Two-part articles, including hinged articles

• US 5,577,609 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 11/26/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CUI, Inc. (James Stuart McKenzie, PhD)
• Original Assignee: CUI, Inc. (James Stuart McKenzie, PhD)
• Inventors: Hexter, Peter K. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gehman, Bryon P.
• Application Number:
  US08/477,747
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 206/449, 206/454, 206/485, 206/425, 220/528, 220/529, 220/533, 220/527, 40/768, 40/780, 40/791, 40/124.1, 428/13, 428/14, 428/542.4
• US Class Current: 206/449
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 1/143 Pivotable legs
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/205 Means for the attachment of labels, cards, coupons or the like; cards or coupons for the other types of rigid or semi-rigid containers B65D25/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 43/165 these elements being assembled by a separate pin-like member
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 7/16 Letters, numerals, or other symbols adapted for permanent fixing to a support

Abstract

Various two-part articles, such as metal trading cards, which safely and advantageously combine a metal substrate having front and rear sides, and an insert sheet made of metal, glass or plastic. In some embodiments, both the metal substrate and a metal insert sheet are embossed. The metal substrate includes a central main portion, four edge marginal portions terminating in respective substrate edges, and four corner marginal portions. The marginal portions surround the central main portion, sharing respective boundaries therewith, and are rolled towards the substrate rear side and around such that the substrate edges contact the insert sheet so as to hold the insert sheet in position. The rolled marginal portions together define a continuous bead around the periphery of the card without any exposed sharp edges. In some embodiments the rolled edges are replaced by hinge sleeves. Thus, specific embodiments include a greeting card having two elements joined by a hinge, and a gift greeting box with an insert sheet in the cover, with a hinge joining the cover to a receptacle base.

Claims

1. A two-part article comprising:

a polygonal metal substrate having a front side, a rear side, a main portion, a plurality of edge marginal portions terminating in respective substrate edges, a plurality of corner marginal portions, said edge marginal portions and said corner marginal portions surrounding said main portion and sharing respective boundaries with said main portion, and substrate indicia on said front side;

an insert sheet adjacent said rear side, said insert sheet being made of a material selected from the group consisting of metal, glass and plastic, and having an exposed side facing away from said rear side;

said edge marginal portions and said corner marginal portions being rolled towards said rear side such that said substrate edges contact said exposed side of said insert sheet so as to retain said insert sheet in position; and

said rolled edge marginal portions and said rolled corner marginal portions together defining a continuous bead around the periphery of said article without any exposed sharp edges.

2. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, comprising a rectangular metal substrate having four edge marginal portions and four corner marginal portions.

3. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, which comprises a metallic trading card.

4. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, which comprises a bookmark.

5. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, which is formed from a flat blank wherein said corner marginal portions have concave cutouts to avoid interference when said side marginal portions are rolled.

6. A two-part article in accordance with claim 4, wherein each of said corner marginal portions has material remaining between the respective concave cutout and the boundary shared by the corner marginal portion and said main portion.

7. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said substrate main portion has embossed areas.

8. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said insert sheet comprises metal and has embossed areas.

9. A two-part article in accordance with claim 7, wherein said insert sheet comprises metal and has embossed areas.

10. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said insert sheet comprises polished metal.

11. A two-part article in accordance with claim 10, wherein said inset sheet comprises mirrored polished metal.

12. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said insert sheet comprises mirrored glass.

13. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said insert sheet comprises glass with indicia printed thereon.

14. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said insert sheet comprises plastic and has embossed areas.

15. A two-part article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said insert sheet comprises plastic with indicia printed thereon.

16. A boxed set comprising:

a plurality of metallic trading cards, each orientable so as to have a lower edge and two side edges, and each of said metallic trading cards comprising

a generally rectangular metal substrate having a front side, a rear side, a main portion, four edge marginal portions terminating in respective substrate edges, four corner marginal portions, said edge marginal portions and said corner marginal portions surrounding said main portion and sharing respective boundaries with said main portion, and substrate indicia on said front side,

an insert sheet adjacent said rear side, said insert sheet being made of a material selected from the group consisting of metal, glass, and plastic, and having an exposed side facing away from said rear side,

said edge marginal portions and said corner marginal portions being rolled towards said rear side such that said substrate edges contract said exposed side of said insert sheet so as to retain said insert sheet in position, and

said rolled edge marginal portions and said rolled corner marginal portions together defining a continuous bead around the periphery of said card without any exposed sharp edges; and

a storage tin for said trading cards, said storage tin including a generally rectangular receptacle having a bottom and four upright sides;

a cover for said receptacle;

a lower card support member in said receptacle on the bottom thereof, said lower card support member having a plurality of channels for receiving the lower edges of said trading cards; and

a pair of side card support members in said receptacle along two opposite sides thereof, said side card support members having corresponding pluralities of channels for receiving the side edges of said trading cards.

17. A foldable article comprising a pair of polygonal article elements joined by a hinge, each of said article elements comprising:

a polygonal metal substrate having an outer side, an inner side, a main portion, a plurality of edge marginal portions terminating in respective substrate edges, and a plurality of corner marginal portions, said edge marginal portions and said corner marginal portions surrounding said main portion and sharing respective boundaries with said main portion,

an insert sheet adjacent said inner side, said insert sheet being made of a material selected from the group consisting of metal, glass and plastic, and having an exposed side facing away from said inner side,

at least a portion of one of said edge marginal portions including an element of said hinge,

the others of said edge marginal portions and said corner marginal portions being rolled towards said inner side such that said substrate edges terminating the others of said edge margin portions contact said exposed side of said insert sheet so as to retain said insert sheet in position, and

said rolled edge marginal portions and said rolled corner marginal portions together defining a continuous bead without any exposed sharp edges.

18. An article in accordance with claim 17, comprising a pair of rectangular article elements, each having four edge marginal portions and four corner marginal portions.

19. A foldable article in accordance with claim 17, wherein:

the elements of said hinge included on each of said article elements comprise sleeve elements formed in said at least a portion of one of said edge marginal portions;

sleeve elements of one of said article elements are interdigitated and aligned with sleeve elements of the other of said article elements; and

said hinge comprises a hinge pin positioned within the aligned sleeve elements.

20. A foldable article in accordance with claim 17, which comprises a greeting card.

21. A container comprising:

a generally rectangular metal receptacle having a bottom and four upright sides having respective upper edges;

a generally rectangular two-part cover having one edge joined by a hinge to the upper edge of one of said upright sides, said cover comprising;

a generally rectangular metal substrate having a top side, a bottom side, a main portion, four edge marginal portions terminating in respective substrate edges, four corner marginal portions, said edge marginal portions and said corner marginal portions surrounding said main portion and sharing respective boundaries with said main portion, and substrate indicia on said top side,

an insert sheet adjacent said bottom side, said insert sheet being made of a material selected from the group consisting of metal, glass and plastic, and having an exposed side facing away from said bottom side,

at least a portion of one of said edge marginal portions including an element of said hinge,

the others of said edge marginal portions and said corner marginal portions being rolled towards said bottom side such that said substrate edges terminating the others of said edge marginal portions contact said exposed side of said insert sheet so as to retain said insert sheet in position,

said rolled edge marginal portions and said rolled corner marginal portions together defining a continuous bead without any exposed sharp edges; and

another element of said hinge being included in at least a portion of said upper edge of said one of said upright sides of said receptacle.

22. A container in accordance with claim 21, wherein:

the element of said hinge included on said cover comprises sleeve elements formed in said at least a portion of one of said edge marginal portions;

said another element of said hinge included on said receptacle comprises sleeve elements formed in said at least a portion of said upper edge;

sleeve elements of said cover are interdigitated and aligned with sleeve elements of said receptacle; and

said hinge comprises a hinge pin positioned within the aligned sleeve elements.

23. A container in accordance with claim 21, which comprises a gift greeting box.