Music-satchel

Application filed August 29,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Frederick C. Kranz, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Aurora, in the county of Erie and State of 5 New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Music-Satchels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a satchel or portfolio designed more particularly for sheet 10 music, but the same may be used for carrying various other articles of a similar nature.

The object of the invention is the production of a neat, light and compact satchel of this kind having retainers or holders for the 15 music sheets or other articles, so constructed that upon opening the satchel the retainers are automatically unfolded to receive or release the contents, while upon closing it the retainers are automatically folded down on 20 the edges of the articles, thus facilitating the insertion and removal of the contents.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the folded satchel. Fig. 2 is a similar view thereof, unfolded. 25 Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the device, partly unfolded.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views. . The satchel consists of a comparatively 30 wide, oblong sheet 1 of leather or other suitable flexible material doubled transversely at its middle to form a receptacle for the sheets of music or other articles. The sheet 1 is provided at or near its free ends with 35 appropriate handles preferably consisting of registering hand-holes 2. The end portions . of the sheet are free from flaps or similar parts and lie permanently in the plane of the side walls formed by the doubled sheet. 40 Glove fasteners 3, 4 or other suitable means may be employed for retaining the walls of the satchel in their folded position. In the construction shown, the complemental members of the fasteners are located adjacent to 45 the hand-holes 2.

Arranged along the lateral edges of the sheet 1 and extending across its fold are flaps or retainers 5 adapted to overlap the marginal portions of the music-sheets or other 50 articles placed in the satchel, for the purpose of preventing their lateral displacement therein. These flaps are sewed or otherwise fastened to the sheet along their outer edges, as shown at 6, while their remaining edges 56 are detached therefrom to permit the flaps

1917. Serial No. 188,734.

to. unfold freely to the position shown in Fig. 2, for releasing the contents. The flaps are continuous or undivided from end to end and their sewed or base-edges are convex or angular so that the sheet is prevented from 60 unfolding to a perfectly flat condition, being caused, when unfoldecL to assume the form of a comparatively flat arc of which a straight line connecting the attached ends 5^aof each flap constitutes the chord. The re- 65 suit of this construction is that when the satchel is opened, the flaps are automatically unfolded to a position substantially at right angles to the sheet, as shown in Fig. 2, while when the satchel is closed, the flaps are auto- 70 matically folded inwardly over the edges of the contents. No separate manipulation of the flaps is therefore required, rendering the satchel more convenient in use. To insert the sheet music or similar flexible articles, 75 it is only necessary to open the satchel to the position shown in Fig. 2, lay the music between the unfolded flaps and then close the satchel, whereby the flaps are folded over the music. While effecting such automatic 80 action of the flaps, this construction, by allowing the open satchel to lie nearly or practically flat, enables the sheet-music to be laid flat upon the body-sheet 1, thus facilitating the insertion of the music. 86

In the preferred construction shown in the drawings, the flaps are comparatively wide at the center and tapered toward their ends.

This improved construction has the fur- 90 ther advantage of dispensing with the gussets ordinarily used in such satchels, which require them to be made about threefourths of an inch longer at each end, or if not so lengthened, cause binding of the sheets 95 when they are snugly fitted in the satchel. Such gussets also limit the opening movement of the satchel which is not the case in the present construction which is unrestrained in that respect and therefore affords 1OO a larger capacity.