Patent Application
20120312851
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. This patent document may show and/or describe matters which is or may become trade dress of the owner. The copyright and trade dress owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright and trade dress rights whatsoever.
1. Field
This disclosure generally relates to bracelets, wallets and purses. More particularly, it relates to a wrist wallet, which is a wallet that can be worn on the wrist, forearm, arm or ankle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Valuables and personal necessities are typically carried in purses and wallets. However, purses and wallets can become a nuisance in places where one has to be active, such as a nightclub or at a social event or party. The owner of the wallet or purse may not always be mindful of the location of their belongings, namely their purse or wallet.
Carrying a purse or a wallet can become quite awkward and unwieldy, particularly in instances when the wearer is going to be active. For example, carrying a purse or wallet while dancing can become awkward and cumbersome. On the other hand, leaving the purse or wallet on a table, a seat, or a random corner leaves it open to theft or misplacement.
The wrist wallet described herein allows the wearer to carry their valuables on their forearm or wrist at all times. This gives the wearer piece of mind and allows freedom without concern when dancing or being active.
There are several types of wrist wallets, sometimes referred to as arm purses. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,424 to Roegner is a wrist wallet capable of being opened in order to access essentials, such as cash, credit cards, and other personal belonging.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,341 to Rittman discloses a wrist wallet with a hook and loop fabric attaching means which is secured around a person's forearms adjacent to the wrist. However, in each of these instances, the wearer must completely remove the wrist wallet or purse in order to access the cash, credit cards, or other personal necessities contained therein which presents quite an inconvenience.
On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. D515, 805 to Jones discloses a forearm-mounted wallet. And U.S. Publication No. 2004/0206791 to Rogers discloses a backpack-shaped wrist pack. In both of these instances, the wearer is able to access their essentials without having to remove the entire device off their wrist. However, in both cases, the storage pouches are quite large and ungainly, and are relatively complex in the manner of strapping and attaching to the wearer's forearm.
Other references disclose various wrist wallets or pouches, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,571; U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,366; U.S. Pat. No. D442,365; and U.S. Pat. No. 371,675. However, in each of these instances, the wrist wallet or pouch is not streamlined whatsoever, is bulky and cumbersome, and has the appearance of a traditional wallet or purse. Thus, the aesthetic appearance of these wrist wallets does not meet the practical or fashion standards of club goers, partiers and active people.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for a device that not only meets the practical needs of a wearer but the desire to be fashionable and stylish according to the wearer's fashion sense. Not only is there a need for the product to hold essential items securely in the compartment, for it to be wearer friendly, and for the product to be comfortable, but it also needs to allow the wearer to express a personal sense of style.
The wrist wallets described herein give the wearer the ability to carry essentials securely on their wrist, forearm or ankle. This enables the wearer to have piece of mind knowing their belongings have a less likely chance of being lost, stolen, or misplaced. Although the wrist wallet is described in this disclosure as typically worn on the wrist, it should be understood that the wrist wallet is not limited to being worn on the wrist and may be worn on other parts of the wearer's body, such as the ankle.
The wrist wallets described herein allow the wearer freedom of movement when dancing or being active. The wrist wallets described herein allow the wearer's hands and shoulders remain free from obstruction instead of being encumbered by a traditional purse or a wallet. The wrist wallets described herein also allow the wearer to easily access their belongings with just one hand by having a compartment to carry essential items that is accessible without removing the entire device from the wearer's wrist. The wrist wallets described herein allow the wearer to attach and detach the entire device easily and securely with the use of just one hand.
The wrist wallets described herein provide the wearer the ability to express his/her fashion sense or style. The wrist wallets described herein may be designed to resemble a bangle, bracelet or armband and that are more aesthetically pleasing and fashionable than compared to previously available wallets worn on the arm.
The wrist wallets described herein include several aspects or facets that can be used independently, although they may be employed together to optimize their benefits. All the foregoing operational principles and advantages of the wrist wallets will be more fully appreciated upon consideration of the following detailed description, with reference to the appended drawings.
Although certain embodiments of the wrist wallets are shown and be described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The scope of this disclosure is not limited to the number of constituting components, the materials thereof, the shapes thereof, the relative arrangement thereof, etc., and are disclosed simply as an example of an embodiment.
Referring now to
An embodiment of a Wristlet 20 is worn on the wrist or arm/forearm and resembles a fashion bangle/bracelet, or an armband comprising Band 1 and Wallet 6. The exterior of Band 1 may be made out of a flexible or non-flexible, rigid or non-rigid, pliable or non-pliable, stretchable or non-stretchable, durable materials including, but not limited to leather, polyester, suede, polyprene, vinyl, cloth, fabric, plastic, metal, metal alloy, wood, and/or combinations thereof. The exterior of the Wristlet 20 may be configured to be used in water, such as a pool or the beach, and may be made of a waterproof material, such as for example plastic or neoprene. In some embodiments, the entire Wristlet 20 may be made of a waterproof material and can be submerged in water without damaging the Wristlet 20.
Lining 2 may be made of fabrics that wick away sweat from the wearers skin, such as in a sweatband material. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the Wristlet 20 may be made of a mesh material or other breathable material to help cool the wearer's wrist. Other examples of materials may include, but are not limited to, synthetic fabrics such as neoprene or polyester blends, and other materials such as suede, satin, velvet, and the like. Lining 2 is attached to the interior of Band 1 in some form or manner, such as by stitching along the outer edges of Band 1, the use of glue, and/or a combination thereof. The Lining 2 is preferably cut similar in size and shape to the Band 1 for a finished look.
In some embodiments, the design elements or decorative ornaments are interchangeable to suit the changing mood or style of the wearer. The decorative ornaments can be removably attached to Panel 1a by a plurality of different methods, such as VELCRO® or other hook and lop fasteners, zippers, buttons, adhesives, clips, magnets, fasteners, or a unique locking system. For example, the Panel 1a may have a base onto which interchangeable decorative ornaments, each having a connector complementary to the base, can be attached.
Panel 1a may be cut in various shapes, sizes, and/or forms depending on style and design. For example, in
With reference to
The Panel 1a may be detachable from the Wristlet 20 and readily replaceable with other panels having different sizes, shapes, designs or ornaments. The Panel 1a may be removably attached to the Wristlet 20 by a plurality of different methods, such as VELCRO® or other hook and loop fasteners, zippers, snap buttons, clips, magnets, etc. The interchangeable Panel 1a advantageously allows wearers to customize the fit of the Wristlet 20 to the wearer's wrist size and shape, as well as allowing the wearer to display different designs or ornaments depending on the situation or mood of the wearer.
With continued reference to
In some embodiments, the wristlet may have a sliding tongue (not shown) instead of an Extension 5. A tongue made of a rigid material, such as plastic or metal, may be attached to Panel 1c. A channel can be disposed in Panel 1a that can accept the tongue. The tongue slides in and out of the channel, changing the size of the open sleeve of the wristlet. The end of the tongue may be configured such that the tongue does not fall out completely from the channel.
An embodiment of Wallet 6 is shown on
Wallet Lining 12 may be made of materials including, but not limited to, silk, cotton blend, synthetics fabrics, suede, leather, plastic, vinyl, or combinations thereof. Wallet Lining 12 may be secured or attached along the edges of Wallet 6 by any known method, such as by stitching. Wallet Lining 12 may be used for aesthetic purposes and may advantageously help items slide during inserting or removing essential items such as an ID, cash, and/or credit cards in Pocket 10 and Pocket 11.
Wristlet 20 may be adjusted according to the size of a wearer's wrist by adjusting Coupler 3 and Coupler 4 accordingly. Some embodiments of Coupler 3 and Coupler 4 can be seen on
Another embodiment of Coupler 3 and Coupler 4 is shown on
Other embodiments of Wallet 6 are shown on
Flap 7 may be folded substantially about the line A-A in the direction of arrow B onto Cover 8 securing essential items placed inside Pocket 10, Pocket 11, and Opening 34. Flap 7 may be secured or attached to Cover 8 by a coupling device, such as by mating Snap 26 of Flap 7 with Snap 28 of Cover 8, as shown on
An embodiment of Pouch 36 may comprise spaced apart walls with front wall 36a, sidewalls 36b and 36c, bottom wall 36d, and top flap 36e. Essential items inside Pouch 36 are secured by Flap 36e that may attach or adhere to 36a by any type of coupling device including, but not limited to, snaps, VELCRO® or other hook and loop fasteners, zippers, magnets, elastics, and the like.
Other uses of Wallet 6 may include, but are not limited to, holding a cigarette case, business cards, or contact information for young children. In some embodiments, the Wallet 6 may contain other features, such as Mirror 38 on the interior or exterior of Flap 7, as shown on
Closing Comments
Throughout this description, the embodiments and examples shown should be considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on the apparatus and procedures disclosed or claimed. Although many of the examples presented herein involve specific combinations of method acts or system elements, it should be understood that those acts and those elements may be combined in other ways to accomplish the same objectives. Elements and features discussed only in connection with one embodiment are not intended to be excluded from a similar role in other embodiments.
As used herein, “plurality” means two or more. As used herein, a “set” of items may include one or more of such items. As used herein, whether in the written description or the claims, the terms “comprising”, “including”, “carrying”, “having”, “containing”, “involving”, and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of”, respectively, are closed or semi-closed transitional phrases with respect to claims. Use of ordinal terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements. As used herein, “and/or” means that the listed items are alternatives, but the alternatives also include any combination of the listed items.
The terms “a” or “an”, as used herein, are defined as one or more than one. The term plurality, as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term another, as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms including and/or having, as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e. open language). The term coupled, as used herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically.
Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specific function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112, paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112, Paragraph 6.
Although specific embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, those having ordinary skill in the art will understand that changes can be made to the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is not to be restricted, therefore, to the specific embodiments, and it is intended that the appended claims cover any and all such applications, modifications, and embodiments within the scope of this disclosure.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to provisional application No. 61/520,343, filed on Jun. 8, 2011, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61520343 | Jun 2011 | US |
