Patent Application
20100018091
This invention is directed to a foldable card more particularly to a foldable card that includes an animation effect as it is opened.
Cards that provide entertainment, such as sounds, animations, etc. are known. However, they are often difficult to assemble. Accordingly, a need exists for a card that provides an animation effect that is easy to assemble.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of assembling an animated foldable card moveable between an open position and a closed position. The method initially includes the step of providing a sheet that includes a base page, shield page, first intermediate page and second intermediate page all having top, bottom, left and right edges. The shield page includes a window defined therein and its bottom edge is hingedly connected to the top edge of the base page. The right edge of the first intermediate page is hingedly connected to the left edge of the base page, and the right edge of the second intermediate page is hingedly connected to the left edge of the first intermediate page. The card also includes a moveable page having top, bottom, left and right edges. The right edge of the moveable page is hingedly connected to the left edge of the second intermediate page, and the moveable page includes one of either a plurality of shutter elements or at least one coded image associated therewith. Either the base page or the shield page includes the other of the plurality of shutter elements and the at least one coded image associated therewith. The method further includes the steps of adhering the first intermediate page to the second intermediate page to form a cover member, moving the moveable page so that it overlies the base page, and adhering the shield page to the base page such that the moveable page is sandwiched therebetween to form a bottom member.
In an embodiment of the invention, the at least one coded image is associated with the base page and the plurality of shutter elements are associated with the moveable page. In another embodiment, the at least one coded image is associated with the moveable page and the plurality of shutter elements are associated with the shield page.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided an animated foldable card that includes a base page, shield page, first intermediate page and second intermediate page all having top, bottom, left and right edges. The shield page includes a window defined therein and its bottom edge is hingedly connected to the top edge of the base page. The right edge of the first intermediate page is hingedly connected to the left edge of the base page, and the right edge of the second intermediate page is hingedly connected to the left edge of the first intermediate page. The card also includes a moveable page having top, bottom, left and right edges. The right edge of the moveable page is hingedly connected to the left edge of the second intermediate page, and the moveable page includes one of either a plurality of shutter elements or at least one coded image associated therewith. Either the base page or the shield page includes the other of the plurality of shutter elements and the at least one coded image associated therewith.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. It is to be understood, however, that the detailed description of the various embodiments and specific examples, while indicating preferred and other embodiments of the present invention, are given by way of illustration and not limitation. Many changes and modifications within the scope of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.
The invention may be more readily understood by referring to the accompanying drawings in which:
a is an elevational view of the screen sheet;
b is an example of coded image art;
Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
As shown in the accompanying drawings, the present invention is directed to an animated foldable card, generally indicated as 10, that is foldable between a closed position and an open position. It will be understood that an animation effect is provided by the action of opening or closing the card, as described more particularly below.
It will be appreciated that terms such as “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “left,” “right,” “above,” and “side” used herein are merely for ease of description and refer to the orientation of the components as shown in the figures. It should be understood that any orientation of the components described herein is within the scope of the present invention.
With reference to
In a preferred embodiment, the majority of the card 10 is assembled from a single piece of material, such as paper card stock, plastic/acetate or the like.
It will be understood that moveable page 27 and base page 20 include the elements that will form the animation portion 16. As shown in
In the example shown in the figures, an image of a running Santa Claus is shown. It will be understood that the provision of complementary coded images and spaced parallel lines to provide animation is known in the art and therefore, a description of how it works will be omitted herein (for example, see U.S. Pat. No. 7,151,541 to Seder, issued Dec. 19, 2006, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference).
a and 5b show an exemplary coded image 36(s) and screen sheet 32 with a plurality of spaced parallel lines 34. It will be understood that the running Santa Claus example given is merely an example of the infinite variety of coded images 36 possible under the present invention.
It should be clear that the shutter elements 34 may assume a wide variety of shapes including straight bars, curving bars, apertured opaque portions, and any other functioning configuration. Naturally, the shapes of the coded image(s) 36 would correspond to the shapes of the shutter elements 34. The plurality of viewing elements interposed between the shutter elements 34 could comprise open slots, transparent bars, or any other means that would allow a selective viewing of the coded image(s) 36.
To assemble the card 10, first, the first and second intermediate pages 24 and 26 are folded along fold 28a and adhered together using glue, tape or the like. This essentially forms cover member 12. First and second intermediate pages 24 and 26 each include a window 18a and 18b therein that form window 18 when the first and second intermediate pages 24 and 26 are adhered together. Because moveable page 27 is hinged to second intermediate page 26 along fold 28b, after first and second intermediate pages 24 and 26 have been adhered together, moveable page 27 is now adjacent and at least partially overlies base page 20.
In a preferred embodiment, as shown in
As shown in
After the card 10 has been assembled, the cover member 12 and bottom member 14 are moveable relative to one another along main card fold 28d (which is the fold that connects the base page 20 to the first intermediate page 24 in the unassembled state, as shown in
The components of the animated foldable card 10 can be formed from numerous different materials. For example, in one embodiment, the base page 20, shield page 22, first intermediate page 24, second intermediate page 26, moveable page 27 and assembly flaps 30 can all be manufactured from a single piece of die cut paper card stock with the coded image 36 printed directly thereon. The screen sheet 32, for example, can be made of acetate/plastic or a similar clear or translucent material imprinted with opaque spaced parallel lines 34.
In other embodiments, one or more of the base page 20, shield page 22, first intermediate page 24, second intermediate page 26, moveable page 27 and assembly flaps 30 can be formed of a separate sheet or different material and can be adhered, fused or otherwise connected or hinged together.
As
While certain embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. For example, the card can be a greeting card, an invitation, an announcement, an advertisement, package, box, book or any other possible type of print collateral where there is relative movement between a cover and a bottom member. Indeed, the novel methods and elements described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.
