GB2101528A - Envelopes - Google Patents

Abstract

A postal envelope having an integral return envelope, has a front panel (4), at least a portion of which can be removed as desired to expose an intermediate panel (9) located behind the front panel. A closure flap (10) is connected to a back panel (1) of the envelope at a foldline (11) and a row of perforations (12) extends across the closure flap. The row of perforations (12) on the flap is so positioned that when the flap is closed on to the front panel the row of perforations (12) will register with one (16) of two rows of perforations (6, 7) on the front panel. In another embodiment, the foldline is perforated to allow the closure flap to be removed. The intermediate panel is attached to the back panel along three sides and at the fourth, the back panel (1) extends beyond the intermediate panel (19) to provide a sealing closure strip (23). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Envelopes This invention relates to envelopes.

There is a need for a postal envelope which can be forwarded to an addressee with the contents secure, but which the addressee can re-use to return some or all of the original contents of the evelope to the sender. However, with modern mail sorting techniques, codings are often permanently applied to envelopes by the postal authorities with the result that if such a coded envelope is re-used, the envelope will not be forwarded by the Post Office to the original sender but will be returned to the original addressee because of the coding on the envelope.

An object of the present invention is to avoid this disadvantage. With this end in view, and according to the invention, the present invention provides an envelope which has a front panel behind which is an intermediate panel, the front panel being removable as desired to expose the intermediate panel. With such an envelope any postal codings applied by the mail authorities will be applied to the front panel. The addressee can then remove this front panel before re-posting the envelope to the original sender.

An envelope provided by the invention has a back panel, a front panel and an intermediate panel, the front panel being connected to the envelope by two rows of perforations which are spaced from each other to define a removable strip which can be removed as desired to expose the intermediate panel. A closure flap can be connected to the back panel of this envelope by a foldline and is arranged to be folded on to the front panel, the closure flap having a row of perforations extending across the flap in such a position that when the flap is folded down onto the front panel the row of perforations in the flap will register with one of the row of perforations connecting the front panel to the envelope. This flap also has two adhesive areas lying one on each side of the row of perforations.

In another embodiment of an envelope provided by the invention, the front panel is connected to the envelope by three rows of perforations, two of which are spaced from each other and united by the third to define the removable strip. A closure flap can be connected to the back panel by a foldline along which perforations are preferably provided. This flap is arranged to be folded on to the front panel and has an adhesive area for sealing the flap to the front panel. The intermediate panel of this envelope is sealed to the back panel along three sides, and is open on the fourth. On this fourth side, the back panel extends beyond the intermediate panel to provide a closure flap strip which is preferably provided with an adhesive area.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 schematically illustrates one embodiment of an envelope according to the present invention, and Figure 2 schematically illustrates another embodiment of an envelope according to the present invention.

The envelope illustrated in Figure 1 comprises a back panel 1 which has side flaps 2 and 3 folded on to the front of the back panel 1. A front flap 4 is folded on to the front of the back panel and is connected to the back panel at a fold line 5 which will herein, for the convenience of description, be considered to be at the bottom of the envelope. A row 6 of perforations runs across the front flap 4 below the top edge of this flap. A second row 7 of perforations runs across the bottom portion of the front flap just above the fold line 5. The front flap 4 is secured to the side flaps 2 and 3 by adhesive applied to the upper corner portions of this flap above the row of perforations 6. Thus, the front flap is not secured to the side flaps between the rows 6 and 7 of perforations. The front flap conveniently has an address window 8.An intermediate panel 9, a portion of which is visible through the window 8, is located between the front flap 4 and the back panel 1. This intermediate panel 9 is a patch or strip secured by an adhesive to the side flaps 2 and 3 and to the rear of that portion of the front flap above the row of perforations 6. In this case, the intermediate panel 9 is of a transparent material. The strip portion of the front flap defined by the two rows of perforations 6 and 7 may be removed by puliing that strip portion forward of the envelope.

It is not essential for the intermediate panel 9 to be of transparent material, nor for the front flap 4 to have a window 8.

A closure flap 10 is joined to the back panel 1 at a fold line 11. A row 1 2 of perforations extends across the closure flap, this row of perforations being positioned so that when the closure flap is folded down on to the front flap 4 to close the envelope, the row of perforations 1 2 will register with the row of perforations 6. The closure flap 10 has an area 13 of adhesive above the row of perforations 12. A second area 14 of adhesive is provided below the row of perforations 12. These two areas of adhesive are so positioned that when the closure flap is folded down the adhesive area 14 will lie in contact with the portion of the front flap above the row of perforations 6. The adhesive area 13 will then lie on the removable strip portion of the front flap below the row of perforations 6.

In use, the envelope is filled and the closure flap 10 is folded down on to the front flap. The closure flap is sealed to the removable strip portion of the flap front by means of the adhesive in the adhesive area 13. The adhesive qualities of the adhesive area 14 are not activated. Thus, the contents of the envelope are secured and the envelope can be transmitted through the post. During such transmission the postal authorities may apply coding to the envelope and such coding will be applied to the front flap. When the addressee receives the envelope, the envelope can be opened by removing the strip portion of the front flap 4 lying between the rows of perforations 6 and 7.Since the adhesive area 1 3 of the closure flap is secured to this strip portion that portion of the closure flap, then lying below the row of perforations 12, will be removed with the strip portion of the front flap. This gives access to the interior of the envelope and the contents can be removed. When it is desired to re-use the envelope in order to return some or all of the contents to the original sender, the remaining portion of the closure flap is again folded down on to the front of the envelope and the adhesive area 1 4 is secured to the remaining portion of the front flap of the envelope, that is to say the portion of the front flap lying above the row of perforations 6. The envelope will then be re-secured and the intermediate panel will be exposed to view.If the intermediate panel is, as is preferred, made of transparent material the address will be visible through that panel or alternatively, the return address can be written or printed on that panel.

The removal of the strip portion of the front flap will, of course remove any Post Office coding and any new codings applied to the envelope will be applied to the intermediate panel.

The envelope illustrated in Figure 2 also comprises back panel 1, and side flaps 2 and 3 and a front flap 4 folded on to the front of the back panel 1. However, in this case, the sides of the front flap 4 are secured to the side flaps 2, 3 along their length. A row 15, 1 6 and 1 7 of perforations extends along the respective foldlines connecting the front and side flaps 4, 2 and 3 with the back panel 1. The front panel formed by the front and side flaps may be removed from the envelope by pulling the top of the panel forward of the envelope to tear along the rows 1 6 and 1 7 of perforations and then along the row of perforations 1 5.

The front flap 4 is conveniently provided with a window 8 across and behind which a transparent material patch is preferably provided.

A closure flap 20 is connected to the back panel 1 at a fold line 11. A row 22 perforations extends across the closure flap along this foldline 1 An area 13 of adhesive is provided along the free edge of the flap opposite the foldline 1 This area 1 3 is positioned so as to contact the front panel when the closure flap 20 is folded down.

An intermediate panel 19 is provided between the front panel and back panel 1. Three of the four side edges of this intermediate panel are in register with corresponding side edges of the back panel 1 and are secured by adhesive along these edges. On the fourth side, a strip 23 of the back panel 1 extends beyond the free edge 21 of the intermediate panel 19. This is shown (mainly as a hidden detail) on the right hand side of the drawing of the envelope in Figure 2. An adhesive area 24 is provided on this strip 23 on the front of the back panel 1. Once the front panel and closure flap 20 have been removed from the envelope by tearing along the rows 1 5 to 1 7 and 22 respectively of perforations, this strip forms the closure flap of a return envelope constituted by the intermediate panel and back panel.

Although shown in Figure 2 on the right hand side of the envelope, strip 23 may equally well be provided along the left hand side or bottom of the back panel.

The intermediate panel 1 9 may be of a transparent or opaque material. If of an opaque material, it may be provided with a window or be pre-printed with a return address.

In use, the envelope is filled and the closure flap 20 is folded down and sealed on to the front panel by means of the adhesive in the area 13. The envelope may then be opened by the addressee by inserting a knife or other object, to tear along the row 22 of perforations. Alternatively, the closure flap 20 may be torn or prised open along the adhesive seal. This gives access to the interior of the envelope and the contents can then be removed.

When it is desired to re-use the the envelope, the front panel is removed by tearing along rows 16, 1 7 and 1 5 of perforations. If still attached to the back panel, the closure flap 20 is removed by tearing along row 22 of perforations. The return envelope which remains and is constituted by the back and intermediate panels may, then be filled and sealed by folding the strip 23 of the back panel 1 over the open end on to the intermediate panel having activated adhesive in area 24. If the intermediate panel is transparent or is provided with a window the return address will be visible through that panel. Alternatively, the intermediate layer may have been pre-printed with the return address, or this may be written or printed on it. As in the previous embodiment, the removal of the front panel will remove any Post Office coding and any new codings will be applied to the intermediate panel.

Claims (14)

1. An envelope having a front panel behind which is an intermediate panel, the front panel being removable from the envelope to expose the intermediate panel.

2. An envelope comprising a back panel, a front panel and an intermediate panel between the back and front panels, the front panel being connected to the envelope by two rows of perforations which are spaced from each other to define a removable strip which can be removed to expose the intermediate panel and the intermediate panel being connected along three of its four sides with the back panel.

3. An envelope as claimed in claim 2 whereinsaid two rows of perforations run parallel to the foldline of a closure flap which is connected to the back panel and provided for closing the envelope.

4. An envelope as claimed in claim 3 wherein the closure flap has a row of perforations which runs parallel to the foldline at a distance therefrom equal to that from the foldline to the immediately adjacent row of said two rows of perforations connecting the front panel to the envelope.

5. An envelope as claimed in claim 4 wherein the closure flap has two adhesive areas located one on each side of the row of perforations.

6. An envelope as claimed in claim 2, wherein the back panel comprises a strip portion which extends beyond the fourth, free side edge of the intermediate panel.

7. An envelope as claimed in claim 6 wherein said strip portion has an adhesive area on the surface of the back panel adjacent the intermediate panel.

8. An envelope as claimed in claim 6 or 7 wherein said strip portion extends along a side of the back panel which is perpendicular to the foldline of the closure flap.

9. An envelope as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 8 wherein the closure flap is connected to the back panel by a row of perforations which extends along the foldline.

10. An envelope as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 9 wherein the removable strip is defined by three rows of perforations, said two rows of perforations extending perpendicular to said foldline of the closure flap and the third row uniting said two rows.

11. An envelope as claimed in claim 10 wherein said three rows of perforations run along the three side edges of the envelope connecting the front panel to the back panel.

12. An envelope as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the intermediate panel is of a transparent material.

13. An envelope as claimed in any preceding claims wherein the front panel has a window.

14. An envelope substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 or 2 of the accompanying drawings.