Patent Application
20080301992
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
The present invention relates to a changeable photo and print display formed from one single substrate requiring no interiorly located knock-out parts or crimps or weakened hinge bend lines for high speed print and cut methods.
Previous single substrate changeable print displays which require no interiorly located knock-out parts or crimps in their formation, and which utilize at least one or more appendage forming inverted generally U-shape or V-shape through cut slits with inwardly or inwardly and upwardly directioned beginning and ending points to permit an indicia sheet to be fully and completely inserted downwardly between the appendage and the surrounding substrate body, and wherein specific beginning and ending directions of the slit simultaneously prevents a further tearing of the slit itself were not found in any prior art. Without the specially directed beginning and ending points, a thicker indicia sheet may not be fully inserted between the appendage and surrounding substrate; as the thickness of the substrate itself, or the thickness of the indicia sheet prevents a full and complete downward insertion due to overly pinched areas at and near a slits beginning and ending points. Neither did prior art address or disclose a plurality of concentrically centered and smaller appendages for a users option of forming a stand wherein the retained indicia conceals any resulting apertures.
A changeable print display is specifically designed for manufacture via high speed print and cut methods by including at least one or more centeredly located, inverted generally U-shape or V-shape through cut slit(s) and resulting appendage(s) which retain an indicia sheet between a frontward surface of an appendage and a rearward surface of the surrounding substrate body. The slit(s) includes chamferred corners and inwardly and upwardly directed beginning and ending points which permit an indicia sheet to be completely inserted to a vertically lowest location where a slit first extends laterally inward. The combined inwardly and upwardly directed beginning and ending points simultaneously prevent a further tearing of the slit itself from the beginning and ending points to or toward the perimeter edge of the body or inwardly toward or within the appendage. The substrate may be of most any material which is at least slightly flexible, and including paper cardstock, plastic or magnetic sheeting. Alternative embodiments include a slight display strengthening curvature to further aid a retention of the indicia sheet; or may also comprise the original or largest appendage having one or more appendage forming slits which are reduced in size and centeredly located within the largest appendage to form a series of consecutively smaller indicia display openings and their surrounding substrates; and wherein any smaller size appendage therein may be inverted 180 degrees in its orientation to give the user an option of inverting the entire display accordingly to the users situation. The inwardly and upwardly directed beginning and ending points result in tear resistant tabs which may pivot upward to abut a larger surrounding appendage to form a slight display strengthening curvature while simultaneously supporting an interiorly located appendage which forms a stand. The plurality of interiorly located appendages of the optionally invertable display provides an end user multiple choices in using the appendages to form the stand. There are no requirements of knockout parts or sharp bend lines or crimped bend lines in the manufacturing or use or assembly of the display to achieve either a retention of an indicia sheet or a strengthening curvature or the optional self standing function. Any rearwardly extending appendages or resulting apertures are totally hidden from a frontal viewer by the indicia sheet.
It is a first object of this invention to release tensions at and near the beginning and ending points of a displays vertically inverted generally U-shape or V-shape appendage which is formed via a single through cut slit; and by forming the inverted generally U-shape or V-shape slit with beginning and ending points which are first directed inwardly.
The foremost advantage of this first object is a release of overly pinched areas of tension at and near the beginning and ending locations of the inverted U-shape or V-shape slit; and wherein a sheet of paper or plastic indicia may be completely and fully inserted to the most lowest vertical position where the beginning and ending points of the slit extend inwardly.
A second advantage of the inwardly directions of the beginning and ending points is to prevent the slit from extending outwardly to or further toward the substrates perimeter edge.
It is a second object of this invention to further release the same areas of pinched tension and to further prevent a tearing of the slit in an inwardly direction toward or into the body of the appendage itself by further directing the beginning and ending points in an upwardly direction.
The advantages of the second object are a further release of pinched tension to facilitate a thicker indicia sheet, and a further prevention of a tearing of the slit in an inwardly direction or toward or into the body of the appendage.
The inwardly and upwardly directions of the beginning and ending points result in generally semi-circular shape tabs. A combined advantage of the first two objects is the cooperative buffering and release of tension at and near the two generally semi-circular shape tabs; and with an additional resulting advantage of an overall prevention of any further tearing of the slit in two directions simultaneously; and while the substrate is being operated in a normal fashion by pulling the upper edge of the body away from the appendage to insert or remove indicia sheets of various thicknesses. Not all printed matter is as thin as a sheet of paper. Gift cards are about the thickness of a credit card or drivers license, and may be fully and completely inserted to the most lowest portion where the beginning and ending points of the slit first extend inwardly.
It is a third object of this invention that the display is in a slightly curved shape; and either laterally curved or vertically curved, and with the direction of any curvature being chosen by the manufacturer pending the substrate material type, overall size, thickness, flexibility, and the type of indicia sheet to be retained, and the end purpose of the entire display. All descriptions of a slightly curved display in either a lateral curvature or a vertical curvature shall define a display which is not completely flat or planar in both directions at once, and in example; a glass surface; and within nominal dimensions of curvature being defined as a curved display having a variance from a completely planar surface of 1/32 inch or preferably more.
It is also part of the third object to either factory heat form a plastic display in a lateral curvature form, or for and end user to compress by hand or to compress and retain a plastic substrate display by any means chosen by the end user to form a plastic display substrate and its appendage(s) in a slight lateral curvature to better retain the indicia sheet in its vertically uppermost areas; and particularly when the substrate is used outdoors as a changeable golf sponsor display.
It is also part of the third object for an end user to optionally take advantage of any existing previously described generally semi-circular shape tabs which apply pressure against a rearward surface of an appendage to achieve a slight curvature of a display.
The advantages of any lateral or vertical curvatures within the third object is to more pinchingly and better retain the indicia sheet at and near the sheets vertically uppermost areas between the appendage and surrounding substrate. Thicker and more rigid substrate displays such as those made of 0.060 to 0.080 inch polystyrene will better retain an indicia sheet with a slight lateral curvature in its vertically uppermost areas; and whereas smaller sized displays of about 8 inches or less in height, and using thinner and less rigid substrates such as 12 point poster card stock or 0.060 magnetic sheeting will also better retain an indicia sheet with any slight curvature, and whether lateral or vertical, or in combination.
It is a fourth object of this invention to include at least one or more additional and centeredly located inverted U-shape slit(s) with the same specially directed beginning and ending points and resulting tabs; and wherein each additional resulting appendage is consecutively smaller in size than the first appendage.
The advantage of the fourth object is for a user to optionally place a smaller size indicia sheet within the same display, or to place the same size sheet in front of a smaller size appendage to reveal more of the displays printed surface, and in example; to reveal more surface area of the pentagons within a soccer ball image display for a viewer to better recognize the overall soccer ball theme.
It is a fifth object of this invention to invert at least one of the interiorly located additional slit(s) and its resulting appendage(s) 180 degrees in its orientation.
The advantage of the fifth object can be seen when the display is used for a walkathon, and wherein the display has a directional arrow printed on the surface which surrounds the original and largest appendage; and wherein the entire display may be directionally inverted to synchronize the arrow with the direction or path in which the participants are to go. The very same indicia sheet may be removed from the largest appendage, and then be placed between an interiorly located and previously inverted appendage and its surrounding substrate to identify the particular walkathon.
It is a sixth object of this invention to form the display from a single substrate without requiring any interiorly located knock-out parts in its diecut forming.
There are multiple advantages of the sixth object, and including a faster and more efficient production when diecutting a paperboard display on a high speed printing or cylindrical diecutting press without a need for a machine or a human worker having to deal with fallen away knock-out parts. Additionally, when diecutting a larger display from an easily scoreable material such as 0.060 polystyrene, the cut may be partially through the material, and wherein the manufacturer or the end user may finish any partially cut through slits by bending the substrate until the material self scores completely through the displays body; and wherein the display will remain in a more rigid and one piece transportable planar state until its initial assembly or use.
It is a seventh object of this invention to permit a user to optionally take advantage of the previously described and interiorly located appendages and their surrounding substrate material(s), and which may also include a previously described 180 degree inverted slit(s) and any resulting appendage(s); and
wherein the user pulls any number of the stated consecutively smaller size appendages in an outwardly, rearwardly, and downwardly direction to form a stand for the original and largest appendage and its surrounding main body.
The advantage of the seventh object is for a user to optionally use the already existing appendage(s) and the material surrounding the appendage(s) to form a stand for the entire display. The stand function is formable by hand when a display is of either paperboard or most any type of flexible plastics; as no sharp bends are required due to the buffering and tension releasing effect, and the tear preventive features of the inwardly and upwardly beginning and ending point directions and the resulting tabs of the appendage forming slit(s). Portions of the display at and near the generally semi-circular shape tabs are both tension free, and tear resistant. There are two ways to form a stand without forming any sharp bends. The most interiorly located appendage may be shifted or pivoted upward to abut the indicia sheet itself; and when the entire display is about 4 by 5 inches in size. The next larger and interiorly located appendage will slant rearward and downward to abut the surface of a table to form the stand. Another embodiment includes a tab at the apex of the innermost V-shape appendage which is received by a slot or slit located centeredly near the lower perimeter edge of the displays main body; or is received by a notch centeredly located within the lower perimeter edge of the display.
It is an eighth object of this invention to alter the resulting generally semi-circular shape tabs by extending their shapes in a slightly outward direction from the generally U-shape or V-shape of the inverted through cut slit. As an end user optionally forms a stand as in the seventh object, the laterally extended tabs of the interiorly located appendage will pivot and shift vertically upward to abut and apply pressure upon the rearward side of the largest appendage which surrounds the laterally extended tabbed appendage.
The advantage of the eighth object is for the semi-circular shape tabs to pressure the largest appendage in a forwardly direction to better retain the fully inserted sheet of indicia between the frontward surface of the largest appendage and the rearward surface of the main body. In this position, the tabs place enough pressure upon the surrounding appendage to achieve a previously described slight curvature within most of the entire display, and both before and after an indicia sheet is fully inserted.
Further advantages of the eighth object may be clearly seen when the display is formed of a magnetic sheeting substrate, and wherein the material may be any thickness from 0.020 inch thick to 0.060 or more. The properties of a rubbery type of magnetic sheet which is laminated with a very thin film of vinyl sheeting on one surface include its tendency to self score in any direction via the smallest scratch or nick. When pinched between a users fingers, or when a crimped bend line is imposed on the material, it will fracture completely through; and so any sharp bends for forming an optional stand are not possible. The tension free areas of the stress distributing and tear preventive generally semi-circular shaped tabs will permit an end user to optionally form a stand without requiring or forming any sharp bends which would normally fracture the magnetic sheeting. Advantages of the sixth object of no knock-out parts will also especially be seen when diecutting any magnetic sheeting, as any knock-out parts would not fall away, but would cling to the magnetic sheeting and interfere with its travel through a continuous web process of die-cutting.
It is a ninth object of this invention as partially and previously described, to have a tab receiving slot or slit or notch near or at the most vertically lowest area of the perimeter edge of the display to receive any tabulated shape of any interiorly located appendage; yet the notch or slit is preferred to retain a display which is formable without any knock-out parts.
The advantage of the ninth object is to use the same cut through slit format and shape for either forming a display from a floppy 0.060 magnetic sheet of material, or floppy 10 point card stock, or from a more rigid 14 point poster card stock; and wherein once the tabulated portion is engaged, one display will stand at exactly the same degree of angle as the next, and will not be dependent on the type of substrate which is used for the entire display.
It is a tenth object of this invention to have intermittent areas of no through cutting within the inverted slit(s) path.
The advantage of the tenth object is a faster diecutting process by preventing any appendage parts from curling away from the main body in their travel through a web type diecutting process. The entire display will remain in a more rigid planar state until the end user makes a final punch out of the appendages by hand; and being simular to a paper doll punching. This embodiment may be best suited for a post card type of substrate being anywhere between 12 points thick and up to 14 points thick, and also for magnetic sheeting.
It is an eleventh object of this invention to require no machine formed or crimped weakened hinge bend line areas within any part of the displays manufacturing; and especially when thicker paper or magnetic sheeting or plastic substrates of 14 points thickness or more are used.
The advantage of the eleventh object is to completely remove any sharp bending or crimping process; and wherein the display is completely formable with one downstroke of a high speed diecutting machine; and wherein both the multiple appendages and the tear preventive generally semi-circular tabbed portions will facilitate a stand to be formed via a gentle curving instead of any sharp bends. This advantage does not deny an end user the option of forming their own sharp bends by hand within any particular type of display substrate, and other than a magnetic sheeting substrate.
It is a twelfth object of this invention to more securely retain a gift card within the largest indicia opening, or to the largest appendage by having an angled slit within each corner of the largest appendage; or to include elongate tabulated portions within the body of the display; or invertedly, a notch being within the cut line of the appendage, and being just vertically above the largest appendage and centeredly extending vertically downward into the uppermost portion of the largest appendage. Other embodiments may include a plurality of notches, or one at each lateral side of the inverted U-shape appendage.
The advantage of the elongate tabulated portion(s) and the angled slits is to better retain a gift card in a commercial business environment where the card retaining display may be dropped to the floor or tossed into a shopping cart.
It is a final object of this invention for the manufacturer to have the option of forming a display with most any perimeter edge shape they choose; and while not affecting any function of any interiorly located appendages.
The advantages of the final object are easily seen in the drawings using a semi-circular shape perimeter; and wherein the entire background of the display may be a full color detailed photo of a soccer ball, base ball, basket ball, etc. The end uses of this display extend to many large and diverse targeted markets, and including greeting cards, sports photo displays, benchmarkers, hallmarkers, directional signage, point of purchase gift card sales, calling card holders, refrigerator magnet photo holders, and most any market with a need for a changeable indicia display where an end user may additionally and optionally form a stand from the already existing interiorly located appendage(s).
In summation, there are no indicia displays with a self enclosed stand which are now on the market that can be die-cut from one single substrate, and which do not require any knock-out parts or sharp bends in the displays manufacturing, assembly or use; and especially no displays which give the end user an option of forming a stand which requires no sharp bends for forming a magnetic display, and particularly where the stand does not leave an aperture viewable by the user after a photo or any indicia is inserted. The very same refrigerator magnet display will show no apertures before or after it is assembled to be self standing. Combined advantages of all the previous objects of intent cooperate to produce a quick changing display with multiple options for the end user; while providing a manufacturer the use of high speed print and cut methods for forming a cost effective multi-purpose quick changing photo, print, and indicia display.
20 A main body surrounding the appendage.
21. An angled U-shape through cut slit.
22 An inverted U-shape through cut slit.
23 An inverted V-shape through cut slit.
24 An indicia sheet retaining slit formed appendage.
25 An inwardly directed beginning and ending point of the slit.
26 An inwardly and upwardly directed beginning and ending point of the slit.
27 A location of pinching when no inwardly or inwardly and upwardly directed beginning and ending points exist.
28 A chamferred portion of the inverted U-shape cut through slit.
29 An area of vertical sheet displacement represented by two arrows.
30 A smaller sized slit formed appendage located within a larger appendage.
31. A tab of a smallest size interiorly located appendage being intermediate the cut lines beginning and ending point locations.
32 A vertically inverted slit formed appendage.
33 A tab formed by the inwardly and upwardly directed beginning and ending
42 points.
34 A flat indicia sheet substrate.
35. A notch type of indent within the cut line of an appendage.
36 An at least minimally curved portion of the display.
37. An intermittent portion or gap within a through cut line.
38 A plurality of interiorly located appendages.
39 A tab receiving notch formed within the lower perimeter edge of the body.
40 A tab receiving slot formed near the lower perimeter edge of the body.
41 A portion of tab 33 which extends laterally outward.
42 A tab receiving slit formed near the lower perimeter edge of the body.
The preferred embodiment in
In forming the display, the reader may refer to the drawings for a fairly accurate representation, as almost all drawings are superimposed line art renditions of electronic photos taken of actual prototypes.
The changeable indicia displays body
The display may be formed by hand-cutting, machine die-cutting or stamping. If a thicker and more 3-D like display is desired, the substrate may be plastic injection molded to achieve any detailed depths or raised portions of the displays front surface.
When forming the display from a very thin substrate such as a mailing type of post card which is about 6 or 8 points thick, the manufacturer may choose to form the alternative embodiment with only the inwardly directed beginning and ending points (25) as in
When including both inwardly and upwardly directed beginning and ending points within a through cut slit line, a much thicker sheet of indicia sheet may be inserted fully and completely downward to a location where the slit first extends laterally inward, and as shown in
When a display includes the inverted U-shape through cut slit without any inwardly or inwardly and upwardly directed beginning and ending points, there will be at least some amount of vertical sheet displacement as shown in
The exact amount of vertical displacement co-depends on both the thickness and type of material used for both the indicia substrate sheet and the display.
An alternative embodiment having two appendages, and so two indicia display windows is shown in
An alternative embodiment having three appendages is shown in
The alternative embodiment of
As described in the objects and advantages section of this disclosure; one advantage of inverting any interiorly located appendage can be seen when the display is used for a walkathon, and wherein the display has a directional arrow printed on the surface which surrounds the original and largest appendage; and wherein the entire display may be directionally inverted to synchronize the arrow with the direction or path in which the participants are to go. The very same indicia sheet may be removed from the largest appendage, and then be placed between an interiorly located and previously inverted appendage and its surrounding substrate to identify the particular walkathon.
Any embodiment of this invention, and including all alternative embodiments, and all type of substrate materials may include a slight curvature within any part of the substrates body to further strengthen a standing display, and to more securely retain an indicia sheet, and especially in the vertically uppermost areas of the display.
Curvature within any portion of the display may be formed by the end user by hand forming, or pivoting tabs, or interlocking tabs within tab receiving apertures or notches; or by the manufacturer in heat forming a plastic substrate display, or predetermining a length of any interiorly located appendages to apply pressure against portions of the display when the appendages are extended downwardly and or inwardly to abut any rearward portion of the display.
The means for forming any minimal curvature or significant curvature are infinite in quantity, and so are not claimed in detail within this disclosure as to the means for achieving any curvature; but only that any curvature at all will at least add to the strength, or the standing strength of the display, and will at least further aid the indicia substrate to be more securely retained.
As described in the objects and advantages section; the display may be in a slightly curved shape; and either laterally curved or vertically curved, or in combination, and with the direction of any curvature being chosen by the manufacturer pending the substrate material type, overall size, thickness, flexibility, and the type of indicia sheet to be retained, and accordingly to the end purpose of the entire display. All descriptions of a slightly curved display in either a lateral curvature or a vertical curvature shall define a display which is not completely flat or planar in both directions at once, and in example; a glass surface; and within nominal dimensions of curvature being defined as a curved display having a variance from a completely planar surface of 1/32 inch or preferably more.
One example of a significant amount of curvature is shown in
Curvature is not numbered in all the drawings after
An alternative embodiment having a total of three appendages, and with notch and tab portions located within the through cut line of the slits is shown in
An alternative embodiment with an added slot is shown in
The slotted embodiment is not intended for manufacturing within a high speed print and cut process, but more pertains to larger outdoor displays such as a golf tournament hole sponsor sign using a thicker plastic material, and where any slot near the lower portion of the body will be hidden by grass or turf.
Shown in
A commercial electronic gift card may be held within the display by the indicia retaining appendage (24) when appropriately sized, but when the manufacturer intends to use the display as a promotional item to sell the gift card, the appendage (24) is best sized to hold a much larger photo or print, and wherein the notch type of indent (35) and the largest and indicia retaining appendage (24) and the angled U-shape slits (21) will help to retain the smaller sized standard gift card within the appendage (24). Any variation of angle or quantity of the U-shape slits (21) may be used without interfering with the displays end use function, as any slits within the appendage will be hidden by the end users retained photo or print.
Accordingly, the reader will see that the scope of this new Benchmark-ing Hallmark-ing Quick-Change-ing Photo And Print Display goes beyond it's many advantages over previous quick changing indicia displays.
The magnetic sheeting embodiment of this quick change display may either mark or designate a hallways steel doors, or a doorways surrounding steel encasement, or a steel bench for assigning temporary seating locations.
The very same magnetic sheeting embodiment may be alternatively used for marking or designating seating arrangements on a tables surface when the multiple existing appendages are optionally extended rearwardly and downwardly to form a stand for the quick changing display.
And accordingly, the reader will see the value of a display which requires no knock-out parts in its manufacture, and the value of no visible apertures within its frontal viewing surface, and the users option of forming a stand; and while yet the greatest value of this display may be the ability to insert various thicknesses of indicia sheets being insertable fully and completely downward.
Although the previous descriptions contain many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of the presently preferred embodiment and any alternative embodiments of this invention.
This disclosure is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 10/812,332, filed Mar. 29, 2004 and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10812332 | Mar 2004 | US |
| Child | 12228120 | US |
