US 7,395,621 B2Granted

Flat folding promotional structure

OwnerAnna G. Carterinventor

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Abstract

The invention is a promotional structure, such as a greeting card, which is collapsible to fit into a flat envelope for mailing, and which unfolds into the shape of a recognizable type of building, such as a house. Some of the panels are flexibly joined to one another while others (or portions of others) carry reusable fasteners, such as ribbons corresponding to complementary holes on adjacent panels. When the structure is unfolded and the fasteners join the corresponding panels, the panels define the building's shape and its promotional theme. The design provides a structure well suited for distributing promotional material in a medium that is different than traditional greeting cards or brochures, and the structure may be fabricated either from a plurality of panels secured to each other or from the die-cutting and scoring of a single sheet of material.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A three-dimensional promotional structure fabricated from a plurality of panels comprising:

a substantially rectangular first side panel;
a pentagonal first end panel and a pentagonal second end panel each having a bottom edge, two side edges, and two top edges meeting at a vertex, one of said side edges of said first end panel and one of said side edges of said second end panel connected to opposing edges of said first side panel by hinges;
a substantially rectangular second side panel connected to said first end panel by a hinge and connected to said second end panel by a hinge such that said side panels and said end panels form a continuous band;
a substantially rectangular bottom panel connected to said bottom edge of one of said first end panel or said second end panel by a hinge and secured to said bottom edge of the other of said first end panel or said second end panel by a fastener to thereby define a self-supporting solid polygon from said side panels and said end panels;
a first roof panel connected by a hinge to one edge selected from the group consisting of said top edges of said end panels and one edge of said side panels;
said first roof panel being secured to at least one of said end panels by a fastener;
a second roof panel connected to said first roof panel by a hinge and secured to at least one of said end panels by a fastener;
and
each said fastener comprising a ribbon, a corresponding opening in one of said panels that receives said ribbon, and a knot in said ribbon fixing said ribbon to said opening.

6 more elements

A substantially flat foldable paperboard blank capable of forming a promotional structure comprising:

a substantially rectangular first side panel;
a pentagonal first end panel and a pentagonal second end panel each having a bottom edge, a first side edge, a second side edge, and two top edges meeting at a vertex, said first side edge of said first end panel and said first side edge of said second end panel connected to opposing edges of said first side panel;
a substantially rectangular second side panel connected to said second side edge of said second end panel;
a tab connected to said second side panel for connecting said second side panel to said second side edge of said first end panel, whereby said connection of said side panels and said end panels defines a flattened continuous band;
a substantially rectangular bottom panel connected to said bottom edge of one of said end panels;
a first roof panel connected to one edge selected from the group consisting of said top edges of said end panels and one edge of said side panels;
a second roof panel connected to said first roof panel;
a first fastener secured to said bottom panel and capable of engaging said bottom edge of one of said first end panel or said second end panel;
a second fastener secured to said first and second roof panels and capable of engaging said vertex of said first end panel;
and
a third fastener secured to said first and second roof panels and capable of engaging said vertex of said second end panel;
wherein each said fastener comprises a ribbon in one of said connected panels and a corresponding opening in the other of said connected panels for receiving said ribbon.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.