American Greetings Corporation

Allison Marsh

David Mayer

Tiger Qiao

Jerry Guo

David Sapp

Eva Jin

Katalina Speck

Kimberly Bikowski

Lynne Shlonsky

John Talbot

Anastasia Taylor

Mary McClain

Johnathan Talbot

April Nemeth

Gary Nelson

Seth L Larson

Dave Sapp

Sharon Bogdanski

Terry Hughes

Josef A Mandelbaum

Cathy Tasse

Eliza DeVogel

Sheila Coughlin

Catherine Gruntman

Rajiv Jain

Charlotte Mao

Donald Zhang

Charles Robert Kelly

Anthony Begin

Mindy Leeders

Bin Chen

Melissa Flesher

Lauren Budzar

Sarah Eklund

Nicole Forrester

Cindi Pochatek

Jonathan Talbot

Melinda Leeders

Linda Marshall

Catherine Tasse

Lauren Spuzzillo

Catherine Liu

Coco Zhang

Erik Flesher

Emily Gross

Eliza DeVogal

Phonograph greeting card

The present disclosure and related inventions describe a system and method by which gift cards may be user-activated and assigned value using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). The user-activated gift card contains an RFID chip embedded therein that works in conjunction with a mobile website or mobile app to allow users to activate and assign value to the gift card at any time and at any place.

Activation and assigning value to gift cards using RFID

The present invention is directed to various embodiments of a greeting card having at least one motor attached to a mechanism which causes movement to a mobile object and one or more attachments suspended from the mobile object. The mobile object may be a circular disc, a string or a swing structure. Each mobile object contains one or more attachments either attached directly thereto or suspended therefrom via a string or line. The motor may effect various movements in the mobile object such as circular motion, back-and-forth motion or bouncing or vibrating motion.

Greeting cards with suspended motion

This invention is directed to a gift box for presenting a gift or other item to a recipient. The gift box contains various electronic components contained in some portion of the box which are used to effect, movement, sound, light or other special effects. The box may have one or more special effects which can be triggered automatically or by interaction with a user or gift box recipient.

Gift box with special effects

The motorized gift package accessory of the present disclosure and related inventions include a base portion, which can be attached, adhesively or otherwise, to a gift package, such as a gift box. An accessory portion is attached to the base portion and contains one or more mobile elements which can be set in motion by a small or miniature motor. User interaction with the motorized gift package accessory is required to initiate the motor which in turn effects movement of the one or more mobile elements.

Motorized gift package accessory

Electronic greeting cards include a greeting card with two or more interconnected panels in combination with a digital multimedia player device which includes an electronic display and an audio output, and circuitry which is operative to receive, store and play digital multimedia files and content. The various greeting card structures cover and encapsulate or otherwise house and adorn the digital multimedia player. Digital files are loaded on to the digital multimedia player by a connection to a network, or directly from a data storage device such as an SD card or USB connection or compact flash which interfaces with a port in the digital multimedia player. Pre-recorded digital multimedia greeting card content is either pre-loaded on a portable data storage device, or selected for purchase and downloaded or transferred for replay by the digital multimedia player of the electronic greeting card.

Electronic greeting cards

The present invention and related disclosure describes greeting cards with moving elements or devices which are operable to create motion in connection with some portion of the greeting card. The greeting card may include a multi-panel greeting card body or a three-dimensional foam greeting card body. At least one movable object is contained upon or within the greeting card body. A sound module having at least one pre-recorded digital audio file saved therein and a motor module are contained and concealed within the greeting card body. One or more switches may be used to activate the sound and motor modules, causing the pre-recorded audio file to play and causing movement of the movable or mobile object. This movement may be up-and-down or 'bouncing' motion, spinning or rotational motion, side-to-side motion or any other reciprocating motion.

An interactive sound generating greeting card having two separate and distinct components, one being an outer greeting card which serves as a pocket or cavity with a slot located thereon providing access to the pocket or cavity and the other being an inner greeting card which is sized to partially fit into the cavity in the outer greeting card. A sound module is contained and concealed within the outer greeting card cavity, including a switch mechanism. The inner greeting card and switch mechanism work in combination to control the playback of a digital audio file stored on the sound module such that when the inner greeting card is contained within the cavity of the outer greeting card, playback of the digital audio file is deactivated and when the inner greeting card is removed from the cavity of the outer greeting card, playback of the digital audio file is activated.

Sound generating pull-out greeting cards with removable panels

The interactive greeting card of the present disclosure and related inventions combines a traditional paper card with one or more special effects that are initiated by interaction between a user and the greeting card. One or more touch sensors are used to initiate effects including, but not limited to sound, light, movement or a combination thereof.

Interactive electronic greeting cards with tap and touch activated effects

An electronic greeting card containing a recordable audio module with a pre-recorded audio or music clip which allows a user to sing along with the pre-recorded audio or music clip and record it within the audio module in the card. The card also contains a preview function that allows a consumer to try the recording function before purchasing the greeting card. In preview mode, the recorded message is played back, simultaneously with the pre-recorded clip, only once and then erased. Once a consumer has purchased the card, the preview function can be disabled whereby the user-recorded sound clip is saved, and whereby the user-recorded sound clip is played back simultaneously with the pre-recorded sound clip.

Sing-along greeting cards

The present invention and related disclosure describes greeting cards with moving elements or devices which are operable to create motion in connection with some portion of the greeting card. The greeting card may include a multi-panel greeting card body or a three-dimensional foam greeting card body. At least one movable object is contained upon or within the greeting card body. A sound module having at least one pre-recorded digital audio file saved therein and a motor module are contained and concealed within the greeting card body. One or more switches may be used to activate the sound and motor modules, causing the pre-recorded audio file to play and causing movement of the movable or mobile object.

Motion greeting cards

A three-dimensional illuminated greeting card which combines a unique card construction having a 3D pop-out structure with one or more lights contained therein. The 3D pop-out structure forms an internal cavity in which illumination means and other electronic components are contained. One or more sides of the 3D structure are made of translucent or semi-translucent material, creating a screen that can be illuminated from behind by one or more miniature lights, such as LED lights. The light or lights may be connected to an integrated circuit chip that can be programmed with various lighting effects. The greeting card may optionally include other electronic components which are configured to play sound or music or perform other electronic effects.

Three dimensional illuminated greeting cards

A telescoping greeting card having a plurality of pockets and/or panels that are connected in sequence and configured to slidably telescope between a closed position wherein each of the pockets and/or panels are contained within a main panel and an open position wherein each of the pockets and/or panels are extended in a longitudinal array. The greeting card additionally contains a switch and a sound module with at least one pre-recorded audio file that may be played back upon removal of one of the panels or pockets of the greeting card, which triggers the switch.

Telescoping greeting cards with activated sound or light or mechanical functions

Growing community of inventors

Ravenna, OH, United States of America

Allison Marsh