GB2329628A - Resealable envelope - Google Patents

Abstract

A resealable envelope has a series of closure sections 30 each having an adhesive strip and usable successively to seal and then, after opening by tearing or cutting at 20, reseal the envelope. Each separation line 20 may be a perforated line of weakness. Each adhesive strip may initially be covered by a peelable protective layer. Adjacent adhesive strips may be formed by a continuous layer of adhesive so that, when a peelable protective layer is removed, the edge of an adjacent peelable layer defines an edge of the exposed adhesive strip. Each closure section 30 may have removable portions 130 defined by perforations 140 to form apertures to receive a security tie 150 in apertures of adjacent sections 30. The closure sections 30 may be individually coded 70,80,90.

Description

DESCRIPTION RESEALABLE PACKAGINGIENVELOPE SYSTEM The present invention relates to a new design of sealable packaging in particular one that may be re-sealed once the envelope or packaging has been opened.

Envelopes are generally used to contain documents which are mailed or shipped using a courier from one destination to another, although they may be used for storage purposes.

Envelopes of the prior art are usually provided with a tab or flap extending along one length of the lateral side, adjacent the opening, which is folded over the opening and adhered to the outside face of the opposed side of the envelope. Prior to sealing, the adhesive may be either disposed on the inside face of the flap or on the opposed outside face and is either covered by a peelable "waxed" paper or is made tacky by wetting.

Some envelopes are provided with an adhesive which allows them to be resealed. However there is usually a limit to the number of times this operation can be performed before the adhesive is compromised.

Although it is in some circumstances convenient to have an envelope which is resealable, such a feature is a disadvantage when mailing confidential documentation, or products where it is desirable that the envelope seal shows signs of physical tampering.

Therefore with most envelopes it is difficult, if not impossible, to reseal them using the adhesive strip. The seal is also usually of such strength deformation of the envelope is clearly evident if it has been forced open and resealed using another adhesive. These types of envelope are therefore only usually used once and then thrown away. Unfortunately this results in great wastage.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a design of resealable envelope or package which overcomes the above mentioned problems.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a resealable envelope having at least two closure sections, each comprising an adhesive strip disposed on an interior surface of the envelope or packaging for sealing an opening in the envelope or package when activated, the arrangement being such that when a closure section, having an activated strip sealing the envelope, is separated to open the envelope, the envelope can be re-sealed by activating a closure strip on another closure section.

Therefore the present invention provides a design of envelope which is resealable and therefore environmentally friendly. Furthermore, as a different adhesive strip is used each time it is resealed, the envelope does not suffer from the loss of adhesiveness associated with the resealable envelopes of the prior art.

It will be appreciated by the skilled person in the art the term sealable, when used in relation to envelopes, means substantially closable, although it is preferable that the envelope is completely closable i.e. air tight , with the adhesive strip running continuously from one closed edge of the envelope, to the opposed edge.

The minimum acceptable closure will depend on the nature of the documentation to be mailed.

In the present invention each adhesive strip may be continuous or hatched i.e. formed by a plurality of preferably aligned, adhesive segments which act to seal the envelope. These segments may be formed on opposed interior sides of the envelope and form a continuous or hatched strip when the sides are brought together to seal the envelope. Alternatively a plurality separable, peelable strips may cover a layer of adhesive such that, when a peelable strip is removed, the edge of an adjacent peelable strip defines an edge of the exposed adhesive strip.

It is most preferred that the resealable envelopes of the present invention employ non- resealable adhesive such that, unlike the resealable envelopes of the prior art' it will be evident the seal has been broken.

As an unauthorised person may try to avoid detection by removing a section and resealing the envelope, it is preferred that an accompanying mailing system is employed whereby the recipient of the envelope is informed as to the number of times it has been used (the number of applications) and each section of the envelope is marked with a number corresponding to the number of applications.

Alternatively the user may employ a system whereby the exterior of each section is indelibly printed with a different "first" code, for example in script or bar form. Each time the envelope is mailed a "second" key code is indelibly printed on the non-sectioned exterior or interior of the envelope.

The recipient may then, being aware of the method of encryption, deduce from the second code the code which should be present on the sealed section.

More preferably each section is provided with one or more apertures to allow the linkage of said section by a looped, preferably coded, security tie, such that unauthorised removal of at least one of the said sections will be evident. The formation of each aperture may be facilitated by the provision of perforations in the envelope wall.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, whit reference to accompanying figures in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of an envelope according to the present invention and, Figure 2 is a plan view of the sectioned portion of the embodiment of Fig. 1. The inset (circled) shows a perspective view from the interior of the envelope looking towards a closed edge.

Referring to Fig. 1, resealable envelope 10 comprises a set of equidistantly spaced, hatched and perforated lines 20 running along the envelope 10 parallel to its sealing opening 15 (see also Fig.2). These lines 20 form a plurality of separable section 30. Additionally a hatched or continuous locator line (not shown) may be provided to highlight each line of separation 20.

In one embodiment the envelope may be provided with no perforated lines of separation in which case a printed indicator line may then indicate the preferred line of separation.

Referring to Fig.2, the interior of each section 30 is provided with an adhesive strip 40. Each strip runs parallel along face 50 of the envelope 10 and is covered with a peelable protective layer (not shown).

To seal the envelope, the peelable layer on the adhesive strip 40, located on section 30 which forms the open end ofthe envelope 40, is removed and the strip 40 pressed against the opposed interior face 60 of the envelope 10. To open the envelope, the strip 40, sealing the envelope, is separated from the remainder of envelope 10 by tearing along its perforated line of separation 20. To re-seal the envelope, the peelable cover is removed from the adhesive strip 40 of the section 30 which then forms the opening of the envelope and the interior faces 50,60 of the envelope 10 pressed together.

Each section 30 may be provided with a individual number 70 and / or code, for example in script 80 or bar form 90. A corresponding number 100, or key code 110 as herein before described a looped security tie 150 may be provided linking two of these apertures 140 to provide further security.

The invention is not restricted to the detail of the foregoing embodiments. Any features of the specific embodiment are interchangeable with any other feature mentioned in the specification.

Claims (12)

1. A resealable envelope having at least two closure sections ,each

comprising an adhesive strip disposed on an interior surface of the envelope for sealing an opening in the envelope when activated, the arrangement being such that when a closure section, having an activated strip sealing the envelope, the envelope can be re-sealed by activating a closure strip on another closure section.

2. An envelope as claimed in claim 1 in which at least one adhesive strip covered with a peelable protective layer.

3. An envelope as claimed in claim 1 adapted such that a peelable protective layer defines an edge of the adhesive strip.

4. An envelope as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which at least one adhesive strip is continuous from one edge of the envelope to another.

5. An envelope as claimed in any preceding claim in which each adhesive strip lies parallel to another.

6. An envelope as claimed in any preceding claim in which the envelope wall is provided with at least one perforated tearable line of weakness to define the parameter of a section and facilitate its separation from the envelope.

7. An envelope as claimed in any preceding claims in which the exterior surface of the envelope wall is provided with a line, to indicate at least part of the perimeter of a section can be separated from the envelope.

8. An envelope as claimed in any preceding claim in which at least two sections are provided with a set of perforations to facilitate formation of an aperture in each section by tearing along the perforations.

9. An envelope as claimed in any preceding claim in which each section comprises a individual code.

10. An envelope as claimed in any preceding claim in which two sections are each provided with an aperture in a side wall to facilitate linkage of said section by a security tie.

11. An envelope as substantially herein before described with reference to,

12. and as illustrated in , the accompanying drawings.