US2074949A - Envelope - Google Patents

Description

'March 23, 1937. w. E. SWIFT ENVELOPE Original Filed Nov. l5, 1935 ar. 23, i937 Patented UNE t ENviiLorn Willard E. Swift, Worcester, Mass., assignor to United States Envelope Company, Springheld, Mass., a corporation of ine Original application November 15, 1933, Serial No. 698,169. Divide d and this application February 1, 1935, Serial No. 4,553

1 Claim.

The present application is a division of my original application Serial No. 698,169 iiled November 15, 1933 (now Patent No. 1,990,760 of February 12, 1935), for an Envelope. The present 5 invention relates particularly to an improved envelope of the type which does not require moistening of its seal flapin order to seal it, as is necessary With ordinary envelopes. y

In United States Letters Patent No. 1,768,836

issued July 1, 1930, -there is shown and described an envelope which does not require moistening in order to seal it, this patented envelope being characterized by the fact that corresponding areas of its seal. flap and rear wall are coated 5 with an adhesive which does not require moistening, such as a rubber solution. Consequently, when the coated area of the flap is folded over into registering relation with the coated wall area and pressure applied to the overlying areas, the envelope is sealed. However, because of thetendency of the coated areas to adhere to each other, as when packing or otherwise handling the envelope prior to sealing, it is necessary to provide separate means for preventing inadvertent adhesion such as strips of paper between the coated surfaces. as disclosed in the aforementioned patent, No. 1,768,836, which procedure adds materially to the cost of manufacturing and marketing such envelopes.

According to the present invention, there is provided an envelope of the above indicated character in which the coated areas are effectively f prevented from inadvertently coming into contact. prior to the actual sealing of the envelope,

thereby eleminating any special precautions in.

the packing thereof. The above and other advantageous features of the invention will hereinafter more :fully appear from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:-d

Fig. 1 is a rear view oi an envelope with adv* -55 gin of the extendedvseal flap 3 and to a portion Fig. 2 illustrates folding of the envelope of Fig. l

Like reference characters refer to like parts in of the rear wall 4 spaced from the upper edge thereof. The coated areas are substantially equal and the adhesive 2 is so positioned on the rear wall 4 that when the seal flap 3 is folded down along the score line 5, the adhesive area l will register with said adhesive area 2.

K 'Ihe adhesive used for the coatings I and 2 is of such character that said coatings, without moistening. will adhere to each other upon contact, although neither coating, when dry, will adhere when brought into contact with any uncoated portion of the envelope material. Preferably the coatings I and 2 are applied in the form of a dispersed rubber solution, or as a natural or compounded latex, the invention also contemplating the use of other similar dry-sealing adhesives in the form of thermo-plastics, such as arclor resins or -galyptols, either alone or in combination with rubber.

In order to prevent premature adhesion between the coated areas before it is desired to use the envelope, the rear wall 4 provides beyond its coated area 2 an extension or auxiliary flap 6 which is not adhered to the side iiaps 1 in making the envelope, said flap 6 being foldable along a score line 8to cover the coating 2. With the auxiliary ap 6 folded over as shown in Fig. 2, itis possible to fold down the seal nap' 3 in the usual manner, as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 2,

' so that theenvelope can be packed with others without any possibility `of the coated areas becoming inadvertently adhered to each other.

In Vusing the envelope, the seal ap 3 and the previously turned-down auxiliary ilap 6 are opened up as shown in Fig. 1 to expose the rear wall adhesive 2, and after the enclosure has been placed in the envelope, the seal flap 3 is turned down over the opened-out ilap 6 to bring the adhesive I into complete registration with the adhesive 2. The sealing oi the envelope is then completed by the mere application of pressure to the overlying adhesive areas. From the foregoing, it is apparent that by the present invention there is provided an envelope which does not require any moistening in order to seal it, and which is so constructed that the coated areas which are adapted to adhere upon contact are normally maintained out of engagement, thus permitting the envelopes to be packed and handled in the usual manner.

In an envelope of the class described, a front wall and a rear wall, the front wall having a closure' iiap foldable upon the rear wall, said said rear wall adhesive area. to prevent contact therewith of the complemental adhesive area o the closure flap when the latter is folded down, said extension, when opened out to expose said rear wall adhesive area. occupying the space between said area, and the fold line of said closure flap.

WILLARD E. SWIFI.

Images