US2520176A - Pocket wallet or letter case - Google Patents

Description

Aug- 29 1950 L. G. STANLEY 2,520,176

POCKET WALLET 0R LETTER CASE Filed Dec. 21, 1945 'Tlc'.l.

INVENTOR I ATTO R N EYS v Patented Aug. 29, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT 1 OFFICE Y l n 2,520,176," l *Y POCKET WALLET on I-.Ecr'rnaossaV Leopold G. stanley, MepleweedvfN. J.' Application December 21, 1945,'serie1 Ne. 636,301 4 Claims. (C1. 15o-"39) This invention is a novel pocket wallet or letter-case such as is usually composed of leather or like limp material and having rst and second, or left and right, side sections which are closable together about an upright central hinge line, with interior pockets or recesses to receive various flat articles, papers, tickets, cards and the like.

The general object of the invention is to provide such a wallet which is of superiol` convenience in use, with a variety of readily accessible pocket spaces of novel arrangement. A further object is to provide such a wallet which is also simple in structure and operation; and a further object is to facilitate the manufacture of such a wallet and minimize the costs thereof both in materials and labor of fabrication. Other and particular objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the hereinafter following description of an illustrative embodiment thereof. To the attainment of such objects and advantages the present invention consists in the novel wallet, and the novel features of construction, arrangement. and detail herein illustrated or described.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is an inside face View of the wallet or pocket letter-case in open position and standing upright.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the wallet taken substantially on the section line 2 2 of Fig. l.

The foundation elements of the disclosed wallet comprise a one-piece outer layer A and a onepiece inner laye,m B, each of these being of the full size and dimensions of the Wallet, which is of upright oblong shape when closed. The outer layer A may be a single quadrilateral piece of leather without any interruptions or features of structure other than its relation to the inner parts; while the inner layer B has various cutaway portions which are combined with supplemental parts, these features characterizing the disclosed Wallet.

One important feature of the present invention is the minimizing of the extent of stitching and lconsequent labor. The illustrated seams are marked with the references w to e inclusive and the more important thereof comprise the peripheral seam w which constitutes a continuous stitching around the entire peripheries of the layers A and B, both of which layers are uninterrupted at their peripheral edges; and the upright seam c by which an upright bar member IB4 is attached to a separator wall D as will be described; and a stretch y of seam by which a bar member B5 is stitched to a partition E. Other disclosed seams Will be referred-to below.

By the general illustrated construction is af.- forded the .great structural advantage of eliminating peripheral joints that are so commonly presentin wallets, such joints being places Where adjacent or overlapping parts of the structure appear at the peripheral edge, requiring that the connecting seam ride over these vulnerable points which thus become the first places in the wallet to receive wear and breakage of seam. It can be shownthat to attempt to construct a wallet like that herein disclosed, but under the former method of built-up construction, as many as ten such wear points areA involved, all of which are eliminated by the structure herein disclosed, whichis seen to present unusual thinness of product, especially around the edges of the wallet but also throughout its structure.

The walletis shown as having the first or left side section A' and the second or right side section A2 foldable together along the upright central hinge line A3. v

The one-piece inner layer is cut away in a plurality of places, such as the four cutaway areas .or aperturesto be described. The rst such cutaway is the upright wide-mouthed aperture B' centrally located so as to span the hinge line, Aextending well beyond it at both sides but terminating vertically slightly short of the upper andlovver stretches of the peripheral seam w. By reason of this aperture B the wallet closes and opens easily, there being only a single thickness` of sheet material along the hinge line with the exception of the integral narrow marginal strips at the top and bottom by which the interruption of the stitching by the upright aperture is avoided.

In one feature of improvement the aperture B is supplemented by a horizontal slot B2, the two aperturesl mutually connecting, the horizontal aperture commencing at the top end of the upright aperture and constituting a transverse extension therefrom to a point near the upper left corner of the first section of the wallet, slightly short of the peripheral seam which passes around said corner. By this, arrangement there is left a flap C of the inner layer B that is adapted to be swung open cornerwise to receive contents inthe space or pocket between the outer and inner layers at the rst or left side section of the wallet.

This Aarrangement constitutes an extremely convenient way of loading and unloading the wallet space at the left or first section. The top edge of the flap C is well below the stitched marginal rim or strip of the wallet, whereby the manipulation of the flap and the insertion and extraction of papers is facilitated, which papers may in fact extend somewhat above the top of the nap when desirable or necessary. As an accompanying convenience there is shown a second flap or divider C', which is inserted between the flap C and the outer wall A and is preferably slightly larger in width and height than the ap C, being also free at its top edge and its inner edge. ln this way both of the flaps C and C are capable of the diagonal flexing action for insertion of flat articles into the respective pockets above and below the divider flap. Said divider flap may be secured in position by being extended, as shown, to the extreme left as well as to the extreme bottom of the general wallet layers A and B, so that the peripheral seam w, at the left edge and at the bottom edge serve to hold the divider flap permanently in its operative position.

In the second or righthand section of the Wallet, the inner and outer layers B and A form between them a pocket openable toward the hinge line, but this pocket is of special structure containing certain subdivisions. Slightly to the right of the central upright aperture B is an olset upright slotl B3, preferably narrower than the aperture B and forming, between upright aperture and the slot, an upright bar B4 of leather. Reaching beneath that bar gives access to one right-hand pocket, while reaching above it leads to a second pocket, the two divided by a separator wall D, the left upright edge of which is attached to the left upright edge of the bar B4 by an upright stitched seam x. The separator D extends rightwardly between layers A and B,

and its interior top and bottom edges, and preierably also its upright edge, are secured by being extended to the outer periphery of the wallet, between the layersA and B so as to be `included in the peripheral seam w. In this way the space between the outer and inner layers at the righthand section of the wallet is separated or divided into two pockets, both facing the central v'hinge and each of substantially the full height of the wallet.

In the preferred embodiment, the optional feature of a further interior member or partition E is employed, located between the separator wall D and the righthand section of the inner layer B; this partition extending to the righthand margin, and preferably also to the top and bottom margins, of the wallet, whereat these edges of the partition are secured vpermanently in place. The purpose of the partition wa'll E is to form an upwardly opening pocket with'an entrance through a horizontal wide-mouthed aperture BG. This open slot B6 gives access `upwardly to a pocket between the partition and-the inner layer, suitable to carry passes andthe like, `for which purpose the panel-likefoblong of 'layer B is preferably formed with a window opening B7, framing a transparent flexible window 'pane BS through which the pass may be viewed; said pane being secured in place by inclusion insI suitable seam or seams, or otherwise, Yas by a horizontal seam z along the lower edge ofthe cross bar B which extends between the fhorizontal aperture B6 and the window opening B". The horizontal aperture B6 also gives access downwardly to a pocket formed between the partitionE and the overlying .panel-likeipOrtion B9 of the inner layer B; thispocket being convenient for carrying small articles such as tickets.

By the described yoptional arrangement of .a avinclowopening therec-iseformed betweenthe .offiset vertical open slot B3 and the window opening B7 a second upright bar B5 to which the inner upright edge of the partition E is stitched by seam y.

As an optional feature the upright slot B3 may be securely closed, for the security of the upright pocket to which it leads, by means of a slide fastener F, for example of the hook and runner type, the same being tted into the upright slot B3, and its left and righthand elements being attached Vrespectively to the upright bars B4 and B5, for example in the conventional way of stitching the fabric portions of said elements to the adjacent leather edges by a stitched seam y which extends upwardly and downwardly and across the top and bottom, around the slot B3, said seam y including the portion or stretch y thereof, which extends along the lbar B5 and serves also to Secure the partition E thereto. When the runner member F is pulled up this closes the upright pocket which is reached .through the open slot B3, while the sliding downward .of the runner gives access thereto.

Another optional element is an extra pocket G stitched upon the lefthand portion or `panel of the inner layer B, a well known expedient where further vaccommodation is desirable.

,Another convenient adjunct is a pencil holding loop H, consisting of a short piece of leather Vrounded to accommodate a pencil, located about Amidway' of the height of the wallet, substantially at the hinge line thereof, and with its 4ends extended under the seam line a: to hold the pencil loop .securely anchored between the bar B4 and Vthe separator wall D at the righthand side of .the hinge line.

There has thus been described a wallet or pocket letter-case embodying lthe principles and attaining the object of the present invention; and as many matters of structure, arrangement .and detail may be variously modied without departing from the novel principles it is not intended to limit the invention except to the extent set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed ist 1. A wallet or pocket letter-case of leather .or like ,limp material having first and second side sections closable together along an upright central hinge line and comprising outer and inner leather layers of the full size and shape of the wallet, and having a peripheral stitched seam interconnecting 4said inner and outer layers, said inner vlayer being Aformed with a central upright wide-mouthed aperture of a width sufficient to span well beyond the hinge line at Yboth sides; the Vinner and outer layers at the rst side section forming between them one or .more pockets openabletoward the hinge line; andat vthe second ,side section the inner layer beingcut with an olcenter upright open slot parallel `with and spaced from such central aperture, thereby .forming between them a narrow upright bar,

and a Vseparator wall interposed between such vinner and outer layers and having its proximal edge attached to said upright bar and being interiorly secured in place, thereby separating the pocket space `into two pockets both openable toward the hinge line, one under said bar throughsuch central aperture and the other over lthe bar through such oicenter slot.

.2. A wallet as in claim l and wherein beyond the oicenter open slot in the second side section is a :partition wall substantially coextensive .with the area between such offcenter slot and the distal edge of the section and attached ln place at its opposite edges between the separator wall and the inner layer, thus providing pocket space between said partition wall and the inner layer; and the inner layer being cut with a transverse open slot located at an intermediate height and extending from near said offcenter slot nearly to the distal edge of the inner layer, thereby forming and giving access to an upper and a lower pocket.

3. A wallet or pocket letter-case of leather or like limp material having rst and second side sections closable together along an upright central hinge line and comprising outer and inner leather layers interconnected by peripheral stitching, said inner layer being formed with a central upright wide-mouthed aperture of a width suiicient to span well beyond the hinge line at both sides; the inner and outer layers at the rst side section forming one or more pockets; and at the second side section the inner layer being cut with an oicenter upright open slot parallel with and spaced from such central aperture, therebyvforming between them a narrow upright bar, a separator wall interposed between such inner and outer layers and having its proximal edge attached to said upright bar and being interiorly secured in place, thereby separating the pocket space into two pockets both openable toward the hinge line, one under said bar through such central aperture and the other over the bar through such ocenter slot; and a partition Wall interposed and secured between the inner layer and the separator wall and extending between the oicenter slot and the distal edge of the section,

thus providing pocket space between the partition wall and inner layer; and the inner layer being out with a transverse slot of substantial width at an intermediate height by which access is afforded both upwardly and downwardly into such pocket space between the partition and the inner layer.

4. A pocket wallet or letter-case of leather or like limp material having lefthand and righthand side sections closable together along an upright central hinge line and constructed with an outer layer and an inner layer both of the full size and quadrilateral shape of the wallet, and having an interconnecting stitched seam close to the peripheral edges, said inner layer being cut with a central upright wide-mouthed aperture of a width sufficient to span well beyond the hinge line at both sides .but terminating vertically slightly short of the upper and lower stretches of such peripheral seam, and with a transverse aperture in the lefthand section of said inner layer extending from the top end of such central upright aperture to a point near the upper lefthand corner of the wallet short of such peripheral seam at such corner, thereby leaving an exposed ap of the inner layer adapted to be swung olpen cornerwise to receive contents between the outer and inner layers at the lefthand side section of the wallet; and at the righthand side section the inner layer being formed with an offcenter upright open slot parallel with and spaced slightly from such central aperture thereby forming between such slot and aperture an upright bar, with a separator wall interposed between the righthand sections of said inner and outer layers, thus separating the between-space into two pockets each openable toward the central hinge line, and said separator wall having its proximal edge attached to said upright bar.

LEOPOLD G. STANLEY.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,671,298 LEnfant May 29, 1928 1,677,770 Harnsberger July 17, 1928 1,683,996 Snow Sept. 11, 1928 2,156,875 Schwartz May 2, 1939 2,161,015 Buxton June 6, 1939 2,219,807 Buxton Oct. 29, 1940 2,318,278 Arnold May 4, 1943 2,406,672 Dingman Aug. 27, 1946

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