Patent Application
20070062080
This invention relates to greeting cards and more particularly to a mailable picture frame greeting card.
As is quite common, greeting cards have been created in a variety of forms to be slipped into an envelope and mailed to the recipient of the card. In general, these cards can have numerous folds and have windows through which are exposed other portions of the card.
However, in order to personalize greeting cards, it is often desired to provide a picture, which is usually affixed by tape or other adhesive means to one side or the other of the card, whereby the particularized and personalized photograph is presented to the person who opens up the envelope and withdraws the card.
Such presentations, however, do not readily lend themselves to permanent viewing and often become discarded, either because of the flimsy construction, or because they are not of the visual quality that one would like to keep around and have on display.
While it is possible to take conventional picture frames, package them up and send them to an individual to provide them with a favorite picture or the like, these frame structures are heavy in construction, require oversized packing materials, and are not generally shippable without damage in the mail or by express mail services. Importantly, these frames are relatively heavy and require a considerable amount of postage, making such a greeting a one-off item not suitable, for instance, for the type of mailings that one usually does, for instance, at holiday time when numbers of cards are sent to friends and loved ones.
There is therefore a requirement for a greeting card that can carry a picture that will not only be pleasant to see and offer high enough quality so that one might want to display the card year round, but also be of sufficiently rugged construction so as not to be damaged during transit, while at the same time fitting into a standard mailable envelope and being of sufficiently light weight that extra postage is not needed in order to send the greeting card with the picture attached.
Moreover, there is a requirement that once the card is received, there is a convenient mounting method for permanently displaying the card such that it can be placed on a horizontal surface, be it a table, mantle or the like, and stay in position uncurled and in its original orientation so that it may be viewed at all times during the year.
Rather than providing a greeting card with a picture pasted on it, in the subject invention a mailable picture frame greeting card is comprised of a sheet folded at the top and having a back flap and a front flap. The front flap in one embodiment carries an overlying panel that is apertured at its center to permit viewing of a picture or indicia through the aperture.
In one embodiment pictures are located in a transparent envelope or pouch such that the picture can be seen from the outside of the envelope. The envelope is inserted into a slot behind the apertured panel, which is comprised of a back that is the front face of the front flap of the card, and the edges of the apertured panel. In between the apertured panel and the flap is a U-shaped ring of double sticky-backed foam tape that spaces the front panel from the flap, with the tape being U-shaped across the top, down one side and across the bottom. This leaves an opening to one side of the card into which the transparent envelope, which may be acetate or other like plastic material, can be inserted. The spacing between the front apertured panel and the front flap is provided by the thickness of the double sticky-backed tape such that the mailable picture frame greeting card can be easily and inexpensively constructed.
As part of the subject invention, the front flap is provided with a ribbon that has a detent at one end, with the undetented end affixed to the front flap and with the rear flap having a notch in its lower edge adapted to receive the ribbon therethrough. In operation, the detent co-acts with the back of the back flap so that the tentlike structure or easel is constrained from opening any further than the detent ribbon will allow.
This means that the card can be provided with a picture or other artwork in the transparent envelope and sealed into the shipping envelope, with the ribbon lying loose within the shipping envelope, albeit with one end tethered to the front flap of the card.
In a further embodiment, the notch in the lower edge of the back flap that receives the detent ribbon has a semicircular lower aperture at one end of the slot that makes inserting the ribbon easy and prevents the lower flap edge from fraying, especially as it is usually made of card stock or paper.
Secondly, the upper end of the slot is provided with a hole to provide a positive stop for the ribbon. It also prevents slit tearing.
As to one embodiment, to manufacture the detent ribbon, a ribbon butterfly is formed by looping the distal end of a ribbon on itself and heat-sealing the ribbon to itself to provide a laterally extending detent portion. In order to do this, an intermediate portion of the detent ribbon is folded at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the ribbon and is then looped back 180° to extend past the longitudinal axis of the ribbon. Thereafter this portion of the ribbon is looped back again 180° such that the distal end of the ribbon is sandwiched between the center portion of the loops and is sealed so that the end of the ribbon is hidden and protected from fraying. This tab at the end of the detent ribbon requires no additional strengthening member, with the detent ribbon being easily formed.
Upon removal of the card, the two flaps are separated to form a tentlike structure, with the bottom edges of the tent being prevented from separating further than the length of the detent ribbon.
What is therefore provided is a picture framelike greeting card that has two flaps folded and joined together at the top, prevented from further spreading apart by the tabbed detent ribbon slot structure.
The result is that one has a mailable picture frame greeting card in which the picture can be displayed on a mantle or the like through the use of this folded display card structure.
In summary, a mailable picture frame greeting card includes a folded easel having an apertured front face and an artwork-receiving compartment behind the apertured front face through which a picture or other artwork may be displayed. The card is constructed using a sheet folded to provide a back flap hingedly attached to a front flap and with an easel-maintaining tether, in one embodiment in the form of a tabbed detent ribbon. The untabbed end of the ribbon is fixedly attached to the front flap and the back flap provided with a notch to receive the tabbed end portion of the ribbon, such that the ribbon prevents the two flaps from spreading apart. In one instance the notch has a protective semicircle at the edge of the back flap and a circular hole at the other end. Moreover, a looped and heat-sealed distal ribbon end provides a convenient detent. In one embodiment construction is simplified by providing relatively thick double foam core sticky-backed tape between the front flap and an overlying apertured faceplate or panel, with the thickness of the double sticky-backed tape permitting insertion of a transparent pouch containing a picture or other artwork in the space between the front flap and the panel. Ornamental indicia surrounding the apertured faceplate may be in the form of an apertured frame-shaped panel at the time of manufacture.
These and other features of the subject invention will be better understood in connection with a Detailed Description, in conjunction with the Drawings, of which:
Referring now to
The mailable picture frame is provided with a ribbon detent 22, illustrated in dotted outline, which has a detent end 24 oriented orthogonal to the ribbon length, with the other end 26 of ribbon 22 being affixed to front fold 16.
A picture or like artwork 30 is adapted to be carried by an envelope 32 having a transparent front face 34, which is inserted as illustrated by arrow 36 between front flap 16 and the edges 38 of panel 18 surrounding aperture 20.
With artwork 30 in envelope 32 and inserted between the front face of the front flap 16 and apertured panel 18, the artwork 30 is exposed through aperture 20. Flaps 14 and 16 are folded in towards each other so that the picture frame greeting card can be inserted as illustrated by arrow 40 into envelope 12. As will be described, the greeting card is made of very low-cost materials, which include card stock, for instance, for the card flaps. Note the front panel may have beveled edges 42 to simulate a beveled matte, with the panel being likewise of relatively inexpensive and lightweight construction.
Envelope 32 may be made of acetate or other transparent material such that the entire cost of the manufacture of the mailable picture frame greeting card is kept to a minimum so as to present to the buyer a greeting card picture frame that is quite easily affordable and one that can be used for multiple mailings as would be the case at holiday time.
Referring now to
The extended ribbon detent co-acts with the back surface of back flap 14 along with the length of ribbon 22 and its anchored distal end 26 to prevent further spread of the front and back flaps, thus to provide an easel-like display that is secure and that can stay in place year round in a self-supported manner.
Referring to
In one embodiment, the detent can be ribbon over cardboard or ribbon over a stiffening structure, or can even be any type of detent, such a ball detent, although a flat detent is preferred so that it does not bulge or protrude out of envelope 12 in
Referring to
Referring to
More particularly and referring now to
In the construction of the mailable picture frame greeting card, this U-shaped double sticky-backed member is affixed to surface 64, after which apertured panel 18 is pressed over the double sticky-backed tape, with the sides 38 of panel 18 spaced from surface 64 by the thickness of the double sticky-backed tape. When sandwiched together, the area within the U-shaped ring 66, the front surface of front flap 16 and the bottom surfaces 38 of panel 18 serve to contain envelope 32 that in one embodiment may be made of acetate.
For decorative purposes, an apertured decorative member 70 in the form of a frame may be affixed to panel 18 so that its aperture 72 is aligned with aperture 20 of panel 18.
It will be appreciated that this assembly procedure is exceedingly low cost, with card stock in one embodiment being used to provide flaps 12 and 16, and with double sticky-backed tape being an exceedingly simple and inexpensive method of providing the pocket or cavity into which envelope 32 is to be inserted between panel 18 and front flap 16.
It will be appreciated that the adhesive on the double sticky-backed tape secures the entire assembly together such that the only other attachable member, namely ribbon 22, is attached at point 26 at the back surface of flap 16 as illustrated.
What is provided is an exceptionally inexpensive yet durable mailable picture frame, which upon receipt can have its back and front flaps separated in easel fashion to provide a display stand for the originally inserted picture, noting that with the detent ribbon in place, the greeting card is self-supported and will not, as is the case with most greeting cards, have its front and back flaps separate one from the other when it is placed on a flat surface, such as a countertop, table, fireplace mantle or the like.
Thus the mailable picture frame greeting card keeps its shape when placed on a flat surface and is yet simple enough in construction and low enough in cost to be able to give the purchaser the option of multiple inexpensive mailings for photographs or artwork.
While the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications or additions may be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function of the present invention without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the recitation of the appended claims.
