Wallet guard

An audible alarm device attachable to the clothing of the user has a flexible chain extending therefrom and terminating in a clip means attachable to a wallet in a nearby pocket. The interconnecting chain is wound upon a spring-stressed reel journalled within the device and having at one end an abutment member which, upon turning in response to pulling upon the chain, abuttingly contacts and moves an electrical switch actuating member from open to close circuit position for energizing a buzzer sounding an alarm that the wallet has been surreptitiously removed from the pocket.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
My invention relates to personal protective devices, and is directed 
particularly to a wallet protector or guard for alerting the wearer to the 
fact that his wallet is surreptitiously being withdrawn from his person, 
so that its theft can be prevented. 
Various types of wallet and purse guarding devices have heretofore been 
devised, principal among which are chains of one kind or another adapted 
to loosely attach the wallet or purse to the person of the user. 
Electrical switches or the like connected in energizing circuits for 
audible alarms are also known to be used in association with such guard 
chains for alerting the user that the guarded article is being 
surreptitiously withdrawn from his person. Such former devices, however, 
are deficient in various respects, principally in that they prevent normal 
use of the wallet or purse without first disconnecting the attachment 
chain to permit full withdrawal of the wallet from the pocket being 
guarded. It is, accordingly, the principal object of this invention to 
provide a novel and improved wallet guard that obviates the deficiencies 
of wallet guards or alarms heretofore devised. 
Summary of the Invention 
A more particular object of this invention is to provide a wallet guard 
including a chain or cord anchoring the wallet to the person of the user, 
which chain is yieldingly extensible from the device secured to the 
clothing of the user near the pocket in which the wallet is retained and 
serves, upon being pulled from the device, to energize an electric buzzer 
warning that the wallet, together with the attached chain, is being 
withdrawn from the person of the user. A simple on/off switch on the 
device and easily accessible to the user enables de-energization of the 
electrical alarm to allow normal use of the wallet. 
Another object of the invention is to provide an audible alarm wallet guard 
of the character described wherein the extensible attachment chain is 
sufficiently long to permit full withdrawal for use of the wallet by the 
wearer of the alarm device, so that the wallet always remains attached by 
the chain to the user. When the user returns the wallet to its pocket, the 
greater part of the interconnecting chain is automatically withdrawn into 
the nearby alarm device. At the same time the wallet is thus being 
returned to its pocket, the hand of the user is in position to move the 
de-energizing switch to the energizing position again for sounding the 
alarm in case an attempt is made by a pickpocket or other unauthorized 
person to remove the guarded wallet.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment 
Referring now in detail to the drawings, reference numeral 10 in FIGS. 1, 
2, and 3 designates, generally, a preferred form of wallet guard embodying 
my invention, the same comprising a shallow rectangular case or housing 11 
having a back cover member 12 removably securable in place by use of 
screws 13 (only two illustrated in FIG. 3) receivable in corner support 
posts 14 integrally formed within said rectangular housing. 
The housing 11 and its cover 12 will preferably be fabricated of a tough 
synthetic material, and may be injection molded for economy of 
manufacture. An attachment chain or cord return mechanism, generally 
indicated at 15 in FIG. 3, is secured by any convenient means within the 
rectangular housing 11 at the lower end thereof and to one side. The 
attachment chain return mechanism 15 comprises a generally cylindrical 
housing 16 centrally journalled within which is a reel 17 about which 
return cord or chain 18 is windable, said chain being extensible through a 
small opening 19 in said cylindrical housing. A suitable spring (not 
illustrated) circumjacent the reel 17 within the cylindrical housing 16 
and acting between said housing and said reel serves to yieldingly urge 
said reel in the counter-clockwise direction as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 
4 so as normally to keep the chain 18, for the most part, wound within 
said housing. Since the construction and operation of spring return 
rewinding reels are well known, a more detailed description thereof is not 
considered to be necessary. As best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the 
outwardly extending end of the chain reel 17 is integrally formed with a 
diametrically-extending, outwardly-projecting abutment actuating member 20 
co-operatively disposed with respect to the actuation button 22 of a 
three-position electrical slide switch 21 against the inside of the 
shallow rectangular housing number 11. As further illustrated in FIGS. 2 
and 3, the switch actuation button 22 has secured thereto a thumb actuated 
slide member 23 projecting sidewardly outwardly of a slot 24 in the face 
of the rectangular housing member 11 
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the slide switch 21 is a normally open 
single-pole switch having switch contact 25, 26 adapted to be 
close-circuited when the actuation button 22 is moved from the position 
indicated by the full-line representation thereof in FIG. 4 to the next 
lower position, whereat the switch contacts 25 and 26 will be bridged. The 
electrical switch 21 controls an energization circuit comprising battery 
source 27 for sounding a buzzer 28, said buzzer being installed within the 
housing 11 above the attachment chain return mechanism 15 (see FIGS. 2 and 
3). As further illustrated in FIG. 4, the energization circuit for the 
buzzer alarm 28 is completed through conductors 29, 30 and 31 connecting 
the switch contacts 25, 26, the battery of 27, and said buzzer alarm in 
series. As illustrated in FIG. 2, battery 27 is located within the case or 
housing 11 beside the attachment chain return mechanism 15. 
A downwardly extending spring clip 32, one end of which is molded within or 
otherwise secured to the outside of the cover member 12, (see FIG. 3) 
serves to attach the wallet alarm device 10 with respect to the body of 
the user. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the spring clip 32 is used to attach 
the alarm device to the belt B of the wearer in the vicinity of the hip 
pocket P in which the wallet to be guarded is kept. As illustrated in 
FIGS. 1 and 2, the outer end of the chain or cord 18 is secured to a 
double-bent spring clip 33 which may be used to attach said chain to the 
wallet W, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Alternative means for attaching the 
end of the chain 18 to the wallet could also be used, such as an elastic 
band passed over the folding juncture at the mid-section thereof. The 
housing or case member 11 is provided in its face with a plurality of 
slots 34 in front of the interior buzzer alarm device 28 to permit ready 
passage of warning sound waves therefrom when energized. As best 
illustrated in FIG. 3, a slot 19a is provided in the bottom sidewall of 
the housing member 11 for through passage of the wallet attachment chain 
18. 
In use, the wallet guard 10 will be attached to the person of the user near 
the pocket P in which the wallet W is normally retained, with the spring 
clip 33 or other wallet attachment device secured to the wallet. The 
return spring of the attachment return chain mechanism 15 normally retains 
a substantial length of the chain or cord 18 wound around its internal 
reel, with a comparative short length thereof projecting freely for 
extension into the pocket where the wallet to be protected is kept. Thus, 
although the device is illustrated as being attached to the belt B of the 
wearer for use of a wallet W normally kept in the hip pocket, it will also 
be understood that it could be used for guarding wallets normally worn in 
other pockets, such as an inside coat pocket. When in use, the slide 
switch actuation button 22 will be in its first or uppermost position as 
illustrated in FIG. 4, whereat it is in position to be abuttingly 
contacted by the abutment member 20 of the chain return mechanism reel 17. 
If a pickpocket should attempt to withdraw the wallet W from the pocket P 
as illustrated in FIG. 1, pulling upon the chain or cord 18 will cause the 
reel 17 to rotate in the clockwise direction as illustrated in FIG. 4, 
whereupon the actuating abutment member 20 of said reel will come into 
engagement with and push down upon switch actuation button 22 moving it 
from the position illustrated by the full-line representation thereof in 
FIG. 4 to the next lowermost position whereat it will bridge the switch 
contacts 25, 26 to energize and thereby sound buzzer 28. This will 
immediately alert the wearer so that he can take whatever action may be 
appropriate to thwart the theft of his wallet. 
The thumb actuated slide member 23 can be used either to move the actuation 
button 22 to its uppermost ready position again, after the cord or chain 
18 has been allowed to be retracted upon the reel 17, to place the device 
in operative position again. Whenever the user wishes to withdraw the 
wallet for his own use, it is only necessary for him to manually push the 
thumb actuated slide member 23 downwardly to its lowermost position as 
illustrated in FIG. 4 before removing his wallet, whereat the actuation 
button 22 will be at open-switch position and at the same time out of 
range for actuation upon turning of the reel 17. The thumb actuated slide 
member 23 thus allows the user to set the device either in operating or 
non-operating condition, as required. In this connection it is to be noted 
that the chain 18 is long enough so that when withdrawn from its 
attachment chain return mechanism 15, the wearer can make normal use of 
the guarded wallet without difficulty or inconvenience either in 
withdrawing the wallet or returning it to its pocket. 
While I have illustrated and described herein only one form in which my 
invention can conveniently be embodied in practice, it is to be understood 
that this embodiment is given by way of example and not in a limiting 
sense. My invention, in brief, comprises all the embodiments and 
modifications coming within the scope and spirit of the following claims: