American Greetings Corporation

Mary McClain

David Mayer

Sharon Bogdanski

Carol Miller

Allison Marsh

Terry Hughes

Tiger Qiao

Kimberly Bikowski

Eva Jin

Katalina Speck

Lauren Budzar

Josef A Mandelbaum

Cathy Tasse

Eliza DeVogel

Rajiv Jain

Catherine Gruntman

John Talbot

Jerry Guo

Melissa Flesher

Beth Dinvald

Brent Cottrell

Melissa Cornet

Dave McPeek

Brian Cleary

Mindy Leeders

Gary Nelson

Mike Gali

Theresa Muri

Melinda Leeders

Julie Vojtko

Kim Kemelhar

Interactive greeting card and gift card holders with a hinged mechanism which provide fun user interaction and triggers audio playback. Each greeting card and gift card holder includes portion thereof which hinges or pivots about an axis. When the greeting card or gift card holder is hinged, or pivoted about the hinge, one or more special effects are triggered. Special effects may include audio, emergence or ejection of a gift card holder (w/gift card) or gift card, the appearance of a thought or word bubble, or any other special effect.

Hinged greeting cards and gift card holders

An interactive greeting card having a multi-panel greeting card body, a sound module and a molded track contained between two or more panels of the multi-panel greeting card body, and a moveable object which is attached to the molded track through an opening in one or more of the greeting card panels. The moveable object is operative to move from one end of the molded track to the opposite end of the molded track whereby playback of a pre-recorded digital audio file is initiated. The interactive greeting card may additionally contain a small motor which causes movement of a second moveable object and an object launcher which is operative to launch an object along the track and into the air. Other special effects may be included such as lights, additional sounds or movement, or any other special effects which can be incorporated into a greeting card.

Greeting card with spring loaded slide track activated audio

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

Greeting card with spring loaded slide track audio trigger

Three-dimensional lightweight foam greeting cards are described herein having a foam body with a perimeter wall that extends between two spaced apart parallel pieces of planar sheet material such as heavy gauge paper, cardboard, or other such material. The greeting cards have a partially hollowed foam body or one or more cavities in the foam body concealed in the front and back by the planar sheet material which may be pre-cut in the shape of the foam body are decorated consistent with the design of the foam body. The cavities in the foam body may contain various electronic components that enable the greeting card to produce sound, record and playback a personalized message, trigger light activation, trigger the movement of moveable parts, display digital video, photographs or slideshows, or a combination thereof.

Three dimensional foam greeting card

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

Audio or sound envelopes contain or are combined with a sound module for generating and playing prerecorded sound tracks upon the opening of the envelope or removal of its contents. Operation of the sound module may be activated by the opening of the envelope flap, or by removal of the envelope contents. The flap is configured with a removable strip which protects the sound module from damage before and after opening. The sound module can be replayed by repeated operation of the flap. Alternate embodiments of the audio envelopes have other structural or operational features which work in concert with the sound module.

Audio envelopes

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 greeting card contains a slide trigger that activates the pre-recorded sound clip upon opening the greeting card. A second push-button trigger controls playback of the pre-recorded music clip while simultaneously recording the user singing along to the pre-recorded music. 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.

Growing community of inventors

Shaker Heights, OH, United States of America

Mary McClain