US-12626615-B2 - Pop-up scene with integrated lock

US12626615B2US 12626615 B2US12626615 B2US 12626615B2US-12626615-B2

Abstract

A foldable paper décor item that includes a pop-up with integrated lock structure. The item can be folded flat for mailing or storage and then unfolded to place on display. The pop-up contains an integrated lock structure that is also part of the scenic display. The foldable paper display item can be reused many times over.

Inventors

Charles Robert Kelly

Assignees

AMERICAN GREETINGS CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240530

Claims (9)

1 . A foldable paper décor item with integrated lock comprising: a base panel; a pop-up structure attached to the base panel; and a miniature pop-up structure attached to the base panel; and wherein moving the foldable paper décor item from a closed position to an open position causes the pop-up structure and miniature pop-up structure to rise out of the plane of the base and assume a three-dimensional configuration, with the miniature pop-up structure becoming a decorative element of the pop-up structure and retaining the entire foldable paper décor item in the open position.
2 . The foldable paper décor item of claim 1 wherein a second pop-up structure is attached to the base.
3 . The foldable paper décor item of claim 2 , wherein the two pop-up structures and miniature pop-up structure create a scenic display.
4 . The foldable paper décor item of claim 1 wherein one or more decorative paper items are attached to the base.
5 . The foldable paper décor item of claim 2 , wherein the base panel, the first and second pop-up structures, and the miniature pop-up structure are made of a recyclable material.
6 . A foldable paper décor item comprising: a base panel; a first pop-up structure attached directly to the base panel; a second pop-up structure attached directly to the base panel and to the first pop-up structure; a third pop-up structure attached directly to the base panel; wherein the first, second, and third pop-up structures comprise a plurality of panels and are moveable between a first, substantially flat position and a second, upright position; and wherein the third pop-up structure is also a lock mechanism that engages with the first pop-up structure to retain the foldable paper décor item in the second position.
7 . The foldable paper décor item of claim 6 , wherein the first, second, and third pop-up structures create a scene.
8 . A foldable paper décor item comprising: a singular, planar base panel; a pop-up structure and a miniature pop-up structure, which are each attached to the base panel and which are each comprised of a plurality of panels; wherein opening the foldable paper décor item causes the pop-up structure and miniature pop-up structure to rise out of the plane of the base panel and assume a three-dimensional configuration; and wherein when the foldable paper décor item is in the open position, the miniature pop-up structure interlocks with the pop-up structure to maintain the entire foldable paper décor item in the open position.
9 . The foldable paper décor item of claim 8 , wherein base panel, pop-up structure and miniature pop-up structure are made of a recyclable material.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS There are no applications related to this application. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A foldable paper décor item with integrated lock including a base panel, a pop-up structure attached to the base panel that is moveable between a first position, wherein it is substantially flat and folded, and a second position, wherein it is unfolded and upright, and a lock mechanism attached to the base panel that is moveable between a first position, wherein it is substantially flat and folded, and a second position, wherein it is unfolded and upright. The lock mechanism also makes up part of the pop-up structure. A foldable paper décor item including a base panel, a first pop-up structure attached to the base panel, and a second pop-up structure attached to the base panel. The first and second pop-up structures are moveable between a first, substantially flat position and a second, upright position, and the second pop-up structure is also a lock mechanism that retains the foldable paper décor item in the second position. A foldable paper décor item including a base panel, a first pop-up structure, a second pop-up structure, and a locking mechanism. The first and second pop-up structures and the locking mechanism are moveable between a first position, wherein they are substantially flat and folded, and a second position, wherein they are upright and unfolded, and the locking mechanism interconnects with the first or second pop-up structure to form a scene and to retain the first and second pop-up structure in the second position. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the pop-up scene with integrated lock, in an open, locked position. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pop-up scene with integrated lock of FIG. 1, in a first transitional position. FIG. 2A is a close up view of the lock mechanism of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the pop-up scene with integrated lock of FIG. 1, in a second transitional position. FIG. 4 is a view of the pop-up scene with integrated lock of FIG. 3, from the direction of arrows 4-4. FIG. 5 is a view of the pop-up scene with integrated lock of FIG. 4, from the direction of arrows 5-5. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the pop-up scene with integrated lock of FIG. 1, in a third transitional position. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the pop-up scene with integrated lock of FIG. 1, in a substantially closed or folded position. FIG. 8 is a top-down view of a base panel. FIG. 9 is a top down view of a first inner pop-up and a platform panel. FIG. 10 is a front view of a first outer pop-up panel. FIG. 11 is a top down view of a second pop-up panel. FIG. 12 is a top down view of a roof panel. FIG. 13 is a front view of a locking mechanism. FIGS. 14-17 are front views of various secondary panels. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present disclosure and related inventions include a foldable paper décor pop-up item (hereinafter referred to as “foldable paper décor item”) 100 that is able to move between a first or flat position, for storage or mailing, and a second or fully unfolded, three-dimensional (3D) position, for display. The foldable paper décor item 100 includes a base panel BP, one or more pop-up structures POP, and an integrated lock mechanism (hereinafter referred to interchangeably as the “lock”, “lock mechanism”, or “locking mechanism”) LM. The lock mechanism LM can move between a first position, wherein it is folded flat, and a second position, where it is in an unfolded, upright position. When the lock mechanism LM is in the second position, it retains the foldable paper décor item 100 in the second or fully unfolded position. The lock mechanism LM also serves as a part of the scene or display presented by the foldable paper décor item 100. The lock mechanism LM can continuously be moved between the first and second positions. The foldable paper décor item 100 is reusable and can be used from season-to-season. It takes up minimal storage space and it also does not have any loose or unattached parts that can inadvertently be lost or destroyed. It can also be easily gifted by placing it into the first, folded flat position, inserting it into an envelope and giving or mailing to a recipient. The foldable, unitary, and reusable nature of the foldable paper décor item 100 makes it a novel décor or gift item. The foldable paper décor item 100 described herein and shown in the drawings is a foldable paper train station. However, this particular embodiment is being used as an exemplary embodiment to describe and depict the essential portions of the invention, and nothing written herein or shown in the drawings is intended to limit the invention in any way. The example embodiment may contain more features than other embodiments or fewer features than other embodiments, however all embodiments will share a set of fundamental features. Also, while the term “paper” has been described herein with respect to the invention, it s