DE20308592U1 - information carrier - Google Patents

Description

ITJ

Klinger & Partner

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Klinger & Partner GbR · Bavariaring 20 · D-80336 Munich

Your Reference / Your Ref.

Our Ref.

10523 G 1588 EN

Dr. jur. Alfred N. Klinger Beate Hanika
Olaf Köhler
Barbara Dombek
Lawyers

Dr. rer. nat. Peter Roos Patent Attorney · European Patent Attorney

Dipl.-Kfm. Robert Thalhauser Auditor · Tax advisor

Telephone: +49 (0)89 / 54 42 54 - 0

Fax: +49 (0)89 / 54 42 54 - 99

Internet: www.klinger-iplaw.com

Email: mail@klinger-iplaw.com

Date

02 June 2003

Applicant:

Jessica Nowak Hauptstr. 31 82319 Starnberg Germany Andreas Schweickhardt Fürstenackerstr. 35 81477 Munich Germany

Information carrier

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Information carrier

The present invention relates to an information carrier that can be used to present information.

Such information carriers are known, for example, as pre-printed price labels for labeling goods in retail stores, where the print only represents a universal part of the information to be presented, whereas an individual part of this information, e.g. the price of a specific product, is subsequently added by the user, e.g. by handwriting on a designated area of the information carrier. The disadvantage here is that the appearance of the information is not very appealing in practice.

It is also known to print all the information to be presented on an information carrier in order to achieve an attractive appearance. However, this method of production is often too complex in practice, at least for small quantities.

It is therefore an object of the invention to create an information presentation with an appealing appearance and yet with little effort.

This object is achieved by an information carrier according to claim 1. The dependent claims relate to advantageous developments of the invention.

According to the invention, an information carrier is provided with a surface for presenting information consisting at least in part of symbols, wherein a plurality of identical symbol segment arrangements are arranged on the surface, each of which serves to represent one of the symbols, wherein each symbol segment arrangement comprises an arrangement of a plurality of symbol segments that are separate from one another and are detachably adhered to the surface, such that by detaching none, one or more of the symbol segments of one of the symbol segment arrangements, the desired symbol can be removed by

the symbol segments of this symbol segment arrangement remaining on the surface can be displayed.

The basic idea of the invention is to provide the information carrier with an individualizable information portion. The individualization of this information portion is achieved by symbol segments that are detachably adhered to a presentation surface of the information carrier, some of which are simply detached from the surface to individualize the information.

Preferably, this detachment of individual symbol segments can be carried out in a particularly simple manner without the need for any tools, namely by simply rubbing the symbol segment material with the finger or fingernail.

The information carrier according to the invention can be manufactured by machine, especially in large quantities. Due to the individualization, this has the advantage that the manufacturing costs of each individualized information carrier correspond to the low unit costs expected for larger quantities. This makes the information carrier according to the invention interesting for all areas of application in which the information carrier is to have an appearance characterized by machine production, but the high costs associated with this for small quantities are to be avoided.

In many of these areas of application, it is desirable to have a large number of information carriers which, apart from the information ultimately to be presented, are designed identically. In a further development of the invention, an information carrier set is therefore provided which is made up of at least 10, in particular at least 50, in particular identical information carriers combined to form a unit (e.g. packaging unit, container, etc.). The identical design can also consist in the individualizable information portion (symbol segment arrangements) being identical, whereas the fixed information portion varies in the sense of a "range of products". This is particularly interesting in the area of retail, when individual information carriers are delivered to the end user.

who then has the opportunity to select from this range. In general, interesting application possibilities also arise if the fixed information portion is in some way characteristic of a person, a company or an organization that wants to use a plurality of such "pre-individualized" information carriers, for example as in the embodiment described below with reference to Fig. 1-3.

An information carrier that is easy to produce and use is obtained if it is designed as a flat sign, with the area for presenting the information being formed by one of the flat sides of this sign. For many applications, an essentially rectangular format of the sign is particularly interesting, especially with an area in the range of 0.003 m ² to 0.2 m ² .

The surface can be, for example, a paper or cardboard surface or the surface of a plastic material. Polyethylene or polypropylene can be used as an inexpensive plastic material. These materials also have the advantage that a variety of color materials exist that can be applied using standard industrial processes (e.g. offset printing, screen printing, etc.) and then do not adhere too firmly to the surface, so that the above-mentioned removal by rubbing or rubbing with the finger enables essentially complete removal of the applied material.

The adhesion between the surface of the information carrier and the material of the symbol segments can be provided directly, i.e. without any intermediate layer. In this case, the two materials adhering to one another must be selected to suit the desired degree of adhesion. In practice, however, it may be desirable to use a very specific material as the material forming the surface and/or the symbol segment material (e.g. for cost reasons or due to further functions of the material forming the surface). In this case too, a desired degree of adhesion can be achieved by, for example, providing one or more intermediate layers (such as a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer) or by

an application of the symbol segment arrangements is surface treated (mechanically and/or chemically).

The information presented can, for example, comprise text and/or image information, whereby at least part of one or both of these types of information can be represented by the symbols provided according to the invention. In a preferred embodiment, only part of the information presented is represented by these customizable symbols, whereas another part of the information is fixed. This takes into account the fact that in many applications an unchangeable part of the information is often required, which should then simply be fixed. In an information carrier for information about the price of a product, such a fixed part of the information can be, for example, a currency symbol, a trademark, an advertising slogan, etc.

Preferably, the symbol segment arrangement is selected such that symbols from a standard symbol set can be displayed, for example symbols of an alphabet, in particular the Latin alphabet, and/or a set of digits, in particular the set of ten Arabic digits from 0 to 9.

In a preferred embodiment, the symbol segment arrangements are arranged in at least one row, i.e. next to one another. In the case of the representation of letters or numbers by individual symbol segment arrangements, this advantageously results in the representation of texts and numbers by symbol segment arrangements arranged in a row. It is conceivable here that several pluralities of identical symbol segment arrangements are arranged on the surface, in particular arranged in different rows, with each of these pluralities being provided for the representation of symbol rows from the same or different symbol sets. For example, a first row of symbol segment arrangements could be arranged to represent letters or a text and below this a row of symbol segment arrangements could be arranged to represent digits or a number.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, a so-called 7-segment bar arrangement is provided as the symbol segment arrangement, i.e. an arrangement of 7 elongated structures, the entirety of which approximately reproduces the shape of the number "8" (three essentially horizontal and equidistant structures and four further essentially vertical structures connecting two ends of each of these three structures). This 7-segment bar arrangement, known per se from the field of LED and LCD displays, for example, enables the representation of each of the numbers 0 to 9 in a particularly simple manner. The design of the symbol segment arrangement, which is then taken from the field of electronic data processing within the scope of the invention, can of course be extended alternatively or additionally within the scope of the invention to other designs that have meanwhile become known from the field of electronic data processing. For example, there are similar bar arrangements (with more than 7 bars) with which the letters of an alphabet can be represented.

In particular, for individualizing the symbols by rubbing with the finger or fingernail, it is advantageous if the clear distance between adjacent symbol segments is at least 0.5 mm, in particular at least 1 mm. In this case, if one segment becomes detached, any impairment (e.g. damage or partial detachment) of an adjacent segment is reliably avoided.

If detachability by rubbing with the finger is intended, the ratio of cohesion (of the segment material) and adhesion (between the segment material and the underlying surface) is preferably set in such a way, for example by suitable material selection and/or surface treatment, that by rubbing with the finger essentially only the segment area directly loaded by the finger is detached from the surface, i.e. essentially no segment areas not loaded by the finger are inadvertently detached. This measure makes it possible to provide the symbol segment arrangements with a very small separation distance between individual segments. With a view to achieving a particularly attractive appearance of the individualized

However, for the purpose of information transfer, it is preferred that a certain minimum distance, such as the distance mentioned above, exists between adjacent symbol segments.

The symbol segments can be designed as printed layers of color, for example. Surprisingly, colors known and commonly used in the field of printing technology can lead to a suitable ratio between cohesion and adhesion in a suitable combination with comparatively inexpensive plastic materials.

In a further embodiment, the separation of the symbol segments is provided with a negligible mutual distance between adjacent symbol segment edges, for example by punching a symbol segment material. However, particularly for individualization provided by means of a finger or fingernail, it is then preferred to set the aforementioned ratio between cohesion and adhesion so that the detachment of a segment area results in the detachment of the entire associated segment. This extreme case can be realized, for example, by the symbol segments being designed as glued-on, relatively solid plastic films. For this purpose, the techniques known from so-called stickers or adhesive labels and their carrier materials can be used.

In particular, if it is possible to remove individual symbol segments using a finger or fingernail, the information carrier is exposed to a greater or lesser risk of the segment material being accidentally damaged or removed immediately after the information carrier has been manufactured, for example during transport or storage. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the surface of the information carrier, including the symbol segment arrangements located thereon, is covered by a removable protective layer. This protective layer can be, for example, an easily removable plastic film whose adhesion to the segment material is significantly lower than the adhesion between the segment material and the surface underneath. Such a protective layer can also be formed by part of a packaging.

For example, the entire information carrier can be packed in a covering (e.g. welded plastic film) so that the display surface that is critical with regard to damage is also protected. If a set of information carriers as mentioned above is provided, each individual information carrier can have a cover or packaging that protects it from damage. Alternatively, however, it is possible to hold the individual information carriers in a summary arrangement (e.g. bundles) in such a way that the display surface areas coated with segment material are exposed, thus avoiding the risk of damage. In the case of information signs with the display surface on a flat side of each sign, for example, a bundle arrangement is conceivable in which the individual signs are held parallel to one another in a stacked but spaced-apart manner (e.g. in a presentation and sales stand made of cardboard).

A variety of interesting applications arise when the information carrier is intended as a contact label (e.g. telephone number label) or as a price label.

The invention is described in more detail below using some embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an information sign according to a first embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line N-II in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 1 after individualization of the information sign, and

Fig. 4-6 Top views of three different designs of an information sign according to further embodiments.

Fig. 1 shows a price label 10 made of cardboard, approximately 40 cm wide and approximately 20 cm high, which is intended to inform the viewer about the price of a product marked with this label 10, in the example shown, for example, the price of a motor vehicle.

The upper side of the sign 10 forms a surface 12 for presenting information 14 concerning the seller and information 16 concerning the selling price.

During the production of the sign 10, the information 14 and part of the information 16, namely the symbol sequence ",- €", were printed directly onto the cardboard material using conventional printing ink, whereas the area of the price information 16 on the left in Fig. 1 was printed using the same printing ink onto a transparent plastic coating with which the top side of the sign 10 was previously coated in the dashed area 18.

This plastic coating 18 causes a comparatively weak adhesion of the printing ink to the relevant area of the presentation surface 12.

The part of the information 14, 16 printed on the plastic coating 18 consists of a series of six identical 7-segment bar arrangements which, in a manner known per se, are suitable for displaying numbers in the range from 0 to 999999.

Fig. 2 illustrates - not to scale for the sake of clarity - the printing of the bar arrangements 20 in the area of the plastic coating 18 of the sign 10.

As can be seen from Fig. 1, the individual bar arrangements 20 consist of 7 bar-like segments with a minimum mutual distance of about 2 mm, the material (printing ink) of which can be easily removed from their base (plastic coating 18) by medium-strength pressure with a finger and subsequent rubbing in order to modify or individualize the series of symbol segment arrangements 20 to represent a desired number.

Fig. 3 shows, in a view of the sign 10 corresponding to Fig. 1, an example of such a result of individualizing the sign 10. As can be seen from this figure, the viewer of the sign 10 is now presented with a purchase price of €12,999. This is done in an aesthetically pleasing manner, since the individualized sign 10 cannot be distinguished from a conventional individually printed price label. The finished price label now has numerical symbols 20' modified with regard to the intended information instead of the prepared numerical symbols 20. Since the symbol segments remaining after modification, i.e. the segment removal, were actually printed on by machine, this results in a high-quality appearance that is indistinguishable from a sign produced entirely by printing technology.

Because individual material elements can be easily removed to convert the prepared information into personal information, no technical aids are required. The same applies to any other customizable information that may be provided, such as, in the example described above, any data, particularly data that can be represented in numbers, relating to the goods offered.

In the following description of further embodiments, the same reference numbers are used for analogous components, each supplemented by a lower case letter to distinguish the embodiment. In this case, only the differences to the embodiment(s) already described are essentially discussed and, in all other respects, reference is hereby expressly made to the description of previous embodiments.

The embodiments described below with reference to Fig. 4-6 are information signs 10a, 10b and 10c for a completely different use, but one that is also preferred within the scope of the invention, namely to enable telephone contact to be made with a person using the information sign, who presents their telephone number in an individual manner using the sign. This presentation can, for example, be carried out in such a way that the

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personalized sign 10a, 10b or 10c is placed behind a window of a motor vehicle so that it is visible from the outside, so that other people within sight can use the displayed telephone number to contact the person. This enables, for example, contact from car to car using the displayed telephone number.

Alternatively or additionally, the display of other data, in particular personal contact data, is also conceivable (e.g. e-mail address, place of residence, first name, etc.).

Fig. 4 shows an example of such a "contact sign" or "flirt sign" 10a with a prepared number field, which allows the setting of the telephone number information 16a to be presented using the prepared 7-segment bar arrangements 20a. Fixed information 14a is arranged in the lower area of the sign 10a. A different level of adhesion between the printed telephone number information 16a and the cardboard used here as the sign material, on the one hand, and between the printed fixed information 14a and the sign material, on the other hand, is achieved in this example by using a special printing ink for the bar arrangements 20a, namely one that adheres relatively weakly to the cardboard material, which can thus be easily rubbed off again with the finger.

The permanently printed information 14a contains information that relates to the intended use of the sign 10a, such as the request "call me!". The information carrier can also be used as an advertising medium for industrial companies. In this case, free areas on the display surface are useful in order to subsequently add a logo and/or an advertising message for the company, for example.

Fig. 5 shows a further example of a contact plate 10b made of cardboard material, in which the information 14b and 16b are printed with a uniform printing ink, the upper half of the surface 12b being varnished before printing, the varnish used here being selected such that a comparatively

weak adhesion of the printed bar arrangements 20b is achieved. In contrast to the embodiment described with reference to Fig. 4, the bar arrangements 20b are already arranged in two groups with regard to the information 16b to be displayed (telephone number), so that the presented telephone number is arranged in an appealing manner into area code (service provider or area code) and actual telephone number (subscriber number). A further special feature of this embodiment is that the bar arrangements 20b comprise both identical 7-segment bar arrangements and such arrangements in the left part of the number field that have already been reduced by a few bars. This advantageously reduces the effort involved in customizing the contact plate 10b, which is intended for the presentation of telephone numbers with a limited range of area codes (here: mobile phone numbers).

Fig. 6 shows an example of a contact plate 10c made of polypropylene, on which the prepared bar arrangements 20c are again printed with a conventional printing ink in the upper area of the surface 12c, whereby this material combination already ensures the desired, comparatively weak adhesion of the bar arrangements 20c. The text and image information presented in the lower area of the surface 12c is printed with the same printing ink, but not directly onto the plastic material of the plate 10c, but onto an adhesion promoter layer previously applied in this area as an intermediate layer. Materials that are well known to the person skilled in the art from the field of printing and varnishing technology are particularly suitable as materials for such an adhesion promoter layer, so that this does not need to be discussed in detail here.

The embodiments described with reference to Fig. 4-6 all relate to use as a contact sign. Within the scope of the invention, this use of an information carrier as already described is provided as a preferred embodiment. With this use, for example, a range of such contact signs can be offered to the end user for purchase in retail stores, with the individual types of information carrier in the range differing essentially in the fixed amount of information (e.g. different information variants

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concerning the intended use of the sign (see, for example, information variants 14a, 14b and 14c), whereas the customisable information portion can be provided identically depending on the common intended use of the contact data display, e.g. telephone number display.

Claims (16)

1. Information carrier ( 10 ) with a surface ( 12 ) for presenting information ( 14 , 16 ) consisting at least partially of symbols, wherein a plurality of identical symbol segment arrangements ( 20 ) are arranged on the surface ( 12 ), each of which serves to represent one of the symbols, wherein each symbol segment arrangement ( 20 ) comprises an arrangement of a plurality of symbol segments that are separate from one another and releasably adhere to the surface ( 12 ), such that by detaching none, one or more of the symbol segments of one of the symbol segment arrangements ( 20 ), the desired symbol can be represented by the symbol segments of this symbol segment arrangement ( 20 ) that remain on the surface ( 12 ). 2. Information carrier ( 10 ) according to claim 1, designed as a flat sign, wherein the surface ( 12 ) is formed by one of the flat sides of the sign. 3. Information carrier ( 10 ) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the surface ( 12 ) is a paper or cardboard surface. 4. Information carrier ( 10 ) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the surface ( 12 ) is a plastic surface. 5. Information carrier ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the surface ( 12 ) was surface-treated before applying the symbol segment arrangements ( 20 ). 6. Information carrier ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the information ( 14 , 16 ) comprises text and/or image information. 7. Information carrier ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein symbols from a standard symbol set can be displayed. 8. Information carrier ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein symbols of an alphabet and/or a set of numbers can be displayed. 9. Information carrier ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the symbol segment arrangement ( 20 ) is a 7-segment bar arrangement. 10. Information carrier ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the clear distance between adjacent symbol segments is at least 0.5 mm. 11. Information carrier ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the separation of the symbol segments is realized by punching a symbol segment material. 12. Information carrier ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the symbol segments are formed as printed color layers. 13. Information carrier ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the symbol segments are formed as glued-on plastic films. 14. Information carrier ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the surface ( 12 ) of the information carrier together with the symbol segment arrangements ( 20 ) located thereon is covered by a removable protective layer. 15. Information carrier ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 14, provided as a contact plate, in particular a telephone number plate ( 10a , 10b , 10c ). 16. Information carrier ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 14, intended as a label for describing a product, in particular a price label.