GB2220887A - Folded pre-insert pack - Google Patents

Abstract

A folded pack comprising a flat strip of sheet material sub-divided into a series of successive adjacent panels (30-38) by a plurality of transverse folds (40-47), orientated whereby the strip may be folded, concertina-fashion, into a relatively compact pack, incorporating a booklet-style portion (79), a reply enclosure (80) and a reply portion (81), the reply portion being preinserted within the reply enclosure during the production process. The booklet portion (79) comprises panels (30-33) having a common spine (40-42), fold (41) being slit open. The reply enclosure (80) comprises panels (34, 35) adhere by their margins (52-55) to form a pocket. The reply portion (81) comprises panels (36-38) of reduced depth formed by removal of marginal strips (70, 71) the panels being folded concertina-fashion into the pocket. <IMAGE>

Description

Folded Sheet Products - internested Folded Padk This invention relates to folded sheet material products and is particularly, but not exclusively concerned with multiple folded sheet material of paper, card, plastics, metalised, foil or substitute material, formed into a nultiple page product.

A principal use for such products, typically of paper or card, is in the production of promotional information 'packages' - which may be directly handed manually to, or collected by, the recipient, or conveyed by post - in the manner of a sorcalled 'direct mail shot'.

It is generally desirable to inoorporate the maximum amount of pictorial or graphics and text material, in order to convey sufficient information in a readily digestible form with most effective impact - with the overall objective of evoking a desired 'buying' response from the recipient for the product or service described.

This recipient response typically involves direct active paaticipation by completing and returning a reply portion in order to generate a specific order or at least as a request for further information.

Large amounts of data consume large surface areas and for ease of presentation this is oommcnly subdivided into a series of panels.

Preferably, the panels are disposed in succession - in the manner of pages in a book(let) - in order to draw the reader through the material; culminating in their fulfillment of an order return portion or ocupon.

The inclusion of a reply-paid card or envelope in the overall 'information pack' so placed in the hands of the recipient is generally favoured.

If the reply portion is large - as, for example, is commonly the case with application forms for subscriptions to services (such as credit card facilities) - this may have to comprise a folded sheet sealed up itself or as a folded insert in a separate envelope.

Such physical separation of the reply portion and the reply mailing enclosure, envelope or wrap, may oonstitute an albeit minor barrier or dis-incentive to the recipient ardertaMng the desired action of completing and returning the replyparticularly if the recipient is not completely decided upon such reply action.

Moreover, the production of multiple folded sheet material products imposes constraints upon the overall complexity of the product - and in particular the retention of physical proximity of the reply portion and the reply enclosure.

In direct mail generally, it is desired to increase the overall returns rate and this might most readily be achieved with marginal or partially-decided prospects.

Thus even relatively minor, or trivial, refinements to the product presentation may assist significantly towards achieving this.

Far example, the product may simply look better in terms of eye appeal or aesthetics, or the information may be presented more clearly and comprehensibly - and thus the desired returns action be more readily identified and oeeerehnded - and so initiated and undertaken to oompletion.

In this regard, it should be borne in mind that the 'selling package' and the product or service to which it relates may be in severe competition - at least vying for the recipients' attention, with a plattulra of superficially similar erect mail or 'selective pick-up' promotional bronre items.

Since such multiple folded sheet package items are carmonly distributed in relatively large numbers, to allow for low returns rates (for example between 1% and 10%), the unit oost is critical, when a multiplier of, say, tens or even hundreds of thousand units is applied.

Indeed some production process are simply not suited to 'on-line' mass production in a sequence of carefully integrated steps, such as applying adhesive, heat curing, trimming, severing, perforating, creasing and folding.

One particular constraint is that of local dimensional change.

This is commonly acommodated by so-called 'die-cutting', in which a specially-fabícated or configured mechanical cutter blade, or series of blades is set up and disposed to represent the desired cut outline, are applied to a sheet of stack of sheets.

The constraints of such a specialist process usually require that it be carried out 'off-line' - that is away from the major folding etc. processes converting the flat sheet into a multipage or multi-leaf pack. This elaborates and thus increases the production costs.

NEwnurtheless, in order to 'size' a reply portion to fit within a reply enclosure formed from a sheet of the same original width (that is before the intricate and integrated multiple conveyor- linked cutting/folding/creasing/perforating/gluing stages), and without elaborate folding which would unduly crease the reply portion and mar its ease of withdrawal and legibility for translation into action to implement the reply request, the reply portion is desirably narrower than the reply enclosure portion.

Hitherto this would have necessitated a separate 'off-line' process, such as die-cutting, as outlined above. This has disoouraged the adoption of varying-width sheet portions.

It would be nevertheless be advantageous if the reply portion was, at least initially, linked to the reply enclosure, so that the latter was readily to hand when the reply portion was completed, ready to $implement the return process itself.

The link could be detachable, for example a perforation line to facilitate severing and mutual separation of the reply portion and reply enclosure.

Provision would also be desirable of a fold-over sealing flap for the reply enclosure, as a more effective security sealparticular when the reply portion bears confidential information (such as in a credit card application), and has to be transmitted by post to the original sender or his agent.

The formation of a reply enclosure in a multiple folded sheet pack is taught in our UK Patent Application No. 8812908, in which the nutter of pages or leaves 'capacity', produced from a single sheet is increased by internesting successive supplementary sheets.

However, in this latter arrangement the reply portion and reply enclosure are overlaid one upon the other and are mutually several as the pack is opened.

Nevertheless, a pre-formed reply enclosure is achieved by edgebonding two successive overlaid sheets.

Provision is also made, for direct mail distribution use, of a single edge-sealing strip for the overall package.

In itself the latter is a refinement of a still earlier pzoçosal of ours, the subject of UK Patent Application No. 2,180,501, in which the basic concept of multiple peripheral edge sealing of a multiple folded sheet pack with an integral severable reply coupon is taught.

Indeed, there are a multiplicity of earlier proposals of direct mail folded sheet packs - although with limitations on complexity and economy of manufacture.

Thus certain features have simply not been economically viable for large scale production runs.

Acoording to one aspect of the invention a folded sheet pack an area of flat sheet material sub-divided into a plurality of panels the division between some adjacent panels being afforded a cut, perforation, crease, fold or cured contact adhesive band, whereby the single original sheet may be folded ccrYxErtina- fashion into a multi-leaved book form, with a spine defined by the overlay and adhesive bonding of a plurality of inter-panel divisions, one pair of overlying panels at one end of the sheet together forming an edge-sealed reply enclosure, one or more panels adjoining one of the panels defining the reply enclosure itself defining a reply portion nested within the reply enclosure, and in between the overlying sheets defining the reply enclosure.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of producing a multiple folded sheet pack as set out in the immediately preceding paragraph and oomprisinlg the .steps of: introducing a succession of folds, orienting the folds, implementing the folds so that one or more folds are received within one or more other folds, whereby a portion of the strip nests within another.

Acrding to a further aspect of the invention a folded sheet pack comprises a multi-leaved book portion with a plurality of pages linked at a oomman spine, an ancillary extended sheet portion an enclosure linked to the extension portion, an insert linked to and located within.the enclosure.

Such a pack may incorporate an overall peripheral seal along an edge.

Cbnveniently, the extension portion and enclosure portion are mutually foldable to nest one within the other and together within the embrace of the rear facing pages of the book portion.

There now follows a description of sate particular emodmsnts of an inter-nested folded pack acoording to the invention, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying essentially diagrammatic and schematic drawings, in which:: Figure 1 shows preliminary production stages for a pack; Figure 2 shows sheet separation into strips; Figure 3 shows the fold configuration for the strips of Figure 2; Figure 4 shows an outline configuration of a strip of Figure 2 after preliminary waste remnml; Figure 5 shows an initial intermediate folding stage for the strip of Figure 2; Figure 6 shows a following folding stage to that depicted in Figure 5; Figure 7 shows a subsequent folding stage to that of Figure 6 to achieve a ocmpleted pack; Figure 8 shows a further folding stage after that of Figure 7 to close the completed pack; Figure 9 shows a final folding stage to close the ocopleted pack; and Figure 10 shows a completed pack folded close, after the stages of Figures 5 though 9.

The drawings are not necessarily to scale or in proportion, but are distorted on occasion, in particular the sheet thickness, fold depth and folded depth, for clarity of illustrating the multiple-fold configuration.

Unfolding is essentially the reverse of folding, subject to oonstraints, such as when two or more parts have been locally bonded together.

Referring to the drawings, a multiple folded sheet pack initially ccnrnSkses a generally rectangular flat sheet of paper or card material 10 subdivided into a plurality of display areas 11 for text and graphics, or pictorial matter, by a rectangular grid array of marginal column and row spaces 12, themselves aligned with the sheet edges.

The display areas 11 are disposed in several (in this example three) parallel (horizontal as illustrated) rows 15, 16, 17 aligned with the sheet side edges, in turn orientated to align with a sheet processing movement or passage direction, indicated by box arrow 24 in Figure 1 and corresponding double-headed arrow 90 in Figure 4.

The rows 15, 16, 17 are thus available to form a natural subdivision of the sheet 10 - along lines 18 and 19, into several (in this example three) parallel strips of material 20, 21 and 22 at a later production stage.

This strip subdivision 20, 21, 22 generates three individual folded sheet products fran each sheet 10.

However, it is convenient and more economical in production to process one sheet 10 at a time and to leave the final severing and subdivision into strips 20, 21, 22 until the later production stages - in which each strip must be afforded further individual finishing Processing.

The conversion of a strip will be described in more detail, but it should be appreciated that, at least the initial stages, oould apply to several strips, such as 20, 21 and 22, integrated on a single sheet 10.

As a general comment, it is consentient to work with stard paper sizes, particularly for compatibility with printing oonstraints.

Indeed printing the sheets may be undertaken entirely separately - and thus the subeeqpent 'paper processing' must be able to handle standard printed material from other sources.

Of course the print, and specifically the image layout, design must be configured to produce an array of display panels which will allow the subsequent folding etc. steps into the multifolded pack, as described later.

For the purposes of completeness of illustration, Figure 1 shows a pre-print production stage - in which a roll of paper stock 101 is unwcund as a oantinvous web 100 for printing through a succession of printing rollers'l02.

The printed web 100 is subsequently subdivided into individual sheets 10 - which are arranged as a stack 140 for oonsenience of subsequent handling, transit, and processing.

It is from the top of one such stack 40 of multiple sheets that successive individual sheets 10 are picked up and transported, as indicated by aucuate arrow 23, into the general conveyor run of subsequent processing stages, indicated by arrow 24.

Referring to an individual strip 20 of the flat sheet 10, at an indeterminate stage - either before or after its subdivision therefran - the general disposition of cuts, folds etc. is outlined in Figures 3 thrcugh 10 These do not necessarily Ooresd to individual production steps, but rather are intended to illustrate the general presression from flat sheet, or strip form, to a multiple folded sheet pack.

Thus Figure 3 depicts the general layout of folds, perforations, cuts, waste renovals, creases, adhesive deposit layers featured in the complete strip 20, which are not necessarily all applied together, but in a production process, which is the subject of our ending UK Patent Application No. 88-----.-.

Figure 4 depicts the overall outline oonfiguration of the cut strip 20, in particular the differential or locally (end-) waisted cross-sectional width, which may be undertaken in a continuous process as taught in our aforesaid UK Patent Application No. 88-----.-, or by conventicnal means, such as 'off-line' die-cutting.

The strip 20 is itself subdivided into a series of (in this example 9, upright or 'portrait' orientated) adjacent rectangular 'page' panels 30 through 38.

Each display panel 30-38 comprises a (in this example rectangular) print display region 11 for text or graphics and a peripheral margin or border 12 - generated at the pre-print production stage outlined previously.

Of these panels, 31 through 35 are generally uniformly equal in width (approximately 12cm in a particular product version, although of curse not dimensionally limited), and indeed depth (of approximately 19.5an).

Panel 30 is of somewhat reduced width (approximately 9om in this example).

Panels 36, 37 are each slightly reduced in width (to approximately llom in this example) and, finally, end panel 38 is considerably narrower (at approxmately 2on in this example).

In fact, panel 33 is further subdivided into a three-quarter width area 33A and a quarter area 33B, corresponding respectively to the reduced width panel 30 and the narrow end panel 38.

The depth of the panels 36 through 38, which together will eventually form a reply insert assembly 81, is reduced at the outer (upper and lower, as illustrated) edges, by the removal of marginal waste strip portions 70, 71.

The resulting overall stepped configuration is shown in Figure 4.

Removal of these waste strips 70, 71 requires both a longitudinal and transvee cutting or severing path, respectively represented by the longitudinal cut lines 60, 61 and the transverse cut lines 62, 63, at opposite sides of the strip 20.

The general path of movement of the strip 20 through the various production stages is longitndinal, indicated by the can open dbuble- headed arrow 90 in Figure 4 - that is movement in either direction is possible.

Thus, in a continuous flow operation, such as that utilising conveyor transport of product at intermediate production stages through successive processing stations, longitudinal cuts or slits, such as 60 and 61 are more readily made - for example by cutting blades (such as rotary knives) aligned with the nLrnament path 90.

As the strip 20 itself is being moved along path 90, the cutter blades can remain (at least longitudinally) stationery - although they could rotate to promote a slicing auction, and be itcvable transversely of the plane of the sheet.

However, performing transsssse cuts, such as 62, 63 at high production rates, without inupting the oontinuous flow is more problematical.

In one aspect of the present invention and according to the invention taught in our aforementioned oceending UK Patent Application No. 88-----.-, preliminary transverse perforations (preferably so-called 'micro-perforations', in order to facilitate low-load separation and leave a clean severed edge) are made in the sheet 20, corresponding to the intended separation lines 62, 63.

With such pre-perforation, once the longitudinal slicing along the separation lines 60, 61 has been performed, the waste strips 70, 71 may be remLved by tearing along the relatively short perforation lines 62, 63.

This tearing must not interrupt the production flow and is desirably performed by localised application of relative air pressure differentials over the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet, to effect relative physical displacement of the residual waste portions 70, 71 fran remaining the body of the strip 20.

When such relative displacement reaches an extreme point, the perforation lines 62, 63 (already locally weakened by the perforation process) 'fail' quickly and cleanly, leaving no unsightly ragged edges (which would require further trimming to avoid marring the finished product appearance).

Reverting to the strip configuration, as shown in more detail in Figure 3, a series of (in this example eight) fold lines or creases 40 through 47 separate the panels 30 through 38.

The orientation of the folds about the fold lines 40 through 47 is depicted in more detail in Figures 5 thIxxgh 10, following and charting a prog:essively oanpacting folding action from the original flat strip 20 into a closed folded multi-leaved pack.

As previously indicated, ssme of this folding and indeed the pre tsimndng, perforating, adhesive-laying etc. may be undertaken while the strip 20 is still integrated with other strips, such as 21 and 22 depicted in Figure 2, as part of the production input flat sheet produced fan the printing stage.

Reverting to Figure 3, also prior to the folding stage of Figures S through 10, contact adhesive layers are applied in strips to regions 50 through 55 of the strip surface.

Such adhesive may be applied in a flowing form through, say, applicator nozzles or contact wheels and cured to a dry or tacky state by passage through a heating stage.

The adhesive strip 50 will form a narrow spine strip between panels 33 and 33 for securing overlaid sheets 30 and 31 respectively.

The adhesive strip 51 will form a closure strip for the closure flap 33B of the reply enclosure of the oompleted pack.

The adhesive strips 52 and 53 are applied at opposite longitudinal sides of the panel 34, which will eventually form one side of an enclosure 80 for a pack reply portion 81, and align with corresponding regions 54 and 55 of the next successive adjacent panel 35, which will form the caementary opposite other outer side of the reply enclosure 80, and to which contact adhesive has also been indicated as applied.

However, adhesive may only be applied to one of the pairs 52, 53 or 54, 55 - which will still bond together upon contact, when the panels 34 and 35 are folded together about the fold 44, so that the aligned and bond strips 52, 54 and 53, 55 form the opposite closed side edges of the reply enclosure envelope or pocket 80, as shown in Figures 7 through 10.

As indicated in Figure 4, the strip 20 is thus subdivided into three general areas 79, 80 and 81, ccnstituting three elements of the oampleted folded pack shown in Figures 7 through 10.

Specifically, one (left-hand) end 79 of the strip 20 forms a multiple page or leaf book, or rather booklet, section with leaves adhesively bonded to and hinged about a common spine.

The opposite (right-hand) end 81 of the strip 20 forms a folded and as described later, pre-insarted, multiple sheet reply portion, for reception within a reply enclosure or pocket, defined by the mid-potion 8Q of the strip 20.

Figure 5 depicts an initial stage in forming the 'boat' portion 79 and the reply portion 81.

Specifically the panels 31, 32 are hinged together about the fold 41, with the fold 40 being brought towards the adhesive strip 50, which will forming the unifying jointing spine for the panels 30 through 33.

In addition, the panels 36 through 38 are brought together ooerina-fassion.

In a subsequent stage, depicted in Figure 6, the 'book' portion 79 has been oompleted, with the fold 40 overlaid upon and adhesively bonded to the adhesive spine strip layer 50- which is closely adjacent to (or just marginally offset fran) tHe fold 42.

In order to separate the panels 31 and 32, the fold 41 is slit open, for example by running a cutter therealong or closely adjacent thereto.

Alternatively, the fold 41 may be pre-perforated at the outset and snapped open along the perforation line after folding as described.

This cutting of the fold 40 is depicted by the action symbol 85 in Figure 6.

It will also be noted fran Figure 6 that the outer edge 82 of the panels 30, and indeed the original strip 20 as a whole, aligns with and overlies the perforation line 48 subdividing the panel 33 into areas 33A and 33B and just to one side of, or marginally offset fran, the adhesive band 51 - which itself will form a sealing closure strip on the region 33B.

The perforation line 48 allows the 'book' portion 79 to be detached from the reply enclosure 80.

This is optional, and intended for implementation at the reply stage, by the recipient of the completed pack, and once the reply portion has also been filled out and re-iseered.

Reverting to Figure 6, the panels 36 through 38 are progressively coecerta-folded into the embrace of the panels 34, 35 forming the opposite side walls of the reply enclosure 80.

Thus the fold 46 between the panels 36, 37 is brought to internest within the fold 44 between the panels 34, 35, so that the panels 34, 37 and 35, 36 cane into face-to-face abutment.

The end panel 38 protrudes beyond the embrace of the reply enclosure panels 34, 35 and overlies the region 33B, which effectively forms a sealable (by means of the adhesive strip 51 described earlier) closure flap for the reply enclosure, hinging about the fold 43.

The reply sections 80, 81 would normally be detached frcm the 'book portion 79 at this stage of sealing the reply enclosure 80 with the reply portion 81 tucked therein.

The protruding panel 38 effectively identifies to the recipient of the pack the presence of a reply portion 81 as an insert within the reply enclosure 80.

Withdrawal of the insert 81 is simply a matter of pulling the panel 38 to unfold the panels 36, 37 - which remain attached thereto.

The reply portion 81 can be left attached to the reply enclosure 80 by the fold 45.

Alternatively, a perforation line 49 may be applied at the fold 45 to facilitate separation of the reply portion 81 fran the reply enclosure 80.

Such separation may facilitate access to the reply portion 81 for its examination and completion - and subsequent re-insertion for returns purposes.

The linking of the reply portion 81 and the reply enclosure 80and the attractive novelty value of the pre-insertion - has nevertheless presented them together to the recipient in order to facilitate and thereby encourage the completion and return step by the recipient.

Such pre-insertion has not hitherto been possible in a oontinuous flow production and yet makes a valuable contribution to the overall product acceptability and. appeal - not least by involving the recipient in a mechanistic interaction with the product.

More pragmatically, the insert is already sized to a suitable width for rs-insertion, by virtue of the initial removal of portions 70, 71 and the requisite folds 45, 46 have already been made and exercised, as part of the pre-issertion process.

Thus the mere mechanics of the returns process have been oonsiderably simplified and enhanced - making it more likely that a return will be undertaken.

Even the final folding and sealing of the closure flap 33B for the returns envelope 80 and the attendant folding over of the protruding flap 38 have been taken care of in the pre-prcduction process.

Figure 7 depicts how the completed pack would appear when initially cpened out for perusal by the recipient, with the 'book' portion 79, typically containing information about the product or service being offered, being presented alongside the returns enclosure or envelope 80.

In this oondition the leaves of the book 79 can be readily turned over and the pack re-folded to tuck the envelope 80 into the back thereof, between the last two leaves, as illustrated in Figures 8 to 10 - which should be generally self-explanatcry.

It should be appreciated that the overall shape and configuration of folds, perforations, etc. admits of considerable variation in number and layout of pages etc., whilst retaining the element of one portion of the pack pre-inserted into another.

Similarly, the nures, size and disposition of cutouts', whether in the form of notches or windows, may be varied according to individual end-use requirements.

The product described in relation to Figures 1 to 10 is essentially intended as a 'hand-over', either direct to the recipient from the issuer or his agent - or by withdrawal by the recipient from, say, a display rack.

Thus there is no requirement to seal the book portion to the reply portion in the manner of at closed and sealed 'mailer' pack.

Hbwever, overall pack sealing can readily be accommodated by knows techniques (such as those taught in the Applicants' previous UK Patent Applications ilts 8812908 and 2,180,501), for example when the pack is intended to be distributed by direct mail - in which case one of the outer panels, such as 32 or 33, will bear the intended recipient's personalised name and address details (and indeed internal personalised salutation and other details).

The latter can be reproduced by, say, oatuter-oontrolled ink-jet printing.

Thus single or multiple peripheral edge sealing may be used, with tear-off marginal porticns, allowing access to the pack contents, and possibly releasing internal ocxnFcnents thereof hitherto joined as part of the mltinwus production process.

As a general carment, the principle of forming an end-pocket and nesting concertina folded elements from either or both sides may be extended further.

Thus, for example, pockets may be inter-nested in other pockets, to achieve a succession of internesting container packs, with each pack (apart from the extreme outer pack and the extreme inner pack) being a container for an inner pack and itself farming the inner to another outer pack - in the manner of socalled 'Russian Dolls'.

Morewer, supplementary packs or other separate or 'loose' objects or inserts may also be 'stuffed' into the pocket(s) - for example so that withdrawal of the ooncertina-folded linked reply portion also displaces and eventually ejects those other elements.

In this way, the pre-sized (to fit), pre-folded, pre-inserted reply portion acts as a 'carrier' for other items.

Such items could range from additional printed paper, card or plastics material - for example, plastic credit cards, in a card mount - to 'give-away' token products, such as sachet samples.

There is an overall oonstraint on the completed package size and weight, taking account of postal transmission costs, in the case of direct mail items, but in principle the invention is applicable to a wide variety of sizes and end-uses.

Thus the integration of booklet-style information with pocket or wallet-style storage and linked pre-inserts could be adapted for such diverse uses as software vending (manuals plus discs plus templates and return licence registration cards) and automobile service records and vouchers.

The physical, albeit optionally temporary (ie severable), link between the reply portion and the reply enclosure gives the reply element greater presence and status and the integration of these same elements in a continuous production line process makes these features an eccncmical prcosition, even for smaller production 'runs', since special tooling costs (such as purpose-built, oneoff, die set-ups) are obviated.

Pre-insertion invites interest in the contents of the insert and an incentive to participate in interacting with the pack and withdrawing the insert.

The pre-requisites of pre-insertion, in particular pre-sizing and pre-folding, further facilitate ocopletion and re-insertion of the insert.

Other features, such as a press-seal closure flap for the envelope, further add to the attraction of the ccmplete reply envelope and insert oombination.

The reply portion may be a single or multiple sheets.

In addition to promoting the cutting/separation, localised air pre55rre application may also be used to help orientate the panel folding.

Thus one panel oould, say, be sucked or blown relative to an adjacent panel about a fold restrained by an intermediate barrier, after initial mechanical creasing to promote the fold.

The strip 20 may be extended at one end by the supplementary panel mounting configuration taught in our aforesaid UK Patent Application No.8812908.

Apertures formed, by presre displacement, after preliminary 'pulse-perforating' of 'pulse-slitting' (for example with a rotary cutter blade or serration mounted upon a pneumatic cylinder to which pressure pulses are applied), may be used to selectively expose portions of the pack contents.

Claims (6)

1.

A folded pre-insert pack comprising a flat strip 20 sub-divided into a plurality of panels (30 - 38), separated by a series of folds (40 - 47) disposed whereby the panels may be folded ooncertina-manner together, with two or more of the panels forming a pocket 80 for receiving one or more other panels 81, the panels remaining substantially inter-linked for continuous on-line production.

2.

A method of, and process for, producing a folded pack fran a strip of sheet material, comprising the steps of pre-sizing an insert portion relatively to an enclosure portion integrated therewith, and making a succession of folds so that the smallersized inserts nest concertina-style, in the folds of the enclosure.

3.

Apparatus for undertaking the method and process as set out in Claim 2, comprising a succession of work stations for incorporating a succession of folds in a strip of sheet material, and means for orientating the folds so that they inter-nest, one within another.

4.

A folded sheet pack, as claimed in Claim 1, in which an additional item is included in the enclosure.

5.

A folded sheet pack, as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 4, wherein the insert protrudes marginally from the enclosure, and by which it may be withdrawn therefran.

6.

A folded pack substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as shown in, the acssmpanying drawings.