APPAREL-MOUNTABLE WALLET
A wallet comprises a pouch body having a pouch portion for the carrying of items, a flexible strap extending from the pouch body, and a pair of mutually attractable magnetic elements spaced apart a distance on the wallet and associated with the strap allow the strap to be folded about an edge of a layer such that the magnetic elements are in alignment at opposite sides of the layer to retain the wallet in position upon the layer. The wallet is particularly adapted to be mounted on an article of clothing or a footwear item at a hem or edge, with the flexible strap being wrapped about the edge to maintain the wallet in position. The pouch body may be positioned adjacent an interior surface of the clothing or footwear article to keep it out of sight.
The present invention is directed to a wallet construction, and in particular to wallets and similar personal article carriers that may be affixed to apparel or footwear, such as blouses, boots, pants and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIndividuals typically carry a license or other form of identification, credit cards, and money in a wallet. The wallet, in turn is typically carried by a man in a pocket, while women place their wallets in a purse or handbag. In certain circumstances the portage of a purse or handbag can be an inconvenience, inhibiting activity. For example, participating in sports or dancing can be significantly impeded by the need to carry even a purse, whether held in the hand or carried on the shoulder by a strap. Yet the importance and/or value of the items in the wallet suggest that they remain with their owner.
In addition, while a purse or wallet may be viewed as a fashion accessory, there are circumstances where the presence of such an article provides unwanted notice to others that there is a likelihood of valuables being carried on the person. An exposed purse or wallet may be prone to pilferage or theft.
It is accordingly a purpose of the present invention to provide a wallet or similar personal effects carrier that can be affixed to an article of clothing or footwear. A further purpose of the invention is to provide such a carrier that can be affixed to and remove from the article of clothing or footwear without damage to the article. Yet another purpose of the invention is to provide a carrier of relatively small size that can be concealed on the person.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with the foregoing, the present invention comprises a pouch unit container or pocket, typically of fabric. A strap extends from the pouch unit, and bears a magnetic element at its distal end. A compatible magnetic element is positioned on the pouch unit, and preferably along an upper edge thereof, to engage with the strap's magnet. The pouch unit is positioned against a surface of an article of clothing or footwear proximate a free edge thereof, and the strap is wrapped about the exposed edge such that its magnetic element is on the opposite side of the surface against which the pouch unit is placed, magnetic attraction between the two magnetic elements holding the pouch unit in place. When it is desired to detach the pouch unit the two magnetic elements are simply manually separated.
The strap may be removably affixed to the pouch unit. In such an embodiment the strap contains both magnetic elements. When removed from the pouch unit the strap can itself serve as a keeper for keys or a security card, mountable about the edge of an article of clothing or footwear. The strap alone is wrapped about the exposed edge such that the magnetic elements are aligned on opposite side of the surface to which the strap is to be mounted, magnetic attraction between the two magnetic elements holding the strap and supported item(s) in place.
A fuller understanding of the invention will be achieved upon consideration of the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment thereof, when taken in association with the annexed drawings, wherein:
As shown in
Elongated strap 20 projects upwardly from the pouch unit from its top surface. As depicted, it may be located at second pouch portion 16. As shown in
The strap may be separable from the pouch unit to allow independent use as an apparel-mountable device in the nature of a keychain, security card mount, or the like.
While the strap is preferably affixed to the pouch unit on an outside surface of the pouch unit, it also may be joined to the pouch unit on an interior pouch surface. In such a case the fasteners 110 may preferably be of the same type as the closure 28 as depicted in
Claims
1. A wallet, comprising a pouch body having a pouch portion for the carrying of items, a flexible strap extending from the pouch body, and a pair of mutually attractable magnetic elements spaced apart a distance on the wallet and associated with the strap allow the strap to be folded about an edge of a layer of a piece of wearing apparel or footwear such that the magnetic elements are in alignment at opposite sides of the layer to retain the wallet in position upon the layer.
2. The wallet of claim 1 wherein the strap has a first end portion and a distal portion and extends from an open end of the pouch portion, the first end portion of the strap being in alignment with and affixed to a side of the pouch portion, one of the magnetic elements being located at the distal end portion.
3. The wallet of claim 2 wherein a second of the magnets is located at the first end portion.
4. The wallet of claim 2 wherein the pouch portion is provided with a closure.
5. The wallet of claim 1 wherein wallet body further includes a second pouch portion, the first and second pouch portions being separated by a common wall of the wallet body.
6. The wallet of claim 2 wherein the pouch body and strap are of fabric.
7. The wallet of claim 6 wherein the magnetic elements are positioned between layers of the fabric of the strap.
8. The wallet of claim 7 wherein an article of adornment is affixed to an outer surface of the strap.
9. The wallet of claim 8 wherein a second of the magnetic elements is located proximate a distal end of the strap and the article of adornment is positioned proximate the location of the second magnetic element.
10. The wallet of claim 1 wherein the strap is connected to the pouch body by a separable connector, the magnetic elements being located on the strap, whereby the strap can be disconnected from the pouch body and separably retained in position upon the layer.
11. The wallet of claim 10 wherein the separable connector is a snap connector, a pair of mutually attracted magnetic elements, or a button and button hole combination.
12. The wallet of claim 10 wherein the strap is connected to an interior surface of the pouch portion by a separable connector.
13. The wallet of claim 12 wherein the pouch portion has a snap closure, the separable connector being mateable with the snap closure.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 5, 2015
Publication Date: Dec 8, 2016
Inventor: Alexandra WHITAKER (Rockville, MD)
Application Number: 14/731,533