Abstract:
The invention consists of a kit for preparing one or more decorative containers, the kit comprising: a container having one or more exterior designs thereon suitable for modification by an end user and a set of design implements for modifying the exterior designs and the visual appearance of the container. The container is preferably a bag or a box.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to the field of gift packaging. In particular, it relates to a kit for creating a decorated gift bag or box. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Traditionally, when gifts are exchanged, the gifts are provided with a form of wrapping in order to conceal the nature of the gift from the receiver until the time of opening. Due to the time required to wrap gifts in paper, as well as the difficulty in wrapping very small or awkwardly-shaped items, the use of decorative bags (“gift bags”) or boxes has become more common. Gift bags also have the additional benefit of being readily re-usable without any degradation of the bag. 
         [0003]    While some gift bags are merely provided as a bag made in a presentable color, they are often decorated with patterns, designs, photographs and even licensed images of popular characters from animation and comics, particularly those directed to children. 
         [0004]    In the interest of providing a more personalized touch, it would beneficial to make available gift bags which allow the user (gift giver), particularly a child, to personalize the bag. Ideally, this can be accomplished by providing bags which have uncolored designs or templates which can be colored by the user. However, a complete product should also include implements to allow the user to modify and customize the visual appearance of the bag without the need for additional purchases. This provision would permit the personalized bag to be purchased and prepared rapidly in a fashion equivalent to a conventional gift bag. 
         [0005]    It should also be noted that many bags currently available have a coating, either decorative or protective, which inhibits the ability to apply color or other designs to the bag. Any personalized gift bag product should provide design implements that are compatible with the material and coating of the gift bag. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit for preparing a decorative container, the kit comprising: a container having one or more exterior designs thereon suitable for modification by an end user and a set of design implements for modifying the exterior designs and the visual appearance of the container. The container is preferably a bag or a box. 
         [0007]    Various types of design coloring implements can be provided. Coloring implements, such as crayons, colored pencils, felt markers, chalk, paints and brushes, or a combination of these implements can be provided for coloring designs on the container. Preferably, the designs include indicia (preferably letters or numbers) indicating which color is to be applied to different regions of the design. Other design implements, such as stickers, stamps (self-inking or with ink pads) and stencils can be provided, either with or without coloring implements. 
         [0008]    The designs are preferably pre-printed on the container, but alternatively can be provided as stencils or as stick-on templates. In the case of stick-on templates, they optionally can be designed such that the templates are colored and then applied to the container. 
         [0009]    According to another aspect of the present invention, the kit further includes additional containers. 
         [0010]    The advantage provided by the present invention is the provision of a kit that allows a user, particularly a child, to produce a creative and individualized product while providing assistance in increasing the artistic quality of the final product. 
         [0011]    Other and further advantages and features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       [0012]    The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, in the subsequent text. The invention is of such a nature that exemplary drawings are not necessary for a complete understanding of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0013]    Within this specification, the term “bag” is used to generically describe a container as embodied in the present invention. More particularly, “bag” is generally understood to mean “bag” or “box”, unless specifically indicated otherwise. 
         [0014]    In its most general embodiment, the present invention consists of a kit for creating decorative bags. The kit contains a bag, a design on the bag and a set of artistic elements for customizing the design on the bag and the overall visual appearance of the bag. One particular kit consists of a white bag, with a design of a cartoon character pre-printed on the bag, and a box of crayons, most likely an 8-count box, being the smallest available size that includes the largest range of colors. Another embodiment of the kit includes multiple bags, either with identical designs or a number of different designs. A larger number of coloring implements may be provided with the multiple bag kit, to allow for greater variety in the final decorated bags. 
         [0015]    Other types of coloring implements that can be used include, but are not limited to, colored pencils, felt markers chalk, or even paints (with brushes). For larger kits containing multiple bags, a number of different coloring implements could be provided, e.g. colored pencils and felt markers. It should also be noted that the material of the bag may restrict or otherwise determine the choice the coloring implements. For example, the coating used on some bags may not allow the wax from crayons to adhere to the surface, so wax crayons would not be a suitable coloring implement for that type of bag. 
         [0016]    Other types of artistic elements that can be used include, but are not limited to, stickers, stencils, stamps, glue-on sparkles (with or without glue). These elements can be used in place of coloring implements to color the design or in conjunction with coloring implements to further customize the design. 
         [0017]    In preferred embodiments of the invention, the design or designs are pre-printed onto the surface of the bag. Typically, the design is only printed on the “front” surface of the bag, but bags may have designs printed on the “front” and “back” surfaces if desired. For boxes, the design is typically printed on the “front” or the “top”, although any or all available surfaces may have designs printed on them. 
         [0018]    Types of designs can be wide-ranging, from traditional patterns (flowers, balloons) to images of popular characters from television and comics, particular those directed at children. Stylized text for common gift salutations (e.g. “Happy Birthday”, “Congratulations”) or holiday themes (e.g. “Merry Christmas”, “Happy Valentine&#39;s Day”) can also be used as part of or as the whole of the design. Additional text can be included (e.g. “To:”, “From:”, “Love,”) to identify the gift giver and gift recipient. 
         [0019]    As an alternative, the designs can further include a coded number or letter system, such that different regions of the design are marked with a letter or number indicating which color is to be applied to that region (colloquially, “paint-by-numbers”). 
         [0020]    As another alternative, as opposed to using bags with pre-printed designs, a stencil can be provided with a blank bag, to allow the end user to apply the design to the bag themselves. This embodiment is more suited to kits with multiple bags, preferably also with multiple stencils. For example, a kit can contain 15 small bags (for party favors), 3 different design stencils, and a package of 16 felt markers. 
         [0021]    As yet another alternative, the designs can be provided as stick-on or glue-on designs, either as complete images to cover the full surface of the bag, or as a collection of smaller designs that can be distributed as desired over the surfaces of the bag. In this embodiment, it can be preferable to produce the stick-on design in a fashion that permits them to be colored prior to being applied to the bag. An alternative to stickers is stamps, either self-inking or provided with one or more color inking pads. 
         [0022]    This concludes the description of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention. The foregoing description has been presented for the purpose of illustration and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is intended the scope of the invention be limited not by this description but by the claims that follow.