Card box with spring surprise flap

• US 5,055,084 A
• Filed: 02/19/1991
• Issued: 10/08/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zoran Jokic
• Original Assignee: Zoran Jokic
• Inventors: Jokic, Zoran
• Primary Examiner(s): Muir, D. Neal
• Application Number:
  US07/656,454
• Time in Patent Office: 231 Days
• Field of Search: 446/486, 446/487, 446/488, 446/489, 446/308, 446/309, 446/310, 446/311, 446/312, 446/147, 446/148, 446/149, 446/152, 272/27 R, 272/27 B, 272/27 N, 40/539
• US Class Current: 446/486
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 13/16 Boxes from which figures jump
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2023/0025 on containers
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 23/00 Advertising on or in specific articles, e.g. ashtrays, letter-boxes on or in vehicles G09F21/00

Abstract

A spring box is an assembly of a box body and a spring, the box body being formed of a single piece of foldable material such as card stock. The box body bears a message on a message panel. When the box body is closed the message is covered by a cover panel. The box body includes a tab that releasably holds the box body closed with the cover panel overlapping the message panel with the spring biasing the message panel against the cover panel. When the tab is released, the spring suddenly opens the box body, thus to push the message panel upward. The upward movement of the message panel causes the cover panel suddenly to move away from the message panel, thus to expose the message to view. During the sudden opening of the box body, the message panel and the cover panel pivotally move in opposite arcuate directions.

Claims

1. A spring box comprising a box body having a plurality of panels joined by parallel fold lines, said panels including a bottom panel, a message panel bearing a message and a cover panel that covers said message panel when said box body is closed with said cover panel overlapping said message panel and hiding said message, and a spring having a first end engaging said bottom panel and a second end engaging said message panel and compressed therebetween when said box body is closed, said box body further having a tab for releasably holding said box body closed, and so that when said tab is released, said spring suddenly opens said box body pushing said message panel away from said bottom panel, in turn causing said cover panel to move away from said message panel thus to expose said message to view, and wherein said message panel is joined indirectly to said bottom panel by first and second additional panels and said cover panel is joined indirectly to said bottom panel by a third additional panel, said first additional panel being joined to said message panel along a first fold line and to said second panel along a second fold line and said second panel being joined to said bottom panel along a third fold line, said cover panel being joined to said third additional panel along a fourth fold line and said third additional panel being joined to said bottom panel along a fifth fold line, and said tab being a portion of said second additional panel.

2. A box according to claim 1 wherein said message panel and said cover panel are joined to said bottom panel on opposite sides thereof, whereby during opening of said box body, said message panel and said cover panel move in opposite arcuate directions.

3. A box according to claim 1 wherein said first, second, third, fourth and fifth fold lines are parallel to each other and said third and fifth fold lines delineate opposite edges of said bottom panel.

4. A box according to claim 3 wherein when said box is closed, said message panel and said cover panel are substantially parallel to said bottom panel with said message panel between said bottom panel and said cover panel and with said first and second additional panels between said message panel and said bottom panel.

5. A box according to claim 4 wherein said panels further include an end panel joined to said cover panel along a sixth fold line parallel to said first, second, third, fourth and fifth fold lines, said sixth fold line being provided with a slot of limited length therealong for releasably receiving said tab when said box body is closed to hold said box body closed.

6. A box according to claim 1 wherein said box body is of one-piece construction.

7. A box according to claim 6 wherein said box body is fabricated of card stock.