GB2155858A - Novelty article - Google Patents

Abstract

A message card, such as a gift tag has a musical melody module 7 hidden behind an inner non-transparent ply 20 of an outer flap 15. The ply 20 is sufficiently translucent to allow, under ambient light conditions, a photo- sensitive switch 11 of the module to be activated when the flap 15 is swung open away from a rear flap 16, whereupon the module emits a tone tune through an aperture 13 in the module. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Novelty article The invention relates to novelty articles incorporating a musical melody module. Such modules are small, generally flat, self contained units incorporating a battery as a source of power, a buzzer, and an electronic control circuit, usually in the form of a chip, which is arranged to cause the buzzer to emit a predetermined melodic sequence of tones.

A known type of such novelty article comprises a greetings card having front and rear flaps which are hinged together and in one of which the module is sandwiched. The arrangement is such that when the front flap is swung open away from the rear flap, an internal paper strip connected to one flap is moved longitudinally from between two switch contacts which then move resiliently into engagement with one another to complete a circuit and cause energisation of the control circuit and buzzer by the battery in the module which is in the other flap. When the front flap is re-closed, the paper strip seperates the two switch contacts and turns off the module. This is complex and expensive to manufacture and has a short life owing to the inability of the paper strip to maintain its necessary rigidity after more than a few cycles of operation.The application is also limited to cases in which there are relatively moving parts, such as the front and rear flaps, the relative movement of which can be used to open and close the switch contacts.

It is also known to provide a musical melody module with a photosensitive switch instead of a mechanical switch and to incorporate the module within a greeting card behind one or more hinged doors in a surface of the card. The module is then operated by using the fingernail to engage the door and swing it open, thus exposing the photosensitive switch to ambient light. The door is swung closed again to switch off the module, either immediately, or when a particular melodic cycle has been completed. Such a card creates interest but the opening of the door to initiate operation of the module is tedious and, when the door has been opened, the module is exposed. The portion of the card in which the door is situated is also unavailable for conventional printed or written messages.

In accordance with the present invention, a novelty article comprises a body having hidden within itself a self contained musical melody module incorporating a photosensitive switch which is covered by a translucent, but not transparent, ply forming an external surface of the body, the switch being operable to activate the module by ambient light passing through the ply.

An article of this construction creates particular interest in that it appears to produce a melody of magic since the module is invisible and there are no relatively moving parts which could operate a switch.

The photosensensitive switch and control circuit may be such that the module is switched on when the surface of the translucent ply covering the switch, and hence the switch, is first exposed to the light and is automatically switched off after a predetermined melodic cycle has been completed, resetting being necessary by obscuring the switch and relevant part of the ply from light before the module can be switched on again by re-exposing the switch to light. In such an arrangernent, the module may be reset and re-switched on by covering the outer surface of the ply with the finger, immediately over the switch, to obscure the switch from ambient light, and then removing the finger again. The appropriate position to apply the finger may be printed or otherwise indicated on the outer surface of the covering ply. This enhances the magic effect.Alternatively, the module may be arranged to operate continuously while the switch, and covering portion of the ply, are exposed to ambient light, and only switched off when the relevant part of the ply is covered, for example by closing it face to face with another sheet, or placing it face downwards on a surface.

The covering ply may be of paper or plastics material, and paper of conventional stationery quality is sufficiently translucent but not transparent to be appropriate for use as the covering ply. Available photosensitive switches covered by such a ply, are sufficiently sensitive to respond through such paper to ambient light, that is to say typical natural daylight, or an intensity of illumination to be received from say a 60 watt electric lamp at a distance of 3m.

The novelty article may take a limitless number of different forms. We are however particularly interested in the application of the invention to an article having a body in the form of a composite sheet of at least 2 plies between which the musical melody module is sandwiched. The module may then be accommodated within a cut-out portion in a central ply. Such an article may be in the form of a portable hologram, or may be a message card such as a greetings card, post card, of gift tag.

Thus when the article has a single planar body, as in the case of a post card, the module is preferably of the kind described above in which the control circuit requires resetting after a predetermined melodic cycle has been completed. Alternatively, in the case of an article with relatively hinged flaps, such as a conventional greeting card or gift tag, the module may be mounted in one flap with the light sensitive switch covered by a ply which is folded face to face with the adjacent face of the other flap when the card is closed. In this case, the module will be switched on when the card is opened and it is immaterial whether the module is switched off after a predetermined melodic cycle has been completed, or when the card is re-closed again to obscure the switch from ambient light.

Two examples of articles constructed in accordance with the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an enlarged front perspective view of a musical melody module; Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the same module with a rear cover partly removed; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the gift tag in one configuration; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the gift tag in a different configuration; Figure 5 is an exploded front perspective view of a greetings post card; and, Figure 6 is a rear perspective view of the greetings post card.

The module shown in Figure 1 has a tray-like plastics casing 7 containing a battery 8, a solid state electrical circuit chip 9, a face 10 of which forms a photosensitive switch which is exposed through an aperture 11 in the casing. The casing also contains a variable frequency buzzer 12, from which sound may be emitted through a second aperture 13 in the casing. The casing is closed by a stick-on flexible cover sheet 14. The battery, chip and buzzer are connected by conventional hard wiring. The module is activated when light falls on the photosensitive switch face 10 of the chip 9 whereupon the buzzer 12 is energised under the control of the circuit in the chip 9, to emit a predetermined melodic sequence of tones, forming a tune, through the aperture 13. The actual sequence of tones is determined by the programming of the chip 9.The circuit will also determine whether the module operates continuously while the photosensitive switch is illuminated or whether the control circuit automatically switches off the module after one complete tune has been emitted, in which case it would be necessary to obscure the switch briefly from illumination, and to reilluminate it, in order to retrigger the circuit and reactivate the module to cause the reemission of the same or a different tune.

Figures 3 and 4 show how the module may be incorporated in a gift tag having front and rear flaps 15 and 16 which are hinged together. The outer face of the front flap 15 carries a bow 17 which has been pretied from ornamental ribbon and has as its free edge a projecting tab 18. This simplifies the opening of the tag, that is the hinging of the front flap 15 away from the rear flap 16 so that a message written on the inner face of the rear flap 16 may be read.

The front flap 15 is a composite sheet of two ply construction, with outer and inner plies 19 and 20 sealed together around their edges and sandwiching between them one of the modules of Figures 1 and 2, with the face of the casing 7 of the module containing the apertures 11 and 13 facing through the inner ply 20 of the outer flap 15 towards the inner flap 16. The inner ply 20 of the flap 15 is made of non-transparent paper which is sufficiently translucent to allow the passage of light, under ambient conditions, into the aperture 11 and onto the photosensitive switch face 10 of the chip, so as to activate the module. However, when the inner face of the flap 15 is closed against the rear flap 16, the combined thickness of the inner ply 20 of the outer flap 15, and the inner flap 16, precludes sufficient light from being transmitted into the aperture 11 to operate the switch.The effect therefore is that the module is inactive until the gift tag is opened whereupon the module emits a tune either until that tune has been completed, or until the tag is closed again.

The greetings post card shown in Figures 5 and 6 is a rectangular planar composite sheet consisting of a rear paper ply 21, a central foam plastics ply 20 having a rectangular cut out portion accommodating a module as in Figures 1 and 2, and a front vacuum moulded profiled plastics ply 23. The three plies are bonded together so that the module is sandwiched between the front and rear plies 23 and 21 with the apertures 11 and 13 of the module facing through the rear ply 21. The exposed face of the rear ply is intended to have a message written upon it.

The ply 21 is, under ambient light conditions, capable of transmitting sufficient light into the aperture 11 to operate the photosensitive switch and activate the module. In this example the control circuit is preferably such that the module is automatically switched off after a tune has been completed. The module may be reactivated by temporarily obscuring the aperture 11 and this may be encouraged by indicating, as shown at 24 in Figure 6, a zone overlying the aperture 11, to which the thumb or finger should be applied to provide the temporary obscuring. When the thumb or finger is removed, the tune will recommence and be transmitted from the aperture 13 back through the ply 21, as if by magic. A similar situation obtains if the card is placed rear face downwards on a surface, and then lifted up again.

Claims (8)

1. A novelty article comprising a body having hidden within it a self contained musical melody module incorporating a photosensitive switch which is covered by a translucent, but not transparent, ply forming an external surface of the body, the switch being operable to activate the module by ambient light passing through the ply.

2. An article according to claim 1, in which the covering ply is made of paper.

3. An article according to claim 1 or claim 2, having a body in the form of a composite sheet of at least two plies between which the musical melody module is sandwiched.

4. An article according to claim 3, in which the module is accommodated within a cutout portion in a central ply.

5. An article according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the photosensitive switch and a control circuit of the module are such that the module is switched on when the switch is first exposed to light an is automatically switched off after a predetermined melodic cycle has been completed, resetting being necessary by obscuring the switch and reexposing the switch to light.

6. An article according to any one of the preceding claims, which comprises front and rear hinged flaps and the module is hidden within one of the flaps with its photosensitive switch facing through a translucent, but not transparent, ply of that flap towards the other flap.

7. A gift tab according to claim 6, in which the outer surface of a front one of the flaps carries a pretied ornamental ribbon.

8. A message card, substantially as described with reference to Figures 3 and 4, or to Figures 5 and 6, of the accompanying drawings.