NZ210593A - Envelope: closure flap includes plurality of adhesive label bands - Google Patents

Description

210593 PATENTS FORM NO: 5 THE PATENTS ACT 1953 CONff»LETE SPECIFICATION After Provisional No; 210593 Dated: 18th December 1984 TITLE: CHANGE Cp k'AfviE OF APPLICANT "ENVELOPE" We, TRIGON PACKAGING SYSTEMS (NZ) LIMITED, a New Zealand company of Corner Avalon Drive and Foreman Road, Hamilton, New Zealand hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement: 210593 This invention concerns envelopes and especially envelopes supplied by film processing laboratories.

One known form of envelope mailed to the customer by the film processing laboratory together with a roii of film, features a fold-down adhesive flap and two separate identification tags. The customer uses the film. He then writes his name and address on in both identification tags, wraps one tag around the film canister and places it inside the envelope. The second tag is placed inside the envelope. The second tag is used as a return address label once the film has been developed. Should the bag open unintentionally after leaving the customer the system offers no way of identifying the owner of the film canister. Another system utilises a single separate return label only.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an envelope comprising a pocket with one open side, an adjacent closure flap and three permanently closed sides said closure flap being foldable about a common edge at the mouth of the pocket and comprising an adhesive sealing band adjacent the common edge which when the flap is folded about said common edge will make contact with an outer face of the pocket to effect closure thereof, and a plurality of adhesive label bands each co-extensive width said sealing band and being in with substantially equivalent to the sealing band, said label bands being separable from said sealing band along tear lines formed in the flap.

Preferably the envelope flap provides two tear off labels and a flap seal. Although the envelope could be made of paper and the adhesive a moisture activated gum we prefer to construct the envelope of plastic film utilises a pressure-activated adhesive. This permits the use of a plastic film with one face which will accept both hand printing with a variety of inks and machine print, the other face being satisfactory for coating with adhesives in bands, lines or layers. Preferably the flap seal is a band of adhesive extending across the width of the flap.

The adhesive areas may be covered with release papers or film. The labels and seal band may be defined by lines of weakness such as perforations. The division of the flap into a pair or trio of rectangular strips divided from each other by perforations allows the preparation of the flap to be achieved with rotary machinery at high speed. 2 210593 Certain embodiments of the invention are now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1: is a diagram of a preferred embodiment, Figure 2: is a diagram of another embodiment, and Figure 3: is a diagram of yet another embodiment.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, the envelope is made of a strip of co-extruded plastic film, 100 microns thick which has a fold 2 and welded seams 4 making a pocket 6, 140 X 200mm which is closed by a flap 8. The film has an inside face 10 constituted by a low density polyethylene layer coloured grey, containing fillers and presenting a glossy appearance. The outer face 12 is constituted by a low density polyethylene layer, coloured white containing fillers and presenting a matt surface for ballpoint, felt-tip or other writing instrument. This face also receives machine print indicating which areas are to be written on.

The flap is divided into three bands 14, 16, 18 by two parallel lines of perforations 20, 22. The endmost band 14 and centre band 16 each 20mm wide are tear-off labels each coated with pressure sensitive adhesive and covered with a release film 24, 26. The flap seal band 18 is 25mm wide and likewise coated with pressure sensitive adhesive and protected by a release film 28.

The front face of the envelope is printed with the destination andd such other advertising matter as the processing laboratory wishes. In use the customer writes his name and address on the matt side of labels 14 and 16. Label 14 is stuck to the film canister and placed inside the envelope. The release paper 28 is removed from band 18 which band is then used as a flap to seal the envelope. The label bearing the address of the customer remains fixed to the envelope enabling the processing staff to detach it upon receipt of the envelope and handle it in parallel with the film so that losses are avoided. 210593 Figure 2 illustrates an embodiment which does not include release films wherein the label bands are 14, 16 and the seal band 18 secures the flap.

In Figure 3 the seal band 18 secures the flap while the remaining area of the flap is divided not into bands but into two almost square labels separated by perforations 30 which intersect perforations 22. 210593

Claims (7)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. An envelope comprising a pocket with one open side, an adjacent closure flap and three permanently closed sides said closure flap being foldable about a common edge at the mouth of the pocket and comprising an adhesive sealing band adjacent the common edge which when the flap is folded about said common edge will make contact with an outer face of the pocket to effect closure thereof, and a plurality of adhesive label bands each co-extensive with said scaling band and being in width substantially equivalent to the sealing band, said label bands being separable from said sealing band along tear lines formed in the flap.

2. An envelope as claimed in claim I wherein adhesive surfaces of said sealing and label bands are protected by removable release covers.

3. An envelope as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein adhesive is applied to a face of the closure flap as one or more parallel bands.

4. An envelope as claimed in claim 4 wherein the closure flap is divided into three strips by two lines of perforations and wherein two of the said strips, are the labels, and the remaining strip is the sealing band.

5. An envelope as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the envelope is made from a strip blank of co-extruded polyethylene film with a matt layer outermost in order to receive indicia.

6. An envelope as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the outer faces thereof are capable of receiving indicia.

7. An envelope substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings. TRIGON PACKAGING SYSTEMS TNZ) LIMITED by its Attorneys