Coin holder

July 7, 1964

S. F. SWAIN

COIN HOLDER

3,139,976

Filed Dec. 8, 1960

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July 7, 1964

S. F. SWAIN

COIN HOLDER

3,139,976

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Sheets-Sheet 2

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INVENTOR.

SIDNEY FRANK SWAIN

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ATTORNEY

United States Patent Office

3,139,976

Patented July 7, 1964

3,139,976

COIN HOLDER

Sidney Frank Swain, 7811 NW. Grand Ave., Glendale, Ariz.

Filed Dec. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 74,658

Claims. (Cl. 206—.82)

My invention relates in general to coin holders and more in particular to a coin holder of the type commonly employed to hold a pre-determined number of coins in stacked relation to each other.

In business establishments of all kinds where relatively large numbers of coins of various denominations are handled, it is a common practice to furnish such coins in rolls containing a definite number of coins, the rolls being normally supported by a paper wrapper. Commonly when coins are obtained from a bank they are packaged in this manner. Similarly, when business establishments collect a large number of coins, it is common practice to assemble them in wrapped rolls for bank deposit. Until relatively recently wrappers for coins were provided in the form of flat sheets of paper commonly coded to identify the denomination of the coin contained in the wrapper, the rolls of coins being wrapped by rotating the roll of coins and simultaneously wrapping the flat sheet of paper around them and tucking the ends in to hold the wrapper together. It is common practice at the present time, however, to furnish coin wrappers in the form of paper tubes in which the requisite number of coins of a given denomination is dropped into the tube to form a stack, and the ends then tucked in to close the ends of the paper tubes.

In establishments handling a relatively large number of coins such as large banks, machines are provided for accurately and quickly filling selected paper tubes with a predetermined number of coins in accordance with conventional practice. Filling tubular coin wrappers by hand, however is normally rather a time-consuming operation, and mistakes in counting are not at all uncommon. When banks receive wrapped rolls of coins for deposit they must remove and count the coins, and make a record of correction of any mistakes made, a costly operation when the error may be caused by a shortage or overage of merely a few cents.

Accordingly, the principal object of my invention is the provision of an improved coin holder to replace the conventional paper wrapper of the prior art.

Another object is the provision of a coin holder so constructed and arranged that it will hold the exact number of coins for which it is intended so that mistakes representing an overage or underage cannot occur.

Still another object is the provision of a coin holder of the character described which automatically indicates the number of coins in a given wrapper, even though the wrapper may not be full.

A further object is the provision of a coin holder adapted for use in the same manner that paper tubular wrappers of the prior art are used, but overcoming the difficulties inherent in the use of such wrappers.

In accordance with the general features of my invention I provide a tubular holder of suitable material, such as plastic or the like, at the top and bottom edges of which are provided a series of beads or lips, preferably two in number, which will readily permit passage of coins as the body portion is filled, but which will snap over and retain against displacement the two coins at the end, so that the entire stack of coins will be retained as the filled coin holder is handled. The coin holder of the present invention is adapted also to be stored flat but quickly to assume a circular cross-sectional shape when placed in use, and having a capacity to stand up straight when placed on a flat surface.

Other specific objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken with accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view showing a preferred embodiment of the coin holder of the present invention, the coins contained therein being indicated by broken lines;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view showing the coin holder of FIG. 1 before insertion of the coins and in the flat condition in which it is shipped and stored;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are vertical sectional views taken on the lines 3—3 and 4—4 respectively of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing a modification;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are vertical sectional views taken on the lines 6—6 and 7—7 respectively of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIGS. 1 and 5 but showing a still further modification;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are sectional views taken on the lines 9—9 and 10—10 respectively of FIG. 8, and

FIG. 11 is showing a detail of one form of coin retaining lip, a fragmentary sectional view.

Referring now, first, to FIGS. 1 through 4, the embodiment there shown comprises a tubular body portion 11 which may be of clear plastic tinted, however, if desired to provide for a conventional color coding. Generally speaking, however, color coding is not so essential when the coin holder of the present invention is used, because as will be made apparent, the denomination of the coin is always to be seen at the two ends of the holder and if a transparent plastic is used one may see at a glance that all of the coins within the holder are of the same denomination. The wall thickness of the tubular body portion 11 is slightly exaggerated as are other structural parts to facilitate showing the features of the invention in detail and clearly in the drawings.

At each end of the tubular portion 11 is a pair of projections indicated generally by the reference character 12, and each having an inwardly extending lip 13 tapered at its extremities and adapted to engage over the edge of a coin, and a flat face 14 at the ends on which the holder may stand. The projections 12 are also tapered at their extremities at opposite sides of the flat face 14 down to the normal rim area of the tubular body portion 11. Also associated with each projection 12, integral therewith as immediately below it, is a central exterior bead or side projection 16, which prevents the package of coins from rolling if it is on a slanting surface, a feature which is not essential but which has certain advantages under some circumstances.

The number of coins conventionally wrapped in a single roll differs with the size of the coin and, of course, total value of the roll, and also changes with the number and denomination of coins in a given instance. Conventionally fifty pennies to a total value of one half dollar are wrapped; forty nickels to a total value of two dollars; fifty dimes to a total value of five dollars; forty quarters to a total value of ten dollars, and either twenty or forty half-dollars to a total value of ten dollars or twenty dollars, depending upon the number. The coin holder of the present invention may be dimensioned to meet this common practice, or may vary therefrom if desired. In the drawings I have for convenience of illustration assumed the coin holder to contain forty quarters, the views being enlarged slightly for convenience of illustration. I may provide on the face of the package a series of equally spaced indicating lines 17 running only part of the way around the tubular portion 11 and longer lines 18 running a greater distance. These lines indicate that there are ten quarters between each of the longer lines 18, and two quarters between each of the lines 17. I have found it unnecessary to actually apply numbers because a suitable arrangement of subdivisions is adequate for quick

3,139,976 counting from the exterior of the package. The transparent tubular body portion with the graduations 18 and 17 permit the coins to be counted readily in a partially filled holder as contrasted with the present practice in which the coins must be counted before they are placed in the wrapper, and the number of coins in the partly filled wrapper marked on the outside thereof.

It will be noted particularly by reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 that the projections 12 extend beyond the end edges of the tubular portion 11 so that when the tube is standing on end coins may be dropped in from the top, and any air which would otherwise tend to be trapped can escape through the openings between the projections 12. I may, however, provide a series of holes 19 for better evacuation of air under all circumstances, these holes also acting to provide greater visibility from the exterior of the package.

It will be noted that unlike the conventional paper tube of the prior art, the tubular body portion 11 of the present invention is only long enough to exactly contain the coins for which it is designed, and there is no necessity of folding over projecting edges as in the case of the paper tube. This further represents a saving in the material in the production of the holder, and also a saving in time when it is used. The material employed may be relatively inexpensive, actually costing no less than and not appreciably more than the paper heretofore used. The holder is of single piece construction and is readily molded of suitable semi-resilient plastic or plastic-like material by means of a suitable molding die. The material and the thickness of the tubular body portion 11 should be such that it will not stretch under the weight of the coins, but is sufficiently resilient to permit slight stretching at its ends so that the coins may be removed by simply moving the lips 13 outwardly either with the hands or with suitable equipment for automatic loading or unloading of the holder. It should be borne in mind that only a very slight overlapping of the coins by the lips 13 is necessary to retain them in position.

The dimension of the holder shown in FIG. 1 is such that the exact number of coins for which it is designed will completely fill it. It is, of course, known that coins are subject to slight wear, and that some coins in circulation will be slightly thinner than they were when minted. I have found, however, that given a group of coins in circulation, the differences in thickness cancel each other out so that a given number of coins will always occupy about the same vertical dimension. There will never be enough difference so that a coin over the number for which the holder was designed will be accommodated, and if a total stack of coins should be very slightly higher than the stack for which the holder was designed there is always sufficient slight spring in the lips so that the last coin will be retained. Conversely, if the coins should average slightly thinner than normal, the lips will still retain the stack against dislodgement.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 5, 8 and 11,1 also employ a tubular body portion 21 with a series of holes 22, relatively short surface lines 23 and longer lines 24 for automatic coin counting. This form of invention, however, employs only a very small pair of internal lips 26 below the end edge of the tubular body portion for retaining the coins within such tubular body portion. Illustratively also, the embodiment in this series of figures is for holding quarters, but of course coins of any denomination and any total number can be accommodated in the same way. The FIG. 5 embodiment also differs from the first described embodiment in that the coins do not extend quite to the ends of the tubular body portion 21, being separated therefrom by the vertical thickness of the lips 26. FIGS. 4 and 6 may be compared for an understanding of this difference. The material used, manner of production and manner of use of the embodiment of FIG. 5 may be essentially the same as in the first described embodiment.

In each of the first two described embodiments the coin holder comprises a single piece structure, preferably formed of clear, slightly resilient plastic or the like, but adapted to be formed of any suitable transparent or opaque material having the general physical characteristics required and described. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, however I provided a composite structure in which a tubular body portion 31 of paper or the like has bonded thereto at each end a tubular extension 32 providing lips 33 for engaging over the top of the coins. Bonding of the tubular body portion 31 and tubular extension 32 may be accomplished in any suitable manner, as there are many types of plastic and rubber-like compositions which are readily bonded to many types of paper. To illustrate the bond, however, I show a series of holes near the top edge of the paper, into which the material forming the extension 32 projects to strengthen the bond. While I have referred to the tubular body portion as being formed of paper, it may be formed of any suitable paper or the like thin walled material and may be transparent or opaque, depending upon choice. It may, if desired, indicate the graduations 34 on the surface and also holes 36, as in the previous embodiments. By forming the tubular body portion of paper, thin non-resilient plastic, or the like substantially non-resilient material a firm support for the coins may be provided even with a relatively thin side wall, and the tubular extensions 32 can be formed of suitable resilient as, for example, semi-soft rubber, plastic or the like.

It will be noted that in each of the embodiments of the invention described hereinabove it comprises a tubular body portion, preferably transparent but optionally opaque, of a suitable material of suitable thickness (the required thickness may vary somewhat with different materials) so that the coins contained therein will be held firmly in stacked relation. At top and bottom rims of the tubular body portion, a plurality of inwardly projecting coin retaining lips are provided, the lips either projecting directly inwardly from the said top and bottom rims, or being part of suitable end projections from said rims. The tubular body portions, of course, must have sufficient resiliency at its ends that that the lips may be snapped readily over the end coins. While a plurality of coin retaining lips, in excess of two, may be employed, there is an advantage in a structure employing two oppositely positioned lips, because such structure will always store flat and facilitate entry of the coins, and engagemeent of the end coins, particularly when the total stack has a thickness slightly in excess of the average.

While the inwardly propecting coin retaining lips may have various forms, so long as they may form a reasonably firm shoulder against which the coins may engage, I have found that the provision of a substantially fiat but narrow shoulder surface is preferred. In FIG. 11 I show on a further enlarged scale one suitable arrangement in which a tubular body portion 41 has a plurality of lips 42 projecting inwardly but slightly downwardly, with a relatively flat coin engaging shoulder. The downward slant of the lips provides automatic adjustment for slight differences in the overall vertical dimension of a stack of coins, the lips being adapted to spring out slightly if the stack of coins requires it. This construction may be used on the lips of all embodiments, although other shapes of lips as well will permit adjustment for differences in the height of the coin stack.

I have shown and described several detailed embodiments of my invention so that those skilled in the art amy understand the art of practising the same, but the scope of the invention is defined by the claims.