REMOVABLE COVER FOR CARDS BEARING MAGNETIC STRIPS AND BAR CODES ON A REAR SURFACE OF THE CARD

Abstract

A protective cover for cards that can conveniently be snapped into place on the back of the card and readily removed and replaced any number of times for convenience. Such a protective cover does not interfere with the use of the card. in addition, the protective cover protects the magnetic strip of the card or the bar codes of the card such that attempts to retrieve the information on the magnetic strips and the bar codes by radio frequency use is prevented.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cards carried by most people today bear magnetic strips and/or bar codes on the rear surface of the card. Since the cards are carried in numerous locations upon the person, it is a given that such cards will eventually be abraded and scored such that the magnetic strips and/or the bar codes will not work when placed in a machine for verification and identification.

Such cards are used in virtually every type of business in existence and are primarily used for identification, medical information, financing, in general commerce, medical treatment, insurance information and identification, and most especially in the purchase of gasoline and other common everyday goods and services.

In addition, there is wear problems with the ink on the front and back surfaces of the cards that creates problems with identification and the like.

This results in the user/owner having to replace the card and this requires that the card owner or servicer has to be contacted and a new card mailed to the user. This entails time, but, the most egregious of the problems is the time that the user is without the card as he or she waits for the arrival of the new card.

THE INVENTION

Thus, there is disclosed and claimed herein, a removable cover for cards bearing magnetic strips and bar codes on a rear surface of the card. The card comprises a snap on edging wherein the snap on edging has a side wall with a top edge and a bottom edge. The bottom edge has an interior surface, the interior surface having a plurality of perpendicular lipped protrusions extending from it. The top edge has fixedly surmounted on it, a clear plastic cover.

Thus, there is provided a protective cover for cards that can conveniently be snapped into place on the back of the card and readily removed and replaced any number of times for convenience. Such a protective cover does not interfere with the use of the card. In addition, the protective cover of this invention protects the magnetic strip of the card or the bar codes of the card such that attempts to retrieve the information on the magnetic strips and the bar codes by radio frequency use, is prevented.

This device differs from the prior art, in that, the use of the protective covers as opposed to protective devices of the prior art mean that less bulk is carried in purses, pockets and billfolds by the user. In addition, the plastic cover of the protective device can be imprinted with advertising and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a full front view of a device of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a full back view of a device of this invention containing a credit card.

FIG. 3 is a full side view of a device of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a full cross sectional end view of a device of this invention taken through line A-A of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a full back view of a device of this invention showing imprinting thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning now to a full description of the device of this invention, there is shown a removable cover 1 for cards 9 (FIG. 4) that bear magnetic strips 10 (FIG. 5) and/or bar codes on a rear surface of the card. There is shown a snap edge 2 and a clear plastic cover 3. The snap edge 2 has a side wall 4 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, that has a top edge 5 and a bottom edge 6. (FIG. 4).

The bottom edge 6 has an interior surface 7 and there are a plurality of perpendicular (perpendicular to the side wall) lipped protrusions 8, extending from the side wall interior surface 7. The card 9 with the magnetic strip 10 facing the clear plastic cover 3 is inserted into the cover 3 and the lipped protrusions 8 slip over the edge 11 of the card 9 and hold the cover 3 in place on the card.

In this manner, the information on the card 9 is protected from abrasion and scoring.

Claims

1. A removable cover for cards bearing magnetic strips and bar codes on a rear surface of the card, comprising:

a. a snap on edging, said snap on edging having a side wall with a top edge and a bottom edge;

b. said bottom edge having an interior surface, said interior surface having a plurality of perpendicular lipped protrusions extending therefrom;

the top edge having fixedly surmounted thereon, a clear plastic cover.

2. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clear plastic cover is colorless.

3. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clear plastic cover is colored.

4. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the snap on edge is colorless.

5. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the snap on edge is colored.

6. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plastic cover is a security cover that limits radio frequency identification access.

7. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plastic cover has a security strip placed thereon that is a security strip that limits radio frequency identification access.

8. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the perpendicular lipped protrusions extending from the bottom edge of the side wall is in the range of from 0.010 to about 0.020 inches.

9. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the length of the perpendicular lipped protrusions extending from the bottom edge of the side wall is in the range of from about 0.08 to about 0.12 inches.

10. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the removable cover is in the range of about 0.045 to about 0.050 inches, including the clear plastic cover.

11. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the clear plastic cover is in the range of about 0.001 to about 0.003 inches.

12. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 7 wherein the security strip is aluminum.

13. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 7 wherein the security strip is lead.

14. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 7 wherein the security strip is a polymeric plastic containing aluminum.

15. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 7 wherein the security strip is a polymeric plastic containing lead.

16. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 7 wherein the security strip is a coating containing aluminum.

17. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 7 wherein the security strip is a coating containing lead.

18. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clear plastic cover is imprinted.

19. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 18, wherein the imprinting is advertising.