U.S. patent application number 12/624249 was filed with the patent office on 2010-03-18 for financial and identification card holder.
Invention is credited to Noel Nebojsa Uzelac.
Application Number | 20100065171 12/624249 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42006173 |
Filed Date | 2010-03-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100065171 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Uzelac; Noel Nebojsa |
March 18, 2010 |
FINANCIAL AND IDENTIFICATION CARD HOLDER
Abstract
A financial and identification card holder comprises a generally
planar back portion, a generally planar front portion, and a
connecting portion connecting the back portion and the front
portion. The back portion and the front portion are substantially
parallel to and spaced from one another, and the base portion
extends between the back portion and the front portion. The inner
surfaces of the back portion, connecting portion, front portion and
base portion define a partial enclosure for receiving financial and
identification cards. The partial enclosure is open opposite the
connecting portion and the base portion. A band mounting is secured
to at least one of the back portion, front portion and connecting
portion, and a resilient band may be mounted to the band mounting
to retain the cards in the holder.
Inventors: |
Uzelac; Noel Nebojsa;
(Burlington, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CAREY, RODRIGUEZ, GREENBERG & PAUL LLP;ATTN: STEVEN M. GREENBERG, ESQ.
950 PENINSULA CORPORATE CIRCLE, SUITE 3020
BOCA RATON
FL
33487
US
|
Family ID: |
42006173 |
Appl. No.: |
12/624249 |
Filed: |
November 23, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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29344570 |
Sep 30, 2009 |
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12624249 |
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29330190 |
Dec 30, 2008 |
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29344570 |
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29300292 |
Mar 10, 2008 |
D584049 |
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29330190 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
150/149 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C 11/182
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
150/149 |
International
Class: |
A45C 11/18 20060101
A45C011/18 |
Claims
1. A financial and identification card holder, comprising: a
generally planar back portion; a generally planar front portion; a
connecting portion connecting the back portion and the front
portion; the back portion and the front portion being substantially
parallel to and spaced from one another; a base portion extending
between the back portion and the front portion; inner surfaces of
the back portion, connecting portion, front portion and base
portion defining a partial enclosure that is open opposite the
connecting portion and the base portion; and a band mounting
secured to at least one of the back portion, the front portion and
the connecting portion.
2. The financial and identification card holder of claim 1, wherein
the back portion, connecting portion and front portion comprise a
single piece of material.
3. The financial and identification card holder of claim 2, wherein
the connecting portion is a curved reverse bend.
4. The financial and identification card holder of claim 3, wherein
the base portion extends less than 2.125 inches from an inner
vertex of the curved reverse bend.
5. The financial and identification card holder of claim 3, wherein
a distance from an inner vertex of the curved reverse bend to a
distal edge of the back portion is less than 2.125 inches.
6. The financial and identification card holder of claim 4, wherein
the base portion extends approximately 1.378 inches from the inner
vertex of the curved reverse bend.
7. The financial and identification card holder of claim 4, wherein
the back portion extends further from the inner vertex of the
curved reverse bend than the front portion.
8. The financial and identification card holder of claim 1, wherein
the base portion extends less than 2.125 inches from the inner
surface of the connecting portion.
9. The financial and identification card holder of claim 1, wherein
a distance from the inner surface of the base portion to an upper
edge of the back portion is less than 3.370 inches.
10. The financial and identification card holder of claim 1,
further comprising a resilient band mounted to the financial and
identification card holder by the band mounting.
11. The financial and identification card holder of claim 10
wherein the resilient band surrounds the back portion, the
connecting portion and the front portion.
12. The financial and identification card holder of claim 1,
wherein the band mounting is on the back portion.
13. The financial and identification card holder of claim 1,
further comprising a resilient band.
14. The financial and identification card holder of claim 1,
wherein the front portion exposes a larger portion of the inner
surface of the back portion toward an upper edge thereof than
toward a lower edge thereof.
15. The financial and identification card holder of claim 1,
wherein the back portion extends further from the connecting
portion than the front portion.
16. A method for managing financial and identification cards,
comprising: providing a financial and identification card holder,
the financial and identification card holder comprising: a
generally planar back portion; a generally planar front portion; a
connecting portion connecting the back portion and the front
portion; the back portion and the front portion being substantially
parallel to and spaced from one another; a base portion extending
between the back portion and the front portion; inner surfaces of
the back portion, connecting portion, front portion and base
portion defining a partial enclosure that is open opposite the
connecting portion and the base portion; a band mounting secured to
at least one of the back portion, the front portion and the
connecting portion; and a resilient band positioned to surround the
back portion, connecting portion and front portion 16 in stretched
engagement with respective outer surfaces thereof; placing a
plurality of ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 compliant cards in the financial and
identification card holder by placing the cards between the back
portion and the front portion so that the cards are surrounded by
the resilient band; and spreading the cards so that the cards
partially overlap, each card exposing the card beneath, while the
cards remain surrounded by the resilient band with at least a
portion of each card remaining between the back portion and the
front portion.
17. The method of claim 15 further comprising: removing a selected
card from the financial and identification card holder.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO THE RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Design
patent application Ser. No. 29/344570 filed on Sep. 30, 2009, which
is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Design patent application Ser.
No. 29/330190 filed on Dec. 30, 2008, which is a
continuation-in-part of U.S. Design patent application Ser. No.
29/300292 filed on Mar. 10, 2008 and which issued as U.S. Design
Pat. No. D584049 on Jan. 6, 2009, the teachings of all of which are
hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to apparatus for carrying
personal items, and in particular to a financial and identification
card holder.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Many people routinely carry financial and identification
cards, such as a driver's license and credit and debit cards, in a
wallet or in one's pockets or purse. Given the myriad special
offers often associated with credit cards, consumers will often use
different credit cards for different types of purchases. For
example, a consumer may use one particular credit card to purchase
fuel, another particular credit card to purchase groceries, and
still another particular credit card to purchase electronics. To
find a particular credit card, or other financial or identification
card, may require looking through numerous cards with two hands or
one by one.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Financial and identification card holders according to
aspects of the present invention can conveniently provide access to
any of the cards used most frequently on a day to day basis, and
can also hold temporary paper items such as cash, checks, receipts,
and parking stubs.
[0005] In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a
financial and identification card holder. The financial and
identification holder comprises a generally planar back portion, a
generally planar front portion and a connecting portion connecting
the back portion and the front portion. The back portion and the
front portion are substantially parallel to and spaced from one
another, and a base portion extends between the back portion and
the front portion. The inner surfaces of the back portion,
connecting portion, front portion and base portion define a partial
enclosure that is open opposite the connecting portion and the base
portion. A band mounting is secured to at least one of the back
portion, the front portion and the connecting portion.
[0006] In one embodiment, the back portion, connecting portion and
front portion comprise a single piece of material, and the
connecting portion may be a curved reverse bend. In such an
embodiment, the base portion preferably extends less than 2.125
inches (53.98 millimeters) from the inner vertex of the curved
reverse bend, more preferably about 1.378 inches (35.00
millimeters) therefrom, and the distance from the inner vertex of
the curved reverse bend to the distal edge of the back portion is
less than 2.125 inches (53.98 millimeters). Preferably, the back
portion extends further from the inner vertex of the curved reverse
bend than the front portion. In a particular embodiment, the
distance from the inner surface of the base portion to the upper
edge of the back portion is less than 3.370 inches (85.60
millimeters).
[0007] The financial and identification card holder preferably
further comprises a resilient band mounted to the financial and
identification card holder by the band mounting and surrounding the
back portion, the connecting portion and the front portion. In a
particularly preferred embodiment, the band mounting is on the back
portion.
[0008] In a particular embodiment, the front portion exposes a
larger portion of the inner surface of the back portion toward an
upper edge thereof than toward a lower edge thereof. The back
portion may extend further from the connecting portion than the
front portion.
[0009] In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a
method for managing financial and identification cards. The method
comprises providing a financial and identification card holder as
described above, placing a plurality of ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 compliant
cards in the financial and identification card holder by placing
the cards between the back portion and the front portion so that
the cards are surrounded by the resilient band, and spreading the
cards so that the cards partially overlap, each card exposing the
card beneath, while the cards remain surrounded by the resilient
band with at least a portion of each card remaining between the
back portion and the front portion. The method may further comprise
removing a selected card from the financial and identification card
holder.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] These and other features of the invention will become more
apparent from the following description in which reference is made
to the appended drawings wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1 shows a front perspective view of a first embodiment
of a financial and identification card holder, according to an
aspect of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 1A shows a front perspective view of the credit card
holder of FIG. 1, with financial and identification cards shown in
dotted lines;
[0013] FIG. 2 shows a rear perspective view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 3 shows a first side view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 4 shows a front view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 1;
[0016] FIG. 5 shows a second side view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 1;
[0017] FIG. 6 shows a rear view of the financial and identification
card holder of FIG. 1;
[0018] FIG. 7 shows a top view of the financial and identification
card holder of FIG. 1;
[0019] FIG. 8 shows a bottom view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 1;
[0020] FIG. 9 shows a front view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 1, with financial and
identification cards shown in dotted lines in a fanned
configuration;
[0021] FIG. 10 shows a front perspective view of a second
embodiment of a financial and identification card holder according
to an aspect of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 10A shows a front perspective view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 10, with financial and
identification cards shown in dotted lines;
[0023] FIG. 10B shows a front view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 10, with financial and
identification cards shown in dotted lines in a fanned
configuration;
[0024] FIG. 11 shows a rear perspective view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 10;
[0025] FIG. 12 shows a first side view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 10;
[0026] FIG. 13 shows a front view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 10;
[0027] FIG. 14 shows a second side view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 10;
[0028] FIG. 15 shows a rear view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 10;
[0029] FIG. 16 shows a top view of the financial and identification
card holder of FIG. 10;
[0030] FIG. 17 shows a bottom view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 10;
[0031] FIG. 18 shows a front perspective view of a third embodiment
of a financial and identification card holder according to an
aspect of the present invention;
[0032] FIG. 19A shows a front perspective view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 18, with financial and
identification cards shown in dotted lines;
[0033] FIG. 19B shows a front view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 18, with financial and
identification cards shown in dotted lines in a fanned
configuration;
[0034] FIG. 20 shows a rear perspective view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 18;
[0035] FIG. 21 shows a first side view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 18;
[0036] FIG. 22 shows a front view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 18;
[0037] FIG. 23 shows a second side view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 18;
[0038] FIG. 24 shows a rear view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 18;
[0039] FIG. 25 shows a top view of the financial and identification
card holder of FIG. 18; and
[0040] FIG. 26 shows a bottom view of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 18; and
[0041] FIGS. 27 and 28 are dimension drawings of the financial and
identification card holder of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0042] Financial and identification cards in the Canadian and U.S.
marketplace generally have a standard size, in accordance with the
ID-1 standard under ISO/IEC 7810, published by the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO), having an address at 1, ch.
de la Voie-Creuse, Case postale 56, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland.
The ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 standard specifies a size of 3.370 inches by
2.125 inches (85.60 millimeters by 53.98 millimeters). In addition,
the ISO/IEC 7813 standard, which applies to financial transaction
cards and which is also published by the ISO, specifies the
thickness of such cards as 0.040 inches (0.76 millimeters), with
rounded corners having a radius of 0.125 inches (3.18 millimeters).
Both the ISO/IEC 7810 and ISO/IEC 7813 standards are hereby
incorporated by reference in their entirety.
[0043] Preferred embodiments of financial and identification card
holders according to an aspect of the present invention are sized
for use with cards meeting the ID-1 standard under ISO/IEC 7810,
including not only credit cards but also debit cards,
identification cards, and the like.
[0044] FIGS. 1 to 9 show a first embodiment of a financial and
identification card holder according to an aspect of the present
invention, indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. The
financial and identification card holder 10 is sized to receive
cards meeting the ID-1 standard under ISO/IEC 7810.
[0045] The financial and identification card holder 10 comprises a
generally planar back portion 12, a connecting portion 14 and a
generally planar front portion 16, with the connecting portion 14
connecting the back portion 12 and the front portion 16. The back
portion 12 and the front portion 16 are substantially parallel to
and spaced from one another, and each have respective inner
surfaces 12A, 16A that face one another and respective outer
surfaces 12A, 16A. The connecting portion 14 also has an inner
surface 14A and an outer surface 14B. The back portion 12,
connecting portion 14 and front portion 16 may comprise a single
piece of material, such as plastic or sheet metal, and in the
illustrated embodiments the connecting portion 14 is a curved
reverse bend. Transparent, translucent or opaque materials may be
used. In other embodiments, the connecting portion may be planar,
or may have other shapes.
[0046] A base portion 18, having an inner surface 18A and an outer
surface 18B, extends between the back portion 12 and the front
portion 18 to define a partial enclosure 20 (see FIGS. 4 and 5)
bounded by the inner surfaces 12A, 14A, 16A and 18A of the back
portion 12, connecting portion 14, front portion 16 and base
portion 18, respectively. In the first embodiment 10, the base
portion 18 is planar; in other embodiments the base portion 18 may
have other shapes. The partial enclosure 20 is open opposite the
inner surfaces 14A, 18A, respectively, of the connecting portion 14
and base portion 18 so that financial and identification cards may
be inserted into the partial enclosure 20. In the first embodiment
10, the back portion 12 and front portion 16 are spaced from one
another by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of five
financial and/or identification cards 60, including the embossed
printing thereon. In this way the partial enclosure 20 can hold
five financial and/or identification cards 60 (see FIG. 1A) having
embossed printing. Moreover, depending on whether each card has
embossed printing, and the actual thickness of the particular
cards, more or fewer cards can be held. For example, up to eight
thin cards with no embossed characters would fit a partial
enclosure 20 designed for five cards having embossed printing, and
up to seven cards can be accommodated where the cards include some
cards that are embossed and some thin cards that are not embossed.
The partial enclosure 20 may be sized to hold more than five
embossed financial and/or identification cards, or fewer than five
embossed financial and/or identification cards.
[0047] In the first embodiment 10 the respective lower edges 22,
24, 26 of the back portion 12, connecting portion 14 and front
portion 16 are coplanar with one another and the base portion 18 is
flush with these lower edges 22, 24, 26; in other embodiments one
or more of the back portion, connecting portion and front portion
may extend past the base portion. Furthermore, in the first
embodiment 10, the base portion 18 engages the connecting portion
14 and is secured thereto; in other embodiments the base portion
may be spaced from the connecting portion. In the first embodiment
10, the lowermost part of the lower edge 22 of the back portion 12,
the lower edge 26 of the front portion 16, and the base portion 18
are substantially coterminous, and each extend about 1.378 inches
(35.00 millimeters) from the vertex of the connecting portion 14,
measured from the inner surface 14A thereof. The distal part of the
lower edge 22 of the back portion 12 (i.e. adjacent to the distal
edge 28 thereof, distal from the connecting portion 14) jogs
upwardly, toward the upper edge 32 of the back portion 12, to
define a recess 31. Thus, the lower edge 22 of the back portion 12
extends further than the lower edge 26 of the front portion and
further than the base portion 18.
[0048] The distal edge 30 of the front portion 16, that is, the
edge 30 opposite and distal from the connecting portion 14, slopes
generally away from the connecting portion 14 from the upper edge
36 of the front portion 16 (adjacent the upper edge 34 of the
connecting portion 14) toward the lower edge 26 thereof. Although a
small portion of the distal edge 30 of the front portion 16,
immediately adjacent the lower edge 26 of the front portion 16,
slopes back toward the connecting portion 14, the overall shape of
the distal edge 30 of the front portion 16 still slopes generally
away from the connecting portion 14. As a result, the front portion
16 exposes a larger portion of the inner surface 12A of the back
portion 12 toward the upper edge 32 thereof than toward the lower
edge 22 thereof.
[0049] The distal edge 28 of the back portion 12 is generally
linear, and extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal
direction of the connecting portion 14. As can be seen in FIGS. 1
and 4, in the first embodiment 10, the back portion 12 extends
substantially further from the connecting portion 14 than does the
front portion 16. The back portion 12 preferably extends less than
the width of an ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 compliant card, that is, less
than 2.125 inches (53.98 millimeters), from the vertex of the
connecting portion 14, measured from the inner surface 14A thereof.
At least the part of the back portion 12 aligned with the band
mounting 40 and resilient band 50 (described in greater detail
below) preferably extends less than 2.125 inches (53.98
millimeters) from the vertex of the connecting portion. For
example, in an alternative embodiment (not shown), the back portion
12 may generally extend further than than 2.125 inches (53.98
millimeters) from the vertex of the connecting portion, but may
include a recess in alignment with the band mounting where the
distal edge of the back portion is less than 2.125 inches (53.98
millimeters) from the vertex of the connecting portion.
[0050] As best seen in FIGS. 2, 3, 5 and 6, a band mounting 40 is
secured to the back portion 12, toward the upper edge 32 thereof.
In other embodiments, the band mounting may be disposed at
alternative positions on the back portion, or on the front portion
or the connecting portion, or on more than one of them. In
addition, other embodiments may have a plurality of band
mountings.
[0051] In the first embodiment 10, the band mounting 40 comprises a
pair of opposed L-shaped arms 42 each having a first portion 44
extending perpendicularly from the outer surface 12A of the back
portion 12, and a second portion 46 extending from the first
portion 44 substantially parallel to the outer surface 12A. The
second portions 46 extend toward one another, thereby defining an
enclosure bounded by the outer surface 12A of the back portion 12,
the first portions 44 of the arms 42, and the second portions 46 of
the arms 42, with a gap 48 between the second portions of the arms
42, through which a resilient band 50 can be inserted into the
enclosure and thereby secured to the first embodiment 10 of a
financial and identification card holder. The arms 42 of the band
mounting 40 may be integral with the back portion 12 or
alternatively, the arms 42 of the band mounting 40 may be secured
to the outer surface 12A of the back portion 12 by welding,
adhesive or other suitable attachment technique.
[0052] Once the resilient band 50 is secured to the band mounting
40, the resilient band 50 may be positioned to surround the back
portion 12, connecting portion 14 and front portion 16, in
stretched engagement with the respective outer surfaces 12A, 14A,
16A thereof. As best seen in FIG. 7, when so positioned the
resilient band 50 slopes inwardly from the outer surface 16A of the
front portion toward the distal edge 28 of the back portion 12.
[0053] A plurality of financial and/or identification cards 60 may
be inserted into the partial enclosure 20 defined by the back
portion 12, connecting portion 14, front portion 16 and base
portion 18 by sliding the cards 60 downwardly from the upper edge
32 of the back portion 12, between the back portion 12 and front
portion 16 and through the inside of the loop of the resilient band
50. Once inserted, as shown in FIG. 1A, the proximal long edges 62p
of the cards 60 abut the inner surface 14A of the connecting
portion 14 and the proximal short edges 64p of the cards 60 abut
the inner surface 18A of the base portion 18. Because the back
portion 12 extends less than the width of an ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1
compliant card from the vertex of the connecting portion 14, the
resilient band 50 is slightly stretched and engages the distal long
edges 62d of the cards 60 (i.e. the long edges opposite and distal
from the connecting portion 14) thereby applying force biasing the
cards 60 toward the connecting portion 14 and resisting by friction
sliding of the cards 60 away from the base portion 18. Thus, the
cards 60 are positioned between the back portion 12 and the front
portion 16 and are surrounded by the resilient band 50, which
cooperates with the back portion 12, connecting portion 14, front
portion 16 and base portion 18 to retain the cards 60 within the
partial enclosure 20. Optionally, temporary paper items such as
cash, checks, receipts, and parking stubs (not shown) can be
retained between the cards 60 and the back portion 12.
[0054] When the cards 60 are secured in the first embodiment 10 of
a financial and identification card holder, the cards 60 can be
spread out so that a user (not shown) can see the different cards
60, without needing to remove the cards 60 from the first
embodiment 10 of a financial and identification card holder. To
spread the cards, a user would grip the first embodiment 10 of a
financial and identification card holder in one hand, and use their
other hand to pull the cards 60 away from the connecting portion 14
and spread them apart. Spreading the cards 60 apart can be done by
pulling the cards 60 substantially linearly away from the
connecting portion 14, each card 60 by a different distance so as
to expose part of the card 60 beneath, or by fanning the cards 60
so that the short edges 64p that are proximal to the base portion
18 pivot against the distal edge 66 of the base portion 18, as
shown in FIG. 9, with a different pivot amount for each card 60 so
as to expose part of the card 60 beneath. In each case, at least a
portion of each card 60 remains between the front portion 16 and
the back portion 12. The user applies the necessary force to
stretch the resilient band 50, which continues to surround the now
partially overlapping cards 60. For example, a user could with one
hand place his or her thumb on the front portion 16 and one or more
fingers on the back portion 12, and use the thumb, and possibly the
fingers, of the other hand to spread the cards 60.
[0055] Once the cards 60 have been spread, a user can select and
remove one or more of the cards 60, for example to make a purchase,
and then release the remaining cards 60, whereupon the resilient
band 50 will return to its original length, moving the cards 60
back toward the connecting portion 14 until the long edges 62d, 62p
of the cards 60 are substantially parallel to the longitudinal
direction of the connecting portion 14, with the long edges 62p
that are proximal to the connecting portion 14 being in engagement
therewith. Some of the cards 60 may be longitudinally displaced,
that is, spaced from the inner surface 18A of the base portion 18,
and the user can push the cards 60 back toward the inner surface
18A of the base portion 18 by applying pressure to the short edges
64d that are distal from the base portion 18.
[0056] Alternatively, a user could spread the cards 60 by sliding
them generally parallel to the longitudinal direction of the
connecting portion 14, away from the base portion 18, each card 60
by a different distance so as to expose part of the card 60
beneath, and then return the cards 60 to their original position by
applying pressure to the short edges 64d that are distal from the
base portion 18. With this alternate form of spreading, at least a
portion of each financial and identification card 60 remains
between the front portion 16 and the back portion 12 and the
resilient band 50 continues to surround the partially overlapping
cards 60.
[0057] FIGS. 27 and 28 are dimension drawings for the first
embodiment 10 of a financial and identification card holder, with
reference letters used to denote various dimensions. The chart
below sets out the corresponding approximate numerical dimensions
of the first embodiment 10 of a financial and identification card
holder, in inches.
TABLE-US-00001 Reference Dimension (inches) A 2.540 B 0.5100 C
0.4500 D 0.8030 E 2.1530 F 0.0750 G 0.3870 H 2.7370 I 1.4452 J
0.4690 K 0.1000 L 0.0600
[0058] Referring now to FIGS. 10 to 17, a second exemplary
embodiment of a financial and identification card holder is shown
generally at 210. The second embodiment 210 is similar to the first
embodiment 10, and accordingly corresponding reference numerals are
used to denote corresponding features, except beginning with the
prefix "2". Thus, in the second embodiment the back portion is
denoted by the reference numeral 212, the connecting portion is
denoted by the reference numeral 214, and so on.
[0059] In the second embodiment 210, the front portion 216 and the
base portion 218 do not extend as far from the connecting portion
214 as the front portion 16 and the base portion 18 extend from the
connecting portion 14 in the first embodiment 10. The base portion
218 is shorter on the side adjacent the front portion 216 than on
the side adjacent the back portion 212, and the distal edge 266 of
the base portion 218 runs diagonally from the front portion 216 to
the back portion 212. In addition, in the second embodiment 210 the
first portions 244 of the arms 242 are opposed semi-circular
members.
[0060] With reference now to FIGS. 18 to 25, reference numeral 310
denotes generally a third exemplary embodiment of a financial and
identification card holder. The third embodiment 310 is similar to
the first embodiment 10, and as such corresponding reference
numerals are used to denote corresponding features, except
beginning with the prefix "3". Accordingly, the back portion of the
third embodiment is denoted by the reference numeral 312, the
connecting portion of the third embodiment is denoted by the
reference numeral 314, and so forth.
[0061] As with the second embodiment 210, in the third embodiment
310 the front portion 316 does not extend as far from the
connecting portion 314 as the front portion 16 in the first
embodiment 10, and the base portion 318 is shorter adjacent the
front portion 316 than adjacent the back portion 312, running
diagonally at its distal end from the front portion 316 to the back
portion 312. Moreover, in the third embodiment 310, the base
portion 318, in particular the part of the base portion 318
adjacent the front portion 316, extends substantially further from
the connecting portion 314 than does the lower edge 326 of the
front portion 316. The lower edge 322 of the back portion 312 does
not include any recess.
[0062] In addition, in the third embodiment 310 the band mounting
comprises an annular rivet 340 which permanently secures the
resilient band 350 to the back portion 312.
[0063] As with the first embodiment 10, ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 compliant
cards 60 can be inserted into and retained within the second and
third embodiments 210, 310 of a financial and identification card
holder, and can be spread once inserted. This is shown in FIGS. 10A
and 10B for the second embodiment 210 and in FIGS. 19A and 19B for
the third embodiment 310.
[0064] The exemplary financial and identification card holders
illustrated herein are intended for right-handed users; financial
and identification card holders intended for left-handed users may
be constructed, for example, according to a mirror image of the
exemplary financial and identification card holders illustrated
herein.
[0065] One or more currently preferred embodiments have been
described by way of example. It will be apparent to persons skilled
in the art that a number of variations and modifications can be
made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined
in the claims.
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