AU3510999A - An envelope - Google Patents

Description

S F Ref: 469822

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

*I 9 9* *9 9 A *9 9 Name and Address of Applicant: envotec Pty Ltd 282-294 Ferntree Gully Road Notting Hill Victoria 3149

AUSTRALIA

John Calvert Talt Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Invention Title: An Envelope ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION DETAILS [31] Application No(s) [33 Country PP4174 AU PP9840 AU [32] Application Date 17 June 1998 19 April 1999 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5815 1 An Envelope Technical Field The present invention relates to envelopes.

Background of the Invention There are advantages in providing re-usable envelopes in that it allows a substantial operating expense for an organisation to be saved. Many such organisations have tens of thousands of customers and therefore, the supply of the return envelope represents a significant expense. Further to this, re-using envelopes saves paper and therefore is environmentally friendly.

As an example, a re-usable envelope is described in Australian Patent Application No. 43805/96.

It is now becoming common for banks and other financial institutions to 15 provide deposit envelopes for use by their customers. For example, such envelopes may be used during normal banking hours by having the customer place within the envelope cheques to be deposited. The envelope is then replaced in a receiving box and is subsequently dealt with. The envelopes may also be employed after banking hours by the customer placing the envelope in an after-hours deposit box. These deposit envelopes do not provide the customer with any record of the deposit.

Summary of the Invention There is disclosed herein an envelope having a front panel and a rear panel, and wherein at least one of said panels is provided with a removable portion to provide 25 an opening in said one panel, and wherein upon removal of said portion, a user may view material within the envelope.

Preferably, said removal position is defined by perforations.

In a further preferred form, a transparent sheet or film is secured to an inside surface of said one panel so as to extend across said opening.

Preferably, the removable portion is located so that said transparent sheet provides for the viewing of a return address viewable through the transparent sheet.

In a still further preferred form, a sheet is secured to an inside surface of said one panels so as to extend across the opening, with the sheet being adapted to record information applied to said removable portion. Preferably the sheet is carbonised so as to record information applied to the removable portion. The information is then visible when the removable portion is removed.

[N:\LIBTTIO1 64 3 :vsg: am 7: Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic front perspective view of an envelope; and Figure 2 is a schematic front perspective view of a further envelope.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment In Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, there is schematically depicted the front of a re-usable envelope 10. As an example, the envelope 10 may be constructed in accordance with the re-usable envelope described in Australian Patent Application No. 43805/96. In the embodiment of Figure 2, the construction of the re-usable envelope is more fully described.

In the embodiment of Figure 1, the envelope 10 has a front panel 11 from •0 15 which there extends a flap 12 which is folded over and secured to a rear panel of the 0,envelop 10 to close the envelope.

The front panel 11 is provided with a removable portion 13 surrounded by a closed loop of perforations 14. The removal portion 13 is detached by tearing along the perforations 14. For illustrations purposes only, in Figure 1, part of the portion 13 has been removed.

Secured to the inside surface of the panel 11 is a transparent sheet 15 which generally covers the opening 16 formed in the panel 11 when the portion 13 has been removed. The transparent sheet 15 provides a window through which a user may view material within the envelope 10. In this example, the transparent sheet 15 may not be 25 required.

When the envelope 10 is to be used as a "re-usable envelope", the user removes the portion 13 and inserts in the envelope 10 correspondence which would locate the return address adjacent the opening 16, the return address is therefore viewed through the transparent sheet As a further example, the initial address may be printed on the portion 13.

In an alternative embodiment, the portion 13 may be removed merely to expose information for use by the person receiving the envelope 10. Such information may include promotional material such as information relative to prizes won by the receiver of the envelope In a still further embodiment, the envelope 10 may be a re-usable envelope in which the portion 13 remains in tact when the envelope 10 is returned by the first recipient. In this example, the rear panel of the envelope 10 could be provided with a return address. The portion 13 could then be removed by the second recipient, to expose information inserted in the envelope 10 by the first recipient.

IN:\LIBTT]O1 643:vsg:lam In Figure 2 there is schematically depicted a re-usable envelope 20. In this embodiment, the envelope 20 has a rear panel 21 attached to a front panel 23 from which there extends a flap 22. The flap 22 is secured to the rear panel 21 to close the envelope. Also extending from the front panel 23 is a re-sealable end flap 24. If an address is included on the exterior of the front panel 23, the first recipient opens the envelope by separating the edge 25 from the panel 24. The contends of the envelope may then be removed. To return material to a return address, the edge 25 is separated from the flap 24 and the material inserted into the envelope 20. The flap 24 is then resealed so as to be secured to the panel 21 adjacent the edge The rear panel 21 is provided with a removable portion 26 which is removed to provide an opening as described with reference to Figure 1. A transparent sheet is secured to the internal surface of the panel 21 so as to cover the opening formed when the portion 26 is removed. The return address located on the material inserted in the envelope 20 could then be viewed when the portion 26 is removed.

S 15 In respect of the above embodiments, the portions 13 and 26 can be located at **any desired position.

In a still further preferred form, the sheet 15 may be a carbonised sheet as opposed to a transparent sheet. Accordingly, when information is applied to the portion 26 such as by a writing implement or typewriter, that information is recorded on the carbonised sheet. Accordingly, when the envelope 10 is used as a bank deposit envelope, the customer can apply information such as date, branch, amount deposited and the account number to the removable portion 26 and then subsequently remove the portion 26 for their own record purposes. That information is then also recorded on the carbonised sheet providing sheet 15 and may be viewed when the portion 26 is 25 removed.

It should be appreciated that the present invention is useable in re-usable envelopes as well as envelopes which are not intended to be re-used.

It should further be appreciated that the front panel 23 and/or rear panel may be provided with the removable portion 26.

[N:\LIBTJO 1 643:vsg:Iam

Claims (6)

1. An envelope having a front panel and a rear panel, and wherein at least one of said panels is provided with a removable portion to provide an opening in said one panel, and wherein upon removal of said portion, a user may view material within the envelope.

2. The envelope of claim 1, wherein said removable portion is defined by perforations.

3. The envelope of claim 1 or 2 further including a transparent sheet or film secured to an inside surface of said one panel so as to extend across said opening.

4. The envelope of claim 3, wherein the removable portion is located so that said transparent sheet or film provides for the viewing of a return address viewable through the transparent sheet. The envelope of claim 1 further including a sheet secured to an inside S-"surface of said one panel so as to extend across said opening, with the sheet being 15 adapted to record information applied to said removable portion. The envelope of claim 5 wherein said sheet is carbonised so as to record information applied to the removable portion, so that the information is then visible when the removable portion is removed.

7. In combination, an envelope according to claim 4, and the contents thereof, wherein said contents provide a return address positioned so that the return 0..00 address may be viewed through said opening when said removable portion is removed.

8. In combination, the envelope of claim 1 and the contents thereof, and wherein said contents has a return address positioned so as to be viewed through said opening when said panel is removed. 25 9. An envelope substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 or Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings. DATED this Sixteenth Day of June 1999 envotec Pty Limited Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON [N:\LIBTT01643:vsg:lam