Patent Application
20070222204
The present invention relates to an information tool or brochure and more particularly to an information tool or brochure that is pocket or wallet sized.
Information brochures are frequently used to relay relevant information, for example about a place or event. Various types of brochures are known that include printed material on one or both sides of one or more pieces of paper. Such brochures may include intricate folding or may be attached to or form an envelope when used as a mailer.
Many known brochures are large in size and may not be of a size that is easy to carry or store on or by a user.
There is always a need to produce a brochure, or similar marketing tool, that includes sufficient information that needs to be relayed to a user while being compact and easily portable.
The present invention provides a pocket sized information tool that has a flexible design.
In one embodiment the present invention provides a foldable information tool comprising first and second side edges interconnected by opposing end edges and a plurality of rows extending between the side edges defined by a plurality of first fold lines extending between the side edges and located transversely thereto; each row comprising a plurality of panels each defined by second fold lines extending between the end edges and located transversely thereto. An outer row of the plurality of rows located adjacent at least one end edge comprises at least a portion of the panel located adjacent the second side edge cut away inwardly of the second side edge and having a flap portion extending from the opposing outer panel and outwardly from the opposing first side edge.
In a further embodiment the present invention provides a foldable information tool comprising first and second side edges interconnected by opposing end edges and a plurality of rows extending between the first and second side edges and defined by a plurality of first fold lines, each row comprising at least two panels of equal size and a peripheral panel located adjacent the second side edge, the peripheral panel having a different size from the at least two panels, the panels being defined by second fold lines located transversely to the first fold lines. An outer row located adjacent at least one end edge comprising a series of panels defined by the second fold lines and having a cut away portion located adjacent the second edge and equal to the size of the peripheral panels of the other rows and having a flap portion extending from the panel adjacent the first side edge. The plurality of rows are operable to be accordion folded along first fold lines and the peripheral panels are operable to be folded inwardly onto the adjacent panels and further folded within the panels of the outer row. The flap portion is operable to be folded onto the exterior surface of the outer row and secured thereon.
The present invention also provides an information tool as described herein optionally including the feature of at least one of the fold lines or a portion thereof being perforated.
The present invention also provides an information tool as described herein optionally including a pocket located on at least one of the panels.
The present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying figures in which:
The present invention provides an information tool that is made from one single sheet that is die cut and is folded into a size that can be easily stowed in a pocket, for example a shirt pocket, or a purse, or such like. The design of the information tool allows a user to quickly access the information found on the tool and to easily fold the tool away into a pocket sized product.
The present invention provides a foldable information tool formed from a blank that is die cut that comprises a plurality of panels arranged in rows. The peripheral panel on each row being of a shorter length than the remaining panels in the row. One of the peripheral rows includes a cut away portion at its peripheral edge that is substantially equal in size to the peripheral panels on adjacent rows. Located on the opposite end of the row with the cut away portion is a flap portion that is operable to secure the information tool in a folded configuration. The rows are operable to concertina fold towards the outer row that includes the flap portion and the panels are operable to concertina fold inwardly towards the panel that is adjacent the flap portion. Once the rows and panels are folded inwardly the panels on the outer row that includes the flap portion are operable to fold over and enclose the folded panels and the flap portion can releasably secure the information tool in this folded configuration.
The information tool of the present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to
The dashed lines in
Turning to the embodiment illustrated using solid lines the information tool is a sheet 10 that has opposing first and second side edges 12, 14 interconnected by opposing end edges 16, 18. In the illustrated embodiment of
Rows a through c have the same configuration and in the illustrated embodiment of
Row d includes two identical panels 26, also located adjacent one another and one of which extends from side edge 12. However, row d has a portion cut away from the end lying adjacent second side edge 14, and in particular in the illustrated embodiment the cut away portion is equal in size to that of panel 28, i.e. row d does not include panel 28.
Extending away from side edge 12 in row d, in the opposite direction from panel 26, is flap portion 34. Flap portion 34 may optionally include an adhesive, not illustrated, located on at least one surface that allows for the flap to be adhered to the outside surface of at least one panel when the information tool is in its folded configuration. It will be understood that the side of the panel on which the adhesive is to be placed is the side which will lie against the surface of an adjacent panel in the folded configuration, illustrated by numeral 35 in
As stated above, panels 28 and panels 26 have equal height but differ in their length. Panel 28 has a smaller length than panel 26. Flap portion 34 has the same height as both panels 26 and 28. The length of flap portion 34 is smaller than panel 26 and preferably also smaller than panel 28. It will be understood that the length of flap portion 34 must be sufficient to be able to fold onto the exterior surface of panel 26, as described above and in further detail below, and to adhere to the exterior surface with the assistance of an adhesive.
Located on each of the panels and on both sides of the panels may be information relating to the proposed use of the information tool. For example, if the information tool is designed to be a golf course map then located on each of the panels 28, 26 may be information about each of the golf course holes, as well the general layout of the golf course and information relating to the operation of the golf course may be included. The information to be included on the information tool may be sized to fit within each individual panel of the tool and thereby require only one portion of the tool to be unfolded for viewing, or the information may be contained on the whole tool and therefore complete unfolding may be required for viewing.
The use of the information tool of the present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to
The folding and unfolding of the information tool will be described beginning with the unfolded state illustrated in
Once the rows a-d have been folded they lie flat on top of the outer row, d, as illustrated in
To secure the panels in a folded configuration, flap portion 34 is folded over the panels to lie adjacent the exterior surface of the panel 26, illustrated in
To view the information contained in the information tool 10 the user can remove flap portion 34 by peeling it away from the exterior surface of the panel 26 and open up the information tool 10 by unfolding the panels and rows as required.
As can be seen in
The pocket panel 38 is attached to the panel 26 to form pocket 36 using suitable adhesive. The adhesive is placed along the adhesive strip 40. The adhesive strip 40 may extend along a portion of both the pocket panel 38 and panel 26, as illustrated in
The illustrated embodiment shows the pocket being formed on the inside face of the panel 26 adjacent the flap portion 34 so that the pocket is held within the folded information tool 10. However, it will be understood that the pocket may also be created on the outside surface of the panel 26 so that the pocket is located on the outside of the folded information tool 10. In order to create the pocket on the outside of the information tool 10 the pocket panel 38 is folded in the opposite direction on to the surface of the panel 26 that forms the external face of the folded information tool 10.
In a further embodiment, the information tool may include perforated lines along any one of the first and second fold lines to allow a user to remove part of the information tool if so required. For example, the information tool 10 may include a perforated line along the second fold line 32 that defines the outer most panels, i.e. the second fold line that lies adjacent the second side edge 14. The inclusion of perforations along second fold line 32 allows a user to remove the outer panels defined by second side edge 14 and second fold line 32 if so desired. An example of an information tool that may include a perforated section is one that includes a form for completion by a user but where the remaining information is to be kept by the user. The perforation therefore allows a user to return part of the information tool while keeping the remaining information in a foldable configuration.
It will be understood by a person skilled in the art that the dimensions of the panels 26, 28 in the information tool may vary and are not limited to the examples provided herein. As can be seen in
The manufacturing steps for the information tool 10 will now be briefly discussed. Initially the colour images may be printed on the paper stock using an offset or digital printing press. Such machines are well known in the art. It will be understood that the size of the paper stock to be used will be chosen based on the size of the final product.
The pre-printed sheets may then be passed through a die-cutting machine, or press, to cut the outline of the information tool 10 to the correct size and format, i.e. including a pocket if the end product is so designed. At this stage the fold lines are scored into the paper stock and the perforations, if required, are included. Once the paper stock has been printed and die cut the sheets are then folded and glued on a finishing production machine that is configured for the particular folding requirements of the information tool 10 described herein. Such machines described herein are known and used in the art.
The information tool of the present invention may be tailored to suit a wide variety of applications and can be easily stowed in a shirt pocket or purse. The folding pattern of the information tool allows for easy access to helpful information such as, but not limited to, street maps, hotel layouts, golf courses, trail maps, city tourism guides, trade show guides, public transit map, campground map, gift card holder and coupon package etc. After viewing the information a user can quickly refold the information tool to its original size and store away until the next use.
As discussed above, the information tool has a flexible design that allows for various sizes and panels and optionally a glued pouch. The pouch may be used in as application such as hotel maps with a pouch for a room key. In addition, the information tool may be made in a standard size of 4″×3″ which can be used as a direct mail vehicle.
While this invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments and examples, the description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Thus, various modifications of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to this description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments. Further, all of the claims are hereby incorporated by reference into the description of the preferred embodiments.
