BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front, top and right side perspective view of a new card holder shown in an open or un-folded position, on a desk top or other surface.
FIG. 2 is a front, top and right side perspective view of the card holder of FIG. 1, this time shown in a closed or folded position.
FIG. 3 is a front view of the card holder shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a back view.
FIG. 5 is a left side view.
FIG. 6 is a right side view.
FIG. 7 is a top view.
FIG. 8 is a bottom view.
FIGS. 1 and 3-8 show the card holder in the open or un-folded position and FIG. 2 shows the card holder in the closed or folded position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
As used here, substantially parallel means extending in a direction that is parallel or within 10 degrees or less of parallel. Substantially coplanar means in the same plane, or in planes offset by 3-5 mm or less. Joining or adjoining means attached to or integrally formed with. Substantially flat means having no curvature or non-planar irregularities when viewed by a casual observer. Surfaces and walls described in the claims may have visible curvature or irregularities, unless they are also described as substantially flat.
Turning now to the drawings, as shown in FIG. 1, a card holder 20 has a front or first section 22 attached to a back or second section 24 by a hinge joint 26. Referring now also to FIG. 6, the front section has a top lip 44 attached at an angle RR to a front section front section wall 40. The top lip 44 and the front wall may both be substantially flat and joined to each other through a front radius 42. As shown in FIG. 1, a compartment 28 on the front section 22 includes a front compartment wall 32, a bottom wall 30, sidewalls 34, and a compartment back wall 38. The compartment back wall 38 may be an extension of, or coplanar with the front section wall 40. Alternatively, the compartment back wall 38 may join the front section wall 40 at an angle KK of 15, 10 or 5 degrees, or less, as shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 5 shows a design with the compartment back wall 38 and the front section wall 40 forming an angle of about 10 degrees, with the angle KK defining a break line 36 as shown in FIG. 1.
Turning to FIGS. 1 and 8, the hinge joint 26 may be formed by a hinge pin within hinge sections, at the sides of the card holder 20 as shown, or by a hinge extending substantially entirely across the entire width of the card holder. Alternatively, the hinge joint 26 may be formed by a separate or integral thin flexible section of material attached to, or formed as part of, the front and back sections 22 and 24.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the back section 24 has a back section top lip 48 joined to a back section wall 46 at an angle TT. Angles TT and RR are both preferably less than 90 degrees and may generally be about 60-80 degrees. The top lip 48 and the back wall 46 may both be substantially flat and joined to each other through a front radius 50. As shown in FIG. 5, the lower edge 52 of the back wall 46 is angled so that it rests generally flat or flush on the desk or other supporting surface, when the card holder 20 is in the un-folded position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3-8.
Turning to FIGS. 5 and 6, the front compartment wall 32 has a height HH of about 20-40 mm and may be at the height as the break line 36 (if any) where the back compartment wall 38 joins the front section wall 40. The interior width WW of the compartment 28 is about 10-25 mm. The width TL of the lips 44 and 48, excluding the radii 42 and 50 (if any), is about 5-25 or 8-15 mm. The height JJ of the card holder 20 is about 50-90 or 60-80 mm. The depth PP of the unfolded card holder 20 as shown in FIG. 6 is about 60-120, 70-110, or 80-100 mm. The front compartment wall 32 may be vertical, or extend outwardly at an angle MM of about 5-20 degrees.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 4, 5, 6 and 8, a device 60 such as a digital electronic clock 60 is provided on the back section wall 46. The device 60 may have a housing 66 extending through an opening in the back section wall 46, or attached to the back side of the wall 46. The housing, if used, typically contains circuitry and a battery for operating the device As shown in FIG. 4, a display 62 is visible on the back section wall 46. Control switches 64 may also be included.
As shown in FIG. 2, the card holder 20 may be folded into a more compact size for packaging and/or storage. By folding the back section 24 towards the front section 22, via nominal hand force, the card holder is moved from the open position shown in FIG. 1 to the folded position shown in FIG. 2. Referring to the dotted lines in FIG. 5, when folded, the back section wall 46 is moved into a position where it is substantially parallel to the front section wall 40. The back side of the device housing 66 may also contact the back side of the compartment back wall 38, limiting further inward folding movement.
In FIG. 1, a sample business card 25 is shown in dotted lines. The number of cards that the card holder may hold will vary with the selection of the dimension WW shown in FIG. 5.
Thus, a novel combination portable electronic device and storage compartment have been shown and described. Various changes and substitutions may of course be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited, except by the following claims and their equivalents.
Patent Application
20080022565
