US2598982A - Stitchless and hidden stitch expansible billfold - Google Patents

Description

June 3, 1952 o. s. ELLIFF 2,598,982

STITCHLESS AND HIDDEN STITCH EXPANSIBLE BILLFOLD Filed May 26, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 O. S. ELLIFF 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 FIG. 9.

FIG. IO.

FIG.

INVENTOR: ORLA S. ELLIFF a )7 dalla, A/TfT/'ORNEYS- June 3, 1952 sTITcHLEss AND HIDDEN STITCH ExPANsIBLE BILLFDLD Filed May 2e, 195o Patented June 3, 1952 STITCHBESS" HND HIDDEN? Sg'llIEfJI-Ie y EXPANSTBLE BHSEFGLD Orla S. Ellil, Joplin, Moa assignor, to'llxefMeekcr.. Company Inc.n Joplin, al oorporation. of

Missouri Claims. .1

This invention relates generador to. b,il-liolds` or' pocket. wallets and more; particularly'- to such;V ai device that is: made from aJ minimum number off folded. blanks. on died-.routc pieces. and. which wil-t therebyv forni a structure that is neati andi air-- tractive in; appearance, simple. in. construetiom having. a; minimumK amount.- of bulk., caribe. easilyr manipula-tem and which will:v be otherwise satis factory andeiiicient' for use wherever deemed ap-l plicable..

One of the principal objects of. my invention is. to'- devise suchv aV billfold that will have meansr whereby the billfold may be expanded or ex.- tended. to accommodate a maximum thickness; of.' currency or other material carried therein.

Another object of invention is to provide a device of the kind. described. in which. the bil-l1-A fold will haver a main pocket portionv extending for substantially' the: full lengthI and depth. of. the

bllfold, and having opposedv end'. pockets.. with extensible connectionsA between said main; pocket and said end` pockets: whereby said pocket. may be expanded: and. collapsed readily as required.

A further object oi myv invention is to provide a billfold' oi the kind described, of: a simplified. construction, wherein. the currency retaining main pocket of the'bi-llfold willi permit the hand or ngers of: the user to be: inserted thereinto when placing currency or' other material into the pocket, or removing the same therefrom.`

Many other objects and advantages of the. construction herein shown and described will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains;I as will be apparent from the disclosuresv hereinafter given.

To end my invention consists in thev novelconstruction, arrangexnentr combination and form of parts herein shown and described, and as will be more clearly pointed out in. the following specication.

In the drawings, wherein like. reference. characters indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the. views Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a billfold embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a top View of the billiold,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the principal portions of the billfold are formed,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view showing the auxiliary panel secured in place,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan View, showing the lowermost portion of the blank, with the auxiliary panel therein, and folded upward-ly to form one of the end pockets of the billfold,

Fig. 6 is a. view similar to that shown in Fig. 5, and showing an end tab about to be adhered to said end pocket' I Fig. 'I is a side elevational view similar to that 2 shown.,n, Fig.. 1. but; with; certain portions broken Eig.. 8j. is. a'. oross.-sectionai detail, taken sub1- s.tit-raientsY along the line 8-8 of; Eis.` 4..

is. a.` cross-sectional detailr takzenl sub.- stantially alonathe.l line 9.-9 ofv Fig. 5.,

lll is. across-sectional. detail, taken sub` stantiallyralongl the line- I lL-.Ml of. Fig. 6,

Eig; ll. is; av cross-sectional detail, taken substantialhry along the line I. I,.-l l` of. Fig. '1, showing the; end` iiaps about to be secured inv final posi.- tion,

Fig.. l2. is a. cross-sectional detail, taken substantially along the line Ilz-.l2 of. lili-g. 1, and

Fig.. i3 is. a fragmentary perspective. detail, showing thel main pocket in its expanded position Referring more particularly to the drawings,v wherein IA have. illustrated. a. preferred embodiment of my invention, there is shown a billfold, preferablymade. of leather or some other suitably flexible. material that. will give suicient wear and, durabilityv for the. purpose.

In this device there is a main. or currency pocket A, which extends the entire length. and depth oi theL billfold and is. open along the entire top edge of same, and end pockets Bv that are opposed to one.- another so that, each end pocket opens towardv the` transverse medial fold line of the billfold,v whereby when. the billfold is olded along. said line.. the end pockets will of-.ferle be superimposed on. one another.

A. sheet of material of the kind aforementioned is out, stampedz or otherwise blanked to. form an approximately rectangular bod-y panel Whose length and depth is substantially equal to that of. the main pocket A.. and is provided at a pair of spaced-apart intervals. along itsv bottom with depending, portions 2 and 3 projecting downwardly from the bottom. edge of said main panel, the depending. depth of. each such depending portion 2 and 3 being approximately equal to one another and, to the depth of the panel.

A narrow band. or upper marginal nishing ilap 4 extends from end to end of said main panel alongv the topedge of the latter, so that said flap may be folded inwardly and then adhesively secured against the inner face of the inside surface of said panel. A ap 5., relatively short in length, is provided to extend. from the lower edge of said panel to approximately bridge the space between the opposed depending portions, so that said iiap may be folded upwardly and inwardly and adhesively 'secured to the inner face of the panel at the region oi the transverse medial fold At each end, of. the panel l there is provided. a tab 6. that protects laterally beyond the. ad. jacent end of said panel, from top to bottom of the latter, each said tab being provided at its side edge with offset locking tongues 1 for a purpose to be more clearly hereinafter described.

The ends of the portions 2 are similarly provided with tabs 8 having locking tongues 9 at their top and bottom ends, so that said tabs 6 and 8,

Y having tongues 1 and 9, are approximately of the same size and shape so as to register with each other when superimposed.

Each such portion 3 is provided with a slit Il extending between the top and bottom of such portion and of a length approximately equal to the distance between the end tongues of the tabs 6 and 8. In this manner, the pairs of registering tabs 6 and 8 will form gussets, as will now be described.

In forming the 'main pocket and the end pockets, the lowermost extension portions 3 are folded upwardly and inwardly along a fold line I that is substantially medial of the combined inserted through the adjacent slit l I.

In this manner, the portions 3 will form the outer side of the end pockets B, and each pair of tabs 6 and 8 will form a bellows fold interconnecting an end of the main pocket with an end of a cooperating end pocket, so that the main pocket will be expansible to accommodate varying thicknesses of material-*that may be placed within the latter.

An auxiliary panel l2, preferably shorter than the main panel and of approximately the Width of the openings of the end pockets B, is arranged to bridge the space between the latter and has its opposed ends inserted into the opposed openings, each such end of the auxiliary panel having a short length of cloth or other textile I3 carried thereby so that the outer end of this piece of textile may be stitched to an adjacent end pocket portion. Thus, it is seen that this auxiliary panel, extending into the end pockets, forms a small portion of the inside Wall of the main pocket A, and forms the inside walls of the end pockets, and that the remaining inside wall portions of the main pocket is formed by the portions 3 and the tabs 6. v

The bellows folds between the ends of the main pocket and the end pockets permit expanding and collapsing of the billfold and provide easier access to the interior of the main pocket as needed. This is quite a convenience,l

when inserting currency or other material into or removing the same from said main pocket, as it is possible to do so by extending the fingers or i substantially the entire hand into such pocket.V

The billfold can collapse so that the bellows connection is inconspicuous and does not add to the bulkiness or thickness of the billfold at its ends, thus making this billfold neat and attractive in appearance as well as highly useful and tially the full length and depth of the billfold,

and with a pair of end pockets with their openings opposed to one another and spaced apartL so thatthe billfold may be folded with one endV pocket superimposed, on the other, said billfold including a sheet of flexible material having a panel portion of substantiallyV thel size of said main pocket and with depending portions folded upwardly to approximately the top margin of the main pocket of the billfold and thence folded inwardly and downwardly to approximately the bottom of said main pocket, each end of said panel portion formed with an inwardly directed tab secured to said inwardly and downwardly folded portion of the adjacent end pocket along a line spaced inwardly of the end edge of the latter to form an extensible connection inwardly of each end of the main pocket.

2. A billfold having a main pocket opening substantially entirely along its upper edge and extending for substantially the full depth of the billfold, and also having a pair of opposed end pockets that open toward one another, said billfold including a sheet of flexible material with a panel portion defining the size of said main pocket and provided with a tab at each end and also having extensions projecting from the bottom of said main pocket portion and of approximately twice the depth of said main pocket, said extensions being folded along spaced apart lines to define the outer walls of the end pockets and portions of the inner wall of the main pocket each of the inner wall portions of the main pocket having a slit therein directed generally transversely of the length of the main pocket and inwardly of the ends, said tabs folded inwardly and connected into the slits in the inner wall portions of the main pocket to form a longitudinal extension of the same and to permit lateral expansion of said main pocket thereat.

3. A billfold having a main pocket opening along its entire upper edge and also having a pair of end pockets spaced apart and opening toward one another, said billfold including a exible sheet having a main panel of substantially the size of the main pocket, end tabs extending laterally from said main panel, and with spaced apart bottom extensions extending from the bottom edges of said panel, each such extension being formed by inner and outer panels which together are approximately twice the depth of said main panel and the outer panels being folded upwardly along the bottom edge of the main panel and the inner panels being folded downwardly and inwardly along a line that divides the said extensions substantially equally between said inner and outer panels, the free ends of said tabs connected into slits provided in the inner panels and located inwardly of the ends of the latter, and a second panel bridging between said end pockets and extending into the latter and forming with said inner panels the inner wall of said main pocket.

ORLA S. ELLIFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Elliff July 4, 1950

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