EP0268410B1

EP0268410B1 - Return envelope sealing flap construction

Info

Publication number: EP0268410B1
Application number: EP87309824A
Authority: EP
Inventors: William D. Swiercz
Original assignee: Moore Business Forms Inc
Current assignee: Moore Business Forms Inc
Priority date: 1986-11-17
Filing date: 1987-11-06
Publication date: 1990-10-24
Anticipated expiration: 2007-11-06
Also published as: EP0268410A2; ATE57664T1; ES2018272B3; CA1305454C; EP0268410A3; DE3765752D1; BR8706158A

Abstract

An envelope construction includes an outer envelope 14 and a return envelope 22 contained therein. The return envelope 22 has a front sheet and a back sheet, both sheets being provided with marginal edges bonded together except along one edge. The front sheet extends beyond the back sheet at this one edge and has a closure flap 30 provided with an adhesive strip 34 for sealing the return envelope. First and second insert sheets, 18,20, in the nature of a bill and a copy thereof, are arranged inside the outer envelope 14 and are juxtaposed over the back sheet of the return envelope 22. One insert sheet includes an end strip 24 provided with a release agent 28 on its back side which overlies and protects the adhesive strip 34 provided on the closure flap 30 for the front sheet of the return envelope.

Description

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an envelope construction including an outer envelope and a return envelope, the latter of which has a unique sealing flap arrangement.

2. Description of the Related Art

Many businesses routinely use envelope constructions incorporating return envelopes for recipients to mail back bills with checks for payment. These envelope constructions are prepared continuously in bulk on high-speed collating machines. Speeds at which collators run are dependent upon the form of the envelope construction being assembled. Typically, a complicated form could run at only 20 feet per minute while a simple form might run as high as 350 feet per minute.
Such envelope constructions usually use a so- called transfer tape having a release overlay to protect the pressure sensitive adhesive prior to sealing. Remoistenable or self-sealing adhesives are also presently applied to the back of flaps for sealing closed the return envelope before it is mailed back to the sender.
The application of the transfer tape during the collating process is limited to in-line manufacture only and cannot be done across-the-web. Because of this limitation, all unitary envelope constructions incorporating return envelopes utilize side flap openings for insertion of the bills and payment checks into the return envelopes.
With the present envelope constructions, there is also a problem with down time for the high-speed collator whenever the reels of transfer tape being fed during the manufacturing process run out and need to be replaced with full reels of transfer tape.
Adhesive applied to the closure flap for the return envelope must have quick drying times and this requirement necessarily limits the type of usable adhesives to hot melt water remoistenables or fast drying solvent types. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could impose limits upon or ban the use of these types of adhesives because of the chemicals used during the manufacturing process of the adhesives, in particular the solvent types, in the future.
A related prior art construction is shown in U.S. Patent No. 3,990,627 to Olson who discloses an adhesive closure for a plastic bag used for protecting a sandwich or another food product. A part of the bag has a strip of release tape which overlies and protects the adhesive until the bag is ready to be used to store food therein. In order to open the bag, a user pulls the release tape away from the pressure-sensitive adhesive which is then pressed to close the bag.
However, such a release strip to protect an adhesive strip in the plastic bag of Olson could not be used in the same manner on a return envelope in order to solve the problems existing in the paper manifolding art.
Also Patent Specification no 3942714 describes a two way mailer comprising a plurality of sheets with one of the sheets having a part constituting a return envelope flap with an adhesive layer thereon to enable the flap to be folded onto a minor stub to seal the return envelope. The mailer includes a sheet constituting a customer's bill.
European Patent Specification no 0058248 describes a contininuous mailer with a tab with a free flap so that the tab portion can be grasped and stripped from the mailer. Removal of the tab portion exposes a return mailer envelope. One embodiment includes an insert ply. The flap of the back ply is folded against the front face of the body portion of the intermediate sheet and sealed by activiation of adhesive blocks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention an envelope construction includes an outer envelope 14, a return envelope 22 having a front sheet and a back sheet both provided with marginal edges bonded together except along one edge, said front sheet extending beyond the back sheet at said one edge to define a closure flap 30, and having means 34 for adhesively sealing said closure flap 30 to said back sheet to seal the return envelope 22;
characterised in that the return envelope 22 is contained within the outer envelope 14 and in that there is provided one insert sheet 20 arranged inside the outer envelope 14 and juxtaposed over the back sheet of the return envelope and said one insert sheet 20 includes an end strip 24 provided with a release agent 28 on its back side, said end strip 24 overlying the adhesive sealing means 34.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a simplified envelope construction which can be prepared continuously in bulk at a very high speed on a conventional collating machine.
Another object of the present invention is to eliminate the need for a protective transfer tape affixed to the adhesive on the closure flap of the return envelope. Thus, an inventory of transfer tapes need not be maintained and down time required for changing reels of transfer tapes is saved.
One advantage of the present invention is that only two chemical mixtures or solutions are required, viz. an adhesive mixture which is extruded onto the closure flap of the return envelope and a release agent which is extruded onto the back side of the end strip of the insert sheet that is superimposed over the back side of the return envelope. The ahesive mixture and the release agent can be applied as the web of papers making up the envelope construction is running in the longitudinal direction, ie in a running extruded stream as the web runs in-line. Also, the adhesive mixture and release agent can be applied in an across-the-web pattern which must be placed in certain positions when return envelopes having top flap openings are used.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from a careful review of the drawings described immediately hereinbelow and from a study of the description of the preferred embodiment given thereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an envelope construction with the left margin being torn off by a recipient.
FIG. 2 shows the contents being partially removed from the outer envelope by the recipient.
FIG. 3 shows the contents completely removed from the outer envelope with thumb notches detached from the outer envelope which is about to be discarded.
FIG. 4 shows that the contents inside the outer envelope constitute inserted sheets in the nature of a bill and a copy thereof. The contents also include a return envelope.
FIG. 5 shows the bill folded and being inserted into the back side of the return envelope with a check for payment. A copy of the bill being retained by the recipient is shown with an end strip having a release agent partially removed therefrom.
FIG. 6 shows the front side of the return envelope with the closure flap sealed shut on the back side thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In Fig 1 a recipient of apiece of mail is holding an envelope construction 10 and tearing off a left margin 12 thereof.
In Fig 2 the recipient is holding the envelope construction 10 at one end while the contents are partially removed from an outer envelope 14 at the other end.
In Fig 3 the contents are completely removed from the outer envelope 14 which has its margins sealed at the far end, the top edge, and the bottom edge. Thumb notches 16, which have been detached from the other end of the outer envelope 14, are about to be discarded.
In Fig 4, the contents removed from the outer envelope 14 are shown to include, in this particular embodiment, inserted sheets in the nature of a bill or statement 18, a copy sheet 20 of the bill sheet 18 juxtaposed over the bill sheet 18, and a return envelope 22 comprising a front sheet and a back sheet provided with marginal edges bonded together except along one edge with the front sheet extending beyond the back sheet to form a closure flap 30. The copy sheet 20 has an end strip 24 separable from the copy sheet 20 along a perforated line 26. A release agent 28 is applied to the back side of the end strip 2.4 and the end strip 24 overlies the adhesive sealing means 34. The return envelope 22 contained within the outer envelope 14 includes the closure flap 30 foldable along a fold line 32, The closure flap 30 is provided with an adhesive sealing means 34 which seals the closure flap 30 of the return envelope 22 when the closure flap 30 is folded along the fold line 32 to seal the closure flap 30 to the back sheet to seal the return envelope. During mailing and before sealing the adhesive sealing means 34 on the closure flap 30 is protected by the overlaying release agent 28 on the strip 24 of the copy 20 which is superimposed over the return envelope 22.
As shown in Fig 5 when the recipient desires to pay the bill 18, he or she folds the bill 18 and encloses a check 36 or similar negotiable instrument into the one end of the return envelope 22.
The copy 20 of the bill 18 is retained by the recipient. If desired, the person may detach the end strip 24 containing the protective release agent 28 by tearing along the perforated line 26 of the copy 20 and then may discard the end strip 24. Once the folded bill 18 and the check 36 are completely inserted into the back side of the return envelope 22, the closure flap 30 carrying the adhesive sealing means 34 may be folded along the fold line 32 so that the closure flap 30 seals the one end of the return envelope 22.
In Fig 6, the return envelope 22 is turned over and the front side is shown. The closure flap 30, folded along fold line 32, is shown in phantom lines. The adhesive sealing means 34 (not shown in Fig 6) on flap 30 seals the return envelope 22 shut with the folded bill 18 and the check 36 (also not shown in Fig 6) contained inside.
As far as the materials involved are concerned, they are all commercially available. Examples of suitable pressure sensitive chemicals which may be used for the adhesive strip 34 are SBR, SIS (styrene isoprene styrene), acrylates, etc. Mixtures which may be selected for use as the release agent 28 on the back side of the end strip 24 are wax, silicone, polyethylene, etc.

Claims

1. An envelope construction (10), comprising:

a) an outer envelope (14);

b) a return envelope (22) having a front sheet and a back sheet both provided with marginal edges bonded together except along one edge, said front sheet extending beyond the back sheet at said one edge to define a closure flap (30), and having means (34) for adhesively sealing said closure flap (30) to said back sheet to seal the return envelope (22); characterised in that the return envelope (22) is contained within the outer envelope (14) and in that there is provided one insert sheet (20) arranged inside the outer envelope (14) and juxtaposed over the back sheet of the return envelope and said one insert sheet (20) includes an end strip (24) provided with a release agent (28) on its back side, said end strip (24) overlying the adhesive sealing means (34).

2. The envelope construction, according to claim 1, characterised in that;

said end strip (24) provided with a release agent (28) is separatable by a perforated line (26) from the one insert sheet (20).

3. The envelope construction, according to claim 1 or 2, further characterised in that; there is provided at least an additional insert sheet (18), arranged inside the outer envelope (14) and juxtaposed over said one insert sheet (20).

4. The envelope construction, according to claim 3 characterised in that; said additional insert sheet (18) is a bill and said one insert sheet (20) is a copy of the bill.