Patent Application
20060243609
The present invention relates generally to a greeting card and more specifically to a greeting card which also contains a gift card.
At present, greeting cards are purchased, and gift cards are purchased. Heretofore a person purchasing both would typically have to go to two different sources to obtain both the greeting card and gift card, or at the very least would have to make two different purchases.
An additional issue is that a gift card must also be activated prior to its use, requiring an additional step before the customer can make immediate use of the gift card. What is needed is a system that overcomes the above-identified issues. The present invention addresses such a need.
A greeting card system is disclosed. The greeting card system comprises a card member. The card member includes a first window. The system includes a gift card attached to the card member. The gift card is activated through use of a code that is displayed in the first window.
Accordingly, a greeting card system is provided that allows for immediate use of a gift card. The system minimizes fraud or theft of the card through the use of an activation code thereon.
a illustrates the front of a greeting card in accordance with the present invention.
b shows the inside of a greeting card in accordance with the present invention.
c illustrates the back of a greeting card in accordance with the present invention.
The present invention relates generally to a greeting card and more specifically to a greeting card which also contains a gift card. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements. Various modifications to the preferred embodiments and the generic principles and features described herein will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.
a and 1b illustrate a greeting card system 10 in accordance with the present invention.
b shows the inside of the greeting card system 10 after the greeting card system 10 has been opened. As is seen, the greeting card system 10 includes a card member 102 and a gift card 100 therewithin. The gift card 100 is fastened to the card member 102 with a substance such as glue or the like, although the gift card 100 can be removed from the greeting card if the user desires or needs to do so. Accordingly in a preferred embodiment the gift card and the card member are sold as a single integral unit.
As is seen in
c illustrates the back of the greeting card system 10. As is seen, possession of the greeting card system 10 makes it possible for the user to download one or more music files from the Internet from a music site such as iTunes. A first barcode 107 is utilized to sell the greeting card system 10. A second bar code 110 for activating the gift card 100 is displayed on the back of the card member 102. This bar code 110 is designed to be displayed through a window 112 on the back of the greeting card 10. The bar code 110 in a preferred embodiment allows the seller of the greeting card system 10 to activate the gift card 100 such through a bar code reader and therefore minimizes fraud and theft. In addition the second barcode 110 allows for information to be transmitted to a database of the music site or the like about the card 100. Accordingly, the first and second bar codes 107 and 110 are utilized to manage the sale of the greeting card system 10 and to provide for activation of the gift card 100 and the inventory of the gift card 100 by a web site, such as music site.
In addition to language 204 authorizing permission to download music files shown on the back side of the greeting card 10, additional language 206 may also be printed on the back of the greeting card 10, including language explaining how to utilize the attached gift card, expiration information, additional marketing language, legal language relating to limitations and protections, and patent and copyright information as needed.
The greeting card system 10 can be utilized to download music files from a music site such as iTunes. To describe this feature in more detail, refer now to the following discussion in conjunction with
Additionally, if desired, it may be possible to obtain marketing information from the use of the cards, if users are asked to fill out personal information forms on the internet before a music file is delivered. Yet another advantage to the greeting cards in accordance with the present invention is that not only are they much easier for the customer to use, they also make distribution of music available among a wider base of customers, overcoming the physical, fuel and personnel costs of distribution of CDs.
Although the present invention has been described in accordance with the embodiments shown, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that there could be variations to the embodiments and those variations would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, many modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
