AU5772501A - Z-fold mailer form - Google Patents

Description

Plo/00/1l Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT

C

C.

C

Invention Title: Z-fold mailer form The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: Freehills Carter Smith Beadle Melbourne\003866582 Printed 30 July 2001 (14:56) page 2 Freehills Carter Smith Beadle Melbourne\003866582 Printed 30 July 2001 (14:56) page 2 CD003864473v2.doc' 1A Z-FOLD MAILER FORM Field of the Invention The invention relates to forms and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to paper forms used for sealing into envelopes for mailing.

Background of the invention There are various folded paper forms that are used for mailing through the post. Such forms offer convenience and cost savings when performing bulk mailing operations. Currently, there exists various types of these "one-piece mailers", which involve a rectangular sheet of paper (for example, of a standard A4 size) which is folded in a certain manner, sealed, and then mailed. The forms are sealed by applying moisture to a moisture activated adhesive, and sealing the form in the desired configuration.

One apparatus for folding and sealing such one-piece mailers is produced by Transkrit Corporation, and is described in United States patent no 5,527,418, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Water or another .:eeei suitable moistening solution is applied along lateral edges, and a transverse edge of one side of the sheet to activate moisture activated adhesive which is used seal the envelope in a fold configuration.

However, it is desirable that the apparatus referred to above also be used to form differently folded one piece mailers, and in particular, one piece mailers "e•having a fold configuration. Attempts in this respect have been unsuccessful to date.

It is an object of the invention to at least attempt to address these and other limitations of the existing prior art.

CDV00386443v..dCC 2 Summary of the invention The inventive concept resides in a recognition that forms for use in folding and sealing into envelopes are advantageously produced by applying a combination of different adhesive types on opposing sides of the form so that the form can preferably be conveniently folded into a new configuration by suitable modification of existing equipment.

The invention provides a form suitable for use as a mailing envelope, the form including: a planar sheet having lateral sides and transverse ends; moisture activated adhesive means applied to a first side of the sheet; and pressure responsive adhesive means applied to a second side of the sheet; wherein an apparatus, for folding and sealing in a fold configuration forms having moisture activated adhesive means applied to one side of the forms, can be used, after appropriate modification, to fold and seal the form in a fold.

Preferably, the respective adhesive means are applied to opposing sides of 15 the form to facilitate convenient folding and sealing the form in a fold configuration using the apparatus.

Preferably, the form includes frangible means for opening the form once it is folded and sealed into an envelope which can be broken.

Preferably, the fold is achieved by folding the sheet into generally equally sized panels, preferably an upper, middle, and lower panel, with the S. moisture activated adhesive means applied to the upper and middle panels at one side of the form, and the pressure responsive adhesive means applied to the middle and lower panels of the opposing side of the form.

The invention also provides a method for folding and sealing a form, the method including: providing an apparatus for folding and sealing in a fold configuration forms having moisture activated adhesive means applied to one side of the forms; CD/003864473&2.dod 3 providing a form including a sheet having lateral sides and transverse ends, moisture activated adhesive means applied to a first side of the sheet, and pressure responsive adhesive means applied to a second side of the sheet; providing the form to the apparatus, and folding and sealing the form in a fold configuration using the apparatus, after appropriate modification of the apparatus.

The invention also provides a method of manufacturing a form of the type described above, the method including: providing a sheet having lateral sides and transverse ends; applying a moisture activated adhesive means to a first side of the sheet; and applying a pressure responsive adhesive means to a second side of the form.

Preferably, the method of manufacturing a form further includes: ooooo 15 applying moisture to the moisture activated adhesive means on the first side of the sheet; and ooo• folding the sheet in a fold configuration and applying pressure to the folded form to cause the moisture activated adhesive means and the pressure responsive adhesive means to respectively adhere together corresponding parts of the first and second sides of the sheet to thereby form a sealed envelope.

Preferably, preferred features of the inventive form analogously apply, as appropriate, to the inventive methods.

Brief Description of Drawings The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference CD/00386447312Ado0 4 to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a front view of a form in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a rear view of the form of Fig. 1; and Figs. 3 and 4 are schematic representations of corresponding parts of an apparatus for folding and sealing mailer forms, which are adapted to produce a fold and a fold respectively.

Description of Preferred Embodiments The drawings show a form 10 having two lateral sides 20, and two transverse sides 30, 40, namely a lower side 30 and an upper side 40. The front side 100 and rear side 200 of the form 10 are shown in Figs. 1 and 2 respectively.

The form 10 is divided into three distinct panels 60, 70 and 80 by fold lines 150, 160, as indicated in the drawings. The panels 60, 70, 80 are each approximately equal in size. On the lower panel 60 there is printed addressing 15 details in the area 50 indicated, for use when the form 10 is folded and sealed for mailing.

Extending along both lateral sides 20 there are lateral perforation lines 110.

Extending between these two lateral perforation lines 110 there are three transverse perforation lines 120, 130, 140. The upper transverse perforation line 120 extends along the upper side 40 of the form 10, while the inner transverse perforation line 130, and outer transverse perforation line 140 both extend across the form 10 on respective sides of lower fold line 160.

On the front 100 and rear 20 of the form 10 there is respectively applied different types of adhesive. On the front side 100 there is applied a moisture activated adhesive in the cross-hatched areas 180, 190 along the lateral sides and at the upper end 40 of the form 10, as indicated in Fig. 1. On the rear 200 of the form 10, a pressure responsive adhesive is applied to areas 280, 290 and 295 CD/00386447342dod as indicated by the cross-hatching on Fig. 2. These areas of adhesive are along the lateral sides 20, the lower side 30, and on an upper part of the middle panel Moisture activated adhesive requires the application of water or some other suitable moistening solution to the affected areas 180, 190 for the adhesive to be effective. However, once the adhesive is activated, a good seal is achieved between the surfaces to which the adhesive is applied.

Pressure responsive adhesive, by contrast, only requires external pressure to be applied to the surfaces to which the adhesive is applied. However, the resulting seal is not permanent, as it is possible to peel the adhered surfaces away from each other, without damaging either surface.

Moisture activated adhesive has conventionally been used for applications in which forms are sealed into envelopes for mailing, due to the integrity of the resulting seal. The apparatus described in United States patent no 5 527 418 is 15 suitable for this task. This apparatus uses one piece forms having a moisture activated adhesive applied to one side of the form, and folds the forms into a "C" fold configuration.

While this arrangement is generally satisfactory in most cases, various attempts have hitherto been made to provide a form for use as a sealed envelope 20 in which the form is folded in a fold configuration instead of a fold configuration. However, folds require the application of moisture activated adhesive to both sides of the form. This has presented some difficulty, as existing machinery, such as that described in the above mentioned United States patent, are unable to moisten both sides of a form. As a result, such machines have only been able to produce sealed envelopes which are folded in a rather than a "Z" configuration.

The applicant now has recognised though, that a folded form can be produced by supplying to such an apparatus, a form 10 of the type described above which has a moisture activated adhesive applied to one side 100, and a CQ0038644732.d0C 6 pressure responsive adhesive applied to the other side 200.

The operation of the existing equipment for producing a fold is described directly below in connection with Fig. 3. A number of mailers are, one sheet at a time, driven from right to left by rubber rollers (not shown) as indicated by the arrowheads drawn on Fig. 3. The mailer has moisture activated adhesive applied to one side of the mailer, which faces upwards in relation to the apparatus shown in Fig. 3, towards the compressed felt wicks 510. The compressed felt wicks 510 draw water from wick tanks and apply moisture along two longitudinal glue lines at the sides of the sheet.

Once moisture is applied, each mailer moves forward to a set of rubber transport 520 rollers which drive the mailer between a set of nip rollers 530 and upper and lower fold plates moving upwards through a 1800 curve of approximately 80mm radius, towards a standard water tank 540 containing three driven wetting rollers which wet three moisture activated glue pads at the bottom 15 of the mailer for secure sealing in a fold. The water roller tank also acts as a first buckle stop 550.

The mailer, being driven by the set of transport 520 rollers and nip rollers °oo 530 hits the first fold buckle 550, the mailer stops and the three security sealing pads in the mailer are wetted. The mailer buckles at a first fold assist perforation forming the first part of a fold. Driven by the nip rollers 530, the mailer is 0. pushed down through the lower sheet guides into the buckle stops for the second fold.

As the mailer is still being driven by the nip rollers 530, the mailer buckles at the second fold assist perforation, thus forming a fold configuration. However, the mailer has not yet been sealed by pressing. The bottom of the mailer is driven by the nip rollers 530 which drive the finished fold mailer forward into the exit rollers and into the final pressing station involving pressing rollers 580, delivering the sheet into the delivery chute to provide a completed fold security mailer.

As referred to above, the apparatus can be suitably modified to provide a CD/003864473V2.dob 7 mailer having a fold from a form 10 as now described in relation to Fig. 4. The front 100 of the form 10 to which moisture activated adhesive is applied is facing upwardly towards the compression wicks of the apparatus represented in Fig. 4.

Pressure reactive adhesive is applied to the rear 200 of the form 200. The form is transferred from right to left by rollers (not shown). The compressed felt wicks 510 apply moisture in the same manner as for the conventional fold operation described above, to apply water to the moisture activated adhesive portions 180, on the front 100 of the form 10. The form 10 moves towards the transport rollers 520 which drive the form 10 between the nip roller 530 and upper and lower fold plates for approximately 80 to 100mm through a short curved section 610, where a new water tank 560 having three special nylon covered compressed felt wicks protrudes through slots in the fold plates.

On top of this wick tank assembly 560 there is fitted a set of curved sheet guides which also protrude through the sheet guides. The sheet guide also 15 incorporates the new first buckle stop 570 assembly for the fold.

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The modification to the apparatus relates to the inclusion of the new wick tank 560, curved sheet guides and buckle stops 570 installed into a stainless steel drain tank with right and left side arms which secure this assembly into the curve of the inner fold plate, thus allowing it be adjustable for form depth variation (for example, for 11 inch or A4 sizes).

The new wick tank 560 and buckle stops 570 are positioned so that only one-third (that is, upper panel 80), of the form 10 extends along the upper curved section 610. As the form 10 is driven forward by the nip rollers 530, it hits the "Z" fold buckle stop 570 and, at the same time, the wicks wet the three remoistenable glue tabs 190 on the form The form 10 buckles at the fold assist perforation 150 and, as it is still being driven by the set of rubber rollers 520, it deflects forward into the exit rollers, thus forming the fold configuration. The form 10 continues to travel forward through the exit rollers into the pressing stations and into the delivery chute.

CD00384473Q.do& 8 Accordingly, such a form 10 allows a sealed envelope to be produced in a fold configuration using such a machine. The rear 200 of the form 10 which has applied to it pressure responsive adhesive does not require the application of moisture. Instead, the rear sides of panels 60 and 70 are sealed together by the application of pressure which is ordinarily applied to seal the moisture reactive adhesive during regular operation in sealing forms in the usual fold configuration. Of course, other machines or processes can be sued to fold and seal the form 10, though the existing machinery can be modified as described to conveniently achieve this end.

While panels 60 and 70 can be prised apart as they are only pressure sealed, panels 70 and 80 are still firmly sealed with moisture activated adhesive and thus cannot be separated without tearing. As a result, the sealed envelope produced in this fold configuration can be conveniently produced using existing :equipment and is suitable for mailing.

15 It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined in this '-oo 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.

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Claims (8)

1. A form suitable for use as a mailing envelope, the form including: a planar sheet having lateral sides and transverse ends; moisture activated adhesive means applied to a first side of the sheet; and pressure responsive adhesive means applied to a second side of the sheet; wherein an apparatus, for folding and sealing in a fold configuration forms having moisture activated adhesive means applied to one side of the forms, can be used, after appropriate modification, to fold and seal the form in a fold.

2. A form according to claim 1, wherein the respective adhesive means are 10 applied to opposing sides of the form to facilitate convenient folding and sealing the form in a fold configuration using the apparatus. eee3. A form according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the form includes frangible means for opening the form once it is folded and sealed into an envelope which can be broken.

4. A form according to any preceding claim, wherein the fold is achieved by folding the sheet into generally equally sized upper, middle, and lower panels. A form according to claim 4, wherein the moisture activated adhesive means is applied to the upper and middle panels at one side of the form, and the pressure responsive adhesive means applied to the middle and lower panels of the opposing side of the form.

6. The invention also provides a method for folding and sealing a form, the method including: providing an apparatus for folding and sealing in a fold configuration forms having moisture activated adhesive means applied to one side of the forms; C/003864472do providing a form including a sheet having lateral sides and transverse ends, moisture activated adhesive means applied to a first side of the sheet, and pressure responsive adhesive means applied to a second side of the sheet; providing the form to the apparatus, and folding and sealing the form in a fold configuration using the apparatus, after appropriate modification of the apparatus.

7. A method according to claim 6, further including: applying moisture to the moisture activated adhesive means on the first side of the sheet; and folding the sheet in a fold configuration and applying pressure to the folded form to cause the moisture activated adhesive means and the pressure responsive adhesive means to respectively adhere together corresponding parts of the first and second sides of the sheet to thereby form a sealed envelope. A method of manufacturing a form of the type described above, the method including: providing a sheet having lateral sides and transverse ends; applying a moisture activated adhesive means to a first side of the sheet; and applying a pressure responsive adhesive means to a second side of the form.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the moisture activated adhesive means and the pressure responsive adhesive means are applied to opposing sides of the form to facilitate convenient folding and sealing the form in a fold configuration.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the wherein the fold is achieved C='003864473v2.dot 11 by folding the sheet into generally equally sized upper, middle, and lower panels.

11. A method according to claim 9, including applying the moisture activated adhesive means to the upper and middle panels at one side of the form, and applying the pressure responsive adhesive means to the middle and lower panels of the opposing side of the form. Champion rFrme Awutralia Pty Ltd IC Kenneth CStwart SCllrz and L By its Registered Patent Attorneys Freehills Carter Smith Beadle (In Luidatio F) ?uronee Andr.ew Rtzgerald 30 July 2001 a a a