Sliding Envelope Card Case with Flexible Membrane Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional protective cases for credit cards risk damaging the cards due to the pressure required to retain them, and they often cannot accommodate multiple cards effectively.
Innovation Solution
A protective case designed as a flat envelope with two parallel walls, where one part slides into the other, featuring reversible clamping means and projections to prevent card contact and damage, allowing for the secure storage and retrieval of one or more cards without exerting pressure on the card's embossing, and accommodating multiple cards with sliding connections and indexing mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pressure is exerted on the card to retain it in the housing, then the card is held securely, but the embossing and reliefs of the card are damaged over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible elastic membrane that can deform to accommodate the card's embossing and reliefs without exerting damaging pressure. The membrane conforms to the card's surface features while providing secure retention, eliminating the need for rigid corrugations or ribs that press against the embossing.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible membrane acts as an intermediary between the housing and the card. Instead of the housing directly contacting and pressing on the card's embossing, the membrane mediates the retention force while adapting to the card's surface topology, preventing damage to the embossed information.
2Reliability
If the case is designed to hold a single card, then the card is well protected, but multiple cards cannot be stored
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into multiple independent compartments, each containing its own flexible membrane and card retention mechanism. This segmentation allows each card to be individually protected while enabling the storage of multiple cards simultaneously, with each compartment functioning independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The case design provides universal functionality by accommodating multiple cards of the same type through identical compartment structures. Each compartment can hold a card with the same protection mechanism, making the case adaptable to store multiple cards while maintaining the same level of protection for each.
3Quantity of substance
If cards are stacked in a single housing, then multiple cards can be stored, but cards come into contact with each other causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into multiple separate compartments, each with its own flexible membrane. This physical separation ensures that cards stored in different compartments do not come into contact with each other, eliminating the harmful effect of card-to-card contact while still allowing multiple cards to be stored simultaneously.
4Ease of operation
If a movable lever with stepped contact is used to extract cards, then all cards can be removed in a single movement, but cards are damaged due to contact between them
Solution Approach 1:
The extraction mechanism is segmented into individual independent levers for each compartment. Each lever can be operated separately to extract its corresponding card without affecting other cards. This eliminates the card-to-card contact that occurs with a single stepped lever while maintaining ease of operation through simple individual lever actions.
5Ease of operation
If intermediate card replacement is required, then card access is maintained, but replacement becomes difficult requiring removal of bordering cards
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented compartment design with individual levers allows any card to be accessed and replaced independently. To replace an intermediate card, only the lever for that specific compartment needs to be operated, not the levers for bordering cards. This simplifies the replacement procedure while maintaining continuous access to all card positions.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 4d~4g
AI summary
A protective case for a credit card or similar, having the shape of a flat envelope, comprising two parallel walls between which a space is formed, intended for accommodating the card (2) to be protected. The protective case comprises at least two parts (3, 4) each comprising one of the two parallel walls, and one of the at least two parts (3, 4) is mounted sliding in the other, and is shaped to accommodate and hold the card (2), and to this end comprises a housing (32) into which a card (2) can slide. The housing (32) comprises laterally a reversible means for clamping the card (2), in order to secure same, and has an opening by which the card (2) can be extracted by sliding, after sliding the part (3, 4) containing the card (2).