Folding business card

Abstract

The aim is to provide a folded business card that can contain a large amount of information compared to a single-sheet business card, can be manufactured cheaply and easily because most of the front and back surfaces of the paper are not covered with a pseudo-adhesive medium, and allows the recipient to reliably peel and unfold the large amount of information contained inside. [Solution] The problem is solved by a folded business card made of a foldable business card sheet consisting of three leaf pieces, a front leaf piece, a back leaf piece, and an internal leaf piece, which are connected laterally via at least a fold line, folded in a way that encloses the internal leaf piece, and the opposing surfaces of the front leaf piece and the internal leaf piece are detachably bonded together via a pseudo-adhesive medium.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a folded business card in which a plurality of pieces of paper are folded and stacked on top of each other.

Background Art

[0002] Conventional business cards simply have information printed on the front and back of a single sheet of paper, and only serve to convey limited general information to the recipient. However, recently, with the development of crimping (removable adhesion) technology, for example, a business card disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-297149 has been invented.

Prior Art Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The invention of the cited Document 1 is a business card in which a plurality of pieces of paper are folded and integrated by pseudo-adhering between opposing surfaces in a peelable manner, enabling a larger amount of information to be printed than before. The pieces of paper used as business cards can be cut out from other pieces of paper for sorting and storage.

[0005] To achieve peelable adhesion, the business card uses means such as interposing two or more films between opposing surfaces of the adhesive surface, or applying an adhesive mixed with a heat-sealing agent or a pressure-sensitive adhesive to the front and back surfaces of multiple pieces of paper. Therefore, since the multiple pieces of paper are firmly integrated, the recipient may mistake them for a conventional single-sided business card and discard them, or store them in a drawer without checking the information written inside.

[0006] Furthermore, the pseudo-adhesive material formed on each opposing surface is extremely expensive, making the cost per business card several times higher than conventional methods. This also raises concerns about cost-effectiveness when considering the aforementioned risks.

[0007] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a folded business card that can contain a large amount of information compared to a single-sheet business card, can be manufactured inexpensively and easily because most of the front and back surfaces of the paper pieces are not covered with a pseudo-adhesive medium, and allows the recipient to reliably peel and unfold the large amount of internal information contained therein. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, the folding business card of the present invention is characterized in that a folding business card sheet consisting of three leaf pieces, a front leaf piece, a back leaf piece, and an internal leaf piece, which are connected laterally via at least a fold line, is folded in a state that encloses the internal leaf piece, and the opposing surfaces of the front leaf piece and the internal leaf piece are detachably bonded via a pseudo-adhesive medium.

[0009] The width of each connected leaf segment does not necessarily have to be the same. Due to the difference in width, the vertical edges of the folded leaf segments will not coincide, resulting in steps or gaps. These steps or gaps at the edges serve as effective starting points that facilitate opening.

[0010] The materials used for the leaf-shaped components of the folding business card of the present invention can preferably include ordinary printing papers such as high-quality paper, matte paper, and coated paper, as well as synthetic paper, nonwoven fabric, and resin film sheets.

[0011] As the pseudo-adhesive medium used in the present invention, suitable media can be used, such as those used in the industry where UV varnish or emulsion-type adhesives are applied to the surface to be pseudo-adhered after printing, a method known as the varnishing method or post-gluing method; in the industry where natural rubber or synthetic rubber is applied to and impregnated onto the surface to be pseudo-adhered before printing, a method known as the pre-gluing method or pressure-sensitive paper; or in the industry where a film sheet for print lamination, in which a pseudo-adhesive layer is formed on one side of a substrate such as polyethylene terephthalate or biaxially oriented polypropylene, is irremovably coated onto the surface to be pseudo-adhered.

[0012] The aforementioned film methods include a full-surface bonding method in which the film is applied to the surface to be pseudo-bonded and then pseudo-bonded, as described above, and a sandwiching method in which two or more pre-pseudo-bonded film sheets are folded and sandwiched between opposing surfaces to be pseudo-bonded, and then bonded under predetermined conditions.

[0013] The folding business card of the present invention consists of three leaf pieces: a front leaf piece, a back leaf piece, and an internal leaf piece, which are connected laterally via a fold line. In the case of the three leaf pieces, the internal leaf piece is enclosed within the space between the opposing surfaces of the front leaf piece and the back leaf piece, which are folded in half, and the card is completed by pseudo-adhering the opposing surfaces of the front leaf piece and the internal leaf piece together.

[0014] In this case, the internal leaf fragments may be connected in multiple ways, and these multiple internal leaf fragments are folded in a known folding manner such as a roll fold or accordion fold, and then stored between the opposing surfaces of the front leaf fragment and the back leaf fragment. However, it is necessary that the front leaf fragment and the first internal leaf fragment connected to the back leaf fragment ultimately face each other when folded. Then, each folded leaf fragment is finally bonded together with the opposing surfaces of the front leaf fragment and the first internal leaf fragment by pseudo-adhesion to complete it as a single business card.

[0015] The folded business card, completed with the aforementioned configuration, will not unintentionally unfold due to the adhesion between the opposing surfaces, and will maintain its form as a single business card. However, since not all opposing surfaces are adhered together, the restorative force of the leaf-shaped pieces returning to their original flat state after folding prevents them from becoming a single, integrated piece, leaving a gap on the opening side. Therefore, the recipient can easily perceive that the business card they receive is not simply a single card, but rather multiple folded leaf-shaped pieces. Subsequently, the recipient, intrigued by the contents, will be tempted to peel away the pseudo-adhesive surfaces, and after peeling and unfolding, will examine the information hidden inside. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] Since the folding business card of the present invention is composed of multiple leaf-shaped pieces, it can transmit a large amount of information to the recipient compared to conventional business cards. Furthermore, the formation of the pseudo-adhesive medium requires only two leaf fragments, the surface leaf fragment and the internal leaf fragment, thus saving time and cost during the formation process. Furthermore, since most of the paper pieces are not covered on both sides with a pseudo-adhesive medium, they do not curl, making it easy to scribble on them with writing instruments such as pencils and ballpoint pens. Furthermore, its design stimulates the recipient's desire to open it, thus effectively delivering a highly useful advertising effect by reliably conveying the large amount of information contained within. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a common surface view of the foldable business cards J1 and J2 of the present invention. [Figure 2] (A) is a cross-sectional view of the folded business card J1 along line II in Figure 1, and (B) is a cross-sectional view along line II-II. [Figure 3] (A) is a front view of the foldable business card sheet S1, and (B) is a back view. [Figure 4] (A) is a cross-sectional view of the folded business card J2 along line II in Figure 1, and (B) is a cross-sectional view along line II-II. [Figure 5](A) is a front view of the folded business card sheet S2, and (B) is a back view. [Figure 6] It is a cross-sectional view when the built-in leaf pieces are increased, and a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the step of the opening seal.

Embodiment for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] In the following examples, a film form (full-surface adhesion) is adopted as the pseudo-adhesive medium, and it will be clearly described along with the drawings.

Example

[0019] [Folded Business Card J1] Figure 1 is a front view of the folded business card of the present invention. Since a plurality of leaf pieces are folded and overlapped, and finally it becomes a known business card state, the company logo, company name, position name, name, and company address and telephone number are described on its surface. Note that some information may also be described on the back side. Note that this drawing is a common drawing for two types of folded business cards J1 and J2 described below. The differences between the various business cards lie in the number of their leaf pieces and the folding structure. The following structures will be described in parallel with the manufacturing process from the unfolded view of the folded business card sheet.

[0020] Figure 1 shows the front and back of the folded business card J1 of the present invention. As shown in (A) of the figure, for example, the company name, position, name, postal code, address, etc. are described on the surface. Although nothing is described in (B) of the figure, various information may be described. As shown in Figure 2(A), the folded business card J1 of this embodiment is folded and overlapped from the third leaf piece 3 (front leaf piece), the first leaf piece 1 (built-in leaf piece), and the second leaf piece 2 (back leaf piece) along the fold lines 4 and 5. Note that the opposing surfaces between the third leaf piece 3 and the first leaf piece 1 are adhesively bonded in a peelable manner via a pseudo-adhesive film sheet G.

[0021] [Manufacturing Method of Folded Business Card J1] To make the configuration of the folded business card J1 of the present invention clearer, it will be clearly described below according to the manufacturing order. As shown in Figures 3(A) and (B), the foldable business card sheet S1 of the present invention consists of three sheets connected laterally via fold lines 4 and 5. The surface of the first sheet 1 and the back surface of the third sheet 3 are covered with a pseudo-adhesive film sheet G shown as halftones. The foldable business card sheet S1 is shown in a state cut to the finished dimensions, but it may be cut from a long sheet such as a business form printing or web printing, or from a sheet such as an offset printing. Furthermore, the printing plate may have one card printed on it, or multiple cards may be printed and then cut out later.

[0022] The foldable business card sheet S1 is initially folded along fold line 4 so that the back surfaces of the first leaf 1 and the second leaf 2 face each other. Next, it is folded along fold line 5 so that the back surface of the third leaf 3 and the surface of the folded first leaf 1 face each other, resulting in the state shown in Figures 2(A) and (B). In other words, the first leaf 1 is roll-folded so that it is wrapped around the second leaf 2 and the third leaf 3.

[0023] Furthermore, the third leaf segment 3 is designed to be narrower than the other leaf segments, so as shown in Figure 2(A), it forms a step with the first leaf segment 1 along the open edge. The surface of the first leaf segment 1 at the step portion is marked with "▲ Open from here" as shown in Figure 1(A).

[0024] The recipient of the folded business card J1, which has the configuration described above, will notice the bulge and space caused by the rebound force after folding on the unglued opposing surfaces of the tri-folded business card, and will realize that it is different from a conventional single-sheet business card. They can then use the aforementioned step as a starting point for opening the card, unfolding it into the original flat state of the folded business card sheet S1, and viewing the large amount of various information written inside. [Examples]

[0025] [Foldable Business Card J2] As shown in Figure 4(A), in this embodiment, the folded business card J2 has the fourth leaf 14 (front leaf), the second leaf 12 (internal leaf), the first leaf 11 (internal leaf), and the third leaf 13 (back leaf) folded and overlapped from top to bottom along fold lines 15, 16, and 17. The opposing surfaces of the fourth leaf 14 and the second leaf 12 are peelably bonded to each other via a pseudo-adhesive film sheet G.

[0026] [Manufacturing method for folding business cards J2] To clarify the structure of the folding business card J1 of the present invention, its manufacturing sequence will be explained below in an easy-to-understand manner. As shown in Figures 5(A) and (B), the foldable business card sheet S2 of the present invention consists of four sheets connected laterally via fold lines 15, 16, and 17. The surface of the second sheet 12 and the back surface of the fourth sheet 14 are covered with a pseudo-adhesive film sheet G shown as halftones. The foldable business card sheet S2 is shown in a state cut to the finished dimensions, but it may be cut from a long sheet such as a business form printing or web printing, or from a sheet such as an offset printing. Furthermore, the printing plate may have one card printed on it, or multiple cards may be printed and then cut out later.

[0027] The aforementioned folding business card sheet S2 is folded such that the first leaf 11 is initially positioned furthest inward, and is wrapped around the fold line by the other leaf pieces. In other words, it is roll-folded so that the first leaf 11 is wrapped around the three leaf pieces 3.

[0028] Furthermore, since the fourth leaf segment 14 is designed to be narrower than the other leaf segments, it forms a step with the second leaf segment 12 along the open edge, as shown in Figure 4(A). The surface of the second leaf segment 12 at the step portion is marked with "▲ Open from here," as shown in Figure 1(A).

[0029] The recipient of the folded business card J2, which has the configuration described above, will notice the bulge and space caused by the rebound force after folding on the unadhesive opposing surface of the rolled-up business card, and will realize that it is different from a conventional single-sheet business card. They can then use the aforementioned step as a starting point for opening the card, unfolding it into the original flat state of the folded business card sheet S2, and visually inspect the large amount of various information written inside.

[0030] However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, as shown in Figure 6, even when five leaflets—the upper leaflet 21, the lower leaflet 22, the first internal leaflet 23, and internal leaflets 24 and 25—are connected, the other internal leaflets can be folded so that they are enclosed between the opposing surfaces of the first internal leaflet 23 and the lower leaflet 22. There are no particular restrictions on how the other internal leaflets are folded in this case. Ultimately, it is sufficient that the upper leaflet 21 and the first internal leaflet 23 are facing each other. Furthermore, there are no particular restrictions on the width of each leaf segment. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the upper leaf segment 21 may be made wider than the third leaf segment 23 to create a step that differs from that of the above embodiment and can serve as a starting point for peeling. Furthermore, as a starting point for delamination, even when there is no step and the end surface is flush, a similar effect can be obtained by refraining from forming the pseudo-adhesive medium from the end surface to create a non-adhesive area, and in that case, it is even more effective when used in combination with a step. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] J1, J2 Foldable Business Cards S1, S2 Foldable Business Card Sheets G Simulated adhesive film sheet 1, 2, 3, 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 leaf pieces Fold lines 4, 5, 15, 16, 17, 26, 27, 28, 29

Claims

1. A foldable business card characterized in that a foldable business card sheet consisting of three leaf pieces, an outer leaf piece, an inner leaf piece, and an internal leaf piece, which are connected laterally at least via a fold line, is folded in a manner that encloses the internal leaf piece, and the opposing surfaces of the outer leaf piece and the internal leaf piece are detachably bonded via a pseudo-adhesive medium.

2. A foldable business card according to claim 1, characterized in that multiple internal leaf fragments are connected, and after folding, the opposing surfaces of the first internal leaf fragment connected to the surface leaf fragment are detachably bonded via a pseudo-adhesive medium.

Images