Abstract:
The invention is a promotional structure, such as a greeting card, which is collapsible to fit into a flat envelope for mailing, and which unfolds into the shape of a recognizable type of building, such as a house. Some of the panels are flexibly joined to one another while others (or portions of others) carry reusable fasteners, such as ribbons corresponding to complementary holes on adjacent panels. When the structure is unfolded and the fasteners join the corresponding panels, the panels define the building&#39;s shape and its promotional theme. The design provides a structure well suited for distributing promotional material in a medium that is different than traditional greeting cards or brochures, and the structure may be fabricated either from a plurality of panels secured to each other or from the die-cutting and scoring of a single sheet of material.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   The present invention relates generally to the field of collapsible structural displays. Specifically, the invention relates to a promotional structure containing messages, graphics, or photographs that can be collapsed to a flattened form so as to enable distribution in a mailing envelope. 
   Commercial promotional materials take many forms. Traditional promotional literature and brochures serve the purpose of distributing a message to an audience. Printed materials such as these can be inexpensive to produce in bulk quantities and are additionally inexpensive to distribute relative to other promotional options because they may be sent in standard mailing envelopes. 
   On the other hand, though, a great number of printed promotional materials are ineffective in capturing the recipient&#39;s attention and helping to create awareness of the promoted product, organization, or event because the common use of paper materials makes it difficult to engage the recipient&#39;s interest. Even those materials that may be more effective in catching a person&#39;s attention are still in the form of a flat, printed form that can easily be lost in a pile of other mailings or papers. As a result, despite the general cost effectiveness of the medium, printed materials are not an effective solution to promotional needs. 
   On the other end of the spectrum, a variety of custom branded products such as water bottles, calendars, duffel bags, pens, mousepads, golf balls, t-shirts, picture frames, etc. are currently available and can be effective marketing tools. Depending on the message to be conveyed or the audience targeted, products such as these can grab the attention of the intended audience and thus provide awareness of the product, organization, or event. 
   Such promotional products also have drawbacks, though. Although they are more likely to be kept by the recipient and are thus more effective in creating awareness, because they are designed for a functional purpose first and a promotional purpose second, they are less effective in conveying information. Further, custom branded products are generally more expensive than promotional materials such as literature and brochures. Additionally, branded products are often irregularly-shaped, heavy, fragile, or otherwise burdensome so as to make bulk mailings more costly than the distribution of printed materials. 
   Related problems exist in the field of non-commercial mailings. Many individuals and families enjoy sending photographs, personalized greeting cards, and personalized gifts to keep in touch with friends and relatives. The personal nature of these kinds of materials makes them more memorable and better able to engage the recipient than commercial promotional material, but these mailings suffer from many of the same problems as commercial promotional materials. Much like promotional literature, greeting cards, newsletters, and photographs are still two-dimensional items that can easily be lost in a pile of mail or other papers. More substantial items such as picture frames and photo cubes are more likely to be retained and displayed, but like custom branded products these items can be bulky, fragile, and expensive. 
   Of course, there are some products that have been introduced in an attempt to address at least a portion of the problems detailed here such as pop-up cards and books and foldable picture frames and displays. One such example is embodied in U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,060 to Corbo et al. Corbo discloses a self-erecting photo display that can display a number of photographs, is inexpensive to produce, and can be flattened and inserted into a mailing envelope. The Corbo design thus provides a means for distributing photographs that can be displayed and kept without losing the economy or ease of shipping of printed materials. 
   The self-erecting photo display of the Corbo patent still does not fully address the problems with other promotional materials. First, the Corbo design discloses only a rectangular solid shape where other, more imaginative forms may be better able to create interest. Further, the self-erecting design of the photo display makes it easy to erect, but it also makes the display easy to flatten. As a result, although the design springs into a three-dimensional form, it would still be too easy to flatten the display to put aside just as any flat literature could be. 
   Accordingly, there still exists a need for a product that addresses the competing needs of price and effectiveness but also engages the recipient to more effectively convey the message or theme of the promotion and create a lasting interest in the product, organization, or event promoted. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In one aspect, the invention is a three-dimensional promotional structure that includes a plurality of design panels that together can be unfolded into the shape of a recognizable type of building, such as a house. Some of the panels are flexibly joined to one another while others (or portions of others) are joined by reusable fasteners such as ribbons. When the structure is unfolded and the fasteners used to connect corresponding panels, the panels define the building&#39;s shape and its promotional theme. The design provides a structure well suited for distributing promotional material in a medium that is different than traditional greeting cards or brochures. 
   In another aspect, the invention is a substantially flat foldable paperboard blank capable of forming a promotional structure. In this embodiment, a single thin sheet of material includes all of the panels that serve as the surfaces of the structure. The blank may be folded and its free edges connected using reusable fasteners such as ribbons to define a three-dimensional display. 
   In yet another aspect, the invention is a promotional structure formed from at least six photographs. A combination of flexible hinges and at least one ribbon join the photographs to define a three-dimensional display. 
   The invention differs from typical three-dimensional gifts or promotional items in that it can be produced from inexpensive materials and can be easily shipped. The invention&#39;s capability to collapse to a substantially flattened form enables distribution of the structure in a flat mailing envelope. Accordingly, the invention may be an attractive option for the distribution of personal photos and messages or promotional materials due to the cost savings and ease of distribution. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the invention depicting the assembled structure. 
       FIG. 2  is a plan view of the invention as a foldable blank. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the partially assembled structure. 
       FIG. 4  is a second perspective view of the partially assembled structure. 
       FIG. 5  is a third perspective view of the partially assembled structure. 
       FIG. 6  is a fourth perspective view of the partially assembled structure. 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the invention depicting the fully collapsed form of the structure in a flat envelope. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which one embodiment of the invention is shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. 
   The invention is a promotional structure, such as a greeting card, which is collapsible to fit into a flat envelope for mailing, and which unfolds into a self-supporting structure such as a house. The invention is constructed from a plurality of panels assembled using a combination of flexibly joined or hinged edges and reusable fasteners so that the assembled structure supports itself in the desired shape. Each panel of the structure may also include a photograph, logo, or other design, allowing the structure to convey personal or promotional messages or themes. 
   In one embodiment, the invention is a three-dimensional promotional structure  10  fabricated from a plurality of panels as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The promotional structure  10  includes a substantially rectangular first side panel  11 , a first pentagonal end panel  12  and a second pentagonal end panel  13  connected to opposing edges of the first end panel  11 , a substantially rectangular second side panel  14  likewise connected at opposing ends to the first end panel  12  and the second end panel  13 , a bottom panel  15  connected to one of the first end panel  12  or the second end panel  13 , a first roof panel  20  connected to one of the side panels  11  or  14  or the end panels  12  or  13 , and a second roof panel  21  connected to the first roof panel  20 . 
     FIGS. 3 through 6  show each of the panels and their relationship and connection to each other. The first end panel  12  has a bottom edge  40 , two side edges  41  and  42 , and two top edges  43  and  44  meeting at a vertex  45 . Similarly, second end panel  13  has a bottom edge  50 , two side edges  51  and  52 , and two top edges  53  and  54  meeting at a vertex  55 . In the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 7 , the end panels are irregular pentagons wherein the side edges  41 ,  42 ,  51 , and  52  are of equal length and are substantially perpendicular to respective bottom edges  40  and  50 . Of course, a variety of five-sided shapes may be used to form a three-dimensional structure as described in this aspect of the invention, but irregular pentagons having this shape typically define a structure having a shape suggestive of a house. 
   The side edge  41  of the first end panel  12  is connected to the first side panel  11  by a first hinge  31  and the side edge  42  is connected to the second side panel  14  by a second hinge  32 . Likewise, the side edges  51  and  52  of the second end panel  13  are connected by a third hinge  33  and a fourth hinge  34  to the first side panel  11  and the second side panel  14 , respectively. The connection of these four panels  11 ,  12 ,  13 , and  14  defines a continuous band that serves as the perimeter walls for the promotional structure  10 . 
   The bottom panel  15  is connected to one of the bottom edges  40  or  50  of the end panels  12  or  13 , respectively, by a fifth hinge  35  and to the other of the bottom edges  40  or  50  by a fastener  22 . These connections of the bottom panel  15  to the continuous band formed of panels  11 ,  12 ,  13 , and  14  establishes the solid polygonal shape of the promotional structure  10  and further helps the promotional structure  10  to support itself in this shape. 
   To complete the structure, the roof portion is connected. A first roof panel  20  is connected by a sixth hinge  36  to one of the top edges  43 ,  44 ,  53 , or  54  of the end panels  12  or  13  or to one of the edges of the side panels  11  or  14 . The first roof panel  20  is then connected to at least one of the end panels  12  or  13  by a fastener  23 . The second roof panel  21  is connected to the first roof panel  20  by a seventh hinge  37  and to the vertices  45  and  55  of respective end panels  12  and  13  by fasteners  23  and  24 . In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1  and  FIGS. 3 through 7 , fasteners  23  and  24  serve to connect both the first roof panel  20  and the second roof panel  22  to the end panels  12  and  13 . Similar to the shape of the end panels, the roof panels  20  and  21  may also help to define the shape of a house by extending the unconnected edges of the roof panels  20  and  21  beyond the side panels  11  and  14  as shown in  FIG. 1 . This shape mimics the eaves of a roof. 
   The disengagement of the fasteners  22 ,  23 , and  24  allows the promotional structure  10  to collapse to a flattened form capable of being inserted into a flat mailing envelope  30  as shown in  FIG. 7 . This capability of the invention allows for convenient distribution of the promotional structure  10  by avoiding the cost and burden of shipping three-dimensional objects. 
   The hinges used to connect the panels may take a variety of forms. They may be common metal or plastic mechanical hinges, lengths of adhesive tape, or anything otherwise known in the art that is jointed or flexible such that it connects adjacent panels but still allows the connected panels to rotate relative to each other. The hinges may allow 360 degrees of rotation of the connected panels so that the panels may fold on top of each other to effect the collapse of the promotional structure  10 . 
   Likewise, a variety of fasteners known in the art may be used, including buttons, snaps, adhesive, tape, or ribbon. In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1  and  FIGS. 3 through 6 , the fasteners comprise a ribbon in one of the panels to be connected, an opening for receiving the ribbon in the other panel to be connected, and a knot in the ribbon to secure the two panels together. As shown in the Figures, the knot may be a releasable bow so that the panels may be easily connected or disconnected to readily change the shape of the structure between a self-supporting solid polygon and a flattened form. 
   Compared to other kinds of fasteners, the use of ribbons may require some assembly on the part of the recipient, but the structure is generally easy to assemble. Further, the labor on the part of the recipient may serve a marketing function in requiring the recipient to devote their attention to the promotional structure  10 . The act of building the structure and the time required to do so may help to create a personal connection with the structure, perhaps also creating a connection to the message embodied in the structure. Further, as ribbons often convey a gift or holiday connotation, the use of ribbons as fasteners may also make the promotional structure  10  marketable as a gift item. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , the outward-facing surfaces of the panels may contain a visual design, such as a drawing, logo, message, or photograph. There are a number of ways such a visual design may be included. For example, one or more of the visible panel surfaces in the assembled structure may be a photograph. Alternatively, one or more of the panels may be composed of a paper backing onto which a photograph is secured. This variation may provide greater rigidity than a photograph alone if a heavyweight paper or card stock is used as the paper backing. 
   In another embodiment, the invention is a substantially flat foldable paperboard blank as shown in  FIG. 2  that is capable of forming a promotional structure  10 . In this embodiment, the invention includes a substantially rectangular first side panel  11 , a first pentagonal end panel  12  and a second pentagonal end panel  13  connected to opposing edges of the first end panel  11 , a substantially rectangular second side panel  14  connected to the second end panel  13 , a tab  25  connected to the second side panel  14  for connecting the second side panel  14  to the first end panel  12 , a bottom panel  15  connected to one of the first end panel  12  or the second end panel  13 , a first roof panel  20  connected to one of the side panels  11  or  14  or the end panels  12  or  13 , and a second roof panel  21  connected to the first roof panel  20 . 
   The first end panel has a bottom edge  40 , two side edges  41  and  42 , and two top edges  43  and  44  meeting at a vertex  45 . Similarly, the second end panel has a bottom edge  50 , two side edges  51  and  52 , and two top edges  53  and  54  meeting at a vertex  55 . In the illustrated embodiment, the end panels are irregular pentagons wherein the side edges  41 ,  42 ,  51 , and  52  are of equal length and are substantially perpendicular to respective bottom edges  40  and  50 . 
   The side edge  51  of the second end panel  13  is connected to the first side panel  11  and the side edge  52  is connected to the second side panel  14 . The edge of the second side panel  14  opposite the edge connected to the second end panel  13  is connected to the tab  25 . The side edge  41  of the first end panel  12  is connected to the first side panel  11  and the side edge  42  may then be secured to the tab  25 . The connection of these four panels  11 ,  12 ,  13 , and  14  and the tab  25  defines a flattened continuous band. 
   The bottom panel  15  is connected to one of the bottom edge  40  of the first end panel  12  or the bottom edge  50  of the second end panel  13 . The first roof panel  20  is connected to either one of the top edges  43 ,  44 ,  53 , or  54  of the end panels  12  or  13  or to one of the edges of the side panels  11  or  14 . The second roof panel  21  is then connected to the first roof panel  20 . 
   This embodiment of the invention may include a mailing envelope that completely encloses the foldable blank, thus allowing for the convenient distribution of the promotional structure  10 . 
   The foldable blank may further have a series of scores at the intersection of each pair of connected panels to facilitate the folding of the blank into a three-dimensional, self-supporting promotional structure  10 . The scored junctions of adjacent panels may allow 360 degrees of rotation of the connected panels so that the panels may fold on top of each other achieve the flattened form of the promotional structure  10 . 
   The foldable blank may also include a first fastener  22  secured to the bottom panel  15  and capable of engaging the end panel  12  or  13  not already connected to the bottom panel  15  as shown in  FIG. 4 . A second fastener  23  may be secured to one or both of the first roof panel  20  or the second roof panel  21  and capable of engaging the vertex  45  of the first end panel  12  as shown in  FIG. 5 . A third fastener  24  may be secured to one or both of the first roof panel  20  or the second roof panel  21  and capable of engaging the vertex  55  of the second end panel  13  as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
   The fasteners  22 ,  23 , and  24  used to secure the panels as indicated may be any fastener known in the art, such as buttons, snaps, adhesive, tape, or ribbon. In the illustrated embodiment, the fasteners comprise a ribbon in one of the panels to be connected and an opening in the other panel to be connected for receiving the ribbon. As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIGS. 3 through 6 , a knot may be tied as a releasable bow so that the panels may be easily connected or disconnected to readily change the shape of the structure between a self-supporting solid polygon and a flattened form. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , the outward-facing surfaces of the panels may contain one or more visual designs, such as drawings, logos, messages, or photographs. There are a number of ways such a visual design may be included. For example, one or more of the visible panel surfaces in the assembled structure may be a photograph. Alternatively, one or more of the panels may be composed of a paper backing onto which a photograph is secured. 
   In yet another embodiment, the invention is a promotional structure  10  formed from at least six photographs or prints. A plurality of flexible hinges joins some but not all of the photographs to one another to define a three-dimensional display, and at least one ribbon joins at least two of the photographs. All of the photographs defining the three-dimensional display may have a common theme so that the promotional structure  10  conveys a promotional message or identifies a particular product, organization, or event. The terms “photograph” and “print” are used herein in a broad sense to describe the illustrated panels and the invention is not limited to literal photographs or items produced on a printing press. 
   The hinges used may be of the variety of hinges known in the art. For example, the hinges may be lengths of adhesive tape that secure adjacent panels to one another but are flexible so as to allow the panels to pivot with respect to the hinge. As another example, the panels may all be formed from a single sheet of thin material and the hinges may simply be creases or scores in the sheet. The use of these kinds of flexible hinges along with the releasable ribbon connections may allow the three-dimensional display to collapse to a flattened form so that the promotional structure  10  may be inserted into a flat mailing envelope  30  for distribution. 
   The invention of this embodiment may be produced in a variety of shapes, including a promotional structure  10  having seven photographs connected to form the three-dimensional display. Additionally, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the variation of this embodiment having seven photographs may be connected in the form of a house. 
   Finally, the ribbons may be uniquely colored to identify the location on the promotional structure  10  of the connection. For example, a green ribbon may identify that the panel containing that ribbon is the base panel while red ribbons indicate top panels. This system may be helpful in identifying to recipients of the promotional structure how the structure should be assembled or oriented.