AU2005100721A4 - Card Holder - Google Patents

Description

I

P/00/009 28/5/91 Regulation 3.2

ORIGINAL

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Invention title: "CARD HOLDER" Applicant: ROGER LEFORT The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: "CARD HOLDER" Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a card holder and relates particularly, though not exclusively, to a card holder for holding greeting cards.

Background to the Invention There are now greeting cards available for almost every occasion and the manufacturers of greeting cards have even been accused of inventing new occasions so that they can sell more greeting cards. People send each other cards to commemorate religious celebrations like Christmas, Easter and Hanukkah; birthdays and other anniversaries such as wedding anniversaries; special milestones such as graduation, retirement and promotion; and special occasions such as bereavement, engagement, marriage and baptism.

Frequently the recipients of greeting cards like to display the cards for a week or two to remind them of the occasion and to acknowledge the kind thoughts of those who sent them. Typically the cards are arranged on a mantel piece, shelf or cupboard top. Alternatively the cards may be hung on a string or stuck to a wall or door using a removable adhesive substance. On of the problems with these traditional ways of displaying greeting cards is that the cards have a tendency to fall down or be blown over at the slightest breeze. A further problem is that they all tend to take up a lot of space which may be needed for other purposes.

The present invention was developed with a view to providing a card holder for displaying greeting cards which is compact in design and holds the card firmly in position. However it will be apparent that it may also be used for holding other types of cards, such as business cards, or indeed for holding a plurality of any substantially planar objects.

References to prior art in this specification are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not to be taken as an admission that such prior art is part of the common general knowledge in Australia or elsewhere.

Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a card holder for holding a plurality of greeting cards or similar planar objects, the card holder comprising: a structure having a plurality of substantially planar faces, each of said faces joining an adjacent face at an angle of less than 1800 so as to form an elongate edge, said edge having a general vertical orientation when the structure is in an upright position; a plurality of planar cuts being formed at spaced intervals in one of said edges, each cut extending a sufficient distance into the adjacent faces forming said edge whereby, in use, the structure can hold a greeting card or similar planar object in each cut.

Preferably said structure has at least three faces. Preferably each face is triangular so that the structure has the form of a triangular prism. Preferably said structure is hollow and is made from a planar material so that said plurality of faces are on the outer surfaces of the material. Preferably said edge of adjoining faces is on a fold line of said planar material wherein the structure can be folded from a collapsed condition to an erected condition or vice versa.

Preferably a second smaller cut is formed in connection with each of said planar cuts, at an acute angle to said planar cut, so as to create a wedgeshaped opening at a mouth of each cut, said wedge-shaped opening facilitating the ready insertion of a greeting card or similar object into the planar cut.

Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers. Likewise the word "preferably" or variations such as "preferred", will be understood to imply that a stated integer or group of integers is desirable but not essential to the working of the invention.

-4- Brief Description of the Drawings The nature of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of a specific embodiment of the card holder, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 and 2 are a top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a card holder according to the present invention viewed from the front and back respectively; Figure 3 is a bottom perspective view of the card holder of Figure 1; Figure 4 illustrates the card holder of Figure 1 in a folded, collapsed condition; Figure 5 illustrates the card holder of Figure 1 in a partly unfolded condition; Figure 6 is a top plan view of the card holder of Figure 1; Figure 7 is a bottom plan view of the card holder of Figure 1; Figure 8 is an enlargement of one of the planar cuts in the card holder of Figure 1; Figure 9 illustrates the card holder of Figure 1 with a plurality of cards held in therein; Figure 10 is an enlarged side view of one of the planar cuts in the card holder of Figure 1; and, Figure 11 is an enlarged side view of one of the planar cuts in the card holder of Figure 1 with a card inserted therein.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments A preferred embodiment of a card holder 10 as illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, 6 and 7 of the drawings, comprises a structure 12 having a plurality of substantially planar faces 14. In the illustrated embodiment each of the faces 14 is triangular so that the structure 12 has the form of a triangular prism. In this case, because there are four triangular faces 14, the structure 12 has the form of a pyramid. However it will be understood that the structure 12 could have as few as two faces, or indeed more than four faces. Nevertheless, each of the faces 14 preferably joins an adjacent face 14 at an angle of less than 1800 so as to form an elongate edge 16. Each edge 16 has a generally vertical orientation when the structure 12 is in an upright position, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. In the present embodiment there are four edges 16 which all converge to a single apex 18. However, it will be understood that the edges 16 need not converge to a single point, and indeed the edges 16 could be substantially parallel as would be the case when the faces 14 are substantially rectangular.

A plurality of planar cuts 20 are formed at spaced intervals in at least one of the edges 16. In the illustrate embodiment, each of the edges 16 has a series of four cuts 20 formed therein, as can be seen most clearly in Figures 6 and 7. Each cut 20 extends a sufficient distance into the adjacent faces 14 forming the edge 16 whereby, in use, the structure 12 can hold a greeting card or similar planar object in each cut 20. The illustrated embodiment of the card holder 10 can hold up to sixteen cards 22. Figure 9 shows the card holder 10 holding four cards 22. Advantageously the structure 12 of the card holder 10 is free-standing and has a relatively small footprint compared to the area that would be occupied by the same number of cards 22 if they were stood separately on a shelf. If desired the card holder 10 may be suspended by a string attached to the apex 18 so that it occupies no shelf space.

Preferably the structure 12 is of hollow construction and is made from a planar material, such as cardboard, so that the plurality of faces 14 is on the outer surface of the material. The planar material may be coated with a decorative cover or may have printed matter, such as promotional or advertising material, printed thereon. Preferably the edges 16 of adjoining faces 14 are on the fold lines of the planar material so that the structure 12 can be folded from a collapsed condition to an erected condition or vice versa. This provides the additional advantage that the card holder 10 can be easily folded and packed away for storage until the next occasion when it is needed. Figure 5 illustrates the card holder 10 in a partially folded, flattened condition in which the internal surfaces of the planar material contact each other. Figure 6 illustrates the card holder 10 in a fully folded, collapsed -6condition, in which two of the adjoining faces 14 are folded over so as to contact each other. In its collapsed condition the card holder 10 occupies a relatively small volume, compared to when it is in its erected condition, and can be easily packed away for storage in a drawer or cupboard.

Preferably a second smaller cut 24 is formed in connection with each of the planar cuts 20, at an acute angle to the planar cut, so as to create a wedgeshaped opening 26 at a mouth of each cut 20, as can be seen most clearly in Figures 8, 10 and 11. The wedge-shaped openings 26 facilitate the ready insertion of a greeting card or similar object into the planar cuts 20. When a card 22 is inserted into the wedge-shaped opening 26 at the mouth of a cut on one of the edges 16, it slides into the cut 20 and is held therein by the material of the respective faces 14 on either side of the edge 16 by a friction fit. The arrangement of the cards 22 in the cuts 20 also helps to stabilise the structure 12 of the card holder 10 to prevent it from inadvertently collapsing.

Now that a preferred embodiment of the cad holder 10 according to present invention has been described in detail, it will be apparent that it provides a number of advantages, including the following: It provides a compact and stable structure for displaying greeting cards or similar substantially planar objects; (ii) It occupies very little shelf space and is easy to erect and use; (iii) It can be folded to a collapsed condition and easily packed away for storage until the next occasion it is needed.

It will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the relevant arts that various modifications and improvements may be made to the foregoing embodiments, in addition to those already described, without departing from the basic inventive concepts of the present invention. For example, it is not essential that the structure be of hollow construction; it could be in the form of a solid prism. However, the preferred embodiment has the added advantage that it can be collapsed and therefore more easily packed away for storage.

Therefore, it will be appreciated that the scope of the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described and is defined by the claims which follow.

Claims (4)

1. A card holder for holding a plurality of greeting cards or similar planar objects, the card holder comprising: a structure having a plurality of substantially planar faces, each of said faces joining an adjacent face at an angle of less than 1800 so as to form an elongate edge, said edge having a generally vertical orientation when the structure is in an upright position; a plurality of planar cuts being formed at spaced intervals in one of said edges, each cut extending a sufficient distance into the adjacent faces forming said edge whereby, in use, the structure can hold a greeting card or similar planar object in each cut.

2. A card holder as defined in claim 1, wherein said structure is hollow and is made from a planar material so that said plurality of faces are on the outer surfaces of the material.

3. A card holder as defined in claim 2, wherein said edge of adjoining faces is on a fold line of said planar material wherein the structure can be folded from a collapsed condition to an erected condition or vice versa.

4. A card holder as defined in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a second smaller cut is formed in connection with each of said planar cuts, at an acute angle to said planar cut, so as to create a wedge-shaped opening at a mouth of each cut, said wedge-shaped opening facilitating the ready insertion of a greeting card or similar object into the planar cut. A card holder as defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said structure has four faces of triangular shape so to form a pyramid. Dated this 6th day of September 2005 Roger Lefort by his Patent Attorney Janet Stead