GB2296681A

GB2296681A - A novelty greetings card with edible sheet

Info

Publication number: GB2296681A
Application number: GB9600655A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Celia Smith
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-09-28
Filing date: 1996-01-12
Publication date: 1996-07-10
Anticipated expiration: 2016-01-12
Also published as: GB9519969D0; GB9600655D0; GB2296681B

Abstract

A novelty greetings card comprises an edible sheet 2 eg of rice paper, which is shaped as a speech bubble and marked with an edible dye to provide an edible written message. The edible sheet is sealed in a transparent wrapping 3 adhered to the inside right face 4 of a folded card and overlies a related message. <IMAGE>

Description

NOVELTY GREETINGS CARDS Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the field of novelty greetings cards, i.e those greetings cards which are designed to amuse the recipient.

Background to the Invention The greetings card industry in the United Kingdom commands a vast but highly competitive market in which the novelty value of a company's products is generally very important to their success.

Most notably, in recent years, greetings cards that sell well are those which raise a smile for their humorous nature or textual content.

Joke cards are amongst the most popular form of card but, where the joke is purely a verbal statement on the card, the humour may often lack the feel of spontaneity that is so important to inducing genuine amusement in the card recipient.

Novelty greetings cards which go beyond a simple written joke on the card include those which carry badges declaring some embarrassing message for the card recipient to wear or those which incorporate music chips that play amusingly irritating tunes when the card is opened.

The leading edge of the industry is now looking more and more toward micro-electronics to provide the necessary novelty factor such as, for example, digitally reproduced vocal messages. However, although the cost of the hardware is consistently falling, the investment required by the industry is substantial and cost to the consumer of the end product relatively high.

Against this background it is an object of the present invention to provide a radically different and fun novelty greetings card that requires comparatively low additional cost to develop and manufacture.

Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a novelty greetings card which is characterised in that it comprises an edible sheet of edible paper, icing sugar or other confectionery which is marked with an edible dye or otherwise marked to provide an edible written message, image or series of images.

The edible sheet is preferably flavoured to be bitter, sour or sweet depending upon the effect that the novelty card is intended to have.

The greetings card is most suitably a conventional folded wood pulp card within the fold of which is placed the edible sheet.

Alternatively, the card may comprises solely an edible sheet that is flat or folded, and suitably may be folded or fastened to another sheet by edible adhesive or fusion to be self-standing like a conventional greetings card.

For preservation, the card may have preservatives added but is suitably vacuum-packed.

Most preferably the edible sheet is formed in the shape of a cartoon speech bubble that is detachably mounted to a wood pulp card. This bubble is suitably wrapped in a transparent wrapping material or in a wrapper that has a transparent front face. The wrapper is suitably adhered to the inside of the card adjacent to a representation of the sender or receiver of the card and with the bubble adjacent to the mouth of the representation and being adhered in place.

Suitably the speech bubble-shaped edible sheet overlies a message on the card which, upon removal of the edible sheet is revealed and suitably constitutes words of apology or signifying discomfort or embarrassment.

The edible sheet used is suitably, rice paper or paper made of another starchy food material such as corn meal.

Preferably edible dyes are used with edible paper and may be any of the known types of edible dyes, e.g vegetable dyes which are suitably fully compatible with the edible paper so as not to run or blot significantly.

Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a card embodying the invention as viewed from the front while closed; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the card of Figure 1 with the card opened to illustrate the interior; Figure 3 is a detailed view of the speech bubble-shaped edible sheet in its wrapper; and Figure 4 is a view similar to that of Figure 2 and illustrating a message revealed upon removal of the edible sheet from the interior of the card.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment In the preferred embodiment of the invention the card is an apology or "sorry" card for earlier words or actions, in which the writing on the sheet of edible paper recites, for example, the earlier words or actions of the sender or recipient which were fallacious, sarcastic, doubting or hurtful and which the sender or recipient must then eat to fulfil the hilarious contritious act of quite literally eating his or her own words. These words or actions may alternatively or additionally be depicted in images.

This opens up a whole new field of cards. Indeed, the concept could conceivably be taken to the stage where the sender/giver of the card writes the message onto the card with the edible dye in the card retail outlet, provided that facility for doing this is installed at the outlet.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the illustrated card is a conventional folded wood DulD card 1. within the fold of which is mounted a sheet of edible waner 2

sealed within a cellophanetvrapper 3.

The edible sheet of paper 2, suitably of rice paper, is shaped as a cartoon speech bubble and imprinted with edible dye reciting the words of the sender or recipient that the sender intends to be apologised for.

The speech bubble-shaped edible sheet 2, in its wrapper 3, is adhered to the inside right face 4 of the folded card 1 such that it may be readibly detached and so that the wrapper 3 may be opened to enable the edible sheet 2 to be eaten.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the image on the front of the card is of the wrongdoer making his or her fallacious statement and which is repeated on the edible sheet 2 on the inside right face 4 of the card 1.

Upon removal of the edible sheet in its wrapper 3 this exposes a further message on the inside right face 4 of the card that is suitably a message of apology or exclamation of embarrassment.

By way of further enhancement of the appropriateness of the card, the image of the wrong doer on the front of the card is suitably showing the wrong doer By way of further enhancement of the appropriateness of the card, the image of the wrong doer on the front of the card is suitably showing the wrong doer boldly making their fallacious statement and the image on the inside of the card suitably shows the wrong doer in a state of contrition or embarrassment.

The level of refinement to which the concept of the present invention can be taken is extremely extensive and may not only affect the sense of fun achieved from this new concept but also the extent to which the act is perceived as sincere.

Although in the preferred embodiment described in detail above, the card is intended as an apology card in which the sender or recipient eats his or her own words, the idea of using an edible sheet in the greeting card may be employed in a wide variety of different contexts enhancing the fun of giving and receiving a greeting card.

Claims

1. A novelty greetings card which is characterised in that it comprises an edible sheet of edible paper, icing sugar or other confectionery which is marked with an edible dye or otherwise marked to provide an edible written message, image or series of images.

2. A novelty greetings card as claimed in Claim 1 wherein; the edible sheet is flavoured to be bitter, sour or sweet depending upon the effect that the novelty card is intended to have.

3. A novelty greetings card as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein; the greetings card is a conventional folded wood pulp card within the fold of which is placed the edible sheet.

4. A novelty greetings card as claimed in Claim 3, wherein; the edible sheet is formed in the shape of a cartoon speech bubble that is detachably mounted to a wood pulp card.

5. A novelty greetings card as claimed in Claim 4, wherein; the sheet is wrapped in a transparent wrapping material or in a wrapper that has a transparent front face.

6. A novelty greetings card as claimed in Claim 4 or Claim 5, wherein; the wrapper is adhered to the inside of the card adjacent to a representation of a figure such as the sender or receiver of the card and with the bubble adjacent to the mouth of the representation and being adhered in place.

7. A novelty greetings card as claimed in any of Claims 4, 5 or 6, wherein; the speech bubble-shaped edible sheet overlies a message on the card which, upon removal of the edible sheet is revealed and suitably constitutes words of apology or signifying discomfort or embarrassment.

8. A novelty greetings card as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein; the edible sheet used is suitably, rice paper or paper made of another starchy food material such as corn meal.

9. A novelty greetings card as claimed in Claim 8, wherein; edible dyes are used to mark the paper.

Amendments to the claims have been flled as follows CLAIMS 1. A novelty greetings card which is characterised in that it comprises an edible sheet of edible paper, icing sugar or other confectionery which is marked with an edible dye to provide an edible written message, image or series of images.