other in a wellknown way. Receptacle body I 2 is provided with a latch is engageable in the case opening 20 of receptacle body l4 and releasable by a push button As is well understood cigarettes may be placed in either or both of the receptacle bodies [2 and I4 where they are held by the companion elastic bands 24 which are secured at their opposite ends to the frames 26 and 23 respectively of the receptacle bodies. The

frames

26 and 28 are metal frames of known construction for the securement thereto of the main or side walls of the respective receptacle bodies the side wall of frame 28 being indicated at 30 in Figs. 1 and 3.

The secret pocket, presently to be described, is provided in the receptacle body 12 but it will be understood that it may also be provided in the receptacle body M or, optionally, only in the latter. Referring now more specifically to the receptacle body l2, the main or side wall thereof comprises the outer Wall 32 which is preferably formed of leather but which may be formed of any suitable material. Said outer side wall 32 is secured to the frame 26 and forms the inner side of the secret pocket. As shown, the outer wall 32 is of single thickness but it will be understood that it may be provided with an inner lining. An inner wall comprising a layer of covering material of leather or other suitable material is secured in position internally of the body in position over outer wall 32 adjacent the inner side thereof, said inner layer or wall comprising, as here shown, the

parts

34 and 36. Preferably said inner wall is formed of the same material or has the same appearance as the inner surface of wall 30 of the receptacle body l4. Wall part 33 is secured to the frame at three side edges thereof and has a free edge 38. Wall part 34 is secured in the body [2 preferably at only one side edge thereof as indicated at 40 in Fig. 2 so that said part 34, which is flexibly movable, may be moved away from the outer wall 32 of the case, as 11- lustrated in Fig. 4 to provide access to the contents of the secret pocket. Part 34 has a free end portion 42 defined by the end tabs 44 and by the intermediate tab 46. In the closed condition of the secret pocket illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, the tabs 44 underlie part 36 of the secret pocket and the intermediate tab 43 overlies part 33 of the secret pocket. Thus,

parts

34 and 36 have interengaging portions for releasably holding the flexibly movable part 34 in its normally closed position.

The receptacle body which is provided with the secret pocket includes means which overlies and conceals the free end portion of movable part 34 and the companion end portion of part 36. More particularly, as here shown, said secret-pocket concealing means is constituted by the cigaretteretaining band 24 which is conventionally provided in containers, such as cigarette cases, for holding the cigarettes in place in the case. It will be observed that

parts

34 and 36 are relatively dimensioned so that the adjacent ends thereof, which provide the pocket-opening are located in position to be concealed by said band 24. A flat elastic band 48 is secured at its opposite ends to frame 23 in the secret pocket to hold paper money or other papers flat against the inner side of the outer wall 32 of the case, and it will be understood that one or more bills may be folded flat and placed in the secret pocket beneath the part 33 and band 48, said money being covered by

parts

34 and 36 of the pocket.

It will be understood that the presence of the secret pocket in the case is not readily ascertainable by one not familiar with the case having said pocket therein as hereinbefore described. In order that the purchaser or owner of the case may become aware of the pocket, the case, in the condition in which it is sold, is provided with a temporary device for disclosing to the purchaser or owner the presence in the case of the secret pocket. The device provided for this purpose is in the form of a removable pull tab 50 which as illustrated in Fig. 3 carries instructions to inform the purchaser of the presence of the secret pocket and aid the purchaser in locating the I secret pocket. Device 50 preferably is formed of cardboard and has a folded end portion 52 which is inserted between part 36 and the tab portion 46 of part 34 of the secret pocket, tab 50 being disposed between the secret pocket and the article-retaining means or band 24 as illustrated in Fig. 2. It will be understood that when the tab 56 is pulled downwardly part 34 of the secret pocket is disengaged from part 36 and moved to its open position, thus revealing the presence of the secret pocket. Once the purchaser or owner of the case has thus initially operated the tab 50, as a result of which the presence of the secret pocket is ascertained, said tab is discarded. Part 34 may be considered as a closure flap or cover for the secret pocket, and device 59 is a pull tab for opening said flap or cover. Although device 50 is a valuable feature of the invention, it may be omitted and if desired supplanted by a circular of instructions which may be furnished to the purchaser of the case.

While I have shown anddescribed the preferred embodiment of my invention it will be understood that the latter may be embodied otherwise than as here specifically illustrated or described and that various changes in the details of construction and in the arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the underlying idea or principles of this invention within the scope of the appended claims.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A case comprising a receptacle body having an outer main wall, an inner wall positioned internally of said body over the inner side of said outer wall and forming a secret pocket therewith, there being an' opening for said pocket, and means in said body concealing said opening from view, said inner wallhaving a part formed of flexible sheet material and secured to said body so as to be flexibly movable away from said outer wall, while attached in said body, to provide access to the pocket, said part having a free end portion, said inner wall also having a stationary part which is, secured at three side edges thereof to said body and is overlapped at its fourth edge by said free end portion, and an article-retaining band in said body secured at its opposite ends so as to be normally spaced from the outer surface of said inner wall for retaining. articles in position against said inner wall in the space between the band and said inner wall, said article-retaining band overlying and concealing said overlapped portions of said movable and stationary parts of said inner wall.

2. A case comprising a receptacle body having an outer main wall, an inner wall positioned internally of said body over the inner side of said outer wall and forming a secret pocket therewith, there being an opening for said pocket, and means in said body concealing said opening from view, said inner wall having a part formed of flexible sheet material and secured to said body so as to be flexibly movable away from said outer wall, while attached in said body, to provide access to the pocket, said part having a free end portion, said inner wall also having a stationary part which is, secured at three side edges thereof to said body and is overlapped at its fourth edge by said free end portion, and an elastic article-retaining band in said body spaced, in the relaxed condition of the band, from the outer surface of said inner wall for retaining articles in position against said inner wall between the latter and said band, said article-retaining band overlying and concealing said free end portion from View, and interengaging end portions on said parts of said inner wall for releasably holding said movable part in position over said outer wall.

3. A case comprising a receptacle body having an outer main wall, an inner wall positioned internally of said body over the inner side of said outer wall and forming a secret pocket therewith, there being an opening for said pocket, and means in said body concealing said opening from view, said secret pocket having a stationary part and a movable closure flap, and a removable pulltab having an inner portion disposed freely between said stationary part and said closure flap and thereby releasably connected to said closure flap for moving the latter to its open position, said pull-tab being removably positioned between said inner wall and said concealing means and automatically detachable from said closure flap pursuant to said movement of said flap by said tab.

SIMON KNEE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 286,650 Talcott Oct. 16, 1883 1,152,815 Hubbard Sept. '7, 1915 1,206,124 Meyers Nov. 28, 1916 1,360,044 Stember Nov. 23, 1920 1,424,834 Lester Aug. 8, 1922 1,471,484 Humphreys Oct. 23, 1923 1,564,966 Kulick Dec. 8, 1925 1,586,299 Ehrlinger May 26, 1926 1,623,512 Webb Apr. 5, 1927 1,680,464 Marymont Aug. 14, 1928 1,761,976 Barnes June 3, 1930 1,859,061 Walinsky May 17, 1932 2,154,826 Stember et a1 Apr. 18, 1939 2,415,117 Tamarin Feb. 4, 1947