AU2005100618A4 - Improvements in Preservation of Greeting Cards - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT "Improvements in Preservation of Greeting Cards" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: i IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESERVATION OF GREETING CARDS

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(FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an improved method for preserving greeting cards in an accessible way and to a collection of cards made according to the method.

oo00 BACKGROUND Many major events in the lives of people, families and other groups are nowadays marked by the sending to them of greeting cards. For example, a person may receive greeting cards from friends and relatives on such occasions as birthdays, graduations and bereavements. Greeting cards may also be received by couples on such occasions as engagements, weddings, and when children are born.

It is often desired to retain the greeting cards received on such occasions as mementos so that they can be readily viewed again after some lapse of time. This is particularly so where the cards relate to occasions such as weddings and the births of children. While cards may be conveniently retained by such simple methods as putting the cards in a container either loose or bundled and bound together by ribbons or the like, it has also become popular to use albums of various sorts, which ensure that the cards are kept together and made very easy to browse through when desired.

Most greeting cards are in the form of a sheet of heavy paper or card folded to form front and rear leaves, with text and the sender's hand written greeting normally found between the two leaves.

One form of album simply has cardboard or other front and rear covers and paper pages therebetween to which the cards can be glued or otherwise mounted. A disadvantage of these albums can be that if there are many cards to be mounted, their thickness can prevent the covers from sitting neatly parallel to each other.

Other forms of album have transparent sleeves or pairs of sleeves instead of or additional to paper pages, with each card being slipped into a sleeve or pair of sleeves (in the latter case with one leaf in each member of a pair of sleeves). These have the same disadvantage and the additional problem that cards are made in a wide range of sizes that may not match the sleeve size.

Still further types of album are known, but none appears to have achieved widespread market acceptance.

The present innovation provides an alternative approach to the saving of greeting cards in an album or book format, and is believed to represent an attractive and useful additional choice for consumers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention arises from the realization that greeting cards of the type described above are similar in form to the folded bundles of pages, sometimes referred to as "signatures", that are formed in the course of binding pages together as a book. Accordingly, some of the methods used in book binding may be used to bind greeting cards together in book-like form.

In a first aspect, the invention provides a method for the storage and display of a set of one or more of greeting cards having a paper or card sheet formed into leaves by a fold, the method comprising the steps of: forming a book block comprising the or each member of a set of greeting cards; and securing the book block within cover means comprising a front board a back board and a spine.

In a further aspect, the invention provides a method for the storage and display of a set of one or more of greeting cards having a paper or card sheet formed into leaves by a fold, the method comprising the steps of: forming a book block comprising the or each member of a set of greeting cards, in which book block each greeting card is retained at least in part by sewing using a thread passing through its fold and partly along the length of the fold; and securing the book block within cover means comprising a front board a back board and a spine.

The term "book block" is known in the bookbinding art and refers to the assembled group of pages leaves or signatures that in binding of a book is secured between a book's front and back covers. Alignment of the rear edges and either the top or bottom edges of the pages leaves or signatures gives the

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Oassembly its block-like form.

It is further preferred that in forming the book block either top edges or ;bottom edges of at least a proportion of the greeting cards are aligned with each other in a plane perpendicular to the folds of the cards. This gives a neat, book-like appearance.

00 In a further aspect, the invention provides a bound set of greeting cards of the type having a paper sheet formed into leaves by a fold, the bound set Scomprising: a 10 a book block formed from the or each member of the set, in which book 0 block each greeting card is retained at least in part by sewing with a thread that passes through its fold and partly along the length of the fold; and cover means comprising a front board a back board and a spine, the book block being secured within the cover means.

To designate the theme of the set (for example, the occasion of a baby's birth, or a wedding), the bound set may have a title-bearing element that is or includes a card formed from a paper or card sheet formed into leaves by a fold, the title-bearing element being retained in the book block in the same manner as the greeting cards.

Throughout this specification, the use of any of the words "comprise", "comprises" or "comprising" in respect of one or more integers elements items or steps is to be taken to signify the presence of those integers items elements or steps but not to preclude the possible presence of other integers items elements or steps.

In order that the innovation may be better understood there will now be described, non-limitingly, certain preferred modes of application and physical embodiments by reference to the attached Figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bound set of greeting cards according to the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a book block part way through the binding process; Figure 3 is a view further along the binding process; Figure 4 is a view from the top of the item shown in Figure 1; and

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0 Figure 5 is a perspective view of a greeting card of known type.

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;DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Figure 1 shows a bound set 1 of greeting cards 2, according to the innovation. Bound set 1 is generally of book-like form. Bound set 1 has a 0 cover 3 with a front board 4, back board 5 and connecting them a spine 6.

Cover 3 is made in accordance with ordinary bookbinding practice.

One innovation in the preferred embodiment is that, in binding the cards 2 into book-like form, each card 2 is sewn in place in the way a S"signature" (bundle of folded pages) would be sewn in place in conventional bookbinding. Each card 2 is formed from a heavy paper or card sheet formed into two leaves 7 and 8 separated by a fold 9, as shown in Figure 5. The leaves 7 and 8 may be of different sizes and shapes, and may not even be of the most common rectangular shape. In preparing for binding, folds 9 of cards 2 are aligned with each other in a plane (for example by placing the cards 2 together in a stack, with folds 9 together, and then "jogging" their folds 9 on a flat surface). The resulting book block 10 will therefore usually not have fore edges 11 of its constituent cards 2 in alignment, as shown in Figure 1.

Any group of greeting cards 2 received from differing sources is likely to include a range of card sizes and shapes. Although not essential to the innovation at its broadest, cards 2 are preferably bound in cover 3 with their top edges aligned so as to lie in a plane that is perpendicular to the length of the spine 6, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 2 illustrates one example of how cards 2 assembled into book block 10 are retained in their relative positions by sewing through and along their respective folds 9. For clarity in Figure 2, and successive Figure 3, only four cards (2a 2d) are shown, and these with exaggerated thickness. A thread 12, starting from end is passed through card 2a at a point 13 along its fold 9, and then extends along fold 9 partially between the leaves 7 and 8 and partially outside the fold 9, thread 12 passing through fold 9 at successive points 14, 15 and 16. Thread 12 then continues in similar manner to successively secure cards 2b, 2c and 2d in the book block 10, emerging at point Thread 12 is looped on itself as shown, at intermediate positions.

It is emphasized that the sewing and securing scheme shown in Figure

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C 2 is but one of many arrangements that may be used in practicing the (Ni innovation of sewing the cards 2 individually in place, and no limitation to any ;specific one is intended to be implied.

Figure 3 shows a later stage (than Figure 2) in the process of binding cards 2 into bound set 1. A sheet 23 of muslin, crinoline or other suitable 0 material is glued to spine 19 of the now-sewn book block 10, extending from top end 20 of spine 19 to a bottom edge 21 adjacent to the bottom edge 22 of card 2c, which is the shortest (from top to bottom) of cards 2a to 2d. Folded end papers 24 and 25 are first glued to cards 2a and 2d lengthwise at Spositions adjacent to their folds 9, and sheet 23 is glued to outer surfaces 26 of endpapers 24 and Optionally (and preferably) a headband 27 of conventional type is secured (by gluing) at the top end 20 of spine 19 where cards 2a to 2d are aligned.

The gluing of sheet 23 to book block 10 provides securing together of the cards 2a to 2d additionally to the sewing described above.

Finally, cover 3 is secured in pace, by gluing its front and back boards 4 and 5 to endpapers 24 and 25 in conventional manner. The resulting booklike bound set of cards 2 is shown in plan view in Figure 4, which emphasizes that the folds 9 of cards 2 are aligned side-by-side with each other and that the fore edges of cards 2 are not in general aligned with each other when seen in plan view due to their differing sizes.

The sizes of front and back boards 4 and 5 (and therefore of their connecting spine 6) is dictated by preferring that the width of boards 4 and be slightly larger than the width of the widest one of cards 2 and that the height of boards 4 and 5 be slightly larger than the height of the tallest one of cards 2.

It is preferred that in addition to cards 2 themselves, that an additional card 28 be provided at the front of the book block, and secured in the same way, this card having text and/or graphic material on it to signify the title or theme of the set of cards 2.

It will be recognized that any suitable ones of the various enhancements to basic bookbinding methods known in that art can be applied to the bound set 1. These could include the use of "padded" front and back

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Oboards 4 and 5, application of external lettering to cover 3, and the like.

Whilst the above description includes the preferred embodiments of the ;invention, it is to be understood that many variations, alterations, modifications and/or additions may be introduced into the constructions and arrangements of parts previously described without departing from the 0 essential features or the spirit or ambit of the invention. For example a glued binding system could be utilized in some embodiments of the invention in its broadest sense.

It will be also understood that where the word "comprise", and 0 variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", are used in this specification, unless the context requires otherwise such use is intended to imply the inclusion of a stated feature or features but is not to be taken as excluding the presence of other feature or features.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia.

Claims (5)

1. A method for the storage and display of a set of one or more of ;greeting cards having a paper or card sheet formed into leaves by a fold, the method comprising the steps of forming a book block comprising the or each member of a set of greeting cards, and 0 securing the book block within cover means comprising a front board a back board and a spine. t 10

2. A method for the storage and display of a set of one or more of Sgreeting cards having a paper or card sheet formed into leaves by a fold, the method comprising the steps of: forming a book block comprising the or each member of a set of greeting cards, in which book block each greeting card is retained at least in part by sewing using a thread passing through its fold and partly along the length of the fold; and securing the book block within cover means comprising a front board a back board and a spine.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2 wherein in forming the book block either top edges or bottom edges of at least a proportion of the greeting cards are aligned with each other in a plane perpendicular to the folds of the cards.

4. A bound set of greeting cards of the type having a paper sheet formed into leaves by a fold, the bound set comprising: -a book block formed from the or each member of the set, in which book block each greeting card is retained at least in part by sewing with a thread that passes through its fold and partly along the length of the fold; and cover means comprising a front board a back board and a spine, the book block being secured within the cover means. i~

5. A bound set of greeting cards according to claim 4 having a title- bearing element that is or includes a card formed from a paper or card jsheet formed into leaves by a fold, the title-bearing element being Sretained in the book block in the same manner as the greeting cards. 00 Dated this 29th day of July 2005 Paul Darren Schubert by his patent attorneys Morcom Pernat