Interactive electronic greeting cards with tap and touch activated effects

• US 8,584,385 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2011
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Greetings Corporation
• Original Assignee: American Greetings Corporation
• Inventors: Mayer, David, Tasse, Catherine, Eklund, Sarah C., Marsh, Allison, Guo, Jerry, Qiao, Tiger
• Primary Examiner(s): Silbermann, Joanne
• Application Number:
  US13/090,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20110258893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 401/240.3
• US Class Current: 40/124.03
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/022 combined with permanently fastened sound-producing or light-emitting means or carrying sound records
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 1/00 Cardboard or like show-cards of foldable or flexible material

Abstract

The interactive greeting card of the present disclosure and related inventions combines a traditional paper card with one or more special effects that are initiated by interaction between a user and the greeting card. One or more touch sensors are used to initiate effects including, but not limited to sound, light, movement or a combination thereof.

Claims

1. An interactive greeting card comprising:

a greeting card body having a plurality of greeting card panels, two of the greeting card panels forming an enclosed cavity;

an electronics module contained within the enclosed cavity of the greeting card body, the electronics module operative to save and playback at least two digital audio files;

wherein playback of one of the at least two digital audio files is triggered by a user interacting with a specified area of the greeting card and wherein continuous back and forth motion_is required to continue hearing playback of the one of the at least two digital audio files; and

wherein an increase in the speed of the continuous back and forth motion increases the speed and volume of the audio.

2. The interactive greeting card of claim 1 further comprising a slide switch.

3. The interactive greeting card of claim 1, wherein one of the at least two digital audio files contains spoken instructions indicating where to touch the greeting card to initiate the other digital audio file.

4. The interactive greeting card of claim 1, wherein the greeting card contains printed indicia indicating where to touch the greeting card to initiate one of the at least two digital audio files.

5. The interactive greeting card of claim 1, wherein the greeting card must be in an open position for playback of one of the at least two digital audio files.

6. The interactive greeting card of claim 1, wherein one of the greeting card panels contains an aperture through which an inside surface of the greeting card is visible.

7. An interactive greeting card comprising:

a multi-panel greeting card body having an enclosed cavity between two panels thereof;

an electronics module contained with the enclosed cavity, the electronics module operative to store and playback two or more digital audio files;

wherein a slide switch initiates playback of one of the two or more digital audio files, and

wherein a user applying a continuous back and forth motion to an area of the greeting card proximate to the touch sensor switch plate initiates playback of one of the two or more digital audio files and when the user stops the continuous back and forth motion, the one of the two or more digital audio files ceases playback and

wherein an increase in the speed of the continuous back and forth motion increases the volume of the audio.

8. The interactive greeting card of claim 7, wherein the slide switch is located across the first fold line and is triggered when the greeting card is opened by unfolding the first panel away from the second panel along the first fold line.

9. The interactive greeting card of claim 7, wherein an increase in the speed of the continuous back and forth motion increases the speed of the audio.

10. The interactive greeting card of claim 7, wherein the slide switch initiates playback of a first of the two or more digital audio files containing verbal instructions on wherein to apply the continuous back and forth motion on the greeting card to initiate playback of a second of the two or more digital audio files.

11. The interactive greeting card of claim 7, wherein the greeting card body contains printed indicia thereon indicating where to apply the continuous back and forth motion on the greeting card to initiate playback of one of the at least two digital audio files.

12. An interactive greeting card comprising:

a greeting card body having at least three panels;

an electronics module contained within a cavity formed between two of the at least three panels of the greeting card body, the electronics module operative to store and playback at least one audio file;

a touch sensor switch plate located beneath one of the at least three panels of the greeting card;

wherein playback of the at least one audio file occurs only while a user continuously rubs an area of the greeting card above the touch sensor switch plate, and

wherein an increase in the speed of the continuous rubbing increases the volume of the audio.

13. The interactive greeting card of claim 12, wherein playback of the at least one audio file stops as soon as the user stops the rubbing motion on the area of the greeting card above the touch sensor switch plate.

14. The interactive greeting card of claim 12 wherein an increase in the speed of the continuous back and forth motion increases the speed of the audio.

15. The interactive greeting card of claim 14, wherein if the rubbing motion is re-initiated without closing the greeting card, playback of the at least one audio file will start where it left off when the user ceased the rubbing motion.