US2767756A - Foldable unit plastic card holder - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 23, 1956 F. D. NILES FOLDABLE UNIT PLASTIC CARD HOLDER Filed July 9, 1955 Bnnentor FAY D- N l LES (Ittorneg United States PatenttO FOLDABLE UNIT PLASTIC CARD HOLDER Fay D. Niles, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to Brown & Bigelow, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application July 9, 1953, Serial No. 367,010

5 Claims. (Cl. 150-39) This invention relates to a plastic card holder which is adapted to be formed from flexible plastic such as polyethylene or other similar material like flexible Vinylite wherein the material may be translucent or transparent, and which material is adapted to be heat sealed or otherwise secured at spaced intervals to form pockets. The pockets formed in the foldable plastic sheet are adapted to form separate compartments for identification cards, lodge cards, drivers license cards, Social Security cards and membership cards.

It is a feature to provide a card holder with a series of separate pockets which ordinarily are of uniform size and adapted to hold the various cards hereinbefore enumerated.

' It is also a feature to provide a card holder which may be folded into a small compact state with the cards held in the respective pockets and with one or more cards held in each pocket. The cards may be placed so that they are back to back and thus, the cards may be clearly legible for identification when the card holder is open or unfolded. It will be apparent, however, that even when the unit .card holder is folded, the cards held in the pockets on the outside of the fold will be visible without unfolding the card holding unit.

A feature of the invention resides in providing a series of compartments in a flexible sheet by heat sealing transversely the sheet when the same is folded over onto itself or attaching the sheet on a series of transverse lines by any suitable means to form the individual pockets from one end to the other of the card holding unit.

It is a primary feature to provide an open end for each card pocket wherein one wall of the pocket is longer than the adjacent wall at the opening of the pocket. This construction facilitates the easy insertion of a card into the respective pocket. It is also apparent that by having one wall of the pocket longer than the other adjacent wall which forms the pocket permits the card to be removed from the pocket by engaging the slightly protruding end of the card, when the card is large enough. However, when the card is smaller and enters beyond the opening of the pocket, a finger may be more easily inserted into the pocket by reason of the longer side wall so that a card may be removed. This permits the easy separation of the walls of the pockets at the opening thereof.

These features together with other details and primary objects including the method of making said foldable card holding unit will be more clearly and fully set forth throughout the specification and claims.

It is a further object in the method of making said foldable card holder to form the same from tubing made of flexible transparent or translucent plastic. This method includes slitting or cutting, longitudinally, the plastic tubing at offset or overlapping points on either side thereof. This method forms the sides of the card holder with one longitudinal edge closed and the other longitudinal edge being spaced apart to provide openings for receiving cards in the several pockets which are formed by transversely sealing the walls together at parallel intervals in accordance with the desired predetermined size for each pocket formed in the holder.

In'the drawings forming part of the specification:

Figure 'l'illustrates a perspective view of a portion of the card holding unit showing the easy manner in which a card may be inserted or removed from one of the pockets.

Figure 2 is a section through a portion of the card holding unit, part thereof being broken away.

Figure '3 is a perspective view of the card holding unit in' partially folded form.

Figure 4 is an end view of the card holding unit shown diagrammatically by a single .line, illustrating the manner in which the card holding unit may be folded into a flat state, either when the cards are inserted into the respective pockets or whenthe unit is empty.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of the flat plastic sheet showing the same scored longitudinally to one side of the center of the sheet and indicating the manner in which the sheet can be folded over to form the individual pockets of the unit with one edge of the opening of the'pockets short of the other edge thereof.

Figure 6'is a perspective view of :a portion of a flat tubing with offset longitudinal cuts so that two card holders can be made therefrom.

The drawings illustrate the card holder unit A formed of flexible plastic such as polyethylene, Vinylite or other similar plastic material which may be heat sealed at predetermined points to form individual card pockets or may be otherwise attached along transverse lines so as to provide 'aseries of individual card holding pockets.

' p The unit A is formed with any number of card holding pockets 10,.11'1and 12, illustrated in Figure 1. In Figure 3, I have illustrated the card holding unit A formed with the pockets, 10, 11, '12, 13 and 14. Thus, in Figure 3,

which'is .a.perspectiv'e' view. of .the unit A in partially folded position, the fi ve card holding pockets 10, 14, incl.

provide the unit A with a predetermined number of card holding pockets each individually providing a compartment'for business cards, lodge cards, identification cards,

form individual card receiving pockets.

The sheet 9 of plastic material which is adapted to form my card holding unit is normally flat as illustrated in-Figuie 5. The method of forming the unit A may be carried out by longitudinally scoring the sheet 9 along the line 18 which extends from end to end of the sheet, and then by the next step, the sheet 9 is folded over onto itself along the fold line 18 with the longitudinal outer edge 19 of the sheet being positioned spaced from the longitudinal edge 20. In this manner, the edge 20 of each pocket 10, 11, 12 etc. is positioned outwardly of the edge 19 of each of the respective pockets.

A longitudinal sectional potrion of the unit A illustnated in Figure 2 illustrates the transverse sealing line 17 which seals the walls of the pockets together transversely of the whole card holding unit. The walls of the respective pockets 10, 11, 12, etc. normally lie virtually flat against each other. The identification, lodge, or drivers license card 21 illustrated in Figure 1 is adapted to be inserted in the respective pocket. Figure 1 the card 21 being inserted in the pocket 11 of the unit A.

It will be apparent that in view of the fact that the respective edges 19 and 20 at the opening of each of the pockets having been spaced apart by the formation of my card holding unit A, in acboi'd pfi with my method, provides an easymeans for the 2 1 to enter the respective pocket or for the user of the card holder to insert his finger into the respective patter into which cards are to be placed or from which they are to be removed.

Therefore, it will be apparent that my method of torming a card holding unit with a series of card holding pockets consists in folding a flat sheet of flexible plastic material, transparent or translucent, in a manner s'o as to provide one longitudinal edge spaced short 'of the other longitudinal edge, then transversely sealing, adhering or securing virtually integrally along transverse lines of the folded sheet to form individual pockets and sealing together integrally the outer extremities of the card holding unit along either end thereof, thereby forming a unit with a series of individual card holding pockets which are adapted to receive one or more cards normally carried for identification purposes into the respective pockets ofthe unit. V v I j 7 My card holder unit with the series of pockets is easily folded into a compact state and may be carried in a billfold or in ones pocket to conveniently holda series of cards which may be quickly displayed from either side of the unit by unfolding the same.

My card holding unit may also be made from a flat tubular member such as 22 (shown in Figure 6) which is cut longitudinally on each side thereof as at 23 and 24 thereby forming two elongated half portions 25 and each of which forms a card holdingunit when sealed transversely as particularly illustrated in Figure 1.

While I have described the principles and characteristics of my card holding unit and set forth the method by which the same may be formed, the same is only illustrative and it should be understood that the invention may be carried out by other means and applied to other uses than those set forth within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. The method of forming a card receiving unit consisting in folding a rectangular flexible plastie sheet onto itself, providing a closed longitudinal edge along the fold line, disposing the opposite longitudinal free edges with one of said edges spaced short of the other free edge, then heat sealing the walls of the unit along parallel transverse lines, and sealing the top and bottom edges of the unit, thereby forming a series of individual card receiving pockets parallelly disposed in the unit.

2. The method of forming a card receiving unit consisting in longitudinally cutting plastic tubing to form parallel longitudinal edges on one side of the unit spaced apart, then transversely sealing the side walls together at panallel'intervals and at the extreme ends thereby forming individual card pockets with a projecting end portion at the opening of each pocket which projects beyond the adjacent longitudinal open edge of the card pocket.

3. The method of forming a flexible foldable multiple card holding unit from thin plastic tubing consisting in longitudinally slitting the sides of the tubing to provide side walls, spacing one of said walls marginally shorter than the other side wall; then transversely scaling the side walls of the slit tubing at parallel intervals and at the extreme ends thereby forming individual card receiving pockets having one open side with a projecting edge on one side of the opening for easy insertion of a card into any of the card receiving pockets.

4. The method of forming a flexible foldable card holder unit consisting in forming a longitudinally folded member of flat thin plastic material wtih one longitudinal free edge spaced short of the other longitudinal free edge thereby forming opposed side walls with an extended edge portion on one of the same, then transversely sealing the opposed side walls at parallel intervals and at the extreme ends thereof to form a series of individual card receiving pockets with an extended edge portion for easy insertion or removal of cards into or from the pockets.

5. A flexible card holding unit formed from a single rectangular sheet of flexible plastic heat scalable material of transparent or translucent nature, said sheet being folded on a longitudinal line offset from the central longitudinal line of the sheet to form two adjacent walls of material with the free longitudinal edges of the walls spaced apart marginally, heat sealing means adhering said walls at the extreme transverse ends thereof as well as along spaced transversely parallel narrow lines between said transverse ends of said walls, whereby to form a series of rectangular card receiving pockets closed at one end and open at the opposite end, the spacing apart at the longitudinal edges of the two walls at said opposite end providing easy access into each of said pockets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 715,162 Schwartz Dec. 2, 1902 2,431,472 Fistell Nov. 25, 1947 2,444,685 Waters July 6, 1948 2,522,346 Carson et al. Sept. 12, 1950 2,634,777 Berger Apr. 14, 1953 2,647,071 Schadc July 28, 1953 2,718,911 Salomon Sept. 27, 1955 2,732,874 Carstensen Ian. 31, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 107,463 Great Britain July 5, 1917 206,205 Switzerland Oct. 16, 1939

Images