US2785723A

US2785723A - Theft guard for wallets

Info

Publication number: US2785723A
Application number: US605376A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert B Buonainto
Original assignee: J H Smith Co Inc
Current assignee: J H Smith Co Inc
Priority date: 1956-08-21
Filing date: 1956-08-21
Publication date: 1957-03-19
Anticipated expiration: 1974-03-19

Description

March 19, 1957 R. B. BUONAIUTO THEFT GUARD FOR WALLETS Filed Aug. 21, 1956 IN V EN TOR. ROBERT E. BUONAI LJTO BY McZM ATT'OR N EYS United States Patent GUARD FoR WALLETS Robert B, Buonaiuto, Chicopee Falls, Mass., assignor to J. H. Smith Co., Inc., Greenfield, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 21, 1956, Serial No. 605,376

3 Claims. (Cl. 150-47) This invention relates to a device for attachment to wallets such as billfolds to prevent surreptitious withdrawal thereof from the pocket in which it is carried.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device of the above character which is simple in structure yet effective in operation, which is easily and quickly applied and removed and which is applicable to various forms of billfolds.

Other and further objects will be made apparent from the disclosure of the accompanying drawing and the following specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. l is a perspective View of a theft guard "embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the device of Fig. 1 applied to a billfold, the billfold being open;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view showing the billfold closed to position the guard in operative position;

Fig. 4 shows the billfold as in Fig. 3 position in a pocket and illustrating the mode of operation of the guard, the pocket being shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing an alternative manner of applying the guard to a billfold;

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of an alternative form of guard; and

Fig. 7 shows the guard of Fig. 6 applied to a billfold.

Referring to Fig. l, the device is shown as comprising a strip 1 of spring material such as steel bent to form portions 2 and 3 extending at an angle of slightly greater than 90 to each other. The juncture of portions 2 and 3 is preferably curved as indicated at 4. A second strip 5, of similar material, having a straight portion 6 and a curved portion 7 is welded at its curved portion 7 to the inner face of curved portion 4 so that the free ends of

portions

3 and 6 converge toward each other to form the ngers of a spring clip.

In use the clip is applied to the rear Wall of a billfold 8, Fig. 2, at the folding zone 9 thereof with

fingers

3 and 6 of the clip engaging the outer and inner faces of the wall and the portion 2, which forms a guard arm extending inwardly of the rear wall, as shown in Fig. 2. When the billfold is folded as shown in Fig. 3 the arm 2 extends in the plane of the folded billfold along one edge of the folded billfold and outwardly at an angle thereto. When the folded billfold is placed in pocket 16, shown in dotted outline in Fig. 4, with the guard arm extending upwardly at one side thereof, as shown in the latter figure, the free end of the guard arm tends to snag in the lining of the pocket as indicated at 11 preventing the billfold from being withdrawn from the pocket without the owner becoming aware of the attempted withdrawal. The owner,

ice

however, may easily withdraw the billfold from the pocket by pressing the guard arm against the edge of the billfold or otherwise freeing the arm from engagement with the lining.

The lengths of the clip 36 and the guard arm 2 are made slightly less than the dimentions of the adjacent billfold edges and the transverse width of the clip and guard arms is made not substantially wider than the width of the folding zone of the billfold.

in some forms of billfolds the bottom of the billfold is formed with an opening 12, Fig. 5, at the lower end of the folding zone, and if desired the device may be clipped to the lower edge of the rear wall through this opening as shown in Fig. 5. This procedure has the advantage that the bill compartment is more easily accessible when the guard is in place.

in Figs. 6 and 7 an alternative form of the device is shown. In the latter form the clip is formed by bending a spring clip 15 to form the converging

clip arms

16 and 17 and the guard arm 18 is Welded to the outer face of the bend at the closed end of the clip as shown at 19 in Fig. 6. in this form the angle between the guard arm 18 and the adjacent clip arm 17 is the angle which it is desired that the guard arm make with the edge of the folded billfold. With the form of the device shown in Fig. 6 the clip is applied to the edge of the rear wall of the billfold as shown in Fig. 7.

it will be understood that the device of the invention may be engraved, gold or silver plated to enhance its appearance and that it may be molded from plastic or otherwise formed of any material having the needed degree of resilience to function as described.

What is claimed is:

1. A theft guard for foldable pocket carried receptacles, such as billfolds, which comprises a spring clip having opposed arms engageable on a wall of the receptacle at its folding zone, and a guard arm extending from the closed end of the clip in a direction to lie in the plane of the receptacle, when the latter is folded, and diverging at an angle to the adiacent edge of the folded receptacle.

2. A theft guard for foldable pocket receptacles, such as billfolds, which comprises three arms formed of narrow fiat metal strips attached together at one end and being in a common plane, two of said strips extending in close proximity to each other to form a clip engageable on the rear wall of the receptacle at its folding zone, the third strip making an angle with the clip forming strips to space the free end of said third strip from the adjacent edge of the folded receptacle.

3. A theft guard for foldable pocket receptacles, such as billfolds, which comprises a narrow strip of flat spring metal centrally folded on itself to form a spring clip engageable on the rear wall of the receptacle at its folding zone and a guard arm extending from the closed end of the clip in a direction to lie in the plane of the receptacle, when the latter is folded, and diverging at an angle to the adjacent edge of the folded receptacle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,225,692 Willis May 8, 1917 FOREIGN PATENTS 495,867 France Oct. 21, 1919