IE70428B1 - Improvements in mailers - Google Patents
Improvements in mailersInfo
- Publication number
- IE70428B1 IE70428B1 IE921271A IE921271A IE70428B1 IE 70428 B1 IE70428 B1 IE 70428B1 IE 921271 A IE921271 A IE 921271A IE 921271 A IE921271 A IE 921271A IE 70428 B1 IE70428 B1 IE 70428B1
- Authority
- IE
- Ireland
- Prior art keywords
- ply
- envelope
- cuts
- weakness
- ties
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
- B42D—BOOKS; BOOK COVERS; LOOSE LEAVES; PRINTED MATTER CHARACTERISED BY IDENTIFICATION OR SECURITY FEATURES; PRINTED MATTER OF SPECIAL FORMAT OR STYLE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; DEVICES FOR USE THEREWITH AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; MOVABLE-STRIP WRITING OR READING APPARATUS
- B42D5/00—Sheets united without binding to form pads or blocks
- B42D5/02—Form sets
- B42D5/023—Continuous form sets
- B42D5/025—Mailer assemblies
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41L—APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR MANIFOLDING, DUPLICATING OR PRINTING FOR OFFICE OR OTHER COMMERCIAL PURPOSES; ADDRESSING MACHINES OR LIKE SERIES-PRINTING MACHINES
- B41L1/00—Devices for performing operations in connection with manifolding by means of pressure-sensitive layers or intermediaries, e.g. carbons; Accessories for manifolding purposes
- B41L1/20—Manifolding assemblies, e.g. book-like assemblies
- B41L1/26—Continuous assemblies made up of webs
- B41L1/32—Continuous assemblies made up of webs folded transversely
- B41L1/326—Severance lines; Perforations
Landscapes
- Perforating, Stamping-Out Or Severing By Means Other Than Cutting (AREA)
- Making Paper Articles (AREA)
- Packages (AREA)
Abstract
The object of the invention is to provide a multiple ply free insert mailer which is easier to open than conventional mailers, and in which the extracted insert has a clean substantially jagged-free edge. The mailer has a tear-off portion (3) on the sealed envelope for opening the envelope to extract the sheet insert (8) which is separable from the remainder of the envelope (1) along a line of weakness (4) formed in each ply by means of a rotary die cutting apparatus. The line of weakness (4) is comprised of a plurality of linear cuts through each ply, which are separated by alternate shorter ties. The ties and cuts in one ply (7) are aligned with the corresponding ties and cuts in the other ply (9). In a second aspect the extractable insert sheet (8) is separable from the remainder (27) of the envelope construction (1) by a continuous line of weakness (25) extending across the insert sheet and also made by means of a rotary die-cutting apparatus. The line of weakness (4) comprises a plurality of linear cuts (25) through the sheet (8) which are separated by alternate ties (26), the lengths of the cuts (25) being substantially greater than the length of the ties (26).
Description
IMPROVEMENTS IN HAILERS
This invention relates to an envelope assembly hereinafter referred to as a mailer. Particularly, this invention relates to a mailer which is simple to open.
Various types of mailers are known comprising an envelope and a free insert or inserts in a multiple ply format openable by some means at one edge. Typically, the mailer is constructed from continuous stationery or business forms collated to form a multiple ply, which is adapted to incorporate information printed by a computer, and folded and glued at its edges to produce an envelope. These mailers are typically used in the issuing of payslips, bills, invoices and the like and in some cases may incorporate a return envelope in which the inserts can be returned to the original sender if required. The inserts may include confidential information such as in the case of a payslip, or a notification of a PIN number for a cash dispenser card issued by a bank. The insert may be derived from continuous stationery, with sprocket margins removed to reduce its size, in what is known as a free insert mailer.
Typically, the opening means comprises a tab portion or portions,
3059R
- 2 defined by perforations or lines of weakness, which is stripped from one or more plies of the mailer to reveal a portion of the insert which may be gripped by the thumb and forefinger in order to pull the insert from the envelope. However, conventional constructions have not always been easy to open and frequently lead to damage to the insert or improper functioning of the opening means. *
The prior art opening means shown schematically in Figure 1 is constructed using a two-step process comprising a run perforation step, forming a linear perforation along and parallel to one edge of the mailer, in combination with a punch step, which superimposes a semi-circular thumb notch perforation on the linear perforation.
This process has several disadvantages; primarily it requires two pieces of machinery which must be accurately aligned to produce a product of sufficient reliability, and secondly the superimposition of two sets of perforations frequently leads to problems in the functioning of the opening means, for example if both sets of perforations were formed under different pressure. When the strip portion 30 is torn along the'linear perforation 40 it is a common occurrence that the tear continues the full length of the side of the mailer 10 leaving the semi-circular tab portion 30a in place (when it is desired that this be removed with the rest of the strip portion 30). This is a direct result of the superimposition of the two perforations which can cause the tear to continue along the linear perforation at 60 instead of tearing along 50 removing the semi-circular tab portion.
Thus two tearing steps may be required in opening the envelope.
The first to remove the strip portion 30 defined by the linear perforation, and the second to remove the semi-circular tab 30a defined by perforation 50 with the thumb and forefinger. However, this second tearing step may cause damage to the insert 80, and is particularly * difficult to perform. The insert lies below the tab portion 30a and so a tearing action aimed at removing the tab may also damage the insert * below. If the tab portion 30a is successfully removed with the strip portion 30 then no such damage occurs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a mailer with
- 3 an opening means which is effective and reliable in use and which seeks to overcome the above problems. It is a further object of the invention to provide a process for the manufacture of such a mailer.
Hitherto, it has not been possible to include an indent in the run perforation wheel so as to produce a thumb-notch at intervals as the wheel rotates, because at high speed, the wheel tends to wobble or vibrate, adversely affecting the precision of the perforation produced.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a method of producing a multiple ply envelope construction in which a plurality of superimposed plies are adhered together to form a front ply and a back ply joined at their edges and containing at least one extractable insert sheet, and a removable tear-off portion is formed in at least one side or face of the construction for opening the envelope to extract the insert sheet, characterised in that the removable tear-off portion is a single integral unit (3) made separable from the remainder of the envelope construction by a continuous line of weakness (4) which is cut in at least one side or face of the construction in a single step by means of a rotary die-cutting apparatus comprising a die (12) mounted and positioned on a rotatable magnetic cylinder (11), or comprising a complementary pair of rotary shear cylinders (14).
The invention also provides a multiple ply envelope construction comprising a front ply and a back ply joined at their edges and at least one extractable sheet insert contained within the envelope, and a tear-off portion on the sealed envelope for opening the envelope to extract the sheet insert characterised in that the tear-off strip (3) is separable from the remainder of the envelope (1) along a line of weakness (4) formed in each ply comprising the front and back panels (7, 9), respectively, by means of a rotary die cutting apparatus, and the line of weakness (4) is comprised of a plurality of linear cuts through each ply, said cuts being separated by alternate ties and the ties and cuts in one ply (7) are aligned with the corresponding ties and cuts in the other ply (9).
The invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
- 4 Figure 1 is a plan view of a typical conventional mailer;
Figure 2 is a plan view of a mailer according to the present invention;
Figure 3 is a cross-section showing the multiple ply format of the mailer of Figure 2;
Figures.4 to 6 are plan views of mailers in accordance with alternative embodiments of the invention;
Figure 7 is a side view of a magnetic cylinder assembly with an attached die plate;
Figure 8 is a side view of a rotary shear cutting assembly;
Figure 9 is an enlargement of the area defined by circle A in Figure 8, and
Figure 10 is a partial end view of Figure 8.
The mailer according to the present invention as shown in Figure 2 comprises a single continuous perforation line 4 which extends along one side 2 of the mailer 1. The perforation line 4 may be applied to either or both the front and back plies of the mailer which constitute the envelope. According to the present invention the removal tab portion 3 is a single integral unit defined by the continuous perforation 4. This substantially reduces or eliminates the risk of incomplete removal of the tab portion 3.
The opening means of the present invention is operated in a similar manner to conventional means i.e. the tab portion 3 is removed from the envelope by tearing along perforation 4 thus revealing a portion of the insert 8 which may be gripped in order to pull the insert 8 from the envelope.
Since the tab portion 3 is a single piece there is substantially less chance of some part of the tab remaining attached to the body of
- 5 the envelope as is the case with conventional opening means where the two superimposed perforation lines effectively divides the tear-off tab into two-pieces. Thus the reliability of the tear-off tab is increased and accordingly the subsequent risk of damage to the insert is greatly reduced.
The present invention also provides a process for the manufacture of the improved mailer. The mailer with conventional opening means is the product of a two-step process which involves separate application of two superimposed perforations. The process for producing mailers of the present invention comprises applying a single continuous perforation along at least one side of either or both the front and back plies of the mailer by means of a rotating cylinder die cutting machine.
Suitable means based on the rotary die cut principle include for example a rotating magnetic cylinder having a suitably shaped die plate, or plates, attached; or complementary cylinders which act in conjunction with each other to effect the desired perforation, by means of a shear cutting action.
The use of rotary die cutting technology produces a high precision finished product, reduces the construction of the opening means from a two-step to a single-step process disposing of the requirement to accurately align machine components involved in the two steps and generally increases the speed and efficiency of the manufacturing process.
Magnetic cylinder die cutting systems are well known, such as those of Gerhardt International, and are used for example in carton cutting, window cutting and perforations. In Figure 7 a magnetic cylinder die cutting apparatus consists of a rotating magnetic drum'11 or cylinder onto which flexible sheet steel die plates 12 are attached and an anvil cylinder 13 typically made of hardened steel. The die plate 12 fits around the cylinder 11 and is magnetically attached to the cylinder. The die plate has a raised cutting die of suitable configuration etched on the surface thereof. As a web is fed through the die cutting machine the rotating cylinder 11 periodically engages
- 6 and cuts the web (not shown) according to the configuration of the magnetically attached die.
In an alternative arrangement shown in Figures 8, 9 and 10 a rotary shear cutting assembly, such as those available from Bernal Rotary Systems, Incorporated also described as rotary pressure tools, is used. The rotary shear cutting assembly comprises two cylinders 14 each with identical cutting dies 15 which are displaced laterally from one another, on the respective cylinders, by a small distance. As a web 16 (Figure 9) is fed through the assembly the pressure action caused by the engaging dies 15 cuts the web 16. However, the dies 15 are located in such a way as to prevent metal-to-metal contact between them. Figure 10 is a partial end view of the engaging dies 15 and indicates the direction of rotation of the two cylinders.
Both of the above techniques based on the rotary die cutting principle make economical reuse of the cutting edge by repeating the cutting configuration around the circumference of the cylinders.
Preferably, the perforation lines are applied to both the front 7 and back 9 of the mailer (see Figure 3) so that when the tab portions 3 on the front 7 and back 9 plies are removed a section of the insert 8 extends beyond the remainder of the envelope.
The conventional run perforation wheel applies perforations to the front and back plies before collation and/or in a manner which is unrelated to the length of the ply, depending on the wheel diameter, which may result in the ties between each perforation slit or cut not lining up when the plies are overlaid. In contrast, the die on the rotating cylinder is related to the length of the ply, such that sprocket pins which hold the plies together by the margin sprocket holes automatically line up the ties and cuts slits exactly, which makes the tear-off portion considerably easier to separate from the mailer, especially in multiple ply mailers.
The ties and cuts on the insert side perforation may be aligned with those on the front and back plies by engaging a rotating die plate in which the thumb notch perforation is replaced with a
- 7 continuous straight perforation with a similar number of cuts per inch and similar tie lengths prior to collating the various plies. The alignment of the ties and cuts of the perforations throughout the various plies of the mailer assists opening.
The mailer shown in Figures 2 shows a tab portion 3 which is substantially rectangular in shape with a semi-circular thumb notch.
The mailer of the present invention may comprise a tab of such a shape, but the use of rotary die cutting technology facilitates the application of a wide variety of shaped perforation lines, so that tabs of almost any desired shape may be incorporated into the mailer (see for example Figures 4 and 5). For example, a shape suggesting the edge of a cloud with a cloud depicted on the tear-off margin portion may be used (See Figure 6).
Claims (12)
1. A method of producing a multiple ply envelope construction in which a plurality of superimposed plies are adhered together to form a front ply and a back ply joined at their edges and containing at least one extractable insert sheet, and a removable tear-off portion is formed in at least one side or face of the construction for opening the envelope to extract the insert sheet, characterised in that the removable tear-off portion is a single integral unit (3) made separable from the remainder of the envelope construction by a continuous line of weakness (4) which is cut in said at least one side or face of the construction in a single step by means of a rotary die-cutting apparatus comprising a die (12) mounted and positioned on a rotatable magnetic cylinder (11), or comprising a complementary pair of rotary shear cylinders (14).
2. A method according to Claim 2, characterised in that the circumference of the rotary die cutting cylinder (11, 12) is a multiple of the length of the envelope construction (1-), whereby ties and cuts defining the said lines of weakness in the plies are in alignment.
3. A multiple ply envelope construction comprising a front ply and a back ply joined at their edges and at least one extractable sheet insert contained within the envelope, and a tear-off portion on the sealed envelope for opening the envelope to extract the sheet insert characterised in that the tear-off strip (3) is separable from the remainder of the envelope (1) along a line of weakness (4) formed in each ply comprising the front and back panels (7, 9), respectively, by means of a rotary die cutting apparatus, and the line of weakness (4) is comprised of a plurality of linear cuts through each ply, said cuts being separated by alternate ties and the ties and cuts in one ply (7) are aligned with the corresponding ties and cuts in the other ply (9).
4. A method of producing a multiple ply envelope construction in which a plurality of superimposed plies are adhered together to form a front ply and a back ply joined at their edges and containing at least one extractable insert sheet, and a removable tear-off portion defined by a continuous strip and/or tab arrangement delimited by a - 9 line of weakness formed in at least one side or face of the construction for opening the envelope to extract the insert sheet, wherein the removable tear-off portion is a single integral unit (3), made separable from the remainder of the envelope construction by a 5. Continuous line of weakness (4) which is cut in at said least one side 1 or face of the envelope construction by a cutting die (12) having a cutting configuration corresponding to the shape of said line of weakness and magnetically mounted on and attached to a rotating cylinder (11).
5. A method as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the line of weakness (4) is cut in each of the plies comprising the front and back plies (7, 9), respectively of the envelope (1), and the line of weakness (4) is comprised of a plurality of linear cuts made through each ply (7, 9), 15 said cuts being separated by alternate ties, and the ties and cuts in one ply (7) are aligned with the corresponding ties and cuts in the other ply (9).
6. A method according to Claim 4, wherein the circumference of the 20 rotating cylinder (11) is a multiple of the length of the envelope construction (1).
7. A method as claimed in any of Claims 4 to 6 wherein the cutting configuration of the die (12) is repeated around the circumference of 25 the cylinder (11).
8. A multiple ply envelope construction comprising a front ply and a back ply joined at their edges and at least one extractable sheet insert contained within the envelope, and a removable tear-off portion 30 defined by a continuous strip and/or tab arrangement delimited by a line of weakness is formed in at least one side or face of the λ construction for opening the envelope to extract the sheet insert wherein the tear-off portion (3), is separable from the remainder of the envelope (1) along a line of weakness (4) formed in at least one 35 ply comprising the front and/or back panels (7, 9), respectively, by means of a cutting die having a cutting configuration corresponding to the shape of said line of weakness and magnetically mounted on and attached to a rotating cylinder and the line of weakness (4) is - 10 comprised of a plurality of linear cuts through each ply, said cuts being separated by alternate ties and the ties and cuts in one ply (7) are aligned with the corresponding ties and cuts in the other ply (9).
9. A multiple ply envelope construction or mailer including an insert sheet accessible by removing a tear-off portion from at least one side or face of the construction, wherein, the tear-off portion is defined by a contiguous strip and/or tab arrangement delimited by a continuous perforation in which the ties and cuts” defining said perforation in the plies are in alignment.
10. A method of producing a multiple ply envelope construction as claimed in Claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 2 to 10 of the accompanying drawi ngs.
11. A method of producing a multiple ply envelope construction as claimed in Claim 4, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 2 to 7 of the accompanying drawings.
12. A multiple ply envelope construction as claimed in Claim 8, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 2 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.
Priority Applications (6)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
IE921271A IE70428B1 (en) | 1992-04-22 | 1992-04-22 | Improvements in mailers |
GB9325478A GB2272862B (en) | 1992-04-22 | 1993-04-22 | An envelope construction and method |
GB9608209A GB2297712B (en) | 1992-04-22 | 1993-04-22 | An envelope construction and method |
PCT/IE1993/000022 WO1993021022A1 (en) | 1992-04-22 | 1993-04-22 | An envelope construction and method |
AU39036/93A AU3903693A (en) | 1992-04-22 | 1993-04-22 | An envelope construction and method |
IES930304 IES58937B2 (en) | 1992-04-22 | 1993-04-22 | An envelope construction and method |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
IE921271A IE70428B1 (en) | 1992-04-22 | 1992-04-22 | Improvements in mailers |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
IE921271A1 IE921271A1 (en) | 1993-11-03 |
IE70428B1 true IE70428B1 (en) | 1996-11-27 |
Family
ID=11039626
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
IE921271A IE70428B1 (en) | 1992-04-22 | 1992-04-22 | Improvements in mailers |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
AU (1) | AU3903693A (en) |
GB (1) | GB2272862B (en) |
IE (1) | IE70428B1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO1993021022A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
AU2701497A (en) * | 1996-04-24 | 1997-11-12 | Franz-Xaver Baumgartner-Schuh | Tearable and re-usable document folder |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3841549A (en) * | 1972-09-06 | 1974-10-15 | Moore Business Forms Inc | Manifold envelope assembly |
GB1417683A (en) * | 1973-01-16 | 1975-12-17 | Lamson Industries Ltd | Envelope assemblies |
GB1558515A (en) * | 1976-12-10 | 1980-01-03 | Moore Business Forms Ltd | Envelope assemblies |
GR66515B (en) * | 1978-04-11 | 1981-03-24 | Moore Business Forms Inc | |
US4461661A (en) * | 1980-03-21 | 1984-07-24 | Fabel Warren M | Non-tenting business form assemblies and method and apparatus for making the same |
-
1992
- 1992-04-22 IE IE921271A patent/IE70428B1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
-
1993
- 1993-04-22 GB GB9325478A patent/GB2272862B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1993-04-22 AU AU39036/93A patent/AU3903693A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1993-04-22 WO PCT/IE1993/000022 patent/WO1993021022A1/en active Application Filing
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
GB9325478D0 (en) | 1994-03-02 |
GB2272862B (en) | 1996-11-20 |
GB2272862A (en) | 1994-06-01 |
IE921271A1 (en) | 1993-11-03 |
AU3903693A (en) | 1993-11-18 |
WO1993021022A1 (en) | 1993-10-28 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
MM4A | Patent lapsed |