IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTE- MONNAIES, AND THE LIKE ARTICLES
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Frank Wirth at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 21st May 1881. A communication from
Georg Brumm and Peter Luft, of Offenbach on the Main, in the Empire of
Germany.
FRANK WIRTH, of the Firm of Wirth and Company, Patent Solicitors, at
Frankfort on the Main, in the Empire of Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTE-
MONNAIES, AND THE LIKE ARTICLES." [A communication from Georg Brumm
and Peter Luft, of Offenbach on the Main, in the Empire of Germany.]
This Invention relates to purses, portemonnaies, or the like, and consists
essentially in providing the same with a double fastening, one fastening device
being of ordinary construction allowing the porte-monnaie or purse to be wholly
opened for the purpose of affording ready access to the coins contained within the
same, and the second fastening device being of novel construction which only
permits a partial or restricted opening of the part of the porte-monnaie or purse to
which it is adapted. This partial opening readily admits of coins being dropped
into the porte-monnaie or purse, but is so restricted that they could not readily be
taken out through the same.
In carrying the said Invention into practice, I make a purse or porte-monnaie
as follows, that is to say, I provide the same with an overlapping flap in a well
known manner, that is to say, one piece passes over to the front and is fastened by
means of a hinged spring-fastening, this is the first fastening device above referred
to which as herein before stated is of ordinary construction.
The second fastening device is provided above and in connection with one of the
divisions or pockets of the purse or porte-monnaie, and in such a manner that the
piece of leather or other material forming the back or rear of the purse, and which
is ordinarily a continuation of or in one piece with the flap, is separate therefrom,
so as to leave an opening along the upper edge.
In its simplest form this fastening consists of two flat springs placed evenly
against each other and connected at their ends by hinges, so that if the ends
thereof are pressed inwards in the direction of the length of said springs, the
latter are separated, leaving between them a narrow space of somewhat oval form
through which the coins may be dropped into the port-monnaie, then the springs

page_text: are released, so that they again lie closely against each other and thus completely
close the opening along the edge of the porte-monnaie. I prefer, however, the
following arrangement, which is based on the same principle, that is to say, I
employ only one flat spring, the ends of which are attached to two small sliding
pieces which slide in a hollow guiding bar and are pressed outward by a coiled
spring in the said bar. The said coiled spring will keep the flat spring pressed
closely against the guiding-bar. If, however, pressure is exerted upon the sliding
pieces in the direction contrary to that in which the coiled spring operates, the
centre of the flat spring moves away from the bar, leaving a space of the form of
a segment of a circle through which the coins can be dropped into the interior of
the purse.
This second fastening may be arranged not only outside, but also in the interior
of the purse or porte-monnaie as a separate fastening for the pocket which is to
contain gold. The flat spring may be covered by the leather or other material,
and each of the sliding pieces is furnished with a small head against which the
thumb and finger may be pressed when it is desired to open this fastening.
The said fastening device is connected to the leather or other material by rivets,
or in any other suitable manner.
By this Invention I provide means whereby coins may be deposited in a purse
without the necessity of widely opening or exposing all or a number of the pockets
as is frequently necessary with purses of ordinary construction.