Abstract:
The present invention is a man&#39;s wallet that can fit into a pocket in a man&#39;s trousers or into the inside pocket of a suit jacket or sport coat and which has incorporated into its exterior surface a business card holder which is either permanently attached or removably attached to an exterior surface of the wallet. With a business card holder incorporated into the wallet, a person will be able to carry business cards when he takes his wallet and will not forget to take business cards as he might do if the business card holder was a separate container.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to the field of men&#39;s wallets which can fit into a pocket of a man&#39;s trousers or fit into the inside pocket of a jacket and which has means to retain business cards. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   The following eighteen (18) patents and published patent applications are relevant to the field of the present invention. 
   1. U.S. Pat. No. 286,650 issued to Talcott on Oct. 16, 1883 for “Combination Pocket Case” (hereafter the “Talcott patent”); 
   2. U.S. Pat. No. 22,417 issued to Scheuer on May 9, 1893 for “Pocket Book” (hereafter the “Scheuer patent”); 
   3. U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,260 issued to Osher on May 27, 1969 for “Card Holder For Wallets” (hereafter the “Osher patent”); 
   4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,168 issued to Ganz on Nov. 21, 1978 for “Multi-Purpose Pocket-Size Carrying Case” (hereafter the “Ganz patent”); 
   5. U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,703 issued to Bernard on Apr. 25, 1989 for “Leather Of Fabric Article Incorporating An Attached Trimming” (hereafter the “Bernard patent”); 
   6. U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,793 issued to DiMeo on Sep. 26, 1995 “Business Card Case” (hereafter the “DiMeo patent”); 
   7. U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,276 issued to Niemberger on Aug. 5, 1997 for “Combination Wallet And Billfold” (hereafter the “Niemberger patent”); 
   8. U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,954 issued to Sullivan on Jul. 14, 1998 for “Wallet/Pocket Knife Holder” (hereafter the “Sullivan patent”); 
   9. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 404,566 issued to Archer on Jan. 26, 1999 for “Business Card Holder And Dispenser” (hereafter the “Archer patent”); 
   10. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 433,804 issued to Kojoori on Nov. 21, 2000 for “Bifold Front Pocket Wallet” (hereafter the “Kojoori patent”); 
   11. U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,989 B1 issued to Masoud on Jun. 5, 2001 for “Business Card Holder And Dispenser” (hereafter the “Masoud patent”); 
   12. U.S. Pat. No. D435,965 S issued to Kim on Jan. 9, 2001 for “Wallet With Key Holding Cavity” (hereafter the “Kim patent”); 
   13. U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,236 B2 issued to Gribovsky on Aug. 20, 2002 for “Money Clip” (hereafter the “Gribovsky patent”); 
   14. United States Patent Application Publication No. US 2004/0154714 A1 to Gray on Aug. 12, 2004 for “Combination Wallet And Tool Holder” (hereafter the “Gray Published patent application”); 
   15. United States Patent Application Publication No. US 2004/0216825 A1 to Radochonski on Nov. 4, 2004 for “Combination. Wallet, Timepiece And Money Clip” (hereafter the “Radochonski Published patent application”); 
   16. United States Patent Application Publication No. US 2005/0046173 A1 to Hall on Mar. 3, 2005 for “Body With Outer Detachable Pouch” (hereafter the “Hall Published patent application”); 
   17. UK Patent Application No. GB 2,393,640 A to Huang on Jul. 4, 2004 for “Wallet Or Cover And Holder For Electronic Handheld Apparatus” (hereafter the “Huang patent”); 
   18. Japanese Patent Application 200050935 for “Card Case or the Like with Clip and the Clip” by inventor Uno Keiichi (hereafter the “Keiichi patent”)/ 
   The Talcott patent discloses a combination pocket case that has various pockets to carry different objects such as matches, railway tickets etc. Area A where enables tickets to be placed on the outside of the combination pocket case. 
   The Scheuer patent is a design patent which discloses a pocket book which includes a box like Figure A arranged on the outer side of the pocket book B. The inner side C and bottom D of the box-like Figure A are irregular in contour to give a flexible and loose effect in sharp contrast to the rigid face of the side of the pocket book B. The device is used with a lady&#39;s pocket book. 
   The Osher patent which issued in 1969 discloses a card holder for wallets which includes the clear plastic material sections which can be used to hold credit cards etc. The transparent flat sections 16 coact with the support portions 23 to define or provide pockets or pouches 16 for receiving photographs or cards such as the cards 17 and 18. 
   The Ganz patent discloses a carrying case which has an expandable compartment 17 attached to the exterior side of the center compartment 12 and this compartment is intended for storing miscellaneous items. The compartment 17 comprises a piece of material attached by stitching to the face of the section 12 and pleats 18, 19 are provided to permit expansion of the compartment to accommodate the desired articles. A cover flap 20 is provided with a snap fastener (not visible) for enabling ready opening and closing of the compartment. 
   The Bernard patent discloses a billfold showing flaps 1 and 2 of the billfold of FIG. 2 which comprise an outer wall 7 and an inner wall 8 referred to as “lining” joined together. The outer wall 7 and the lining 8 are joined by stitching along their edges. Before stitching the outer wall 7 to the lining 8, and for the purposes of fitting the corner region 3 of the flap 1 with a metal corner, a metal plate 9 is stuck in this region against the face of the lining 8 situated facing the wall 7. 
   The DiMeo patent is a business card case and is basically a stand-alone business card case. The innovation of the DiMeo patent is that it includes a shallow front lip for retaining the bottom edge of a stack of business cards and a hinge-mounted plate which is operative for lifting the top edge of a stack of business cards upwardly when the cover is opened so that the top card may be easily removed. 
   The Niemberger patent discloses a combination wallet and billfold which incorporates a money clip 32 into the face of the wallet and a strap 70 so that the strap can wrap around the money clip to further secure the bills in the money clip. 
   The Sullivan patent discloses a combination of a wallet and a pocket knife holder where the wallet has a plurality of sections which overlie each other when the wallet is folded. One of the sections has a pocket which removably frictionally receives a pocket knife. 
   The Archer patent is a design patent for a business card holder and dispenser which essentially is an ornamental designed business card holder where the business cards are held within the slot with the business card shown in the elevated position in dotted lines in FIG. 1. 
   The Kojoori patent is a design patent that discloses the concept of having a wallet with a billfold clip on the outside to hold paper currency as illustrated in the view of FIGS. 9 and 10. There is a spring hinge activated billfold clip as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 which support currency against the outside of the wallet. 
   The Masoud patent discloses a business card holder and dispenser which claims as its unique feature the ability to hold a large number of business cards while the nature of the mechanism in the business card dispenser enables the business cards to be easily removed and further, the device itself is small enough to fit in the pocket. 
   The Kim patent is a design patent where the innovation is that the wallet has a key holding cavity formed into the outside of the wallet so it is easy to gain access to the key from the outside of the wallet. 
   The Gribovsky patent discloses a money clip which essentially folds like a wallet and has an outer pocket 36 stitched to the outside with an opening 42 which can carry money. There is also a spring clip member 24 which can hold bills within the money clip. 
   The Gray Published patent application discloses a combination wallet and tool holder which carries wallet contents including credit cards, identification cards, business cards and money adjacent to a tool preventing the overlapping of the tool and the wallet contents. 
   The Radochonski Published patent application discloses the inclusion of having a watch attached to one face of the exterior portion of the wallet and a money clip attached to the opposite face of the exterior portion of a wallet. 
   The Hall Published patent application discloses a three ring binder notebook which has a front cover which has a generally flat planar outer surface having a pouch to hold items such as pencils and pens. 
   The United Kingdom Patent to Huang discloses a wallet or cover and holder for an electronic handheld apparatus. It is a wallet to hold the handheld apparatus which as illustrated in the dashed lines can be held on one face of the wallet. The wallet also has interior slits for holding credit cards. 
   Finally, the Japanese Patent Application to Keiichi discloses a clip to enable attachment of a business card case or commuter ticket card case to a pocket of clothing so that it will not slip down into the pocket. 
   There is a significant need for a man&#39;s wallet that is designed to also retain a business card holder. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is a man&#39;s wallet that can fit into a pocket in a man&#39;s trousers or into the inside pocket of a suit jacket or sport coat and which has incorporated into its exterior surface a business card holder which is either permanently attached or removably attached to an exterior surface of the wallet. With a business card holder incorporated into the wallet, a person will be able to carry business cards when he takes his wallet and will not forget to take business cards as he might do if the business card holder was a separate container. 
   It has been discovered, according to the present invention, that if a business card holder made of material comparable to the material out of which a man&#39;s wallet is made is incorporated into and attached to an exterior surface of the wallet, then the combination wallet and business card holder can still fit into the pocket of a man&#39;s pants or into the inside pocket of the coat of a business suit or sports coat. 
   It has also been discovered, according to the present invention, that if the business card holder is removably attached to the side of a man&#39;s wallet, the business card holder can be separated from the wallet if desired and carried separately in a different pocket. 
   It has additionally been discovered, according to the present invention, that if a business card holder is attached to the side of a man&#39;s wallet, the person will not forget to take business cards with him since he will always take his wallet whereas in the common present day situation where the business card holder is a separate entity distinct and apart from the wallet, the person may forget to take his business cards with him or will have to search for where he put down his business card holder. With the present invention, this problem is eliminated. 
   It has further been discovered, according to the present invention, that if the business card holder contains internal reinforcements on its interior corners, this will facilitate keeping the business cards crisp and easily removable from the business card holder. 
   It has also been discovered, according to the present invention, that having a business card holder on the outside surface of the man&#39;s wallet will not interfere with the wallet&#39;s normal function of retaining money, a driver&#39;s license, credit cards, etc. within the wallet. 
   It is therefore an object of the present invention to incorporate onto a man&#39;s wallet a business card holder which is made of material comparable to the material out of which the man&#39;s wallet is made whereby the business card holder is attached to an exterior surface of the wallet, so that the combination wallet and business card holder can still fit into the pocket of a man&#39;s pants or into the inside pocket of the coat of a business suit or sports coat. 
   It is also an object of the present invention to provide a business card holder which is removably attached to the side of a man&#39;s wallet so that the business card holder can be separated from the wallet if desired and carried separately in a different pocket. 
   It is additionally an object of the present invention provide a business card holder which is attached to the side of a man&#39;s wallet so that the person will not forget to take business cards with him since he will always take his wallet whereas in the common present day situation where the business card holder is a separate entity distinct and apart from the wallet, the person may forget to take his business cards with him or will have to search for where he put down his business card holder. With the present invention, this problem is eliminated. 
   It is as further object of the present invention to provide a business card holder which contains internal reinforcements on its interior corners so that the business cards will be kept crisp and easily removable from the business card holder. 
   It is also an object of the present invention to provide a business card holder on the outside of a man&#39;s wallet so that it will not interfere with the wallet&#39;s normal function of retaining money, a driver&#39;s license, credit cards, etc. within the wallet. 
   Further novel features and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, discussion and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Referring particularly to the drawings for the purpose of illustration only and not limitation, there is illustrated: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the present invention man&#39;s wallet with a business card holder removably attached to an exterior side of the wallet; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the present invention wherein the business card holder is removably attached to an exterior surface of a man&#39;s wallet and illustrating a mating hook and/or loop fastener on the exterior surface of the man&#39;s wallet; 
       FIG. 3  is a rear elevational view of the present invention illustrating the business card holder removably attached to an exterior surface of a man&#39;s wallet, where the attachment means is shown in dashed lines; 
       FIG. 4  is a front elevational view of a man&#39;s wallet where the business card holder is attached to the opposite exterior surface; 
       FIG. 5  is a bottom plan view of the present invention wallet with a business card holder attached to an exterior surface of the wallet; 
       FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the present invention wallet with a business card holder attached to an exterior surface of the wallet; 
       FIG. 7  is a side elevational view of the present invention wallet with a business card holder attached to an exterior surface of the wallet when viewed from the open side of the wallet; 
       FIG. 8  is a side elevational view of the present invention wallet with a business card holder attached to an exterior surface of the wallet when viewed from the closed side of the wallet; 
       FIG. 9  is an internal elevational view of the present invention man&#39;s wallet showing the interior portion of the wallet; 
       FIG. 10  is a rear elevational view of the present invention man&#39;s wallet showing the business card holder removably attached to an exterior surface with the removable attachment means illustrated in dashed lines; 
       FIG. 11  is a rear elevational view of a business card holder illustrating removable attachment means hook and/or loop fasteners on one rear surface of the business card holder; 
       FIG. 12  is an open elevational view of the business card holder of the present invention illustrating the business card holder closing means and the reinforcement means on the corners of the business cards holder; 
       FIG. 13  is a side elevational view of the business card holder of the present invention; 
       FIG. 14  is a top plan view of the business card holder of the present invention, a bottom plan view being identical; 
       FIG. 15  is an open front perspective view of the business card holder of the present invention illustrating the business card holder closing means and the reinforcement means on the corners of the business cards holder; 
       FIG. 16  is a rear elevational view of the present invention man&#39;s wallet showing the business card holder permanently attached to an exterior surface by means such a stitching shown in dashed lines; and 
       FIG. 17  is a perspective view of the present invention man&#39;s wallet with a business card holder permanently attached to an exterior side of the wallet. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Although specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, it should be understood that such embodiments are by way of example only and merely illustrative of but a small number of the many possible specific embodiments which can represent applications of the principles of the present invention. Various changes and modifications obvious to one skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and contemplation of the present invention as further defined in the appended claims. 
   There are two variations of the present invention man&#39;s wallet with a business card holder attached; a first variation where the business card holder is removably attached to an exterior surface of the man&#39;s wallet and the second variation where the business card holder is permanently attached to an exterior surface of a man&#39;s wallet. 
   The first variation of the present invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 11 . The man&#39;s wallet  10  is a conventional billfold having a first section  12  and a second section  20 . The first section  12  has an exterior front surface  14  which does not have components thereon and an interior surface  16  which in one example as illustrated in  FIG. 9  has a multiplicity of slots  18  for retaining credit cards, a driver&#39;s license, etc. The second section  20  has an exterior rear surface  22  and an interior surface  24  which in one example as illustrated in  FIG. 9  has a closable compartment for containing change, keys, etc. There is also a conventional billfold slot  26  which extends the interior length of the wallet  10  for retaining paper currency. 
   The present invention is to incorporate a business card holder  30  onto the rear surface  22  of the wallet  10 . In the first variation, the business card holder  30  has a rear section  32  with a rear surface  34  which incorporates a mating hook and/or loop fastener  36  known as Velcro onto the rear surface  34 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the rear section  32  has an interior surface  38  which optionally may contain a compartment  40  having an interior section  42  wherein the compartment  40  to retain business cards is between the interior section  42  and the interior surface  38  of rear section  32 . The interior section  42  also contain a mating hook and/or loop fastener  44   
   The business card holder also has a front section  50  with a front surface  52 . Referring to  FIG. 9 , the front section  50  has an interior surface  54  which optionally may contain a compartment  56  having an interior section  58  wherein the compartment  56  to retain business cards is between the interior section  58  and the interior surface  54  of front section  50 . The interior section  58  also contains a mating hook and/or loop fastener  60  which mates with mating hook and loop fastener  44  to close the business card holder  30 . 
   The rear section  32  of the business card holder  30  contains a pair of reinforcements  62  and  64  at its opposite interior corners and the front section  50  also contains a pair of reinforcements  66  and  68  at its opposite interior corners. The reinforcements  62 ,  64 ,  66 , and  68  serve to keep the business cards contained in the business card holder  30  crisp for ready removal. 
   Referring to  FIG. 2 , the exterior rear surface  22  of rear section  20  of wallet  10  further comprises a mating hook and/or loop fastener  70  which mates with hook and/or loop fastener  36  on the rear surface  34  of rear section  32  of business card holder  30 . As illustrated in  FIG. 10 , when the mating hook and loop fasteners  70  and  36  are joined, the business card holder  30  is removably attached to the rear surface  34  of rear section  32  of wallet  10 . As illustrated in  FIG. 10  with the mating fasteners  44  and  60  of the business card holder  30  joined, the business card holder  30  fits smoothly against the rear surface  22  of the wallet  10  so that the wallet  10  with its contents including paper money, credit cards, driver&#39;s license, etc. and the business card holder  30  with business cards contained therein will fit into the pocket of a man&#39;s pants or into the inside pocket of the jacket of a suit or sports coat. 
   Since the business card holder  30  is retained by hook and loop fasteners, the business card holder  30  can be made of material which is the same material out of which the wallet is made or of different material. The wallet material is usually leather but can also be made of a synthetic material. Similarly, the business card holder can be made of leather or of a synthetic material. 
   The second variation of the present invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 15 through 17  where the business card holder is permanently attached to the rear surface of the rear section of the wallet by means such as stitching or adhesive  136 . The man&#39;s wallet  110  is a conventional billfold having a first section  112  and a second section  120 . The first section  112  has an exterior front surface  114  which does not have components thereon and an interior surface  116  which in one example as illustrated in  FIG. 9  has a multiplicity of slots for retaining credit cards, a driver&#39;s license, etc. The second section  120  has an exterior rear surface  122  and an interior surface  124  which in one example as illustrated in  FIG. 9  has a closable compartment for containing change, keys, etc. There also conventional billfold slots  26  in  FIG. 9  which extend the interior length of the wallet  110  for retaining paper currency. 
   The present invention is to incorporate a business card holder  130  onto the rear surface  122  of the wallet  110 . In the section variation, the business card holder  130  has a rear section  132  with a rear surface  134  which incorporates permanent attaching means such as stitching  136  onto the exterior rear surface  122  of second section  120 . 
   The business card holder  130  is illustrated in  FIG. 15 . The rear section  132  has an interior surface  138  which optionally may contain a compartment  140  having an interior  21  section  142  wherein the compartment  140  to retain business cards is between the interior  22  section  142  and the interior surface  138  of rear section  132 . The interior section  132  also contains a mating hook and/or loop fastener  144 . 
   The business card holder  130  also has a front section  150  with a front surface  152 . Referring to  FIG. 15 , the front section  150  has an interior surface  154  which optionally may contain a compartment  156  having an interior section  158  wherein the compartment  156  to retain business cards is between the interior section  158  and the interior surface  154  of front section  150 . The interior section  158  also contains a mating hook and/or loop fastener  160  which mates with mating hook and loop fastener  144  to close the business card holder  130 . 
   The rear section  132  of the business card holder  130  contains a pair of reinforcements  162  and  164  at its opposite interior corners and the front section  150  also contains a pair of reinforcements  166  and  168  at its opposite interior corners. The reinforcements  162 ,  164 ,  166 , and  168  serve to keep the business cards contained in the business card holder  130  crisp for ready removal. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 16 and 17 , the rear section  132  of business card holder  130  is shown stitched onto the rear surface  122  of rear section  120  of wallet  110 . Therefore, when joined in this way, the business card holder  130  is permanently attached on its rear surface  134  of its rear section  132  to the exterior rear surface  122  of second section  120  of wallet  110 . As illustrated in  FIG. 17 , with the business card holder  130  attached to the wallet in this way, the business card holder  130  fits smoothly against the rear surface  122  of the wallet  110  so that the wallet  110  with its contents including paper money, credit cards, driver&#39;s license, etc. and the business card holder  130  with business cards contained therein will fit into the pocket of a man&#39;s pants or into the inside pocket of the jacket of a suit or sports coat. 
   Since the business card holder  130  is retained by permanent means  136  such as stitching or adhesive bonding, it is preferred that the business card holder  130  be made of material which is the same material out of which the wallet is made. However, it is also possible for the wallet  110  and the business card holder  130  to be made out of different material. The wallet material is usually leather but can also be made of a synthetic material. Similarly, the business card holder can be made of leather or of a synthetic material. 
   Defined in detail, the present invention is a man&#39;s wallet comprising: (a) a first section of the wallet having an exterior front surface and a second section of the wallet having an exterior rear surface, the exterior rear surface of the second section having removable attachment means thereon; (b) a business card holder having a rear section with an exterior rear surface and a front section with an exterior front surface, the rear surface of the rear section having removable attachment means thereon; and (c) the rear surface of the rear section of the business card holder removably attached to the exterior rear surface of the second section of the wallet through their respective removable attachment means so that the combination of the man&#39;s wallet and business card holder is sized to fit into a pocket of a man&#39;s pants or an interior pocket of a suit jacket or sports coat. 
   Defined alternatively in detail, the present invention is a man&#39;s wallet comprising: (a) a first section of the wallet having an exterior front surface and a second section of the wallet having an exterior rear surface; (b) a business card holder having a rear section with an exterior rear surface and a front section with an exterior front surface; and (c) the rear section of the business card holder permanently attached to the exterior rear surface of the second section of the wallet so that the combination of the man&#39;s wallet and business card holder is sized to fit into a pocket of a man&#39;s pants or an interior pocket of a suit jacket or sports coat. 
   Defined more broadly, the present invention is a man&#39;s wallet comprising: (a) at least one section of the wallet with at least one exterior surface; (b) a business card holder having at least one section with at least one exterior surface; and (c) the at least one section of the business card holder attached to the at least one exterior surface of the at least one section of the man&#39;s wallet so that the combination of the man&#39;s wallet and business card holder is sized to fit into a pocket of a man&#39;s pants or an interior pocket of a suit jacket or sports coat. 
   Of course the present invention is not intended to be restricted to any particular form or arrangement, or any specific embodiment, or any specific use, disclosed herein, since the same may be modified in various particulars or relations without departing from the spirit or scope of the claimed invention hereinabove shown and described of which the apparatus or method shown is intended only for illustration and disclosure of an operative embodiment and not to show all of the various forms or modifications in which this invention might be embodied or operated.