Abstract:
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.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of the prior filed, co-pending provisional application Ser. No. 61/466,496, filed Mar. 23, 2011. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    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. 
         [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]    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 
       [0005]    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. 
         [0006]    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. 
         [0007]    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 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a gift card holder with the hang tag panels in a open position to receive a gift card backer panel. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a front view of the holder of  FIG. 1  showing the hang tag panels partially closed. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a front view of the holder of the previous figures showing a gift card backer panel installed between the hang tag panels. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a front view of a gift card holder showing the cover of the holder in an open position to reveal the card holder slits. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a plan view of a gift card holder prior to assembly. 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a front view of a gift card holder. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a rear view of the gift card holder of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a gift card holder showing an attached gift card backer panel attached to the front hang tag panel and lifted away from the main holder body. 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is a front view of a hang tag assembly that includes tabs for adhering to a structure to be hung from a display hook by the hang tag assembly. 
           [0017]      FIG. 10  is a rear view of a hang tag assembly showing the tabs attached to a structure such as a gift card holder. 
           [0018]      FIG. 11  is a front view of a hang tag assembly attached to a gift card holder. 
           [0019]      FIG. 12  is a rear view of a hang tag assembly attached via the adhesive tabs to a gift card holder. 
           [0020]      FIG. 13  is a front perspective view of the holder of  FIGS. 11 and 12  showing the gift card backer panel lifted from the holder main body. 
           [0021]      FIG. 14  is a front view of a hang tag assembly attached to a gift card holder. 
           [0022]      FIG. 15  is a rear view of the hang tag assembly and holder of  FIG. 14  showing the hang tag assembly attached to the holder via adhesive tabs. 
           [0023]      FIG. 16  is a front perspective view of the holder of  FIGS. 14 and 15  showing the gift card backer panel lifted from the holder main body. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0024]    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. 
         [0025]    With reference to the figures,  FIGS. 1 through 4  illustrate an embodiment of a gift card holder  100 . The main body  105  of the holder typically comprises six outer walls surrounding an interior space. The main body  105  is 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 holder  100 . Hang tag panels  110   a  and  110   b  (collectively,  110 ) project upward from an upper margin of the main body  105  and one or more of the hang tag panels  110  is provided with an adhesive  107  on the inside surface thereof for attaching the hang tag panels  110  to a gift card backer panel  115 , including a gift card backer panel of the type commonly known in the prior art.  FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of the gift card holder  100  with the hang tag panels  110   a  and  110   b  in an open position to receive a backer panel  115 . The backer panel  115  typically comprises cardboard or card stock or the like and provides a surface, as illustrated herein the front surface, attachment of a transaction card such as a gift card  120 . 
         [0026]    The backer panel  115  is inserted in between the hang tag panels  110 , as indicated by arrow A in  FIG. 1 , which are then closed upon the backer panel  115  until the adhesive  107  on the inside surface of one or both hang tag panels  110  contacts and adheres to the backer panel  115  to thereby secure the backer panel  115  between the hang tag panels  110  and to the holder  100 .  FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the holder  100  of  FIG. 1  showing the backer panel  115  in position between the hang tag panels  110  and the hang tag panels  110  partially closed. The upper portion of the backer panel  115  is received between the hang tag panels  110 , typically in a manner so that the display peg hole  125  in the backer panel  115  is in alignment with the display peg holes  125  in the hang tag panels  110  as shown in  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 3  is a front view of the holder  100  showing a gift card backer panel  115  installed between the hang tag panels  110 . 
         [0027]    Prior to gifting (giving the holder  100  and gift card  125  thereon to a gift recipient), the hang tag panels  110  and backer panel  115  are removed from the gift card holder  100  by tearing along a perforation line  130  dividing the hang tag panels  110  from the cover flap  135  of the holder main body  105 . The gift card  120  is removed from the backer panel  115  and installed upon or inside in the holder  100  and the holder  100  (with hang tag panels  110  and backer panel  115  detached) is presented to the gift recipient.  FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of the gift card holder  100  showing the cover flap  135  of the holder in an open position to reveal the diagonally opposed card holder slits  140   a  and  140   b  (collectively,  140 ). In this particular embodiment of a gift card holder  100 , diagonally opposing corners of the gift card  120  are inserted into the slits  140  after the gift card  120  is removed from the backer panel  115 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  is a plan view of a gift card holder  100  (minus backer panel  115 ), typically die cut from card stock, and prior to assembly. As shown, one of the hang tag panels  110   a,  typically the hang tag panel that faces rearward when the holder  100  is mounted on a display peg, may be provided with a cutout or notch  150  so that a bar code or other indicia on an upper, rearward facing surface of the backer panel  115  may remain uncovered (as shown in other embodiments in  FIGS. 10 ,  12  and  15 ) after installation of the backer panel  115  between the hang tag panels  110 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 6  is a front view of a gift card holder.  FIG. 7  is a rear view of the gift card holder of  FIG. 6 .  FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the gift card holder of  FIGS. 6 and 7  showing an attached gift card backer panel attached to the front hang tag panel and lifted away from the main holder body. 
         [0030]      FIG. 9  is a front view of a hang tag assembly that includes tabs for adhering to a structure to be hung from a display hook by the hang tag assembly. In this embodiment, unlike the embodiment shown in  FIG. 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 tabs to any structure suitable for hanging from a display peg. As shown in  FIG. 9 , the tabs project downward from the hang tag panel that typically faces rearward when the assembly is hung for display upon a display peg.  FIG. 10  is a rear view of a hang tag assembly showing the adhesive tabs attached to a structure such as a gift card holder. The hang tag assembly, including tabs, 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 tabs intended for attachment to a structure suspended therefrom. 
         [0031]      FIG. 11  is a front view of a hang tag assembly attached to a gift card holder.  FIG. 12  is a rear view of a hang tag assembly attached via the adhesive tabs to a gift card holder. The rearward surfaces of the tabs are shown, the forward surfaces of the tabs being attached to the rearward surface of the holder main body.  FIG. 13  is a front perspective view of the holder of  FIGS. 11 and 12  showing the gift card backer panel lifted from the holder main body. A portion of the forward surfaces tabs are visible in the space between the backer panel and the top edge of the holder main body. 
         [0032]      FIG. 14  is a front view of a hang tag assembly attached to a gift card holder.  FIG. 15  is a rear view of the hang tag assembly and holder of  FIG. 14  showing the hang tag assembly attached to the holder via adhesive tabs and also showing the bar code of the back panel visible through the cutout in the rearward facing hang tag panel.  FIG. 16  is a front perspective view of the holder of  FIGS. 14 and 15  showing the gift card backer panel lifted from the holder main body. 
         [0033]    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.