초록 ▼

A combination greeting card and gift card with a coded information portion is provided to be sold and delivered to a recipient as a unit. The greeting card includes preprinted indicia preferably corresponding to a particular occasion such as a birthday, holiday, graduation or other celebretory event

A combination greeting card and gift card with a coded information portion is provided to be sold and delivered to a recipient as a unit. The greeting card includes preprinted indicia preferably corresponding to a particular occasion such as a birthday, holiday, graduation or other celebretory event. The coded information portion of the gift card preferably includes a PIN number or a scannable portion which, when an account in a remote computer corresponding to the coded information and the gift card is activated, enables the holder of the gift card to obtain goods or services by access to credit corresponding to the card from a remote database. The gift card is initially temporarily coupled to the greeting card by adhesive, tabs and slits, or a mechanical fastener, and concealed when the front and rear panels of the greeting card are in a closed, substantially parallel orientation.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A greeting card comprising: a foldable greeting card portion having at least a front panel and a rear panel, with the panels being hingedly interconnected along a fold line but otherwise unattached to one another so that the greeting card portion is freely openable abou

The invention claimed is: 1. A greeting card comprising: a foldable greeting card portion having at least a front panel and a rear panel, with the panels being hingedly interconnected along a fold line but otherwise unattached to one another so that the greeting card portion is freely openable about the fold line; at least one of the panels having preprinted indicia thereon; a gift card having a coded portion with coded information thereon; and coupling means for temporarily securing the gift card directly to one of the front and rear panels, with the gift card overlying a face area defined on the one panel to which the gift card is directly secured, the rear panel includes a window positioned in registry with the coded portion, said front panel concealing the gift card from view when the greeting card portion is folded and the gift card is secured, said face area of the one panel to which the gift card is directly secured including preprinted indicia that is concealed by the gift card until the gift card is removed. 2. A greeting card as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of said panels includes preprinted indicia corresponding to a particular occasion. 3. A greeting card as set forth in claim 1, wherein the coupling means includes adhesive. 4. A greeting card as set forth in claim 1, wherein the coded portion includes a personal identification number corresponding to the gift card. 5. A greeting card as set forth in claim 1, wherein the coded portion includes scannable information. 6. A greeting card as set forth in claim 5, wherein the coded portion includes a magnetic strip. 7. A greeting card as set forth in claim 5, wherein the coded portion includes a bar code. 8. A greeting card as set forth in claim 5, wherein the coded portion includes a transponder. 9. A greeting card as set forth in claim 5, wherein the coded portion includes a transmitter. 10. A greeting card as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the panels of the greeting card portion has a width and length and the gift card portion has a width and a length which is less than the width and length of either of the panels. 11. A greeting card as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of the panels presents an area adapted to permit a personalized inscription to be written thereon. 12. A greeting card comprising; a foldable greeting card portion including a plurality of panels, with adjacent ones thereof being hingedly interconnected along a fold line, each of said panels being otherwise unsecured to every other one of said panels so that the greeting card portion is freely openable about the fold line, said greeting card portion presenting opposite, outwardly oriented front and rear faces when folded, said front face being provided with preprinted indicia thereon corresponding with a particular occasion on which a gift is to be given, said panels presenting interior faces that are oriented inwardly between the front and rear faces when the greeting card portion is folded, with at least one of the interior faces presenting an area adapted to permit a personalized inscription to be written thereon; and a gift card having a coded portion with coded information thereon, said gift card being removably secured to said at least one of the interior faces such that the gift card is concealed from view by at least the front face when the greeting card portion is folded, a window being provided in the panel defining the rear face and any other panels between the rear face and the interior faces, with the coded portion being positioned in registry with the window. 13. A greeting card comprising; an openable greeting card portion including at least a front panel and a rear panel, said front and rear panels presenting respective front and rear faces which are oriented outwardly in opposite directions when the greeting card portion is closed, said front and rear panels presenting interior faces that are oriented inwardly between the front and rear faces when the greeting card portion is closed, with at least one of the interior faces having preprinted indicia thereon; and a gift card having a coded portion with coded information thereon, said gift card being removably secured directly to said at least one of the interior faces with the rear panel including a window positioned in registry with the coded portion and, with at least some of the preprinted indicia being on said at least one of the interior faces in an underlying relationship with the gift card so as to be concealed by the gift card until the gift card is removed.