Greeting cards with suspended motion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9738109-B2
Application number	US-201615357567-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2016
Priority date	Oct 28, 2014
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

The present invention is directed to various embodiments of a greeting card having at least one motor attached to a mechanism which causes movement to a mobile object and one or more attachments suspended from the mobile object. The mobile object may be a circular disc, a string or a swing structure. Each mobile object contains one or more attachments either attached directly thereto or suspended therefrom via a string or line. The motor may effect various movements in the mobile object such as circular motion, back-and-forth motion or bouncing or vibrating motion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A greeting card comprising:
a multi-panel greeting card body which is operative to move between a first position wherein it is folded flat and a second position wherein it is unfolded into a triangular configuration;
a swing structure which is suspended from a horizontal rod located in an upper portion of the triangular configuration, the swing structure capable of moving in a swinging motion; and
a motor which is attached to the horizontal rod, the motor operative to cause movement of the swing structure.

2. The greeting card of claim 1 further comprising a sound module operative to store and playback at least one audio file.

3. The greeting card of claim 1 , wherein playback of the at least one audio file is initiated by a pushing a push button switch located within the multi-panel greeting card body.

4. The greeting card of claim 1 , wherein the motor sends an electrical pulse through the rod to effect movement of the swing structure.

5. The greeting card of claim 1 , wherein the motor sends an electrical pulse through the rod in an on-off pattern wherein there is a pause between each pulse to effect a swinging movement of the swing structure.

6. The greeting card of claim 1 , wherein at least one panel of the multi-panel greeting card body has an opening thereon through which the swing structure is visible.

7. The greeting card of claim 1 , wherein the swing structure is visible when the greeting card body is in both open and closed positions.

8. A greeting card comprising:
a greeting card body comprising a frame structure, the frame structure having an opening therein;
a rod contained within the frame structure above the opening;
a motor contained within the frame structure and attached to the rod;
a mobile object suspended from the rod;
a switch which controls activation of the motor;
wherein activation of the motor causes the mobile object to move in a back and forth motion.

9. The greeting card of claim 8 , wherein the switch is a push button switch.

10. The greeting card of claim 9 , wherein pushing the push button activates the motor causing it to effect movement of the mobile object.

11. The greeting card of claim 8 further comprising a sound module contained within the frame structure, the sound module having at least one audio file saved thereon.

12. The greeting card of claim 11 , wherein the sound module replays the audio file through a speaker upon a user pushing a push button switch.

Assignees

• American Greetings Corp

Inventors

• Marsh Allison
• Forrester Nicole

Classifications

• B42D15/045

  Multi-part cards or sheets, i.e. combined with detachably mounted articles · CPC title

• B42D15/042 Primary

  Foldable cards or sheets (B42D15/045 and B42D15/08 take precedence) · CPC title

• B42D15/022 Primary

  combined with permanently fastened sound-producing or light-emitting means or carrying sound records · CPC title

• G09F1/04

  Folded cards · CPC title

• G09F1/06

  to be erected in three dimensions [3D] (G09F1/08 takes precedence) · CPC title