US2625975A - Foldable receptacle - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 20, 1953 F. G. DOBBS ETAL FOLDABLE RECEPTACLE 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Aug. 15, 1950 INVENTORS. FRANK 6. 00555 BY STEPHA/V 0 56s,

Jan. 20, 1953 Filed Aug. 15, 1950 F. G. DOBBS ET AL 2,625,975

FOLDABLE RECEPTACLE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTORS: FzA/vK a. 0053s 9 57mm H. 0058;

THE/R Ase/v2:

Patented Jan. 20, 1953 FOLDABLE RECEPTACLE Frank G. Dobbs and Stephan H. Dobbs, New York, N. Y.

Application August 15, 1950, Serial No. 179,426

6 Claims.

1 The invention relates to receptacles and relates more particularly to foldable receptacles of the wallet or billfold type. Still more particularly, the invention relates to such receptacles provided with a movable stay.

Billfolds usually have a pocket that extends across the entire area thereof, and that pocket is formed between the outer wall and an inner wall opposite thereto. The folding of two parallel walls, enclosing between themselves a pocket, has always presented to the billfold manufacturer a problem, since the inner wall tends to bulge when the billfold is being folded.

In order to alleviate this condition, the stay was developed, which is a pliable connecting piece between two portions of the inner wall. Various types of stays have been proposed, most of them being in sliding connection between the inner wall portions, so that the length of the inner wall varies between a maximum length at unfolding and a minimum length at folding. However, such constructions were deficient therein that the stay sometimes did not slide properly and hence the bulge, which was intended to be eliminated thereby, reappeared.

Other variations included a stay that was securely attached between the inner wall portions, at a reduced length, to prevent bulging at all times. However, this feature brought about the deficiency that the crease region of the outer cover was always concealed behind the stay, making operations in that region either impossible or at least cumbersome and hence expensive.

It is therefore among the principal aims of the invention to provide a receptacle of the type re ferred to that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and that has a stay that presents a short inner wall upon unfolding and at the same time slides against an inner wall portion, and has a mechanism that assures such sliding at folding, while permitting temporary partial removal of the stay to expose the-crease region that is normally concealed behind the stay.

With the above andother objects of the invention in 'view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of various devices, elements and parts, as set forth in the claims hereof, one embodiment of the same being illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the specification,

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will be best understood from the following description-of exemplifications thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a receptacle, in accordance with the invention, showing it in unfolded position, with the latch mechanisms released; I

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, showing the iiiside of the receptacle but with the latch closed;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken along the secant line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a blank of a piece of the inner wall;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the inner wall piece shown in Fig. 4, but after a folding and heat impression operation; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view, similar to Fig. 1, but showing the stay in position bent backwards to expose the crease region of the outer cover.

Referring to Figs. 1-3, there is provided a receptacle, generally indicated at II, that comprises an outer cover I2, that may, for instance, be composed of two layers I3 and I4, for instance of pliable material. A slide fastener I6, that includes a flexible strip I'I, surrounds the contour of the outer cover I2, and the strip I! may be stitched or otherwise fastened between the layers I3 and I I of the outer cover.

The outer cover I2 has two sections, a first section I8 (shown on the right hand side in Fig. I) and a second section I9 (on the left side in Fig. 1), and they are foldable-about a crease that is disposed in a crease region ZI therebetween.

In order to provide for complete opening of the receptacle, the slide fastener l 6 forms in the upper part of the crease region 2| a recess 22. In attaching the strip l'I between the layers I3 and I4, for securing of the slide fastener It to the cover I2, the stitching row 23 accordingly is off-set, near the recess 22, to follow the contour of the outer cover.

An inner wall is provided, generally designated 24; it comprises a first portion 26 that is stitched with its outer edge 21 and itslower edge 28 to the cover section I8, and a second portion 29 that is stitched with its outer edge 3I and itslower edge 32 to the section I9 of theouter cover I2, as best shown in Fig. 6. The second portion 29 constitutes a flat pocket open towards the inside and the pocket 33 is provided near its outer edge and in the upper part 34 thereof witha slot 36 that has an edge 31. The pockets may be made of one piece or of several attached pieces. Since the portion 29 is fastened to the section I9, and the slot 31 is formed in the upper part 34 and is thus spaced from the section I9, the edge 31 is thereby in position connected to thesection I9 but. spaced therefrom.

The said first portion 26 of the inner wall 24, as best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, is in its main part formed from a single blank that substantially occupies the area of a rectangle. This rectangular shape permits cutting of the blank without any appreciable amount of waste. The blank has a main section 38 and has, along the axis :c-a: thereof a first projection on flap 39, that extends laterally of the main section. An extension 4| is furthermore provided on the main section 38, and also a second projection on flap 42 that has an extension 43, which can be bent about two aligned cuts 44. The extension 39 has a pointed portion 46 on the axial line x-r. and also has a similarly pointed second portion that may be bent about a cut 48. The second flap 42 may be bent over the first flap 39, into superposition thereof, about a cut 49.

In a first operation for preparing the said first portion 26 of the inner billfold wall 24, the second pointed portion is folded about the cut 49 over the pointedportion 46, and the extension 43 is folded about the cuts 44 back on the first flap 42 for superposition thereon; thereafter, the parts so bent are attached permanently to maintain their superposition for the purpose of reinforcement. Such attachment'can be by heatsealing where, in a preferred embodiment all the parts of the blank are made of thermoplastic material, or by any other suitable method of attachment. Then, the second fiap 42 is bent about the cut 49 into superposition with the first 'fiap 39 and, in the preferred embodiment, the middle section of the portion 26 is provided by heat sealing with ridges to permeate the position of the flaps 42 and 39 and to promote flexibility of the middle section 5|; simultaneously, in the same operation, there is also heat-impressed into the extension 4| a pattern of grooves 52, and a prepared cover 53 is heat-sealed onto the main section 39. The cover 53 carries apart 5'4 of a releasable fastening means, such as latching or locking means of the snap fastener type, designed to match with another part 56 of said fastening means that is inserted subsequently in predetermined position on the extension 4|.

The pointed portions are provided with openings 57 that are brought in registry by the superposition of the portions, and the secondflap 42 has an opening 58 that, after superposition .over the fiap 39 is aligned with the openings 5.! on the axis a:--a:, though it is spacedtherefrom, as best shown in Fig. 5.

The registered openings 51, on one hand, and the opening 58 on the other hand, are adapted to receive cooperating parts of a snap fastener, 59 and 6|, respectively.

After the snap fastener parts 54 and 56, 59 and 6|, are attached, the first portion 26, and also the said second portion 29, of the inner wall-24, are stitched or otherwise fastened, onto the outer cover l2. During this operation, the two layers I3 and M of the outer cover are, at-the same time being stitched together, and the strip fastened therebetween. All this canbe accomplished with a single stitching operation along the stitching line 23.

The adjacent flaps 39 and 42 which are permanently fastened together along the middle portion 5| of the portion 26 form the bifurcated stay of the billfold.

In order to guide the stitching needle through the offset part of the line23 near the'rec'ess '22, as pointed out before, the stay is held away from the crease region 2|, as illustrated in Fig. 6. This is necessary because, as can be seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the stay would in its normal position conceal at least a part of the off-set portion of the stitch line 23; with the stay in normal position, the stitching of the off-set portion would be difficult; however, the stitch can quite simply be completed by this temporary removal of the stay.

The pointed portions, as will be well understood, are so dimensioned that after they are fastened together, constituting the pointed end 46 of the flap 39, it will pass through, and slide in, the slot 36 (Fig. 1). This pointed end 46 will be inserted through the inner opening into the pocket 33 and thence through the slot 36, for snap fastener attachment to the flap 42.

As most clearly shown in Fig. 3, the pointed end 46 of the flap 39 will engage the edge 31 of the slot 36. The slot 36 and its edge 3'! are so positioned, and the portion 26 is so dimensioned, and also the distance between the openings 51 and 58 is so predetermined, that when the flaps 39 and 42 are fastened together by the snap fastener parts 59 and 5|, the portion 26 will be tensioned against the outer cover I2, and the crease region 2| of the cover be spaced from the middle section 5| of the portion 26 when the billfold is unfolded, as best shown in Fig. 3.

When the billfold is beingfolded, however, the tension force exercised between the edge 31 of the slot 36 and the pointed end 46 of the fiap 39, will cease, and the pointed end 46 will slide in the slot. Thereby bulging of the inner billfold wall will effectively be prevented.

After the billfold has been completely assembled, the inner wall 24 will form with the outer wall i2 a pocket. Also, there is provided a pocket between the main section 38 and the prepared cover 53, that can be closed by means of the extension 4|. The flap extension 43, furthermore, is provided with two cuts for receiving an article, such as a key, as shown in Fig. 6.

The said second portion may, as shown in Fig. 1, furthermore be provided with pocket forming members, such as transparent envelopes 63,that may be, at least in part, integral with the portion 29, or that may be fastened thereon, and these envelopes are held closed in an envelope compartment by the fastening of the two flaps 39 and 42 to each other.

Since certain changes may be made in the above article and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted asillustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new'and desire to be secured by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In a receptacle-having a foldable outer cover including two sections foldable about a crease, in combination with, a wall havinga portion secured to one of said sections and a second portion movable between a pocket forming .position adjacent the other of said sections and across said crease and respectively a second position away therefrom to expose completely said crease, said second portion comprising two parts, latching means for releasably latching said parts together positively in said first position of said second portion, said other section including an extensionhaving an edge disposed adjacent said other section and spaced therefrom to admit therebetween said first part for insertion therethrough prior to attachment to said other part, said edge being so positioned and said parts being so dimensioned that upon latching said wall will be tensioned and said crease be spaced therefrom when said outer cover is unfolded.

2. In a receptacle of the character described, the combination with a foldable outer cover, of an inner structure comprising a first wall forming with said outer cover a pocket, said wall being secured to said outer cover and forming a slot including an edge, and a second wall secured to said outer cover oppositely relative to the said first wall and including a bifurcated portion having two parts, one part thereof extending over said first wall, and the other part extending into said pocket and through said slot, and positive latching means for releasably securing said parts, said parts being so dimensioned and the edge of said slot being so positioned that upon latching said second wall will be pro-tensioned relative to said outer unfolded cover.

3. In a receptacle, including a foldable outer cover having two sections, in combination, a first wall secured to one of said sections and including a slot near the outer edge of said section, a second wall secured to the other of said sections and including a bifurcated portion normally unattached to said other section, one of the parts of said bifurcated portion extending through said slot, and the other part of said bifurcatedportion extending over said-first wall and arranged to be detachably secured to said one part of said-bifurcated portion extending through said slot, whereby said second wall will be tensioned an normally be spaced from the major portion of said outer unfolded cover.

4. In a receptacle having an outer cover including two sections foldable about a crease, a wall formed from a single blank having a portion secured to one of said sections, a second portion opposite said first portion, and a third portion folded to lie adjacent said second portion, all of said portions substantially covering the area of a rectangle in blank form, said second and third portions having cooperating releasable latching means, said wall having an edge disposed opposite said second section and spaced therefrom to admit therebetween a portion for insertion therethrough prior to latching with another portion, said edge being so positioned and said portions being so dimensioned that upon latching said wall will be tensioned and said 6 crease be spaced therefrom when said cover is unfolded.

5. In a receptacle of the character described, having an outer cover including two sections foldable about a crease region, in combination with, a wall comprising a portion secured to one of said sections and a second portion foldable against said first and being movable and normally extending across said crease to the other of said sections and comprising two parts, said parts having locking means operable for latching releasably the said two parts, said other section including an extension having an edge opposite said other section and spaced therefrom to form therewith a passage for receiving in sliding relation one of said parts extending through said passage and operable subsequently to be latched to said second part to tension said wall when said cover is unfolded, and said second portion sliding against said other section when said cover is being folded, said second portion being foldable towards said first portion upon latch release to expose said crease region.

6. In a receptacle, as claimed in claim 5, in combination with, said passage having a restricted area and said part extending therethrough having a width sufficiently small to extend into the same and to slide therein, said portions, in the latched position, forming with the cover sections a pocket.

FRANK G. DOBBS. STEPHAN H. DOBBS.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,542,124 Halvorsen et a1. June 16, 1925 1,561,343 Michaels Nov. 10, 1925 1,694,186 LEnfant Dec. 4, 1928 1,944,345 Hughes Jan. 23, 1934 2,004,672 Pentz June 11, 1935 2,024,363 Hughes Dec. 17, 1935 2,337,967 Broughton Dec. 28, 1943 2,350,503 Gardner June 6, 1944 2,387,490 Becker Oct. 23, 1945 2,473,056 Henderson June 14, 1949 2,484,135 Wege Oct. 11, 1949 2,489,364 Broughton Nov. 29, 1949 2,504,248 Broughton Apr. 18, 1950 2,566,452 Kersten Sept. 4, 1951 2,596,131 Darby et a1 May 13, 1952

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