Alarm system for a card holder

• US 5,373,283 A
• Filed: 01/16/1992
• Issued: 12/13/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Totes Isotoner Corporation (Totes Isotoner Holdings Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Totes Incorporated
• Inventors: Maharshak, Arie
• Primary Examiner(s): Peng, John K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US07/821,638
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 340/571, 340/568, 340/522, 200/61.19, 150/147-149
• US Class Current: 340/568.7
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 11/184 with a reminding device, e.g. when the card is not returned into its holder reminder alarms in general G08B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms

Abstract

A cardholder with an alarm includes a control circuit to prevent operation of the alarm until the cardholder is folded up or closed. The control circuit is preferably an interrupted loop of conductive material on the exterior of one or more flexible pockets of the cardholder and a conductive member, which may be part of the loop, on an adjacent pocket or pockets which closes or bridges the gap in the interrupted loop when adjacent pockets are placed into overlying relationship such as by folding the cardholder.

Claims

1. A cardholder with alarm comprising:

a plurality of interconnected flexible pockets each having an interior for receiving a card and an exterior surface;

card circuit means associated with the interior of each of the pockets for detecting when a card is absent from one of the pockets;

control circuit means disposed on the exterior surface of at least a first and a second of the pockets for indicating when the first and second pockets are in overlying relationship, the control circuit means including a conductor defined by a pair of spaced apart conductive strips disposed along the exterior surface of at least the first and second pockets, the strips being electrically interconnected at an end thereof, one of the strips having a gap at some point therealong on the exterior surface of the first pocket, a portion of that strip being positioned on the second pocket to bridge the gap when the first and second pockets are in overlying relationship; and

alarm means responsive to the card circuit means and the control circuit means for providing an alarm when a card is absent from at least one of the pockets and the first and second pockets are in overlying relationship.

2. The cardholder of claim 1, the first and second pockets being adjacent one another.

3. The cardholder of claim 1, the card circuit means including a pair of conductive strips disposed on one interior wall of each pocket and a conductive member disposed on an opposite interior wall of each pocket, whereby a card in one of the pockets separates the conductive member in that pocket from the conductive strips in that pocket, such that the conductive member electrically interconnects the conductive strips within that pocket in the absence of a card in that pocket.

4. The cardholder of claim 3, the conductive member being a plate.

5. The cardholder of claim 3, the conductive member being a grid.

6. The cardholder of claim 1, the card circuit means including a pair of criss-crossed conductive strips disposed on opposite interior walls of each pocket, whereby a card in one of the pockets separates the conductive strips in that pocket such that the conductive strips electrically interconnect within that pocket in the absence of a card in that pocket.

7. The cardholder of claim 1, the card circuit means including a pair of confronting conductive strips disposed on opposite interior walls of each pocket, whereby a card in one of the pockets separates the conductive strips in that pocket such that the conductive strips electrically interconnect within that pocket in the absence of a card in that pocket.

8. The cardholder of claim 7 wherein the pockets are interconnected along seams with the conductive strips of the card circuit means passing through the seams, the cardholder further comprising insulative material between the card circuit means conductive strips within the seams.

9. The cardholder of claim 1, the pockets being interconnected in accordion fashion.

10. The cardholder of claim 1, the pockets being interconnected in book fashion.

11. The cardholder of claim 1, the pockets being supported in folio fashion.

12. A cardholder with alarm comprising:

a plurality of interconnected pockets, each having an interior for receiving a card and first and second exterior surfaces;

card circuit means associated with the interior of each of the pockets for detecting when a card is absent from one of the pockets;

a plurality of control conductors, each control conductor being disposed on the first exterior surface of a respective pocket, each control conductor being interrupted at a gap;

a plurality of conductive webs, each web being situated on the second exterior surface of a respective pocket, each conductive web positioned to bridge the gap of the control conductor on the first exterior surface of an adjacent pocket when adjacent pockets are in overlying relationship; and

alarm means responsive to the card circuit means and bridging of the gap of the control conductor of one of the pockets for providing an alarm when a card is absent from that pocket.

13. The cardholder of claim 12, the card circuit means including a pair of conductive strips disposed on one interior wall and a conductive member disposed on an opposite interior wall of each pocket, whereby a card in one of the pockets separates the conductive member in that pocket from the conductive strips in that pocket such that the conductive member electrically interconnects the conductive strips within that pocket in the absence of a card in that pocket.

14. The cardholder of claim 13, the conductive member being a plate.

15. The cardholder of claim 13, the conductive member being a grid.

16. The cardholder of claim 12, the card circuit means including a pair of criss-crossed conductive strips disposed on opposite interior walls of each pocket, whereby a card in one of the pockets separates the conductive strips in that pocket such that the conductive strips electrically interconnect within that pocket in the absence of a card in that pocket.

17. The cardholder of claim 12, the card circuit means including a pair of confronting conductive strips disposed on opposite interior walls of each pocket, whereby a card in one of the pockets separates the conductive strips in that pocket such that the conductive strips electrically interconnect within that pocket in the absence of a card in that pocket.

18. The cardholder of claim 17 wherein the pockets are interconnected along seams with the conductive strips of the card circuit means passing through the seams, the cardholder further comprising insulative material between the card circuit means conductive strips within the seams.

19. The cardholder of claim 12, the pockets being interconnected in accordion fashion.

20. The cardholder of claim 12, the pockets being interconnected in book fashion.

21. The cardholder of claim 12, the pockets being supported in folio fashion.

22. A cardholder with alarm comprising:

dielectric sheet means sealed at predetermined locations so as to define a plurality of interconnected flexible pockets each having an interior for receiving a card and an exterior surface, the interior of each pocket being defined by opposing front surface portions and the exterior surface of each pocket being defined by respective back surface portions;

card circuit means defined by conductive material on the opposing front surface portions and associated with the interior of each of the pockets for detecting when a card is absent from one of the pockets;

control circuit means on at least one of the back surface portions of the sheet means and associated with the exterior surface of at least a first and a second one of the pockets for indicating when the first and second pockets are in overlying relationship; and

alarm means responsive to the card circuit means and the control circuit means for providing an alarm when a card is absent from at least one of the pockets and the first and second pockets are in overlying relationship.

23. The cardholder of claim 22 the control circuit means including first and second conductors on the back surface portions of the sheet means, the first conductor being disposed on the first pocket and having a gap at some point therealong, the second conductor being disposed on the second pocket and positioned to bridge the gap when the first and second pockets are in overlying relationship.

24. The cardholder of claim 22, the control circuit means including a pair of spaced apart conductive strips on the back surface portions of the sheet means and disposed along the exterior surface of at least the first pocket, the control circuit means further including conductive means on the back surface portions of the sheet means and on the second pocket, the conductive means being positioned to bridge the strips when the first and second pockets are in overlying relationship.

25. The cardholder of claim 22, the first and second pockets being adjacent one another.

26. The cardholder of claim 22, the card circuit means conductive material including a pair of conductive strips disposed on one of the front surface portions of each pocket and a conductive member disposed on the front surface portion of each pocket which opposes said one front surface portion, whereby a card in one of the pockets separates the conductive member in that pocket from the conductive strips in that pocket such that the conductive member electrically interconnects the conductive strips within that pocket in the absence of a card in that pocket.

27. The cardholder of claim 26, the conductive member being a plate.

28. The cardholder of claim 26, the conductive member being a grid.

29. The cardholder of claim 22, the card circuit means conductive material including a pair of criss-crossed conductive strips disposed on respective ones of the opposing front surface portions of each pocket, whereby a card in one of the pockets separates the conductive strips in that pocket such that the conductive strips electrically interconnect within that pocket in the absence of a card in that pocket.

30. The cardholder of claim 22, the card circuit means conductive material including a pair of confronting conductive strips disposed on respective ones of the opposing front surface portions of each pocket, whereby a card in one of the pockets separates the conductive strips in that pocket such that the conductive strips electrically interconnect within that pocket in the absence of a card in that pocket.

31. The cardholder of claim 30 wherein the pockets are interconnected along seams with the conductive strips of the card circuit means passing through the seams, the cardholder further comprising insulative material between the card circuit means conductive strips within the seams.

32. The cardholder of claim 22, the pockets being interconnected in accordion fashion.

33. The cardholder of claim 22, the pockets being interconnected in book fashion.

34. The cardholder of claim 22, the pockets being supported in folio fashion.

35. The cardholder of claim 22, the dielectric sheet means being a dielectric sheet having a front surface and a back surface and being folded such that respective portions of the front surface form said opposing front surface portions of each said pocket.