GB2123197A

GB2123197A - Devices for displaying information

Info

Publication number: GB2123197A
Application number: GB08217176A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Peter Tinline
Original assignee: JOWETTS Ltd
Current assignee: JOWETTS Ltd
Priority date: 1982-06-14
Filing date: 1982-06-14
Publication date: 1984-01-25
Also published as: GB2123197B

Abstract

A device for displaying information comprises first and second superposed parts 2,3 formed of card or the like for carrying the information. Each part includes a movable flap 6,8 arranged so that the device can adopt either a first configuration wherein a second face (5) of the flap 6 is adjacent to the first face (12) of the flap 8 or a second configuration wherein the first face (4) of the flap 6 is adjacent the second face (13) of the flap 8. The information displayed by the device is different in each configuration. The device may be used as sales literature where a potential customer is invited to interchange the flaps 6,8 and tear off a reply card along lines 11. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to devices for displaying information This invention relates to a device for displaying information and is primarily, but not exclusively, concerned with such a device for use in direct selling techniques.

When marketing products by direct selling techniques, the suppliers of the products, such as wholesalers and manufacturers, distribute sales literature directly to their potential customers inviting them to purchase the products. This literature may be distributed, for example, by the postal services, by people specifically paid to deliver it through the potential customer's letterbox, or by being inserted into popular magazines likely to be bought by potential customers. The literature essentially includes an invitation to the potential customer to purchase the product and, with a view to encouraging the potential customer to accept the invitation, the supplier tries to make it as easy as possible for him to do so by, for example, enclosing prepaid reply cards or envelopes.In spite of this, however, the usual reaction of the vast majority of the receivers of the literature is to discard it without giving it much consideration.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a display device which can incorporate such sales literature in a manner such as to generate greater involvement by the potential customer with the result that he will respond to it in a more positive way.

According to the present invention there is provided a device for displaying information comprising : first and second superposed parts for carrying the information and formed of sheet material such that each part'has first and second faces wherein each part includes a flap such that the device may be caused to adopt either: a first configuration where the second face of the flap of the first part is adjacent to the first face of the flap of the second part and a second configuration where the first face of the flap of the first part is adjacent to the second face of the flap of the second part whereby the information displayed by the device is different depending upon whether the device is in the first configuration or the second configuration.

The device is particularly useful for direct selling techniques in which case the information carried by the device will include sales literature associated with the product which it is desired to market. In this case, the device as received by the potential customer will be in its first configuration in which when the potentia customer views it from the front, he will be able to see the information carried by the first face of the flap of the first part and also by the first face of the non-flap portion of the first part. This information on the front of the device will be such that it encourages the potential customer to cause the device to adopt its second configuration.In this second configuration, the flap of the second part will cover the flap of the first part so that the first face of the flap of the second part as well as the first face of the non-flap portion of the first part will be visible when the potential customer looks at the front of the device. The information carried by this first face of the flap of the second part can be such that it interacts with the information tarried by the first face of the non-flap portion of the first part in a matter such as to stimulate the customer into reacting positively to the invitation to purchase.

Ifdesired, appropriate information may be carried by the second face of the second part and bythe second face of the flap of the first part. In this case when the device is caused to adopt its second configuration from the first configuration there will also be a change in the information presented by the back of the device since the information on the second face of the flap of the first part will also be visible when the device is viewed from the back and thus this information can interact with the information on the second face of the second part.

If desired, the device may include a preprinted prepaid reply card which is adapted to be torn off by the potential customer and returned to the supplier in response to the invitation to purchase.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 7 is a plan view of the front of a devicein accordance with the present invention in its first configuration.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the back of the device of Figure 1 in its first configuration, Figure 3a is a partly schematic section along line Ill-Ill of Figure 1 when the device is in its first configuration, and Figure 4 is a partly schematic section corresponding to Figure 3 with the device in its second configuration.

Referring to the drawings, the device is constructed from a single piece of card folded at position 1 so that it is in the form of first and second superposed parts denoted by reference numerals 2 and 3, respectively. The first part 2 has a first face 4 and a second face 5. The first part 2 is provided with a generally rectangular flap 6 by means of a cut 7 extending around three sides of a rectangle. A score line (denoted by chain-dotted line 7a) is provided to facilitate folding of the flap (to be described hereinafter).

The second part 3 also includes a generally rectangular flap 8 formed by two parallel cuts 9 linked by cut 10 perpendicular thereto. A line of perforations 11 links the free end of second part 3 with those ends of cuts 9 which are nearest to the free end. Second part 2 includes a first face 12 and a second face 13 and the marginal portions of the first face 12 at the extremeties of the free end of the second part 3 are secured by adhesive 14 to the second face 5 of the first part 2.

Figures 1,2 and 3a show the device in its first configuration in which the second face of flap 6 and of the non-flap portion of the first part 2 is adjacent to the first face of flap 8 and of the non-flap portion of the second part 3. In its second configuration (Figure 3b) the first face 4 of the flap 6 is adjacent to the second face 13 of the flap 8. The device is caused to adopt this second configuration from the first configuration by folding the flap 6 about score line 7a so that it passes through the cut 10 in the second part 2. The cuts extending from the cut 10 towards position 1 assist in allowing the second part 3 to bend to facilitate the passage of the flap 6 through the cut 10 when the device is caused to adopt the second configuration.

The device is intended for use in the direct selling of a product and it carries information in the form of printed matter appropriate to the product. Thus, the first face 4 of the first part 2 will carry such matter both on the flap 6 and also on the non-flap portion.

Aiso, the second face 13 of the second part 3 will also include such matter both on flap 8 and on the non-flap portion. Moreover, the first face 12 of the flap 8 of the second part 3 includes matter related to the matter on the first face 4 of the first part 2 and the second face 5 of flap 6 includes matter related to the matter on the second face 13 of the second part 3.

When a potential customer views the device in its first configuration from the front, he can see the first face of the flap 6 and of the non-flap portion of the first part 2. When viewed from the rear, he can see the second face 13 of the flap 8 and of the non-flap portion of the second part 3 (Figure 3a).

With the device in its second configuration, the viewer from the front sees not only the first face 4 of the non-flap portion of the first part 2 but also the firstface 12 oftheflap8 of the second part 3. Much of the first face 4 of the flap 6 is hidden by flap 8.

Viewed from the rear, the potential customer can see the second face 13 of the non-flap portion of the second part 3 and also the second face 5 of the flap 6 of the first part 2. Much of the second face 13 of the flap 8 of the second part 3 is hidden by flap 6 (Figure 3b).

By suitably providing the faces of parts 2 and 3 with printed matter, a marked visual impact on the potential customer can be achieved when he causes the device to move its first configuration to its second configuration. For example, the first face 4 of the first part 2 may include matter such that when the device is in its first configuration and viewed from the front it attracts the interest of the potential customer and invites the interested potential customes to apply pressure to the first face 4 of the flap 6 to cause it to pass through the cut 10 in the second part 3 and thereby make the device adopt its second configuration.When the device is in this second configuration, the customer can see the matter on the first face 12 of the flap 8 of the second part 3 as well as the matter on the first face 4 of the nonflap portion of the first part 2 and the matter on face 12 of flap 8 can be chosen with a view to conditioning the potential customer to contact the suppliers with a view to his purchasing the products. This isfacili- tated in accordance with the present embodiment by arranging for the zone A B CD of the second part 3 (see Figure 2) of the device to be in the form of a preprinted prepaid reply card. Thus, the second face 13 of the second part 3 may carry, within the zone A B C D the name and address of the supplier and a reference to the prepaid postage licence of the supplier and the first face 12 of that zone may include spaces for the name and address of the customer for completion by him. Moreover, in such a case, the second face 5 of the flap 6 of the first part 2 may include matter inviting the potential customer to complete the prepaid reply card and post it to the suppliers. Thus, when the device is caused to adopt its second configuration and the potential customer looks at the device from the rear he will see that the device includes a prepaid reply card and will also see the invitation to complete and post it. The prepaid reply card can be readily detached from the remainder of the device by tearing along the dotted lines 11.

Claims

1. A device for displaying information comprising: first and second superposed parts for carrying the information and formed of sheet material such that each part has first and second faces wherein each part includes a flap such that the device may be caused to adopt either: a first configuration where the second face of the flap of the first part is adjacent to the first face of the flap of the second part and a second configuration where the first face of the flap of the first part is adjacent to the second face of the flap of the second part whereby the information displayed by the device is different depending upon whether the device is in the first configuration or the second configuration.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first face of the first part carries information both on the flap and on the non-flap portion and the first face of the second part carries information on the flap.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the second face of the first part carries information on the flap and the second face of the second part also carries information.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1,2 or 3 wherein one of the parts includes a score line separating the flap of the part from the remainder of the part to facilitate movement of the parts from one of the configurations to the other.

5. A device as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims wherein one of the parts includes a portion separated from the remainder of the part by perforations whereby said portion may be readily detached from the remainder of the part.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5 as appendant to claim 4 wherein said one of the parts is the other of the parts and said portion includes the flap of said other of the parts.

7. A device as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims wherein the flaps are generally rectangular in shape.

8. A device as claimed in anyone ofthe preceding claims wherein each part includes a single flap.

9. A device as claimed in claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings,