Abstract:
A transaction card holder for holding a transaction card, such as a gift card, on or within an insert that may be withdrawn from an enclosing main body of the holder. The holder is shaped to associate a transaction card with a product related to the transaction card via marketing, subject matter, point of sale placement or the like. The holder includes a sleeve sized for receiving and holding a sliding insert, an outer surface or outer conformation shaped to evoke the related product and may include one or more enhancement elements such as graphics and text upon the holder surfaces.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of the prior filed, provisional application, Ser. No. 61/498,503, filed Jun. 17, 2011. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to gift card holders and more particularly to a device for holding a gift card while providing graphical and mechanical enhancements to entertain the gift card recipient and add value to the gift. 
     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 magnet 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 magnet 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. 
     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. 
     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. 
     What is needed, therefore, is a device capable of readily holding a gift card and providing graphical and mechanical enhancements to entertain the gift card packet recipient and enhance the value of the gift card to the recipient. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The purpose of this invention is to provide a holder for receiving and holding a gift card. The holder includes a sleeve sized for receiving and holding a sliding insert and may include one or more enhancement elements such as graphics and text upon the holder surfaces. One embodiment of the invention is directed to a transaction card holder assembly including a sleeve having a profile in the shape of a cup, an insert held within the sleeve and which may be partially withdrawn from the sleeve. The upper portion of the insert is in the shape of a lid of a cup so that when the insert is fully retracted within the sleeve, the sleeve and insert cooperate to present a transaction card holder bearing a likeness to a disposable coffee cup. A detachable header projects from a panel of the sleeve so that the holder may be hung upon a display rack for sale. The insert includes slots or other means for attaching a transaction card to the insert. 
     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 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a cup-shaped gift card holder attached to a hang tag header panel and with a gift card attached to the front of the holder to form a gift card holder assembly. 
         FIG. 2  is a rear view of the gift card holder assembly. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the gift card holder showing a sliding panel insert partially withdrawn from an enclosing sleeve. 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of a second alternative embodiment of a gift card holder assembly showing a cup-shaped gift card holder attached to a header panel with associated backer panel. 
         FIG. 5  is a rear view of the gift card holder assembly of  FIG. 4  showing the rear surface of the header panel and the rear surface of the backer panel. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross sectional diagram of the holder assembly of  FIGS. 4 and 5  showing the backer panel held within the subpanels and of the header. 
         FIG. 7  is a front view of a third alternative embodiment of a gift card holder assembly showing a front flap or panel attached to a header panel. 
         FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of the assembly of  FIG. 15  showing the front flap lifted upward to reveal a cup-shaped gift card holder attached to the header. 
         FIG. 9  is a front view of the gift card holder showing a sliding panel insert partially withdrawn from an enclosing sleeve. 
         FIG. 10  is a cross sectional diagram of the holder of  FIGS. 7 and 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a plan view of the unassembled sleeve die cut from cardstock. 
         FIG. 12  is a plan view of the reverse side of the unassembled sleeve of FIG.  4 . 
         FIG. 13  is a plan view of an unassembled sliding panel insert. 
         FIG. 14  is a plan view of the reverse side of the insert of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 15  is a plan view of a fourth embodiment of an unassembled gift card holder assembly die cut from cardstock. 
         FIG. 16  is a plan view showing the insert cut or otherwise separated from the sleeve portion of the holder. 
         FIG. 17  is a plan view showing the sleeve portion of the holder after the insert has been separated. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     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. 
     With reference to the figures,  FIGS. 1 through 17  are illustrations of various embodiments of a gift card holder shaped to associate, as perceived by a user, a transaction card with a product related to the transaction card via marketing, subject matter, point of sale placement or the like.  FIG. 1  is a front view of a first embodiment of a gift card holder assembly  100  including a cup-shaped gift card holder  105  attached to a hang tag or header  110 . A gift card  115  is attached to the front of the holder  105 . The holder  105 , header  110 , and gift card  115  are combined to form the gift card holder assembly  100 , which is typically hung for display upon a display rack (not shown) at a point of purchase. The header  110  includes a sombrero-cut hole  120  for receiving the display rack peg.  FIG. 2  is a rear view of the gift card holder assembly  100  showing a perforation line  125  that defines the header  110  from the holder  105 .  FIG. 3  is a front view of the gift card holder  105 . The holder  105  comprises a sleeve  130  that holds and encloses a sliding insert  135 . Typically, the header  110  and sleeve  130  are die cut as a unit from a single piece of cardstock or other relatively heavy weight paper material or other operable material. 
       FIG. 3  shows the sliding insert  135  partially withdrawn from the sleeve  130 . The insert  135  includes sufficient space on a forward surface thereof to receive and hold the gift card  115  prior to giving the holder  105  and gift card  115  to a gift recipient. 
       FIG. 11  is a plan view of the unassembled sleeve  130  die cut from cardstock. As shown, the sleeve  130  comprises three hinged panels, a left panel  130   a , a center panel  130   b , and a right panel  130   c . The header  110  comprises two hinged panels, a proximate panel  110   a  that projects from the top margin of the sleeve right panel  130   c , and a hingedly connected distal panel  110   b  that projects from the proximate panel  110   a.    
       FIG. 12  is a plan view of the reverse side of the unassembled sleeve  130  of  FIG. 11 . To assemble the sleeve  130 , panel  130   a  is folded inward about fold line A to rest upon panel  130   b  and then folded further inward about fold line B to rest upon panel  130   c  and contact adhesive surfaces  140 . Panel  130   a  is thereby adhered to the inner surface of panel  130   c  at surfaces  140 . 
     A tab  145  projects from the upper margin of panel  130   b . During assembly, the tab  145  is folded downward to rest upon the upper portion of the outer surface of panel  130   b . As shown, the outer surface of tab  145  is provided with removable or temporary adhesive for holding the gift card  115  when the assembly  100  is formed, as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 13  is a plan view of an unassembled sliding insert  135 . The insert  135  comprises a panel  136  of cardstock, or similar material as described above, and includes slits  150  for receiving and holding the gift card  115 . A primary tab  155   a  projects from the lower margin of the insert panel  136  and two transversely opposed secondary tabs  155   b  and  155   c  project outward from opposing sides of the primary tab  155   a . As shown in  FIG. 14 , a surface of the primary tab  155   a  bears adhesive  160  and during assembly the primary tab  155   a  is folded upward to adhere to a lower portion of the panel  136 . The secondary tabs  155   b  and  155   c  are then fitted into parallel slots  165   a  and  165   b  in panel  130   a . During operation of the gift card holder  105 , the tabs  155   b  and  155   c  ride and their associated slots  165   a  and  165   b  so that the insert  135  may be drawn in or out of the sleeve  130  without becoming frilly disengaged. 
       FIG. 4  is a front view of a second alternative embodiment of a gift card holder assembly  101  showing a cup-shaped gift card holder  105  attached to a header panel  110  with associated backer panel  170 . When the assembly  101  is assembled for sale, the gift card  115  is attached to the front surface of the backer panel  170  and lies underneath the sleeve  130  of the holder  105 . The gift card  115  is moved and installed upon the insert  135  prior to giving the holder  105  bearing the gift card to a recipient.  FIG. 5  is a rear view of the gift card holder assembly  101  of  FIG. 4  showing the rear surface of the header panel  110  and the rear surface of the backer panel  170 .  FIG. 6  is a cross sectional diagram of the holder assembly  101  of  FIGS. 4 and 5  showing the backer panel  170  held within the subpanels  110   a  and  110   b  of the header  110 . Proximate panel  110   a  projects from the top margin of the forward panel of the sleeve  130 , and a hingedly connected distal panel  110   b  that projects downward from the upper margin of the proximate panel  110   a . In this embodiment, the backer panel  170  is attached to the inside surface of the distal panel  110   b . The sleeve  130  may be removed from the proximate panel  110   a  prior to gifting the holder  101  by tearing or cutting along a line (which may be marked in ink and/or by a line of perforations) separating the proximate panel  110   a  from the sleeve  130 . 
       FIG. 7  is a front view of a third alternative embodiment of a gift card holder assembly showing a front flap or panel attached to a header panel.  FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of the assembly of  FIG. 7  showing the front flap lifted upward to reveal a cup-shaped gift card holder attached to the header.  FIG. 9  is a front view of the gift card holder showing a sliding panel insert partially withdrawn from an enclosing sleeve.  FIG. 10  is a cross sectional diagram of the holder of  FIGS. 7 and 9 . 
       FIG. 15  is a plan view of a fourth embodiment of an unassembled gift card holder assembly die cut from cardstock. As shown, the insert and sleeve portions are cut as a unit from a single sheet of cardstock or equivalent material.  FIG. 16  is a plan view showing the insert cut or otherwise separated from the sleeve portion of the holder and  FIG. 17  is a plan view showing the sleeve portion of the holder after the insert has been separated. 
     Note that the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale or to relative scale but are representative of aspects of one or more embodiments of the present invention.