Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WALLET SIZE CARD BOOK 219 2 8 4 0
Background of the Invention
( 1 ) Field of the Invention
S The present invention relates generally to an article designed to hold and
protect identification, credit, debit, and other smart cards, and any
information
encoded on a magnetic stripe or microchip. More particularly, the present
invention relates to a wallet size card book which has been constructed to fit
within the credit card compartment of a wallet or similar type cardholder.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Various booklets or folders having card holder pockets and a place to
record information or transactions are currently in use. For example, U.S.
Patent
No. 5,143,405 (Daneshvar) discloses a booklet for collecting and presenting
personal medical information. Although the booklets include pockets formed in
the covers of the booklets, the disclosure provides that the pockets may be
used to
hold additional papers containing medical information. The suggested size of
the
booklet is approximately 4" x 6'/e", and by size alone, would not conveniently
fit
into the user's wallet. Further, there is no indicated use of the pockets for
holding
identification and credit cards.
U.S. Patent No. 4,621,729 (Jackson) discloses a patient medical
information and education container which may be wallet size. Although a
pocket
is provided which serves to hold a plurality of cards or the like, the user
must
open a plurality of panels of the container to retrieve a card from the
pocket.
U.S. Patent No. 2,767,756 (Niles) discloses a foldable unit plastic card
holder designed to hold a number of cards. However, the card holder does not
include any pages on which to record transactions or maintain record-keeping.
U.S. Patent No. 3,360,027 (Price) discloses a ticket and money holder
provided with openings with arcuate lower edges through which tickets and the
like may be inserted into and removed from the holder. The holder includes an
outer sheet which is stitched to a filler.
Standard size card books are also available, for example, savings and
passbooks. However, these card books are too cumbersome in size to fit within
the compartments of a wallet. Moreover, attempts to produce wallet size card
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2
books have been unsuccessful because a sufficient area does not remain to
obtain
a strong glue bond. Thus, there remains a need for a new and improved wallet
size card book which is sized to fit within a wallet but is strong enough to
survive
normal usage.
Summary of the Invention
The invention in one aspect pertains to a wallet size card book
comprising a cover having a fold which divides the cover into a front cover
panel
and a rear cover panel, a plurality of leaves attached at the fold, the leaves
forming pages, an L-shaped glue strip extended along two edges of at least one
leaf and a pocket formed by a first leaf being sealed to the inner surface of
the
cover and cut shorter and narrower than the cover and a second leaf being
sealed
along two edges to the L-shaped glue strip with a third edge attached at the
fold
and a fourth edge remaining open, wherein the card book is of a suitable size
and
configuration large enough to retain a conventional size credit card and yet
small
enough to fit within the conventional card compartments of a wallet.
Another aspect of the invention comprehends an adhesive strip
extending along marginal edges between a first and second leaf and comprising
an adhesive made of a copolymer emulsion and wherein the adhesive strip is of
a
width sufficient to adhere the second leaf to the first leaf, the width
ranging
2o between about 1/16 inch to about 3/16 inch.
Still further the invention comprehends a method for making a wallet
size card book, comprising the steps of positioning at least one cover and a
plurality of leaves together in an open position to form at least one card
book,
securing the cover to the plurality of leaves by stitching along a midpoint,
cutting
a first leaf shorter and narrower than the cover, applying a resin emulsion
d a
21 928 4 0
3
adhesive to the inner surface of at least one cover, placing the card book and
at
least two dies in a vise, squeezing the vise under pressure for a sufficient
amount
of time to seal the first leaf and two edges of a second leaf to the inner
surface of
at least one cover, forming a pocket for holding a wallet size card.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent
to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of
the
preferred embodiment when considered with the drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wallet size card book constructed
1o according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a top view of the wallet size card book.
FIG. 3 is a front view of the front cover panel of the wallet size card
book.
FIG. 4 is a side view of the wallet size card book.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the upper and lower dies.
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the wallet size card book.
Description of the Preferred Embodiments
In the following description, like reference characters designate like or
corresponding parts throughout the several views. Also in the following
2o description, it is to be understood that such terms as "forward",
"rearward",
"left", "right", "upwardly", "downwardly" and the like are words of
convenience
and are not to be construed as limiting terms.
Referring now to the drawings in general and FIG. 1 in particular, it will
be understood that the illustrations are for the purpose of describing a
preferred
embodiment of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention
thereto.
As best seen in FIG. 1, the wallet size card book, generally designated 10,
comprises a cover 12 having a fold 14 which divides the cover into a front
cover
4 219840
panel 16 and a rear cover panel 20, a plurality of leaves 22 attached at fold
14,
with the leaves forming pages, and a L-shaped glue strip 28 (shown in FIG. 6)
formed along two edges of the inner surface of at least one cover panel. The
card
book 10 further includes arcuate recesses 24 in the upper edges of the cover
12
S and plurality of leaves 22. Cover 12 comprises a lexide material, and
indicia 26,
for example, a logo, may be placed on the front cover panel 16 of the book.
The
card book 10 also includes a pocket 30 for holding and protecting a wallet
size
credit card 32 or comparable size information card.
Pocket 30 of the card book 10 is formed by a first leaf being sealed
completely to the inner surface of the cover 12 and cut shorter and narrower
than
the cover, a second leaf being sealed along two edges to the L-shaped glue
strip 28
on the inner surface of cover 12 with a third edge attached at fold 14 by
stitching,
gluing or stapling and a fourth edge remaining open for receiving the card 32.
The L-shaped glue strip 28 comprises a resin emulsion adhesive (Evans
No. 04053, Evans Adhesive Corp., Columbus, OH). The composition of Evans
No. 04053 comprises a vinyl acetate ethylene copolymer emulsion. The adhesive
may include other additives, for example, a defoamer. The copolymer emulsion
is
water-based and contains approximately 45 % water, and the vinyl acetate
ethylene
copolymer emulsion content is approximately > 95.0 wt. %o . It is contemplated
that any comparable adhesive may be used as the L-shaped glue strip. The
thickness of the glue strip ranges between 1/16 inch to about 1/4 inch. The
glue
strip preferably extends approximately 1/16 inch from the bottom edge of the
inner
surface of cover 12 to about 3/ 16 inch from the side edge of the inner
surface of
cover 12.
As shown in FIG. 3, the book 10 has upper and lower rounded edges 34
opposite the fold 14. Rounded edges 34 are between about 1/8 inch to 3/8 inch
in
diameter, with a preferred diameter of 1/4 inch. The height H of book 10
ranges
between approximately 3 5/16 inches to about 3 5/8 inches, with a preferred
height of 3 1/2 inches. The width W of book 10 ranges between about 2 3/8
inches to about 2 S/8 inches, with a preferred width of 2 1/2 inches. As shown
in
FIGS. 2-4, the thickness T of book 10 ranges between about 1/16 inch to about
3/ 16 inch with a preferred thickness of 1/8 inch.
21924-0
Again referring to FIG. 3, the arcuate recesses 24 have a width AW
ranging between approximately 7/8 inch and 1 1/8 inches, with a preferred
width
of 1 inch. The depth AH of recess 24 ranges between 3/16 inch and 3/8 inch,
with a preferred depth of 1/4 inch. The arcuate recesses facilitate the
insertion
and removal of card 32 from pocket 30.
In producing card book 10 in accordance with the present invention, at
least one card book 10 is placed in an open position where the plurality of
leaves
22 are attached to fold 14 of the cover 12. The first or fly leaf is cut
shorter and
narrower than the cover 12 so that when the resin emulsion adhesive is applied
to
the entire inner surface of at least one cover 12, the first leaf completely
adheres
to the cover 12, and leaves and L-shaped glue strip 28 exposed along the
marginal
edges of the inner surface of cover 12. As a result, a second leaf adheres to
the
L-shaped glue strip 28 that remains exposed on the inner surface of cover 12,
thereby forming a pocket with a third edge being attached at fold 14 and a
fourth
edge remaining open for receiving a card 32. In one embodiment of the
invention,
three books are placed end to end in an upstate position. During the process,
anywhere from approximately 12-18 books may be placed between two dies 36 of
the type shown in FIG. 5 immediately after the resin emulsion is applied. Die
36
includes a lower strip 40 and an upper narrow strip 42. A plurality of
openings
44 exists between the upper and lower strips 40,42. Between adjacent openings
44
are adjoining strips 46.
The books and dies are placed in an air-powered vise, and thereafter
squeezed together in order to set the adhesive. The vise is squeezed under
approximately 2800 lbs/in2 of pressure for a sufficient amount of time in
which to
properly seal the adhesive to the cover 12. The pressure may range between
about
2000 and 4000 lbs/in2. In a preferred embodiment, the vise may be squeezed
between about 30 seconds and about one minute. The dies 36 function by
applying pressure around the outer edges of the leaves, and help to seal the
adhesive on the cover 12 of card book 10. As a result, a pocket 30 is created
which is formed by sealing the first leaf and part of the second leaf to the
inner
surface of cover 12 using the L-shaped glue strip 28.
~ 19~s4o
Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the
art upon a reading of the foregoing description. By way of example, it is
contemplated that the card book of the present invention can be modified for
use
in a variety of industries including but not limited to financial
institutions,
S telecommunications, healthcare, information security, travel and hospitality
and
prepaid vending. The card book may, thus, be customized to hold information
about a particular organization and its services, programs, etc.
It should be understood that all such modifications and improvements have
been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability, but are
properly
within the scope of the following claims.
