U.S. patent application number 12/709568 was filed with the patent office on 2010-08-26 for methods and apparatus for prepaid card packaging and activation.
This patent application is currently assigned to Oberthur Technologies of America Corp.. Invention is credited to James Robert Swain.
Application Number | 20100213092 12/709568 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42138933 |
Filed Date | 2010-08-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100213092 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Swain; James Robert |
August 26, 2010 |
Methods and Apparatus for Prepaid Card Packaging and Activation
Abstract
Techniques for providing cost effective and tamper evident
prepaid card packaging are described. By forming a tear strip in a
panel of the prepaid card packaging and aligning an activation bar
code or other indicia on the card with the tear strip when mounting
the card within the packaging, the security of the activation
indicia can be maintained until after purchase. After purchase,
access can be achieved by tearing away the tear strip and the card
can be activated in a secure manner. Because the activation indicia
is maintained secure until after purchase, if desired a single
number, for example, a card account number can be used to identify
both the card account and to activate the card.
Inventors: |
Swain; James Robert; (South
Riding, VA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PRIEST & GOLDSTEIN PLLC
5015 SOUTHPARK DRIVE, SUITE 230
DURHAM
NC
27713-7736
US
|
Assignee: |
Oberthur Technologies of America
Corp.
Chantilly
VA
|
Family ID: |
42138933 |
Appl. No.: |
12/709568 |
Filed: |
February 22, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61155334 |
Feb 25, 2009 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
206/459.5 ;
206/460; 53/412; 53/416; 53/492 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 75/5833 20130101;
B65D 73/0078 20130101; B65D 2203/06 20130101; B65D 27/34 20130101;
B65D 75/20 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/459.5 ;
206/460; 53/412; 53/416; 53/492 |
International
Class: |
B65D 73/00 20060101
B65D073/00; B65D 85/00 20060101 B65D085/00; B65B 15/00 20060101
B65B015/00; B65B 51/02 20060101 B65B051/02; B65B 69/00 20060101
B65B069/00 |
Claims
1. A tamper evident card carrier comprising: a bi-panel having a
fold line with a first panel to one side of the fold line and a
second panel to the other side of the fold line, the first panel
having an area reserved for a product literature insert on an
inside face and the second panel having an area reserved for a card
located within a region on an inside face; and a glue area
extending inward from the edges of the second panel, wherein a tear
strip is formed in the second panel.
2. The tamper evident card carrier of claim 1 wherein the fold line
is scored.
3. The tamper evident card carrier of claim 1 wherein the glue area
is at least 0.5'' wide.
4. The tamper evident card carrier of claim 1 wherein a gift card
is attached to the area for a card with fugitive glue or a double
sided sticky label; and a product literature insert is attached to
the area for a product literature insert.
5. The tamper evident card carrier of claim 4 wherein glue is
applied to the glue area, the bi-panel is folded about the fold
line, and the glue is activated to form a tamper evident seal which
is at least 0.5'' wide.
6. The tamper evident card carrier of claim 1 wherein a card has an
activation indicia which is aligned with the tear strip when it is
mounted on the second panel within the area reserved for the card
and which is accessed for purposes of activating the card by
tearing away the tear strip.
7. A method for making a tamper evident card carrier comprising:
forming a hi-panel having a fold line with a first panel to one
side of the fold line and a second panel to the other side of the
fold line, the first panel having an area reserved for a product
literature insert on an inside face and the second panel having an
area reserved for a card located within a region on an inside face;
and a glue area extending inward from the edges of the second
panel, wherein a tear strip is formed in the second panel.
8. The method of claim 7 further comprising: scoring the fold
line.
9. The method of claim 7 further comprising: applying glue to the
glue area and wherein the glue area is at least 0.5'' wide.
10. The method of claim 7 further comprising: gluing a gift card to
the area for a card with fugitive glue; and gluing a product
literature insert to the area for a product literature insert with
fugitive glue.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising: applying glue to the
glue area; folding the bi-panel about the fold line; and activating
the glue to form a tamper evident seal which is at least 5''
wide.
12. The method of claim 7 further comprising: aligning an
activation indicia on a gift card with the tear strip and mounting
the gift card on the gift card carrier in the area reserved for the
card.
13. A method of activating a prepaid gift card comprising: tearing
away a tear strip from a package containing the prepaid gift card
subsequent to its purchase to reveal an activation indicia;
obtaining identifying information from the activation indicia;
communicating the identifying information; processing the
identifying information; and activating the prepaid gift card.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the activation indicia is a bar
code and said step of obtaining comprises scanning the bar code
with a bar code scanner.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of communicating
further comprises transmitting the identifying information in an
encrypted format.
Description
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to improvements in
prepaid card packaging and activation, and more particularly to
advantageous aspects of packaging of prepaid cards in a tamper
evident manner to reduce fraud.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] As prepaid cards have become more and more prevalent,
techniques for cost effectively packaging such cards in a tamper
evident manner are highly desirable. While a wide variety of
previous approaches have been tried, many such approaches have
failed to provide the right balance of features. For example, a
highly secure package may be too hard to open by a legitimate
customer after purchase, too expensive or both. A very cost
effective package may be too susceptible to fraud.
[0003] Additionally, according to one aspect of many prepaid card
systems, a bar code is scanned utilizing a bar code scanner at the
time of sale of the card as part of the activation process for the
card. Where the bar code is externally on the card packaging it is
publicly accessible and potentially subject to attack. Similarly in
another prepaid card system, the bar code is on the card and is
visible through an aperture in the card packaging as shown and
described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,777,305, for example. In such an
approach, the bar code is again publicly visible and accessible and
is potentially subject to fraud attempts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] To such ends, as well as to address other issues addressed
further below, one aspect of the present invention addresses a
bi-panel having a fold line with a first panel to one side of the
fold line and a second panel to the other side of the fold line,
the first panel having an area which may suitably be employed to
support a product literature insert on an inside face, and the
second panel having an area reserved for a card located within a no
glue region on an inside face; and a glue area between the no glue
area and the edges of the second panel. The card has a magnetic
stripe and a bar code or other indicia on the back surface which
faces the second panel.
[0005] As discussed in greater detail below, the second panel
advantageously employs a tear off strip which at the time of
activation is torn away by the sales person as part of the
activation process. With the tear strip torn away, access is
provided to the bar code or other indicia which is aligned with the
tear strip when it is mounted. The bar code is then scanned as part
of the activation process.
[0006] A more complete understanding of the present invention, as
well as other features and advantages of the invention, will be
apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying
drawings, and the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 shows an open card carrier blank supporting a terms
and conditions booklet and gift card which when glued shut forms a
gift card carrier in accordance with a first embodiment of the
invention;
[0008] FIG. 2 shows inside details of card carrier blank of FIG. 1
without the terms and conditions booklet and gift card;
[0009] FIG. 3 shows details of one embodiment of a tear off strip
and the outside of the card carrier blank of FIGS. 1 and 2;
[0010] FIG. 4 shows the inside of an open card carrier blank
utilized to form a gift card carrier in accordance with a second
embodiment of the invention;
[0011] FIG. 5 shows a method for making a card carrier in
accordance with the present invention; and
[0012] FIG. 6 shows a method of card activation in accordance with
the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] FIG. 1 shows the inside of a card carrier blank utilized to
form a gift card carrier 100 in accordance with a first embodiment
of the present invention. More specifically, FIG. 1 shows a
bi-panel arrangement in which a first panel 110 and a second panel
120 are folded about a centerline 130 and glued shut to form a gift
card carrier as described in further detail below. Illustrative
dimensions are included in FIG. 1 for the gift card carrier 100 for
use with a gift card which is the size of a standard credit card.
Presently preferred materials for carrier 100 are 8 point or 12
point white paper having a nominal thickness of 0.008'' or 0.012'',
respectively. It will be recognized that other dimensions may be
suitably employed for cards having other dimensions and that
materials other than paper may be suitably employed.
[0014] First panel 110 has a rectangular area 112 where a terms and
condition pamphlet or other product literature insert 10 may be
suitably attached with fugitive glue, for example, which allows the
pamphlet or insert to be readily removed by a customer that
purchases the gift card upon opening the carrier 100. First panel
110 also includes a first smaller hangtag cutout 114.
[0015] Second panel 120 has a first rectangular area 122 where a
gift card 20 is suitably attached with fugitive glue, a double
sided sticky label, or glue dots for example, allowing the gift
card to be readily detached from the carrier once a customer has
purchased the gift card and opened the carrier 100. A second area
124 is a tolerance area within which the gift card may be
acceptably mounted. In FIG. 1, card 20 is shown centered within the
tolerance area 124. A third area 126 defines a no glue region.
Third area 126 is larger than the acceptable card placement area
124 so that a no glue buffer surrounds the card 20. Second panel
120 also includes a second larger hangtag cutout 128.
[0016] In this embodiment, glue is adhered or otherwise applied in
a glue zone 123 which comprises around the edges of both panels 110
and 120. In one approach, the glue is applied everywhere except the
glue free zones with a glue applicator as part of the process of
printing the card carrier with any text, such as the manufacturer's
name or logo, the card company, name, logo and the like, or any
other printed text, advertising materials and the like that are
desired to be printed on the carrier 100.
[0017] Then, the gift card 20 is attached to the panel 120, and the
pamphlet or product literature insert 10 is attached to panel 110.
The panels are folded together about centerfold line 130 like a
clamshell so that the cutouts 114 and 128 form a hangtag opening
for hanging the gift card sealed in the carrier 100 for display.
Where glue applied during printing is utilized, heat and pressure
are applied to activate the glue and to seal the panels 110 and 120
together The seal formed is preferably at least 0.5'' wide and even
more preferably is approximately 0.625'' wide which is the case
when glue is applied everywhere except the glue free zones. In a
second approach, after the booklet and card are attached, hot melt
glue is applied to one or both of the panels 110 and 120 in a bead
or in dots with a pressure gun applicator. Where hot melt glue is
employed, the closed carrier is rolled between rollers as the glue
cools and sets so that the glue is applied uniformly and a wide
area seal is formed.
[0018] FIG. 2 shows the inside front and inside back of panels 110
and 120 of the card carrier blank without the terms and conditions
pamphlet 10 and without the gift card 20. Lines 127 and 129 serve
as alignment aids for the proper mounting of product literature
insert 10 and card 20, respectively. A half cut 140 is on the
outside of the card carrier blank to facilitate folding during
manufacture of the gift card carrier 100. A parentheses cut 150 is
scored in panel 120.
[0019] FIG. 3 shows the outside front and outside back of panels
110 and 120 of the card carrier blank and illustrates details of a
tear strip 160 in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention. In the embodiment shown, the tear off strip 160 is
scored through the panel 120 of the card carrier blank. This tear
off strip 160 may be utilized during card activation to access an
activation reference code, such as a bar code to be scanned by a
bar code scanner, as discussed further below. In addition to tear
off strip 160, security cuts, such as cuts 170, can be added to
further improve tamper evidence.
[0020] As further seen in FIG. 3, upon assembly of the carrier 100,
an external opening tab 162 can be pulled by a sales person to tear
off the tear strip 160 to get access to the bar code on the gift
card sealed inside. When the card 20 is properly mounted, the bar
code on the card 20 aligns with the tear strip 160. A slot or
opening 164 around tab 160 allows the sales person to readily grasp
the tab 162. It also creates a vent which allows internal air to
escape upon a change of temperature, pressure or the like without
damaging the seal. Finally, it also allows a simple visual
confirmation that a card is contained in the carrier 100. It will
be recognized that alternative slots may be employed to provide
pressure release, such as the simple parentheses shaped arcs 150 of
FIG. 2, or a diagonal cut or cuts. As an example, if a shipment of
gift cards is being transported by truck to Phoenix on a hot summer
day, the high temperature in the truck might cause the internal air
to expand. If the package had an airtight seal, that seal or the
packaging could be damaged. As a further example, if a gift card in
a sealed carrier is purchased and sent by air as a Christmas gift,
the change in air pressure as the plane goes from near sea level to
altitude would result in expansion of the interior air if the
package was perfectly sealed, again possibly damaging the seal or
the package.
[0021] Aspects of a second embodiment of a card carrier in
accordance with the present invention are illustrated in FIG. 4. In
FIG. 4, a top fold tablet card carrier 400 is illustrated. Similar
to the embodiment of FIG. 1, a first panel 410 includes a first
area 412 reserved for a gift card. No gift card is shown in FIG. 4.
A second area 413 defines a no glue region. First panel 410 also
includes a first larger hangtag cutout 414. Additionally, the first
panel 410 includes a tear strip 460.
[0022] Second panel 420 has a first area 422 reserved for attaching
a terms and conditions pamphlet or other product literature insert.
No literature is shown in FIG. 4. A second area 424 defines a no
glue region. Second panel 420 also includes a second smaller
hangtag cutout 428.
[0023] In this second embodiment, glue is applied around the edges
of second panel 420 in either of the two ways described above in
connection with FIG. 1. A gift card is attached to the panel 420. A
terms and condition pamphlet or other product literature insert is
attached to panel 410. Glue may be preapplied during printing as
discussed above and the panels are then folded together about top
fold line 430. The package is then sealed using a high pressure
heat press that activates the glue as discussed above.
Alternatively, as also discussed above, hot melt glue may be
applied and then after folding the panels together, the card
carrier is rolled under pressure rollers to seal the package with a
wide seal area. Upon purchase of the card, a salesperson tears the
tear strip 460 to access a bar code or other activation indicia on
the card sealed within the gift card carrier 400. The barcode is
then scanned and the card is activated.
[0024] FIG. 5 illustrates aspects of a method 500 of making a
tamper evident card carrier in accordance with the present
invention. In step 502, a bi-panel is formed having a fold line
with a first panel to one side of the fold line and a second panel
to the other side of the fold line. The first panel has an area
reserved for a product literature insert on an inside face and the
second panel has an area reserved for a card located within a no
glue region on an inside face. A glue area between the no glue area
and the edges of the second panel is also established.
[0025] In step 504, the fold line is scored. In step 505, a tear
strip is scored in the second panel which is to support the gift
card. In step 506, glue is applied to the glue area. The glue area
is preferably at least 0.5'' wide and for a standard credit card
sized card may advantageously be 0.625'' wide.
[0026] In step 508, a product literature insert is glued to the
area for the product literature insert with fugitive glue. In step
510, a gift card is glued to the area for the card with fugitive
glue. The placement of the card aligns a barcode or other
activation indicia on the card with the tear strip.
[0027] In step 512, the bi-panel is folded about the fold line. In
step 514, the glue is activated to form a tamper evident seal which
is preferably at least 0.5'' wide.
[0028] In an optional step 516, a bar code is formed on an outside
face of either the first or second panel. It will be noted that all
of the steps of process 500 do not necessarily have to be performed
or performed in order to practice the present invention. For
example, if hot melt glue is applied, that glue would be applied
just before step 512.
[0029] FIG. 6 shows a process 600 of activating a gift card in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In step
602, subsequent to purchase of a gift card carrier, such as carrier
100, store personnel, such as a checkout clerk, tears away a tear
open strip, such as one of the strips 160 or 460, to gain access to
a card activation indicia, such as a bar code on the card to be
activated. For a bar code the bar code is scanned using a bar code
scanner in step 604. The card identifying information is
communicated to a remote processing center in step 606. This
communication may be encrypted. In step 608, the card identifying
information is processed and the card is activated in step 610.
[0030] In systems and processes, such as those described in U.S.
Pat. No. 5,777,305 which is incorporated by reference herein in its
entirety, two independent indicia are required. A first indicia,
such as a card number, identifies the card exclusively and a
second, such as an account number identifies an account associated
with the card and the card number. Such an arrangement is
necessitated by the account identification being publicly visible
either as a result of it being printed on the packaging or through
an aperture in the packaging.
[0031] The approach of the present invention negates a number of
fraud schemes used to attack such cards. If one interested in
perpetrating a fraud, tears the tear strip to gain access to the
activation indicia, that tearing will be physically apparent to
store personnel. Additionally, since the activation indicia is not
revealed until the gift card has been purchased, a single card
account number can be employed to identify the card and to activate
the card thereby eliminating a layer of unnecessary and to some
extent suspect security.
[0032] While the present invention has been disclosed in the
context of various aspects of presently preferred embodiments, it
will be recognized that the invention may be suitably varied and
applied to other environments consistent with the teachings above
and the claims which follow. By way of example, while the present
invention is described in connection with embodiments for standard
credit card sized cards, it will be recognized that the present
teachings may be adapted to other shapes and sizes of cards, such
as key fob or key chain cards, smart cards, and the like. Further,
while the present invention is described in connection with
embodiments in which paper is employed, it will be recognized that
various other types of materials, such as plastics and the like,
may be suitably employed so long as that material can be cut,
folded and adhered consistent with the teachings herein.
Additionally, while presently preferred approaches to gluing panels
together have been described, variations thereon will be readily
adapted to the demands of a particular environment or context.
* * * * *