GB2578501A

GB2578501A - Greetings card packaging

Info

Publication number: GB2578501A
Application number: GB1909632.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tom Dales Gardner Angus
Original assignee: Caroline Gardner Publishing Ltd
Current assignee: Caroline Gardner Publishing Ltd
Priority date: 2019-07-04
Filing date: 2019-07-04
Publication date: 2020-05-13
Anticipated expiration: 2039-07-04
Also published as: GB2578501B; GB201909632D0

Abstract

A greetings card 2 is securely packaged with an envelope 16, without the need for a plastic wrapper. The envelope 16 is inserted between front and rear panels 4,6 of the greetings card 2. At a location remote from the hinge 8 of the card 2, a corner 22 of the front panel 4, a corner of the envelope 16 and a corner 24 of the rear panel 6 are inserted into a corner pocket 20. A peelable label 30 is affixed to overlap the corner pocket 20 and one of the panels 4,6 of the greetings card 2: preferably the rear panel 6 to avoid the risk of damage to the image 10 on the front. The label 30 may also be adhered to part of the envelope 16.

Description

TITLE

Greetings card packaging

DESCRIPTION

Field of the invention

The invention relates to the packaging of greetings cards together with the envelopes with which they are to be sold.

Background of the invention

Traditional greetings cards comprise two rectangular panels, which are connected along a common edge by a hinge. The outer surface of a front panel displays an image and/or a greeting appropriate to the occasion on which the card is sent. The outer surface of the rear panel may display a further image but more typically contains useful information such as the price or a price code; a retailer's bar code, product number or trade mark; information about the front image; and/or details of the text inside the card. The inside surfaces of the panels, which are hidden when the card is closed, may contain printed text or images, or be left blank for the sender of the card to write in.

Greetings cards are normally sold with matching envelopes, in which they can be inserted before sending or handing to a recipient of the card. In a retail environment, if the card and envelope are displayed separately, or with the envelope simply tucked between the hinged panels of the card, they tend to become separated, which may happen by accident or because customers select an envelope different from the one intended by the supplier. For this reason, most cards and envelopes are currently sold together in a transparent plastic wrapper, known in the industry as a "cello bag". However, there is an increasing desire to avoid single-use plastics for such purposes.

When a greetings card is offered for sale, it is important that the image on the front panel of the card should remain visible It is desirable that at least the majority of the information on the rear panel should also remain visible. -2 -

Summary of the invention

The invention provides a method of packaging a greetings card with an envelope as defined in claim 1.

The invention further provides a package comprising a greetings card and an envelope as defined in claim 4.

In a package according to the invention, the envelope is trapped by the hinge between the panels of the greetings card, and the corner pocket prevents the card from falling open to release the envelope. The peelable label prevents the corner pocket separating from the package until a purchaser intentionally peels the label away from the card to remove the comer pocket. It is preferred that label should be adhered to the rear panel to avoid the risk of damage to the main image on the front panel when the label is removed.

In some embodiments of the invention, the label also overlaps and adheres to part of the envelope to secure the envelope against sliding out from between the panels of the greetings card.

The corner pocket and the label are preferably made from paper, card or other recyclable materials to avoid the use of plastics in the packaging.

The drawings Figure I is a front view of a first embodiment of greetings card package according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a rear view of the package of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a schematic cross-section taken on line C-C of Figure 2 Figure 4 is a rear view of a second embodiment of greetings card package according to the invention.

Figure 5 is a rear view of a third embodiment of greetings card package according to the invention. -3 -

Figures 1 to 3 illustrate a greetings card, which comprises a front panel 4 and a rear panel 6 that are connected along a common edge by a hinge 8. The front panel 4 may display an image 10, a text greeting 12 or any other design. The rear panel 6 may display a further image (or a continuation of the front image 10) andJor any combination of information such as the price or a price code; a retailer's bar code, product number or trade mark; information about the front image; and/or details of the text inside the card. In the drawings, this range of alternatives is represented by a simple bar code 14 in the centre of the rear panel 6 but the information may be printed in any suitable position.

The greetings card 2 is packaged with an envelope 16, in which the card may be sent or handed to a recipient. The overall dimensions of the envelope 16 are slightly larger than those of the front and rear panels 4,6, in order that the greetings card 2 can easily be inserted into it. Accordingly, when the envelope 16 is inserted between the front and rear panels 4,6 and pushed up to the hinge 8, parts of the envelope 16 protrude beyond the edges of the panels 4,6.

In accordance with the invention, a corner pocket 20 prevents the greetings card 2 from opening to release the envelope 16. Specifically, two corresponding free comers 22,24 of the respective front and rear panels 4,6 are inserted into the corner pocket 20 to prevent them separating from one another. (A 'free" corner is one that does not lie on the hinge 8.) A protruding corner of the envelope 16 that lies between the front and rear panels 4,6 is similarly inserted into the corner pocket 20.

The corner pocket 20 comprises two flat layers of paper, card or a similar material, which are joined together along two edges 26,28 at right angles to one another. The comer pocket 20 is preferably made from a single piece of material by folding along the two edges 26,28 and then either gluing overlapping parts together or tucking a tab into a slot to form the pocket 20.

To prevent the corner pocket 20 separating from the package until desired, a peelable adhesive label 30 is applied in a position that overlaps at least part of the corner -4 -pocket 20 and part of the one of the panels 4,6. The adhesive of the label 30 should be chosen such that, when pressure is applied, the label adheres to the respective surfaces of the corner pocket 20 and the panel 4,6 and secures them against being separated from one another in a shearing motion parallel to the plane of the panel.

However, when a purchaser wishes to remove the label 30, it should be possible to peel the label cleanly away from the panel 4,6 (and optionally also from the corner pocket 20) without the label 30 tearing and without leaving adhesive on the surface of the panel 4,6 or causing damage to the surface of the panel. In some cases, such as panel surfaces that are not lacquered or glossy, or if the label 30 has been left in place for a long time, there is a risk that the label 30 might not be removed cleanly. For that reason it is preferred that the label 30 should be adhered to the rear panel 6, where any damage is likely to be less significant.

As shown in Figure 2, it is preferred that the label 30 should also overlap and adhere to a part 32 of the envelope 16 that protrudes beyond the edge of the adjacent panel 6.

This prevents the final possibility for the envelope 16 to become separated from the package, namely by sliding out from between the panels 4,6 in a direction parallel to the hinge 8.

Figure 3 is a schematic cross-section taken on line C-C of Figure 2, to show the overlapping arrangement of the greetings card panels 4,6, envelope 16, corner pocket 20 and label 30 The vertical scale has been exaggerated to show the layers more clearly and the corner pocket 20 is presented in dot-dot-dash lines so that it can be easily distinguished.

Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of the invention, which works in the same way as the first embodiment but shows how the shapes and locations of certain elements may be varied: * In particular, the corner pocket 20 is truncated at the corner 34. This demonstrates that the function of the corner pocket 20 is provided by its two -5 -perpendicular edges 26,28; it is not essential that those edges extend far enough to meet one another.

* A further variant is that in this embodiment the corner pocket 20 and the label 30 have outlines formed by straight lines, in contrast with the curves of the first embodiment. This is essentially an aesthetic choice, provided that the shape of the corner pocket 20 overlaps the free corners 22,24 of the card panels, and that the shape of the label 30 can be positioned to overlap parts of the rear panel 6, the corner pocket 20 and the envelope 16. Of course, any desired text or images may also be printed on the corner pocket 20 and the to label 30 * Another variant in Figure 4 is that the label 30 is shown overlapping the rear panel at the top edge 36, rather than a side edge as in Figure 2 The reader will understand that any of these variants can be adopted independently of the others.

A second corner pocket 20 could be applied to the lower corner of the card shown in Figures 1 to 4, in order to prevent any free corners of the card panels 4,6 or the envelope 16 being exposed. This would reduce the risk that a corner of one card package might get caught between the layers of another during handling. Figure 5 shows a third embodiment of the invention, which provides an alternative solution to the same problem by employing a combined corner pocket 40 that extends along the whole of the edge 38 of the greetings card 2 that is opposite the hinge 8, and serves to contain the free corners of the card 2 at both its upper and lower ends. The label 30 may be affixed to overlap the pocket 40 anywhere along its length, e.g. in the centre as shown. In this case, there is no real advantage in positioning the label 30 such that it also overlaps part of the envelope 18, though that is not excluded.

Other variants that make use of the inventive concept described herein will be apparent to the reader For example, it is not necessary that the front and rear layers of the corner pocket 20,40 should have the same shape: because they are on opposite sides of the finished package they cannot normally be seen at the same time. The -6 -invention can also be used with greetings cards that do not have the traditional arrangement of two congruent, rectangular panels. (The envelope usually remains rectangular for ease of handling by the postal services.) In such a case, each layer of the corner pocket 20 simply needs to be shaped such that it can trap a corresponding free corner or edge of the adjacent card panel. -7 -

Claims

CLAIMSA method of packaging a greetings card with an envelope, wherein the greetings card includes front and rear panels connected by a hinge, the method comprising: inserting the envelope between the panels of the greetings card; at a location remote from the hinge, inserting a corner of the front panel, a corner of the envelope and a corner of the rear panel into a corner pocket; and affixing a peelable label such that it overlaps the corner pocket and one of the panels of the greetings card.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the panel overlapped by the label is the rear panel.
3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein, after insertion, part of the envelope protrudes beyond the rear panel; and wherein the label is affixed such that it also overlaps the protruding part of the envelope.
A package comprising: a greetings card that includes front and rear panels connected by a hinge, an envelope inserted between the panels of the greetings card; a comer pocket into which, at a location remote from the hinge, a comer of the front panel, a corner of the envelope and a corner of the rear panel are inserted, and a peelable label affixed such that it overlaps the corner pocket and one of the panels
5. A package according to claim 4, wherein the panel overlapped by the label is the rear panel.
6. A package according to claim 5, wherein part of the envelope protrudes beyond the rear panel; and wherein the label is affixed such that it also overlaps the protruding part of the envelope.