HOLDER FOR PLAYING CARDS

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a holder for a stack of playing cards that may be used during storage and play of a game.

2. Related Art

Many existing games use playing cards or card decks to provide chance events, random dealing of different cards to players of the game, etc. For example, many board games or strategy games utilize playing cards that may be drawn by players of the game to provide chance events or instructions that affect the course of the game, and card games using a standard deck of cards may be randomly dealt and/or drawn by its players (e.g. into their “hand”). In many of these games, a player may also discard one of the cards that they have drawn or been dealt. Sometimes the card is discarded into a new pile or stack, but the card may instead be discarded into the bottom of the same card stack from which it had been dealt or drawn. With some board games, for example, a card may be drawn from a stack and immediately placed back into the same stack after following its instructions or reading information on the card.

In each of these cases where a stack of cards is used, it may be difficult to draw or remove a card from the top of the stack without toppling, scattering or disturbing the orderliness of the card stack. A free-standing stack of cards may become scattered or disorganized during the course of a game by repeated handing of the stack, which might even result in losing the order of cards in the stack. Thus, it is common for a player of the game to repeatedly lift the stack and realign the cards of the stack during play to prevent the progressive disorderliness of the stack or deck of cards. Another difficulty with many of these games is the ability to discard or place a card into the bottom of a stack (e.g., after the card instructions have been applied to the game) to keep the card from being immediately redrawn by another player of the game. Thus, to place the card at the bottom of the stack, a player will typically have to lift the whole stack of cards to place the card underneath the stack. Yet another challenge with handling a stack of playing cards is the difficulty of lifting the bottom few cards off of a flat playing surface due to contact and close juxtaposition between the bottom card(s) and the playing surface.

What is needed in the art is a device or article that will support and hold a stack of playing cards in an orderly manner while enabling access to the cards during play of the game. What is further needed in the art is a device or article for allowing a card to be placed at the bottom or underneath a stack of cards without having to lift the stack of cards. There is yet another need in the art for a device or article that facilitates the lifting of a whole stack of cards.

SUMMARY

According to a first broad aspect of the present invention, a card holder is provided comprising a base having a generally planar shape; a plurality of vertically extending side walls, each of the plurality of side walls being approximately perpendicular to the base; and one or more side openings, each side opening being between two neighboring spaced-apart side walls and above a respective portion of the base, wherein the plurality of vertically extending side walls surround an inner card holding space above the base of the holder, and wherein the base has an elevated portion and at least one inclined portion, each inclined portion being between the elevated portion and a lateral side edge of the base.

According to a second broad aspect of the present invention, a card holder is provided comprising a base having a generally planar shape; a plurality of vertically extending side walls, each of the plurality of side walls being approximately perpendicular to the base; a plurality of vertically extending side wall portions, each of the plurality of side wall portions being approximately perpendicular to the base; at least one side connecting wall portion positioned between and continuous with two neighboring spaced-apart side wall portions; and one or more side openings, each side opening being between two neighboring spaced-apart side walls or side wall portions, wherein the plurality of vertically extending side walls and side wall portions surround an inner card holding space above the base of the holder, wherein the plurality of side wall portions includes a first side wall portion and a second side wall portion, and wherein the at least one side connecting wall portion includes a first side connecting wall portion between and continuous with the first and second side wall portions, wherein the one or more side openings includes a first side opening, the first side opening being defined by the inner edges of the first and second side wall portions and the first side connecting wall portion, and wherein the base has an elevated portion and at least one inclined portion, each inclined portion being between the elevated portion and a lateral side edge of the base.

According to this second broad aspect of the present invention, the card holder may further comprise at least one slot, each slot being between a side wall and a portion of the base. Such a card holder may further comprise a first side wall and a second side wall, and the one or more side openings may further include a third side opening, wherein the third side opening is defined by the inner edges of the first side wall and a second side wall and a top surface of a first portion of the base, and wherein the at least one slot includes a first slot and a second slot, the first slot being between the first side wall and a top surface of a second portion of the base, and the second slot being between the second side wall and a top surface of a third portion of the base, the top surfaces of the first, second and third portions of the base being continuous.

According to a third broad aspect of the present invention, a card holder is provided comprising a first card holder portion, a second card holder portion and a bridge portion, wherein the each of the first and second card holder portions may have a base and a plurality of side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) and other elements and features of a card holder as described herein. According to these aspects, the bridge portion may connect the base of the first holder portion to the base of the second holder portion, such as via a reversible attachment between respective first and second bridge portions. The bridge portion may be rigid or flexible to allow bending of the bridge portion for engagement between the two holder portions.

According to a fourth broad aspect of the present invention, methods are provided for the manufacture and use of a card holder of the present invention.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the following description and claims with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention, and, together with the detailed description herein, serve to explain features of the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is another perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A as viewed toward the opposite side of the card holder;

FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B as viewed from the plane 1C shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2B is another perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A as viewed toward the opposite side of the card holder;

FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B as viewed from the plane 2C shown in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a pair of holders that can engage one another according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of a dual holder according to an embodiment of the present invention having two holder portions joined by a bridge portion; and

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of a dual holder according to an embodiment of the present invention having two holder portions joined by a bendable bridge portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to a broad aspect of the present invention, a card holder is provided for supporting and holding a deck or stack of cards during play of a game. A card holder of the present invention may also serve as a storage device that may be inserted or placed into a larger storage container or box for the game, perhaps along with other playing pieces, a game board, etc. In fact, a card holder may be made for attachment to a game board. A card holder of the present invention may generally include a base and a plurality of vertically extending side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s). The card holder may most commonly be made of a plastic material, but could conceivably be made of other hard materials, such as wood, metal, etc. The base of the holder may have a generally planar shape, and the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the holder may extend vertically above the base.

The phrase “generally planar shape” in reference to an object or portion of a holder, such as a base, side wall, side wall portion or side wall connecting portion, shall mean that its dimensions are much greater within a major plane than along an axis perpendicular to the major plane. Thus, a “major plane” of the base of a holder is conversely defined as a plane encompassing the greatest perpendicular dimensions of the base, such as the length and width dimensions of a rectangular base, of the holder. The major plane of the base of the holder may be approximately parallel to a support surface when the holder is placed on, or attached to, the support surface during play of the game. A “support surface” may include a table top, a game board, a weighted object, etc. Although the base may have a generally planar shape, there may be variations in the height or thickness of the base over its planar area.

The vertically extending side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) generally define an inner card holding volume or space between them and above the base of the holder, the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the holder surrounding the inner card holding volume or space. For these purposes, the terms “surround” or “surrounding” in reference to the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) shall mean present on multiple sides of the inner card holding volume or space in a manner sufficient to define the inner card holding volume or space between them, regardless of whether the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) partially or completely surround the inner card holding volume or space. Thus, a plurality of spaced-apart side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of a holder separated by one or more side openings may define an inner card holding volume or space between them.

These side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) may also be generally planar in shape. Thus, each of the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) may be described as having a “major plane” (i.e., defined as the plane encompassing the greatest perpendicular dimensions of the side wall or side wall portion). According to some embodiments, the vertically extending side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) may be connected and/or continuous with the base and located above portions of the base, which may be at or near the periphery of the holder (i.e., at or near the respective lateral side edges or ends of the base of the holder). However, portion(s) of the base of the holder may optionally extend laterally outward in one or more dimensions, directions, etc., beyond the vertically extending side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the holder (i.e., outside and beyond the inner card holding space of the holder).

The term “vertically extending” in reference to the dimensions and orientation of one or more of the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of a holder shall mean that the major plane of the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) are approximately perpendicular relative to the major plane of the base of the holder. The phrase “approximately perpendicular” in reference to one or more of the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) and the base shall mean the angle between the major planes of each side wall or side wall portion and the base and shall include any angle within a range from about 80° to about 100°, or about 85° to about 95°, or about 90°, relative to the plane of the base of the holder (i.e., with an angle of 90° being defined as a perfectly perpendicular angle between the respective side wall or side wall portion and the plane of the base). Each of the vertically extending side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) may be positioned above a portion of the base at or near one of its lateral side edges or ends.

A vertically extending side wall of a holder may be connected to, and/or continuous with, a portion of base, such as a portion of the base at or near one of the lateral side edges or ends of the base (perhaps in addition to being connected to, and/or continuous with, an adjacent side wall or side wall portion). Alternatively, a vertically extending side wall of a holder may instead be connected to, and/or continuous with, an adjacent side wall or side wall portion and vertically suspended and held in position above a portion of the base of the holder, such as a portion at or near one of the lateral side edges or ends of the base. As will be explained further below, such a vertical suspension of a side wall above the base of the holder due to its attachment to an adjacent side wall or side wall portion may allow for the presence of a horizontal slot between the suspended side wall and the base of the holder.

As commonly understood, each card of a stack or deck of playing cards that may be used with a holder of the present invention may generally have a planar shape with length and width dimensions (within its major plane) that are much greater than the thickness of the card, such that the card has two opposing planar faces. As also commonly understood, all of the cards of a stack or deck may be approximately uniform in their planar size and shape dimensions, such that they may be uniformly stacked face-to-face on top of each other. Typically, playing cards will have a rectangular planar shape, although other card shapes are also possible.

A stack or deck of cards may be placed on top of the base of a holder of the present invention, and the vertically extending side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the holder may contain and hold the card stack or deck in the column of space above the base and between the vertically extending side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the holder. To maintain a generally vertical alignment of the stack or deck of cards above the base of the holder, the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the holder may be spaced apart by distances that are only slightly or somewhat greater than the planar dimensions of the cards to resist or block their relative sliding or twisting movement and maintain their positioning within the column of space above the base and between the side wall(s) and/or side portion wall(s) of the holder.

The size and shape of the holder will depend at least in part on the size and shape of the cards it is intended to hold. Since rectangular shaped playing cards are most common, a holder may typically have a rectangular shape according to most embodiments to accommodate rectangular cards. However, as mentioned above, portion(s) of the base may extend laterally outward beyond the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the holder in one or more dimensions, directions, etc., even though not required for holding the stack of cards. Indeed, the overall shape of the holder may be different than the inner card holding space and/or the shape of the stack/deck of cards intended for placement inside the holder. But, even with additional lateral portion(s) of the base outside the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s), the horizontal size and shape of the area between the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the base may still correspond to the planar shape of the stack/deck of cards placed in the holder (e.g., rectangular, etc.).

Playing cards that may be used with a card holder embodiment of the present invention may typically have rectangular dimensions in a range from about 2 inches to about 5 inches in width and from about 2.5 inches to about 8 inches in length, or more commonly in a range from about 2 inches to about 3 inches in width and from about 3 inches to about 5 inches in length. According to these embodiments, the base of the holder may also have a rectangular shape, and/or each of the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the holder may be positioned above a respective portion of the base, such that the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) define a rectangularly shaped inner card holding space that corresponds to the rectangular shape of the cards. According to some embodiments, each of these side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) may be positioned at or near either a long or short lateral side edge or end of a rectangular base.

As mentioned above, the base of a card holder may have inner (card holding) dimensions (i.e., between the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the holder) that are slightly or somewhat larger than the dimensions and shape of the playing cards that may be placed inside the holder during use to allow the cards to fit somewhat loosely inside (although closely confined by the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the holder). According to some embodiments comprising a rectangular card holder, the length and width dimensions of the inner card holding space between the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the card holder may be in a range from about 100% to about 125%, such as from about 110% to about 120%, or alternatively from about 100% to about 110%, relative to the corresponding planar size dimensions of the playing cards that are intended, anticipated, etc., for use with the card holder. For example, the inner dimensions of the card holder 100 in FIG. 1 may be within a range from about 100% to about 105% of the length and width dimensions of the playing cards placed inside that holder 100, whereas the inner dimensions of the card holder 200 in FIG. 2 may be within a range from about 110% to about 120% of the length and width dimensions of the playing cards placed inside that holder 200.

As mentioned above, the inner dimensions of a card holder may be defined as the horizontal area dimensions between the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the holder, and the outer dimensions of a card holder may be defined as the greatest planar dimensions of the base of the holder. According to many embodiments of a rectangular card holder, the inner and/or outer dimensions of the rectangular card holder (and/or base of the holder) may each be in a range from about 1.5 inches to about 6 inches in width and from about 2 inches to about 10 inches in length. More commonly, the inner and/or outer dimensions of a rectangular card holder may be in a range from about 2 inches to about 5 inches in width, such as about 2 inches to about 3 inches in width, and from about 3 inches to about 6 inches in length, such as about 3 inches to about 4 inches in length. The inner dimensions of a card holder may have a clearance of at least about 1/32 inch, or at least about 1/16 inch, between the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the holder and the outer or lateral sides or edges of the stack/deck of cards inside the holder. The outer dimensions of the holder would obviously be greater than the inner dimensions of the holder due to at least the thicknesses of the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the holder. The thickness of each of the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of a holder may be in a range from about 1/16 inch to about ½ inch, or from about 1/16 inch to about ¼ inch.

The height of each of the side wall(s) or side wall portion(s) may also vary depending on the particular use of the holder (e.g., based on the anticipated height of the stack or deck of cards that may be inserted into the holder during use). Thus, the height of the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of a holder may be expressed in terms of a distance or percentage above the maximum height of a stack or deck of cards that may be placed inside the holder during use. For example, such an amount of clearance or height above the maximum height of the stack or deck of cards in the holder may be in a range from about 15% to about 75% of the maximum height of the stack or deck of cards, or about 20% to about 50% of the maximum stack/deck height. The amount of the height of each of the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of a holder above the stack/deck of cards inside the holder may instead be expressed in terms of distance, such as in a range from about 1/16 inch to about ¾ inch, above the maximum height of the stack or deck of cards inside the holder. Alternatively, the height of each of the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of a holder may be described in terms of its total height (apart from the height of a stack/deck of cards inside the holder), which may be in a range from about 3/32 inch to about 3 or 4 inches or more, or alternatively from about 3/32 inch to about 2 inches or less.

However, although a rectangular shape may be most common, it is conceivable for a card holder (and/or the base of the holder) of the present invention to have other polygonal, round or other closed curve shapes, and the feature(s) of the present invention including one or more side openings, inclined side portion(s) of the base, horizontal slot(s), etc., may be accommodated and adapted for such alternative shapes and designs with the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) positioned above a portion of the base, such as at or near the periphery of the holder. It is also conceivable for the holder (and/or the base of the holder) to have a different shape than the shape of the inner card holding area or space between the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the holder since the outer dimensions of the holder may be independent of the card holding function of the inner card holding space/area. For example, the inner card holding space/area between the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the holder may have a rectangular (cross-sectional) shape, such as to match or correspond to the rectangular size and shape of the cards, while the total outer dimensions of the holder and base may have a different polygonal, round or other closed curve shape. As yet another alternative example, the inner card holding space/area between the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of a holder may itself have a polygonal, round or closed curve shape, which may correspond to a stack/deck of cards having a non-rectangular shape, while the total outer dimensions of the holder may have any of a variety of rectangular or other closed curve shapes.

According to embodiments of the present invention, one or more side openings may generally be present between two or more of the vertically extending side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the holder to allow access to the side(s) of a stack or deck of cards inside the holder by the hand (i.e., fingers and/or thumb) of a user or player of a game. Each side opening may be present between two neighboring spaced-apart side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) above a portion of the base and/or a side connecting wall portion (see below) of the holder. Typically, each side opening will be present at or near one side of the holder between two neighboring vertically extending side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s). Each side opening may be described as being bounded by the inner edges of the two neighboring spaced-apart side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) and a top surface of a portion of the base (or the inner edge of a side connecting wall portion), which may each be at or near a respective lateral side edge of the holder. For example, the embodiment of a holder 100 shown in FIG. 1A (described below) has a first side opening 120a bounded by a first inner side edge 106a, a second inner side edge 106b and a first top surface 114a of a portion of the base 101 of the holder 100 at or near a first lateral side edge or end 113a of the holder 100, while a third side opening 120c is shown bounded by a third inner side edge 106c, a fourth inner side edge 106d and a second top surface 114b of the base 101 of the holder 100 at or near a second lateral side edge or end 113b of the holder 100. The second and fourth side openings 120b, 120d of the holder 100 in FIG. 1A may be similarly described (i.e., bounded by inner side edges 106e-h and top surfaces 114c, 114d of the base 101 near respective lateral side edges or ends 111a, 111b of the holder 100). As will be explained further below, such access via the one or more side opening(s) may facilitate and/or allow for a top card(s) to be lifted or removed from the stack or deck of cards and/or for the entire stack or deck of cards to be lifted and removed together from the card holder.

A side opening of a holder may extend all the way down to the base of a holder, or a side opening may extend only part of the way down to the base of a holder. Indeed, one or more of the side opening(s) of a holder may extend all the way down to the base of a holder, while one or more of the other side opening(s) of the same holder may extend only part of the way down to the base. A side opening may extend only part of the way down to the base of the holder if a vertically extending side connecting wall portion is present between two neighboring side wall portions, which may be connected to, and/or continuous with, a portion of the base, such as a portion of the base at or near a respective lateral side edge or end of the holder. A side opening(s) that extends only part of the way down to the base of the holder may be suitable and sufficient for grabbing and lifting a top card(s) from the stack or deck by access through that/those opening(s), whereas at least one side opening(s) that extend(s) all the way down to the base of the holder may be necessary for grabbing and lifting the entire stack or deck of cards by access through that/those side opening(s).

According to embodiments of the present invention, the base of a holder may have a raised or elevated area(s) or portion(s) relative to one or more inclined portion(s) of the base on one or more side(s) of the elevated portion(s). The “elevated portion” of the base may be referred to as an “elevated center portion” if it encompasses at least a portion of the base below the center of the inner card holding space or area. However, the elevated portion(s) of a base may generally occupy a large enough area to stably support a stack/deck of cards placed on top of the base without the cards tipping over. Thus, the elevated portion of the base of a holder will typically be an elevated center of the base to stably support the cards placed inside the inner card holding space or area, although a base may have multiple elevated portions that may span or straddle the portion of the base below or beneath the center of the inner card holder space.

An elevated portion of the base may be elongated in shape and/or oriented primarily along one of the axes or dimensions of the base, and the inclined portion(s) of the base on one or both side(s) of the elevated portion may generally be thinner in its/their thickness (i.e., lesser in height relative to the elevated portion). The position(s) of the inclined portion(s) may be in a direction (relative to the elevated (center) portion) that is approximately perpendicular to the elongated axis of the elevated (center) portion. The top surface of the inclined portion(s) of the base will be inclined or sloped downward (i.e., decreasing in its thickness and/or height) from the elevated portion of the base toward a respective lateral side edge or end of the base of the holder. Thus, each of the inclined portion(s) of the base of a holder would be positioned between an elevated portion of the base and a respective lateral side edge or end of the base/holder.

The elevated portion of the base may often occupy an elongated rectangular area, although other shapes for the elevated portion of the base are also possible. An elevated portion of the base may have a generally constant height and/or thickness. For example, the height and/or thickness of the elevated portion of the base may be in a range from about ⅛ inch to about ½ inch or more, whereas the height and/or thickness of inclined portion(s) of the base would be less than the height and/or thickness of the elevated portion (and/or decreasing further away from the elevated portion). The elevated portion may extend or span an entire distance between two opposite sides of the holder and its card holding space, such as a full distance between opposite sides of a rectangular inner card holding space along either of its length or width dimensions. For example, the inner card holding space (i.e., between the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the holder) may be rectangular in shape, and/or the elevated portion of the base may span from one short side edge of the base to the other (opposite) short side edge (e.g., with its longest dimension oriented parallel to the longest dimension of the inner card holding space of the holder). In such a case, the top surface(s) of the inclined portion(s) of the base, which may be present on at least one or both sides of the elevated portion of the base, would slope downward from the elevated portion toward the respective long (lateral) side end(s) or edge(s) of the base (i.e., along the shortest axis of the inner card holding area of the holder).

Alternatively, a card holder having a rectangular inner card holding space/area may have an elevated portion that spans from one long side edge of the base to the other (opposite) long side edge. In such a case, the top surface(s) of the inclined portion(s) of the base, which may be present on at least one or both sides of the elevated portion of the base, would slope downward from the elevated portion toward the respective short side (lateral) end(s) or edge(s) of the base (i.e., along the longest axis of the inner card holding area of the holder). According to yet another alternative, however, a card holder may have an elevated (center) portion that does not span entirely between opposite sides of the inner card holding space. In such a case, inclined portions may be present around all (or nearly all) lateral sides of the elevated portion of the base, which would slope downward from the elevated portion toward a respective lateral side end or edge of the base and toward a respective side of the inner card holding space/area.

By having an elevated portion of the base, a lower side edge(s) of the stack or deck of cards placed in the holder may be suspended above a respective inclined portion of the base, such that there is a slight gap or spacing between the bottom card of the stack/deck and that inclined portion of the base. Such a gap or spacing may be present at or near a respective side of the inner card holding space/area of the card holder, which may also be at or near a respective lateral side end or edge of the base. As a result, the bottom of the whole stack or deck of cards in the holder may be more easily grasped and lifted from the holder because a finger or thumb of a user may be able to be pressed into such a gap or spacing (via access through a side opening(s) of the holder) to gain leverage to lift up on the whole stack or deck of cards together.

An embodiment of a rectangular holder 100 the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 having a base 101 and a plurality of side walls 103a-d, 105a-d, each vertically extending from a portion of the base 101 at or near a respective long (lateral) side edge 111a, 111b or a short (lateral) side edge 113a, 113b. Corner pairs of adjacent vertically extending side walls (103a+105a), (103b+105b), (103c+105c), or (103d+105d) are each joined and connected together along a respective side corner edge 104a, 104b, 104c, or 104d. One or more of the side walls may also have additional features, such as beveled or chamfered top ends, faces or surfaces. Each bevel or chamfer on the top face of a side wall of the holder may be inwardly or outwardly facing. For example, the holder embodiment 100 in FIG. 1 is shown having side walls 103, 105 with top chamfered ends or faces 103a′, 103b′, etc., and 105a′, 105b′, etc.

A plurality of side openings 120a-d are also shown between neighboring spaced-apart side walls 103, 105 of the rectangular holder 100 in FIG. 1. A first side opening 120a is shown between two neighboring spaced-apart side walls 105a, 105b and above a first short (lateral) side edge 113a of the base 101 of the holder 100, a second side opening 120b is shown between two neighboring spaced-apart side walls 103a, 103c and above a first long (lateral) side edge 111a of the base 101 of the holder 100, a third side opening 120c is shown between two neighboring spaced-apart side walls 105c, 105d and above a second short (lateral) side edge 113b of the base 101 of the holder 100, and a fourth side opening 120d is shown between two neighboring spaced-apart side walls 103b, 103d and above a second long (lateral) side edge 111b of the base 101 of the holder 100.

By having side openings on each of the four sides of a rectangular holder, the top card(s) may be easily and conveniently accessed and removed from any direction. A user or player may simply access the stack or deck of cards in the holder through at least the side opening that is closest to them (i.e., based on where they are situated relative to the holder). By also having a side opening on the opposite side of the holder (i.e., on the side of the holder opposite the closest side opening), the user or player may simultaneously grab or grasp the opposite sides of the stack/deck of cards by hand to facilitate the removal and lifting of either the top card(s) from the stack/deck or the entire stack/deck of cards.

However, although it may be preferable to have side openings on each of the four sides of a rectangular holder, one or more of the sides of the holder may not have a side opening. For example, one or more of the sides of the holder may have only one vertically extending side wall that spans and encloses an entire side of the inner card holding space of the holder, such as above a portion of the base along an entire long or short (lateral) side edge of the base. Indeed, according to some embodiments of the present invention, a card holder may have one or more side opening(s), such as only a single side opening. Thus, a rectangular holder of the present invention may have one, two, three or four side opening(s), although at least two side openings are usually preferred, and four side openings are usually more preferred.

A card holder of the present invention may have additional optional structure(s) and/or side projection(s) that may either help to stabilize the card holder on a support surface and/or allow the card holder to be attached to another device or component of a game, such as to a game board. Such a projection may also function as a “ramp” for facilitating insertion of a card through a horizontal slot (see below) for its insertion into, or underneath, the bottom of the stack or deck of cards in the holder. However, if a side projection or structure is exposed during use of the holder and not used for attachment of the holder to another object, such as a game board, then the projection may instead be referred to as a laterally outward extending portion of the base. For example, FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of a holder embodiment 100 with a wedge or triangularly shaped projection 115 extending laterally outward from the second long (lateral) side edge 111b of the base 101 of the holder 100. Such a wedge projection 115 is further shown extending from the base 101 at an approximately perpendicular angle relative to the nearby side walls 103b, 103d. FIG. 1B provides another perspective view of the card holder embodiment 100 (i.e., from an opposite point of view than in FIG. 1A) further showing an elongated block projection 117 extending laterally outward from the first long (lateral) side edge 111a of the base 101 of the holder 100. Both of the side projections 115, 117 may be used, for example, to secure, attach, etc., the holder to a game board (not shown). For example, the holder 100 may be placed in a cut-out area of a game board and the projections 115, 117 may be laterally inserted into slits between layers of the game board next to the cut out area.

Although example embodiments in the figures show the presence of these additional side projections, a holder of the present invention may not have either or any of these projection(s). In addition, a projection on one side of the base of the holder may instead comprise a plurality of smaller spaced-apart projections or tabs, and/or each projection may have a variety of different size or shapes. Furthermore, although each of the side projections 115, 117 are shown in FIG. 1C as having a top surface that is continuously even and flush with the top surface of a portion of the base near that projection, the top surface of such projection(s) may instead be stepped down, offset and/or lower relative to the top surface of the adjacent portion of the base (see, e.g., analogous projections in FIG. 2C) to create a separation or distance between their respective top surfaces, which may be used to accommodate the upper layers of a game board above the projection(s), such that the top surface of the game board may be made even and flush with the top surface of the adjacent portion of the base.

FIG. 1C is a cross sectional view of the holder embodiment 100 in FIGS. 1A and 1B from the perspective of the plane and arrow (labeled “1C” in FIG. 1A). As shown more clearly in FIG. 1C, the base 101 of the holder 100 further has an elevated center portion 107 covering a generally rectangular area and a first inclined portion 109a and a second inclined portion 109b that are on opposite sides of the elevated center portion 107. The first and second inclined portions 109a, 109b are shown sloping downward from the elevated center portion 107 toward a respective lateral side edge or end 111a, 111b of the base 101. Thus, the elevated center portion 107 has a more constant thickness and/or height than the inclined portions 109a, 109b having a “downhill” incline (i.e., decreasing thickness and/or height) toward the respective lateral side edge or end 111a, 111b of the base 101. Although not shown in FIG. 1, additional inclined portion(s) may be present sloping downward from the elevated center portion 107 toward other respective lateral side edge(s) or end(s) 113a, 113b of the base 101. Indeed, having inclined portions on all four lateral sides of the elevated center portion 107 of a card holder may allow the stack/deck of cards to be manually picked up more easily on all four sides of the holder through all four of the side openings 120a-d (i.e., a gap or spacing may be present on each side) between bottom edges of a card stack/deck and a respective inclined portion of the base (see below).

The downward sloping top surface of the inclined portion(s) on one or both side(s) of an elevated portion, such as an elevated center portion, of a base may be described as being at an angle relative to the top surface of the elevated portion of the base (i.e., with no relative slope or incline being defined as 0°). Relative to an imaginary plane that generally encompasses the top surface of the elevated portion, the top surface of the downwardly sloping inclined portion(s) of the base may be angled within a range from about 5° to about 45°, or within a range from about 15° to about 30°. The amount of the angle may depend on the desired height and size of a slot(s) in the side(s) of the holder for insertion of a card(s) into or underneath a stack/deck of playing cards present in the holder (see below). Slot(s) having a greater height may require a greater sloping angle to reach a desired height and/or thickness for the elevated portion of the base.

Another factor affecting the amount of the sloping angle for the top surface of each of the one or more inclined portion(s) of the base may be the properties of the card(s) being inserted through the slot(s) and into or underneath the stack or deck of playing cards inside the holder. For a card(s) to be inserted into or underneath a stack/deck of playing cards inside the holder through the slot(s), such a card(s) must be able to bend into an S-shape or sigmoidal shape, such as to first pass horizontally inward through the slot(s), secondly at an upwardly inward angle above the respective inclined portion of the base, and then horizontally inward again into or underneath the stack/deck of playing cards. Thus, the card(s) must be able to assume an S-shape to travel this path into or underneath the stack/deck of cards in the holder through the slot(s) in a side of the holder. If the sloping angle of the respective inclined portion is too great, the leading edge of the card(s) being inserted through the slot(s) may contact the deck at too great of an angle to bend into a horizontal orientation and become aligned with the cards of the stack/deck already present inside the holder (i.e., for insertion of the card(s) into or underneath the stack/deck of cards). This acceptable sloping angle for the inclined portion(s) of the base may also depend on the rigidity of the playing cards themselves. A thinner and/or less rigid card may be better able to bend and accommodate the turns along such an insertion path, but if the card is too flexible, it may become crumpled and not able to pierce its way along the path into or underneath the stack/deck of cards. On the other hand, while a thicker and/or more rigid card may be able to pierce its way along the insertion path, if the card is too rigid, it may not be able to respond to the changing angularity of the insertion path and bend accordingly, which may cause the stack/deck of cards inside the holder to tip or lean and/or fall or slide out any slot(s) and/or side opening that may be present on the opposite side of the holder.

For purposes of the present invention, the terms “up,” “upward,” “down,” and “downward” refer to directions in relation to a support surface on or to which the (bottom side) of the base of the holder is resting or attached, etc., at least during use. The direction toward the support surface is “down,” whereas the direction away from the support surface is “up.” Likewise, a “bottom” side or face of a portion, etc., of a holder is downward facing and/or toward the support surface, and a “top” side or face of a portion, etc., of a holder is upward facing and/or away from the support surface.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a person may use their finger(s) and/or thumb to access a stack or deck of playing cards placed in the holder 100 during use (i.e., with the stack or deck of cards being placed on top of the base 101 and between the side walls 103, 105 of the holder 100). The person may access the side(s) of the stack or deck of cards inside the holder 100 through one or more of the side opening(s) 120a-d, such as to remove a top card(s) from the stack/deck. The spaced-apart side walls 103, 105 also function to contain the stack or deck of cards and maintain their vertical alignment by preventing their relative sliding or horizontal movement. Thus, the spaced-apart side wall(s) 103, 105 of the holder 100 provide a dual purpose of holding the cards in place while also defining side opening(s) that permit access to the cards by the hand of a player or user. Furthermore, the combination of the elevated center portion 107 of the base 101 of the holder 100 with the downwardly inclined portions 109a, 109b creates a vertical gap or spacing between bottom edges of a card stack/deck (placed in the holder 100) on opposite sides of the card stack or deck and respective inclined portions 109a, 109b of the base 101 of the holder 100. Thus, a user or player may place or insert a finger or thumb partly into such a gap or spacing (e.g., in the side openings 120b and/or 120d above the inclined portions 109a, 109b, respectively) to gain leverage underneath the bottom of the stack/deck of cards to easily lift the entire stack/deck of cards from the holder 100.

It is important to note, however, that a card holder of the present invention may instead have only one inclined portion (i.e., on only one side of an elevated portion of the base) to allow for one-sided access (and leverage for lifting a stack/deck of cards) through a side opening above and/or adjacent to that inclined portion of the base. In such a case, the elevated portion, or elevated center portion, may occupy an area of the base between the inclined portion and a side wall and/or side wall portion of the holder on the side of the inner card holding area opposite the inclined portion of the base, which may be at or near a lateral side edge or end of the base, opposite the downwardly sloped inclined portion. However, even in such a case, the elevated portion may still occupy at least a sufficient portion of the center area of the base to prevent the stack of cards from becoming too easily tilted or slanted by the inclined portion on the one side of the elevated center portion of the base, which would reduce or eliminate the vertical gap or spacing underneath the lateral side edge of the card stack/deck at or near the respective side of the inner card holding space needed for leverage to easily lift the whole stack/deck of cards and/or for insertion of a card(s) into or underneath a stack/deck of cards through one or more slot(s) of a holder. Having a sufficiently sized elevated portion to stably support the cards may also prevent the cards from sliding out of a holder through one or more slots that may be present in the side wall(s) of the holder.

According to embodiments of the present invention, one or more horizontal slot(s) may be present in the side wall(s) of a holder, each slot being above a portion of the base of the holder at or near one side of the inner card holding space, which may be at or near a lateral side edge or end of the base. Such a horizontal slot (or pair of horizontal slots in neighboring side walls on the same side of the holder) may be used to receive a card that is being inserted into or underneath the bottom of a stack or deck of cards present in the holder. Thus, the slot(s) will generally be present or positioned directly and immediately above a respective portion of the base, such as an inclined portion of the base, and below a side wall at or near one side of the inner card holding space to allow the card to be inserted through the slot(s) and into or underneath the stack/deck of cards from that side of the holder.

According to these embodiments, there may be one or more slot(s) on the same side of the inner card holding space of the holder for receiving a card(s) being inserted through it/them. One slot may be present at or near one side of the inner card holding space, or two slots may be present on the same side of the inner card holding space if the two slots are separated from each other by a side opening. For example, two slots may be present on the same side of an inner card holding space of a holder, which may be at or near the same lateral side edge or end of the holder, with each side wall on that side of the holder being separated vertically from, and suspended above, a portion of the base at or near the same side of the inner card holding space by one of those two slots. In such a case, the two slots along with the side opening between them will jointly provide a path for a card(s) to be inserted into or underneath a stack/deck of cards present in the holder. Alternatively, a single slot may be present on one side of a card holding space between a side wall and a top surface of a portion of the base (i.e., without a side opening). In such a case, only one continuous side wall would be present above the slot that spans the entire length of the slot.

The combination of the slot(s) on one side of the card holding space and the inclined portion of the base near those slot(s) together provide a gap or spacing between the inclined portion of the base and the bottom of the stack/deck of cards on that side of the card holding space, such as at or near a respective lateral side edge of the base that may be juxtaposed with those slot(s) and/or side opening. The presence of a gap or spacing between the stack/deck of cards in the holder and the base of the holder next to the slot(s) may facilitate and allow the card to be inserted underneath the stack/deck of cards via the gap or spacing without needing to lift the stack/deck to gain access to the underside of the stack/deck of cards. As explained above, a holder of the present invention may have an elevated portion (or elevated center portion) and an inclined portion(s) that is/are sloped or inclined downward to create the gap or spacing between the underside of the stack/deck of cards and the respective inclined portion of the base of the holder to provide a path of insertion for the card(s) being inserted—i.e., the gap or spacing present next to the slot(s) near and above the respective inclined portion of the base may provide a continuous path for the leading edge of the card(s) to be inserted into or underneath the stack/deck of cards through the slot(s) and/or side opening and into the gap or spacing underneath the stack/deck (before continuing along the bottom of the stack/deck of cards).

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of a rectangular holder 200 of the present invention having a base 201 and a plurality of vertically extending side walls 203 and side wall portions 205. FIG. 2A shows one perspective view of the holder 200, and FIG. 2B shows another perspective view of the same holder from the opposite side of the holder 200. The holder in FIG. 2 has some similarities and differences relative to the embodiment in FIG. 1. The holder 200 is shown having four side openings 220 including: a first side opening 220a between side wall portions 205a, 205b and above a first side connecting wall portion 225a; a second side opening 220b between side walls 203a, 203c and above a portion of the base 201 at or near a (long) lateral side edge 211a of the base 201; a third side opening 220c between side wall portions 205c, 205d and above a second side connecting wall portion 225b; and a fourth side opening 220d between side walls 203b, 203d and above a portion of the base 201 at or near a (long) lateral side edge 211b of the base 201.

According to the embodiment in FIG. 2, side openings 220a, 220c extend only part of the way down to the base due to the presence of the first and second side connecting wall portions 225a, 225b above a respective portion of the base 201 at or near a respective (short) lateral side edge 213a, 213b of the base 201. The first side connecting wall portion 225a is shown between, and connected and continuous with, side wall portions 205a, 205b, whereas second side connecting wall portion 225b is shown between, and connected and continuous with, side wall portions 205c, 205d. Thus, side openings 220a, 220c near a short side of the inner card holding space, such as near the short side edges of the rectangular holder 200, may be used to access the top card(s) of a stack/deck of cards in the holder 200 but not to lift the entire stack/deck of cards due to the presence of the respective side connecting wall portion 225a, 225b. As stated above, each side opening may be described as being bounded by the inner edges of the two neighboring spaced-apart side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) and a top surface of a portion of the base (or the inner edge of a side connecting wall portion), which may each be at or near a respective lateral side edge of the holder. For example, the embodiment of a holder 200 shown in FIG. 2A has a first side opening 220a bounded by a first inner side edge 206a, a second inner side edge 206b and an inner edge of a first side-connecting wall portion 214a at or near a first lateral side edge or end 213a of the holder 200, while a third side opening 220c is shown bounded by a third inner side edge 206c, a fourth inner side edge 206d and an inner edge of a second side-connecting wall portion 214b at or near a second lateral side edge or end 213b of the holder 200. The second and fourth side openings 220b, 220d of the holder 200 in FIG. 2A may be similarly described (i.e., bounded by inner side edges 206e-h and top surfaces of the base 201 near respective lateral side edges or ends 211a, 211b of the holder 200).

Since a side opening of a holder may not need to extend all the way down to the base to access and take a top card(s) from the stack/deck, the side connecting wall portion may be present to help maintain the vertical alignment of the stack/deck of cards in the holder. More primarily, such a side connecting wall portion may help guide the insertion of a card(s) into or underneath the stack/deck of cards through slots 230 of holder without a leading edge of the card(s) being inserted coming into contact with any vertical end(s) or edge(s) of the side wall(s) or side wall portion(s) of the holder that might otherwise be present and interfere with or block the insertion of the card(s). Although FIG. 2 shows a respective side connecting wall portion 225a, 225b at or near the short (lateral) side edges 213a, 213b of the rectangular base 201 of the holder 200, this placement depends on the location of the slot(s) and the respective inclined portion of the base for insertion of the card(s) into or underneath the stack/deck. Thus, if slot(s) were instead located along a short side of the inner card holding space, such as at or near a short (lateral) side edge(s) of a rectangular base, then the side connecting wall portion (linking a pair of side wall portions on the same side of the inner card holding space and/or on the same side of the base) may instead be present along each of the long side of the inner card holding space, such as at or near the long (lateral) side edges of the base to help guide insertion of the card(s) through those slot(s) on the short side of the inner card holding space.

The embodiment of a holder 200 shown in FIG. 2 includes a plurality of slots 230a-d that allow for a card(s) to be inserted into or underneath a stack/deck of cards present in the holder 200. The embodiment in FIG. 2 shows the slots 230a/230c or 230b/230d near the two (long) lateral side edges 211a, 211b, respectively, of the base 201 of the holder 200. Similar to the embodiment of a holder 100 in FIG. 1, inclined portions 209a, 209b are downwardly angled or sloped from an elevated center portion 207 toward a respective (long) lateral side edge 211a, 211b of the base 201. As a result, the bottom of a stack or deck of cards placed in the holder 200 on top of the elevated center portion 207 of the base 201 will be suspended above the inclined portions 209a, 209b of the base 201 near the sides of the stack/deck. Due to the stack/deck being slightly or somewhat suspended above the inclined portions 209a, 209b of the base 201, a gap or spacing would be present on each side of the inner card holding space of the holder 200 between the bottom of the stack/deck of cards and the respective inclined portion 209a, 209b of the base 201 of the holder 200 that are each adjacent to the respective slots (230a+230c) or (230b+230d) near the respective (long) lateral side edge 211a, 211b of the base 201.

Thus, as shown more clearly perhaps in FIG. 2C, a continuous path is present on each side of the holder 200 for the insertion of a card(s) underneath the stack/deck of cards in the holder through the respective slots 230 and the gap/spacing on each side of the holder 200. For example, a card may be inserted through slots 230a, 230c (and side opening 220b) and underneath a stack/deck of cards in the holder through the gap/spacing under the card stack and above the inclined portion 209a. Alternatively, a card may be inserted through slots 230b, 230d (and side opening 220d) and underneath the stack/deck of cards in the holder through the gap/spacing under the card stack and above the inclined portion 209b.

Due to the presence of the side openings 220b, 220d, two slots (230a+230c) or (230b+230d) are present on each side of the holder 200 for each of the two vertically extending side walls (203a+203c) or (203b+203d), respectively. As a result, the side walls 203a-d on each side of the holder 200 are suspended above the base 201, and the side walls 203a-d are connected to, and continuous with, the respectively adjacent side wall portions 205a-d at side corner edges 204a-d. Thus, corner pairs of adjacent side walls 203a-d and side wall portions 205a-d are present at each corner of the holder 200 that are joined together at their respective side corner edge 204a-d. Again, the side connecting wall portions 225a, 225b may help to guide the insertion of the card through the slots 230 and the gap/spacing (between the stack/deck of cards in the holder 200 and the respective inclined portion 209a, 209b of the base 201), such that the card is inserted into general vertical alignment with the stack/deck of cards (i.e., by one or both of the side connecting wall portions 225a, 225b contacting the side edge(s) of the card(s) being inserted) until the card inserted into the holder will become joined with the stack/deck of cards already present in the holder 200.

The bottom face of the side walls 203 of the holder 200 above the slots 230 may also be inwardly beveled or chamfered to create a more open path for the card to travel along the path of insertion underneath the bottom of the stack/deck of cards in the holder 200, the path being along and above the top inclined surfaces of each of the inclined portions 209a, 209b of the base 201. In other words, the inwardly upward chamfer or bevel on the bottom face of the respective side wall of the holder may provide a slot (between the side wall and base) having more consistent dimensions and spacing that corresponds to the upwardly inward slope of the inclined portion of the base underneath the respective side wall of the holder.

According to embodiments of the present invention, however, it is important that the height of the top of a slot (including any higher inward portion or edge of the slot due to any angled chamfer or bevel on the bottom face of the respective side wall) should generally be lower (or less) than the height of the elevated portion of the base to ensure that a lower corner edge(s) of a stack/deck of cards inside the holder are above the top of the slot(s). An additional small difference in height may also be present to account for any slight tilting of the stack/deck of cards during insertion of the card(s). Otherwise, the cards present inside the holder may have a tendency to slide out the sides of the holder through the slot(s) and/or respective side opening (especially when a card is being forced into or underneath the stack/deck though a slot(s) present on the opposite side of the holder) with the height buffer. For example, the height of the elevated portion above the bottom of the holder (and/or a support surface) may be greater than the height of the top of the slot(s) by a (buffer) distance in a range from about 1/32 inch to about ⅜ inch, or in a range from about 1/16 inch to about ¼ inch. However, the difference in height cannot be too great such as to cause the sloping angle of the top surface of the respective inclined portion of the base to become too steep or problematic.

As mentioned above, a holder may also have additional projections and/or structures, such as a wedge projection 215 and/or block projection 217 on holder 200, that may extend out from the lateral side edge(s) of the base of the holder. These additional projections and/or structures may be present to provide additional features or functions for the holder, such as a more extended area for the base, attachment of the holder to a game board, greater stability on a support surface, etc. For example, the wedge projection 215 and block projection 217 of the holder 200 may be used, for example, to secure, attach, etc., the holder 200 to a game board. These side projections 215, 217 are also shown in FIG. 2 as being offset, stepped down, lower, and sunken below the top surface of an adjacent portion of the base next to the projection. Such a separation in height between the top of the projection and the top surface of the adjacent portion of the base may allow for the projection to be inserted into (and attached to) a game board, with the top surfaces of the game board and an outer portion of the base of the holder becoming even and flush with each other. As also mentioned above, one or more of the side walls of a holder may also have additional features, such as beveled or chamfered top ends, faces or surfaces that may each be inwardly or outwardly facing. For example, the holder embodiment 200 in FIG. 2 is shown having side walls 203 and side wall portions 205 with respective top chamfered faces 203a′, 203b′, etc., and 205a′, 205b′, etc.

According to embodiments of the present invention, two card holders of the present invention may be attached (or attachable) to one another to form or provide a dual holder, and/or two holders may reversibly engage or couple with one another, for storage and/or use together. According to some embodiments, a first card holder (in a relatively inverted orientation) may be placed on, or inserted into, a second card holder to form or provide a partially enclosed space between the bases and side walls (and/or side wall portions) of the two holders. Such an arrangement of the two holders may facilitate storage and/or transport of the holders (perhaps along with a stack or deck of cards) by being more compact and/or providing a partially enclosed interior space for holding the stack or deck of cards during their storage and/or transport together. For example, a first card holder and a second card holder may each be attached to the same game board, and each of the two card holders may be relatively positioned such that folding of the game board allows and/or results in alignment and engagement of the two holders together (e.g., insertion of one card holder into the other), such as for more compact folding of the game board for storage.

According to some embodiments, the tops of the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the two holders may have corresponding structures and/or surfaces that may contact, engage and/or rest on one another. For example, the tops of the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of one holder may have an inwardly chamfered or beveled surface, whereas the tops of the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the other holder may have an outwardly chamfered or beveled surface, such that relative sideways movement of the two holders may be resisted when the respective tops of the two holders are in direct contact with each other.

Alternatively, the sizes of the two holders and/or the spacing between the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) may be different between the two holders, such that the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of one holder may be inserted into, and fit inside and between, the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the other holder. In such a case, the top or upper faces of the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of one holder may have an inwardly chamfered or beveled surface, whereas the top or upper faces of the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the other holder may have an outwardly chamfered or beveled surface. Even though the top faces of the two holders do not rest on, or remain in contact with, each other, the opposing chamfered or beveled faces of the two holders may facilitate the alignment and insertion of one holder into the other holder. The smaller of the two holders (i.e., the holder with the lesser dimensions between the outer sides of the spaced-apart side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s)) may be inserted into the other holder (having an inner card holding space that is large enough to receive the side wall(s) and/or side wall portion(s) of the smaller holder) until opposing surfaces or structures of the two holders meet or contact to stop their further insertion together. For instance, one or more of the following non-limiting examples of contact between the two holders may stop further insertion of a smaller holder into another larger holder: (i) the top(s) of the side(s) and/or side portion(s) of the “smaller” holder may contact the base of the “larger” holder, (ii) a stopping structure(s) or projection(s) on the side(s) or lateral side edge(s) of the smaller holder may contact the top(s) of the side(s) and/or side portion(s) of the larger holder, or (iii) a support surface, such as a game board, attached to the smaller holder may contact the top(s) of the side(s) and/or side portion(s) of the larger holder.

According to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3, two holders may include a first holder 300 and a second holder 400 that may engage one another by the first holder 300 being inserted into the second holder 400. In this example, the first holder 300 is similar and analogous to the holder 100 shown in FIG. 1, and the second holder 400 is similar and analogous to the holder 200 shown in FIG. 2. In this example, the outer dimensions or spacing between the outer surfaces of the side walls 303, 305 extending vertically from the base 301 of the first holder 300 are slightly or somewhat less than the inner dimensions or spacing between the inner surfaces of the side walls 403 and side wall portions 405 of the second holder 400. Thus, the side walls 303, 305 of the first holder 300 may fit inside and between the side walls 403 and side wall portions 405 extending vertically from the base 401 of the second holder 400 when the first holder 300 is inserted into the second holder 400.

The first holder 300 may be inserted, for example, into the second holder 400 until the projections 315, 317 of the first holder 300 contact the tops of the side walls 403 and side wall portions 405 of the second holder 400, until the tops of the side walls 303, 305 of the first holder 300 contact the base 401 of the second holder, and/or until a support surface or game board (not shown) attached to the first holder 300 (such as via the projections 315, 317) contacts the tops of the side walls 403 and side wall portions 405 of the second holder 400. The tops 303′, 305′ of the side walls 303, 305 of the first holder 300 are shown with an outwardly chamfered surface, and the tops 403′, 405′ of the respective side walls 403 and side wall portions 405 of the second holder 400 are shown with an inwardly chamfered surface, such that alignment and insertion of the first holder 300 into the second holder 400 is facilitated. Other features of the two holders 300, 400 shown being coupled together in FIG. 3 are similar to the embodiments in FIGS. 1 and 2 including the opposite lateral side edges 313a, 313b of the first holder 300, elevated portion 407, inclined portions 409a, 409b, side connecting wall portions 425a, 425b, and slots 430a-d of the second holder 400.

Although the first holder 300 is shown having side projections 315, 317 that are each short and block-shaped, one or both of these projection(s) may instead be a wedge shape (similarly to wedge projections 115, 215 in FIGS. 1 and 2) or any other suitable size and shape, and/or one or both of the projections may instead include a plurality of projections or tabs. Likewise, each of the projections shown on the sides of the second holder 400 may also be block-shaped, wedge-shaped or any other suitable shape and size and/or include a plurality of projections or tabs. These projections may provide different functions, such as for attachment of the holder to a game board, to provide a ramping surface for the guided insertion of a card(s) into or underneath a stack/deck placed in the holder through slot(s), etc.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show a couple examples of variations of the present invention as viewed in cross-section (as similarly shown in FIGS. 1C and 2C). FIG. 4A shows a first holder portion 500 attached to a second holder portion 600 via a bridge portion 550. The bridge portion 550 may be continuous with the base 501 of the first holder portion 500 and the base 601 of the second holder portion 600. Alternatively, the bridge portion may comprise two or more components that may be reversibly coupled together to join two or more holder portions (not shown). For example, the bridge portion 550 may instead comprise two bridge portions (each attached to one of the two holder portions) such that the linkage between the two holder portions is reversible (e.g., by hooking or coupling the two bridge portions together via corresponding mating structures). Each of the two holder portions may otherwise have similar features to the embodiments described above in reference to FIGS. 1-3.

In the cross-section in FIG. 4A, each of the holder portions 500, 600 are shown having side openings 520a, 620a; side walls 503, 505, 603 and side wall portions 605; a base 501, 601 with elevated center portions 507, 607 and inclined portions 509, 609. In addition, the second holder portion 600 is further shown having a side connecting wall portion 625a and a slot 630a for insertion of a card underneath a stack/deck of cards in the second holder portion 600. The remaining structures in FIG. 4A are as similarly described herein with the additional reference numbers corresponding to the analogous structures and features described above in reference to the embodiments in FIGS. 1-3, such as side walls 503a/b, 505a/b, 603a/b, side wall portions 605a/b, side connecting wall portion 625a, slot 630a, side openings 520a, 620a, elevated center portions 507, 607, and inclined portions 509a/b, 609a/b.

FIG. 4B shows another embodiment of the present invention similar in many ways to the embodiment in FIG. 4A and comprises a first holder portion 700 and a second holder portion 800. However, the embodiment in FIG. 4B has a bendable and/or flexible bridge portion 750 that connects the first and second holder portions 700, 800 together. Such a bendable or flexible bridge 750 may be made of a variety of different suitable materials, such as chipboard, cardboard, paper, (thin) plastic, rubber, cloth, (thin) metal, or combination thereof. Thus, the first and second holder portions 700, 800 may be folded together like a book into engagement with each other (e.g., similarly to FIG. 3) with the first holder portion 700 becoming inserted into the second holder portion 800. Although the bendable bridge portion 750 is shown connecting only the respective lateral sides of the two holder portions 700, 800 in FIG. 4B, a bendable and/or flexible bridge portion may instead be part of a cover that wraps around at least a portion of the outer or bottom surfaces of the two holder portions (like a book cover), such as to more securely attach the two holder portions together. Additional strap(s) or the like may also be used to reversibly hold the two holder portions together in a closed or engaged position. Again, the remaining structures in FIG. 4B are as similarly described herein with the additional reference numbers corresponding to the analogous structures and features described above in reference to the embodiments in FIGS. 1-3, such as side walls 703a/b, 705a/b, 803a/b, side wall portions 805a/b, side connecting wall portion 825a, slot 830a, side openings 720a, 820a, elevated center portions 707, 807, and inclined portions 709a/b, 809a/b. Each of the side wall(s) 703, 705, side wall portions 805, and the side connecting wall portions 825 of the holder in FIG. 4B may extend vertically from the respective base 701, 801 of the two holder portions 700, 800.

It is important to note that any reasonable combination of the various elements and features of the present invention described herein may be used together even if not shown or described together in connection with the example embodiments, and multiple elements and features may not be used or combined together despite being shown together in the various described example embodiments and figures. Indeed, many of the elements and features of the present holder invention may be used or present alone. Methods of manufacturing a card holder of the present invention are further contemplated, which may include manufacturing a card holder as one whole piece or article, or manufacturing multiple pieces that may be assembled, welded, soldered, brazed, glued, fused, bonded, etc., together to form a card holder of the present invention. Methods for manufacturing a card holder of the present invention may include any suitable method known in the art. For a card holder made of plastic, such methods for manufacturing a card holder may include injection molding, three-dimensional (3D) printing, etc. For a card holder made of metal, such methods for manufacturing a card holder may include “punching out” pieces from a metal sheet and folding those pieces into a desired shape and/or welding, etc., different pieces together, forging of the metal into pieces of desired size and shape, by cutting using computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) or computer numerical control (CNC) methods and machines, etc. For a card holder made of wood, such methods for manufacturing a card holder may include assembling pre-cut pieces together, or cutting, chiseling, etc., the holder (or pieces of the holder) using CAM- or CNC-based or other methods and machines, etc.

While the present invention has been disclosed with reference to certain embodiments, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that all examples in the present disclosure, while illustrating embodiments of the invention, are provided as non-limiting examples and are, therefore, not to be taken as limiting the various aspects so illustrated. The present invention is intended to have the full scope defined by the language of the following claims, and equivalents thereof. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative and not as restrictive.

HOLDER FOR PLAYING CARDS

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