US20090205992A1

US20090205992A1 - Gift Article

Info

Publication number: US20090205992A1
Application number: US12/032,866
Authority: US
Inventors: Linda Williams
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-02-18
Filing date: 2008-02-18
Publication date: 2009-08-20

Abstract

A gift article including a sheet and a box is disclosed. The sheet is capable of providing a surface for inscribing a message thereon. The box is capable of accommodating the sheet inside the box. The box has a shape that symbolizes an emotion of a human being. Further, the box is capable of being closed and opened.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to gift articles, and more particularly, to a gift article capable of providing a combination of a greeting card and a gift symbolizing an emotion of a human being.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Gifts, greeting cards and flowers are exchanged between individuals, families and organizations as a symbol of emotions of a human being such as good will, respect, care and love. These gifts, greeting cards and flowers are interchanged on various occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, New Year and Saint Valentine's Day. Generally, people desire to accompany a gift along with a greeting card. In general, people may struggle to find a combination of a gift and a greeting card, which suits an occasion.
The conventional way of combining a gift and a greeting card is by wrapping the gift and the greeting card to make a wrapped gift article. The wrapping of the gift may comprise a box, wrapping paper, a transparent tape and a ribbon. The above conventional way of combining the gift and the greeting card may be a time consuming process and involves money. More over, this wrapped gift article may not readily convey the emotions of the human being offering the gift. More specifically, the gift may not be able to convey feelings of the human being offering the gift until the greeting card is viewed by removing the wrapping of the gift.
There are a variety of other ways of combining a gift and a greeting card. One of these ways involves putting the greeting card and the gift in a gift box, which may be transparent. However, these existing ways do not provide a synergistic effect of the gift and the greeting card. Further, these existing ways are also not capable of conveying the emotions of the human being offering the gift and the greeting card. Furthermore, these existing ways for combining the gift and the greeting card may be bulky and accordingly not very convenient to carry.
Accordingly, based on the foregoing, there is a need for a gift article capable of providing a synergistic effect of a gift and a greeting card. Further, the gift article should be capable of conveying the emotions of a human being, who is offering the gift article to a recipient. Furthermore, the gift article should also be capable of matching to a theme of an occasion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the prior art, the general purpose of the present invention is to provide a gift article configured to include all the advantages of the prior art, and to overcome the drawbacks inherent therein.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a gift article which is capable of providing a synergistic effect of a gift and a greeting card.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a gift article which is capable of matching a theme of an occasion.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a gift article in various shapes and sizes that are representative of emotions of a human being.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a gift article including a sheet and a box capable of being closed and opened. The sheet is capable of providing a surface for inscribing a message thereon. Moreover, the box is capable of accommodating the sheet therein. Further, the box is configured in different shapes, such that the shape of the box symbolizes an emotion of a human being.
These together with other aspects of the present invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the present invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and form a part of this present invention. For a better understanding of the present invention, its operating advantages, and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a gift article, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a gift article, according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1C is a perspective view of a gift article, according to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C are perspective views of a gift article configured in various shapes, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the description of several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The exemplary embodiments described herein detail for illustrative purposes are subject to many variations in structure and design. It should be emphasized, however, that the present invention is not limited to a particular gift article, as shown and described. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but these are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.
The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.
Referring to FIGS. 1A to 1C, a gift article 100 capable of being offered to a recipient is shown. FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of the gift article 100, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The gift article 100 includes a sheet 102 and a box 104. In use, the sheet 102 is placed inside the box 104. The sheet 102 includes a surface 106, on which a message 108 may be inscribed. The message 108 may be a hand written message, a printed message, a calligraphic message and the like. In one embodiment of the present invention, the message 108 is a representation of the emotions of the human being such as good will, respect, care and love. The message 108 may be a poem reflecting a theme of an occasion or a relationship with a recipient of the gift article 100. The poems may be an expression of the emotions of the human being. The message 108 may also be a statement, a symbol, an animation, an instruction and the like.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the sheet 102 may be a greeting card or a parchment paper. Further, the sheet 102 may include a writing paper or sheet of a suitable material that is capable of providing a surface for inscribing a message thereon
The box 104 is configured in a form of a personalized gift. More specifically, the box 104 has a shape that symbolizes emotions of a human being. In the present embodiment, the box 104 has a shape similar to that of a heart to symbolize a feeling of love. It will be apparent to a person ordinary skilled in the art that the box 104 may be of any other shapes, such as a tear drop, lips, sun, a flower, a Christmas tree, a Santa, a toy and a religious symbol. More specifically, the box 104 may be configured in different shapes according to a theme of an occasion, which are explained in conjunction with FIGS. 2A to 2C. The box 104 may be made of materials including, but not limited to, silk, satin, plastic, metal and wood.
Further, the box 104 may be decorated with various colors, such as red to symbolize love, yellow to symbolize friendship, pink to symbolize romance and silver to symbolize remorse or sympathy. Accordingly, the color of the box 104 is capable of reflecting various emotions of the human being. For example, in the present embodiment, the box 104 may be decorated with red color to symbolize love.
Furthermore, the box 104 is capable of being closed and opened for ensuring a safety of the sheet 102 accommodated within the box 104. The box 104 may be closed and opened by use of a lid or other suitable mechanisms (not shown) known in the art. The lid may be completely removable from the box 104. Alternatively, the lid may be pivotally connected to the box 104 for enabling opening and closing of the box by a pivotal motion of the lid. In the present embodiment, the box 104 includes a pivoting lid 110 capable of closing and opening the box 104.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the pivoting lid 110 may be inscribed with a theme of the box 104. More specifically, the theme may be inscribed on an outer surface of the pivoting lid 110. For example, in the present embodiment, the outer surface of the pivoting lid 110 of the box 104 is inscribed with a word “Love.”
Further, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, dimensions of the box 104 may include one and half inches height, and two inches each width and length. However, this specification of the box 104 is for exemplary purposes only and should not be considered as limiting to the scope of the invention.
In another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1B, the sheet 102 may be rolled up like a scroll and accommodated in the box 104 for the recipient. The surface 106 of the sheet 102 may be inscribed with a message 108 to reflect a feeling of the presenter of the gift article 100 to the recipient. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the sheet 102 may be configured in a shape similar to that of the box 104. As shown in FIG. 1C, the sheet 102 is configured in a heart shape, which is similar to the heart shape of the box 104. Further, the sheet 102 has the message 108 inscribed on the surface 106 thereof.
The gift article 100 may be used to represent emotions of a human being such as good will, respect, care and love. Further, the gift article 100 may be presented to individuals, such as friends, family members and other beloved human beings, and organizations, on various occasions, such as birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, New Year and Saint Valentine's Day.
Referring to FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C, various boxes 202, 204 and 206 are shown, according to various exemplary embodiment of the present invention. These boxes 202, 204 and 206 are alternatives in terms of shape to the box 104, which may be used for expressing various emotions of the human being. The boxes 202, 204 and 206 are similar to the box 104, such that the boxes 202, 204 and 206 include a sheet 102 accommodated therein. However, for sake of brevity, the sheet 102 is not shown within the boxes 202, 204 and 206. The boxes 202, 204 and 206 further include a pivoting lid 110 for opening and closing the boxes 202, 204 and 206. Further, the materials involved in the design of the boxes 202, 204 and 206 are also similar to that of the box 104.
Referring to FIG. 2A, the box 202 is shown to have a shape similar to that of sun to symbolize encouragement. The box 202 may be decorated with yellow color. Further, the pivoting lid 110 of the box 202 may be inscribed with letters “Friendship” on an outer surface thereof to reflect a feeling of the presenter of the gift article 100. Further, referring to FIG. 2B, the box 204 is shown to have a shape of lips to symbolize a kiss. The box 204 may also be decorated with a pink color and the pivoting lid 110 may be inscribed with letters “Kiss” on an outer surface thereof. Furthermore, referring to FIG. 2C, the box 206 is shown to have a shape similar to that of a tear drop to symbolize remorse or sympathy. The box 206 may be decorated with silver color and an outer surface of the pivoting lid 110 of the box 206 may be inscribed with letters “I'm sorry”.
It will be apparent to a person ordinarily skilled in the art that the shape of the boxes 104, 202, 204, and 206 and the message 108 inscribed on the sheet 102 reflects a theme of an occasion or a relationship of the presenter of the gift article 100 with the recipient. Accordingly, the gift article 100 conveys the emotion of presenter of the gift article 100. Moreover, as the gift article 100 of the present invention symbolizes an emotion of the human being, the gift article 100 of the present invention never goes out of style. Accordingly, the gift article 100 as described herein provides a personalized gift to the recipient by matching the shape of the box 104, 202, 204 and 206 and the message 108 to an occasion or a relationship with the presenter of the gift article 100. The gift article 100 of the present invention provides a better choice than a combination of a traditional greeting card and a gift. Further, the gift article 100 of the present invention may be made available in gift shops, card shops, boutiques and the like.
Various embodiments of the present invention offer following advantages. The gift article of the present invention is capable of providing a synergistic effect of a gift and a greeting card. The gift article is also capable of conveying a theme of an occasion or an emotion of a presenter of the gift article. Further, the gift article of the present invention can be easily and conveniently carried due to light weight of the gift article.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but such omissions and substitutions are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A gift article comprising:

a sheet comprising a surface for inscribing a message thereon; and

a box capable of accommodating the sheet therein, wherein the box has a shape symbolizing an emotion of a human being, and wherein the box is capable of being closed and opened.

2. The gift article of claim 1, wherein the sheet is a parchment paper.

3. The gift article of claim 1, wherein the sheet is a greeting card.

4. The gift article of claim 1, wherein the sheet is capable of being rolled up as a scroll.

5. The gift article of claim 1, wherein the sheet has a shape of the box.

6. The gift article of claim 1, wherein the box is made of a silk material.

7. The gift article of claim 1, wherein the box is made of a satin material.

8. The gift article of claim 1, wherein the box has a shape of a heart.

9. The gift article of claim 8, wherein the box is decorated with a red color.

10. The gift article of claim 1, wherein the box has a shape of a sun.

11. The gift article of claim 10, wherein the box is decorated with a yellow color.

12. The gift article of claim 1, wherein the box has a shape of lips.

13. The gift article of claim 12, wherein the box is decorated with a pink color.

14. The gift article of claim 1, wherein the box has a shape of a tear drop.

15. The gift article of claim 14, wherein the box is decorated with a silver color.

16. The gift article of claim 1, wherein the message is a representation of the emotion of the human being selected from the group consisting of at least one of good will, respect, care and love.