GB2332420A

GB2332420A - Automatic card holder

Info

Publication number: GB2332420A
Application number: GB9726733A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Enrico Sandoli
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-12-19
Filing date: 1997-12-19
Publication date: 1999-06-23
Also published as: GB9726733D0

Abstract

An automatic card holder contains card sliders that are pulled out when pressing a relevant button. Two or more cards can be extracted by pressing the corresponding buttons. The card holder is made of a box 1 with buttons on the front (only one button 4 and one slider 3 are shown for clarity). Guides 2 allow flat card sliders 3 to slide out when the corresponding buttons 4 are pressed. Card sliders are pushed out of the box by elastic elements (e.g. elastic metal bars) attached to their rear part. A slider is not allowed to come out of the box completely, but it is kept within the box by two bars 7 at the end of the body. The holder may have a lid to prevent cards from slipping out.

Description

2332420 Automatic card holder This invention relates to an automatic card

holder.

Credit, debit and ID cards are usually kept all together in a wallet or in specific holders whereby each card is stored within a separate plastic folder. Now that companies are issuing magnetic D cards for their personnel, and that shops and market stores are widely marketing their bonus-points cards, both arrangements become increasingly impractical as the number of cards makes it more difficult to retrieve the required one when it is needed. The difficulty increases in market stores where a bonus card is required to collect points, as two cards (the bonus card and a credit or debit card) will need to be used at the time of paying.

According to the present invention there is provided a card holder for cards the size of a credit card, whereby each card is pulled out just by pressing or sliding a relevant button or lever. Two or more cards can be pulled out simply by pressing or sliding the corresponding buttons or levers, each of which may be labelled with the relevant card name.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which.- Figure 1 shows in perspective the card holder (for clarity only one button 4 and one slider 3 are shown, while the lateral covering bar 5 is shown as detached from the main body); Figure 2 shows in perspective one card slider and the relevant button, Figure 3 illustrates, in perspective, a vertical section of the main body (with reference to Figure 1) and one entire slider; Figure 4 shows a horizontal section of the main body and one entire slider (the card holder is sectioned at the level of the only button shown in Figure 1) Referring to the drawings the card holder is made of a box (the body 1) with buttons on its front side (for clarity all figures only show one button 4 and one slider 3). Figure 3 shows how the body 1 has internal guides 2 onto which flat card sliders 3 are able to slide out when the corresponding button 4 is pressed. On one side of the holder, for each pair of corresponding guide and slider, there are two sectioned areas, one 9 on the guide and one 10 on the slider.

Figure 2 shows how each button 4 is made of a rigid metal bar which has the form of an elongated 'C'., its lower extremity stays inside the sectioned area 10 1 in the relevant card slider, keeping the latter inside the structure of the body. When pressed, the button slides internally alongside the lateral part of the body allowing its lower extremity to enter the sectioned area 9 of the guide and thus letting the card slider slide out of the box. The button is kept pulled outwards by an elastic metal bar 6, shown in figure 4 and omitted in the others for clarity of drawing. Sunken areas 11 on top of the body keep the metal bars 6 in position.

The card slider is pushed out of the box by an elastic element 8 (e.g. an elastic metal bar) attached to its rear part. The slider is not allowed to come out of the box completely, but it is kept within the box by two bars 7 at the end of the body. When the card is replaced onto its holder, it can be pushed back manually until the relevant button lower extremity falls within the sectioned area 10 in the slider, thus retaining it within the box.

The holder may have a lid to prevent cards from slipping out. This function can be performed by a cover for the whole holder (which could be embedded in a wallet, for example) or by some other means, and is not shown in the pictures.

2

Claims

1. A card holder for cards the size of a credit card, whereby each card is pulled out just by pressing or sliding a relevant button or lever. Two or more cards can be pulled out simply by pressing or sliding the corresponding buttons or levers.

2. A card holder as claimed in Claim 1, consisting of a main body and a number of card slides which slide in and out of the main body.

3. A card holder as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein guides inside the box are provided to let the card sliders slide in and out of the main body.

4. A card holder as claimed in Claim 1, Claim 2 or Claim 3, whereby card sliders are pulled out of the main body by means of an elastic element (e. g. an elastic metal bar or spring) when a button or lever is released, pushed or moved.

5. A card holder substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1-4 of the accompanying drawings.

3