Antoine PIERRE - Editor-in-Chief :
Hello Ms Kräml, we're very curious today about the product you've launched, the ClickCarte™ case, could you please introduce it to us?
Marina Kräml - Company manager :
Hello, it's a great pleasure to share this story with you. Indeed, our little company has often innovated. It goes back a few years already concerning the ClickCarte™. The patent was filed in 2006, over 15 years ago now. At the time, it was a great innovation. We had obtained an excellent industrial protection research report on it. A search had been carried out by our patent attorney to see if there were any similar products in France, Europe or other countries. The result was a completely innovative product. There was no equivalent on the market or registered in other countries.
Antoine PIERRE :
And how did the idea for this new card cover come about?
Marina Kräml:
It's a great story. In fact, we were just starting to protect urban transit cards. We already had different models to protect ticketing cards. And as you may know, ticketing cards have an antenna inside them, which is used to validate the ticket.
Antoine PIERRE :
Are you talking about NFC/RFID technology?
Marina Kräml:
Exactly, this is the NFC/RFID technology we're talking about, which is now also used for contactless payment. These antennas are fragile and require special protection. With existing card protectors, you had to press down on the card to get it out of its case, and thus on the antenna. We came up with the idea of covering the card completely, while still allowing the card to be removed. We therefore opted for a sliding cover, enabling the card to be removed with a simple push of the thumb, while still protecting the antenna.
Antoine PIERRE :
Speaking of naming: why did you call it ClickCarte™?
Marina Kräml:
Its origins are interesting: the first name chosen had already been registered with the INPI. The idea for ClickCarteTM came from the ease with which the card could be extracted at the flick of a thumb. What's more, at the time, people were looking to simplify everything with a "simple click". That was it!
Antoine PIERRE :
Do you have a little anecdote to tell us about the project?
Marina Kräml:
An interesting anecdote would be the design. We wanted to indicate that all you had to do to pull out the card was to push the lid, using raised arrows. Our engineering department was very good at design, but didn't specialize in graphics.
The proposed arrow design looked like a coffin! The idea of arrows was shelved. Today, customers prefer it that way, so we can print their logo on the lid. And it was a success! Today, this model is one of our best-sellers, with over 12 million units produced since its launch.
Antoine PIERRE :
That's right. And I imagine there's more to come! Thank you Marina Kräml.
Marina Kräml:
Thank you Antoine PIERRE, I hope I've answered all your questions.