Active, printed emissive packaging for promotional products

Abstract

An energizable design image portion ( 203 ) of a provided design pattern is printed on a provided substrate ( 201 ) using a functional ink comprised of at least one energy emissive material. A passive design image portion ( 202 ) of that design pattern is then also printed on that substrate using at least one graphic arts ink. In a preferred embodiment this apparatus may further comprise electrically conductive electrodes ( 204 ) on the substrate to permit selective energization of the energy emissive material to thereby induce illumination of the energizable design image portion of the design pattern.

1 . An apparatus comprising: 
 a substrate;    a printed pattern disposed on the substrate, wherein at least a part of the printed pattern comprises: 
 an energizable design image formed using a functional ink comprising at least one energy emissive material;  
 an energizable design image energization interface formed using at least one functional ink comprising an electrically conductive material;  
   a design image formed using at least one graphic arts ink and that comprises at least one of an artistic rendering and symbolic informational content.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the substrate comprises a paper substrate.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the paper substrate comprises at least one of: 
 paper;    cardboard;    paperboard;    corrugated cardboard.    
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the substrate comprises at least one of: 
 a polymer;    a woven material substrate.    
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the energizable design image comprises at least one of: 
 at least one alphanumeric character;    at least one logo;    at least one depiction of an object;    at least one artistic rendering of an image;    at least one pictograph;    at least one pictogram;    at least one optical code.    
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the energy emissive material is energizable by application of an electric field.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the energizable design image comprises a design image that is printed on the flexible substrate using at least one of: 
 a contact printing process;    a non-contact printing process.    
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the energizable design image energization interface comprises a fully printed interface.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein a portion of the energizable design image energization interface comprises a partially unprinted electrically conductive element.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the energizable design image energization interface comprises a wireless interface.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the printed pattern comprises a plurality of the energizable design images and a corresponding plurality of the energizable design image energization interfaces.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the substrate comprises at least a portion of a poster.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the substrate comprises at least a portion of a container for an object.  
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 an energizable design image energization unit that is operably coupleable to the energizable design image energization interface such that the energizable design image is selectively energizable, and hence illuminatable, by the energizable design image energization unit    
     
     
         15 . An information conveying apparatus comprising: 
 an object having a surface;    a printed rendering disposed, at least in part, on the surface, wherein the printed rendering comprises, at least in part: 
 at least a first portion that is formed of at least one functional ink comprising at least one energy emissive material;  
 an energization interface that is operably coupled to the first portion and that is formed of at least one functional ink comprising an electrically conductive material;  
 at least a second portion that is formed of at least one graphic arts ink.  
   
     
     
         16 . The information conveying apparatus of  claim 15  wherein the apparatus comprises at least one of: 
 a poster;    a container for an object.    
     
     
         17 . The information conveying apparatus of  claim 15  wherein the second portion comprises at least one of an artistic rendering and symbolic informational content  
     
     
         18 . The information conveying apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the first portion comprises an integral aesthetic component of the second portion.  
     
     
         19 . The information conveying apparatus of  claim 15  further comprising: 
 a first portion energization unit that is operably coupleable to the energization interface such that the first portion is selectively energizable, and hence illuminatable, by the energization unit.    
     
     
         20 . The information conveying apparatus of  claim 15  wherein the surface comprises a frontward-facing surface of the object.