The invention relates generally to the handling of printed materials. More particularly, the invention relates to the modularized packaging, storing and dispensing of printed materials such as business cards.
Business cards are often ordered, printed, and sold in large quantities, often exceeding five hundred or one thousand items at a time. Commonly, after printing, the business cards are packaged into cardboard boxes and shipped or delivered. Users often keep the business cards in the cardboard boxes, in or on their desks, and remove a selected number of cards before going to an event or on a business-related trip.
Business card users often travel for business purposes to meetings, trade shows, and other events. Most of the time the user may exchange business cards with less than a dozen business contacts each day. However, at a trade show or convention, the user may distribute hundreds of cards to contacts in the course of a single day. Thus, it becomes important for the user to have an ample supply of business cards at hand. Carrying an entire box of business cards on long trips or to the floor of a trade show, is impractical. Business cards, out of their package, however, are easily susceptible to loss and damage. Loose cards are easily scattered, dog-eared and soiled. The more that business cards are handled prior to dispensing, the greater the likelihood that the card will lose integrity due to wear or soiling.
Users can place a rubber band or paper clip to hold a larger number of cards for trips of long duration. However, clips and rubber bands can distort or damage the cards. In addition, once out of the box, the cards can be susceptible to being bent, torn, or otherwise damaged. The presentation of a damaged or dog-eared business card to a business prospect makes a poor impression on the prospect and may lead to the loss of a sale or valuable business contact.
Business card holders can be used to protect a smaller quantity of cards in the interim between removal of the cards from their package and the handing out of the cards. The holders can contain a limited number of business cards, usually in the range of 5 to 20 cards. However, when a user is on a relatively long trip, or when a larger number of cards are needed, the holder's capacity to contain and protect cards can be insufficient.
Current methods of packaging of business cards require that the business cards be packaged largely by hand, and that the lid to the business card box be applied manually. The process of preparing and printing business cards is largely accomplished by automation and can be done with high speed machinery. The requirement for manual packaging of the business cards at the end of the process dramatically limits the speed with which cards can be packaged and shipped.
Blister style packaging has been successfully used to automate the packaging of items such as pharmaceuticals.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0189964, U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,578, U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,090 and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0056554 are representative disclosures of blister style packaging, but to date there have been no examples of blister style packaging that address the particular needs of packaging, storing and dispensing business cards.
The business card production industry would benefit greatly from a different approach to packaging business cards that is amenable to automation. In addition, the users of business cards would benefit from business card packaging that allows users to transport and store business cards in smaller quantities than the typical lots of 500 to 1000 while still maintaining the cards in excellent condition so that the users can make a good impression on recipients of the cards.
The problems outlined above are in large measure solved by the present invention. The invention gives users of business cards or other printed units access to bulk numbers of business cards stored in modular separable packets or modules. The modular separable packets are substantially sealed from the environment and protect the cards therein from wear and soiling until the cards are dispensed. The modular separable packets are structured to allow individual dispensing of the business cards while still providing substantial protection to the remaining business cards in the packet. The invention allows users to transport and store business cards in relatively small quantities, while still maintaining the cards in excellent condition and accommodating individual dispensing of the cards.
The invention includes modules such as blister pack packaging adapted to store approximately 50-100 business cards in modularized packages. The modularized packages are positioned together in groups, with each modularized package individually separable from the group. A tear away strip on each modularized package can be selectively removed to provide for the dispensing of individual cards from the modularized package.
The invention also includes a process of packaging business cards or other printed materials at the end of the printing process. The process of packaging the cards is readily adaptable to automation.
The method includes the steps of printing a quantity of business cards, dividing that quantity of business cards into a plurality of sub-quantities and individually packaging each sub-quantity of business cards into a substantially sealed blister package containing approximately 10-250 business cards.
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Blister portion 12 generally includes flat portion 16 and card chamber 18. Blister portion 12 may be formed of a transparent, opaque or translucent plastic or other synthetic material. Generally thermoplastics are used for the forming of the blister portion 12 but other materials may be used as well. Blister portion 12 of the present invention may be at least partially transparent.
An exemplary card chamber 18 is substantially rectangular in shape and is dimensioned to receive business cards C or other printed materials. Card chamber 18 generally includes short sides 20, long sides 22, and display side 24. Short sides 20 and long sides 22 are dimensioned to receive business cards C or other printed materials. Display side 24 may be substantially transparent to allow viewing of enclosed business cards C or other printed materials. Other chamber shapes may be used to accommodate variously shaped printed materials.
The depth 26 of card chamber 18 is dimensioned to accommodate a conveniently preselected number of business cards C. For example, depth 26 may be selected so that card chamber 18 can accommodate 20 to 100 business cards C or other printed items.
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Once tear off portion 32 is removed a user may access quantity 28 of business cards C. Placement of perforated opening 30, is such that it allows ready removal of a small number of business cards by hand, while maintaining the rest of quantity 28 of business cards C in place inside card chamber 18, where business cards C are protected from damage and soiling.
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In another embodiment of the invention, multiple blister portions 12 may be joined by perforated joints 36 to create a caravan style package of multiple blister portions 12. A benefit of the availability of multiple blister portions 12 connected together caravan style is that a user may select one or more sub-quantities of business cards in one or more blister portions 12 for removal to be taken along as needed.
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After the printing step 38 is complete dividing step 40 is performed. In dividing step 40, the large quantity of custom made printed items such as business cards C are divided into a plurality of sub-quantities. The sub-quantities may be equal smaller quantities of printed materials such as 50-100 business cards. The sub-quantities may also be unequally divided so that a significant quantity of business cards, for example 300-500, are packaged together for placement in a fixed location such as a desk drawer and the remaining quantity of business cards are divided into smaller quantities of 50-100 for ease of transportation by the end user.
Next comes inserting step 42. In the inserting step 42 the various sub-quantities of business cards are placed into card chambers 18 of blister portions 12 of multiple blister packs 10 as described above. The blister packs 10 may be of substantially identical size or may vary in size depending upon the desired packaging arrangement.
Next, backer application step 44 is performed. In the backer application step 44, the backer 14 is applied to blister portions 12 to substantially seal blister packs 10. When blister packs 10 are substantially sealed, individual sub-quantities of business cards C or other printed materials are protected from dirt or damage. In one embodiment of the invention the blister packs 10 are connected together caravan style, as described above.
Next, the multiple blister packs 10, whether attached together caravan style or individually are placed into a common package 46. Thus, multiple blister packs 10 containing business cards C are joined together in a common unit. In the final step, shipping 48, the package of business cards or other printed materials is shipped to the end user.
In another embodiment of the invention, blister packs 10 of different sizes or configurations may be used together to package a variety of different printed materials. The blister packs 10 or other modules may, for example, contain business cards, stationery and envelopes for a particular individual. In another example, business cards and marketing materials for a particular product or marketing campaign may be supplied in blister packs 10 or other modules that are joined together for a representative's convenience. The blister packs 10 containing varying types of printed materials may be joined or separate and packaged together in a common package. The blister packs 10 may be sized and shaped differently from one another to accommodate the various printed materials.
It may be necessary to coordinate the printing and packaging processes so that the various printed materials are grouped together appropriately. For example, if business cards, envelopes and stationary are all printed on different manufacturing lines, the lines would need to be coordinated so that the three different items would converge for packaging.
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In operation, an end user may select one or more sub-quantities of business cards C in blister pack 10 for use at a time. This allows an end user to maintain the business cards or other printed materials in pristine condition until it is desired to remove them for distribution. Thus the business cards or other printed materials remain in excellent condition, allowing a user to make a positive impression upon business contacts to which printed materials are distributed.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the central attributes thereof, therefore, the illustrated embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being made to the appended claims rather than the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.