Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02799031 2012-12-18
CARD WITH PEELABLE INFORMATION STICKER
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to cards for storing and disseminating information.
Background of the Invention
The use of small cards to store and disseminate information is widely known
and practised. For
example, it is a widespread practice to apply business-related information to
a wallet-sized card
for distribution as a marketing tool, known as business cards. Wallet-sized
cards have also
achieved widespread use as certificates verifying completion of training
courses such as safety
training courses, for example first aid courses or hazardous materials
handling courses.
While the widespread use of small information-bearing cards has become
commonplace, it is
also widely acknowledged that such cards become a burden to store. This is
particularly the case
with training course certificates, where an increasing number of such cards
can inhibit their
storage on the worker's person, which storage was the justification for using
a small card format
in the first place. This is true in the case of standard business cards, as
well, where the
accumulation of numerous cards becomes a burden and the cards are often either
thrown away or
stored and subsequently forgotten, thereby defeating the promotional/marketing
rationale for
their use.
Another problem has been identified with certification cards, namely that they
are stored on the
worker's person but not displayed. For a foreman or site manager, it would be
advantageous to
have a visible indicator showing that a particular worker has the required
training for a given
task, and that such training is up-to-date. Even where cards are small enough
to he stored on the
person. such information is not visible to the foreman or site manager.
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It is clear, therefore, that the purposes for which wallet-sized cards were
developed are
sometimes defeated by the limitations of the standard and customary format
that has achieved
widespread application.
What is needed, therefore, is a new approach to small information-bearing
cards that better
serves the information dissemination purposes underlying their use.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention therefore seeks to provide a novel card structure that
addresses the need
for both compact storage form and information visibility.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an
information-bearing card
comprising first and second layers, the upper surface of the first layer in
contact with the lower
surface of the second layer. The lower surface of the second layer has
adhesive functionality,
either an inherent quality of the material or an applied adhesive coating, and
is thereby
removably adhered to the upper surface of the first layer. The second layer
comprises at least
one discrete peelable portion which is detachable from the remainder of the
second layer and can
he separated from the first layer, leaving any remaining second layer in
contact with the first
layer. The peelable portion is provided with visual indicia. The lower portion
of the first layer is
also preferably provided with visual indicia.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is a provided a
method for
manufacturing an information-bearing card, the method comprising the steps of:
a. providing first and second layers, the second layer having adhesive
functionality;
h. applying visual indicia to the second layer;
c. adhering the second layer to the first layer; and
d. cutting a peelable portion from the second layer such that the peelable
portion comprises
at least a part of the visual indicia.
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According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a
method for using an
information-bearing card, the method comprising the steps of:
a. providing an information card in accordance with the second aspect;
b. peeling the peelable portion away from the information-bearing card;
c. applying the peelable portion to a surface for display; and
d. optionally storing the remainder of the information-bearing card.
In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the adhesive functionality
may be present in
the lower surface of the second layer as a whole or only in the lower surface
of the peelable
1.0 portion. The peelable portion can be of any desired shape enabled by
the selected manufacturing
method, or it may comprise the entire second layer. The peelable portion may
be colour-coded
to indicate, for example, training levels. The peelable portion may be wholly
or partially opaque,
and may be provided with groove cuts for adhering to a rounded surface. The
visual indicia is
preferably a text or design feature providing information, for example
promotional information
or information relating to training certification. The visual indicia on the
lower surface of the
first layer may include course information, certification expiry date, and
instructor signature.
The first layer may be composed of paper card stock or plastic. In the method
of manufacture,
the cutting can be die-cutting undertaken before or after connection of the
first and second layers.
A detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention is
given in the
following. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be
construed as being
limited to these embodiments.
Brief Description of the Drawings
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the
present
invention:
Figure la is a side elevation view of a sticker card according_ to the present
invention;
Figure lb is a top plan view of the sticker card of Figure la;
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CA 02799031 2012-12-18
Figure I c is a bottom plan view of the sticker card of Figure la;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the sticker card of Figure 1 a;
Figure 3a is a first example of sticker card visual indicia according to the
present
invention;
Figure 3b is a second example of sticker card visual indicia according to the
present
invention;
Figure 3c is a third example of sticker card visual indicia according to the
present
invention; and
Figure 4 is a side elevation view of a sticker applied to a safety helmet.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described with
reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiments
Turning to Figures la to lc and 2, a card 10 according to the present
invention is illustrated,
specifically in the illustrated embodiment a business card providing
marketing/promotional
information. The card 10 comprises a first layer 12 and a second layer 14. The
first layer 12
comprises an upper surface 16 and a lower surface IS. and the second layer 14
comprises an
upper surface 20 and a lower surface 22. The upper surface 16 of the first
layer 12 is in contact
with the lower surface 22 of the second layer 14.
The lower surface 22 of the second layer 14 is provided with an adhesive
coating 24, which
adheres the first and second layers 12, 14. The second layer 14 comprises a
peelable portion or
sticker 26, which is defined by and separated from the rest of the second
layer 14 due to die-cut
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edges 32. As can be seen in Figure lc, the lower surface 18 of the first layer
12 is provided with
visual indicia 30, which in the illustrated embodiment comprises business and
marketing/promotional information in text and design form. Likewise, as can he
seen in Figure
lb, the upper surface 20 of the second layer 14 is provided with visual
indicia 28, which in the
illustrated embodiment comprises business and marketing/promotional
information in text and
design form. As will be obvious, the visual indicia 28, 30 can provide any
desired information
adapted to suit a particular application, depending on the size of the card
10.
As the sticker 26 is defined by and separated from the rest of the second
layer 14 by die-cut
edges 32, the sticker 26 can be peeled away from the first layer 12 while
leaving the remainder
of the second layer 14 in place against the first layer 12. The sticker 26 is
illustrated as
accounting for approximately half of the surface area of the second layer 14,
but in certain
embodiments it could comprise the entire second layer 14. The sticker 26 can
be fully opaque,
or it can be partially opaque (for the visual indicia 28) and partially
transparent, as desired.
Depending on the manufacturing method employed, such as but not limited to die-
cutting, the
sticker 26 can be one of many different shapes; for example, the sticker 26
could be produced in
the shape of a forklift to provide further visual impact and clarity of
communication as to the
nature of the information being provided. In addition, ,one can colour-code
the sticker 26; for
example, a four-year journeyman could be provided with a sticker 26 that is
blue (indicating a.
journeyman level of competence and qualification in the particular technical
field) with a number
"4" printed thereon to indicate the year level.
Turning now to Figures 3a to 3c and 4, embodiments of the present invention
are illustrated that
are directed to a card 10 comprising training certification information. In
Figure 3a, a card 10 is
illustrated where the first and second layers 12, 14 are provided with
information relating to
safety training certification, specifically CPR and First Aid training.
In the illustrated
embodiment, the first and second layers 12, 14 show the company name 34 and
logo 36, and the
first layer 12 includes more detailed company information 46, which can be
customized for a
particular company but is illustrated in generic form. The second layer 14
comprises two
stickers, one a CPR sticker 38 and the other a First Aid sticker 40, each with
a visual indication
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of the certification/training entity. Each of the stickers 38, 40 also
includes a month 42 and year
44 indicator, which can be used to indicate the start or expiry date of the
certification; the month
indicator 42 is shown as single letters representing months, but full month
names could be used
where space permits. The first layer 12 is also shown as providing detailed
information 48 on
the certification/training entity and the nature of certification. In use, for
example, a worker may
have completed CPR training but not First Aid training; in that ease, the
instructor would provide
the card 10 and mark or punch the appropriate month 42 and year 44 indicators
on the CPR
sticker 38, but would withhold the First Aid sticker 40. The worker would then
peel the sticker
38 from the card 10 and apply it to their safety helmet or visible pass card,
and the remainder of
1.0 the card 10 could be retained in their wallet or pocket or elsewhere as
desired. The sticker 38 is
shown as being provided with a groove cut 66, which allows the sticker 38 to
be better formed to
a rounded surface such as the outer surface of a safety helmet.
In Figure 3b, a card 10 is illustrated where the first and second layers 12,
1.4 are provided with
in formation relating to training certification, specifically equipment
operation and First Aid. The
second layer 14 is provided with three stickers, in particular a forklift
operator sticker 50, a First
Aid training sticker 52 and a loader operator sticker 54, again with month and
year indicators as
discussed above. The first layer 12 is provided with signature lines 56 for
the certifying
instructor, such that the instructor could select which courses had been
successfully completed
and sign on those lines 56. As has been described elsewhere herein, the
stickers 50, 52, 54 could
then be displayed in a manner visible to foremen or site managers, while the
card 10 could be
retained in the worker's wallet with the instructor signatures.
In Figure 3c, a card 10 is illustrated where the first and second layers 12,
14 are provided with
information relating to safety and equipment training certification. As with
Figure 3b, stickers
58 are used to indicate the particular training completed, with text labels 60
on the second layer
14 to provide residual information as to which stickers had been removed.
Finally. Figure 4 illustrates a sticker 64 applied to a safety helmet 62,
where groove cuts 66 have
been used to allow the sticker 64 to better conform to the rounded shape of
the outer surface of
the safety helmet 62. Note that the sticker 64 has had the May month indicator
and 2014 year
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indicator blacked out to indicate the expiry date of the forklift training
certification. After the
sticker 64 has been applied to the safety helmet 62 and therefore made visible
to any site
officials, the remainder of the card 10 may be retained on the worker's person
or stored
elsewhere until needed.
Cards according to the present invention can be manufactured using known
techniques, and most
particularly die-cutting techniques. In particular, it is within the general
knowledge to die-cut
sticker edges in only the second layer even after the first and second layers
have been adhered
together. Various card stocks are possible for use within the scope of the
invention, including
plastic for the first layer. The die-cutting of stickers may include the
provision of groove cuts in
a "V" shape, as is shown in Figures 3a and 4, where after peeling of the
sticker the sides of the
"V" are brought together when applying the sticker to a rounded surface such
as the outer surface
of a safety helmet to avoid puckering of the sticker edges.
As can be readily seen, then, there are numerous advantages provided by the
present invention.
First, in the case of a business card, a sticker can be used to introduce
additional
marketing/promotional value by providing an item that can be applied to a
surface. thereby not
requiring retention of the rest of the business card. Second, where the card
is used for training
certification purposes, the worker can apply the relevant stickers to their
safety helmet, pass card
or other exterior surface for enhanced visibility and store the remainder of
the card at a remote
location for future reference without requiring on-person storage. The first
layer could also be
provided with a QR code to enable scanning and access to additional online
information. Other
advantages and benefits of the present invention will be obvious to those
skilled in the relevant
art.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the
invention. Thus, while
certain aspects and embodiments of the invention have been described, these
have been
presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of
the invention. The
scope of the claims should not be limited by the exemplary embodiments set
forth in the
foregoing, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the
specification as a
whole.
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