Flexible drive shaft for greeting cards and the like

• US 10,089,904 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2017
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hallmark Cards Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hallmark Cards Incorporated
• Inventors: Bowen, Douglas M., Covey, Robert A., Wallen, Thomas A., Pavlu, Robert R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Shin H
• Application Number:
  US15/823,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20180190156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 309 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/042 Foldable cards or sheets B42D15/045 and B42D15/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 1/12 Arrangements for transmitting movement to or from the flexible member
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 1/04 Folded cards
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 1/06 to be erected in three dimensions G09F1/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/02 incorporating moving display members

Abstract

A greeting card having mechanically actuated moving portions is provided. The greeting card may include a panel having one or more folds, one or more flexible drive shafts coupled to the panel and having a flipping or moving portion, and a decorative portion coupled to at least one of the panel and the flipping or moving portion. Each flexible drive shaft may be coupled to the panel such that a portion is positioned on a first side of the fold and a portion is positioned on a second side of the fold. When the greeting card is opened, a moment arm is created in the flexible drive shaft which causes the flipping or moving portion to move from a first position to a second position. The decorative portion may move in response to the flipping or moving portion moving from the first position to the second position.

Claims

1. An article having mechanically actuated moving portions, the article comprising:

a panel having at least a first subpanel and a second subpanel, the first subpanel and the second subpanel being separated by a fold in the panel;

a flexible drive shaft having a first end, a second end, and a flipping portion between the first end and the second end, the flexible drive shaft being coupled to the panel such that the first end is positioned on the first subpanel side of the fold and the second end is positioned on the second subpanel side of the fold;

the flipping portion of the flexible drive shaft is configured to move from a first position to a second position when the first and second subpanels are moved away from each other; and

a decorative portion coupled to at least one of the second subpanel, the flipping portion, and the second end, the decorative portion configured to move in response to the flipping portion moving from the first position to the second position.

2. The article of claim 1, further comprising the panel having a third subpanel and a fourth subpanel, the third subpanel being adjacent the second subpanel and being separated from the second subpanel by a second fold, the fourth subpanel being adjacent the third subpanel and being separated from the third subpanel by a third fold.

3. The article of claim 2, wherein the second fold is positioned in the center of the panel and wherein the one or more flexible drive shafts are made of spring steel wire.

4. The article of claim 3, wherein each of the first subpanel, the second subpanel, the third subpanel, and the fourth subpanel have generally equal dimensions.

5. The article of claim 1, further comprising the panel having a window opening in one or more of the first subpanel and the second subpanel.

6. The article of claim 1, further comprising one or more openings formed in the second subpanel and the flexible drive shaft extending through at least one of the one or more openings in the second subpanel.

7. The article of claim 1, further comprising:

the panel having a first surface and a second surface, wherein the first end and the second end of the flexible drive shaft are positioned adjacent the first surface and the flipping portion is positioned adjacent the second surface.

8. The article of claim 1, further comprising:

the panel having one or more flexible drive shaft securing tabs.

9. The article of claim 1, further comprising:

a flexible drive shaft retaining panel, the flexible drive shaft retaining panel being affixed to the first subpanel and configured to couple a portion of the flexible drive shaft to the first subpanel.

10. The article of claim 9, wherein the flexible drive shaft retaining panel includes at least two openings through which the flexible drive shaft is threaded.

11. The article of claim 1, wherein the decorative portion is affixed to the flipping portion and the second subpanel.

12. A flexible shaft for a foldable article having at least a first subpanel separated from a second subpanel by a fold, the flexible shaft comprising:

a first end, a second end, a fixed bend in the flexible shaft between the first end and the second end, and a plurality of segments between the first end and the second end; and

the plurality of segments including at least;

a first segment extending from the first end to the fixed bend and configured to couple to the first subpanel; and

a second segment extending from the fixed bend to the second end and configured to couple to the second subpanel,

the fixed bend configured to be positioned proximate the fold when the first segment is coupled to the first subpanel and the second segment is coupled to the second subpanel.

13. The flexible shaft of claim 12, further comprising:

an extended bend fixed in the second segment such that the second segment is curved when the flexible shaft is in an unflexed position,

wherein the extended bend causes the second end to slide across the second subpanel when the flexible shaft is coupled to the foldable article and the foldable article is moved from a closed position to an open position.

14. The flexible shaft of claim 13, wherein the first segment is straight when the flexible shaft is in the unflexed position.

15. The flexible shaft of claim 13, further comprising a driven element affixed to the second segment proximate the second end.

16. A foldable article having a motion component, the foldable article comprising:

a panel folded across a fold line to define a first subpanel and a second subpanel; and

a flexible drive shaft having a first end, a second end, and at least three segments between the first end and the second end, the flexible drive shaft being coupled to the panel;

the at least three segments comprising a first end segment, a second end segment, and a middle segment between the first end segment and the second end segment;

a first fixed bend that separates the first end segment from the middle segment; and

a second fixed bend that separates the second end segment from the middle segment;

wherein the middle segment is positioned on the first subpanel side of the fold line and the first end segment and the second end segment are positioned on the second subpanel side of the fold line,

wherein the first fixed bend and the second fixed bend are positioned proximate the fold line.

17. The foldable article of claim 16, wherein the first end segment and the second end segment each include a flipping portion that is configured to move from a first position to a second position in response to the panel moving from a folded position to an unfolded position.

18. The foldable article of claim 16, wherein the middle segment is bent in half and twisted such that the first fixed bend and the second fixed bend are adjacent to one another.

19. The foldable article of claim 16, further comprising:

at least one tab formed in the second subpanel and configured to couple one of the first end segment and the second end segment to the second subpanel.

20. The foldable article of claim 16, further comprising:

a decorative portion coupled to at least one of the first end segment and the second end segment, the decorative portion configured to move in response to the movement of the coupled segment.