GB2360736A

GB2360736A - CD or DVD greetings card

Info

Publication number: GB2360736A
Application number: GB0007757A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Bruce Reynolds
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-03-30
Filing date: 2000-03-30
Publication date: 2001-10-03
Also published as: GB0007757D0

Abstract

A greetings card comprises a portion 12 which holds digitally stored information, for example in a CD or DVD format. The greeting card is designed to be received in a CD player so that an appropriate audio sound or image can be conveyed to the recipient. The CD portion may make up a part or the whole of the greeting card and can exhibit a written and/or pictorial message. The shape of the card can be arranged to be consistent with the message. Mounting means may be attached to the card for display purposes.

Description

2360736 Greetinas Card The present invention relates to a greetings card

arrangement employed to convey any appropriate greeting or 5 messages required by related circumstances.

Currently, greetings cards offer a wide variety of messages and greetings for all, generally social, occasions such as births, birthdays, engagements, weddings, sympathy and congratulations for exam success etc.

Such cards are generally visual and often employ a written, and often humorous, message or greeting on the inside of the card or indeed sometimes on the front cover thereof. More recently, such cards have become available which include an audio feature in that a miniature audiosignal playback circuit is provided within a structure of the card and is activated by the opening of a card. This initiates an audio signal, quite commonly a musical tune, which relates to the subject matter of the greetings card. Disadvantageously, such playback circuitry is commonly activated by a mechanical link to at least one portion of the card which the link can become damaged and broken. Also, disadvantages arise insofar as the power supply for such cards is finite and the quality of the output audio signal is disappointingly poor. In particular, this restricts the range of occasions within which such cards can actually be used.

no It is also known to provide digital signal media such as a CD with a birthday card and which serves to provide the 2 recipient of the birthday card with a reminder of events and music relevant to the year of their birth. The CD i s mounted in the plane of the card and can be removed as required for replay of the music etc. recorded thereon. The CD employed with such cards is merely a standard CD and this disadvantageously restricts the size of the card and also provides no actual enhancement to the primary function of the card, i.e. the delivery of a particular message.

The present invention seeks to provide for a greetings card arrangement having advantages over known such cards. In the present context it should be appreciated that the term greeting card is used in relation to a card intended to convey any required greeting or message. 15 In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a greeting card arrangement characterised in that at least a portion of the card comprises digital signal storage media arranged for receipt within an appropriate signal-reading device.

Advantageously therefore the digital signal media at least forms a part of the actual greetings card and so can provide for part of the visual greeting offered by the card and also enhance such greeting by storing an audio and/or visual enhancement of the particular greeting.

The storage medium can be arranged to store an audio signal offering an output that is consistent with the 330 greeting offered by the card. Alternatively, or in addition, the storage medium can be arranged to store a 3 video signal serving to enhance the visual message or greeting offered by the card.

As noted, the storage medium can preferably include a visual and/or pictorial display consistent with the greeting of f ered by the card so that at least an important part of at least the outer appearance of the visual message conveyed by the card is derived from one side of the storage media.

The greeting card can contain any appropriate greeting or message such as is consistent with the wide variety of conventional cards as currently available such as all manner of anniversary cards celebrating anniversaries of births, marriages etc., special occasions such as exam successes or good luck gestures for driving tests etc. seasonal greetings such as Christmas and Easter greetings and even for sombre occasions relating to deaths and illnesses. It should of course be appreciated that the present invention is in no way limited to any particular form of greeting or message and those skilled in the art will readily recognize the full range of greetings and messages that can be provided by the present invention.

Preferably, the storage medium itself comprises the actual card so as to provide not only the audio/video output but also the visual message to be displayed by the card.

As a further advantage, the card arrangement can include mounting means for the display of the storage media, the mounted means advantageously allowing for the ready removal and replacement of the storage media.

4 In particular, the mounting means can be arranged to provide support for the storage media within a frame support portion of the card and wherein the frame support element advantageously comprises part of a conventional greetings card.

In addition, or alternatively, the mounting means can be arranged for the mounting of the storage media independent of any other portion of the card arrangement. As such, the mounting means can comprise a movable support member arranged to selectively extend from the media as required.

Further, the storage media can comprise a magnetic portion for the mounting of the storage media to a metal surface in the same manner as commonly available so-called fridge magnets.

Advantageously, the storage media comprises a CD ROM or a WD ROM and, in particular, the audio/visual message stored on the media comprises a message delivered by a celebrity individual or group of persons having fame, or notoriety in, for example, the entertainment industry. In particular, the stored greeting or message can be arranged to be quite specific to a particular intended recipient, for example by making specific reference to their age and/or name.

jo The invention is described further hereinafter, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figs. 1A-1D are plan views of four greetings cards embodying the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a further greetings card arrangement embodying the present invention which could also be used in combination with the greetings cards of Figs. 1A-1D.

Illustrated in Figs. 1A-1D are four versions of a greetings card (10A10D) according to embodiments of the present invention and which comprise a CD ROM 12A-12D manufactured in accordance with the standard CD manufacturing processes. Of course, the present invention can also be provided in any appropriate format such as DVI) format. Each of the cards lOA-10D therefore includes a central aperture 14A-14D and each includes an engagement formation 16 serving to accurately mount the CD within a CD ROM drive whether as part of a music system or computer system.

For example, the greetings cards 10A and 10D of Figs. 1A and 1D include on their respective lower surfaces, i.e.

the surfaces arranged to interact with the laser source of the CD drive, arcuate ridges 16 each having a centre of curvature, corresponding to the centre of the aperture 14A, 14D. CD drawers, i.e. drawers associated with a CD drive and within which CD ROMS are placed prior to being read include a central part-circular recess have a radius equal to the aforementioned radius of curvature of the ridges 16 6 such that the ridges cooperate with such a central part circular recess and serve to accurately locate the CD within the CD drawer. This allows for the accurate rotation of the CD during the reading of the digital signal stored thereon.

As an alternative to the aforementioned ridges, Fig. 1E illustrates the provision of four studs 16 which are separated from the centre of the aperture 14B by a distance equal to the aforementioned radius of curvature such that each of the four studs 16 illustrated in Fig. 1B serves to engage with the side wall of the aforementioned part circular recess of the CD drawer.

The embodiment of Fig. 1C exhibits a further alternative where each of two opposite ends of the CD actually exhibit the aforementioned arcuate surface of appropriate radius of curvature.

The surface of each of the cards lOA-10D opposite to the surface illustrated in Figs. 1A1D is advantageously arranged to provide at least part, or all, of the standard decorative design of a greetings card such that a written and/or pictorial message can be provided on that surface.

Thus, the embodiment of Figs. 1A-1D can therefore comprise the complete greeting card in that one surface comprises the standard visual, i.e. written and/or pictorial greeting, whereas the undersurface includes the annular region 18 of concentric tracks of pits containing the recorded digital signal.

no As a further enhancement, the actual two dimensional 7 shape of the cards can be arranged to be consistent with the message to be conveyed and as illustrated in Fig. 1D. Here the greetings card comprises a Christmas related card and as can be appreciated, the card is in the shape of a stylised 5 Christmas tree.

Fig. 2 illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention in which the greetings card arrangement comprises a combination of a card such as that illustrated in Fig. 1A- 1D and a conventional, i.e. folded paper, greeting card 20. In this example, the storage media 12 is arranged to be remotely mounted to the front surface of the greetings card 20. In this manner, the CD 12 can not only provide the media on which the message-enhancing digital signal is recorded, but can also form part of the visual representation commonly offered by the front of the greeting card. That is, when mounted as illustrated in Fig. 2, the CD 12 could almost be camouflaged within the overall visual representation and/or written message, offered by the front of the greeting card.

of course, it will be appreciated that the CD 12 can be mounted in any appropriate manner and upon any appropriate surface of the greetings card. Employing the embodiment of Fig. 2 can be particularly advantageous insofar as the size of the card arrangement serves to assist as an anti-theft device.

As a further feature, the CD 12, whether according to J the Fig. 1A-1D embodiment or the Fig. 2 embodiment can be arranged with its own independent mounting means so as to be 1 1 mounted independently of any other part of the arrangement. That is, the CD card 12 can be provided with its own movable, for example, retractable or pivotal, stand member which can be moved into a position so as to allow for a free standing CD 12. As an addition or alternatively, at least part of the surface of the CD 12 can be provided with a magnetic strip element allowing the card to be mounted on a metal surface.

Alternatively, clip-on, or at least removable, suspension means such as, for example, a chain can be provided so that the card can be suspended from any appropriate structure for example with particular reference to the embodiment of Fig. 2, to be suspended from the branch of a Christmas tree. Indeed, with such a Christmas embodiment, the central aperture 14D can also advantageously be provided so as to allow for the mounting of the card on the branch of the Christmas tree.

It should be appreciated that the invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiments. For example, any appropriate configuration of the flat storage media can be provided with any required design or artwork and for use to convey any required greeting or message.

Also, any magnetic mounting element need not be provided on the CD-ROM itself but can alternatively be provided on a separate mounting member such as a sleeve or pouch. The magnetic element is then remote from the CD-ROM when it is mounted in a CD-ROM drive.

9

Claims

1. A greeting card arrangement characterised in that at least a portion of the card comprises digital signal storage media arranged for receipt within an appropriate signalreading device.

2. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the storage media is arranged to store an audio signal offering an output that is consistent with the greeting offered by the card.

3. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the storage media is arranged to store a video signal serving to enhance the visual aspect of the greeting offered by the card.

4. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the storage media includes a visual display consistent with the greeting offered by the card so that at least an important part of at least the outer appearance of the visual message conveyed by the card is derived from one side of the storage media.

5. An arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the storage media itself comprises the actual card so as to provide not only any audio/video output but also the visual message to be displayed by the card.

6. An arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, and including mounting means for the display of the storage media.

7. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the mounting means is arranged to provide support for the storage media within a frame support portion of the card and the frame support element comprises part of a conventional greeting card.

8. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 6 or 7, wherein the mounting means is arranged for the mounting of the storage media independent of any other portion of the card arrangement.

9. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 6, 7 or 8, wherein the storage media can comprise a magnetic portion for mounting of the storage media to a metal surface.

10. An arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the storage media comprises a CD ROM or a DVD ROM.

11. A greeting card arrangement substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in any one of the accompanying drawings.