AU2003264622A1

AU2003264622A1 - Tamper-evident form

Info

Publication number: AU2003264622A1
Application number: AU2003264622A
Authority: AU
Inventors: John Branagan
Original assignee: C POS Pty Ltd
Current assignee: C-POS Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2000-07-31
Filing date: 2003-11-28
Publication date: 2004-01-08
Also published as: AU5772701A; AU764803B2; AU764803C

Description

PaiOO 11 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: Tamper-evident form The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: CD=1386395tv2 doc TAMPER-EVIDENT

FORM

Field of the invention The invention relates to forms and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to paper forms, such as pay advice forms, typically used for providing sensitive information.

Background of the invention Pay advice forms, or payslips, typically consist of a sheet of paper which is folded over and sealed using adhesive to form a sealed envelope which hides sensitive information (in this case, pay advice details) printed on the inside of the sealed form.

One example of this type of form is the PayPlus T M pay advice form produced by MicrOpay Pty Ltd. A planar sheet is folded over and sealed to form a two-ply envelope by pressure sealing the sides of the paper with the use of adhesive. On the form, there are side perforations that run down both sides of the form, and end perforations that extend between these side perforations at both ends of the form. These side and end perforations are respectively aligned when the form is folded and sealed, so that the envelope can be readily opened by a recipient to access their pay advice details by tearing the side perforations, and then the end perforations.

However, one distinct disadvantage of the MicrOpay PayPlusTM form, is that, with due care, a "snoop" can prise apart the pressure sealed parts of the form to view the printed contents without actually tearing either the side or end perforations. The envelope can then be resealed without any visible sign of tampering.

Accordingly, this and other similar forms are not entirely satisfactory from either the provider or the recipients point of view. As a result, it is generally desirable to be able to provide a form which obviates or at least attempts to 2 limitations of undetectable tampering of sealed envelopes.

Summary of the invention The inventive concept resides in.a recognition that forms of the type that can be used as pay advice envelopes, are advantageously improved by including a tamper evident feature which allows for the ready detection of tampering.

Desirably, this is achieved through the use of one or more supplementary perforated lines located near an edge of adhered surface of the sealed envelope so that an attempt to open the envelope without detection is likely to tear these perforations, thus indicating the possibility that an such an attempt has been made.

The invention provides a form suitable for use as an envelope, the form including: at least one planar sheet including adhesive means for adhering portions of the sheet together so that the form can be used to provide a sealed envelope having an inaccessible portion; a primary frangible means which, when broken, allows access to the inaccessible portion of the. envelope; and an additional frangible means including one or more perforated lines that extend inwardly from the edge of at least one side of the form.

Preferably, the primary frangible means is ordinarily used to legitimately access to the inaccessible portion of the envelope. Preferably, the additional frangible means represents a tamper-evident feature which it is difficult to avoid breaking when illegitimately attempting to gain access to the inaccessible portion of the envelope (that is, without breaking the primary frangible means).

The additional frangible means is preferably provided as it may be possible to gain access to the inaccessible portion of the envelope by removing the CWUO;3075Y tOe: 3 adhered parts of the form from eachother without breaking the primary frangible means.

Preferably, the primary frangible means includes perforated lines which are readily broken by appropriate manual handling of the envelope.

Preferably, the adhesive means is generally located at least partly along or near sides of the form. Preferably, the primary frangible means are also located at least partly along or near sides of the form, and the adhesive means is located between the primary frangible means and the respective sides of the form.

Preferably, the adhesive means does not contact the additional frangible means, to assist the additional frangible means to readily break when an attempt is made to open the envelope without detection.

Preferably, the additional frangible means includes multiple spaced perforated lines that extend inwardly from one or more edges of the form.

Preferably, one or more of the perforated lines of the additional frangible means are located near a corner of the form, so that it is difficult to avoid tearing at least one of these perforated lines when peeling a corner of the form away from another part of the form to which it is adhered. This preferably makes it difficult to open the envelope from the corner in this way without the attempt being evident by the tearing of those perforated lines of the additional frangible means. Preferably, the additional frangible means involves at least one inwardly extending perforation line on opposing sides of corners of the form.

Preferably, the planar sheet is generally rectangular, that is, has four sides, at least two of which are of approximately equal length.

The invention also provides a sealed envelope formed from the inventive form as described above. The invention also provides a method of manufacturing an inventive form as described above. The invention also provides a method of CD/003863955v2 dc 4 forming a sealed envelope from an inventive form as described above. Preferably, preferred features of the inventive form analogously apply as appropriate to the sealed envelope, and the inventive methods.

Brief Description of Drawings The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a front view ofa form in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 2 is a rear view of the form of Fig. 1.

Description of Preferred Embodiments A form 10 according to an embodiment of the invention is represented in the drawings. The form 10 is suitable for use as a pay advice envelope and is formed of a generally rectangular sheet having two sides, a front 100 and a rear 200, as shown in Figs..1 and 2 respectively.

On the front 100 of the form 10 there is an outer portion 160 of the form on which is printed with a pattern as indicated in Fig. 1. On the corresponding inner portion 260 of the rear 200 of the form 10 there is typically printed pay advice or other confidential information (not shown). The purpose of the pattern printed on the outer portion 160 is to make it difficult to view the information printed on the opposing side of the form, that is, the inner portion 260, when the form 10 is sealed into an envelope.

On the form 10, various lines of perforation are formed. Two lateral perforation lines 110 are applied near lateral side 20 of the form 10 and, similarly, two transverse perforation lines 120 are applied near transverse sides 30, 40 of the form 10. As is more clear from Fig. 2, the lateral perforations 110 are approximately equally spaced from their respective sides 20. The transverse perforations 120 are unequally spaced from their respective sides, the lower side CD/OC38639 5v2.doc and the upper side 40. The distance between the upper side 40 and its respective transverse perforation is greater than the distance between the lower side 30 and its respective transverse perforation.

In use, the form 10, once printed with pay advice information, is sealed using adhesive applied along at least part of its sides. The adhesive that is applied to the rear 200 of the form 10 is shown in Fig. 2 by the cross-hatched regions near the sides of the rear 200 of the form 10. An adhesive is applied along side portions 290, and at corner portions 270, and adjoining intermediate portions 280 at the lower end 30 of the form 10. At the opposing upper end 40 of the form adhesive is applied to corresponding adhesive portions 275/285. Once adhesive is applied to these portions, the form 10 can be folded along fold line 150 extending transversely across the form 10 near the middle of the form 10. Pressure is applied to seal the form 10 into an envelope which is sealed so that the information printed on the inner portion 260 is inaccessible.

It is noted that only part of the lateral perforations need be provided to open the form 10. That is, only the part of the transverse perforations 120 that extend between the lateral perforations 110 are required to open the form 10 when it is sealed. In fact, such an arrangement is equivalent to that provided by the PayPlusTM form manufactured by MicrOpay Pty Ltd.

However, the form 10 of the described embodiment has various additional perforations that attempt to improve the tamper-evident features of existing forms.

Corner perforations 142 extend between the lateral perforations 110 and the sides of the form 10. These corner perforations 142 represent "end portions" or "side extensions" of the transverse perforation 120 at the lower end 30 of the form Also, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, there are two outer perforations 144, and two inner perforations 146. These four perforations 144, 146 are approximately, equally spaced from each other. However, the outer perforations 144 are approximately spaced from their respective lateral perforations 110 by about the same distance the lateral perforations 110 are spaced from the sides of the form CD/OC3SB39;5v2.doc 6 As noted above, Fig. 2 indicates where adhesive is preferably applied to seal the form 10. It can be seen that along the lower end 30 of the form 10, the adhesive does not cross the additional perforations 144, 146. This assists in allowing these perforations, 144, 146 to tear when a person attempts to tamper with the form 10, as discussed below.

The arrangement of these above described additional perforations 142, 144, 146 improve the likelihood that any tampering with the form to gain access to the inner portion 260 will result in that tampering being evident due to tearing of at least one of those perforations 142, 144, 146. When a snoop attempts to peel back one of the corners of the envelope (that is, one of the corners of the sides and the lower end 30 of the form 10), it will be quite difficult to open the envelope sufficiently to view the inner portion 260 while not tearing the corner perforation 142, or the outer perforation 144, if not the lateral perforation 110. Even if such an attempt is successful without tearing these perforations, the inner perforation 146 is likely to be torn.

The perforations 142, 144, 146 provide a disincentive to a person considering tampering with a pay advice form. Accordingly, this improves the confidence a recipient has that has been no tampering with the form 10. The form is readily manufactured in the same manner as a conventional pay advice form, with the addition of further perforations 142, 144, 146 using any suitable technique.

It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined in this specification extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

Claims

1. A form suitable for use as an envelope, the form including: at least one planar sheet including adhesive means for adhering portions of the sheet together so that the form can be used to provide a sealed envelope having.an inaccessible portion; a primary frangible means which, when broken, allows access to the inaccessible portion of the envelope; and an additional frangible means including one or more perforated lines that extend inwardly from the edge of at least one side of the form.

2. A form according to claim 1, wherein the primary frangible means is ordinarily used to legitimately gain access to the inaccessible portion of the envelope.

3. A form according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the additional frangible means represents a tamper-evident feature which it is difficult to avoid breaking when illegitimately attempting to gain access to the inaccessible portion of the envelope.

4. A form according to any preceding claim, wherein the primary frangible means includes perforated lines which are readily broken by appropriate manual handling of the envelope.

A form according to any preceding claim, wherein the adhesive means is generally located at least partly along or near sides of the form.

6. A form according to claim 5, wherein the primary frangible means are located at least partly along or near sides of the form, and the adhesive means is located between the primary frangible means and the respective sides of the form.

7. A form according to claim 6, wherein the adhesive means does not contact the additional frangible means, such that.the additional frangible means can C D,0,4307M"7V :u; 8 readily break when an attempt is made to open the-envelope without detection.

8. A form according to any preceding claim, wherein the additional frangible means includes multiple spaced perforated lines that extend inwardly from one or more edges of the form.

9. A form according to claim 8, wherein one or more of the perforated lines of the additional frangible rmeans are located near a corner of the form, so that it is -difficult to avoid tearing at least one of these perforated lines when peeling a corner of the form away from another part of the form to which it is adhered. I

10. A form according to claim 9, wherein the additional frangible means involves at least one inwardly extending perforation line on opposing sides of corners of the form.

11. A form according to any preceding claim, wherein the planar sheet is generally rectangular.

12. A sealed envelope formed from the form as described in any preceding claim.

13. A method of manufacturing a form suitable for use as an envelope, the method including: providing at least one planar sheet and applying adhesive means to at least a portion of the sheet for adhering portions of the sheet together so that the form can be used to provide a sealed envelope having an inaccessible portion; forming a primary frangible means in the sheet which, when broken, allows access to the inaccessible portion of the envelope; and forming an additional frangible means in the sheet, the additional frangible means being formed as one or more perforated lines extending inwardly from the edge of at least one side of the form. ZUiOU4 .9

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the primary frangible means is formed as perforated lines which are readily broken by appropriate manual handling of the envelope.

A method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the adhesive means is applied at least partly along or near sides of the form.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the primary frangible means are formed at least partly along or near sides of the form, and the adhesive means is applied between the primary frangible means and the respective sides.of the form.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the adhesive means is applied such that it does not contact the additional frangible means, so that the additional frangible means can readily break when an attempt is .made to open the envelope without detection.

18. A method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the additional frangible means are formed as multiple spaced perforated lines that extend inwardly from one or more edges of the form.

19. A method according to claim 18, including forming one or more of the perforated lines of the additional frangible means near a corner of the form, so that it is difficult to avoid tearing at least one of these perforated lines when peeling a corner of the form away from another part of the form to which it is adhered.

A method according to claim 19, wherein providing the additional frangible means involves forming at least one inwardly extending perforation line on opposing sides of corners of the form.

21. A method of forming a sealed envelope using the form according to any one of claims 1 to 11, the method including folding the form such that portions of the adhesive means are caused to contact eachother and adhere; thereby forming -a sealed envelope having an inaccessible portion. CD/004307557v3_Copy_t C-POS Pty Ltd By its Registered Patent Attorneys Freehills Carter Smith Beadle 28 November 2003