Abstract:
An assembly for holding a transaction card, such as a gift card, upon a panel that pivots to be received within a pouch, pocket or sleeve to hold and retain the card during transport and storage.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of the prior filed, co-pending provisional application, Ser. No. 61/527,138, filed Aug. 25, 2011, incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates generally to transaction card holders and more particularly to an assembly for holding a transaction card, such as a gift card, upon a panel that pivots to be received within a pouch, pocket or sleeve. 
         [0003]    Transaction cards, stored value cards, or gift cards, as they are commonly called based upon their intended use, have become popular gifts. Gift cards typically comprise a stored value card whereby a certain cash equivalent value is encoded upon a magnetic strip applied to the surface of the card. This stored value may be determined by the vendor prior to packaging and display for sale or, more commonly, is selected at the point of sale by the purchaser and loaded by the cashier using a magnetic card reader/writer. While popular, gift cards are typically provided with a generic and impersonal design, typically identifying the associated merchant for which the card may be used to purchase merchandise, and therefore are not personalized in view of the intended recipient. 
         [0004]    Gift cards are often presented for sale on display racks in stores, each card or packet of cards being hung upon a display stand peg. A given area of a store will only support a certain number and size of display stands, given store traffic and other considerations, which makes allocation of display space an important marketing decision that may require selecting only certain high selling cards for display. Display of other items in the same store area will typically reduce the substantially finite space available for displaying gift cards and gift card packets. 
         [0005]    In addition to the above considerations, gift card packets must fit within a set, allocated space in pre-existing displays. A gift card packet must not exceed 5.25″ tall and 4″ wide. These dimensions are an industry standard and are typically non-negotiable. In order to properly hang each gift card packet, the packet typically includes a J-hook hole (sombrero cut) with the exact dimensions of 1.875″ wide by 0.5″ high and be placed 0.1875″ from the top of the packet. Presently, the above requirements pertain to approximately 95% of all gift cards and gift card packets that are sold at retail. 
         [0006]    What is needed, therefore, is a device that displays a gift card for purchase when hung upon a display rack within a predetermined and allotted display space but that provides an enhanced gifting assembly after purchase, removal of the header panel, and installation of the gift card within the assembly. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The purpose of this invention is to provide an assembly for holding a transaction card, such as a gift card, upon a panel that pivots to be received within a pouch, pocket or sleeve. In certain embodiments of the invention, the holder elements are designed to mimic the overall shape and appearance of a price or sale tag commonly used to mark merchandise. 
         [0008]    An embodiment of a gift card holder assembly according to the present invention may include an insert having means for receiving and retaining a transaction card thereupon, a sleeve including a pocket for receiving the insert, the insert pivotable from an open position for display and use to a closed position for transport and storage. A further embodiment of a pivotable gift card holder assembly according to the present invention may include an insert pivotally connected to a sleeve about a pivot point so that the insert and the sleeve may pivot relative to each other and about the pivot point, the insert including means for receiving and removably holding a transaction card upon the insert. When the assembly is in use, a transaction card is removeably mounted to the insert. The assembly may also include an aperture sized and located in the insert to allow indicia, such as a barcode or magnetic strip, on the surface of the card proximate the insert (typically the back surface of the card) to be viewed, scanned or otherwise accessed through the aperture. A header panel, including an aperture therein for receiving the peg of a display stand, may extend from an end distal to the pivot point of either the insert or the sleeve, or from a side of either the insert or sleeve. Typically, the header is joined to the other element of the assembly along a perforation line so that it may be removed prior to giving the assembly, including a transaction card held within, to a recipient. 
         [0009]    Other advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a front elevation showing the swing tag card holder in an open disposition for display upon a merchant display rack. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a front elevation showing the swing tag card holder in an open disposition and with the header panel removed. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a front elevation showing the swing tag card holder insert pivoted to a partially closed position. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a front elevation showing the swing tag card holder insert pivoted to lie within the sleeve in a fully closed position. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a front elevation of the insert prior to assembly of the holder. 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a plan view of material diecut to form the sleeve. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. 
         [0017]    With reference to the figures,  FIGS. 1-6  are illustration of one or more embodiments of a swing tag card holder  100  for holding transaction cards, such as a gift card  105 .  FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of the holder  100  showing the insert  110  in an upward, open disposition from the sleeve  115 , as would be typical for display of the holder  100  upon a merchant display rack. The insert  110  and sleeve  115  are pivotally connected about a pivot point  120  that is typically defined by an aperture  125  passing through proximate portions of the insert  110  and the sleeve  115 . The insert  110  and sleeve  115  are typically secured to one another at the pivot point  120  by a grommet (not shown) but may be secured using any device or structure that permits the insert  100  and sleeve  115  to pivot about the pivot point  120 . 
         [0018]    The insert  110  typically includes a header panel  135  located and extending from at the end of the insert  110  distal to the pivot point  120 . The header panel  135  is separable from the remainder of the insert  110  along a line of perforations indicated by broken line  130 .  FIG. 2  is a front elevation showing the holder  100  in an open disposition and with the header panel  135  removed. After purchase of the holder  100 , which in the present embodiment includes a gift card  105  removably mounted to the insert  110 , the header panel  135  is cut or torn off thereby reducing the size (length) of the insert  110  sufficiently to allow the insert  110  to pass into the confines of the sleeve  115 . 
         [0019]    As shown in several of the figures, the insert  110  may include a generally centrally located aperture  140  that allows indicia on the back surface of the gift card  105 , such as a magnetic strip or barcodes, to be scanned or otherwise viewed or accessed. 
         [0020]      FIG. 3  is a front elevation showing the holder insert  110  pivoted about pivot point  120  to a partially closed position.  FIG. 4  is a front elevation showing the holder insert  110  pivoted fully to lie within the sleeve  115  in a fully closed position.  FIG. 5  is a front elevation of the insert  110  prior to assembly of the holder  100 . 
         [0021]      FIG. 6  is a plan view of material diecut to form the sleeve  115 . As shown, the sleeve  115  may comprise two main panels  115   a  and  115   b,  which form the sides of the sleeve  115  when assembled and contain the insert  110  within the sleeve  115  when the holder  100  is closed. The sleeve  115  may also comprise a subpanel  115   c  that is used to join the main panels  115   a  and  115   b  to each other along side edge  115   d,  thereby closing the sleeve  115  at side edge  115   d.  Note that the sleeve  115  is also closed along bottom edge  115   e  by the fold between the adjoining main panels  115   a  and  115   b.    
         [0022]    To assemble the sleeve  115 , adhesive is applied to subpanel  115   c,  which is then folded inward so that the adhesive contacts the inner surface of main panel  115   b , thereby securing the main panels to each other along, and enclosing, sides  115   d  and  115   e . Side  115   f  remains open to receive the insert  110 . The main panels  115   a  and  115   b , enclosed sides  115   d  and  115   e  and open side  115   f  thereby cooperate to form a pocket structure of the sleeve  115  size to receive and hold the insert  110 . Side  115   f  may include a finger notch  150  therein to provide a ready means of grasping the portion of the insert  110  within the notch  150  to withdraw the insert  110  from the sleeve  115  as may occur prior to removal of the gift card  105  from the insert  110  by a gift recipient.