Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02686101 2009-11-23
FINANCIAL AND IDENTIFICATION CARD HOLDER
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001 ] The present invention relates to apparatus for carrying personal
items, and in particular
to a financial and identification card holder.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Many people routinely carry financial and identification cards, such as
a driver's
license and credit and debit cards, in a wallet or in one's pockets or purse.
Given the myriad
special offers often associated with credit cards, consumers will often use
different credit
cards for different types of purchases. For example, a consumer may use one
particular credit
card to purchase fuel, another particular credit card to purchase groceries,
and still another
particular credit card to purchase electronics. To find a particular credit
card, or other financial
or identification card, may require looking through numerous cards with two
hands or one by
one.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Financial and identification card holders according to aspects of the
present invention
can conveniently provide access to any of the cards used most frequently on a
day to day
basis, and can also hold temporary paper items such as cash, checks, receipts,
and parking
stubs.
[0004] In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a financial and
identification card
holder. The financial and identification holder comprises a generally planar
back portion, a
generally planar front portion and a connecting portion connecting the back
portion and the
front portion. The back portion and the front portion are substantially
parallel to and spaced
from one another, and a base portion extends between the back portion and the
front portion.
The inner surfaces of the back portion, connecting portion, front portion and
base portion
define a partial enclosure that is open opposite the connecting portion and
the base portion. A
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band mounting is secured to at least one of the back portion, the front
portion and the
connecting portion.
[0005] In one embodiment, the back portion, connecting portion and front
portion comprise a
single piece of material, and the connecting portion may be a curved reverse
bend. In such an
embodiment, the base portion preferably extends less than 2.125 inches (53.98
millimeters)
from the inner vertex of the curved reverse bend, more preferably about 1.378
inches (35.00
millimeters) therefrom, and the distance from the inner vertex of the curved
reverse bend to
the distal edge of the back portion is less than 2.125 inches (53.98
millimeters). Preferably,
the back portion extends further from the inner vertex of the curved reverse
bend than the
front portion. In a particular embodiment, the distance from the inner surface
of the base
portion to the upper edge of the back portion is less than 3.370 inches (85.60
millimeters).
[0006] The financial and identification card holder preferably further
comprises a resilient
band mounted to the financial and identification card holder by the band
mounting and
surrounding the back portion, the connecting portion and the front portion. In
a particularly
preferred embodiment, the band mounting is on the back portion.
[0007] In a particular embodiment, the front portion exposes a larger portion
of the inner
surface of the back portion toward an upper edge thereof than toward a lower
edge thereof.
The back portion may extend further from the connecting portion than the front
portion.
[0008] In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for
managing financial
and identification cards. The method comprises providing a financial and
identification card
holder as described above, placing a plurality of ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 compliant
cards in the
financial and identification card holder by placing the cards between the back
portion and the
front portion so that the cards are surrounded by the resilient band, and
spreading the cards so
that the cards partially overlap, each card exposing the card beneath, while
the cards remain
surrounded by the resilient band with at least a portion of each card
remaining between the
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back portion and the front portion. The method may further comprise removing a
selected
card from the financial and identification card holder.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] These and other features of the invention will become more apparent
from the
following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings
wherein:
FIG. 1 shows a front perspective view of a first embodiment of a financial and
identification
card holder, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 1A shows a front perspective view of the credit card holder of Figure 1,
with financial
and identification cards shown in dotted lines;
FIG. 2 shows a rear perspective view of the financial and identification card
holder of Figure
1;
FIG. 3 shows a first side view of the financial and identification card holder
of Figure 1;
FIG. 4 shows a front view of the financial and identification card holder of
Figure 1;
FIG. 5 shows a second side view of the financial and identification card
holder of Figure 1;
FIG. 6 shows a rear view of the financial and identification card holder of
Figure 1;
FIG. 7 shows a top view of the financial and identification card holder of
Figure 1;
FIG. 8 shows a bottom view of the financial and identification card holder of
Figure 1;
FIG. 9 shows a front view of the financial and identification card holder of
Figure 1, with
financial and identification cards shown in dotted lines in a fanned
configuration;
FIG. 10 shows a front perspective view of a second embodiment of a financial
and
identification card holder according to an aspect of the present invention;
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FIG. 1 OA shows a front perspective view of the financial and identification
card holder of
Figure 10, with financial and identification cards shown in dotted lines;
FIG. I OB shows a front view of the financial and identification card holder
of Figure 10, with
financial and identification cards shown in dotted lines in a fanned
configuration;
FIG. 11 shows a rear perspective view of the financial and identification card
holder of Figure
10;
FIG. 12 shows a first side view of the financial and identification card
holder of Figure 10;
FIG. 13 shows a front view of the financial and identification card holder of
Figure 10;
FIG. 14 shows a second side view of the financial and identification card
holder of Figure 10;
FIG. 15 shows a rear view of the financial and identification card holder of
Figure 10;
FIG. 16 shows a top view of the financial and identification card holder of
Figure 10;
FIG. 17 shows a bottom view of the financial and identification card holder of
Figure 10;
FIG. 18 shows a front perspective view of a third embodiment of a financial
and identification
card holder according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 19A shows a front perspective view of the financial and identification
card holder of
Figure 18, with financial and identification cards shown in dotted lines;
FIG. 19B shows a front view of the financial and identification card holder of
Figure 18, with
financial and identification cards shown in dotted lines in a fanned
configuration;
FIG. 20 shows a rear perspective view of the financial and identification card
holder of Figure
18;
FIG. 21 shows a first side view of the financial and identification card
holder of Figure 18;
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FIG. 22 shows a front view of the financial and identification card holder of
Figure 18;
FIG. 23 shows a second side view of the financial and identification card
holder of Figure 18;
FIG. 24 shows a rear view of the financial and identification card holder of
Figure 18;
FIG. 25 shows a top view of the financial and identification card holder of
Figure 18; and
FIG. 26 shows a bottom view of the financial and identification card holder of
Figure 18; and
FIGS. 27 and 28 are dimension drawings of the financial and identification
card holder of
Figure 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] Financial and identification cards in the Canadian and U.S. marketplace
generally have
a standard size, in accordance with the ID-1 standard under ISO/IEC 7810,
published by the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO), having an address at 1,
ch. de la Voie-
Creuse, Case postale 56, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland. The ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1
standard
specifies a size of 3.370 inches by 2.125 inches (85.60 millimeters by 53.98
millimeters). In
addition, the ISO/IEC 7813 standard, which applies to financial transaction
cards and which is
also published by the ISO, specifies the thickness of such cards as 0.040
inches (0.76
millimeters), with rounded corners having a radius of 0.125 inches (3.18
millimeters). Both
the ISO/IEC 7810 and ISO/IEC 7813 standards are hereby incorporated by
reference in their
entirety.
[0011 ] Preferred embodiments of financial and identification card holders
according to an
aspect of the present invention are sized for use with cards meeting the ID-1
standard under
ISO/IEC 7810, including not only credit cards but also debit cards,
identification cards, and
the like.
[0012] Figures 1 to 9 show a first embodiment of a financial and
identification card holder
according to an aspect of the present invention, indicated generally by the
reference numeral
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10. The financial and identification card holder 10 is sized to receive cards
meeting the ID-1
standard under ISO/IEC 7810.
[0013] The financial and identification card holder 10 comprises a generally
planar back
portion 12, a connecting portion 14 and a generally planar front portion 16,
with the
connecting portion 14 connecting the back portion 12 and the front portion 16.
The back
portion 12 and the front portion 16 are substantially parallel to and spaced
from one another,
and each have respective inner surfaces 12A, 16A that face one another and
respective outer
surfaces 12A, 16A. The connecting portion 14 also has an inner surface 14A and
an outer
surface 14B. The back portion 12, connecting portion 14 and front portion 16
may comprise a
single piece of material, such as plastic or sheet metal, and in the
illustrated embodiments the
connecting portion 14 is a curved reverse bend. Transparent, translucent or
opaque materials
may be used. In other embodiments, the connecting portion may be planar, or
may have other
shapes.
[0014] A base portion 18, having an inner surface 18A and an outer surface
18B, extends
between the back portion 12 and the front portion 18 to define a partial
enclosure 20 (see
Figures 4 and 5) bounded by the inner surfaces 12A, 14A, 16A and 18A of the
back portion
12, connecting portion 14, front portion 16 and base portion 18, respectively.
In the first
embodiment 10, the base portion 18 is planar; in other embodiments the base
portion 18 may
have other shapes. The partial enclosure 20 is open opposite the inner
surfaces 14A, 18A,
respectively, of the connecting portion 14 and base portion 18 so that
financial and
identification cards may be inserted into the partial enclosure 20. In the
first embodiment 10,
the back portion 12 and front portion 16 are spaced from one another by a
distance slightly
greater than the thickness of five financial and/or identification cards 60,
including the
embossed printing thereon. In this way the partial enclosure 20 can hold five
financial and/or
identification cards 60 (see Figure IA) having embossed printing. Moreover,
depending on
whether each card has embossed printing, and the actual thickness of the
particular cards,
more or fewer cards can be held. For example, up to eight thin cards with no
embossed
characters would fit a partial enclosure 20 designed for five cards having
embossed printing,
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and up to seven cards can be accommodated where the cards include some cards
that are
embossed and some thin cards that are not embossed. The partial enclosure 20
may be sized
to hold more than five embossed financial and/or identification cards, or
fewer than five
embossed financial and/or identification cards.
[0015] In the first embodiment 10 the respective lower edges 22, 24, 26 of the
back portion
12, connecting portion 14 and front portion 16 are coplanar with one another
and the base
portion 18 is flush with these lower edges 22, 24, 26; in other embodiments
one or more of the
back portion, connecting portion and front portion may extend past the base
portion.
Furthermore, in the first embodiment 10, the base portion 18 engages the
connecting portion
14 and is secured thereto; in other embodiments the base portion may be spaced
from the
connecting portion. In the first embodiment 10, the lowermost part of the
lower edge 22 of
the back portion 12, the lower edge 26 of the front portion 16, and the base
portion 18 are
substantially coterminous, and each extend about 1.378 inches (35.00
millimeters) from the
vertex of the connecting portion 14, measured from the inner surface 14A
thereof. The distal
part of the lower edge 22 of the back portion 12 (i.e. adjacent to the distal
edge 28 thereof,
distal from the connecting portion 14) jogs upwardly, toward the upper edge 32
of the back
portion 12, to define a recess 31. Thus, the lower edge 22 of the back portion
12 extends
further than the lower edge 26 of the front portion and further than the base
portion 18.
[0016] The distal edge 30 of the front portion 16, that is, the edge 30
opposite and distal from
the connecting portion 14, slopes generally away from the connecting portion
14 from the
upper edge 36 of the front portion 16 (adjacent the upper edge 34 of the
connecting portion
14) toward the lower edge 26 thereof. Although a small portion of the distal
edge 30 of the
front portion 16, immediately adjacent the lower edge 26 of the front portion
16, slopes back
toward the connecting portion 14, the overall shape of the distal edge 30 of
the front portion
16 still slopes generally away from the connecting portion 14. As a result,
the front portion 16
exposes a larger portion of the inner surface 12A of the back portion 12
toward the upper edge
32 thereof than toward the lower edge 22 thereof.
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[0017] The distal edge 28 of the back portion 12 is generally linear, and
extends substantially
parallel to the longitudinal direction of the connecting portion 14. As can be
seen in Figures 1
and 4, in the first embodiment 10, the back portion 12 extends substantially
further from the
connecting portion 14 than does the front portion 16. The back portion 12
preferably extends
less than the width of an ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 compliant card, that is, less than
2.125 inches
(53.98 millimeters), from the vertex of the connecting portion 14, measured
from the inner
surface 14A thereof. At least the part of the back portion 12 aligned with the
band mounting
40 and resilient band 50 (described in greater detail below) preferably
extends less than 2.125
inches (53.98 millimeters) from the vertex of the connecting portion. For
example, in an
alternative embodiment (not shown), the back portion 12 may generally extend
further than
than 2.125 inches (53.98 millimeters) from the vertex of the connecting
portion, but may
include a recess in alignment with the band mounting where the distal edge of
the back
portion is less than than 2.125 inches (53.98 millimeters) from the vertex of
the connecting
portion.
[0018] As best seen in Figures 2, 3, 5 and 6, a band mounting 40 is secured to
the back
portion 12, toward the upper edge 32 thereof. In other embodiments, the band
mounting may
be disposed at alternative positions on the back portion, or on the front
portion or the
connecting portion, or on more than one of them. In addition, other
embodiments may have a
plurality of band mountings.
[0019] In the first embodiment 10, the band mounting 40 comprises a pair of
opposed L-
shaped arms 42 each having a first portion 44 extending perpendicularly from
the outer
surface 12A of the back portion 12, and a second portion 46 extending from the
first portion
44 substantially parallel to the outer surface 12A. The second portions 46
extend toward one
another, thereby defining an enclosure bounded by the outer surface 12A of the
back portion
12, the first portions 44 of the arms 42, and the second portions 46 of the
arms 42, with a gap
48 between the second portions of the arms 42, through which a resilient band
50 can be
inserted into the enclosure and thereby secured to the first embodiment 10 of
a financial and
identification card holder. The arms 42 of the band mounting 40 may be
integral with the
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back portion 12 or alternatively, the arms 42 of the band mounting 40 may be
secured to the
outer surface 12A of the back portion 12 by welding, adhesive or other
suitable attachment
technique.
[0020] Once the resilient band 50 is secured to the band mounting 40, the
resilient band 50
may be positioned to surround the back portion 12, connecting portion 14 and
front portion
16, in stretched engagement with the respective outer surfaces 12A, 14A, 16A
thereof. As
best seen in Figure 7, when so positioned the resilient band 50 slopes
inwardly from the outer
surface 16A of the front portion toward the distal edge 28 of the back portion
12.
[0021 ] A plurality of financial and/or identification cards 60 maybe inserted
into the partial
enclosure 20 defined by the back portion 12, connecting portion 14, front
portion 16 and base
portion 18 by sliding the cards 60 downwardly from the upper edge 32 of the
back portion 12,
between the back portion 12 and front portion 16 and through the inside of the
loop of the
resilient band 50. Once inserted, as shown in Figure 1 A, the proximal long
edges 62p of the
cards 60 abut the inner surface 14A of the connecting portion 14 and the
proximal short edges
64p of the cards 60 abut the inner surface 18A of the base portion 18 .
Because the back
portion 12 extends less than the width of an ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 compliant card
from the
vertex of the connecting portion 14, the resilient band 50 is slightly
stretched and engages the
distal long edges 62d of the cards 60 (i.e. the long edges opposite and distal
from the
connecting portion 14) thereby applying force biasing the cards 60 toward the
connecting
portion 14 and resisting by friction sliding of the cards 60 away from the
base portion 18.
Thus, the cards 60 are positioned between the back portion 12 and the front
portion 16 and are
surrounded by the resilient band 50, which cooperates with the back portion
12, connecting
portion 14, front portion 16 and base portion 18 to retain the cards 60 within
the partial
enclosure 20. Optionally, temporary paper items such as cash, checks,
receipts, and parking
stubs (not shown) can be retained between the cards 60 and the back portion
12.
[0022] When the cards 60 are secured in the first embodiment 10 of a financial
and
identification card holder, the cards 60 can be spread out so that a user (not
shown) can see the
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different cards 60, without needing to remove the cards 60 from the first
embodiment 10 of a
financial and identification card holder. To spread the cards, a user would
grip the first
embodiment 10 of a financial and identification card holder in one hand, and
use their other
hand to pull the cards 60 away from the connecting portion 14 and spread them
apart.
Spreading the cards 60 apart can be done by pulling the cards 60 substantially
linearly away
from the connecting portion 14, each card 60 by a different distance so as to
expose part of the
card 60 beneath, or by fanning the cards 60 so that the short edges 64p that
are proximal to the
base portion 18 pivot against the distal edge 66 of the base portion 18, as
shown in Figure 9,
with a different pivot amount for each card 60 so as to expose part of the
card 60 beneath. In
each case, at least a portion of each card 60 remains between the front
portion 16 and the back
portion 12. The user applies the necessary force to stretch the resilient band
50, which
continues to surround the now partially overlapping cards 60. For example, a
user could with
one hand place his or her thumb on the front portion 16 and one or more
fingers on the back
portion 12, and use the thumb, and possibly the fingers, of the other hand to
spread the cards
60.
[0023] Once the cards 60 have been spread, a user can select and remove one or
more of the
cards 60, for example to make a purchase, and then release the remaining cards
60, whereupon
the resilient band 50 will return to its original length, moving the cards 60
back toward the
connecting portion 14 until the long edges 62d, 62p of the cards 60 are
substantially parallel to
the longitudinal direction of the connecting portion 14, with the long edges
62p that are
proximal to the connecting portion 14 being in engagement therewith. Some of
the cards 60
may be longitudinally displaced, that is, spaced from the inner surface 18A of
the base portion
18, and the user can push the cards 60 back toward the inner surface 18A of
the base portion
18 by applying pressure to the short edges 64d that are distal from the base
portion 18.
[0024] Alternatively, a user could spread the cards 60 by sliding them
generally parallel to the
longitudinal direction of the connecting portion 14, away from the base
portion 18, each card
60 by a different distance so as to expose part of the card 60 beneath, and
then return the cards
60 to their original position by applying pressure to the short edges 64d that
are distal from the
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base portion 18. With this alternate form of spreading, at least a portion of
each financial and
identification card 60 remains between the front portion 16 and the back
portion 12 and the
resilient band 50 continues to surround the partially overlapping cards 60.
[0025] Figures 27 and 28 are dimension drawings for the first embodiment 10 of
a financial
and identification card holder, with reference letters used to denote various
dimensions. The
chart below sets out the corresponding approximate numerical dimensions of the
first
embodiment 10 of a financial and identification card holder, in inches.
Reference Dimension (inches)
A 2.540
B 0.5100
C 0.4500
D 0.8030
E 2.1530
F 0.0750
G 0.3870
H 2.7370
1 1.4452
J 0.4690
K 0.1000
L 0.0600
[0026] Referring now to Figures 10 to 17, a second exemplary embodiment of a
financial and
identification card holder is shown generally at 210. The second embodiment
210 is similar
to the first embodiment 10, and accordingly corresponding reference numerals
are used to
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denote corresponding features, except beginning with the prefix "2". Thus, in
the second
embodiment the back portion is denoted by the reference numeral 212, the
connecting portion
is denoted by the reference numeral 214, and so on.
[0027] In the second embodiment 210, the front portion 216 and the base
portion 218 do not
extend as far from the connecting portion 214 as the front portion 16 and the
base portion 18
extend from the connecting portion 14 in the first embodiment 10. The base
portion 218 is
shorter on the side adjacent the front portion 216 than on the side adjacent
the back portion
212, and the distal edge 266 of the base portion 218 runs diagonally from the
front portion 216
to the back portion 212. In addition, in the second embodiment 210 the first
portions 244 of
the arms 242 are opposed semi-circular members.
[0028] With reference now to Figures 18 to 25, reference numeral 310 denotes
generally a
third exemplary embodiment of a financial and identification card holder. The
third
embodiment 310 is similar to the first embodiment 10, and as such
corresponding reference
numerals are used to denote corresponding features, except beginning with the
prefix "3".
Accordingly, the back portion of the third embodiment is denoted by the
reference numeral
312, the connecting portion of the third embodiment is denoted by the
reference numeral 314,
and so forth.
[0029] As with the second embodiment 210, in the third embodiment 310 the
front portion
316 does not extend as far from the connecting portion 314 as the front
portion 16 in the first
embodiment 10, and the base portion 318 is shorter adjacent the front portion
316 than
adjacent the back portion 312, running diagonally at its distal end from the
front portion 316
to the back portion 312. Moreover, in the third embodiment 310, the base
portion 318, in
particular the part of the base portion 318 adjacent the front portion 316,
extends substantially
further from the connecting portion 314 than does the lower edge 326 of the
front portion 316.
The lower edge 322 of the back portion 312 does not include any recess.
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[0030] In addition, in the third embodiment 310 the band mounting comprises an
annular rivet
340 which permanently secures the resilient band 350 to the back portion 312.
[0031 ] As with the first embodiment 10, ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 compliant cards 60
can be
inserted into and retained within the second and third embodiments 210, 310 of
a financial
and identification card holder, and can be spread once inserted. This is shown
in Figures 10A
and 10B for the second embodiment 210 and in Figures 19A and 19B for the third
embodiment 310.
[0032] The exemplary financial and identification card holders illustrated
herein are intended
for right-handed users; financial and identification card holders intended for
left-handed users
may be constructed, for example, according to a mirror image of the exemplary
financial and
identification card holders illustrated herein.
[0033] One or more currently preferred embodiments have been described by way
of example.
It will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations
and modifications
can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in
the claims.
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