Gift card carriers

• US 9,016,469 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2006
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Roberts, Jamie
• Primary Examiner(s): Stashick, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRANO, ERNESTO ARTURIO
• Application Number:
  US11/601,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20080116089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,084 Days
• Field of Search: 206/39.7, 206/208.1, 206/461, 206/232, 206/459.5, 401/241.1, 401/240.6, 401/241.2, 401/240.9, 283/101, 283/106, 283/56, 283/62, 283/63.1, 281/2, 281/5, 281/3.1, 229/68, 229/71, 229/92.8, 235/379, 235/380, 235/486, 235/487
• US Class Current: 206/39.7
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/042 Foldable cards or sheets B42D15/045 and B42D15/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/045 Multi-part cards or sheets, i.e. combined with detachably mounted articles
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 1/06 to be erected in three dimensions G09F1/08 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention pertains to improved gift card carriers. More particularly, a first aspect pertains to a gift card carrier that also operates as a greeting card. In a first folded configuration, the gift card carrier presents the gift card for purchase. In a second folded configuration, the gift card carrier acts like a greeting card that encloses the gift card, and possibly supplies a greeting or message. A second aspect pertains to a gift card carrier with a depression for receiving a gift card therein. The depression may make the gift card appear as if its flush mounted within a panel of the gift card carrier. A third aspect pertains to a gift card carrier with an image of hardware device that includes a display, and a gift card that includes an image associated with the hardware device. The gift card is positioned over the display region of the hardware device image making it appear as if the gift card is the display, and the image thereon is being displayed.

Claims

1. A gift card carrier, comprising:

a panel for carrying a gift card, the panel comprising a front surface and a recessed portion sized and dimensioned to receive an entire gift card therein so that the gift card appears to be flush mounted with the front surface of the panel when the entire gift card is positioned inside the recessed portion of the panel, the recessed portion having a depth substantially equal to a thickness of the gift card; and

a scan window disposed within the recess, wherein the scan window has an area smaller than an area of the recess and wherein the scan window is disposed within a periphery of the recess.

2. The gift card carrier as recited in claim 1 wherein the panel is a double pane panel comprising a front sheet member that is attached to a back sheet member, the front sheet member forming the front surface of the double pane panel and the back sheet member forming a back surface of the double pane panel, and wherein the front sheet member has a cut out portion whose inner shape matches the outer shape of a gift card, the edge of the cut out portion of the front sheet member cooperating with a portion of the back sheet member exposed within the cut out portion to form the recess for receiving a gift card.

3. The gift card carrier as recited in claim 2 wherein the front and back sheet members are integrally connected and formed from a single sheet of material, the front sheet member folding over the back sheet member to form the double pane panel.

4. The gift card carrier as recited in claim 1 further comprising a second panel that folds relative to the first panel so that the gift card carrier operates as a greeting card.

5. The gift card carrier as recited in claim 4 wherein the gift card carrier is placed in a first folded configuration so that a gift card retained within the recess is presented for view, and wherein the gift card carrier is placed in a second folded configuration so that a gift card retained within the recess is hidden from view.

6. The gift card carrier as recited in claim 1 wherein the panel includes an image disposed on a side of the panel that contains the recessed portion, the image representing at least a portion of a hardware product that contains a display, the recessed portion being positioned at the location of the display of the hardware product image so that a gift card retained therein appears to be displayed on the hard ware product imaged on the panel.

7. The gift card carrier as recited in claim 6 wherein the gift card retained within the recess has an image disposed thereon, the image being associated with content that is displayable on the hardware product.

8. The gift card carrier as recited in claim 1 wherein the depth of the recessed portion places the front surface of the gift card substantially flush with the front surface of the panel.

9. The gift card carrier as recited in claim 1 further comprising one or more retention mechanisms disposed within the recess, the one or more retention mechanisms being configured to hold a gift card within the recess.

10. The gift card carrier as recited in claim 1, wherein the panel is an elongated sheet member that is divided into five substantially equal sized sections, the elongated sheet member being folded at the interface between sections, the two outer folds being sized as a single fold, the two inner folds being sized as a double fold, the outer sections of the elongated sheet member being folded over and attached to adjacent inner sections thereby forming two double paned outer panels on the sides of a central single pane panel, one of the outer section including the scan window dimensioned to accommodate a scanning bar of the gift card, the inner section that is next to the outer section that includes the scan window includes the recessed portion dimensioned to accommodate the gift card, the edge of the recessed portion forming side walls of a recess, the outer section disposed within the periphery of the recessed portion forming a back wall of the recess, the recess having the gift card disposed therein.

11. The gift card carrier as recited in claim 10, wherein the elongated sheet member is formed from cardboard.

12. The gift card carrier as recited in claim 10, further comprising one or more retention mechanisms disposed within the recess, the retention mechanisms being configured to hold a gift card within the recess.

13. The gift card carrier as recited in claim 1, wherein the panel is an elongated sheet member that is divided into five substantially equal sized sections, the elongated sheet member being folded at the interface between sections, the two outer folds being sized as a single fold, the two inner folds being sized as a double fold, the outer sections of the elongated sheet member being folded over and attached to adjacent inner sections thereby forming two double paned outer panels on the sides of a central single pane panel, one of the outer section including the scan window dimensioned to accommodate a scanning bar of the gift card, the inner section that is next to the outer section that includes the scan window includes the recessed portion dimensioned to accommodate the gift card.

14. The gift card carrier as recited in claim 2 wherein the front sheet member includes a first width and a first height and the back sheet member includes a second width and a second height, wherein the first width is different than the second width.

15. The gift card carrier as recited in claim 14 wherein the first height is different than the second height.

16. The gift card carrier as recited in claim 9 further comprising a first retention mechanism disposed within an upper portion of the recess and a second retention mechanism disposed within a lower portion of the recess.

17. A gift card carrier, comprising:

a panel for carrying a gift card, the panel comprising a front surface and a recessed portion sized and dimensioned to receive an entire gift card therein so that the gift card appears to be flush mounted with the front surface of the panel when the entire gift card is positioned inside the recessed portion of the panel, the recessed portion having a depth substantially equal to a thickness of the gift card; and

a scan window disposed within the recess, wherein the scan window has an area smaller than an area of the recess and wherein the scan window is disposed within a periphery of the recess,

wherein the panel is a double pane panel comprising a front sheet member that is attached to a back sheet member, the front sheet member forming the front surface of the double pane panel and the back sheet member forming a back surface of the double pane panel, and wherein the front sheet member has a cut out portion whose inner shape matches the outer shape of a gift card, the edge of the cut out portion of the front sheet member cooperating with a portion of the back sheet member exposed within the cut out portion to form the recess for receiving the gift card.

18. The gift card carrier as recited in claim 17 wherein the front sheet member includes a first width and a first height and the back sheet member includes a second width and a second height, wherein the first width is different than the second width.

19. The gift card carrier as recited in claim 18 wherein the first height is different than the second height.