AU724770B2

AU724770B2 - Envelopes

Info

Publication number: AU724770B2
Application number: AU51997/96A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Allan Frederick Birch
Original assignee: Trigon Packaging Systems NZ Ltd
Current assignee: Trigon Packaging Systems NZ Ltd
Priority date: 1995-05-04
Filing date: 1996-05-01
Publication date: 2000-09-28
Anticipated expiration: 2016-05-01
Also published as: NZ272067A; AU5199796A

Description

Regulation 32()

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

00 00 000 @000 *0 0 0.00 0 0 0 00 0 0 00 0000 0 0 09 0 0 0 000 0 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Application Number: Lodged: see 0 Invention Title: ENVELOPES 0 000000 0 0 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to envelopes for the secure exchange, and transportation of documents, cash and the like.

In banking circles it is often the case that different types of transaction are processed by different departments. For example, it is common for one department within a bank to process cash deposits and another em..

department within the same bank (or outside) to process cheques from 0e@@ the same deposit.

*see&: 0 "It is also common for banks to have deposit boxes for the use of customers during normal business hours.

:Up until now there has been no specific deposit envelope used which 00•$ readily facilitates' separate processing of cash end cheques and it has 0 generally been the case that the receiving bank teller needs to sort between cash and cheques deposited in the same envelope or bag. This is inconvenient and is a situation which could readily give rise to errors particularly if cash and cheques were separated without due note of the account to which they are intended to be credited.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an envelope which will facilitate the lodgement of deposits with a bank which they may wish to separately process.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuring description which is given by way of example.

18. JUL.2000 15:55 WATERMARK 613 98196010 NO. 8397 P. 4 According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an envelope for containing disparate items including a main envelope body having a front wall and a rear wall formed of plastic film having certain tear resistant characteristics, said front and rear walls being joined around the periphery thereof except for an access opening to define an enclosed space adapted to receive a first type of item, one of said wall having a closure flap for closing the access opening with an adhesive coating on said flap or the other of said walls for securing said flap in closing relation to said access opening, characterized by a third wall in juxtaposed relation to one of said front and rear walls and secured thereto around the periphery of said third wall except for an access opening to define a second enclosed space for receipt of a second type of item, said envelope having means i for closing said access opening into said second enclosed space, said third wall being formed of a plastic film and includes means providing ready access to said second enclosed space without the need to open the seal, said means for providing ready access to said second enclosed space comprising perforations, slits, a score line, an overlapping opening, or other weakening in the third wall, or the use of a third wall comprising a low density polyethylene film which can be tom from the e front or rear wall.

As a matter of convenience said third wall may be provided with preformed 20 tabs or apertures to facilitate grasping said third wall for removal thereof.

As a matter of convenience said access opening into said second enclosed space may be at the end of the envelope opposite the closure flap for closing said first access opening.

Preferably said access opening into said second enclosed space is adjacent to said closure flap for closing said first access opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Aspects of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan view of an envelope in accordance with one possible embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a plan view of an envelope in accordance with the further possible embodiment of the present invention, and 3 18/07 '00 TUE 15:53 [TX/RX NO 9892] Figure 3 is a plan view of an envelope in accordance with yet a further aspect of the present invention, and Figure 4 is a plan view of further possible embodiment of the present invention, and Fieure 5 is a cross-sectional drawing of another possible embodiment of the present invention.

*0 0 00 0000 00 00 0° 0 o 00 ,0 0 0 00 0 00 0O0 .600 0000r 0 0 00 BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION With respect to figures 1 to 2 of the drawings envelopes of the present invention are indicated by arrow 1. Each envelope 1 comprises a front face 2, a rear face 3 and an envelope closure flap 4 which includes sealing means and an opening 4a.

The techniques for manufacturing envelopes in plastics material vary and in the present instance the envelopes illustrated are manufactured using a "centre-fold" technique whereby an envelope body is formed by folding a sheet of plastics material the fold establishing the base for the envelope and with the use of seal bars and/or adhesives forming envelope side seals and thereafter or simultaneously segregating individual envelopes. If centre-folding techniques are not used side and bottom edges of front and rear flaps for the envelopes can be united by adhesives or with the use of seal bars. The closure of envelope flaps or pockets can be achieved using hot melt or proprietary adhesive strips which can be laid on the plastics film and when removed provide a tacky surface.

Each envelope is provided with a pocket 5 sealed at edges 6 to secure cheques or other articles therein and in each case means are provided for providing ready access to materials within the pocket.

Ready access to the interiors of the pocket 5 can be provided by a perforated line or lines 7 (figures 1 and 4) or a slit 7a (figure 3) or an overlapping edges 7b (figure 2) and can be further enhanced by selecting a low density polyethylene plastics film material for forming the pocket so that when access to the pocket is required this can be obtained by tearing the pocket without the need for undue force. Access by tearing may be further assisted by the provision of tabs (not shown) or apertures 8 (figure 2) in the wall of the pocket.

In a banking situation the envelope body is made from a tough material *because it is envisaged that the envelope will be used to contain coins and in use would be dropped some distance into a deposit box, whereas previously mentioned the material used to form the pocket can be a less durable plastics material, the function of the pocket being to contain noncash items such as cheques, deposit slips or the like.

&see In use it is envisaged that the envelope and pocket are loaded and sealed *00 by the customer and delivered to a deposit point with a deposit slip having been filled out for cash and cheques and other non-cash items and placed in the pocket. When the bank is ready to process the deposits then the eec...

envelope pocket containing cheques and non-cash items can be readily accessed by opening or tearing the low density polyethylene plastic pocket from the envelope body and the envelope containing cash items can be sent to a different department for processing.

Each pocket 5 is provided with lengthwise or crosswise edge seals 6 and an open end 9 with closure means which can be in the form of a closure flap including a strip of hot melt adhesive or a strip of adhesive tape 9a applied to the envelope front face 2 or adjacent to opening 4a.

In the examples illustrated by figures 1 and 2 the opening to the envelope 1 is opposite to the opening to the pocket 5 however as a matter of choice both the pocket and the envelope could have openings at the same end, as illustrated by figures 3 and 4 of the drawings.

In the embodiment of figure 3 an opening 10 to the pocket is adjacent envelope closure flap 4 and opening 11 to the envelope. A hot melt band 12 is provided on flap 4 which is of sufficient depth to effect closure of both the envelope and the pocket openings.

€or° In the embodiment of figure 4 a hot melt band 13 on the envelope flap is provided for closing the envelope and the envelope flap 4 also has a

S

.separate tape band 14 for sealing an adjacent open end 15 of the pocket a combination of two hot melt strips may be an alternative.

With respect to the figure 5 embodiment of the present invention envelope

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1 has a front face 2, a rear face 3, a closure flap 4. In this case hot melt is used to seal bottom edge 16 of pocket 5 and hot melt adhesive is applied to -flap 4 and is covered by a release tape. An opening 17 to the pocket 5 is at an opposite end to the opening to the envelope and includes a closure flap 18 and a pocket closure tape 19.

It will be appreciated from the examples described that there are a number of closure and sealing options for both the envelope and the pocket and that the present invention embodies any combinations of same.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

"Comprises/comprising" when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof

Claims

1. An envelope for containing disparate items including a main envelope body having a front wall and a rear wall formed of plastic film having certain tear resistant characteristics, said front and rear walls being joined around the periphery thereof except for an access opening to define an enclosed space adapted to receive a first type of item, one of said wall having a closure flap for closing the access opening with an adhesive coating on said flap or the other of said walls for securing said flap in closing relation to said access opening, characterized by a third wall in juxtaposed relation to one of said front and rear walls and secured thereto around the periphery of said third wall except for an access opening to define a second enclosed space for receipt of a second type of item, said envelope having means for closing said access opening into said second enclosed space, said third wall being formed of a plastic film and includes means providing ready access to said second enclosed space without the need to open the seal, said means for providing ready access to said second enclosed :o space comprising perforations, slits, a score line, an overlapping opening, or other weakening in the third wall, or the use of a third wall comprising a low density i: polyethylene film which can be torn from the front or rear wall.

2. An envelope as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said third wall is provided with preformed tabs or apertures to facilitate grasping said third wall for removal thereof.

3. An envelope as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 wherein said access opening into said second enclosed space is at the end of the envelope opposite the closure flap for closing said first access opening. RA 7 20/07 '00 THU 14:16 [TX/RX NO 9929]

18. JUL. 2000 15:56 WATERMARK 613 98196010 NO. 8397 P. 6 4. An envelope as claimed in any one of Claims 1-3 wherein said access opening into said second enclosed space is adjacent to said closure flap for closing said first access opening. DATED this 18 t h day of July, 2000 TRIGON PACKAGING SYSTEMS (NZ) LIMITED WATERMARK PATENT TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS 290 BURWOOD ROAD HAWTHORN VICTORIA 3122 AUSTRALIA CJH:KMH:MXM:meh P9175AU00 :0. 9 *0 0 0 18/07 '00 TUE 15!53 [TX/RX NO 9892]