Patent Application
20080196288
It is known to use magnetic elements for decorative purposes and to display advertising information. However, it is desirable to provide improved magnetic elements for displaying information such as advertising and coupon information, wherein the magnetic elements have improved functionality and are easy and cost-efficient to manufacture.
The invention relates to a flexible magnet assembly incorporating advertising and at least one removable coupon card portion. According to one embodiment, a thin, flexible, magnet assembly comprises a single-layer flexible magnetic sheet having opposite faces and including:
a first magnetic portion including at least one advertisement on at least one face of said opposite faces;
a second magnetic portion including coupon information on said at least one face; and
a line of weakness distinguishing said first magnetic portion from said second magnetic portion, wherein said first magnetic portion and said second magnetic portion are separable from each other along said line of weakness.
According to another embodiment, a flexible magnet comprises a single-layer flexible magnetic sheet having opposite faces and including:
a first magnetic portion adapted to receive at least one advertisement on at least one face of said opposite faces;
a second magnetic portion comprising a plurality of magnetic segments, wherein each of said magnetic segments is adapted to receive coupon information on said at least one face;
a primary line of weakness distinguishing said first magnetic portion from said second magnetic portion; and
secondary lines of weakness distinguishing adjacent segments of said magnetic segments from each other wherein said adjacent segments are separable from each other along one of said secondary lines of weakness, and wherein each of said magnetic segments is separable from said first magnetic portion along said primary line of weakness.
According to a further embodiment, a single-layer, flexible, magnetic coupon sheet having opposite faces comprises:
an advertising portion including at least one advertisement on at least one face thereof;
a coupon portion including coupon information on at least one face thereof; and
a line of weakness distinguishing said advertising portion from said coupon portion, wherein said advertising portion and said coupon portion are separable from each other along said line of weakness.
According to yet another embodiment, a single-layer, flexible, magnetic coupon sheet having first and second opposite faces comprises:
an advertising portion including at least one advertisement printed on at least said first face;
a coupon portion comprising a plurality of coupon segments, wherein each of said segments includes coupon information on at least said first face;
a primary line of weakness distinguishing said advertising portion from said coupon portion; and
secondary lines of weakness distinguishing adjacent segments of said plurality of coupon segments from each other, wherein said adjacent segments are separable from each other along one of said secondary lines of weakness, and wherein each of said coupon segments is separable from said advertising portion along said primary line of weakness.
Other features and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description and drawings.
Various embodiments of flexible magnets are disclosed in the following paragraphs. The disclosed magnets are ideal for use as advertising and coupon cards, however other uses are envisioned. With regard to the description and drawing figures that follow, reference characters repeated throughout various embodiments indicate similar elements or features.
The first magnetic portion 120 may include one or more printed advertisements 124, which may be in the form of text and, optionally, decorative graphics, printed directly on the front face 112 of the magnetic sheet 110. The second magnetic portion 130 may include printed coupon information 134, which may include text and, optionally, decorative graphics printed directly on the front face 112 of the magnetic sheet 110.
As shown in
Referring to
Each of the segments 132 may include printed coupon information 134, which may include text and, optionally, graphics printed directly on the front face 112 of the magnetic sheet 110. Thus, each segment 132 may form a unique coupon and/or a duplicate coupon, as desired. As in the previous embodiment, the coupon information 134 and advertisement(s) 124 may also appear on the rear face (not shown) of the magnetic sheet 110.
As shown in
The above embodiments describe thin, flexible magnets including a single-layer, flexible magnetic sheet having advertising and coupon information printed directly on the magnetic sheet. However, flexible magnets according to additional embodiments of the invention may include a flexible magnetic sheet without any printed coupon or advertising information and an additional, thin, sheet of material attached to one or both of the surfaces of the magnetic sheet. The additional sheet of material may be attached to the underlying magnetic sheet with an adhesive and may be scored or perforated in the same fashion as the magnetic sheet so as to form part of the advertising portion, coupon portion, and, optionally, multiple coupon segments. A few examples of materials that are suitable for use as such an additional sheet of material are paper, laminated paper and thin plastic.
The flexible magnetic material of this invention may be of any conventional composition. Such material typically comprises a dispersion of magnetizable particles in a natural or synthetic resin binder. The magnetic material is commonly manufactured by dispersing the magnetic particles in an uncured or unhardened state of the resin binder, then forming the mixture into a sheet, or other appropriate shape for magnetic article, and curing or hardening the binder. For example, the magnetic particles may be dispersed in an uncured rubber or plasticized resin in a high-shear mixer, and the mixture may then be extruded, usually at elevated temperature, through a suitably shaped die or nozzle to form a sheet material. The sheet may be used as extruded, i.e., uncured, or may be cured by incorporating a curing or vulcanizing agent into the mixture or by cooling to about room temperature. When prepared by extrusion, calendering or the like, the magnetic layer may have a thickness, for example, of from about 0.01 inch to about 1 inch (about 250 micrometers to about 2.54 centimeters). It is also possible to prepare the magnetic layer by forming a dispersion of a particulate magnetic material and a resin binder therefore in a volatile vehicle. The dispersion may then be coated onto a flexible substrate to a desired thickness, and the volatile vehicle evaporated leaving a layer comprising the particulate magnetic material dispersed in the resin binder. After formation of the layer of magnetic particles in a resin binder, the layer is magnetized by conventional procedures, e.g., by passing the layer over a multipole magnetizer. The magnetic layer will typically comprise from about 40% about 92% by weight of a magnetizable particulate material and about 8% to about 60% of a binder.
When the magnetic layer is prepared by coating from a volatile solvent solution or dispersion, the layer is generally relatively thin, i.e., to provide a dried solid layer of magnetic material of a thickness ranging from about 1 mil (25 μm) to about 120 mil (3 mm), preferably from about 1 mil (25 μm) to bout 20 mils (500 μm), and more preferably from about 5 mils (125 μm) to about 20 mils (500 μm).
If the magnetic layer is prepared by coating a dispersion of magnetic particles and resin binder in a volatile solvent, any conventional coating procedure can be used to deposit the coating dispersion onto the substrate. Thus, roll coating, gravure coating, doctor blade coating, extrusion, and the like can be used to deposit the dispersion or slurry onto the substrate. A preferred method of coating is to deposit the slurry onto a web substrate and immediately pass the coated substrate over a roll having a doctor blade spaced from the roll to control the thickness of the deposit. The dispersion of magnetic particles and binder can also be deposited onto the substrate by printing. The magnetic layer need not be continuous on the substrate, but can be deposited in a pattern, e.g., dots of magnetic material distributed over the substrate.
The substrate may be a preprinted paper or plastic web provided with text, photographs, or decorative artwork or may be a thin web to which a printed paper or plastic web is fastened with adhesive. The substrate may be have a release surface, e.g., a glass surface or synthetic resin web treated with a release agent, e.g., a silicone material, to prevent the binder from forming a permanent bond with the substrate. After the magnetic layer has dried, it can be transferred to another surface either directly or after being stripped from the release layer. If the binder of the magnetic layer is a pressure-sensitive binder the magnetic layer can be directly adhered to another surface by pressure. The magnetic layer may also be softened by contact with a solvent for the binder and transferred by pressure to another surface. The separately prepared magnetic layer can also be adhered to another surface by an intermediate layer of adhesive. The substrate for such solvent coated magnetic layers and high-permeability layers will typically be a thin and often flexible web material, suitable for providing a surface that can carry printing or the like. Such substrate should be a lightweight material preferably having a weight not exceeding about 10 pounds per square foot (4.88 g/cm2). The substrate for use with magnetic layers prepared by extrusion of a mixture of magnetic particles in a binder may be significantly heavier if necessary, i.e., having a weight of Up to several tens of pounds per square foot.
The particulate magnetic material used in the magnetic layer of the invention may be any material that can be incorporated into magnetic coating in sufficient amount and permanently magnetized to a sufficient magnetic strength to achieve a magnetic layer that is self-adherent to a magnetic attractant surface. Suitable particulate magnetic materials include any magnetizable magnetic particles conventionally used in flexible magnetic layers. Accordingly, magnetic particles having a high magnetization and high coereivity, such as strontium and barium ferrites, alloys with a base of aluminum, nickel, and cobalt (ALNICO), rare earth magnetic materials, such as those incorporating neodymium, iron, boron and the like, can be used. It is preferred to use particles of strontium ferrite.
Suitable extrudable resin binders include natural and synthetic rubbers poly(vinyl chloride), plastisols e.g., poly(vinyl chloride) plastisols, polyethylene, chlorinated polyethylene, chlorosulfonated polyethylene, polypropylene, polyisobutylene, styrene-butadiene resins, and mixtures thereof, and the like. Suitable coatable resin binders include any natural or synthetic resin that is dispersible in a volatile liquid vehicle used in the process of the invention. Preferred binders include synthetic water-dispersible resins such as vinyl acetate, copolymers of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, polyvinyl butyral, styrene-maleic acid resins and modified styrenemaleic acid resins, acrylic latices such as ethyl acrylate or acrylate-methacrylate copolymer lattices, polyolefins, and the like. Resins soluble in volatile organic solvents can also be used in the process of the invention, although they are less preferred because volatile organic solvents are subject to significant environmental restrictions.
Alternatively, the magnetic material of this invention may be prepared according to the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,869,148 and 7,128,798, the specifications of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The inventive concept having now been described in various embodiments, it should be understood that it may be embodied in other specific forms or variations without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Accordingly, the embodiments described above are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.
