Collapsible binocular and blank therefor

Claim 2

A collapsible binocular having a housing formed of semi-rigid sheet material comprising: front and rear lens mounting panels, top and bottom panels, each being hingedly connected to both of said lens mounting panels, said top and bottom panels each having a pair of transverse fold lines substantially parallel to and spaced from said lens mounting panels, each of said lens mounting panels being provided with end flaps at each end thereof hingedly connected therewith, the end flaps of the rear lens mounting panel being hingedly connected to the end flaps of the front mounting panel for forming end walls of said binocular, whereby pressure application on said lens mounting panels urging said lens mounting panels toward each other causes outward deflection of said top and bottom panels and folding of said top and bottom panels along said transverse fold lines for collapsing said binocular and the collapsed binocular having a thickness approximately equal to the spacing of the lines of said pairs of fold lines.

Claim 3

A collapsible binocular as in claim 1 and wherein: said front and rear lens mounting panels, said top and bottom panels, and each of said end flaps are each formed in a single sheet of said semi-rigid sheet material.

Claim 4

A collapsible binocular as in claim 2 and wherein: said end flaps are hingedly connected to said lens mounting panels along fold lines in said sheet material.

Claim 5

A collapsible binocular as in claim 2 and including: a pair of objective lenses mounted in said front lens mounting panel and a pair of ocular lenses mounted in said rear lens mounting panel.

Claim 6

A collapsible binocular as in claim 4 and wherein: each of said end flaps are hingedly connected to their respective lens mounting panels along fold lines, said end walls having a length slightly greater than the distance between said lens mounting panels whereby said end walls are slightly inwardly displaced when said housing is fully expanded.

Claim 7

A collapsible binocular as in claim 5 and wherein: said front lens mounting panel is slightly wider than and the same length as said rear lens mounting panel.

Claim 8

A collapsible binocular as in claim 2 and including: a one piece sleeve formed of semi-rigid sheet material having open ends and inside length and width dimensions slightly larger than the length and width dimensions of said housing when collapsed, said housing being telescopically received in said sleeve.

Claim 9

A collapsible binocular as in claim 7 and wherein: said sleeve and said housing are formed of the same semi-rigid sheet material.

Claim 10

A collapsible binocular as in claim 8 and wherein: said semi-rigid sheet material is cardboard.

Claim 11

A collapsible binocular as in claim 2 and wherein: said semi-rigid sheet material is cardboard.

Claim 12

A collapsible binocular as in claim 1 and wherein: said housing is formed in a single sheet of said semi-rigid sheet material.

Claim 13

A collapsible binocular as in claim 1 and wherein: said top and bottom panels are connected to said front and rear lens mounting panels along fold lines in said sheet material.

Claim 14

A blank for a collapsible binocular formed of semi-rigid sheet material and comprising: an objective lens mounting panel of rectangular configuration and having a first top panel adjacent thereto and connected thereto at a first score lines, a glue flap connected top said first top panel opposite said objective lens mounting panel along a pair of second score lines, an ocular lens mounting panel, a bottom panel connecting said objective and ocular lens mounting panels along third and fourth score lines, said bottom panel including a pair of fold lines substantially parallel to and spaced from said third and fourth score lines, a second top panel including two score lines connected to said ocular lens mounting panel opposite said bottom panel along a fifth score line, each of said score lines being substantially parallel with, and each of said panels being of substantially the same length, an end flap attached to each end of each said lens mounting panels, whereby connection of said first and second top panels forms generally tubular collapsible binocular closed at the ends by said end flaps and having a collapsed thickness approximately equal to the spacing of the lines of said pairs of fold lines.

Claim 15

A blank for a collapsible binocular formed of semi-rigid sheet material and comprising: an objective lens mounting panel of rectangular configuration and having a first top panel adjacent thereto and connected thereto at a first score lines, a glue flap connected top said first top panel opposite said objective lens mounting panel along a pair of second score lines, an ocular lens mounting panel, a bottom panel connecting said objective and ocular lens mounting panels along third and fourth score lines, said bottom panel including a pair of fold lines substantially parallel to and spaced from said third and fourth score lines, a second top panel including two score lines connected to said ocular lens mounting panel opposite said bottom panel along a fifth score line, each of said score lines being substantially parallel with, and each of said panels being of substantially the same length, an end flap attached to each end of each said lens mounting panels, whereby connection of said first and second top panels forms generally tubular collapsible binocular closed at the ends by said end flaps and having a collapsed thickness approximately equal to the spacing of the lines of said pairs of fold lines.

Claim 16

A blank as in claim 13 and wherein: said objective lens mounting panel is wider than said ocular lens mounting panel.

Claim 17

A blank as in claim 14 and wherein: the end flaps associated with said ocular lens mounting panel are secured to said ocular lens mounting panel along their short parallel sides, and the end flaps associated with said objective lens mounting panel are secured to said objective lens mounting panel along their long parallel sides.

Claim 18

A blank as in claim 13 and including: a pair of ocular lenses and a pair of objective lenses mounted respectively in said ocular and objective lens mounting panels.