Road-map holder and organizer

• US 5,114,009 A
• Filed: 04/26/1991
• Issued: 05/19/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ronald C. Johnston
• Original Assignee: Ronald C. Johnston
• Inventors: Johnston, Ronald C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Foster, Jimmy G.
• Application Number:
  US07/691,744
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 40/159, 40/904, 150/147, 150/154, 206/215, 206/232, 206/424, 206/425, 206/449, 206/450, 206/472, 206/494, 281/3.1, 281/4, 281/17, 281/20, 281/22, 281/26, 281/31, 281/34, 281/38, 281/40, 281/45, 281/46, 281/51
• US Class Current: 206/425
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 1/06 Wallets devices for the prevention of theft or loss of wallets A45C13/185; for holding keys A45C11/32; Notecases
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 3/50 Map-cases used as travelling equipment

Abstract

A transparent pocket, sized to hold a folded road map, is mounted onto a leaf. A road-map holder consists of a plurality of these leaves welded together along a common, longitudinal axis. To search for a map, the user simply turns leaves until the sought-for map comes into view. Portions of each leaf not covered by a pocket are called margins. Margins play a key role in enabling the user to insert maps into, and extract maps from, their pockets. A road-map holder enclosed within a jacket having auxiliary pockets is called an organizer. Auxiliary pockets are for storing service receipts, warranties, maintenance logbook, owner'"'"'s manual, proof-of-insurance, and vehicle registration.

Claims

1. A road-map holder for holding folded road maps, comprising:

a) a plurality of planar pages;

b) each page consisting of a leaf and a first pocket;

c) each said leaf being substantially rectangular, said leaf having a first edge and a second edge, said first edge shorter than said second edge, said first edge substantially perpendicular to said second edge, said leaf having a front side and a back side;

d) a first marginal area, said first marginal area positioned on said leaf along said first edge;

e) a second marginal area, said second marginal area positioned on said leaf along said second edge;

f) said first pocket affixed to the front side of said leaf, said first pocket bordered by said first marginal area and said second marginal area, said first pocket being transparent, said first pocket sized to hold a folded road map, said first pocket having one opening, said opening being only along said first marginal area;

g) hinged means defined by the respective second edges of said pages being welded together along a common axis enabling said pages to pivot on said axis.

2. The road-map holder as recited in claim 1, further comprising a second pocket, said second pocket affixed to the back side of each said page, said second pocket bordered by said first marginal area and said second marginal area, said second pocket being transparent, said second pocket having one opening, said opening being along said first marginal area.

3. An enclosed road-map holder, comprising:

a) the road-map holder as recited in claim 1;

b) a jacket, said jacket having an exterior side and an interior side, said jacket having at least two panels the first of which is the front panel and the last of which is the back panel, each of said panels being substantially rectangular, none of said panels being smaller than each said leaf, said jacket having at least one spine, said spines comprising the contiguous area between adjacent panels;

c) means for affixing said road-map holder to the interior side of said jacket in such a manner that the leaves of said road-map holder may be turned like pages in a book.

4. An organizer, comprising:

a) the enclosed road-map holder as recited in claim 3;

b) a first auxiliary pocket, said first auxiliary pocket attached to the interior side of said front panel, said first auxiliary pocket having exactly one opening, said opening being adjacent to a one of said spines;

c) a second auxiliary pocket, said second auxiliary pocket attached to the interior side of said back panel, said second auxiliary pocket having exactly one opening, said opening being adjacent to a one of said spines.

5. The organizer as recited in claim 4, wherein said panels comprise exactly two panels, namely:

said front panel and said back panel.

6. The organizer as recited in claim 5, further comprising two half-size, transparent pockets both of which are affixed to an exterior side of said first auxiliary pocket.

7. The organizer as recited in claim 4, wherein said panels comprise exactly three panels, namely:

said front panel, a middle panel and said back panel.

8. The organizer as recited in claim 7, further comprising two half-size, transparent pockets both of which are affixed to the middle panel of said jacket.

9. The enclosed road-map holder, as recited in claim 3, wherein said means of affixing said road-map holder to the interior side of said jacket comprises affixing the pivot axis of said road-map holder directly to a spine of said jacket by means of sealing, sewing, fusing, welding, bonding, or gluing, whereby said pivot axis is affixed longitudinally within said spine.

10. The road-map holder as recited in claim 1, further comprising a flap, said flap welded to said road-map holder along said pivot axis.

11. The organizer as recited in claim 4, further comprising a flap, said flap welded to said road-map holder along said pivot axis, wherein said means of affixing said road-map holder to the interior side of said jacket comprises inserting the flap of said road-map holder into either of said auxiliary pockets.

12. The road-map holder as recited in claim 1, wherein the leaves and transparent pockets of said road-map holder are made of materials which are supple.

13. The organizer as recited in claim 4, wherein the panels, spines, and auxiliary pockets of said organizer are made of materials which are supple.