Puzzle-purse.

Application filed February 28, 1907. Serial No. 359,861.

To all whom it may concern:

, Be it known that I, Thomas P. Reid, citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puzzle-Purses, of wliich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in puzzle purses.

The object of my invention is to provide a purse haying the feature of a puzzle as well as an article for the, safe keeping of money and other articles of value of small size.

My invention consists in a purse having a body portion forming containers with a plurality of connected strips and flaps of flexible material, and loops or rings of flexible or other material, by the movement of which strips through said loops or rings by motions of the hands the purse is opened or closed at the will of the holder, and said invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawung, described in the following specification and particularly claimed in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1: is a perspective view of my purse, and Fig. 2: is a sectional view of the same. Fig. 3: is a detail showing one of the outside sheets of flexible material of which the purse is composed. Fig. 4 is a detail of the inner sheet that divides the container. Fig. 5: is a detail of one of the sheets that form the flaps.

Referring to the figures: A represents the said purse.

shows the outer casings and the strips of the flexible material are indicated by the numeral 3.

represents the partition that divides the container and 5 shows one of the two pockets that form the said container.

Two outer flaps 6 are sewed to and extend above the container.

represents one of the tongues that are sewed to the container, and 8 indicates one of the plurality of loops through which the strips 3 may be drawn and which also form part of the stitcliing by which the flaps as shown are connected to the container. 9 shows the stitcliing binding the container. The strips 3 form on each side of the purse a continuation of the casing 2. The partition 4 that divides the container centrally and lies between the two sheets 2 that form the body of the same, is joined to said sheets by the said stitching 9. By said partition two pockets are formed, one of wliich may be used for coin and the other for currency or one of the same may be used for holding gold coin and the other for silver coin.

In Fig. 1 the purse is shown as closed and 60 in Fig. 2 as open. To open one of the pockets of the purse as shown in Fig. 1, the tongue 7 is grasped between fingers of the left hand and the outer flap 6 on the same side as said tongue, is grasped between 65 fingers of the right hand, and by thereupon pulling in opposite directions the pocket is opened, the strips 3 being drawn down through the loops shown at 8, and admission to the pocket, being obtained by inserting 70 the fingers between the strips 3. To close the purse the retainer is grasped near its base with lingers of the right hand and the connected strips wliich have been drawn down in the opening of the purse are seized with 75 fingers of the left hand at the apex of such strips, and upon pulling the parts in opposite directions the strips are restored to their normal position.

Upon inspecting the purse as closed a per- 80 son not familiar with the method of opening and closing it, will not observe any apparent mode of opening it, the stitching leading him to believe that the parts are firmly sewed together and it will be only by considerable 85 inspection and manipulation that the majority of persons desiring to open it will succeed in accomplishing their object if they persevere in the attempt, and it is this feature of the purse, viz; the fact that the parts 90 are apparently firmly sewed together that constitutes it a puzzle, as well as an article for the safe-keeping of money or other small articles of value.

In the foregoing description I have shown. 95 the preferred embodiment of my said invention, but I do not limit myself to same, but reserve the right to make such changes as fall within the spirit and scope of said invention.