EP0628430A1

EP0628430A1 - A reusable greetings card with removable illustrative elements suitable for composing a personalised message

Info

Publication number: EP0628430A1
Application number: EP94108135A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giorgio Baracca
Original assignee: Gb Area Srl
Current assignee: Gb Area Srl
Priority date: 1993-06-08
Filing date: 1994-05-26
Publication date: 1994-12-14
Also published as: ITMI930474U1; IT230266Y1; ITMI930474V0

Abstract

A greetings card comprising at least one main sheet (11) in paper material or the like bearing writings (31) and/or illustrations (32) defining a message of greetings or one of another kind, a board (12) whereon it is possible to write, with a suitable felt pen, and easily dry wipe in order to be able to reuse said greetings card and fastening means for fasten said board to said main sheet (11). The greetings card further comprising auxiliary and separate illustrative elements (13,14) attached removable to said board (12) for defining a personalised message. Said board (12) being a metal plate and said auxiliary illustrative elements comprising permanently magnetised material respectively in order to provide a magnetic attraction between said auxiliary illustrative elements (13,14) and said board (12).

Description

The present invention relates to a reusable greetings card with removable elements which are suitable for composing a personalised message.
Greetings notes or cards bearing preprinted illustrations and writing are currently known and commercially available so as to meet the needs of those who, wishing to communicate a certain message in an imaginative manner, are unable, either because they possess little imagination or through lack of time, or else because they have little skill at drawing, to create a note which achieves a satisfactory communication effect.
These preprinted cards, in order to be appreciated by the largest number of consumers possible, are produced in various quantities and versions with considerable costs of both creative design and of the actual use of raw materials for production.
Nevertheless, in spite of these efforts by firms in the industry, the consumer often does not find, among the preprinted cards on offer, the one which corresponds to the situation or to the personal message to be communicated, so that a part of greetings cards remains unsold, involving considerable financial loss for the firms which produce and market such a product.
Another problem posed by traditional cards or notes concerns the fact that, since they are made in paper material, they cannot, after they have been written on, be reused, since the personal messages written thereon either can no longer be erased or, if erased, leave in any case traces on the paper sheet of the note.
The traditional card is thus disadvantageous since each time new message has to be communicated a new card has to be used.
The object of the present invention is that of providing a greetings card which avoids the aforementioned disadvantages, whereby anybody can easily compose a personalised imaginative message and which moreover has such a structure that it allows it to be reused for a virtually unlimited number of messages.
The main object of the present invention is achieved by a greetings card comprising at least one main sheet in paper material or the like bearing writings and/or illustrations defining a message of greetings or one of another kind, a board having a surface on which is possible to write by a suitable felt pen whose writings are dry wipable and means for fastening said board to said main sheet.
By the present greetings card, it is possible to easily wipe the writings made on the board and reuse the card since no traces of the writings are left on the board.
The present invention and the advantages involved therein are however explained in greater detail on reading the following description relating to a preferred embodiment. This description is to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention consisting of a note or card shown in an open condition;
figure 2 is a further perspective view of the card in the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing a further advantageous feature of the invention;
figure 3 is a section view of the card, the section made along line 3-3 of Figure 1;
Figures 4a and 4b are perspective views of the auxiliary and removable elements of the present note, representing a character and cloud with words of a cartoon.

An embodiment of the greetings card of the present invention is shown in Figures 1 to 4.
The card of this preferred embodiment of the invention relates to a card which comprises a main sheet 11 in paper material bearing writings 31 and an illustration 32 defining a greetings or romantic message or one of another kind, a metal plate 12 attached to said main sheet which is plasticised or surface-treated with suitable and fully known coatings, for which it is not necessary therefore to provide any indication or description, so as to define a board whereon surface it is possible to write, using a suitable felt pen 29, and dry-erase merely by passing a rag or the like (not shown) over the board.
The main sheet 11 is folded along an intermediate transverse line 15 defining the four sides of a traditional card whereof only the internal sides 16,17 are shown in Figures 1 and 2.
In order to fasten the plate or board 12 to the main sheet 11, a pocket or housing 18 for holding said plate 12 is provided on the main sheet, extending longitudinally from the transverse edge 19 for part of the width of the main sheet and crosswise for the entire height of the main sheet, having ends 20, 21 which coincide with the lateral edges of the sheet.
Said pocket or housing 18 also has a window 22 for vision of or access to the plate 12, consisting of a quadrangular aperture provided at one internal side of the card.
According to the invention, said pocket with said window for vision of said preservable sheet is formed, as it is better shown in Figures 2 and 3, by a sheet 33 with a central hole applied onto the disposable sheet 11 and glued thereto along there of its edges 34, 35, 36 and which is open along the superior edge 37 for withdrawing said board 12 from sad pocket 18 of the main sheet 11.
According to the invention auxiliary and separate illustrative elements 13, 14 are provided. These auxiliary illustrative elements 13, 14 are engageable and disengageable with said plate or board 12. The adhesion or removal of said auxiliary illustrative elements 13, 14 from the surface of said plate is particularly facilitated, the latter and said auxiliary elements being formed respectively by parts in ferromagnetic material and permanently magnetised material, in order to perform a magnetic attraction between said auxiliary illustrative elements 13, 14 and the board 12.
In this embodiment the main sheet is entirely made of ferromagnetic material while the auxiliary illustrative elements have a lower layer or portion 23, 24 in a permanently magnetised material and an upper layer 25, 26 whereon a cartoon character and the cloud containing the words of the cartoon are printed.
Using the auxiliary elements 13 and 14, which can be attached to and detached from said plate and which, as shown in the figures, represent a cartoon, the user can easily self-compose a greetings card representing an imaginative message indicative of a personal situation.
According to the embodiment shown of the present invention, illustrative and/or informative elements are also provided, printed directly and indelibly on the aforementioned plate.
Said preprinted elements in this case consist of squares 27 a cartoon characters 28 and the cloud containing word 28' thereof in order to facilitate writing on the preservable sheet and to personalise further the same sheet respectively.
In order to facilitate the use of a suitable felt pen for writing on the board, suitable means are provided to maintain the pen in contact with the greetings card.
According to the preferred embodiment shown, said support means consist of an annular band 30 firmly fastened to the main sheet 11 wherein said felt pen 29 is inserted and attached to the paper sheet of the note along one of its transverse edges.
A further advantage of the invention described here can be deduced from Figure 2 which shows how the plate 12 can be removed from its housing and preserved or used independently of the greetings card whereto it was associated.

Claims

A greetings card, characterized in that it comprises at least one main sheet (11) in paper material or the like bearing writings (31) and/or illustrations (32) defining a message of greetings or one of another king, a board (12) having a surface on which is possible to write by a suitable felt pen whose writings are dry wipable and means for fastening (18) said board (12) to said main sheet (11).
A greetings card according to claim 1, characterized in that is comprises at least a separate auxiliary illustrative element (13) or (14) suitable for creating a personalised message and means for removable attaching said separate auxiliary element (13) or (14) onto the surface of said board (12).
A greetings card according to claim 2, wherein said means for removable attaching said auxiliary illustrative element to said board are means (12 and 23 or 24) performing a magnetic attraction between said auxiliary illustrative element (13) or (14) and said board (12).
A greetings card, according to claim 1, characterized in that said means (18) for fastening said board (12) to said main sheet (11) are means for removable fastening.
A greetings card according to claim 4, characterized in that said means (18) for removable fastening said board (12) to said main sheet (11) comprise a pocket (18) for housing said board (12) which is integral along its own edges (34,35,36) with said main sheet (11) and is open along at least one edge (37) for withdrawing said board (12) from said pocket (18) of the main sheet (11), the pocket (18) having a window (22) for vision of and access to the surface of the board (12).
A greetings card according to claim 1, characterized in that said surface of said board has graphic art elements such as writings (28'), illustrations (28), lines of squares or rulings (27) or other, preprinted on the same surface of the board (12).
A greetings card according to claim 2 and 6, characterized in that said separate auxiliary illustrative elements (13,14) and said preprinted graphic art elements (28,28') comprise characters and other components of a cartoon.
A greetings card according to any one of the previous claims, characterized in that is comprises means (30) for supporting onto said main sheet (11) said suitable felt pen for writing on said surface of the board (12).