Card – picture – or sign exhibiting – Display card – Combined with receptacle means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-19
2001-10-16
Green, Brian K. (Department: 3628)
Card, picture, or sign exhibiting
Display card
Combined with receptacle means
C040S124200, C040S514000, C283S117000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06301812
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to gift containers, and more particularly, to a container for enclosing a gift such as money, checks and/or gift certificates.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, gifts are given in containers such as a decoratively wrapped box or decorative bag. An example of such a box is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,876 to Fleming entitled “Combination gift box, greeting card, wrapping and decoration.” Fleming is concerned with providing an attractive one-piece decorative gift container with enhancements, such as paper and ribbon, and an incorporated greeting card.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,537 to Wong entitled “Combination photo frame, gift box and greeting card.” Wong discloses a combination gift article that simultaneously provides the features of a photo frame, gift box and greeting card. The combination gift article has a gift container mounted on one of the panels that may contain a small gift and/or a photograph.
In many circumstances, money, checks and/or gift certificates are given in a greeting card or envelope. This may be convenient and appropriate. However, greeting cards and envelopes are flat and may be easily misplaced or lost. Furthermore, opening a greeting card without an associated gift box or container may lack some excitement, or depending on the occasion, may be anticlimactic because the recipient is already anticipating a monetary gift. Furthermore, as soon as the recipient opens the card, the total amount of the gift is immediately apparent and the excitement is shortlived. This may discourage the giver from giving a monetary gift even when it is appropriate or even preferred to do so.
Various containers are known for enclosing money as a gift. U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,264 to Wetterlund entitled “Gift box for monetary gifts” discloses an example of a box for enclosing money as a gift. The box includes an insert with a platform having coordinated apertures for holding rolled-up paper money. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,062 to Burton et al. entitled “Combined greeting card and gift box apparatus” discloses a gift box which is formed from a foldable cardboard panel. The gift box includes a roll of tape for securing money in a coil inside the box.
However, it is desirable to provide a gift container for enclosing money, checks and/or gift certificates in a way that surprises the recipient, which includes a greeting card, which is simple to make and use, and which can be readily used again as a gift container or as a photo-album memento of the occasion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the invention to provide a gift container for enclosing money, checks and/or gift certificates in a way that surprises the recipient, which includes a greeting card, which is simple to make and use, and which can be readily used as a photo-album memento of the occasion.
This and other objects, features and advantages in accordance with the present invention are provided by a combination gift container and photo album including a housing defining a chamber therein and having a slot-shaped opening in an outer surface thereof and in communication with the chamber. An inner spindle is carried by the housing in the chamber, and a medium is connected to the inner spindle to be wound around the inner spindle and withdrawn from the chamber via the slot-shaped opening in the outer surface of the housing. The medium includes a greeting card, and a plurality of pockets, preferably transparent pockets, connected together lengthwise. Each of the pockets has an appropriate size to selectively receive a monetary gift and a photograph. The monetary gift preferably comprises paper money, checks or gift certificates. A winding device, such as a knob, is connected to the inner spindle for winding the medium around the inner spindle, and a stop member is attached to a distal end of the medium and disposed outside the chamber for aiding in the withdrawal and winding of the medium. A tab may be connected to the stop member for withdrawing the gift medium from the chamber via the slot-shaped opening.
The stop member may comprise an elongated stop member which is larger than the slot-shaped opening. Also, the greeting card may be contained in at least one of the plurality of transparent pockets or it may be connected between the plurality of transparent pockets and the stop member. The housing is generally cylindrically shaped and may include decorative indicia on the outer surface thereof. Furthermore, the housing, the inner spindle and the knob may be formed of plastic.
A method aspect of the present invention is directed to making a combination gift container and photo album. The method includes forming a housing defining a chamber therein, forming a slot-shaped opening in an outer surface of the housing and in communication with the chamber, providing an inner spindle in the chamber, and connecting a medium to the inner spindle to be wound around the inner spindle and withdrawn from the chamber via the slot-shaped opening in the outer surface of the housing. Again, the medium includes a greeting card, and a plurality of transparent pockets connected together lengthwise, each of the pockets having an appropriate size to selectively receive a monetary gift and a photograph. The method further includes connecting a knob to the inner spindle for winding the medium around the inner spindle, and attaching a stop member to the distal end of the medium outside the chamber for aiding in the withdrawal and winding of the medium.
The monetary gift preferably comprises at least one of paper money, checks and gift certificates. Also, a tab may be connected to the stop member for withdrawing the gift medium from the chamber via the slot-shaped opening, and the stop member may comprise an elongated stop member which is larger than the slot-shaped opening. The greeting card may be contained in at least one of the plurality of transparent pockets or connected between the plurality of transparent pockets and the stop member. Decorative indicia may be formed on the outer surface of the housing, and the housing, the inner spindle and the knob may be formed of plastic.
Thus, a giver of the gift container would sign the greeting card and place a desired number of bills, for example, such as $5's, $10's, $20's etc., in the transparent pockets before winding the medium onto the spindle and inside the container. The recipient of the gift would pull the stop-member and/or tab to withdraw the medium while reading the greeting card and seeing the money contained in the pockets. After taking the money out of the pockets, the recipient may then insert photographs from the occasion in the pockets so that the gift container becomes a photo-album memento of the occasion.
REFERENCES:
patent: 480430 (1892-08-01), Koch
patent: 948506 (1910-02-01), Horton
patent: 1966276 (1934-07-01), Armstrong
patent: 2337210 (1943-12-01), Soldati
patent: 2490621 (1949-12-01), Colomer
patent: 3426461 (1969-02-01), Miller
patent: 3471957 (1969-10-01), Robb
patent: 3711976 (1973-01-01), Allen
patent: 5282537 (1994-02-01), Wong
patent: 5359797 (1994-11-01), Williamson
patent: 5497876 (1996-03-01), Fleming
patent: 5596828 (1997-01-01), Smallwood
patent: 5622264 (1997-04-01), Wetterlund
patent: 5641062 (1997-06-01), Burton et al.
patent: 2459733 (1976-07-01), None
patent: 612084 (1926-10-01), None
patent: 1098788 (1955-04-01), None
Allen Dyer Doppelt Milbrath & Gilchrist, P.A.
Green Brian K.
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