Case or bag covered with a magnet shielding material

A case or bag for protecting and housing cards in which magnetically stored records are read out by a device to make various identifications, such as bank cards for automatic withdrawals, credit cards for purchasing goods and services on credit, membership cards for identifying membership of various clubs, and cards for identifying the seal of an individual registered with a government office, the case or bag having a portion made of a magnetic shielding plate or mesh which acts to prevent magnetic force from entering from outside the case and affecting the stored record in the cards.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a case having a protective function for a 
card with magnetically recorded data therein or thereon, particularly a 
function of shielding the card from the effects of external magnetic force 
which might destroy or distort the recorded data. It also relates to a bag 
which has such a case member as a part thereof. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Cards of various types such as bank cards, credit cards, membership cards 
and ID cards are being widely used today. These cards often have portions 
that store confidential records for identification of the owner in order 
to prevent unauthorized use by those other than the legitimate owner. The 
confidential information for identification are usually numbers, 
signatures, fingerprints or voice of the owners. 
Although various means are employed for identification, the magnetically 
recorded cards are most often employed because they easily make an 
identification, entail comparatively less errors, and are easy to prepare. 
A magnetic card of this type has a portion for magnetically storing data, 
which data is to be read out by a read-out apparatus and compared with a 
statement made by the owner (orally or by manipulation of the apparatus) 
to determine if the two are identical or not. 
Such cards are advantageous in that the confidential data thus stored are 
not visible from outside, and the cards are usable even when wet or soiled 
to make an identification. On the other hand, they are inconvenient 
because they are liable to be destroyed by magnetic force, usually by that 
of 350 Gs or more. When the stored data becomes thus destroyed by magnetic 
force, it is not possible to ascertain this from the outside appearance of 
the card; one learns that it is no longer usable only when one tries to 
use the card, resulting in great inconveniences. 
In the present day environment, there are various places and articles which 
generate magnetic force; for example, electric appliances, industrial 
machines, medical appliances, etc. generate electromagnetic fields. There 
are also many permanent magnets used in common conveniences and devices. 
Permanent magnets, in particular, are used quite often as a means to catch 
the flap of hand bags, or as a means to keep the door of a cabinet closed. 
They are quite capable of destroying the magnetic record on cards as above 
mentioned. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The object of the present invention is to overcome the problems above 
described and does this by providing a magentic shield on the case or bag 
for encasing the card, to thereby prevent destruction of magnetic data 
stored in the card.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
A typical embodiment of the present invention is now explained. FIG. 1 
shows a case 1 used exclusively for cards 2. The card 2 shown here has a 
portion 2a for magnetically storing a record, and stores numbers, symbols, 
etc. The card 2 is read out and identified by a magentic read-out device 
(not shown). 
The case 1 is similar to other types of cases used for encasing cards, and 
may be made of leather, fabric or synthetic resin. 
The case 1 may have a flap 1a. The case with a flap 1a may or may not have 
connectable snaps 3, 3. On the peripheral surface of such a case 1, or the 
portion encasing the card 2, is provided a strongly magnetic mesh 4. A 
typical example of the mesh 4 is structured so that the mesh 4 is held 
between the surface 1' and the lining 1" of the case 1. 
The mesh 4, however, is not necessarily required to be held between the 
surface 1' and the lining 1", but it may be placed on the front side, or 
outside, of the lining 1" to comprise a case 1. 
The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 uses a portion or whole of a folder 5 for 
cards 2 such as a wallet, card case or season ticket holder. Encasing 
portions respectively are covered with the mesh 4. 
The folder 5 has a plurality of portions 5a--5a for encasing cards 2, a 
portion 5b for cash, and a portion 5c for a season ticket. Closing snaps 
3, as mentioned above, may also be provided. 
Since the case 1 has a strongly magnetic mesh 4 around the peripheral 
surface of the cards 2 encased therein, the magnetically recorded data 2a 
stored in the card 2 is well protected as the magnetic force is captured 
by the mesh 4 when the case 1 is placed inside a magnetic field. 
The cards 2, in particular, are protected against contact with the mesh 4 
by the lining material 1" and is completely shielded from the effect of 
the magnetic field generating within the mesh 4. 
The advantages of such magnetic shield achieved by the mesh 4 are that 
because the mesh 4 is flexible, the surface 1' and the lining 1" may be 
handled in a similar manner; they may be sewed together. The appearance 
and touch of the case 1 are similar to ordinary cases. When the mesh 1 is 
made elastic, the case 1 may be given a unique bulk to facilitate encasing 
of the cards and to give a better appearance. 
The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is a bag 7 using a strongly magnetic plate 
in place of the above mentioned mesh 4. This is used when a magnetic seal 
stronger than that of the mesh 3 is required. 
When the magnetic force exceeds a prescribed amount, the magnetic force X 
which forms a magnetic field inside the mesh 4 leaks outside to form the 
magnetic field X' as shown in FIG. 6. Thus, a plate having a larger 
magnetic volume than the mesh 4 is used. 
The plate 6 is also different from the mesh 4 in that it gives rigidity to 
the bag 7 and prevents the bag 7 from bending, and protects the cards 2 
placed inside the bag 7 from becoming broken by a mechanical impact from 
an outside source. 
The bag 7 has the surface material 7' and the lining material 7" similarly 
as in said case 1, and has a structure common to other general hand bags 
and pocket books. 
As is clear from the construction explained above, the case or bag of the 
present invention is capable of protecting cards 2 placed therein from 
magnetic force, and also of effectively protecting against external 
mechanical force. Thus, the case or bag ensures safe and secure encasing 
and carrying of the cards 2.