Pre-paid flower or gift card

• US 6,050,493 A
• Filed: 12/01/1997
• Issued: 04/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The American Floral Company
• Original Assignee: The American Floral Company
• Inventors: Fertig, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Diane I.
• Application Number:
  US08/980,897
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 235/487, 235/375, 235/380, 235/381, 235/435, 235/462.01, 705/26, 283/51, 283/56, 283/903
• US Class Current: 235/487
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered

Abstract

A pre-paid card for sending a gift such as flowers is sized to fit inside a wallet, having a front face with photographs or drawings with a plurality of pre-selected gift items and back face with warranty and instructional information, as well as a telephone access number and a PIN number which is unique to the card. A plurality of pre-selected items depicted on the front face of the card will each have a corresponding identifier number or code, so that the card user can easily select a gift item to be ordered.

Claims

1. A pre-paid card for ordering a gift item comprising a panel sized to be received in a conventional wallet or purse card compartment, and having front and rear faces, said front face including illustrations of a plurality of pre-selected gift items with each said illustration having a corresponding identifier printed adjacent thereto, wherein one of said front and rear faces being imprinted with instructional information for ordering any one of said gift items by designating said corresponding identifier.

2. The pre-paid card of claim 1, wherein one of said front and rear faces is imprinted or fixed with read-out indicia for activating said card at or following purchase.

3. The pre-paid card of claim 2, wherein said read-out indicia is selected from the group consisting of a magnetic stripe, UPC code, and a ASCII code.

4. The pre-paid card of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of one of said front and back faces is imprinted with informational material relating to the purchase and sale of said card.

5. The pre-paid card of claim 1, wherein one of said faces of said panel is imprinted with warranty information.

6. The pre-paid card of claim 1, wherein said plurality of pre-selected gift items comprise a plurality of different floral arrangements.

7. The pre-paid card of claim 1, wherein said illustrations of a plurality of pre-selected gift items comprise photographs of said gift items.

8. The pre-paid card of claim 1, wherein one of said front and rear faces includes price information imprinted thereon.

9. The pre-paid card of claim 8, wherein said price information reflects a price for ordering only one of said illustrated plurality of pre-selected gift items.

10. The pre-paid card of claim 1, wherein one of said front and rear faces identifies a PIN number unique to said card.

11. The pre-paid card of claim 1, wherein said instructional information includes a telephone number to be used in ordering any one of said gift items.