Article organizer with sliding snap apart article holders

Abstract

An article organizer includes a plurality of article holders removably attached to one another in a stacked arrangement. Each article holder is configured to retain one or more articles. Adjacent article holders include cooperating sliding and snap features that permit relative sliding movement and selective separation by a prying motion. When a separating force is applied between adjacent article holders, one or more engagement features deform and release to allow the adjacent article holders to snap apart.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 63 / 692,546, filed 2024 September 9th by the present inventor.BACKGROUND

[0002] The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant:KindPatent NumberCodeIssue DatePatentee8,899,411B22014 Dec. 2R. J van Geer bv, Rijswijk (NL)9,339,094B22016 May 17Spectre Wallets10,278,466B22019 May 7David Joseph TalaricoForeign Patent DocumentsForeignDoc. Nr.Cntry CodeKind CodePubl. DateApplicant0287532EPA31989 Jul. 12Fab Trading S.R.L.Web PagesDate ofDate ofAuthorTitleURLPublicationRetrievalAdamMobiuswww.kickstarter.com / projects / adamwilson / 2013 Jul. 152017 Nov. 20WilsonWalletmobius-its-not-your-fathers-walletErasnepKeplerohttps: / / www.kickstarter.com / projects / 381272015 Jun. 302017 Nov. 20LLC7743 / keplero-luxury-walletOne example of an article is a credit card. One example of an article storage organizer is a wallet. The metal minimalist wallet market is growing as people look for slim, lightweight, efficient wallets. The increase in digital and contactless payment methods has allowed people to go cashless and carry fewer cards. Two of the most popular metal minimalist wallets to date are the Ridge wallet and the Ekster wallet. The Ridge wallet comprises two metal plates with an encircling elastic band. The user places their cards in between the plates and the band hold them securely. This type of wallet is frustrating to use because the user must remove all of their cards from the wallet in order to sort through and locate the desired card. The Ekster wallet attempts to solve this by using a lever that pushes the user's cards out of the wallet. However, complaints from users show that the true functionality is very limited. Furthermore, the Ekster wallet is a fixed thickness that requires the user to have exactly six cards for the lever to function properly.One wallet that solves the shortcomings of the Ridge and the Ekster wallets is described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,278,466. This wallet houses cards in individual layers that slide along one another. Unlike traditional metal minimalist wallets, this wallet's sliding design allows the user to easily access cards in the middle of the stack. Furthermore, the design is modular, allowing the user to add or remove layers based on how many cards they intend to carry.

[0005] The disclosed invention improves upon on the technology presented in U.S. Pat. No. 10,278,466 by further comprising several novel aspects that may be used alone or in any suitable combination with other aspects of the invention. One example is an embodiment with a novel track system that allows the user to attach or remove layers without the use of tools and prevents the layer from breaking when the layers are forcefully pried apart.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an article organizer containing articles in its closed position.

[0007] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of an article organizer containing articles in its open position.

[0008] FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of an article organizer containing articles in its closed position.

[0009] FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of an article organizer containing articles in its open position.

[0010] FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of an inner article holder.

[0011] FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of an inner article holder.

[0012] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the inward facing sides of a front article holder (top) and rear article holder (bottom).

[0013] FIG. 8 is a cross section view with a detail view of the track system portions of an article organizer in its closed position.

[0014] FIG. 9 is perspective view with a detail view of front and rear article holders just after being pried apart as if opening the front and rear covers of a folder or a book.

[0015] FIG. 10 is a cross section view of the track system portions of an article organizer in its closed (FIG. 10A) and open (FIG. 10B) positions.

[0016] FIG. 11 is a cross section view of the article storage portion of an inner article holder.

[0017] FIG. 12 is a cross section view of the article grippers of the article storage portion of an inner article holder.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] It should be understood that aspects of the invention are described herein with reference to the figures, which show illustrative embodiments. The illustrative embodiments described herein are not necessarily intended to show all embodiments in accordance with the invention, but rather are used to describe a few illustrative embodiments. Thus, aspects of the invention are not intended to be construed narrowly in view of the illustrative embodiments. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the invention may be used alone or in any suitable combination with other aspects of the invention.FIGS. 1-4—First Embodiment

[0019] One embodiment of an article organizer, generally designated 10, is illustrated in FIGS. 1-4. Organizer 10 comprises a front holder 12, one or more inner article holder(s) 14, and a rear holder 16. Front holder 12 is slidably attached to a first adjacent inner holder 14 which is, in turn, slidably attached to a second adjacent inner holder 14 which is, in turn, slidably attached to rear holder 16. In one embodiment, holders 12, 14, and 16 slide parallel to one another in the longitudinal direction.

[0020] In one embodiment, organizer 10 is modular and reconfigurable. Therefore, embodiments of organizer 10 may comprise any suitable combination of holders 12, 14, and / or 16 such as: (a) front holder 12 and rear holder 16, (b) front holder 12 and one or more inner holder(s) 14, (c) one or more inner holder(s) 14, (d) one or more inner holder(s) 14 and rear cover 16, (e) front holder 12, one or more inner holder(s) 14, and rear holder 16, (f) front holder 12, or (g) rear holder 16. In each embodiment with a plurality of holders 12, 14, and / or 16, holders 12, 14, and / or 16 are slidably connected to one another in a suitable way to facilitate organization.

[0021] Each holder 12, 14, and 16 may (a) store or (b) store and organize one or more articles 18. In one embodiment, organizer 10 stores and organizes articles that are the size and shape of a credit card. In another embodiment, organizer 10 is a general purpose organizer. In other embodiments, organizer 10 stores and organizes one or more of the following types of articles: tools, coins, currency, trading cards, business cards, documents, spices, stationary, writing implements, cutlery, digital media, household items, industrial items, electrical supplies, fasteners, condiments, fabric, thread, string, sewing tools, paper products, color swatches, adhesives, mechanical components, electronic components, medical supplies, tea, cosmetic supplies, toys, seeds, craft supplies, photos, art supplies, games, culinary supplies, office supplies, bath products, pet products, stamps, postcards, toiletries, hair accessories, comic books, books, clothing, shoes, jewelry, medications, supplements, dry goods, snacks, cleaning supplies, car accessories, electronics, mail, coupons, receipts, bills, magazines, newspapers, collectibles, travel documents, passports, luggage, holiday decorations, sports equipment, gardening tools, outdoor gear, musical instrument supplies, DVDs, CDs, Blu-rays, video games, wine, spirits, beer, exercise equipment, notebooks, and the like.

[0022] In one embodiment, organizer 10 is made of polycarbonate. However, organizer 10 can consist of one or more of any of the following suitably durable material(s): carbon fiber composite, ABS, nylon, PTFE, Delrin, aluminum, fiberglass, stainless steel, carbon steel, titanium, and the like. In one embodiment, the front and back surfaces of organizer 10 are made of higher strength materials than the rest of organizer 10 in order to maximize the stiffness and bending strength of organizer 10 while minimizing the weight of organizer 10.

[0023] In one embodiment, holders 12, 14, and 16 are slidably connected to one another while being constrained to a limited range of sliding motion. These limits constrain holders 12, 14, and 16 to travel between the closed positions shown from the front in FIG. 1 and from the rear in FIG. 3 and the open positions shown from the front in FIG. 2 and from the rear in FIG. 4. The range of sliding motion should be large enough so that the user can identify, distinguish, and / or grip articles 18, while remaining small enough such that organizer 10 does not become unwieldy in the open position.

[0024] In one embodiment, inner holders 14 each store two articles 18. With organizer 10 in the open position, one of the two articles 18 contained by each inner holder 14 is easily viewed and accessed when the front side of organizer 10 is facing the user and the other of the two articles 18 contained by each inner holder 14 is easily viewed and accessed when the rear side of organizer 10 is facing the user.

[0025] In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 3, rear holder 16 comprises an elastic strap 20, a strap plate 22, spring bars 24, and strap attachment points 26. In one embodiment, spring bars 24 are watch strap spring bars. Strap 20 is suitably secured to strap plate 22 by being woven through two slots in strap plate 22. In one embodiment, the middle sections of spring bars 24 are inside sewn loops 28 at each end of strap 20. The ends of spring bars 24 are inside attachment points 26, thus securing strap 20 to rear holder 16. Strap 20 provides an additional expandable storage to organizer 10 to store additional articles (not shown) beyond the capacity of holders 12, 14, and 16. Elastic strap 20 should be slightly undersized with a suitable stiffness such that there is a suitable amount of elastic tension in strap 20 so that additional articles (not shown) are held securely while still being easily accessed when needed.FIGS. 5 and 6—An Inner Article Holder

[0026] In one embodiment, shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, article holder 14 comprises an inner track system portion 30 and an article storage portion 32. Track system 30 allows holder 14 to be slidably connected to other holders 12 or 14 on its front side and / or to other holders 12 or 16 on its rear side (as shown in FIGS. 1-4). Article storage 32 allows holder 14 to store one or more articles 18 (as shown in FIGS. 1-4). In one embodiment, track system 30 is attached to article storage 32 along a longitudinal edge. In one embodiment, articles 18 are inserted into and removed from article storage 32 laterally (as shown in FIG. 2).FIG. 7—A Front Article Holder and a Rear Article Holder

[0027] In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 7, front article holder 12 comprises a front partial track system portion 34 and an article storage portion 36. Front partial track system 34 allows holder 12 to be slidably connected to other holders 14 or 16 on its rear side (as shown in FIGS. 1-4). Article storage 36 allows front holder 12 to store one or more articles 18 (as shown in FIGS. 1-4). In one embodiment, track system 34 is attached to article storage 36 along a longitudinal edge. In one embodiment, articles 18 are inserted into and removed from article storage 36 laterally (as shown in FIG. 4).

[0028] In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 7, rear article holder 16 comprises a rear partial track system portion 38 and an article storage portion 40. Rear partial track system 38 allows holder 16 to be slidably connected to other holders 12 or 14 on its front side (as shown in FIGS. 1-4). Article storage 40 allows rear holder 16 to store one or more articles 18 (as shown in FIGS. 1-4). In one embodiment, track system 38 is attached to article storage 40 along a longitudinal edge. In one embodiment, articles 18 are inserted into and removed from article storage 40 laterally.FIGS. 5-10—A Track System

[0029] In one embodiment, shown in FIGS. 5-10, track system 30 comprises linear shafts 42, linear bearings 44, guide fins 46, guide grooves 48, axles 50, torsion spring hooks 52, hook channels 54, hook catches 56, track stops 58, upper stop walls 60, lower stop walls 61, hook cutouts 62, and alignment arrows 64.

[0030] Since front holder 12 only attaches to either holder 14 or 16 on its rear side, front partial track system 34 need not comprise the front facing components of track system 30. Therefore, front partial track system 34 comprises linear bearing 44, guide fins 46, axle 50, torsion spring hooks 52, track stop 58, and alignment arrow 64.

[0031] Since rear holder 16 only attaches to either holder 12 or 14 on its front side, rear partial track system 38 need not comprise the rear facing components of track system 30. Therefore, rear partial track system 38 comprises linear shaft 42, guide groove 48, hook channels 54, hook catches 56, upper stop wall 60, lower stop wall 61, hook cutouts 62, and alignment arrow 64.

[0032] In one embodiment, linear shaft 42 is a convex half cylinder that is molded into a front longitudinal edge of holders 14 and 16. In other embodiments (not shown), linear shaft 42 is a linear rail made of a suitably rigid material such as steel, aluminum, titanium, carbon fiber, and the like. In one embodiment, linear bearing 44 is a concave half cylinder that is molded into a rear longitudinal edge of holders 12 and 14. In other embodiments (not shown) linear bearing 44 is a linear / radial bearing made of one or more suitably wear-resistant, low friction material such as bronze, PTFE, PEEK, Nylon, PC, UHMWPE, and the like. In other embodiments (not shown) linear bearing 44 is a linear / radial ball bearing. Linear shafts 42 slidably and rotatably contact linear bearings 44.

[0033] In one embodiment, guide fins 46 reside within guide grooves 48 to allow a suitable range of relative longitudinal movement while substantially preventing relative lateral movement between holders 12, 14, and / or 16 when organizer 10 is in the assembled state. In other embodiments (not shown) guide fins 46 and guide grooves 48 may not be required such as when using a linear shaft 42 that is a linear rail encircled by a linear bearing 44 that is a linear / radial bearing.

[0034] In one embodiment, torsion spring hooks 52 are molded into holders 12 and 14. The longitudinal spacing of torsion spring hooks 52 must be enough to provide a suitable amount of stability to the assembly when subject to torque about a given laterally oriented axis. As shown in the detail view of the cross section of organizer 10 in FIG. 8, spring hooks 52 engage hook catches 56 of the rear adjacent holders 14 and 16 in order to prevent the unintentional separation of adjacent holders 12, 14, and 16 from each other. When sliding organizer 10 open, hooks 52 slide within hook channels 54 to allow for a suitable range of relative longitudinal movement between holders 12, 14, and 16 while maintaining contact with catches 56.

[0035] When assembling organizer 10, the user first lines up a linear shaft 42 of one of the holders 12, 14, or 16 with a mating linear bearing 44 of one of the holders 12, 14, or 16. Secondly, the user lines up the suitable lateral edge of one of the holders 12, 14, or 16 with the face up arrow 64 of the mating holder 12, 14, or 16, thereby aligning hooks 52 with hook cutouts 62. The user then allows hooks 52 to fall into hook cutouts 62 and slides the mating holders 12, 14, or 16 into the closed position while applying gentle pressure to the outer front and rear surfaces of the two holders 12, 14, or 16 to ensure the hooks 52 properly engage catches 56. In one embodiment, spring hooks 52 deflect slightly during assembly and remain deflected slightly while assembled to apply a constant suitably small holding force between layers 12, 14, or 16.

[0036] Torsion spring hooks 52 are able to elastically deform in torsion about axle 50. Axles 50 are attached to holders 12 and 14 at its ends and extend longitudinally through pivot points in torsion spring hooks 52 in order to suitably radially constrain torsion spring hooks 52. In another embodiment (not shown), the molded-in torsion spring hook 52 is replaced by a rigid hook attached to a torsion spring. In another embodiment (not shown), spring hook 52 is replaced by a sloped or rectangular block attached to the end of a spring plunger. When a substantially high separating force is applied between two adjacent assembled holders 12, 14, or 16 in the direction orthogonal to the front and rear faces, spring hook 52 deforms around axle 50 such that hook 52 releases from catch 56 to (a) allow the user to separate adjacent holders 12, 14, and / or 16 from one another and (b) to prevent damage to any part of organizer 10 in the event that an inexperienced user attempts to pry apart holders 12, 14, and / or 16. FIG. 9 illustrates an example of this type of rotational holder separation, showing a front holder 12 and a rear holder 16 just after separating in the most intuitive scenario, where adjacent holders 12, 14, or 16 are pried apart as if opening a book.

[0037] It is important to note the relative position of the components during separation. In FIG. 8, notice how the position of the center of rotation of two adjacent holders 12, 14, or 16, defined by the axis of linear shaft 42, creates a tangential direction of motion near the center of fin 46 and at the point of contact between hook 52 and catch 56 that is substantially parallel to the orthogonal direction of the front and rear surfaces of holders 12, 14, or 16. Firstly, this tangential direction is parallel to fin 46 and thusly allows fin 46 to maintain a small clearance within groove 48 while still allowing fin 46 to exit groove 48 without binding on the walls of groove 48. Secondly, this tangential direction is substantially perpendicular to the mating faces of hook 52 and catch 56, allowing for hook 52 and catch 56 to efficiently constrain adjacent holders 12, 14, or 16 in the direction orthogonal to the motion constraint imposed by fin 46 and groove 48. Therefore, when organizer 10 is assembled, the degrees of freedom of a given holder 12, 14, or 16 are efficiently and suitably constrained to only allow for translation in the longitudinal direction relative to adjacent holder(s) 12, 14, or 16. Lastly, the relative positions of (a) the center of rotation of two adjacent holders 12, 14, or 16, defined by the center of linear shaft 42 (b) the center of rotation of hook 52, defined by the axis of axle 50, and (c) the point where hook 52 contacts catch 56 is such that hook 52 can overlap catch 56 a suitable amount to prevent the unintended separation of adjacent holders 12, 14 or 16 while still allowing hook 52 to release from catch 56 at a separation angle that is small enough to prevent undue stress to spring hook 52 during rotational holder separation described above.

[0038] It is also important to note that linear shaft 42 and linear bearing 44 have a contact arc that sweeps a large enough angle to keep shaft 42 from derailing from bearing 44 during the rotational holder separation described above. In addition, the height of fin 46 and the corresponding depths of groove 48 off of the rear and front surfaces, respectively, of holders 12, 14, or 16, should be large enough that spring hook 52 releases from catch 56 before fin 46 exits groove 48 during rotational the holder separation described above. Otherwise, the possible resulting unconstrained lateral motion of one holder 12, 14, or 16 with respect to the mating holder 12, 14, or 16 may bend spring hook 52 further than intended, potentially causing damage to organizer 10. Finally, it is important to leave enough rear and lateral clearance in hook channel 54 (shown in FIG. 8) such that hook 52 does not interfere with the inner surface of channel 54 during rotational the holder separation described above.

[0039] FIG. 10 shows a longitudinal cross section of fins 46 where organizer 10 is in the closed and open positions. In one embodiment, track stops 58 are positioned in between and in line with fins 46 and are sloped on one side and stepped on the other. Lower stop walls 61 are positioned such that fins 46 contact them when organizer 10 is in the closed position and upper stop walls 60 are positioned such that track stops 58 contact them when organizer 10 is in the open position. This limits the range of longitudinal motion of holders 12, 14, and 16 relative to one another.

[0040] During assembly of organizer 10, the user lines up the suitable lateral edge of one of the holders 12, 14, or 16 with one of the arrows 64 of another one of the holders 12, 14, or 16 in a suitable way before pushing the layers together as described above. This puts the two layers 12, 14, or 16 to be assembled further apart longitudinally than when in the open position. With the two holders 12, 14, or 16 in this alignment, spring hooks 52 enter through hook cutouts 62 and track stop 58 enters beyond the upper stop wall 60 shown in FIG. 10. It is important to note that with the two holders 12, 14, or 16 in this alignment a suitable portion of both fins 46 of the holder 12 or 14 being assembled must enter the corresponding grooves 48 such that the two holders 12, 14, or 16 being assembled have their respective longitudinal axes substantially aligned so that hooks 52 are able to properly engage catches 56. In other words, this lateral constraint imposed by a suitable portion of fins 46 and grooves 48 that keeps the longitudinal axes of the two holders 12, 14, or 16 substantially aligned prevents hooks 52 from disengaging from catch 56 as the user slides track stop 58 past the upper stop wall 60 in FIG. 10. As the user applies gentle pressure to the outer front and rear faces of the two holders 12, 14, or 16 being assembled and simultaneously slides the two holders 12, 14, or 16 towards the closed position, the sloped side of track stop 58 wedges the two holders 12, 14, or 16 apart slightly through contact with the upper stop wall 60. This slight separation must be small enough that fins 46 remain within grooves 48 and also that spring hooks 52 remain engaged with catches 56 to keep holders 12, 14, or 16 suitably aligned during assembly. As the holders 12, 14, or 16 are brought from beyond the open position towards the closed position, eventually the upper stop wall 60 reaches the stepped side of track stop 58, thus completing the assembly with the two holders 12, 14, or 16, where the two holders 12, 14, or 16 are in the open position shown in FIG. 10.FIGS. 5-7, 11, and 12—Article Storage

[0041] In one embodiment, shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 11, and 12, article storage portion 32 of inner holder 14 is able to store two credit card sized articles and comprises two article slots 66, two pairs of article grippers 68, two article slot windows 70, and two slot entry cutouts 72.

[0042] In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 7, article storage portion 36 of front holder 12 and article storage portion 40 of rear holder 16 are each able to store one credit card sized article and each comprise one article slot 66 one pair of article grippers 68, one article slot window 70, and one slot entry cutout 72.

[0043] In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 11, article slot 66 has a flared opening to allow the user to insert article 18 (shown in FIGS. 1-4) at a slight angle without it getting stuck. This slight angle is intuitive as it allows a corner of the article 18 to enter the slot first which facilitates the insertion of article 18. Article slot window 70 both allows the user to easily view and slide article 18 with a finger or thumb when organizer 10 is in the open position and provides extra space to accommodate articles with embossed text (not shown). Slot entry cutout 72 provides an indexing surface for article 18 which facilitates the insertion of article 18 by giving the user a place on the inner surface of slot 66 to push article 18 against as they insert article 18 into slot 66.

[0044] In one embodiment, shown in FIGS. 5-7, 11 and 12, grippers 68 are fixed to the lateral edges of holder 14 and face inward into article slot 66. Grippers 68 are angled towards the front and rear faces of article 18 and deflect outward from article 18 when article 18 is inserted, thus gripping the front and rear faces of article 18 a suitable amount to securely store it in holder 14. In another embodiment (not shown), there is only one angled gripper 68 per article 18. As can be seen in FIG. 2, grippers 68 are positioned adjacent to the area where the user would push on articles 18 to remove them from organizer 10. This arrangement is important as it minimizes the moment arm and therefore the torque acting on a given article 18 whose vector is normal to the rear face of article 18 that is generated by the force of the user pushing article 18 out of holder 14 with their finger or thumb and the opposing friction force of grippers 68. By minimizing this torque, the design substantially prevents articles 18 from getting stuck (jammed or hung up) within slot 66 during removal of articles 18.Operation—FIGS. 1-12

[0045] In one embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 1-12, a user would assemble organizer 10 by attaching the desired number of holders 12, 14, and / or 16 to each other in the manner described above. The user would then add their articles 18 to holder(s) 12, 14, and / or 16 as desired by utilizing slot entry cutouts 72. When retrieving one or more article(s) 18 from organizer 10, the user would slide the holder(s) 12, 14, and / or 16 into their open positions. The user would then select and remove the desired article(s) 18 by placing their thumb or finger onto the desired article(s) 18 through the corresponding article slot window(s) 70 and by pushing article(s) laterally out of holder(s) 12, 14, and / or 16. The user could then choose to either leave holders 12, 14 and / or 16 in their open positions or to slide them into their closed positions. To re-insert one or more of the retrieved articles 18, the user would simply locate the vacant holder(s) 12, 14, and / or 16 and insert article(s) 18 into this (these) holder(s). The user may elect to store additional article(s) 18 by lifting elastic strap 20 and strap plate 22 and sliding the article(s) 18 laterally underneath strap 20 and strap plate 22. To remove any additional items stored under strap 20 and strap plate 22 the user simply slides the article(s) 18 laterally out from under strap 20 and strap plate 22.

[0046] While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be appreciated that changes and modifications can be made and that other embodiments may be devised without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An article organizer comprising any feature described, either individually or in combination with any feature, in any configuration.

2. A process to organize articles comprising any process described, in any order, using any modality.

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