US2417982A - Greeting card - Google Patents

Description

March 25, 1947. HIST-ED 2,417,982

EETING CARD iled June 19 1944 INVENTOR,

Patented Mar. 25, 1947 The greeting card industry is now a business of tremendous proportions. Where but a few years ago it was the custom during certain seasons, as at Christmas, New Years and Easter, to send cards of greeting, these special occasions for remembrance have been added to by including Mothers Day, Fathers Day, birthday anniversaries, and so on, There are sympathy cards and, as advertised, cards for all occasions and especially printed for mother, dad, sister, brother, sweetheart, uncle, aunt, and cousin, Thus, the selling of greeting cards instead of being seasonal is a year around business with merchants having a stock on hand at all times.

As the custom of sending remembrances of this type has become more general and the industry grown accordingly, so has the quality and price of the cards been increased in direct proportion. And, while formerly a few cents would purchase what was deemed an appropriate remembrance, one now pays, on the average, a much higher price. The money spent by the average family in the course of a year for greeting cards amounts to a considerable item.

No matter how elaborate or expensive the cards, they are with few exceptions, depending on the relationship between sender and recipient, kept for a short time only and then destroyed or put away and forgotten. As these cards usually arrive through the mails unsoiled and in good condition, it is my belief that there not only could but would be a great saving in money and in the use of expensive paper by making provision whereby the cards could be used a number of times, and with no feeling of offense by the second or third recipient especially as the custom would become generally known and accepted.

In view of the foregoing I have provided what may be termed a multiple use greeting card, and it is the object of the invention to make this type of card of novel construction with practically no increase in the cost of production, and to establish a custom that will result in a considerable saving in money by most families and a very worthwhile saving in paper, especially in these times of scarcity.

The accompanying drawings illustrating the invention and forming a part of this specification are as follows:

Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 are ipective illustrating cards made in accordance vith the invention but each showing a different nodification thereof.

Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmentary face views of :ards showing two other-modifications.

similar views in perv UNITED STATES PATENT GREETING CARD George B. Histed, Rochester, N. Y. Application June 19, 1944, Serial No. 540,939 4 Claims. (01. 229--92.8)

OFFICE Fig. 7 is a plan view of one of the removable signature cards shown in Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the complete mailing unit with parts broken away to show the plurality of envelopes used.

In the drawings similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

While the invention may be adapted to use with a single card or a so-called card comprising a number of leaves, the illustrated embodiment thereof shows a conventional type consisting of a single sheet of paper with the printing all on one side, and which is folded on line I to form the top edge and then at right angles thereto along line 2-thus forming a card, or, more properly a folder, having a front 3, back t, and two inside leaves 5 and 5. Hereinafter it will of course be understood that the term card proper or greeting card will mean any type Whether a single card, a folder as illustrated, or a booklet.

As the purpose of the invention is to have the greeting perform what may be termed multiple duty, that is, by being sent through-the mail a number of times, the sender does not sign the card proper but places his or her signature on one of a plurality of small cards or tabs 1 detachably held in any suitable manner to the card proper, In Fig. 1 these signature cards are individually removable and held in place by having the lower corners of the pad or stack, of say four or five, inserted through the diagonally disposed slits 8 cut in the preferably lower portion of the inner leaf 6. The recipient, in due time, removes the signed card 1 then similarly signs the greeting and sends it to another person.

In Fig. 2, the signature cards form a pad 9 which is fastened by suitable means, as a staple Hi, to the leaf 6.

A preferred modification of the invention is that shown in Fig. 3 in which a plurality of signature cards 1 are removably held within a container or pocket comprising, in this instance, a piece of suitable material, as paper, folded to form a back I I, overlapping top and bottom flaps l2 and I3, respectively, and, if desired, an outwardly turned portion M at each end of the back I I, such end portions, only one of which is seen in this perspective view, if provided with a return bend, as shown, having sufficient rigidity to hold the cards 1 against endwise displacement. The bottom flap is provided with a slit I 5 to removably receive the tab end of the flap l2 in locking engagement.

The back II is attached by means, as an adhesive to the leaf 6 whereby the flaps l2 and I3 become, in effect, hingedly connected to such leaf and with the end stops I4 form a pocket for receiving the signature cards 1.

The modification seen in Fig. 5 shows parallel slits l5 and into which the ends of elongated signature cards 1 are inserted. If desired, these cards I may have their ends cut down, as shown in Fig. 6, to provide shoulders l6 adapted to engage the leaf at the ends of the slits l5 and thus hold such cards against lateral displacement.

Still another modification of the invention is that shown in Fig. 4 in which one of the inner leaves, indicated at 6 is perforated along the.

dotted lines I! to provide tabs l8 which may be torn off and used in likemanner as the signature cards I and 1 The greeting card is of a size to fit within the smallest one of a plurality of envelopes l9, the outer one being addressed to the first person to receive the greeting and to whom the entire unit of card and envelopes is mailed. Then, when the greeting is mailed a second time, the next largest envelope is used and so on, each successive recipient removing the signature card of the sender and himself signing another one when he in turn mails the greeting.

What I claim is:

1. In a greeting card for multiple use, a card proper bearing the message of greeting, a plurality of smaller personal cards to be signed separately by the successive senders of the greeting, and a means for holding saidsignature cards to the card proper and in stacked relation, comprising two overlapping flaps having hinged connection to the card proper, one of said flaps having a slit therein, and a tab on the other of said flaps for lockingly engaging in said slit.

2. In a personal greeting card for multiple use, a card proper bearing a message of greeting, a plurality of smaller cards to be signed separately by the successive senders of the greeting, and a means for holding said signature cards to the card proper in stacked relation comprising a blank folded to form a back portion and overlapping top and bottom flaps, said back portion being attached to the card proper and said flaps portions, said back portion being attached to said 1 card proper, said flaps having interlocking engagement with each other, and saidend portions functioning to hold said signature cards against endwise displacement.

4. A personal greeting card in accordance with claim 3 characterized by the said end portions being formed with return bends in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

GEORGE B. HISTED.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Italian 1 May 20, 1936

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