Patent Publication Number: US-2007096456-A1

Title: Folders with Entertainment Functionality

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      The present invention relies on, for priority, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/720,137, entitled “Binders with Advanced Entertainment Functionality”, filed on Sep. 23, 2005. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates generally to folders, such as those two-pocket folders used by students, and more specifically to a folder having at least one pocket that allows for a plurality of audio and/or visual entertainment features to be presented on the cover and/or on the inside flaps of the folder.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Folders designed to contain and organize documents, such as 8.5×11 inch paper, are used by students in the educational sector. The folders vary in design depending on their intended purpose. They can have varied materials for the front and back covers, contain a plurality of flaps or dividers between the front and back covers, contain a single pocket on a flap or divider, contain multiple pockets on a flap or divider, contain internal paper holding devices, such as rings, clips, or other binding mechanisms, and include various types of colors, art work, or other designs.  
      Folders, which have at least one pocket and are designed for students in the education sector, tend to be made of flexible thick stock cardboard or plastic, are capable of being “three-hole punched”, and are frequently multi-colored or inclusive of entertaining artwork or logos. To date, these pocket folders have not, however, included more advanced entertainment functionality, such as music, lights, motion, or other interactive visual or auditory displays.  
      It would be desirable to have a folder with at least one pocket that can provide advanced entertainment functionality, such as music, lights, motion, or other interactive visual or auditory displays, while still imparting all of the conventional functionality of a folder. It would further be desirable for the folder to be useful in an educational setting and not be disruptive or intrusive thereof. It would additionally be desirable for the folder with advanced entertainment functionality to be sufficiently rugged and durable to withstand conventional uses in the educational field.  
      U.S. design Pat. No. D282,377, depicts a conventional folder, which has a front cover, back cover and no pockets, in association with a small clock and memo pad. The clock is shown as a single unit that is affixed to the folder surface, with the clock&#39;s operative circuitry not integrated into the folder itself. U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,698 discloses a personalized greeting card that includes an independent, detachable, electronic memory device, which stores electronic signals, a mechanism for retrieving the electronic signals from the memory device, a voice synthesizer which obtains these electronic signals and produces audible sounds representative of the personalized message, and a switch that controls the retrieving device and the voice synthesizer.  
      Other U.S. patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,462,157, have similarly disclosed the incorporation of audio messaging circuitry in a greeting card. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,741 discloses a card, such as a greeting card, which comprises a storage member to retain audio information picked up by a microphone, a sound generating member including a speaker, a mode selection signal producing member to allow either record or playback to be selected, a controller performing record or playback according to the mode selection signal from the mode selection signal member, and a card board on which the microphone, speaker, and other members are mounted.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention is directed toward a folder, having at least one pocket, with advanced entertainment functionality. The outer and inner sides of the front, back and/or divider panels serve as display layers comprising a variety of interactive audio/visual stimuli enabling elements such as mechanically driven moving parts, picture graphics, illuminated or luminescent picture sections and/or sound recording/playing systems.  
      In one embodiment, the folder assembly, having at least one pocket, comprises a first cover having a front panel and a back panel and a second cover having a front panel and a back panel wherein the second cover is physically attached to the first cover. A display layer is physically incorporated into the front panel of the first cover wherein the display layer has embedded therein an activation button and a plurality of LEDs. Circuitry is contained within at least one of the first or second cover. The circuitry places in electrical communication a power source, the activation button and the LEDs. A substrate, which is part of at least one of the first or second cover, is in physical contact with the circuitry for providing protection to the circuitry. The LEDs can flash randomly or in a predetermined pattern.  
      In another embodiment, the folder assembly, having at least one pocket, comprises a first cover having a front panel and a back panel, and a second cover having a front panel and a back panel wherein the second cover is physically attached to the first cover. A display layer is physically incorporated into the front panel of the first cover wherein the display layer has embedded therein an activation mechanism and a speaker. Circuitry is contained within at least one of the first or second cover. The circuitry places in electrical communication a power source, a memory, the activation mechanism and the speaker. A substrate, which is part of at least one of the first or second cover, is in physical contact with the circuitry and provides protection to the circuitry. The activation mechanism is in the form of a display layer having a graphical image of a piano key, in the form of strings protruding from the surface of the display layer, in the form of a display layer having a graphical image of a drumstick, or in the form of a display layer having a graphical image of a drum. The activation mechanism may be in the form of a display layer having a graphical image of any instrument.  
      In one embodiment, the folder assembly, having at least one pocket, comprises a first cover having a front panel and a back panel, and a second cover having a front panel and a back panel wherein the second cover is physically attached to the first cover. A display layer is physically incorporated into the front panel of the first cover wherein the display layer has embedded therein an activation mechanism and a plurality of gears. Protruding from the display layer is any movable structure, such as a wheel, the hands of a clock, or a cardboard surface with an ornamental design. Circuitry is contained within at least one of the first or second cover. The circuitry places in electrical communication a power source, the activation mechanism and the plurality of gears. A substrate, which is part of least one of the first or second cover, is in physical contact with the circuitry for providing protection to the circuitry. It should be appreciated, again, that the movable structure can be any image, including a rotating wheel, a rotating disc, a moving set of hands positioned within the face of a clock, or a rotating image or logo.  
      In one embodiment the front, back and divider panels, one of which has at least one pocket, are composite layered structures. At the core of the structure is a substrate of a flexible yet sturdy material such as Mylar, cardboard or any other suitable material, followed by a second layer of activation switches and audio/visual stimuli generating elements such as electro-luminescent (EL) lamps, a speaker and/or a microphone device. Finally, a display layer of a suitable material such as plastic covers the second layer.  
      The display layer can be printed with a plurality of scenes or graphics and/or textual characters for visual display. The display layer can also be printed with activation regions that, when pressed by a user, result in the activation of membrane switches causing an underlying circuit to close. This results in the activation of specific EL lamps and/or speaker/microphone for illumination of required areas/spots on the display layer and/or for audio playback or recording purposes. Alternate embodiments may include on/off buttons that are interspersed on the display layer and that can be pressed by a user for activation of audio/visual effects.  
      In one embodiment the activation switches are coupled to a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) via traces and/or electrical contacts. Sound generators (such as digital sound cards), electronic memory (such as PROM, ROM, EEPROM, etc.) and sequencing circuits are also disposed on the PCB and may take the form of an integrated circuit coupled to a speaker and/or a microphone. A suitable power source, such as at least one battery, is provided to power the entire circuit arrangement. A power button is coupled to the power source to selectively actuate the interactive circuit.  
      The interactive and entertainment features of the present invention are described using a plurality of embodiments of the display layer. For example, the display layer can include the form of a fortuneteller silhouette, an illumination of textual portions (“Hot”), a presentation of audio wherein voice messages can be recorded and/or played when required by a user, an interactive musical instrument such as a guitar on the display layer that forms the inside surface of the front and back panels of the folder unit, a raised movable structure on a surface of the display layer of the divider panel or a back-illuminated picture on the display layer of the divider panel. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be further appreciated, as they become better understood by reference to the following Detailed Description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings:  
       FIG. 1  depicts one embodiment of a folder assembly;  
       FIG. 2A  is a side view showing a power switch having its contacts separated by means of an insulating tab that is inserted into the switch contacts when the front over is closed;  
       FIG. 2B  is a side view showing the insulating tab of  FIG. 2A  extracted, that occurs when the front cover is open which then allows the switch contacts to make contact;  
       FIG. 3  depicts another embodiment of a folder assembly;  
       FIG. 4A  is a cross sectional schematic view of one embodiment of a composite structure of the cover and/or divider panel;  
       FIG. 4B  is a cross sectional schematic view of one embodiment of a composite structure of the cover and/or divider panel;  
       FIG. 5A  is an electrical wiring diagram of one embodiment of the present invention wherein the folders include light emitting elements;  
       FIG. 5B  is another electrical wiring diagram of one embodiment of the present invention wherein the folders include light emitting elements;  
       FIG. 5C  is a graphical representation of one display layer of the present invention wherein the folders include light emitting elements;  
       FIG. 5D  is another graphical representation of a display layer of the present invention wherein the folders include light emitting elements;  
       FIG. 6A  is an electrical wiring diagram of one embodiment of the present invention wherein the folders include a movable structure;  
       FIG. 6B  is a graphical representation of one display layer of the present invention wherein the folders include a movable structure;  
       FIG. 6C  is a graphical representation of another display layer of the present invention wherein the folders include a movable structure;  
       FIG. 6D  is a side planar view of the display layer of the present invention wherein the folders include a movable structure elevated from the display layer surface;  
       FIG. 7A  is one embodiment of the display layer on the outside of the cover of the folder unit for an interactive musical folder;  
       FIG. 7B  is a bottom plan view of an interactive musical folder showing the relative location of a front cover consisting of two panels and a back cover also consisting two panels;  
       FIG. 7C  is an electrical wiring diagram of an interactive musical folder&#39;s electronics circuit;  
       FIG. 7D  is a front elevational view of the front cover&#39;s inner panel having a set of four elongated slots through which project a set of finger-activated electrical contacts;  
       FIG. 7E  is a front elevational view of the front cover&#39;s inner panel having a set of four circular openings through which project a set of finger-activated electrical contacts;  
       FIG. 7F  is another schematic diagram of an interactive musical folder&#39;s electronics circuit;  
       FIG. 8A  is an electrical wiring diagram of one embodiment of the present invention wherein the folders include a back-illuminated design;  
       FIG. 8B  is a graphical representation of one display layer of the present invention wherein the folders include a back-illuminated design;  
       FIG. 9A  is an electrical wiring diagram of one embodiment of the present invention wherein the folders include audio recording and playback capabilities; and  
       FIG. 9B  is a graphical representation of one display layer of the present invention wherein the folders include audio recording and playback capabilities. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The present invention is directed toward a folder with at least one pocket with entertainment functionality. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the disclosure set forth herein may be applicable to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and the claims hereto appended. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments described, but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the disclosure set forth herein. Further, whenever the term “present invention” is used in association with a particular feature, it should be appreciated that the feature is only being described with respect to one, of several, embodiments of the invention and should not be considered a requirement of all embodiments of the invention.  
     GENERAL PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF EXEMPLARY FOLDERS  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , a document folder assembly  100 , having at least one pocket, according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. The folder unit  100  has a front cover portion  105 , a back cover portion  110 , a hinge portion  116  for hinging together adjacent longitudinal edge sections of the front and back panel portions  105 ,  110 , and pockets  113  within which documents can be placed. Both the front cover portion  105  and back cover portion  110  comprise inner and outer panels which face inward to each other and outward to the environment, respectively. The folder assembly  100  is preferably made of materials that can be “3 hole punched” using a conventional hole puncher. Specifically, it is preferable that the folder  100  comprise flexible thick stock cardboard. It is further preferable that the folder  100  comprise markings  118  that indicate where a three hole punch device should be aligned in order to properly create a 3 hole punched folder. Structurally, the front cover portion  105  and back cover portion  110  are composite structures that comprise of a plurality of layers, as shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , which depicts one embodiment of the layers of the front cover and back cover portion.  
      Another embodiment of the folder unit  300 , shown in  FIG. 3 , comprises a divider panel  345 . The folder unit  300  has a protective front cover portion  305 , a back cover portion  310 , a hinge portion  316  for hinging together adjacent longitudinal edge sections of the front and back panel portions  305 ,  310 , and pockets  313  within which documents can be placed. The pockets  313  may be placed on the inside of the front panel portion  305 , the inside of the back panel portion  310 , and/or on either side of the divider panel  345 . Both the front cover portion  305  and back cover portion  310  comprise inner and outer panels which face inward to each other and outward to the environment, respectively. Similarly, the folder assembly  300  is preferably made of materials, such as flexible thick stock cardboard, that can be “3 hole punched” using a conventional hole puncher. It is further preferable that the folder  300  comprise markings  318  that indicate where a three hole punch device should be aligned in order to properly create a 3 hole punched folder. Structurally, the front cover portion  305  divider portion  345 , and/or back cover portion  310  are composite structures that comprise of a plurality of layers, as shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , which depicts one embodiment of the layers of the front cover, divider panel, and back cover portion.  
      The exemplary folder embodiments, described above, comprise covers, including a front panel, back panel, and/or divider panel, that are composite structures. The composite structures comprise of a plurality of layers.  FIG. 4A  shows one embodiment of a portion of the composite structure of the front cover, back cover, and/or the divider panel. As shown, the composite structure  400 A comprises a) a support substrate  405 A, b) a layer  416 A within which mechanisms supporting any audio, visual, or interactive features and circuitry for enabling such features  470 A are housed, as further detailed below, c) a plurality of interactive or audio/visual features  430 A, such as activation switches, embedded within a protective layer  420 A, and d) a display layer  425 A having ornamental designs. The display layer  425 A contains spaces through which interactive or audio/visual features  430 A can be accessed by a user. The display layer  425 A includes graphic designs and other visual elements. The display layer  425 A further comprises flexible thick stock cardboard and may include other materials such as non-porous, flexible polymer substrate materials such as Mylar, paper, fabric or any other suitable material known to persons of ordinary skill in the art. The aforementioned layered structure of the front cover, back cover, and/or the divider panel of the folder unit allows for distinct displays containing advanced entertainment functionality. It should be appreciated that the display layer  425 A can face to the external environment or face internally toward a front cover, back cover, or divider panel.  
      The support substrate  405 A and protective layer  420 A are protective structures that provide further protection to the electronics  470 A in layer  416 A. The support substrate  405 A and protective layer  420 A are preferably made of plastic or cardboard that, while flexible, are not readily punctured. Because the folder is preferably designed to be “3 hole punched”, it is preferable that the substrate  405 A and/or protective layer  420 A include carve outs, made in alignment with the three hole punch markings on the folder, such that, when a three hole punch in the folder is made, it punctures through the carve-outs and avoid the substrate  405 A and protective layer  420 A altogether. The substrate  405 A and/or protective layer  420 A can either be a layer physically bonded to the display layer or it can be a removable insert that, together with the electronics layer, is inserted into the cover or divider.  
       FIG. 4B  shows another embodiment of a portion of the composite structure of the front cover, back cover, and/or the divider panel. As shown, the composite structure  400 B comprises a) a first support substrate  405 B, b) a second support substrate  407 B, c) a layer  416 B within which mechanisms supporting any audio, visual, or interactive features  480 B are housed, d) a layer  417 B within which circuitry enabling such mechanisms  470 B are housed, e) a plurality of interactive or audio/visual features  430 , such as activation switches, embedded within a protective layer  420 , and f) a display layer  425 . As in  FIG. 4A , the display layer  425  contains spaces through which interactive or audio/visual features  430  can be accessed by a user and includes graphic designs and other visual elements.  
      The first support substrate  405 B, second support substrate  407 B, and protective layer  420 B are protective structures that provide further protection to the mechanisms  480 B and electronics  470 B in layers  416 B and  417 B, respectively. The two support substrates  405 B,  407 B and protective layer  420 B are preferably made of plastic or cardboard that, while flexible, are not readily punctured. Because the folder is preferably designed to be “3 hole punched”, it is preferable that the substrates  407 B,  405 B and/or protective layer  420 B include carve outs, made in alignment with the three hole punch markings on the folder, such that, when a three hole punch in the folder is made, it punctures through the carve-outs and avoid the substrates  407 B,  405 B and protective layer  420 B altogether.  
     EXEMPLARY ACTIVATION MECHANISM  
      The interactive, audio, or visual features of the folders of the present invention can be activated by a user pressing, pushing, pulling, or otherwise exerting force on a structure, such as a button or lever, as further discussed below in relation to each specific embodiment. Alternatively, the interactive, audio, or visual features of the folders of the present invention can be automatically activated when a user opens or closes the front cover, back cover, or divider panel of the folder.  
      Referring to  FIG. 2A , one optional element that can be included in the electronics circuitry of the present invention is a power switch  52 A. This switch  52 A is comprised of a normally-closed, leaf spring switch having a first leaf contact (C 1 A) and a second leaf contact (C 2 A). The switch  52 A is activated by means of an insulating tab  284 A having an inner section  286 A and an outer section  288 A. The outer section  288 A is inserted through the switch slot  238 A and attached adjacent the inner edge  224 A of the front cover [not shown]. The inner section  286 A is inserted between the first leaf contact C 1 A and the second leaf contact C 2 A of the switch  52 A. The insulating tab  284 A is automatically inserted into the contacts when the front cover [not shown] is closed against the back cover [not shown]. Conversely, referring to  FIG. 2B , when the front cover [not shown] is opened, the insulating tab  284 B is extracted from the switch contacts C 1 B, C 2 B, allowing the two switch contacts C 1 B, C 2 B to close and enable the circuitry [not shown]. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that other mechanisms of enabling or disabling power to electronic circuitry can be used.  
      Folder With Light Emitting Elements  
      Referring to  FIG. 5A , electronic circuitry and interactive and visual features defining one embodiment of the present invention are shown. In this exemplary embodiment, a plurality of electronics is provided in at least one of the front cover, back cover or divider panel  505 A. The plurality of electronics are embedded in a layer within the front cover, back cover, or divider cover, as in layer  416 A of  FIG. 4A  or layers  416 B or  417 B of  FIG. 4B .  
      The electronics circuit is comprised of an integrated circuit (IC)  510 , a set of light emitting diodes (LED 1 -LED 5 ), a battery (B 1 ), a power switch (S 1 ), and an activation mechanism (A), such as a button, that provides the electrical contact to thereby switch the power on. The IC  510  is comprised of an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). The ASIC can be programmed to randomly select one or more light emitting diodes (LED 1 -LED 5 ) to transmit a power signal to in order to cause to the diode to light up. The ASIC has a first input (I), a second input (I 2 ), a third input (I 3 ), a fourth input (I 4 ), and a plurality of outputs,  1 - 5 , to the plurality of light emitting diodes (LED 1 -LED 5 ). Operationally, when a user activates the activation button A, it causes the switch S 1  to transmit power, originating from the battery B 1 , to the ASIC which, in turn, is programmed to cause any one or more of the LEDs to light up using any random or organized pattern. The battery B 1  is preferably a button-type battery and may consist of a set of batteries connected in series to provide the required voltage to operate the ASIC.  
       FIG. 5B  shows a schematic diagram depicting another exemplary circuit  500 B enabling entertainment functionality. The exemplary circuit  500 B is typically incorporated into an electronics layer in a composite layer, shown as  416 A in  FIGS. 4A and 416B ,  417 B in  FIG. 4B . A plurality of light emitting elements, such as LEDs, or electroluminescent (EL) lamps  505 B is coupled to a thin printed circuit board (PCB)  510 B via traces  515 B. A combination of an electronic memory and sequencing circuit is disposed on the PCB  510 B and may take the form of an integrated circuit  535 B. Optionally, an audio source or microphone  620  can be in electrical communication with the integrated circuit  535 B. A suitable power source, such as batteries  525 B, is provided to power the circuit  500 . An activation button or power button  530 B is coupled to the power source to selectively activate the interactive circuit  500 B.  
      The EL lamps of the present invention are preferably discrete cells that are situated close to the display layer for maximum brightness of the overlying graphical and/or textual characters. The EL lamp layer is a typical EL polymer thick film with a top electrically conductive and light-transmissive ink pattern serving as a top electrode and a bottom electrically conductive ink pattern serving as a bottom electrode. Other types of EL lamps comprise those utilizing foil electrodes or phosphor-impregnated resins or any other suitable type well known in the art. Also, although the EL lamps have been described above as being incorporated in a layer, it should be evident to persons of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced with the EL lamps being “printed” directly on the inner surface of display layer.  
      Activation of the LEDs or EL lamps is caused by manually pressing a switch/button such as an on/off switch  510 C, as designated in  FIG. 5C  by the text “Press”. One embodiment comprises membrane switches interspersed suitably within the graphic pattern of the display layer itself. A membrane switch may cause activation of a series of EL lamps in a random raster fashion such as when illuminating all the areas  505 C one by one in a random fashion.  
      An activation switch  510 C may include double-pole type membrane switches comprising a top pair of parallel spiral conductive ink traces on a first surface, such as the inner surface of display layer, and a bottom pair of parallel spiral conductive ink traces on a second surface, such as the top surface of the substrate layer. The two sets of spirals are positioned to face each other, and are spaced apart with a suitable space of predetermined thickness. The display layer is printed with activation regions of the membrane switch(es) indicating where the user should depress the switch. When the activation region of a switch is depressed, top spiral set comes into contact with bottom spiral set thus activating the switch and closing a circuit. The layer of membrane switches that contains the top set of spirals and the activation regions are preferably made of flexible material such that depression of activation region causes sufficient deflection of those layers to allow contact of the top and bottom sets of spirals. A material such as Mylar offering flexibility for light-pressure touch activation and durability for use is preferred.  
      It is preferred that the activation of the advanced entertainment functionality be manual, such as through a depressable switch. While greeting cards provide some limited entertainment functionality through automatic activation, because the folders are used in a completely different environment, it is essential that the activation be controllable and not automatic whenever the folder is opened, although that is an option possible in embodiments of the present invention.  
      Referring to  FIG. 5C , a fortune-teller graphical and textual pattern of the display layer is presented as one example according to the present invention. The panel  500 C can be any of the outer panel of the front cover of a folder, the inner panel of the front cover of a folder, the outer panel of the back cover of a folder, the inner panel of the back cover of a folder, or an internal panel of a divider. On the surface of the panel are a series of textual statements  515 C placed in physical proximity or association with LED or EL lamps  505 C. An activation button  510 C that, when pressed, initiates the excitation of the LEDs or EL lamps, is also provided. When excited, the LEDs, for example, flash either randomly or in a predetermined manner.  
      Operationally, it is intended that an individual “asks a question” to the fortune-teller, preferably graphically depicted on the panel  500 C, presses the activation button  510 C, watches the LEDs flash, and receives his or her answer to the question when the LEDs stops flashing and a single LED remains lit next to a particular text phrase  515 C, i.e. “Could Be” or “Ask Again”. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that another display having unique graphics, text, and LED or EL lamp patterns may be affixed to the back of the first fortuneteller display page with the LED or EL lamps facing inwardly and the corresponding display layer facing outwardly. One would further appreciate that the length of flashing, which LEDs flash, the colors of the LEDs, the pattern of LED placement on the panel, the pattern of flashing, the rate of flashing, the type of textual statements made, and how long the final LED is lit are all parameters which can be readily modified based on commercial or market needs. For example, the LEDs can flash for five seconds, ten seconds, twenty seconds, one minute, or indefinitely until a user presses a button, such as button  510 C. The LEDs can flash in a particular pattern, such as clockwise, counterclockwise, from the middle outward, from the outer edges inward, or randomly.  
      Referring to the embodiment of  FIG. 5C  in the context of the composite structure  400 B shown in  FIG. 4B , in one embodiment, the display layer  425 B comprises some translucent regions. A layer of LED or EL lamps underlies the display layer  425  with the individual LEDs or lamps positioned in a pattern corresponding to those portions of the graphics that are to be illuminated. For example, in the current embodiment of the fortuneteller graphics, one LED or EL lamp is positioned under each of the areas  505  of display layer  425 B that are meant to glow to highlight any of the corresponding prediction texts  515 C. The fortuneteller and text layout can be achieved by printing a positive silhouette, such as areas  505 C, on the outer face of display layer  425 B, and a negative silhouette with dark ink directly underneath the positive silhouette. This arrangement confines the illumination of the LED or EL lamp below a specific graphic and/or textual pattern that is required to be illuminated. The LEDs or EL lamps can be combined with the printing to achieve a variety of effects. For example, patterns and/or characters themselves may be illuminated or may be printed in dark ink and backlighted when an EL lamp illuminates the background. The display layer  425  may also contain non-activatable portions, which simply complete the illustrated scene. Any pattern created by lighting elements embedded within a folder cover or divider panel, having one or more pockets, is contemplated to be an embodiment of the present invention.  
      Referring to  FIG. 5D , another embodiment of the display layer that forms the outer face of the cover of the folder unit is shown. Here the illumination through light emitting elements is not random—rather they are used to highlight a textual sign  535 D (i.e., “HOT”) or display any other message when a user presses an activation switch via activation region  510 D printed on the display layer  525 D. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the ASIC [not shown] can be programmed to light the light emitting devices in accordance with any pattern.  
      Folder with a Movable Structure  
      Yet another embodiment of the present invention includes a display layer of the divider panel that incorporates a power source, gear, and movable structure physically attached to said gear, such as a rotating wheel or circular cardboard structure. The movable structure is physically attached to said gear and sufficiently elevated from the display layer such that, when an activation button is depressed, the power source provides motive force to the gear which, in turn, moves the movable structure. In one embodiment, the gear spins a cardboard wheel.  
      Referring to  FIG. 6A , electronic circuitry and visual features defining one embodiment of the present invention are shown. In this exemplary embodiment, a plurality of electronics is provided in at least one of the front cover, back cover or divider panel  605 A. The plurality of electronics are embedded in a layer within the front cover, back cover, or divider cover, as in layer  416 A of  FIG. 4A  or layers  416 B or  417 B of  FIG. 4B .  
      The electronics circuit is comprised of an integrated circuit (IC)  610 , a plurality of gears (G 1 -G 2 ) in combination with a motor (M 1 -M 2 ), a battery (B 1 ), a power switch (S 1 ), and an activation mechanism (A), such as a button, that provides the electrical contact to thereby switch the power on. The IC  610  is comprised of an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). The ASIC can be programmed to transmit signals that cause one or more of the motors, M 1 -M 2 , to apply motive force to the gear, G 1 -G 2 , to which it is physically attached. The ASIC has a first input (I 1 ), a second input (I 2 ), a third input (I 3 ), a fourth input (I 4 ), and a plurality of outputs,  1 - 2 , to the plurality of motors, M 1 -M 2 . Operationally, when a user activates the activation button A, it causes the switch S 1  to transmit power, originating from the battery B 1 , to the ASIC which, in turn, is programmed to cause any one or more of the motors, M 1 -M 2 , to apply motive force to the gears, G 1 -G 2 , in accordance with any random or organized pattern of movement. It should be appreciated that the motors could be used to apply motive force to any mechanical drive element, such as levers or pulleys, that can be used to move a structure elevated from the display layer. The battery B 1  is preferably a button-type battery and may consist of a set of batteries connected in series to provide the required voltage to operate the ASIC.  
      Referring to  FIG. 6B  in the context of the composite structure  400 B shown in  FIG. 4B , the display layer  625  comprises an opening  650  through which at least one member  655 , originating from at least one gear [not shown], extends out and above the display layer  625 . The shaft  655  terminates in a structure  660 , such as rotating wheel. As shown in  FIG. 6B , each of the gears has a member  655 ,  656  that extends out and above the display layer  625  and terminates in a rotating wheel  660 ,  661 . The structure  660  can be of any design, shape, configuration, or size that a) can be effectively moved by a gear/motor combination of sufficiently small size to be incorporated into a folder layer and b) will preferably not extend beyond the bounds of the folder front cover or back cover.  
      Referring to  FIG. 6C , the structures  660 ,  661  are shown to be the hands  670 ,  671  of a clock. Here, the gears [not shown] rotate two members  680 ,  681  that extend above the display layer  625  and attach to arrows which function as the hands  670 ,  671  of a clock. The ASIC [not shown] is programmed to move the hands  670 ,  671  in accordance with an internal clock, thereby causing the gear driving the shaft  680  attached to the minute hand  670  to increment one minute unit every minute and causing the gear driving the shaft  681  attached to the hour hand  671  to increment one hour unit every hour. As shown in  FIG. 6D , any structure  690  that is supposed to move is elevated above the display layer  625  and connected to a member  695  extending through the display layer  625 .  
      Interactive Music Folder  
       FIGS. 7A-7F  show yet another embodiment of the display layer  425  that preferably forms the inner face of the cover of the folder unit or one of the surfaces of the divider panel. Because the entertaining audio/visual features of the present embodiment are provided on the inside of the folder these features can be more intricate with certain features protruding from the panel surface. Typically, protusions from the panel surface are avoided if the panel is on the outside because such protusions might be prone to damage due to wear and tear and careless handling. In one embodiment, the display layer includes a graphical image of a musical instrument such as a piano, drum set, guitar, or any other musical instrument that can be visually depicted. In each of these embodiments users preferably activate the corresponding acoustics by pretending to play the instrument, e.g. by interacting with the keys of the piano, drumsticks of the drum set, and strings of the guitar. In a highly preferred embodiment all these musical instruments play the same song sequences so that if a plurality of users came together with say two guitars, drum set and a piano, they could actually coordinate the activation and play a real orchestrated song.  
      The embodiment of the interactive musical folder (IMF)  710 , as shown in  FIGS. 7A-7F , is comprised of two major elements: a folder  712  having at least one pocket which can consist of a three-hole notebook, a spiral notebook or the like, and an electronics circuit  776 .  
      The folder  712 , as shown in  FIGS. 7A and 7B , comprises a front cover  714  consisting of an outer panel  716  and an inner panel  728 , and a back cover  742  also consisting of an outer panel  744  and an inner panel  756 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 7A , the outer panel  716  of the front cover  714  has an outer surface  718 , an inner surface  720 , an outer edge  722  and an inner edge  724 . Likewise, the inner panel  728  of the front cover  714  has an outer surface  732 , an inner surface  730 , an outer edge  734  and an inner edge  736 . The inner edge  724  of the outer panel  716  is integral with the inner edge  736  of the inner panel  728 . The inner panel  728  also has a switch slot  738  located adjacent the inner edge  736  of the inner panel  728 , and four slots  740  that allow access to finger activated contacts A 1 -A 4  as described herein. As also shown in  FIG. 7A , the outer panel  744  of the book cover  742  has an outer surface  746 , an inner surface  748 , an outer edge  750  and an inner edge  752 . Likewise, the inner panel  756  has an outer surface  760 , an inner surface  758 , an outer edge  762  and an inner edge  764 . The inner edge  752  of the outer panel  744  is integral with the inner edge  764  of the inner panel  756 .  
      To secure the inner edges  724 ,  736  of the front cover  714  and the inner edges  752 ,  764  of the back cover  742 , a spine  768  is attached by means of an adhesive  770 , as shown in  FIGS. 7A and 7B . Alternatively, panels  744  and  716  may be contiguously formed a single material, such as plastic or cardboard with panels  728 ,  756  being attached thereto using an adhesive. Within the front cover  714  is located a loudspeaker, L 1 , and an ASIC. On the back cover  742  is located a battery, B 1 , and switch, S 1 . It should be appreciated that the electronics, B 1 , S 1 , ASIC, L 1 , and contacts A 1 -A 4  can be incorporated onto any of the panel surfaces, provided that they are suitably protected from damage or exposure to the user. It should also be appreciated that to further enhance the utility of the IMF  710  a partial pocket  790  can be located on the outer surface  760  of the outer panel  756  and on the outer surface  732  of the inner panel  728 . A side view of the IMF  710  is shown in  FIG. 7B .  
      The electronics circuit, which is shown in an electrical wiring diagram in  FIG. 7C  and in a schematic diagram in  FIG. 7F , is comprised of a first section  778  and a second section  780 . The first section  778  is comprised of an integrated circuit (IC), a set of finger-activated contacts A 1 -A 4  [not shown], and a loudspeaker L 1 . The second section  780  is comprised of a battery (B 1 ) and a power switch S 1 .  
      The IC is comprised of an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). The ASIC can be programmed to store at least one song or a series of tones stored within its memory. The ASIC, as shown in  FIGS. 7C and 7F , has a first input (I 1 ), a second input (I 2 ), a third input (I 3 ), a fourth input (I 4 ), a first output ( 01 ) and a second output ( 02 ).  
      In the present embodiment, the set of finger-activated contacts are comprised of the four contacts A 1 , A 3 , A 3  and A 4 . As shown in  FIG. 7F , contact A 1  is connected to contact A 2 , and contact B 1  is connected to contact B 2 . The “A” contacts are connected to I 1  of the ASIC, and the “B” contacts are connected to I 2  of the ASIC. The four contacts A 1 -A 4  protrude through the four slots  740  on the inner panel  728 , as shown in  FIGS. 7D and 7E . The four slots  740  can consist of elongated slots, as shown in  FIG. 7D , or circular slots, as shown in  FIG. 7E . The elongated slots are dimensioned to accept four wires that simulate guitar strings and the circular slots accept circular knobs.  
      The loudspeaker L 1  is comprised of a flat piezo type speaker, which allows the speaker to be easily attached to the inner surface  720  of the panel  740  of the front cover  714 , as shown in  FIG. 7C . The second section  780  of the electronics circuit is located on the surface  760  of panel  756  of the back cover  742 . The battery B 1  is preferably a button-type battery and may consist of a set of batteries connected in series to provide the required voltage to operate the ASIC. The musical functionality of the present invention can be activated using a manual activation button [not shown] or the automatic activation mechanism described above and shown graphically as element  784  on  FIG. 7C .  
      Folders with Back-Illuminated Designs  
      Yet another embodiment includes a back-illuminated picture formed in the display layer of a panel. The back illuminated picture comprises an image on a translucent material that is juxtaposed above a light source. The circuitry comprises an activation button and power source that, when activated, powers the light source which shines through and illuminates the translucent material having an image formed thereabove.  
      Referring to  FIG. 8A , electronic circuitry and visual features defining one embodiment of the present invention are shown. In this exemplary embodiment, a plurality of electronics is provided in at least one of the front cover, back cover or divider panel  805 A. The plurality of electronics are embedded in a layer within the front cover, back cover, or divider cover, as in layer  416 A of  FIG. 4A  or layers  416 B or  417 B of  FIG. 4B .  
      The electronics circuit is comprised of an integrated circuit (IC)  810 , at least one light emitter (LE), a battery (B 1 ), a power switch (S 1 ), and an activation mechanism (A), such as a button, that provides the electrical contact to thereby switch the power on. The IC  810  is comprised of an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). The ASIC can be programmed to transmit signals that cause the light emitter LE to emit light that back-illuminates a design incorporated into the display layer. The ASIC has at least two inputs and at least one output to the light emitter (LE).  
      Operationally, when a user activates the activation button A, it causes the switch S 1  to transmit power, originating from the battery B 1 , to the ASIC which, in turn, is programmed to cause the light emitter (LE) to illuminate. It should be appreciated that the light emitter can be any type of light emission device provided that it can incorporated into a folder structure and is sufficiently safe to use. The battery B 1  is preferably a button-type battery and may consist of a set of batteries connected in series to provide the required voltage to operate the ASIC.  
      Referring to  FIG. 8B , a display layer  825  with a graphical design is shown. In one embodiment, the display layer  825  comprises a physical void covered by a translucent material  880  through which light, emitted from the light emitter (LE), can pass. The translucent material  880  can be in the form of any graphical design and be made of plastic, cellophane, or any other material that permits at least a portion of the light to pass from within the cover and through the material for viewing by a user.  
      Folders with Audio Capabilities  
      Another embodiment of the present invention incorporates a microphone such that a person can record a message or thought that gets stored on a suitable electronic memory device (such as RAM, ROM, PROM, EEPROM or any other suitable memory known in the art) when a corresponding ‘record’ switch is manually activated. The recorded message can then be played back via speaker by pressing a ‘play’ switch. It should be appreciated that this embodiment can be combined with, or integrated into, any of the embodiments described herein.  
      Referring to  FIG. 9A , electronic circuitry and visual features defining one embodiment of the present invention are shown. In this exemplary embodiment, a plurality of electronics is provided in at least one of the front cover, back cover or divider panel  905 . The plurality of electronics are embedded in a layer within the front cover, back cover, or divider cover, as in layer  416 A of  FIG. 4A  or layers  416 B or  417 B of  FIG. 4B .  
      The electronics circuit is comprised of an integrated circuit (IC)  910 , at least one microphone, M 1 , at least one speaker, L 1 , a battery (B 1 ), a first power switch (S 1 ), an activation mechanism that initiates the recording of audio (R), a second power switch (S 2 ), and an activation mechanism that initiates the playback of audio (P). The recording activation mechanism, R, and playback activation mechanism, P, can be a button that provides the electrical contact to thereby switch, via S 1  or S 2 , the power on. The IC  910  is comprised of an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). The ASIC can be programmed to transmit signals that cause the microphone, M 1 , to begin receiving audio, to save the received audio signals in a memory, and to playback stored audio signals through speaker L 1 . The ASIC has inputs in communication with a first switch, S 1 , that is activated by a playback mechanism, P, and inputs in communication with a second switch, S 2 , that is activated by a record mechanism, R. The ASIC has outputs in communication with microphone, M 1 , and speaker, L 1 .  
      Operationally, when a user activates the record activation button R, it causes the switch S 2  to transmit power, originating from the battery B 1 , to the ASIC which, in turn, is programmed to cause the microphone, M 1 , to receive audio signals and transmit the signals to the ASIC for storage on a memory device preferably located on the IC  910 . When a user activates the playback activation button P, it causes the switch S 1  to transmit power, originating from the battery B 1 , to the ASIC which, in turn, is programmed to cause the memory device to transmit stored audio signals to speaker, L 1 , which then plays the stored audio. It should be appreciated that the microphone and speaker can be any type of microphone or speaker provided that it can incorporated into a folder structure and is sufficiently safe to use. The battery B 1  is preferably a button-type battery and may consist of a set of batteries connected in series to provide the required voltage to operate the ASIC.  
      Referring to  FIG. 9B , a display layer  925  with graphical designs is shown. In one embodiment, the display layer  925  comprises a speaker image  995  having a plurality of holes  996  through which audio can be transmitted from a speaker without muffling or interference by a display layer  925  structure. Additionally, the display layer  925  comprises a microphone image  990  having a plurality of holes  991  through which audio can be transmitted from a user to the microphone without muffling or interference by a display layer  925  structure.  
      Although the present invention has been particularly shown and described above with reference to five specific embodiments, it is anticipated that alterations and modifications thereof will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art. In particular, it should be appreciated that the individual design elements of each of the embodiments described herein can be mixed and matched, combined, or integrated in any manner to achieve a desired user experience. It is therefore intended that the following claims be interpreted as covering all such alterations and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.