GB2237554A - Envelopes - Google Patents

Abstract

An envelope has a closure flap (3) and primary sealing means (2), e.g. moisture-activated gum, for sealing the flap (3) in its closed condition, for example for mailing. Secondary sealing means (5), eg at least one gum spot, is provided for releasably holding the flap (3) in its closed condition without employing the primary sealing means (2). The secondary sealing means either releases without tearing the paper (Fig 1, not shown), or seals with a perforated area 6 that separates. <IMAGE>

Description

"Envelopes" This invention relates to envelopes. The technology of laser printing can now be applied to the addressing of envelopes, or indeed to the printing of other material thereon, and it is desirable that this process should be combined with the use of an automatic inserting machine which places the intended contents in the envelope coming from the laser printer. However, this has not proved possible up to now because known laser printing machines will only operate satisfactorily on envelopes which are substantially flat, i.e. have their flaps either fully open or sealed down, whilst the automatic inserting machine will only operate on an envelope which has its flap in the closed position but (of course) not sealed.This problem could be overcome if some means could be devised for holding the flap closed while the envelope is being printed, but still enabling it to be opened by the automatic inserting machine.

Thus viewed from one aspect the present invention provides an envelope having a closure flap, primary sealing means for sealing the said flap in its closed condition for e.g. mailing, and secondary sealing means for holding the said flap in its closed condition in readily releasable fashion without employing the primary sealing means.

With such an arrangement the envelope can be supplied to the laser printer with its closure flap held in the closed condition by the secondary sealing means, but then readily opened by the automatic inserting machine which releases the secondary seal.

The primary seal can be of any conventional kind, for example the usual strip of moisture-activated gum applied to the flap. Preferably, however, at least one gap is provided along the length of such a gum strip, in which gap the secondary sealing means is located.

Alternatively the gum strip could be continuous in the usual way and the secondary sealing means located inwardly thereof, i.e. away from the edge of the flap.

The secondary sealing means may be of any convenient form. In one embodiment it is formed by at least one spot of gum of a type that seals on contact but will release without tearing the paper, located at any position in which it will be effective to hold the closure flap closed, for example in a gap in a gum strip on the flap as mentioned above. In another embodiment the secondary sealing means comprises a spot of gum of a type which seals on contact but which does not release as just mentioned, but applied to a small area of the paper of the envelope which is itself made releasable from the surrounding area by being defined by a ring of perforations in the paper.In this latter embodiment the perforated area is preferably provided on the body of the envelope, where the flap engages when closed, so that it will finally be covered by the flap and will thus not be visible in the sealed envelope.

Although the spot of gum is preferably applied to the said perforated area, it could alternatively be applied to the unperforated flap or body of the envelope, to seal with the perforated area when the flap is closed.

In all of the above arrangements the said secondary sealing means may comprise more than one spot of gum or other suitable means, spaced or arranged as may be necessary or desirable depending on, for example, the size or type of the envelope concerned. Also, of course, if such means comprises an area of gum as aforesaid this need not be a "spot" as such but could be any suitable small area or pattern of gum.

Two embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a first embodiment of an envelope according to the invention, in its open condition before use; Figure 2 is a similar view of a second embodiment; and Figure 3 is a plan view of the envelope of Figure 2, in a subsequent condition.

Referring first to Figure 1, this envelope is entirely conventional except that a gap 1 is left in the primary sealing means which comprises a strip 2 of conventional moisture-activated gum on the closure flap 3, and secondary sealing means in the form of a spot of gum 4 is provided in the said gap, the gum 4 being of a composition which seals upon contact but will release without paper tear. When the closure flap is closed (without the gum strip 2 being moistened) it is releasably held in its closed condition by the gum spot 4 and may thus be operated upon by a laser printer, whereafter it may be fed to an automatic inserting machine which opens the flap, inserts the intended contents, and then seals the flap by means of the gum strip 2, for e.g. mailing.

In the embodiment of Figures 2 and 3 the primary sealing means, i.e. the moisture-activiated gum strip 2 with the gap 1, is the same as in the first embodiment.

The secondary sealing means comprises a spot of gum 5 which is of type which seals on contact but which causes paper tear on release. Upon closing the flap 3, to make the envelope ready for laser printing, the gum spot 5 seals with an area of the body of the envelope which is surrounded by a small ring of perforations 6, whereby, after printing, when the envelope is fed to an automatic inserting machine which operates to open the flap, the small disc of paper 7 defined by the perforations separates from the envelope body to enable the flap to be opened.

It is to be clearly understood that there are no particular features of the foregoing specification, or of any claims appended hereto, which are at present regarded as being essential to the performance of the present invention, and that any one or more of such features or combinations thereof may be included in, added to, omitted from or deleted from any of such claims if and when amended during the prosecution of this application or in the filing or prosecution of any divisional application based thereon. Furthermore the manner in which any of such features of the specification or claims are described or defined may be amended, broadened or otherwise modified in any manner which falls within the knowledge of a person skilled in the relevant art, for example so as to encompass, either implicitly or explicitly, equivalents or generalisations thereof.

Claims (8)

Claims:

1. An envelope having a closure flap, primary sealing means for sealing the said flap in its closed condition, for example for mailing, and secondary sealing means for holding the said flap in its closed condition in readily releasable fashion without employing the primary sealing means.

2. An envelope as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said primary sealing means comprises a gum strip having a gap therein where the said secondary sealing means is located.

3. An envelope as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the said secondary sealing means comprises at least one spot of gum of a type that seals on contact but will release without tearing the paper.

4. An envelope as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the said secondary sealing means comprises at least one spot of gum of a type that seals on contact but which does not release without tearing the paper, an area of the paper of the envelope where such sealing occurs in use being made readily releasable from the surrounding area to enable the said flap to be released as aforesaid.

5. An envelope as claimed in claim 4, wherein the said spot of gum is provided on the said area of the paper.

6. An envelope as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein the said area of the paper is defined by a ring of perforations in the paper to make it so releasable.

7. An envelope as claimed in claim 6, wherein the said perforated area is located on the body of the envelope so as to be under the said flap when the latter is closed.

8. An envelope substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1, or Figures 2 and 3, of the accompanying drawings.