Interleaved Document Holder Flap Design for Slim Profile
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional document holders with hinged flaps result in a significant thickness bulge when multiple documents are stored, making them difficult to fit into slim pockets, and are costly to manufacture.
Innovation Solution
The document holder design features pockets arranged with the same direction of insertion for adjacent flaps, allowing nested tiers to reduce thickness, and uses a zigzag-folded sheet for pocket creation, simplifying manufacturing and reducing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cards are arranged in overlapping tiers with visible edges for easy identification, then document accessibility is improved, but wallet thickness increases significantly creating a bulge
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nesting by arranging pockets in two flaps such that one series of pockets is nested within the other when the flaps are folded together. The first flap contains pockets opening in one direction while the second flap contains pockets opening in the opposite direction, allowing the pockets to interlock and nest within each other's space, thereby reducing the overall thickness while maintaining document accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses asymmetry by configuring the two flaps with opposite pocket orientations - the first flap has pockets opening in one direction while the second flap has pockets opening in the reverse direction. This asymmetric arrangement allows the thick sections to face opposite directions when closed, eliminating the bulge effect while preserving the tiered document storage capability.
2Quantity of substance
If multiple flaps with offset pockets are used to store many documents, then document capacity is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the document holder into two separate flaps with distinct pocket configurations. Each flap independently contains a series of pockets for storing documents, allowing the overall structure to achieve high document capacity while maintaining manageable manufacturing complexity through modular segmentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal pocket structure where both flaps use the same basic pocket design and attachment method, but with opposite orientations. This multi-functional approach allows the same manufacturing process to produce both flaps, simplifying production while doubling the document capacity through the paired flap configuration.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a document case for receiving a large number of standardized format documents (8) comprising at least two first flaps (8) articulated relative to each other, the documents (8) being inserted separately into overlapping pockets with an offset, their openings being parallel to the articulation axis of the flaps so that the documents are arranged in a stepped manner (11, 12) in order to expose a visible uncovered edge thereof. In case of two adjacent flaps, the steps (11, 12) are arranged with the same insertion direction, the highest document of one flap being adjacent to the lowest document of the other flap so that when the two flaps are folded on each other, the two series of steps (11, 12) are interleaved in order to reduce the thickness. Application for wallets, multifunction diaries and document briefcases.