US1387164A - Method of sealing envelops - Google Patents

Description

A. NASSANO.

METHOD OF SEALING ENVELOPS. APPLICATION FILED AUG.I6. 1919.

1 ,38'7, 1 64. Patented g- 9, 1921.

INVENTOR. eiiaa Nays ATTORNEY .To all whom it may concern."

AMERICO NASSANO, or SAN rmricrseo, CAL FORNIA.

METHOD OF SEALING ENVELOPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

I Application filed August 16, 1919. Serial No. 318,034.

Be it known that I, AMERICO NASSANO, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of .Sealing Envelops; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to a method of sealing envelops, the principal object of the invention being to so seal an envelop that it cannot be opened by any party other than the one for whom it is intended without the knowledge of the owner when he finally receives it.

In the common form of gummed-flap envelops, it sometimes happens that unscrupulous persons will open the envelop by steaming the gummed-flap, read the contents of the envelop or extract some article of value therefrom, after which they can again seal the flap without danger of detection.

With my improved method of sealing envelops, this is impossible. Furthermore, I may do away with the gumming of the flap, with the attendant injurious practice of moistening the same with the ton e, and I may also discard the flap itsel except that it aids in keeping dust and dirt from the interior of the envelop, and very small articles from falling out.

The range of my invention also includes the sealing or securing of the contents of an envelop within the same, in combination with or independently of the actual sealing of the envelop itself, so that even if an envelop were opened, the contents thereof could not be examined and replaced without the rightful owner of the missive .being aware that the same has been tampered with.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear bya perusal of the following specification and claims.

On the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a plerspective view of the back of an envelop s owing the same sealed by my improved method.

Fig. 2 illustrates the method as applied to fasten or seal the ends of a letter or note without the use of an envelop.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged plan showing the form of cuts made in the thicknesses of the envelop as the first step in my improved method of sealing the same.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section of an envelop showing the completed sealing.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings,

It will thus be seen that the three thicknesses of the envelop at the point where the flap overlaps the envelop proper are united together in such a manner that when pulled apart, they cannot again be.united in the same way without it being evident that the envelop has been tampered with.

The slits 3 can be cut and the flattening operation performed in any desired manner,

as for instance with the aid of a punch hav-- ing a star-shaped cutting edge.

Certain machines now on the market for pressing little metal rings through numerous pages of documents to hold the same together could also be easily adapted for my purpose with a few slight changes If desired to seal the contents of the envelop therein, the contents are first inserted in the envelop and the same operation gone through as in the case of sealing the envelop, this operation being preferably accomplished at the opposite end of the envelop from the flap.

In order to definitely locate such point of sealing for the sake of uniformity, a small orificed seal suchas 6 may be secured to the envelop at that point, the punching tool being inserted through the hole in the seal as a guide.

If desired to send notes, etc., short distances by messenger, etc., without the necesof the device, still in practice such deviation from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Briefly my invention consists in symmetrically slitting the superposed plies of paper in such manner as to form a plurality of free, .outwardly bendable tongues, and then doubling collective tongues, back over the contiguous face of a ply, so as to clench the pliis together and form an original interloc Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A method for securing superposed plies of flexible material together without any extraneous appliances, which consists of slitting the superposed plies to form a plurality of tongues about a common point, then bending collective tongues from said point, and

folding them down over the contiguous face of one ply.

2. A method for securing plies of material together in such manner as to indicate having been separated after the initial fastening, which consists in forming a plurality of tongues in collective groups by slitting the material about a common point, and then creasing the groups of tongues outwardly over a face of one of the plies.

3. Amethod for securing plies of material together in such manner as toindicate having been separated after the initial fastening, which consists in forming a plurality of tongues in collective groups by radially slitting the material about a common point, and then creasing the groups of tongues outwardly over a face of one of the plies.

4. A plurality of plies of flexible material having groups of superposed integral tongues, arranged radially about a common point, the groups each being foldable and clenched and holding the plies in assembled relation.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. AMERICO NASSANO. Witnesses:

VERADINE WARNER, BERNARD PRIVAT.

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