GB2169850A

GB2169850A - Improvements in or relating to greetings cards and the like

Info

Publication number: GB2169850A
Application number: GB08501341A
Authority: GB
Inventors: W N H Johnson
Original assignee: SAR PLC SCIENT APPLIED Research
Current assignee: SAR PLC SCIENT APPLIED Research
Priority date: 1985-01-18
Filing date: 1985-01-18
Publication date: 1986-07-23
Also published as: GB8501341D0

Abstract

A greetings card is described which comprises a plurality of interfitting pieces, for example forming a jigsaw puzzle or a constructional toy. The card may also form at least a board of a board- game and removable portions of the card may form playing pieces for the board-game. The "jigsaw" part of the card may bear, on one face thereof, a text or pictorial matter of the greetings card and may bear, on the opposite face, the text of a related story.

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to greetings cards and the like THIS INVENTION relates to greetings or the like cards, such as birthday cards, Christmas cards and so forth.

Such greetings cards are in common use and it is well known that after receipt, and possibly a short period of display, such cards must simply be discarded, having no other function. Nevertheless, the purchase cost of such cards and the cost of transmitting the same through the post is such that it would be desirable if their function were somewhat less restricted.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a greetings or the like card which is adapted, after fulfilling the function of conveying the respective greeting or the like, to serve some other useful or agreeable function for the recipient.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a greetings or the like card comprising a plurality of interfitting pieces constituting a puzzle, toy or the like.

The interfitting pieces may be interlocking or not, as desired and may be identical or may be of different shapes. The interfitting pieces may also be of any suitable material, for example thick card, plywood, plastics, composite materials such as plastics foam sandwiched between layers of card etc. The interfitting pieces may be temporarily secured, e.g.

by adhesive, to a continuous sheet of card, holding the pieces in the appropriate relation to one another. Such sheet of card, may, for example, be provided with an angled flap to receive a message of greeting and/or to allow the card to be stood on end on a horizontal surface. The individual pieces, while appropriately interfitted, may provide, on one major surface of the resultant assembly, a completed picture and/or wording after the fashion of the traditional "jig saw puzzle". The picture and/or wording may be appropriate to the greeting in question, for example appropriate to a child's birthday, whilst the opposite face of the assembly may bear a short story. Alternatively, the reverse face of each individual piece may bear a respective short story.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a greetings or the like card which also forms at least the board of a board game. The marking appropriate to the board game may be combined, wholly or in part, with decoration or pictorial matter relating to the greeting conveyed, or the markings appropriate to the board game may be provided on the opposite surface of the sheet materiai forming the card to that bearing the text and/or pictorial matter relating to the greeting conveyed. The card may also incorporate sections separable from the remainder and adapted to form playing pieces of the board game in question.

The item as a whole may comprise a sheet of card providing the board of the board game and, detachably secured thereto, a plurality of interfitting pieces according to the first aspect of the invention each bearing, on at least one surface thereof, markings appropriate to the respective playing piece of the board game in question.

According to a yet further aspect of the invention there is provided a greetings card or the like comprising a first portion bearing greetings text and/or associated pictorial matter and a second portion in the form of a picture frame bounding said first portion, the first portion being removable from said picture frame and being replaceable by a correspondingly shaped and dimensioned picture or the like selected by the user. Thus, the recipient of the card, after he or she no longer wishes to view or display the greetings portion of the card, may discard the same and may use the frame to display, for example, a picture or a photograph.

According to a yet aspect of the invention there is provided a greetings or the like card including a portion bearing textual and/or pictorial matter pertaining to the respective greeting, and an additional integral flap adapted to be folded over said portion bearing said text or pictorial matter and to be secured to the remainder of the card to form a secure package, said flap having an exposed area bearing, or adapted to bear, the name and address of the intended recipient and a postage stamp, etc. The additional flap herein referred to as a "mailing flap" may be adapted to be readily detached from the reminder of the card, for example by tearing along a perforated fold, to leave the reminder of the card which may, in the traditional fashion, comprise two or more panels connected along intervening fold lines.

As a result, it is unnecessary to provide a respective separate envelope with a card according to the last aspect of the invention.

This is a substantial advantage bearing in mind that envelopes for greetings cards are generally made to conform closely to the size and shape of such greetings cards and that such envelopes are nevertheless generally of non-standard shape and size. Thus, by utilising the last-noted aspect of the invention, it is possible to manufacture very simply greetings cards of any desired shape and size with an appropriate mailing flap.

It will be appreciated that two or more of the above-noted aspects of the invention may be used in combination. For example, as already indicated above, interfitting pieces may be temporarily attached to a base sheet forming a playing board for a game. Likewise, a plurality of such a interfitting pieces may be mounted within a frame which may otherwise be used as a normal picture frame. In any of these cases, the card may include a detachable mailing flap formed integrally therewith and which can be used to avoid the need for a separately formed envelope.

Claims

1. A greetings or the like card comprising a plurality of interfitting pieces constituting a puzzle, toy or the like.

2. A greetings or the like card which also forms at least the board of a board game.

3. A greetings or the like card according to claim 2, which also includes a plurality of removable portions adapted to form playing pieces for said board game.

4. A greetings or the like card according to claim 3 wherein said removable portions take the form of interfitting pieces which, when assembled togeher provide, on one face of the resulting assembly, text and/or pictorial matter of the greetings card, and, on the opposite face, on each of said pieces, markings appropriate to the respective playing pieces.

5. A greetings card according to claim 1, wherein each said piece bears, on one face thereof, a respective portion of the text or pictorial matter of the greetings card and bears, on the opposite face thereof, the text of a respective story or the like literary item.

6. A greetings or the like card comprising a first portion bearing greetings text and/or associated pictorial matter and a second portion in the form of a picture frame bounding said first portion, the first portion being removable from said picture frame and being repla ceable by a correspondingly shaped and di mensioned picture or the like selected by the user.

7. A greetings card or the like including a portion bearing textual and/or pictorial matter pertaining to the respective greeting, and an integral flap adapted to be folded over said portion bearing said text or pictorial matter and to be secured to the remainder of the card to form a secure package,said flap having an exposed area bearing, or adapted to bear, the name and address of the intended recipi ent and a postage stamp, etc.

8. A greetings or the like card, substantially as hereinbefore described.

9. Any novel feature or combination of features described herein.