Hang tag assembly for holding a gift card backer panel

A holder for receiving and holding a gift card includes hang tag panels that project upward from an upper margin of the main body of the holder, one or more of the hang tag panels being attached to and supporting a gift card backer panel for temporarily holding a gift card removably attached thereto.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to card holders and more particularly to a device for holding a transaction card, such as a gift card, already attached to a flat backer panel.

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.

What is needed, therefore, is a gift card holder that provides graphical and mechanical enhancements to entertain the gift card recipient and add value to the gift. What is also needed is a means to assemble a gift card backer panel to a separately manufactured gift card holder so that the backer panel bearing a gift card and the gift card holder may be displayed and sold as a unit while taking up no more space on a display stand than a gift card backer panel displayed alone.

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 hang tag panels that project upward from an upper margin of the main body of the holder. One or more of the hang tag panels is provided with an adhesive on the inside surface for attaching the hang tag panels to a gift card backer panel, including a gift card backer panel of the type commonly known in the prior art. The upper portion of the backer panel is received between the hang tag panels, typically in a manner so that the display peg hole in the backer panel is in alignment with the display peg holes in the hang tag panels. Prior to gifting, the hang tag panels and backer panel are removed from the gift card holder by tearing along a perforation line dividing the hang tag panels from the holder main body. The gift card is removed from the backer panel and installed upon or inside in the holder and the holder is presented to the gift recipient.

A hang tag assembly for a gift card holder may comprise a first hang tag panel and a second hang tag panel, the first hang tag panel and the second hang tag panel defined from one another by a fold line and provided with adhesive therebetween upon an inside surface of at least one of the hang tag panels. One or more adhesive bearing tabs projects downward from one of the hang tag panels to attach to a gift card holder structure to be suspended therefrom. A backer panel is inserted between the first and second hang tag panels and secured therebetween by the adhesive upon one or more of the inside surfaces of the hang tag panels. A gift card is typically attached via removable adhesive to a surface of the backer panel.

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.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to the figures,FIGS. 1 through 4illustrate an embodiment of a gift card holder100. The main body105of the holder typically comprises six outer walls surrounding an interior space. The main body105is typically substantially rectangular in cross section and may be used to house a sound producing circuit or other elements that may be installed within, on, or otherwise associated with the holder100. Hang tag panels110aand110b(collectively,110) are defined from one another by a fold line116and project upward from an upper margin of the main body105and one or more of the hang tag panels110is provided with an adhesive107on the inside surface thereof for attaching the hang tag panels110to a gift card backer panel115, including a gift card backer panel of the type commonly known in the prior art.FIG. 1is a front perspective view of the gift card holder100with the hang tag panels110aand110bin an open position to receive a backer panel115. The backer panel115typically comprises cardboard or card stock or the like and provides a surface, as illustrated herein the front surface, removable attachment of a transaction card such as a gift card120.

The backer panel115is inserted in between the hang tag panels110, as indicated by arrow A inFIG. 1, which are then closed upon the backer panel115until the adhesive107on the inside surface of one or both hang tag panels110contacts and adheres to the backer panel115to thereby secure the backer panel115between the hang tag panels110and to the holder100.FIG. 2is a front perspective view of the holder100ofFIG. 1showing the backer panel115in position between the hang tag panels110and the hang tag panels110partially closed. The upper portion of the backer panel115is received between the hang tag panels110, typically in a manner so that the display peg hole125in the backer panel115is in alignment with the display peg holes125in the hang tag panels110as shown inFIG. 3.FIG. 3is a front view of the holder100showing a gift card backer panel115installed between the hang tag panels110.

Prior to gifting (giving the holder100and gift card125thereon to a gift recipient), the hang tag panels110and backer panel115are removed from the gift card holder100by tearing along a perforation line130dividing the hang tag panels110from the cover flap135of the holder main body105. The gift card120is removed from the backer panel115and installed upon or inside in the holder100and the holder100(with hang tag panels110and backer panel115detached) is presented to the gift recipient.FIG. 4is a front perspective view of the gift card holder100showing the cover flap135of the holder in an open position to reveal the diagonally opposed card holder slits140aand140b(collectively,140). In this particular embodiment of a gift card holder100, diagonally opposing corners of the gift card120are inserted into the slits140after the gift card120is removed from the backer panel115.

FIG. 5is a plan view of a gift card holder100(minus backer panel115), typically die cut from card stock, and prior to assembly. As shown, one of the hang tag panels110a, typically the hang tag panel that faces rearward when the holder100is mounted on a display peg, may be provided with a cutout or notch150so that a bar code or other indicia on an upper, rearward facing surface of the backer panel115may remain uncovered (as shown in other embodiments inFIGS. 10,12and15) after installation of the backer panel115between the hang tag panels110.

FIG. 6is a front view of a gift card holder.FIG. 7is a rear view of the gift card holder ofFIG. 6.FIG. 8is a perspective view of the gift card holder ofFIGS. 6 and 7showing an attached gift card backer panel attached to the front hang tag panel and lifted away from the main holder body.

FIG. 9is a front view of a hang tag assembly that includes tabs160for adhering to a structure to be hung from a display hook by the hang tag assembly. In this embodiment, unlike the embodiment shown inFIG. 5, for example, the hang tag panels are not integral with the gift card holder structure but rather are provided as a separate unit that may be attached via adhesive tabs160to any structure suitable for hanging from a display peg. As shown inFIG. 9, the tabs160project downward from the hang tag panel that typically faces rear ward when the assembly is hung for display upon a display peg.FIG. 10is a rear view of a hang tag assembly showing the adhesive tabs160attached to a structure such as a gift card holder. The hang tag assembly, including tabs160, are typically formed from card stock or other suitable materials. Pressure sensitive adhesive is applied during manufacture of the assembly to the inside surface of at least one of the hang tag panels and also to the surfaces of the tabs160intended for attachment to a structure suspended therefrom.

FIG. 11is a front view of a hang tag assembly attached to a gift card holder. FIG.12is a rear view of a hang tag assembly attached via the adhesive tabs160to a gift card holder. The rearward surfaces of the tabs160are shown, the forward surfaces of the tabs160being attached to the rearward surface of the holder main body.FIG. 13is a front perspective view of the holder ofFIGS. 11 and 12showing the gift card backer panel lifted from the holder main body. A portion of the forward surfaces tabs160are visible in the space between the backer panel and the top edge of the holder main body.

FIG. 14is a front view of a hang tag assembly attached to a gift card holder.FIG. 15is a rear view of the hang tag assembly and holder ofFIG. 14showing the hang tag assembly attached to the holder via adhesive tabs160and also showing the bar code of the back panel visible through the cutout in the rearward facing hang tag panel.FIG. 16is a front perspective view of the holder ofFIGS. 14 and 15showing the gift card backer panel lifted from the holder main body.

Note that drawings are not to scale or to relative scale but are representative of aspects of one or more embodiments of the present invention.