CELLPHONE WALLET WITH KEY POCKET

Abstract

A self-adhesive cell phone wallet that can be affixed to a cell phone includes a card member pocket and a key member pocket. The self-adhesive cell phone wallet enables a user to carry items typically stored in a wallet and a number of keys such that the user only has to carry a cell phone to transport the items stored in the card member pocket and the key member pocket, rather than carrying a handbag or wearing pockets to separately transport a cell phone, a wallet, and keys.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/926,707 filed on Oct. 28, 2019, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The disclosed concept pertains to add-on wallets for wireless handheld devices, such as cell phones.

2. Description of the Related Art

Cell phones and other wireless handheld communication devices have become an integral part of modern life. Leaving home without a cell phone is akin to leaving home without a wallet or keys. As important as having a cell phone, wallet, and keys outside the home can be, keeping track of where all three items are located at any one time can be tedious. At times, it can be undesirable to have to carry a handbag or other accessory to transport all three items, or to wear clothing with pockets large enough to accommodate all three items.

Accordingly, there is room for improvement in systems used to simultaneously transport a cell phone, wallet, and keys.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide, in one embodiment, a self-adhesive cell phone wallet comprising: a base member including an adhesive material provided on a first phone facing surface thereof; a first wall member coupled to the base member at a second surface of the base member, the first wall member being coupled to the base member such that a card member pocket structured to receive and hold a card member is formed; and a second wall member coupled to the first wall member, the second wall member comprising: a top edge; a bottom edge; a first portion; and a second portion, the first portion being wider than the second portion and the second wall member being coupled to the first wall member such that a key member pocket structured to receive and hold a key is formed, wherein an axis of the second wall member is disposed at an angle not parallel to a bottom edge of the first wall member, and wherein the key member pocket comprises a first portion corresponding to the first portion of the second wall member and a second portion corresponding to the second portion of the second wall member.

These and other objects, features, and characteristics of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a an angled view of a self-adhesive cell phone wallet with a key pocket in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed concept;

FIG. 2 is an angled cross-sectional view of the cell phone wallet shown in

FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows an alternate view of the base member of the cell phone wallet shown in FIG. 1 with an adhesive material affixed on the phone facing surface of the base member in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed concept;

FIG. 4 shows the cell phone wallet shown in FIG. 1 affixed to a cell phone and including alternate features to ensure the security of items stored in the key member pocket in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed concept; and

FIG. 5 shows the first wall member of the cell phone wallet shown in FIG. 1 formed with an opening in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed concept.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

As used herein, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As used herein, the statement that two or more parts or components are “coupled” shall mean that the parts are joined or operate together either directly or indirectly, i.e., through one or more intermediate parts or components, so long as a link occurs.

As used herein, the term “number” shall mean one or an integer greater than one (i.e., a plurality).

As used herein, the word “unitary” means a component is created as a single piece or unit. That is, a component that includes pieces that are created separately and then coupled together as a unit is not a “unitary” component or body.

Directional phrases used herein, such as, for example and without limitation, top, bottom, left, right, upper, lower, front, back, and derivatives thereof, relate to the orientation of the elements shown in the drawings and are not limiting upon the claims unless expressly recited therein.

The disclosed concept, as described in greater detail herein in connection with various particular exemplary embodiments, provides a mechanism that enables a cell phone or other wireless handheld communication device to store items typically stored in a wallet and a number of keys. FIG. 1 shows an angled view of a self-adhesive cell phone wallet with a key pocket in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed concept, and FIG. 2 shows an angled cross-sectional view of the self-adhesive cell phone wallet shown in FIG. 1. Wallet 100 comprises a base member 110, a first wall member 120, and a second wall member 130. Referring to FIG. 3, base member 110 has a phone facing surface (the phone facing surface being disposed on a side of base member 110 opposite the side and surface of base member 110 shown in FIG. 1) on which an adhesive material 150 is included in order to enable wallet 100 to be easily affixed to a cell phone and subsequently removed from the cell phone if desired.

Referring again to FIG. 1, first wall member 120 is coupled to the second non-phone facing surface of base member 110 to form a card member pocket 115, sized in order to adequately fit and secure cards such as university student ID cards, credit or debit cards, and other similarly sized cards, as well as cash. Second wall member 130 is smaller in surface area than first wall member 120 and is coupled to first wall member 120 in order to form a key member pocket 125, second wall member 130 being sized and shaped such that key member pocket 125 can adequately fit and secure a key, for example and without limitation a house or dormitory key. In an exemplary embodiment, base member 110 is formed with a cutout 200 in its top edge (relative to the view shown in FIG. 1) located proximate to the opening of card member pocket 115 and first wall member is formed with a dip 300 in its top edge (relative to the view shown in FIG. 1) at the opening of card member pocket 115 in order to make grabbing a card member out of card member pocket 115 easier.

Second wall member 130 comprises a top edge 132, a bottom edge 134, a first portion that includes top edge 132, and a second portion that includes bottom edge 134, the first portion being relatively wide compared to the second portion and the second portion being relatively narrow compared to the first portion, such that a corresponding first portion of key member pocket 125 is wide enough to fit the bow of a key and a second portion of key member pocket 125 is structured to receive the blade of the key. Second wall member 130 is positioned such that its longitudinal axis 131 (shown in dashed line in FIG. 1) is disposed at an angle not parallel to the bottom edge (relative to the view shown in FIG. 1) of first wall member 120. As seen in the figures, the bottom edge of first wall member is substantially straight. Dashed parallel line 121 is parallel to the bottom edge of first wall member 120, and an angle θ is formed between axis 131 and parallel line 121. Positioning second wall member 130 such that axis 131 is disposed at a non-parallel angle relative to the bottom edge of first wall member 120 makes it easier to discern key member pocket 125 from card member pocket 115 by touch while maintaining the security of a key placed inside of key member pocket 125, since disposing second wall member 130 at a non-parallel angle results in the opening of pocket 125 being oriented at least partially upward (relative to the view shown in FIG. 1) rather than being oriented completely sideways with the top edge 132 of second wall member 130 being parallel to the right edge (relative to the view shown in FIG. 1) of first wall member 120. It is suggested that a value of 0 within the range of 45 degrees to 60 degrees maximizes the ease with which key member pocket 125 can be discerned from card member pocket 115 by touch alone, however, values of 0 outside of this range may be used without departing from the scope of the disclosed concept.

In an exemplary embodiment, base member 110, first wall member 120, and second wall member 130 can be produced from polymers such as plastic or silicone that are sufficiently rigid so as to form a secure pocket while also being sufficiently pliable to allow retrieval of a card out of card member pocket 115 or a key out of key member pocket 125. Accordingly, first wall member 120 can be coupled to base member 110 and second wall member 130 can be coupled to first wall member 120 by any method suitable for coupling polymer members to one another, including but not limited to welding or integrally forming such components together by injection molding. In an exemplary embodiment, the non-phone facing surface of base member 110, i.e. the surface visible in FIG. 1 which forms card member pocket 115 with first wall member 120, can be textured in order to better secure the cards, cash, or other items being stored in card member pocket 115.

To further ensure the security of a key or other item being stored within key member pocket 125, second wall member 130 can be formed as any one of a number of shapes to accommodate keys of various shapes without departing from the scope of the disclosed concept. In one non-limiting example, referring to FIG. 4, second wall member 130 may be produced to be a substantially triangular shape instead of the plunger shape shown in FIG. 1. Similarly to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4, second wall member 130 has a first portion comprising top edge 132 and a second portion comprising bottom edge 134, with the first portion being relatively wide compared to the second portion and the second portion being relatively narrow compared to the first portion. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the left side and right side edges (relative to the view shown in FIG. 4) of second wall member 130 that are bounded between top edge 132 and bottom edge 134 are linear, as opposed to being curved like the left and right edges (relative to the view shown in FIG. 1) of second wall member 130 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. The security of a key being stored within key member pocket 125 can be further ensured by including an optional bump 160 (shown in FIG. 4) on first wall member 120 above the top edge 132 of second wall member 130. Bump 160 can either be integrally formed on first wall member 120 or produced separately and coupled to first wall member, for example and without limitation, by welding. Bump 160 can be omitted from first wall member 120 without departing from the scope of the disclosed concept. In addition to showing an alternative shape of second wall member 130 and optional bump 160, FIG. 4 also shows cell phone wallet 100 affixed to the non-screen side of a cell phone 10 via adhesive 150 (not visible in FIG. 4).

Referring to FIG. 5, in an exemplary embodiment, first wall member can be formed with an opening 160. Opening 160 is disposed adjacent to the phone facing surface of second wall member 130 and is covered by second wall member 130 when second wall member 130 is coupled to first wall member 120. In an exemplary embodiment, first wall member and second wall member can be formed as a unitary body, for example and without limitation by injection molding, and forming first wall member with opening 160 facilitates the injection molding process. Forming first wall member with opening 160 can also enable key member pocket 125 to expand in order to accommodate a particularly bulky key or other bulky items that may be stored within key member pocket 125. First wall member can be formed without opening 160 without departing from the scope of the disclosed concept.

In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word “comprising” or “including” does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in a claim. In a device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The word “a” or “an” preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. In any device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain elements are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that these elements cannot be used in combination.

Although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood that the present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any embodiment can be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment.

Claims

1. A self-adhesive cell phone wallet comprising: the first portion being wider than the second portion and the second wall member being coupled to the first wall member such that a key member pocket structured to receive and hold a key is formed,

a base member having an adhesive material provided on a first phone facing surface thereof;

a first wall member coupled to the base member at a second surface of the base member, the first wall member being coupled to the base member such that a card member pocket structured to receive and hold a card member is formed; and

a second wall member coupled to the first wall member, the second wall member comprising: a top edge; a bottom edge; a first portion; and a second portion,

wherein an axis of the second wall member is disposed at an angle not parallel to a bottom edge of the first wall member, and

wherein the key member pocket comprises a first portion corresponding to the first portion of the second wall member and a second portion corresponding to the second portion of the second wall member.

2. The wallet of claim 1,

wherein the first portion of the key member pocket is structured to fit the bow of the key, and

wherein a second portion of the key member pocket is structured to fit the blade of the key.

3. The wallet of claim 1,

wherein the second wall member further comprises two side edges, each of the two side edges being bounded between the top edge and the bottom edge,

wherein the two side edges are linear.

4. The wallet of claim 1, wherein the first wall member comprises a polymer.

5. The wallet of claim 1, wherein the second wall member comprises a polymer.

6. The wallet of claim 1, wherein a top edge of the base member does not form a straight a line.

7. The wallet of claim 1, wherein a top edge of the first wall member does not form a straight line.

8. The wallet of claim 1, wherein the second surface of the base member is textured.

9. The wallet of claim 1,

wherein the bottom edge of the first wall member forms a straight line, and

wherein the angle at which the axis of the second wall member is disposed falls within a range of 45 degrees to 60 degrees as measured from a line parallel to the bottom edge of the first wall member.

10. The wallet of claim 1, further comprising:

a bump coupled to the first wall member a distance above a top edge of the second wall member.

11. The wallet of claim 1,

wherein the first wall member is formed with an opening disposed adjacent to a phone facing surface of the second wall member, and

wherein the opening formed in the first wall member is covered by the second wall member.

12. The wallet of claim 1, wherein the first wall member and second wall member are formed as a unitary body.