GB2313807A - Business form with security pattern to obscure confidential information - Google Patents

Abstract

A business form assembly comprising outer plies 4,5 and inner ply 3 with carbon transfer coatings for printing confidential information on the inner ply through the outer plies, includes a security pattern 8 on the outer surface of the upper ply whereby indentations that may be produced on that surface by the printing will be obscured from detection by the eye. The pattern may be made up of symbols, letters and/or numbers, or may be a computer generated hieroglyphic pattern. It may be printed in two tones, the different tones being in random order and defined by dots of varying density. The pattern may give the impression of embossing.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO ASSEMBLIES OF ENVELOPES AND ASSOCIATED DOCUMENT ENCLOSURES This invention relates to assemblies of envelopes and associated document enclosures.

Such assemblies are used in offices and other business establishments. It is common for them to be passed through suitable printing means, such as computer printers, for printed matter to be printed on the enclosures already contained in the envelopes, pressuresensitive copying sheets having CB and CF coatings, for example, being included in the assemblies for the purpose of applying the printed matter to the enclosures. The enclosures may be of various kinds, including forms, cheques, circulars and notifications.

A problem experienced with known assemblies is that in the application of printed matter to the enclosures in the envelopes, the pressure exerted on the envelopes by some printers leaves indentations in outside surfaces of the envelopes, from which it may be possible to decipher what has been printed on the enclosures. This is undesirable, particularly when the printed matter is of a confidential or sensitive nature.

The present invention is aimed at dealing with this problem.

According to the present invention there is provided an assembly comprising an envelope and an associated document enclosure, in which the outside surface of a wall of the envelope by way of which it is intended printed matter will be applied by printing means to the enclosure, has a pattern on it whereby indentations that may be produced on that surface by the printing means will be obscured from detection by eye.

The pattern may be made up of symbols, letters and/or numbers.

Conveniently it is a computer generated hieroglyphic pattern.

Preferably the pattern is printed in at least two tones. The different tones may be in random order. They may be defined by dots of varying density.

The pattern should not be unduly strong in order that it will not interfere with the legibility of pre-printed matter on the outside surface of the wall of the envelope. Such pre-printed matter may, for example, be details of the user, the user's logo and such. Typically in a dot pattern there is 15 - 40% variation in tonality.

The pattern may give the impression that the material of the wall of the envelope is embossed. This adds to the obscuring of indentations that may be produced on the outside surface of the wall.

Preferably the pattern extends across at least a substantial portion of the outside surface of the wall of the envelope. In this way appreciable scope is afforded for the positioning of additional printed matter to be applied through the wall on the enclosure inside the envelope.

A detachable loose fly copy sheet may be included in the assembly on which to present a readable record of printed matter applied by printing means to the enclosure through the wall of the envelope.

Printing of the pattern can be done by a known printing process so that the application of the pattern does not add significantly to the cost of applying other printing required in the production of the assembly.

Similar printing inks, of any desired colours, may be used. The nature of the material of the wall of the envelope need not be altered, therefore, by the application of the pattern.

The wall of the envelope may be made of CB paper having a CB coating on its inside surface, which is face-to-face with a CF coating on the enclosure for the coatings to react and produce marking on the enclosure where pressure is applied on the CB paper by printing means.

By virtue of the fact that the pattern is printed on the wall the CB paper can be kept flat so that the CB coating on the paper is not impaired by the application of the pattern. That would not be the case were the wall to be embossed instead to provide a means of obscuring indentations produced on the wall by printing means. The CB paper may have a dry carbon printing medium applied to its CB coating in accordance with our GB Patent 2197668.

If desired, the inside surface of the wall of the envelope may be printed with a security pattern, which may be computer generated. The opposite wall of the envelope may also be printed with a security pattern on its inside surface.

An assembly in accordance with the present invention may be included with other similar assemblies in a continuous set from which individual assemblies are detachable, as required. Printed matter may be applied to the enclosures in the assemblies in the continuous set, by feeding the set through printing means, for example of a computer. The assemblies may be connected in the set by perforated lines of separation.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described , by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view of an assembly in accordance with the invention, and Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the assembly.

As shown in the drawings, an assembly 1 comprises an envelope 2 and an enclosure 3 which may, for example, be a cheque.

The envelope 2 is made up of two sheets of paper 4, 5, Figure 2, of similar size and rectangular shape, which define respectively a front wall and a rear wall of the envelope. The front wall sheet 4 and rear wall sheet 5 are secured together along all of their edges by adhesive. They are so secured after the enclosure 3 has been inserted between them. At one end a tear-away strip 6 is defined along the edge of the envelope 2, by a line of perforations 7 through the front and rear wall sheets, for opening the envelope.

Front wall sheet 4 is a sheet of CB paper, its active CB surface being on the inside of the envelope. A dry carbon coating, not shown, is preferably applied over one or more regions of the CB surface, in accordance with our GB Patent 2197668.

Printed over most of the outside surface of the front wall sheet 4 is a computer generated hieroglyphic pattern 8. The pattern 8 is presented in two tones mixed in random order. Preferably the pattern is defined by dots having 15 - 40% variation in tonality. Printed matter may be printed on the outside surface of the front wall sheet over the pattern. In this embodiment a plain area 9 is left free of pattern for a name and address to be printed on the front of the envelope. The plain area 9 may be omitted.

A computer generated security pattern, not shown, is printed on the inside surfaces of the front and back wall sheets 4, 5 of the envelope.

The enclosure 3 is made of CF paper. Its CF coated surface faces the CB surface of the front wall sheet. Printed matter is printed directly on to the CF coated surface, as desired.

A loose fly copy sheet 10 overlies the front wall sheet.

Additional printed matter can be applied to the enclosure when it is sealed inside the envelope. This may be done, for example, by means of a computer printer. For this, the fly copy sheet 10 is in place as the assembly is passed through the printer. Printing occurs on the fly copy sheet 10 over the pattern 8 on the outside surface of the front wall sheet 4 and the pressure of the printing characters is transferred to the enclosure 3 through the front wall sheet. The interaction of the CB and CF coatings where the pressure is applied reproduces the printing on the enclosure. The dry carbon coating on the CB surface, if applied, emboldens the markings on the enclosure.

Pressure exerted on the front wall sheet by the printing characters may leave indentations in the outside surface of the front wall sheet 4 but they are obscured by the pattern 8. The printed matter thus applied to the enclosure cannot be deciphered, therefore, by eye from the indentations in the outside surface of the front wall sheet 4.

After the printed matter has been applied to the enclosure the fly copy sheet 10 is removed from the assembly, to provide a record of the applied printed matter.

If printed matter is required in different colours on the enclosure, this may be achieved by providing dry carbon coatings on the CB surface of the front wall sheet of the colours required.

The assembly may be provided in combination with other similar assemblies connected together as a continuous set. Lines of perforation may be formed between the assemblies for their ready separation.

Claims (16)

1. An assembly comprising an envelope and an associated document enclosure, in which the outside surface of a wall of the envelope by way of which it is intended printed matter will be applied by printing means to the enclosure, has a pattern on it whereby indentations that may be produced on that surface by the printing means will be obscured from detection by eye.

2. An assembly according to claim 1, in which the pattern is made up of symbols, letters and/or numbers.

3. An assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the pattern is a computer generated hieroglyphic pattern.

4. An assembly according to any preceding claim, in which the pattern is printed in at least two tones.

5. An assembly according to claim 4, in which the different tones are in random order.

6. An assembly according to claim 4 or claim 5, in which the tones are defined by dots of varying density.

7. An assembly according to claim 6, in which there is a 15 - 40% variation in tonality.

8. An assembly according to any preceding claim, in which the pattern gives the impression that the material of the wall of the envelope is embossed.

9. An assembly according to any preceding claim, in which the pattern extends across at least a substantial portion of the outside surface of the wall of the envelope.

10. An assembly according to any preceding claim, in which a detachable loose fly copy sheet is included in the assembly on which to present a readable record of printed matter applied by the printing means to the enclosure through the wall of the envelope.

11. An assembly according to any preceding claim, in which the wall of the envelope is made of CB paper having a CB coating on its inside surface, which is face-to-face with a CF coating on the enclosure for the coatings to react and produce marking on the enclosure where pressure is applied on the CB paper by the printing means.

12. An assembly according to claim 11, in which the CB paper has a dry carbon printing medium applied to its CB coating.

13. An assembly according to any preceding claim, in which the inside surface of the wall of the envelope is printed with a security pattern.

14. An assembly according to claim 13, in which the security pattern is computer generated.

15. An assembly according to any preceding claim, in which an opposite wall of the envelope is printed with a security pattern on its inside surface.

16. An assembly substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.