Pop-up greeting cards

• US 9,302,528 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2015
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Greetings Corporation
• Original Assignee: American Greetings Corporation
• Inventors: Shlonsky, Lynne, Higgins, Sean, Seadler, Toby, Eklund, Sarah
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, Cassandra
• Application Number:
  US14/692,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20150224808A1
• Time in Patent Office: 350 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/022 combined with permanently fastened sound-producing or light-emitting means or carrying sound records
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/027 combined with permanently fastened other articles, e.g. photographs
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/04 Foldable or multi-part cards or sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/045 Multi-part cards or sheets, i.e. combined with detachably mounted articles
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/22 for use in combination with accessories specially adapted for information-bearing cards
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/285 Gift cards
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0407 for flashing
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 1/08 wholly or partly imitating the form of an object, e.g. of the article to be advertised

Abstract

An interactive electronic greeting card with pop-up feature includes a pocket or cavity which houses various electronic and mechanical components and a pop-up element. In a first position, the pop-up element is substantially contained within the greeting card pocket or cavity. When the push button is depressed, the pop-up element is ejected or “pops up” out of the greeting card pocket or cavity, revealing a greeting or other printed indicia, a mobile object or a gift card attached thereto. The push button also initiates playback of a pre-loaded digital audio file, which may be a spoken message, a sound, a song, music or other such audio recording.

Claims

1. A pop-up greeting card comprising:

a main pocket having a front side, a back side parallel to and spaced apart from the front side, and a right side, back side and bottom panel which extend between the front and back sides;

a pop-up panel which is operative to move from a first position wherein the pop-up panel is substantially contained within the main pocket and a second position wherein the pop-up panel is substantially outside of the main pocket;

a mobile object attached to the pop-up panel;

a motor attached to the pop-up panel and mobile object, the motor operative to cause movement of the mobile object;

a sound module contained and concealed within the main pocket operative to store and playback at least one audio filed contained therein;

a manually activated mechanism operative to move the pop-up panel from the first position to the second position, to initiate activation of the motor thereby causing movement of the mobile object, and initiating activation of the sound module thereby causing playback of the at least one audio file.

2. The pop-up greeting card of claim 1, wherein the manually activated mechanism is a press-button.

3. The pop-up greeting card of claim 1, wherein the manually activated mechanism is a crank.

4. The pop-up greeting card of claim 3, wherein the crank must make at least three revolutions before moving the spring loaded pop-up panel between the first and second positions, and activating the motor and sound module.

5. The pop-up greeting card of claim 1, wherein the manually activated mechanism is accessed through a front surface of the pop-up greeting card.

6. The pop-up greeting card of claim 1 further comprising a sentiment panel attached to a rear surface of the main pocket.

7. A pop-up greeting card comprising:

a main pocket having a front side, a back side parallel to and spaced apart from the front side, and a right side, left side and bottom panel which extend between the front and back sides;

a pop-up panel which is operative to move from a first position wherein the pop-up panel is substantially contained within the main pocket and a second position wherein the pop-up panel is substantially outside of the main pocket;

a mobile object attached to the pop-up panel;

a motor contained within the main pocket and attached through an opening in the main pocket to the mobile object, the motor operative to cause movement of the mobile object;

a sound module contained and concealed within the main pocket operative to store and playback at least one audio filed contained therein;

a push button or crank operative to move the pop-up panel from the first position to the second position, and to initiate activation of the motor and the sound module;

wherein when the pop-up panel is moved from the first position to the second position, the motor module causes movement of the mobile object and the sound module initiates playback of the at least one audio file.

8. The pop-up greeting card of claim 7, wherein the mobile object is a die cut shape.

9. The pop-up greeting card of claim 7, wherein pushing the pop-up panel back into the main pocket, deactivates the sound module and motor.

10. The pop-up greeting card of claim 7 further comprising further comprising a sentiment panel attached to a rear surface of the main pocket.

11. The pop-up greeting card of claim 7, wherein the push button is accessed through a front surface of the main pocket.

12. The pop-up greeting card of claim 7, wherein the crank must be moved at least one revolution to move the pop-up panel from the first to the second position.

13. The pop-up greeting card of claim 7, wherein the pop-up panel is ejected from the main pocket via two springs attached to the pop-up panel.