US3268153A - Mailing piece - Google Patents

Description

R.K.STONE MAILING PIECE Aug. 23, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 6, 1964 FIG FIG

Aug. 23, 1966 R. K` STONE 3263,153

MAILING PIECE Filed Oct. 6, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.5

United States Patent O 3,268,153 MAILING PIECE v Ralph K. Stone, Longmeadow. Mass., assignor to United States Envelope Company, Springfield, Mass., a corporation of Maine Filed Oct. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 401,797 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-68) This invention relates generally to a composite s'heet which is adapted for subsequent forming into a m a1hng piece such as an envelope. More particularly, this invention vrelates to a composite fsheet which may be used to form, in whole or in part, the page of a magazine, catalogue or the like, and which may be easily detached therefrom and subsequently formed into an envelope or package for sending through the mail.

This invention has particular application in the promotion of special offers 'by mail order businesses. The composite sheet may conveniently be printed with terms and instructions for accepting an offer, and then placed in a 'magazine or other booklet by joining it to a page by a weakened line such as a line of perforations. Acceptance of the otfer by the customer lmay be made by removing the sheet, forming it into an envelope, and remitting coins, boxtops, a r-oll `of film, etc. to the offeror.

Devices of the prior art show generally a magazine page having a perforated line dividing the page into a permanently bound-in portion, and a portion which may be separated and formed into an envelope. The portion which may be separated is normally provided with adhesive for securing the sides of the envelope. There has been found to be an inherent disadvantage in the use of the -old style device however, because the adhesive areas provided for forming the envelope tend to have suficient residual tackiness to pick up particles of foreign matter such as dust,"ink, grease, etc., to result in producing a detrimental effect on the adhesive, thereby preventing adequate seam strength of the resultant envelope. Such detrimental `effect is particularly prominent in cases where the sheet is bound in a magazine. The adhesive must .be applied to the sheet before it is bound in the magazine. In the collating and binding Operations, the sheet is subjected to various kinds of foreign matter, and to a substantial amount of fricti'on with 'other sheets, causing grinding-in of the foreign matter. In addition, the sheet is in face to face contact with the adjacent page in the magazine, which is normally printed and contains a certain amount of free paper and ink dust which 'rubs into the adhesive.

Also, in the use of such sheets for forming an envelope, another problem has heretofore been encountered. It is generally desirable to pre-wrap the articles to be mailed. For example, if coins are placed in the envelope without being pre-wrapped, they are likely to be jolted considerably during 'mail handling, possibly enough to separate the seams of the envelope, or even rupture the body of the envel-ope. It is, of course, highly desirable to restrain movement of small, heavy object-s which may tend to rupture the envelope. It sometimes does not occur to the user that it is necessary to pre-wrap the articles to be -mailed before enclosing them in the envelope. If it does occur that pre-wrapping is necessary, suitable pre-wrapper material 'must be located from another source and cut to size.

The present invention provides means for overcoming the aforementioned problems by providing a composite sheet comprising a first layer of Sheet material, such a's opaque, envelope-like material having marginal areas coated with suitable adhesive for use in forming this layer into a closed envelope, and a second layer of sheet material superimposed on the first layer. The laye-rs are held together by means of the adhesive areas, and the second 3268,153 Patentecl August 23, 1966 layer is pre-ferably of a lightweight and transparent material such as plastic film.

The second layer serves a dual purpose. First, it acts as a protective 'shield for the first layer and the adhesive areas. The adhesive areas are protected from foreign matter right up to the time the layers are separated and formed into an envelope. Second, the second layer conveniently provides the necessary pre-wrapping material for that which is to be contained in the envelope during mailing. The second layer, provided with a suitable release coating, may -be easily :separated from the opaque layer by peeling it away along the adhesive areas, leaving the adhesive on the first layer` In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a composite sheet illustrating one form of my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a modified form of my invention.

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a composite sheet similar to that shown in FIGURE 2, but having a flap permitting it to be folded and used as a circular.

FIGURE 4 is a section view along line 4-4 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a composite sheet similar to that shown in FIGURE 1, showing the layers partially separated.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of an envelope or package made from the Sheet according to this invention contaning articles to be sent through the mail.

FIGURE 7 is a section view taken -along line 7-7 of FIGURE 6.

Referrin'g to the drawings, 10 denotes generally a composite sheet according to my invention which may subseqnently be used for packaging articles to be sen-t through the mail. The sheet 10 is prefcra'bly divided into two substantially equal size panels 12 and 14 by the score line 16. The illustrated embodiment of the'invention comprises a layer of envelope material 1'8 which may be paper o-r the like, and a layer 20 of prefer'a'b-ly lightweight and transparent material which may be paper, plastic, or the like. The layers 18 and 20 are held together 'by the adhesive material 22. The layer of material 20 is provided with a suitable release coatng 24, such as Syl-Otf a silicone coatin'g manufactured by the Dow Corning Corporation.

The adhesive material 22 is preferab'ly a pressure sensi- -tive or self-sealing type adhesive, in which nemoistenng is no't required to restore the tack'iness of the adhesive. Where such adhesive is used, it may be applied by common adhesive-applying mechanisms used on envelope making machines or the like, and swbsequently, the layer of material 20 may be superimp'osed over the layer 18. The layers are held together by the gu-m 22, as the release coating 24 permits easy "peeling of the layer 20 from the layer 18, leaving substantially all of the gum layer on the layer 18.

FIGUR'E 2 ill-ustrates an embodimen-t of the invention in which the adhesive 22 is only applied to one of the panels of the sheet 10. In this instance, the adhesive 22 may conveniently be `of the remoistenab'le type, and the layer o'f m-aterial 20 may be combined with the layer 1.8 before the adhesive 22 has completely dried. Thus, the layer 20 will be firm-ly connected lto the layer 18, but may also be readily '*peeled away due to the release eoating 24.

FIGURES 1 and 2 illustrate an embodiment of the invention in which the composite sheet is a portion of a page of a magazine or booklet. The composite sheet portion 10 may be connected to the bound page portion 26 'by a weakened line 28, such as perforations or a score line.

In FIGURE 3, it is illustrated a manner in which this invention may apply to a circular, or flier. Here, the body porti'on of the composite sheet m-ay be in either t-he form illustrated in FIGURES 1 or 2, but one end of the layer 18 is provided with an extension 30 so that the composite sheet may be closed for mailing or distribution in other m-anners. The extension 30 may =be connected to the layer 18 by a weakened line 3'2, and contain an area of -gum 34, so that upon folding the sheet along the line 16, 'the extension 30 may be adhesively connected to the back of the folded panel 14 to hold the sheet folded. Upon receipt by the user, the adhesive connection between the extension 30 and the panel 12 may be ru-ptured, and the extension separated from the layer 18 along the weakened line 312.

FIGURE 5 illustrates the layers 18 and 20 of the composite sheet being sep'arated, the layer 20 subscquently t'o be used as an inner wrapper for the articles to be mailed. The composite sheet illustrated in FIG- UR'E 5 is similar to that shown in FIGURE 1, i.e., the ,adhesive extends around the entire periphery of the layer '18, and the layer 20 is coex'tensive- With the layer 18. As the layer 20 is peeled back from the layer 18 as shown in FIG'URE 5, the areas of adhesive are exposed. This adhe-sive, since it has been protected by the layer 20, has not been subjected to the detri-ment'al effect of foreign matter and friction.

FIGU'RE 6 illustr'ates the package fo-rmed from a composite sheet according to my invention, contaning coins or the like. Upon separat'ion of the layer 20 from the layer 18, the coins, or other articles, are first wrapped with the layer 20. The layer 18 is then folded along the score line indicated at 1-6 so 'that the panels 12 and 14 are superimposed upon each other. The adhesive coated boundary portions are-then pressed together if pressure sensitive adhesive is used, or if moistena'ble adhesive is used, it must, of course, be moistened before the boundary port-ions are pressed together. FIGURE 7 shows a section view taken through the closed package, indicating the manner in which the coins are contained in .the envelope, or package.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangements of parts, which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claim.

I claim:

A page for a booklet .or the like having as a part thereof a detachabile, substantially rectangular message sheet adapted for subseque-nt forming into a mailing wrap'per, said message Sheet com'prising (a) 'a layer of opaque envelope material detachab'ly connected to said page having a fold line defining two substantially equal panels and a strip of pressure Sensitive adhesive which is readily adherent to said envelope material ex- 'tending around the free side edges of only one of said panels (b) a layer of thin, transparent, film overlying the por- 'tion of said layer of opaque envelope material having the strip of pressure sensitive adhesive, said film having a release coating,

said film being substantially coex-tensive with said panel having the stripof pressure Sensitive adhesive and being held in juxtap'osition to said panel entirely by said strip of adhesive,

(c) 'whereby said message sheet has characteristics of a single thickness sheet, and said film can be peeled away le'aving said adhesive on said layer of envelope material.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,1l68,9\20 8/ 1939 Wissm-an 229- 2,894,675 7/ 1959 Stein. 3,159,329 12/ 1964 Hiersteiner 229-68 JOSEPH R. LEOLAIR, Primary Examiner. D. M. BOCKENEK, Assistant Examiner.

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