Tri-fold Wrap Wallet Reducing Thickness via Segmented Currency Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional currency and card storage solutions often result in bulky wallets due to the need to support the entire length of paper currency, leading to increased thickness and profile, and fail to effectively prevent card loss by not constraining lateral motion.
Innovation Solution
A tri-fold wrap wallet design that retains paper currency by supporting only a short end, using a rectangular sheet with varying sections to create a card pocket and bill pocket, and employing a higher coefficient of friction on the inner surface to secure items, while allowing easy access and minimizing material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional currency storage solutions support the entire length of paper currency, then the currency is securely retained, but the wallet thickness and profile increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bill pocket is divided into a first portion and a second portion, with the first portion supporting only a first portion of the paper currency rather than the entire length. This segmentation allows secure retention of the currency while reducing the overall thickness and profile of the wallet, as the currency is held at multiple points rather than requiring full-length support structure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes a flexible rectangular sheet material that forms the wallet structure. The bill pocket is constructed using folded portions of this thin, flexible material, creating a structure that can conform to and support the currency without adding significant thickness. The flexible nature of the material allows it to provide secure retention while maintaining a slim profile
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional wallets use multiple layers and sections to store cards and currency, then storage capacity increases, but the device complexity and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rectangular sheet serves multiple functions: it forms the outer shell of the wallet, creates the bill pocket through folding, provides card pockets through additional folds, and includes a closure mechanism. This multi-functionality allows the wallet to store both currency and multiple cards while using a single continuous piece of material, reducing structural complexity compared to traditional multi-component wallet designs
Solution Approach 2:
The wallet structure employs nested folding where the bill pocket is formed within the same sheet that also forms card pockets and closure mechanisms. The first and second portions of the bill pocket are nested within the overall wallet structure, with currency stored in the inner portions while outer layers provide additional storage and protective functions, maximizing storage capacity within a compact form
3Reliability
If the inner surface has higher friction to secure items, then item retention improves, but item removal becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The rectangular sheet has different surface characteristics on its inner and outer surfaces. The inner surface, which contacts the currency and cards, has a higher coefficient of friction to securely retain these items during normal use. The outer surface has a lower coefficient of friction to facilitate easy insertion and removal of items. This local differentiation of surface properties allows the wallet to simultaneously provide secure retention and easy accessibility
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The wrap wallet minimizes footprint and thickness by supporting currency along a short edge, reduces material usage, and prevents card loss by constraining lateral motion, maintaining accessibility and security.
Implementation Method 1
the inner surface defining a coefficient of friction greater than or equal to a coefficient of friction defined by the outer surface
Data Source
AI summary
A wrap wallet for carrying a bill of paper currency and a payment card includes a rectangular sheet defining a flap section, a cover section, a back section, a middle tensile section, and an end flap section ordered serially along a length of the rectangular sheet. The flap section cooperates with the cover section to define a card pocket, which retains the standard size card. The card pocket cooperates with the back section to define a bill pocket for retaining a short end of the bill, a longitudinal axis of the bill parallel a long edge of the rectangular sheet. The wrap wallet operates between a wrapped configuration, wherein the middle tensile section and the end flap section can wrap around the card pocket, the bill of paper currency between the middle tensile section and the card pocket, and an open configuration, wherein rectangular sheet defines a substantially planar configuration.