Folded Gift Card with Printed Track and Sensor Vehicle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transaction products, such as gift cards, lack additional functionality beyond their primary purpose of facilitating purchases, failing to provide engaging experiences that could enhance consumer interaction and brand promotion.
Innovation Solution
A transaction product assembly that includes a folded sheet with a printed track and an auxiliary vehicle equipped with sensors and a motor, allowing the vehicle to move along the track, providing an entertaining feature while maintaining transactional functionality through a linked account identifier.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a transaction product (gift card) is made simple and compact for easy storage and handling, then ease of operation is improved, but functional versatility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The gift card is segmented into a compact card portion and a separate extended sheet portion that can be unfolded. The card portion maintains simplicity for easy storage and handling, while the extended sheet portion provides additional functional elements (track, vehicle, writing surface) when unfolded, resolving the contradiction between compactness and versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The gift card transitions from a static compact form to a dynamic multi-functional form when unfolded. The sheet can be folded back to a compact state for storage and unfolded to reveal additional features, allowing the product to adapt between simple storage mode and versatile interaction mode.
2Adaptability or versatility
If additional functional features (vehicle, track, writing surface) are added to the transaction product, then functional versatility is improved, but device complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The additional features (vehicle, track, writing surface) are segmented onto a separate extended sheet portion rather than being integrated into the main card structure. This segmentation allows the features to be added without proportionally increasing the complexity of the core transaction product, as the sheet can be independently handled and folded.
Solution Approach 2:
The extended sheet portion with additional features is nested within or attached to the compact card portion. When folded, the sheet nests alongside or within the card structure, maintaining a compact overall form factor while preserving the additional functional elements when unfolded.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the sheet is made extendable to provide additional features, then functional versatility is improved, but length of moving object deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sheet transitions dynamically between a compact folded state (short length) and an extended unfolded state (long length). This dynamic transformation allows the product to provide additional features when needed while maintaining a short length for storage and handling when the features are not in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The extendable features are segmented onto a separate sheet portion that can be independently folded and unfolded. This segmentation allows the length to be extended only when the additional features are needed, while the main card portion maintains its original compact dimensions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances consumer engagement and brand promotion by offering an amusing experience while maintaining the ability to make purchases, encouraging repeat use and reinforcing brand awareness.
Implementation Method 1
The microcontroller actuates the motor to induce movement of the at least one movable component in a manner propelling the auxiliary vehicle along
Implementation Method 2
based on detection of a location of the printed track as determined by the one or more sensors
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly includes a transaction product and an auxiliary vehicle. The transaction product includes a folded sheet configured to be repeatedly folded and unfolded between a collapsed position and an extended position. The folded sheet defines a substantially planar surface defining a printed track. The transaction product comprises an account identifier statically connected thereto. The account identifier links the transaction product to at least one of an account and a record and is machine readable by a point-of-sale terminal. The auxiliary vehicle includes a microcontroller, one or more sensors, a motor, and at least one movable component. The microcontroller actuates the motor to induce movement of the at least one movable component propelling the auxiliary vehicle along and following the printed track based on detection of a location of the printed track as determined by the one or more sensors.