REDUCED THICKNESS DOCUMENT CASE

Abstract

The invention relates to a document case for receiving a large number of standardized format documents including at least two first flaps articulated relative to each other, the documents being inserted separately into overlapping pockets with an offset, their openings being parallel to the articulation axis of the flaps so that the documents are arranged in a stepped manner in order to expose a visible uncovered edge thereof. In case of two adjacent flaps, the steps are arranged with the same insertion direction, the highest document of one flap being adjacent to the lowest document of the other flap so that when the two flaps are folded on each other, the two series of steps are interleaved in order to reduce the thickness. Modes of application include wallets, multifunction diaries and document briefcases.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a document case intended for receiving a plurality of standardized-size documents, such as a wallet intended for receiving documents of the size of credit cards or visiting cards or a satchel intended for receiving files of any standardized size or pages.

2. Description of the Relevant Art

For a large number of documents such as health insurance cards, shop loyalty cards, season tickets and sports license cards, the size of credit cards has been adopted. People soon accumulate a large number of cards which have to be inserted into a wallet.

Use is often made of wallets including at least two flaps articulated to each other, the cards being inserted separately into overlapping pouches with an offset, their opening being parallel or perpendicular to the axis of articulation of the flaps, in such a way that the cards are arranged in tiers displaying a visible uncovered edge. It is thus possible to identify a card by its visible edge and to remove it easily from its pouch in order to use it.

The cards overlap so as to form a sort of step, resulting in a large thickness at the location where the greatest number of cards is located on one another. Each flap has a substantially triangular shape in profile. The pouches are arranged symmetrically relative to the axis of articulation of the two flaps and, when the wallet is closed, the two thickest portions of the flaps face each other so as to produce a large excess thickness which creates a bulge on one of the sides of the flaps in the closure position and prevents said excess thickness from being placed into a pocket of low thickness, such as rear pockets of trousers or shirt pockets.

In the same way, persons who have to carry around a large number of files, for example clients' files for a representative, wish to be able to accommodate their files separately also in tiers in a satchel having two flaps so as to be able to identify them and remove them rapidly, and in this case it is also desirable to limit the volume of the satchel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It would be desirable to provide a document case of the aforementioned type having reduced thickness, while avoiding the aforementioned bulge.

It is further desirable to reduce the cost of manufacturing a document case of this type.

It is also desirable to provide a document case which can receive a large number of documents of a plurality of sizes (A4 or otherwise).

For this purpose, in one embodiment, for two adjacent flaps, the pouches are arranged with the same direction of insertion, the highest document of one of the flaps is adjacent to the lowest document of the other flap, in such a way that, when the two flaps are folded on each other, the two series of tiers are fitted in each other so as to reduce the thickness of the wallet or document case.

As a result, the thickest sections of the two flaps are remote from each other when the document case is closed and the bulging is reduced. It is thus possible to produce a wallet having two flaps including a maximum number of documents in a minimum thickness.

According to an embodiment, the series of the tiers of one flap consists of a sheet folded back on itself in a zigzag configuration, the distance between two folds having, alternately, two different values, one value equal to the side of the document to be inserted which is perpendicular to the opening of the pouch and one slightly lower value to allow the document to be grasped, the edges of the sides in the zigzag configuration of the sheet being fixed to one another and the set of the pouches of all the flaps is formed in the same sheet.

This provision allows the manufacture of the document case to be simplified and its cost price to be reduced.

In one embodiment, the edges of the sides in the zigzag configuration of the sheet are advantageously fixed to one another by a stitch. A pinching of the pouches on the side is obtained, preventing the documents from falling from the pouch.

In one embodiment, the document case includes a third divider flap which is articulated to one of the other flaps, which, in the closure position, is turned down on one of the two other flaps and which includes pouches on its two faces, the series of pouches of its two faces being arranged in an antisymmetrical manner in such a way that, in the closure position, the series of tiers of each face of the third divider flap is fitted in the series of tiers of the inner face of one of the two first flaps and wherein the width of the inverted pleat separating the two first flaps corresponds substantially to 2n times the thickness of an inserted document, n being the number of documents which can be inserted into a flap.

In one embodiment, a set of two adjacent flaps includes an outer lateral pocket extending over the entire length and the opening of which is perpendicular to the axis of articulation. This lateral pocket can receive very long documents such as bank notes and identity papers.

In one embodiment, the side of the flaps which is parallel to the axis of articulation is substantially larger than twice the width of the credit cards and each flap includes successively three pouches intended for receiving a credit card-sized document arranged parallel to the axis of articulation of the two flaps, then two series of two adjacent pouches intended for receiving a credit card-sized document arranged transversely to the axis of articulation of the two flaps. Thus a small wallet may be produced which has two flaps and contains 14 credit card-sized documents.

In one embodiment, at least one flap further includes at least one wider pouch intended for larger documents. Thus allowing official documents to be accommodated which are larger than credit cards (e.g., official papers such as identity cards, driving licenses, the new European vehicle registration card, etc.).

In one embodiment, the outer lateral pocket includes an inner separation, allowing documents of differing sizes, such as visiting cards, to be accommodated.

In one embodiment, the document case includes an insert consisting of a single flap which is articulated to a tongue which can be inserted into an inner pocket of a flap and which includes, on one of its faces, a series of tiers, the opening of which is parallel to the axis of articulation, said tongue being folded on the pouches in the position for storage in a clothing pocket.

It is thus possible to have a removable document case which can be used separately or inserted into a wallet. When it is used separately and placed, for example, in a shirt pocket or an outer suit jacket pocket, the documents which it contains are protected from the formation of static electricity which can damage documents including electronic or magnetic elements, such as credit cards, memory cards or transport documents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following description, which is given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 a to 1e depict diagrams illustrating a card holder of the known type;

FIGS. 1 f to 1g depict diagrams illustrating an embodiment of the document case;

FIG. 2 depicts a schematic longitudinal section of a wallet with 2 flaps intended for receiving credit card-sized documents;

FIG. 3 depicts a schematic cross section of the wallet from FIG. 3;

FIGS. 4 to 6 depict diagrams illustrating an embodiment of the pouches;

FIG. 7 depicts a diagram showing a stitch point;

FIGS. 8 to 11 depict diagrams illustrating an embodiment of a wallet with 3 flaps and 4 tiers of pouches;

FIG. 12 depicts a schematic cross section of the outer lateral pocket of a wallet with at least 2 flaps;

FIG. 13 depicts a front view of a flap of a small wallet with 7 cards per flap;

FIG. 14 depicts a schematic perspective view of a card case that includes a single flap including a tongue which can be inserted into an inner pocket of a flap;

FIGS. 15 and 16 and 20 illustrate three embodiments of a wallet with four flaps;

FIG. 17 shows an embodiment of a tab fixed to a flap, in the opening position;

FIG. 18 shows a wallet including two tabs in the closure position;

FIG. 19 shows a flap including a double pocket, one of the two inlets of which receives the tongue of an insert with a single flap (FIG. 14).

FIG. 21 illustrates in this cross section the way in which there is produced, by folding in a zigzag configuration, a tongue insert, including a tier on each of its faces, using one and the same strip;

FIGS. 22 a, 22b, 22c, 22d show the steps of folding a wallet with three flaps, providing optimum storage safety;

FIG. 23 depicts a diagram of a wallet with on each of the flaps a pocket situated below the tiers of pouches and of which the opening perpendicular to the axis of articulation allows the storage of documents larger than the documents of the tiers.

FIGS. 24 a and 24b show the steps of folding a wallet with two flaps and two inserts, each of them being situated at an end of the wallet, making the storage of the cards safe and increasing the capacity of the wallet, the outer faces of each of the inserts including a window pouch.

FIGS. 24 c and 24d show window pouches equipped with zip fasteners which, arranged in this way, fold in a shape-mating manner.

FIG. 25 shows a small wallet with three flaps, wherein each flap can contain up to ten cards.

FIGS. 25 a and 25b show a wallet with 3 flaps including on the end flap furthest to the right a set of increasingly small superimposed pouches for receiving different-sized documents, with a window tab folding on said pouches in the closure position as presented in FIG. 25c.

While the invention may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. The drawings may not be to scale. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but to the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 a shows a card holder of the known type which consists of two flaps 1 and 2 which pivot about an axis of articulation 3. Each flap includes pouches 4 which are intended for receiving credit card-sized documents and offset relative to one another, their openings 7 being directed toward the axis of articulation 3, the series of tiers of the flaps 1 and 2 being arranged symmetrically relative to the axis of articulation 3. In the case of FIG. 1b, the pouches 4′ are perpendicular to the axis of articulation 3′. The depth 5 of a pouch 4 or 4′ is smaller than the width 6 of a card in such a way that an edge of the card is visible in the space separating two successive openings 7. In the closure position (FIG. 1e), the two flaps are folded on each other, the pouches of the two flaps being in contact.

According to diagram, there are five pouches per flap and it may be seen that the cards 8 accommodated in the pouches 4 overlap above one another, as is shown schematically in FIG. 1c. As is shown in FIG. 1a, the visible end of the first card inserted into the pouch remote from the axis of articulation 3 overlaps with the following four cards. This results, after folding (FIGS. 1d and 1d'), in a tiered profile shown schematically as a triangle forming a bulge as shown in FIG. 1d or 1d′ in the case of FIG. 1b. When the two series of tiers are arranged symmetrically in the known card holder from FIG. 1a or 1b, in the closure position, as shown in FIG. 1e, the excess thicknesses of the two triangles are placed one on the other, providing a card holder which is very thick and will have difficulty entering a narrow clothing pocket, such as the rear pocket of a pair of trousers, the pocket of a shirt or the outer pocket of the jacket of a suit.

According to an embodiment of the document case, for two adjacent flaps, the pouches are arranged with the same direction of insertion, the highest document of one of the flaps is adjacent to the lowest document of the other flap, in such a way that, when the two flaps are folded on each other, the two series of tiers are fitted in each other so as to reduce the thickness of the wallet or document case. As is shown schematically in FIG. 1f and, in the closure position via FIG. 1g, the triangles of the two flaps oppose each other and the excess thicknesses are compensated for in such a way that the overall thickness of the card holder is greatly reduced.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic longitudinal and transverse sections of a wallet with two flaps according to an embodiment which includes an outer lateral pocket. As may be seen, the two series of tiers 11 and 12 have a common inner face 13. An outer lateral pocket is formed on the outer face of this common inner face 13; it includes two compartments 14 and 15 intended for receiving large documents such as bank notes and identity papers. Provided in the inner compartment 14, is a short pouch 16 having a width smaller than that of a flap for receiving, for example, visiting cards.

FIG. 3, which is a transverse section in the region of the small pocket 16, shows that the pocket is formed by means of a sheet 17 folded three times in a zigzag configuration.

FIGS. 4 to 6 illustrate an embodiment of the tiered pouches. FIG. 4 shows a sheet 21 made of flexible and pliable material, such as a lining made of woven fabric, in which transverse folding lines 22 to 25 are foamed. The distance between two adjacent folding lines has, alternately, two different values, one value equal to the size of the side of the document to be inserted which is perpendicular to the opening of the pouch and one slightly lower value, the edges of the sides in the zigzag configuration of the sheet being fixed to one another, namely in such a way that the distance between the two lines 23 and 24 is equal to the width of a credit card and corresponds to the depth of a pouch and that the distance between the two lines 22 and/or 24 and 25 is slightly smaller than this width, for example by about 9 mm. The sheet 21 is then folded in the zigzag configuration as shown in FIG. 5; the edges of the sides in the zigzag configuration of the sheet 21 are then fixed to one another so as to provide three pouches as shown in FIG. 6. For the sake of clarity, FIGS. 4 to 6, show just three pouches with a sheet including six portions folded along five folds; however series may also be produced including many more pouches per flap, for example 10 for credit card-sized documents, the length of each flap then being about 14 cm.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to fix, for aesthetic reasons, a finishing cover, made for example of leather, to at least a portion of all of the pouches. Advantageously, provision may be made to cut out a window 28, in the portion of the finishing cover that covers the first pouch in order to display more clearly the card arranged in this pouch; this window can be closed by means of a transparent element.

According to an embodiment, a cord 20 made of a flexible material may be placed on the edges of the sheet 21 before said sheet has been folded (see FIG. 4). This flexible cord 20 is arranged at the location where the edges are fixed. The presence of this flexible cord 20 provides an effect of pinching the edges of the cards inserted into the pouches in such a way that the cards are held securely in the pouches and cannot escape.

In some embodiments, it is possible to cut out the sheet 21 in the region of a double fold as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. As a result, a substantially elliptically-shaped indentation 26 is obtained on the folds 22 and 24 in the region of the ridge of the tiers. When the edges of the sheet 21 are fixed to form the pouches, as shown in FIG. 6, a recess 27 is obtained which allows easier grasping of the card to be removed. Moreover, if a finishing cover is provided, this recess 27 reveals the sheet forming the pouches, signaling an empty pouch.

In an embodiment, the document case includes a plurality of series of pouches, all of which are formed in a single sheet by providing a non-folded portion corresponding to the axis of articulation, between two series of pouches. This then provides an inner continuous sheet containing the various series of pouches which form successive series of tiers oriented in the same direction.

In some embodiments edges are advantageously fixed to one another by stitching, for example by means of a rolling point as shown in FIG. 7. The stitching thread passes above the sides of the sheet over a distance D, then it passes below in the opposite direction over a distance d which is smaller (e.g., half of D); then, the thread is passed back on top over the distance D, and so on. If there is a flexible cord 20, as shown in FIG. 6, the stitching may be carried out on the flexible cord or along the edge of this cord outside the pouch so as to obtain effective pinching without crushing.

FIGS. 8 to 11 show an embodiment of a wallet which includes 3 flaps, but 4 series of tiers. As stated hereinbefore, all of the series of tiers 31 to 34 are produced using a single sheet while being separated by non-folded portions of the sheet 35 to 37 which are arranged in the region of the axes of articulation of the flaps and which form inverted pleats. As may be seen, all the series of tiers are oriented in the same direction.

In some embodiments, one of the flaps 38 is obtained by folding the two series of tiers 33 and 34 on each other as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. There are thus obtained three flaps, two first flaps 39 and 41 which include the same series of tiers on their inner face and a third divider flap 38 which, in the closure position, is located between the two other flaps and which includes pouches on its two faces. In order to close the wallet, the third divider flap 38 is first folded on the first flap 39 and the set obtained is then turned down on the first flap 41. FIG. 11 shows that, according to an embodiment, the series of tiers are fitted and that the total thickness of the wallet, which corresponds substantially to the thickness of two series of tiers, is in particular reduced.

In some embodiments, the width of the inverted pleats 35 to 37 (see also FIG. 2) is adapted to the cumulative thickness of the documents which are applied to one another when the wallet is folded and closed. More specifically, if each of the flaps includes n pouches, the width of the inverted pleat 37, which is located between the series of tiers 33 and 34 of the intermediate flap 38, is substantially equal to n times the thickness of a document, that is to say, to the thickness of the intermediate flap 38 and the width of the inverted pleat 35 which separates the two first flaps consisting of the series of tiers 31 and 32 is substantially equal to 2n times the thickness of a document, the total thickness of the wallet in the closure position.

FIG. 12 is a schematic longitudinal section embodying the lateral pockets of a wallet with two compartments. A first outer compartment 51 is intended, for example, for receiving identity papers; the second compartment 52 is intended, for example, for receiving bank notes and it includes a small pocket 53 intended for receiving visiting cards.

FIG. 13 shows an embodiment of a wallet flap in the case in which the side of the flaps which is parallel to the axis of articulation is substantially larger than twice the width, I, of the documents, allowing the provision of pairs of pouches 62 or 63 arranged beside each other, their length being perpendicular to the axis of articulation 64. In this case, there is firstly arranged in tiers the maximum number, n1, of “vertical” pouches 62 and 63 which is determined by the length of the document, L, and the dimension, e, of the visible portion, the dimension, A, of the flap which is perpendicular to the axis of articulation 64 being substantially equal to A=L+n1 e, n1 being the number of pairs of vertical documents.

According to the embodiment, in the free portion 65 of the flap which is located below the openings of the pouches 62 and 63 there are formed “horizontal” pouches 66, the width of which corresponds to the length, L, of the documents. The maximum number, n2, of horizontal pouches is determined by the relationship:

A=I+(n1+n2)e; I being the width of the documents.

This provision allows the number of pouches to be optimized; thus, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, there are seven pouches, the opening of which is directed toward the axis of articulation 64, whereas if all the pouches are arranged “horizontally” as in the preceding embodiments, only five pouches can be provided.

FIG. 14 is a front view illustrating one embodiment of an insert which consists of a flap 71 and a tongue 72 which is articulated to the flap along the axis 73 and which can be introduced into a pocket formed in a flap (89) and the opening of which is parallel to the axis of articulation of the flap in such a way that the insert can be articulated, placed between two flaps of a wallet. This insert can also be sold and used separately, for example in a shirt pocket.

This insert includes, on at least one of its faces, pouches 74 and when it is used separately, in the closure position, the tongue 72 is folded down on these pouches 74. This tongue protects the documents from friction when the insert is placed in a pouch; that prevents, in particular, phenomena of static electricity which can damage documents including electronic and/or magnetic elements, such as smart cards, transport documents and memory cards.

This insert may also include pouches on its second face for documents which are insensitive to static electricity. It is also possible to provide a lateral pocket for receiving a few bank notes. Thus, it is possible to produce an insert including on one face a series of tiered pouches for the most used credit cards, on the other face one or more larger pouches for identity papers and a lateral pouch for bank notes. An insert of this type may be used separately to allow the owner to carry around with him essential documents and to be inserted into a wallet with two or more flaps which contains documents which are used less frequently and are not essential.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show, in the unfolded position, two embodiments of a document case, more specifically, wallets. FIG. 15 relates to a wallet with four flaps 81 to 84 which each include a series of six “horizontal” pouches and the dimensions of which are 11.5 cm×9.5 cm and which includes a lateral pouch 85. The outer inverted pleats 86 and 87 between an outer flap 81 or 84 and a central flap 82 or 83 are about 6 mm, i.e. substantially six times the thickness of a document, and the inner inverted pleat between the two central flaps 82 and 83 has a double value which corresponds to the thickness of an outer flap folded on a central flap. There is thus obtained a wallet which can receive 24 credit card-sized documents, which has a length of 48.7 cm in the unfolded state and the dimensions of which are substantially 11.5 cm×9.5 cm with a thickness of about 15 mm. It may therefore easily enter a shirt pocket or the outer pocket of the jacket of a suit, the dimensions of which are about 15 cm×10 cm.

FIG. 20 shows an embodiment of a wallet with 4 flaps, each of the flaps being the same size as the flaps from FIG. 15, but arranged transversely; said wallet allows use which is more adapted to a woman's hand, the capacity being reduced by 15%. In the free space of the flaps, window pouches 201 allow documents to be received which cannot be placed in the tiered pouches, such as wide visiting cards, photos, stamps or metro tickets, credit card receipts. The opening of these window pouches is oriented from the same side as that of the tiered pouches. Thus, it is not possible for a document contained in these various pouches to fall when the wallet is in the closure position.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 16 allows up to 7 cards to be accommodated per flap. It has four flaps of the type illustrated in FIG. 13 each including four vertical pouches and three horizontal pouches and the dimensions of which are 10.5 cm×12 cm. The outer and inner inverted pleats have a respective width of 5 and 10 mm which is adapted to the thickness of the flaps with seven pouches. In the unfolded state, this wallet has a length of 44 cm and, in the closure position, its dimensions are substantially 10.5 cm×12 cm with a maximum thickness of about 18 mm. Its capacity is 28 credit card-sized documents.

FIG. 17 shows an embodiment of a tab 91 which is articulated to a flap 92 on the side of the wallet, i.e. on a side perpendicular to the axis of articulation 93. This tab may include a pouch on each of its faces and is arranged in the region of the tier ridges consisting of the edges of the documents which are located in the pouches of the flap 92 so as to cover them in the folded position on the flap 92.

FIG. 18 shows an embodiment of a wallet with two flaps each including 6 horizontal pouches, each flap including a tab 94 or 95 which is in the closure position and the width of which is slightly smaller than the length of the flap. When the wallet is folded, the two tabs 94 and 95 are arranged one beside the other without overlap in such a way that the capacity of the wallet is increased by four documents while the thickness is only increased by two times the thickness of a document, the inverted pleat 96 having a width of 8 mm instead of 6. This wallet with 2 flaps can therefore contain 16 documents in a reduced volume. If a finishing cover is provided, the tabs 94 and 95 mask the tiers of the pouches, improving the aesthetic appearance of the wallet.

FIG. 19 shows an embodiment of a flap 101 which includes two pockets 102 and 103 arranged head to tail, the openings of which are parallel to the axis of articulation 104. Again, this double pocket consists of a sheet which is folded in a zigzag configuration and the edges of which are fixed to one another. Each of the pockets obtained can receive a large document or the tongue 105 of an insert as is illustrated in FIG. 14.

In some embodiments document cases are produced by fixing the edges of the sides in the zigzag configuration of the sheet (21) to one another by a stitch with a rolling point as shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 21 shows an embodiment of an insert with a tongue, 210, produced by folding a strip 213 in a zigzag configuration, in such a way as to obtain a sequence of pouches 211, 212, arranged in tiers opening alternately on the two faces of the insert and articulated to a rectangularly-shaped tongue 210 intended to be introduced into a pouch of a wallet. It will be noted that in this example the pouches 211, 212 of the inner face and of the outer face are oriented in opposite directions. The distance between two consecutive folds of the strip 213 has, alternately, a value equal to the width of a document to be inserted which is perpendicular to the opening of the pouch and a lower value in such a way as to remove the document. Advantageously, the wallet may be able to include flaps including tiers which are oriented in the same direction of insertion and therefore fit perfectly with those of the insert, allowing for example the capacity of a wallet, the flaps of which include the same number of tiers as each of the faces of the insert, to be doubled.

FIGS. 22 a, 22b, 22c, 22d illustrate an embodiment of a method of folding a wallet with three flaps, connected to one another by two inverted pleats 222, 223 of differing width. As may be seen in FIG. 22a, which shows the wallet in the unfolded state, each flap includes a series of five pouches opening on their left-hand portion. The five pouches of each flap lie, viewed from the side, within a right angle triangle (FIG. 22b). The wallet is folded by turning down the flap furthest to the left on the central flap in such a way that the hypotenuses of the two triangles are superimposed. The flap furthest to the right is then turned down on the stack consisting of the two other flaps. Thus, in the folded position, the wallet has a reduced thickness. Furthermore, this solution ensures that the cards do not fall once the wallet is folded. It assumes that the inverted pleats 222, 223 are the right size, the inverted pleat 223 being larger than the inverted pleat 222.

FIG. 23 shows an embodiment of a wallet including two flaps connected to each other by an inverted pleat. Each of the flaps includes a longitudinal main zone in which there is arranged a series of pouches opening from the same side, having a width substantially smaller than the width of the flap, as well as a lateral zone in the region of which there opens a lateral pocket 231 situated below the main zone. The opening of the pouches extends parallel to the inverted pleat whereas the opening of the two pockets 231 extends perpendicularly to said pleat.

According to the embodiment, the two pockets are larger than the pouches and can therefore receive larger documents which can extend beyond the lateral zones, such as for example national identity cards, driving licenses, voting or health insurance cards, motor vehicle insurance cards, etc.

FIGS. 24 a and 24b show an embodiment of a wallet which has two flaps connected to each other by an inverted pleat and equipped with two inserts each including a series of pouches arranged in tiers. The pouches of these inserts open from the same side as the pouches of the flaps of the wallet with which they are associated. For this purpose, the flaps of the wallet each include below the tiers of pouches a pocket 232, the opening of which extends parallel to the inverted pleat, along the edge of the flap remote from said pleat and in which a corresponding insert engages.

Owing to these provisions, in the folded position of the wallet, the series of pouches of the insert and of the adjacent flap fit one inside the other so as to reduce the thickness of the wallet or document case, the capacity of which is therefore increased. Moreover, that ensures optimum storage safety, in the folded state of the wallet, the openings of the pouches of the flaps and of the inserts being turned toward the interior of the wallet, preventing the content of these pouches from falling.

In this embodiment, the inner face of each of the inserts is equipped with a series of tiers whereas the outer face of each of these inserts is equipped with a transparent window pouch 248, 249, the opening of the transparent pouches being oriented from the same side (FIG. 24b).

In order to maximize the capacity of these window pouches and to prevent the documents or objects contained therein from falling therefrom, they are, in an embodiment shown in FIG. 24c, each equipped with a zip fastener (246, 247) allowing complete closure of these window pouches, and equipped with a gusset (233) for increasing the capacity thereof.

According one embodiment, these window pouches of the outer face of the inserts, equipped with a zip fastener, once they are closed, form two closed zones which can contain objects which cannot be placed in the pouches of the inner tiers of the wallet, such as for example coins of various national currencies which it will be possible to grasp easily, the transparency of the window promoting identification thereof. At the last step of the folding, the two flaps on which the two inserts are folded fold against each other, the zip fasteners of the window pouches of the outer face of the inserts fitting without excess thickness in the free space of the flaps 244, 245 (FIG. 24d).

FIG. 24 d is a side view of the window pouches with the gusset (233); their right angle triangular shape allows, on folding of the two flaps of the wallet, perfect fitting of the two pouches, in a shape-mating manner. Once the wallet is closed, it remains flat and its thickness is minimized.

FIG. 25 shows an embodiment of a wallet which is the same size as that from FIG. 16 and has three flaps connected by inverted pleats (252) each including pouches arranged in tiers, wherein some of them can receive loyalty mini cards or tickets, the loyalty mini cards having a length L1 equal to one third of the length L of the credit card-sized loyalty cards, all having a width I.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the width B of which is substantially larger than twice the width I of the documents. First of all, there is placed on each of the flaps and in tiers the maximum number n1 of pairs of vertical pouches (256, 257) arranged alongside one another, which is determined by the length L of the document and the dimension e of the visible portion, the dimension A of the flap which is perpendicular to the axis of articulation of the flaps being substantially equal to:

A=L+n1e.

As the width B of the wallet is also substantially larger than four thirds of the length L of the documents, there are provided in the free space of the flap (258) two tiers of horizontal pouches, one having a width equal to the length L of the documents and the other being of a width L/3 of the documents. The maximum number of pouches of each of the tiers is n2 determined by the relationship: A=I+(n1+n2)e, I being the width of the documents. This provision allows the number of pouches to be optimized; thus, in the example of FIG. 25, the number of pouches for the credit cards is identical for the three flaps (253, 259) but, for the two flaps furthest to the left, it additionally allows 3 pouches to be received for the loyalty mini cards (250, 251), i.e. 10 pouches instead of 7 for the last flap, the flap furthest to the right.

FIG. 25 a shows an embodiment of a wallet in the opening position, including on the end flap furthest to the right a storage zone allowing accommodation of documents which cannot be placed in the pouches of the two flaps furthest to the left, wherein said documents can be of differing sizes. This storage zone consists of a set of superimposed pouches (263), open on two of their four sides, on the one hand the side parallel to the axis of articulation of the flap and on the other hand one of the sides perpendicular to said axis, side where there is fixed the rectangularly-shaped tab (261), the dimensions of which are substantially equal to those of the flap and which is connected to said flap by an inverted pleat (260), this tab including on each of its faces a window pouch (262), the opening of which is directed toward the inverted pleat (252). These superimposed pouches are increasingly small, the width and the length of the pouch situated on top being substantially and respectively smaller than the width (265) and the length (266) of the pouch situated below, so that the document placed into the pouch from below sticks out sufficiently to allow it to be identified and grasped.

FIG. 25 b shows an embodiment of a wallet of the same type, the zone of which for the storage of different-sized documents also consists of a set of pouches which are superimposed in accordance with the same principle as in FIG. 25a but of a different shape, with a cut-off section, the covered portion of each of the documents placed in the pouches being smaller. This therefore facilitates the placement and removal of the document in/from each of the pouches (263). This shape with a cut-off section is obtained by forming on the rectangular pouches of the storage zone from FIG. 25a a cut-out parallel to the diagonal of said pouch, in such a way that the couch with the cut-off section has a surface area slightly larger than half the rectangular pouch before cutting-out. The distance between the diagonal and the parallel (267) along which the pouches are cut out is substantially equal to the difference between the widths (265) and the lengths (266) of two contiguous and superimposed pouches.

Protected in this way, the documents placed in this storage zone are stored flat, allowing, the tab (261) being folded on said documents, the thickness of the wallet, which remains flat in the closure position, to be minimized and preventing the documents from falling therefrom.

These embodiments allow the production of a whole range of wallets adapted to users' needs. The dimensions of the pouches can be adapted to the sizes of all types of documents such as credit cards (5.4×8.5 cm), visiting cards (7.5×12.5 cm), loyalty mini cards (5.4×2.83 cm), new sizes of official papers such as driving licenses (7.5×11 cm), identity cards (7.2×10.3 cm), etc. It is also possible to provide pouches for elements such as memory cards, camera or telephone flat batteries, permanent transport documents, for example for the metro or motorway toll booths.

Furthermore, the use of an insert allows the owner to carry around with him only the most important documents, the insert including a series of tiers on one of its faces for documents sensitive to static electricity, which the tongue comes to protect, and a plurality of pockets on its other face.

The embodiments described in detail are examples of wallets intended to receive personal documents, although obviously the principles apply to all document cases. In particular, it is possible to imagine briefcases or satchels including two flaps including series of pouches forming series of tiers fitting in one another to reduce the thickness of the briefcase. A briefcase of this type can for example contain client files or samples of products for representatives or delivery men, wherein these files or samples, for example of carpet or wallpapers, can easily be located and can be removed without difficulty.

Further modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the general manner of carrying out the invention. It is to be understood that the forms of the invention shown and described herein are to be taken as examples of embodiments. Elements and materials may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein, parts and processes may be reversed, and certain features of the invention may be utilized independently, all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the invention. Changes may be made in the elements described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims. In addition, it is to be understood that features described herein independently may, in certain embodiments, be combined.

Claims

1. A document case intended for receiving a plurality of standardized-size documents, comprising at least two first flaps articulated to one another, the documents being inserted separately into overlapping pouches with an offset, their opening being parallel to the axis of articulation of the flaps, in such a way that the documents are arranged in tiers displaying a visible uncovered edge, wherein, for two adjacent flaps, the tiers are arranged with the same direction of insertion, the highest document of one of the flaps is adjacent to the lowest document of the other flap, in such a way that, when the two flaps are folded on each other, the two series of tiers are fitted in each other so as to reduce the thickness of the wallet or document case.

2. The document case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the series of pouches of one flap consists of a sheet folded back on itself in a zigzag configuration, the distance between two folds having, alternately, two different values, one value equal to the side of the document to be inserted which is perpendicular to the opening of the pouch and one slightly lower value so as to be able to remove the document, the edges of the sides in the zigzag configuration of the sheet being fixed to one another and in that the set of the pouches of all the flaps is formed in a sheet, the series of tiers being separated by non-folded sections, forming inverted pleats, the width of which corresponds substantially to n times the thickness of an inserted document, n being the number of documents which can be inserted into a flap.

3. The document case as claimed in claim 2, wherein the edges of the sides in the zigzag configuration of the sheet are fixed to one another by a stitch with a rolling point.

4. The document case as claimed in claim 2, wherein before the folding of the sheet, a cord made of a flexible material is placed on the edges of the sides in the zigzag configuration of the sheet in the region of the line of the fixing thereof.

5. The document case as claimed in claim 2, wherein there is provided a partial cut-out, a substantially elliptically-shaped indentation, of the sheet folded in the region of the fold forming the tier ridge.

6. The document case as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sheet comprises a finishing cover which comprises a cut-out forming a window in the region of at least one pouch or a pocket.

7. The document case as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one third divider flap which is articulated to one of the other flaps, which, in the closure position, is turned down on one of the two other flaps and which comprises pouches on its two faces, the series of pouches of its two faces being arranged in an antisymmetrical manner in such a way that, in the closure position, the series of tiers of each face of the third divider flap is fitted in the series of tiers of the inner face of one of the two first flaps and in that the width of the inverted pleat separating the two first flaps corresponds substantially to 2n times the thickness of an inserted document, n being the number of documents which can be inserted into a flap.

8. The document case as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an outer lateral pocket extending over the entire length of the two first flaps, the opening of which is perpendicular to the axis of articulation and which comprises two compartments and in that one of the compartments comprises a pouch having a smaller width than that of a flap.

9. The document case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the side of the flaps which is parallel to the axis of articulation is substantially larger than twice the width of the documents, in that, in at least one flap, there is provided a maximum number of pairs of adjacent pouches forming two series of adjacent vertical tiers and in that, in the space remaining free of the flap, there are added pouches arranged perpendicularly in such a way as to produce a series of horizontal tiers, the opening of all the pouches being directed toward the axis of articulation.

10. The document case as claimed claim 1, further comprising an insert which can be used separately and which consists of a single flap which comprises, on at least one of its faces, pouches, and which is articulated to a tongue, the tongue being fixed to the insert on a side parallel to the axis of articulation, and when the insert is used alone, said tongue being folded on the pouches in the position for storage in a clothing pocket, in such a way that it covers the documents inserted into the pouches, and the insert is fixed to the wallet by introducing said tongue into a pocket formed in a flap and the opening of which is parallel to the axis of articulation of the flap in such a way that the insert can be articulated, between two flaps of a wallet.

11. The document case as claimed in claim 10, wherein at least one of the first flaps comprises at least two superimposed pockets, the openings of which are remote from and parallel to the axis of articulation in such a way as to receive an insert tongue or a large document, the two pockets being formed by means of a sheet folded in a zigzag configuration.

12. The document case as claimed in claim 2, wherein the two first flaps each comprise a tab which is articulated to the flap on a side perpendicular to the axis of articulation, in the region of the tier ridges, and which comprises a pouch on at least one of its faces, the width of the tab being slightly smaller than the length of the flap, when the tab is in the closure position, and when the wallet is folded, the two tabs are arranged adjacently, one beside the other, without overlap.

13. The document case as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least three flaps, connected by two inverted pleats, each comprising a series of pouches opening from the same side, the wallet being folded by turning down the flap situated at the end of the open wallet, corresponding to said side, on the central flap, then by turning down subsequently the flap situated at the end of the open wallet corresponding to the opposite side.

14. The document case as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least two flaps, each flap comprising a series of pouches in tiers having a width substantially smaller than the width of the flap, wherein it comprises a lateral pocket situated below the tiers, parallel to the axis of articulation, and the opening of which extends over the entire length of the flap, perpendicularly to said axis.

15. The document case as claimed in claim 1, further comprising two flaps, connected to each other by an inverted pleat, each flap comprising a series of pouches opening from the same side, wherein each of the flaps further comprises below the pouches a pocket, the opening of which extends parallel to the inverted pleat along an edge of the flap remote from said pleat and in which there engages a tongue insert comprising on one of its faces a series of pouches arranged in tiers opening from the same side as the pouches of the flaps of the wallet with which it is associated and the face of this insert situated remote from that carrying the tiers of pouches being equipped with a transparent window pocket and with a gusset perpendicular to the opening of these transparent pockets, said openings of the transparent pockets of the two flaps extending from the same side parallel to the inverted pleat and closing by means of a zip fastener.

16. The document case as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a tongue insert produced by folding a strip in a zigzag configuration in such a way as to obtain a sequence of pouches arranged in tiers, opening alternately on the two faces of the insert and articulated to the rectangularly-shaped tongue which is intended to be introduced into a pouch of said document case.

17. The document case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the side of the flaps which is parallel to the axis of articulation is substantially larger than twice the width of the documents and substantially larger than four thirds the length of the documents, in that, in at least one flap, there is provided a maximum number of pairs of adjacent pouches forming a series of adjacent vertical tiers and in that, in the space remaining free of the flap, there are added two tiers of pouches arranged horizontally and adjacently, the openings of the pouches being oriented in the same direction as those of the vertical tiers, the widths of which are respectively on the one hand substantially larger than the length of a document and on the other hand substantially larger than the third of the length of a document.

18. The document case as claimed in claim 1, further comprising three flaps connected by two inverted pleats, one of the end flaps comprising a set of superimposed pouches, and such that the dimensions of the top pouch are substantially smaller than those of the pouches situated below, each of the pouches being open on two sides, on the one hand the side parallel to the inverted pleat and on the other hand one of the sides perpendicular to said pleat, this same side being that where there is fixed the rectangularly-shaped tab, the dimensions of which are substantially equal to that of the flap, connected to said flap by an inverted pleat, and which in the closure position is turned down on the set of pouches, and which comprises on each of its faces a window pouch, the opening of which is oriented toward the inverted pleat.