GB2095174A

GB2095174A - Postal wrapper

Info

Publication number: GB2095174A
Application number: GB8206570A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: FORMEUROP LAVAUZELLE
Current assignee: FORMEUROP LAVAUZELLE
Priority date: 1981-03-25
Filing date: 1982-03-05
Publication date: 1982-09-29
Also published as: GB2095174B; ES272065U; IT8248079A0; IT1147931B; NL8201198A; ES272065Y; CH652078A5; DE3210876A1; DE8208414U1

Abstract

A wrapping element designed to be used for mail, obtained from a blank on which fold lines x-x', y-y' are made which correspond roughly with the longitudinal and transverse axes of symmetry of the blank, so defining four surfaces A - - - D of roughly equal area intended to come up against each other during the final folding operation and to be glued along certain of their edges, characterized in that one of the sides of the blank is provided with a flap 1, (5) hinging on one edge of one of the areas A, A' of the blank; this flap is provided on one of its faces with a continuous adhesive surface 1a, (5a) joining up with another adhesive area 2, (6) provided on the same face of the blank next to the other free edge of the face A' of the area provided with the flap, and extending along the whole of the free edge of the face B' of the neighbouring area, while on the other side of the blank an adhesive area 3, (7) is provided extending next to and on one side of the first fold axis x,x' which is perpendicular to the flap, on the respective faces D, C of the areas designed to be folded first on the margin of the first two above- mentioned adhesive areas 1a, 2 (5a, 6), with this adhesive area 3, (7) of the said other face joining up to an adhesive area 4, (8) provided on a free edge of the area B located opposite the flap with respect to the second fold axis y,y' and designed to work in conjunction with it after the second folding operation. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Wrapping element for mail This invention lies within the field of enclosure of ordinary mail. It relates more particularly to a wrapping element ensuring its contents cannot be violated, during its transmission and right up until the time it is distributed to the person or authority concerned.

In the areas of advertising and of the sending of bills various folded sheets are used, each forming the envelope proper and its contents.

These folded sheets are usually formed by a series of die cutting operations carried out on a flexible paper blank, the edges of which are glued in a suitable manner, following which the folded sheet, generally included in a sequence on a band, is transferred to machines of known type. When glue is applied only on a closing flap, or directly between certain opposite edges of the folded sheet, it becomes easy to find out what is in the sheet, at least in part. Furthermore certain socalled inviolable letters may blister or even tear on folding, owing to the presence of air which has not been expelled sufficiently during the said folding operation.

This invention aims at obviating drawbacks in the previous state of the art folded sheets or letters by providing a wrapping element designed to be used for mail, of a type obtained from a blank on which fold lines are made which correspond roughly with the longitudinal and transverse axes of symmetry of the blank, so defining four surfaces of roughly equal area intended to come up against each other during the final folding operation and to be glued along certain of their edges, characterized in that one of the sides of the blank is provided with a flap hinging on one edge of one of the areas of the blank; this flap is provided, on one of its faces, with a continuous adhesive surface joining up with another adhesive area provided on the same face of the blank next to the other free edge of the face of the area provided with the flap, and extending along the whole of the free edge of the face of the neighbouring area, while on the other side of the blank an adhesive area is provided extending next to and on one side of the axis of the first fold which is perpendicular to the flap, on the respective faces of the areas designed to be folded first on the margin of the first two abovementioned adhesive areas, with this adhesive area of the said other face joining up to an adhesive area provided on a free edge of the area located opposite the flap with respect to the second fold axis and designed to work in conjunction with it after the second folding operation.

As can be seen, a folded sheet is thus obtained which is not only closed along its four sides, but which also has two opposite sides consisting of a fold of paper and not of surfaces simply glued together flat; this means that it can be handled without any risk in an automatic sorting machine.

Also, since the two folds are made before the final stage of glueing the said flap, the air which may be entrapped during the folding operations can manage to escape naturally in the main, although certain additional provisions can be made for that purpose.

Furthermore at least one line of least resistance is provided on the blanks, for the purpose of opening the letter when it has been delivered to destination, and the invention also relates to a preferred embodiment for this purpose and one which is especially convenient.

Other features and advantages of the wrapping element according to the present invention will be revealed more clearly on reading the following description of two non-restrictive embodiments, with reference to the appended drawing, in which: fig. 1 is a plan view of one face of a blank, referred to as the front, here and subsequently; fig. 2 is a plan view of the other face of the blank, referred to as the back, here and subsequently; fig. 3 is a part plan view of the continuous paper strip from which the wrapping elements according to fig. 1 and 2 are formed; fig. 4 is a plan view of one face of the blank referred to as the front; fig. 5 is a plan view of the other face referred to as the back; fig. 6 is a plan view of the folded sheet obtained after a first folding operation starting from fig. 5;; fig. 7 is a plan view of the folded sheet obtained after the second folding operation starting from fig. 6 and before the flap is glued down.

The blank shown in fig. 1 and 2 comprises two fold lines x-x' and y-y' which delimit four corresponding areas A,A'; B,B'; C,C'; D,D'; surfaces A, B, C and D are on the side of the blank referred to as the front, surfaces A', B', C' and D' on the side referred to as the back. Area A,A' has a flap 1 on one side provided on the back with an adhesive surface la joining up with an adhesive surface 2 provided near the free longitudinal edge of surfaces A', B'. An adhesive surface 3 is provided on the back of the blank on faces C, D near to the axis x-x', which adhesive area here continues onto a neighbouring area 1 b of the flap which joins up with an adhesive surface 4 provided close to the free transverse edge of area B and comprising a discontinuity in the adhesive on surface 4a.In particular part D, C, D', C' here forms the substrate for the correspondence (invoice, advertising, message, etc.) of any kind that it is wished to send with the wrapping element formed by folding the blank, of which at least one of sections A and B serves to carry the recipient's address with the other capable of being used, in particular, to illustrate the method of opening the said wrapping element.

The wrapping element is then formed by folding D', C' onto A', B' round axis x,x', then folding B, C onto A, D round axis y,y', which means that the adhesive half-areas 2 and 3 come opposite each other respectively, after which the flap 1 is folded onto area B so that the respective adhesive areas 1 a and 4 come opposite each other. During the final pressure glueing operation the unglued surface 4a allows the residual air from folding to escape, thus obviating any harmful bulges and even subsequent tearing, and it can also be used as an opening starter tab where a zip opening system is provided, shown in fig. 1 by two broken lines of least resistance, parallel to axis x,x', so delimiting a zip-off area.It is also possible, as shown in fig. 1, to design a line of least resistance formed by perforations shown by the chain-dotted line round the edge of the letter and close to axis x,x'.

As shown in fig. 3, the wrapping element according to the invention can be produced in sequence from a strip of paper with perforated edges, coming from a feed reel, and fed into machinery of known type which will carry out the various cutting and fold-forming operations leading to the wrapping element according to the invention which, in other stages, can be printed and then folded using suitable machines.

The embodiment concerned in fig. 4 to 7 comprises surfaces and axes identical to those in fig. 1 and 2 and similar parts which are labelled 5 for the flap and 5a, 6, 7, 8 for the adhesive areas.

This blank also comprises two lines of least resistance 9, 10 obtained by a pre-cutting operation, here materialized by the broken line which extends symmetrically on either side of axis x,x', except that line 9 involving areas A,A' and B,B' is pre-cut at two mid-sections along its length in a half-moon shape 9a, 9b biting into areas A,A' and B,Br. Lines 9 and 10 are spaced from axis x,x' by a distance which exceeds the width of the adhesive surface 7.

The wrapping element is formed thus: starting from the situation in fig. 5, by folding around axis x,x' bringing surfaces D' C' opposite surfaces A', B' as illustrated in fig. 6. It will be noted that areas D,D' and C,C' then lie on top of surfaces A',B' leaving the adhesive area 6 free, whilst the adhesive area 7 appears alongside the opposite parallel edge of the element. Then, starting from the situation in fig. 6, a second fold is made along axis y,y', bringing surface C opposite surface D as illustrated in fig. 7, whilst the adhesive surfaces 6 and 7 are brought to stick together face to face, half-area to half-area, and the adhesive surface 8 comes next to the adhesive surface 5a of the flap 5.All that remains is to fold flap 5 along its fold line Sb onto the adhesive surface 8 to finish the sticking down of the envelope closure; any air which may be enclosed can be easily removed before this last folding operation. It will be noted that the wrapping element is, as a result, both closed along the sides corresponding to the adhesive strips 6, 7 (or 2, 3 in fig. 1 and 2) but also at the same time in the form of a closing fold on the side of axis y,y' and on the side of flap 5 (or 1 in fig. 1 and 2), which has the advantage that the wrapping element can be handled without risk in an automatic sorting machine since it has, along its leading and trailing transportation edges (whichever one is presented first), a fold which is not likely to be opened inadvertently as could be the case with two or more surfaces glued together flat along the edges involved.

Furthermore, in the case of fig. 4 to 7, the envelope can easily be opened by tearing its visible pre-cut edge bound by line 9 with the halfmoon 9a, 9b starting from one end and going towards the other; it being seen that at the same time a tear is made along the straight line 10 and that its wrapping part (area A,B,A',B') is thus separated from the contents of the letter (area D,C,D',C') which appears in the torn-off area of the half-moons 9a, 9b and can thus easily be gripped and pulled out.

It will be noted that the adhesive areas can be laid completely on formation of the blank, when this is only meant to be processed by folding machines to form the wrapping element or folded sheet following its printing, but the blank can also not be provided with the said adhesive areas when it is formed if it is designed to be processed by folding and glueing machines which then lay down the adhesive areas as shown to end with the same result as set forth above. This wrapping element may, of course, also be produced as a continuous strip as set forth previously.

Claims

1. A wrapping element designed to be used for mail, obtained from a blank on which fold lines are made which correspond roughly with the longitudinal and transverse axes of symmetry of the blank, so defining four surfaces of roughly equal area intended to come up against each other during the final folding operation and to be glued along certain of their edges, characterized in that one of the sides of the blank is provided with a flap (1, 5) hinging on one edge of one of the areas (A,A') of the blank; this flap is provided on one of its faces with a continuous adhesive surface (1 a, 5a) joining up with another adhesive area (2, 6) provided on the same face of the blank next to the other free edge of the face (A') of the area provided with the flap, and extending along the whole of the free edge of the face (B') of the neighbouring area, while on the other side of the blank an adhesive area (3, 7) is provided extending next to and on one side of the first fold axis (x,x') which is perpendicular to the flap, on the respective faces (D, C) of the areas designed to be folded first on the margin of the first two above-mentioned adhesive areas (1a, 2--5a, 6), with this adhesive area (3, 7) of the said other face joining up to an adhesive area (4, 8) provided on a free edge of the area (B) located opposite the flap with respect to the second fold axis (y,y') and designed to work in conjunction with it after the second folding operation.

2. The wrapping element according to claim 1, characterized in that the adhesive area (4) provided opposite the flap (1) has a discontinuity giving rise to a neutral area (4a) for removal of residual air during the final folding of the blank.

3. The wrapping element according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one line of least resistance, for example perforations, is provided on the blank for the purpose of opening the letter.

4. The wrapping element according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises two lines of least resistance (9, 10) provided symmetrically on either side of the said first fold axis (x, x') at a distance from it which is greater than the width of the adhesive area (7) extending next to it; that line (9) of the two which extends on the same side as the flap (5) with respect to the first fold axis (x,x') comprises, in two middle sections of its length, and symmetrical with respect to the second fold axis (y, y'), a half-moon portion (9a, 9b) designed, after tearing of the wrapping element along this visible line, to enable the internal part or contents to be gripped which then also get separated from the external part of the folded element in this operation.

5. The wrapping element according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the said adhesive areas are applied on formation of the blank.

6. The wrapping element according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the adhesive areas are applied by folding and glueing machines after the blank has been printed.

7. The wrapping element according to claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in the accompanying drawings.